(1)H NMR based metabonomic approach was applied in order to monitor the alterations of plasma metabolic profile in Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) patients and controls. (1)H NMR spectra of plasma samples from 32 RCC patients and 13 controls (patients exhibiting benign urologic disease) were recorded and analyzed using multivariate statistical techniques. Alterations in the levels of LDL/VLDL, NAC, lactate, and choline were observed between RCC patients and controls discriminating these groups in Principal Component Analysis (PCA) plots. Post OSC PLS-DA presented a satisfactory clustering between T1 with T3 RCC patients. Decrease in plasma lipid concentrations in RCC patients was verified using conventional clinical chemistry analysis. The results suggest that combination of (1)H NMR spectroscopy with PCA has potential in cancer diagnosis; however, a limitation of the method to monitor RCC is that major biomarkers revealed (lipoproteins and choline) in this metabolic profile are not unique to RCC but may be the result of the presence of any malignancy.

Our data suggest a high oxidative stress due to the release of nitric oxide synthase and xanthine oxidase within the dilated spermatic vein. The reaction resulted in dramatic formation of nitric oxide, peroxynitrite and S-nitrosothiols, which are biologically active. Formation of peroxynitrite from the reaction of nitric oxide with superoxide could be a causative factor for impaired sperm function in patients with varicocele.

No abstract

Prostate biopsy is usually performed without anesthesia. We evaluated the patient's perception of pain/discomfort experienced during the procedure in terms of the type of anesthesia used: periprostatic infiltration with 2% lidocaine, or intrarectal instillation of lidocaine-prilocain cream. A total of 198 patients were divided into three groups: group 1 (control group, n=40) received sonographic gel intrarectally prior to biopsy, group 2 (n=75) were given intrarectal instillation of lidocaine-prilocain cream, and group 3 (n=80) received periprostatic anesthesia by injecting 10 ml of 2% lidocaine. Pain after each biopsy was assessed using an 11-point linear visual analog pain scale. The mean pain scores were 5.1 in group 1, 4.8 in group 2, and 2.5 in group 3, resulting in a significant difference between group 3 and both groups 1 and 2, but not between groups 1 and 2. The incidence of biopsy-related adverse events did not differ among groups. Transrectal ultrasonographic guided periprostatic anesthesia is superior to intarectal instillation of lidocaine-prilocain cream.