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Background : We conducted a case-control study to examine the impact of coronal heart disease (CHD) risk factors on calcium oxalate (CaOX) stone formation. Methods : Variables included body mass index (BMI), current alcohol use, smoking habit, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, and hyperuricemia. Data sufficient for analysis were obtained for 181 CaOX stone formers and 187 controls.Results : Seven of 181 stone formers (3.9%) had a history of CHD compared with none of 187 control subjects ( P = 0.007). In univariate logistic regression analysis, smoking habit (OR 4.41, 95% CI 2.85-6.84, P < 0.0001), hypertension (OR 4.24, 95% CI 2.61-6.91, P < 0.0001), hypercholesterolemia (OR 3.03, 95% CI 1.77-5.20, P < 0.0001) and BMI (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.04-1.17, P = 0.007) reached statistical significance. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, smoking habit (OR 4.29, 95% CI 2.68-6.86, P < 0.0001), hypertension (OR 3.57, 95% CI 2.11-6.07, P < 0.0001), and hypercholesterolemia (OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.51-5.00, P = 0.001) reached statistical significance, while BMI (OR 1.06, 95% CI 0.99-1.12, P = 0.09) did not. Conclusions : CaOX stone formers are significantly associated with several CHD risk factors, including smoking habit, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity.

Objectives: Although several nomograms for prostate cancer detection have been developed for Western populations, the models constructed on Japanese data would be more useful for the Japanese population because of various differences between Western and Asian populations. We previously developed a model for predicting the probability of a positive initial prostate biopsy using clinical and laboratory data from Japanese males. In the present study, a predictive model for Japanese males with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) < 10 ng/mL was developed to guide decision-making for prostate biopsies. Methods: The age, total PSA level, free to total PSA ratio, prostate volume, and the digital rectal examination findings of 1037 Japanese males with a PSA < 10 ng/mL undergoing initial prostate biopsy as part of individual screening were analyzed. For study validation, 20% of these data was randomly reserved. Logistic regression analysis estimated relative risk, 95% confidence intervals, and P-values. Results: Age and the independent predictors of a positive biopsy result (elevated PSA, decreased free to total PSA ratio, small prostate volume, and abnormal digital rectal examination findings) were used to develop a predictive nomogram. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was significantly higher for the model (73.0%) than for PSA alone (55.0%). If externally validated , the use of this nomogram could reduce unnecessary biopsies by 26% and overall prostate biopsies by 7.8%. Conclusions: This predictive nomogram could provide more precise risk-analysis information for individual Japanese patients with PSA levels less than 10 ng/mL and may help to identify patients who need a prostate biopsy.

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Aim:To examine the efficiency of α1-blocker treatment on disease-specific and generic quality of life (QOL) in men with clinically diagnosed benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), the improvement of QOL scores with International prostate symptom score (I-PSS) and Rand Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Health Survey (SF-36) was prospectively analyzed. Methods: A total of 68 newly diagnosed patients with symptomatic BPH that satisfied all inclusion and none of the exclusion criteria were prospectively recruited. All patients received 0.2 mg/day of tamsulosin for 12 weeks. All patients underwent pretreatment documentation of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and assessment of symptom-specific QOL. Symptoms and general health-related QOL (HRQOL) were assessed using the I-PSS and SF-36, respectively. Also, other objective variables, such as prostate volume, maximal urinary flow and postvoid residual urine volume, were evaluated. Results: After 12 weeks, decrease in I-PSS was 27% compared with baseline (from 16.4 ± 7.18 to 11.9 ± 7.56). All questionnaires in the I-PSS showed improvement after tamsulosin treatment and the I-PSS QOL score was improved from 4.51 ± 1.14 to 3.17 ± 1.38 (P < 0.0001) at 12 weeks after tamsulosin administration. In intragroup comparisons of HRQOL scores with agegender adjusted SF-36 Japanese national norms, three SF-36 subscales (bodily pain, BP; social function, SF; and mental health, MH) were worse in the BPH group aged over 70 years, while younger BPH groups aged <70 had better mean SF-36 physical function (PF) scores compared with age-gender adjusted Japanese national norms. In the BPH group with a prostatic volume ≥20 mL, three mean SF-36 scales (BP, SF and MH) were significantly improved after tamsulosin treatment. It is noteworthy that these SF-36 subscales were identical to those observed to worsen in the older BPH group compared to Japanese national norms. Conclusions: Treatment with tamsulosin for symptomatic BPH patients is associated with significant improvement in the generic HRQOL, in addition to disease-specific QOL and symptoms, at 3 months after drug administration. In particularly, for generic HRQOL with SF-36, tamsulosin treatment can efficiently improve three mean SF-36 subscales (BP, SF and MH) that are decreased in older BPH patients.Key words α1-blocker, benign prostatic hyperplasia, I-PSS, quality of life, SF-36 health survey.