Comparisons of voided urine cytology, nuclear matrix protein-22 and bladder tumor associated antigen tests for bladder cancer of geriatric male patients in Taiwan, China

Aim： To compare the results of bladder tumor associated antigen （BTA TRAK）, nuclear matrix protein 22 （NMP 22） and voided urine cytology （VUC） in detecting bladder cancer. Methods： A total of 135 elderly male and 50 healthy volunteers enrolled in this study were classified into three groups： （i） 93 patients with bladder cancer; （ii） 42 patients with urinary benign conditions; and （iii） 50 healthy volunteers. BTA TRAK and NMP 22 kits were used to detect bladder cancer. Voided urine cytology was used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the screening tests. Results： The sensitivity and specificity of cytology, BTA TRAK and NMP 22 were 24% and 97%, 51% and 73%, 78% and 73%, respectively. The level of NMP 22 increased with tumor grading. The BTA TRAK kit has the lowest sensitivity among the screening tests. The NMP 22 with the best sensitivity can be an adjunct to cytology for evaluating bladder cancer. Conclusion： The NMP 22 test has a better correlation with the grading of the bladder cancer than BTA TRAK. As cytology units are typically not available in hospitals or in outpatient clinics, NMP 22 might be a promising tool for screening bladder cancer.

Manganese antagonizes iron blocking mitochondrial aconitase expression in human prostate carcinoma cells

Aim： To investigate the possible role of manganese in the regulation of mitochondrial aconitase （mACON） activity human prostate carcinoma cell line PC-3 cells. Methods： The mACON enzymatic activities of human prostate carcinoma cell line PC-3 cells were determined using a reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-coupled assay. Immunoblot and transient gene expression assays were used to study gene expression of the mACON. The putative response element for gene expression was identified using reporter assays with site-directed mutagenesis and electrophoretic mobility-shift assays. Results： In vitro study revealed that manganese chloride （MnCI2） treatment for 16 h inhibited the enzymatic activity of mACON, which induced the inhibition of citrate utility and cell proliferation of PC- 3 cells. Although results from transient gene expression assays showed that MnCI2 treatment upregulated gene translation by approximately 5-fold through the iron response element pathway, immunoblot and reporter assays showed that MnCl2 treatments inhibited protein and gene expression of mACON. This effect was reversed by cotreatment with ferric ammonium citrate. Additional reporter assays with site-directed mutagenesis and electrophoretic mobility-shift assays suggested that a putative metal response element in the promoter of the mACON gene was involved in the regulation of MnCh on the gene expression of mACON. Conclusion： These findings suggest that manganese acts as an antagonist of iron, disrupting the enzymatic activity and gene expression of mACON and citrate metabolism in the prostate.

Synchronous primary carcinomas of the bladder and prostate

Aim： To determine the incidence of adenocarcinoma of the prostate for patients undergoing radical cystoprostatectomy for bladder cancer in Taiwan. Methods： A total of 248 patients in Taiwan who were histologically confirmed for transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder underwent cystoprostatectomy. Histopathologic evaluation of the prostate specimens sectioned at 5 mm intervals was performed. Results： Of the 248 patients, 10 （4.03%） were found to have prostate cancer. Of the 10 cases of unsuspected prostate cancer, eight proved to be at stage T1 or T2, and two at T3 and T4, respectively. This rate of incidentally found prostate cancer amongst our bladder cancer patients appeared to be lower than that found in bladder cancer patients in similar studies in USA. Conclusion： Although the incidence of incidental prostate cancer in patients in Taiwan with bladder cancer is not high compared with that in Western countries, we suggest that digital rectal examination and prostate-specific antigen （PSA） are important screening tools for men with bladder cancer, especially for those aged 60 years and older in Taiwan.

Enterovesical fistula caused by a bladder squamous cell carcinoma

Enterovesical fistulas are not uncommon in patients with inflammatory or malignant colonic disease, however, fistulas secondary to primary bladder carcinomas are extremely rare. We herein reported a patient presenting with intractable urinary tract infection due to enterovesical fistula formation caused by a squamous cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder. This patient underwent en bloc resection of the bladder dome and involved ileum, and recovered uneventfully without urinary complaint. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case reported in the literature.

锰在人类前列腺癌细胞中作为铁的拮抗剂而阻碍线粒体中顺乌头酸梅的表达

目的:探讨锰在调节人类前列腺癌细胞系 PC-3细胞系中线粒体顺乌头酸酶(mACON)的活性过程中可能发挥的作用。方法:用还原性烟草酰酸腺嘌呤二核苷酸配对法测量 PC-3细胞中的 mACON 酶活性。运用免疫印迹法与暂时基因表达实验测定 mACON 的基因表达。用定点突变报告基因分析法与核酸胶体位移法确认以前公认的基因反应元件。结果:体外实验确认二氯化锰(MnCl_2)处理16 h 后可抑制 mACON 的酶活性而影响了柠檬酸的有效利用并抑制了 PC-3细胞的细胞增殖。尽管暂时基因表达实验结果显示 MnCl_2通过铁反应元件路使 mACON 基因的转译增加了五倍,但免疫印迹法报告基因分析结果却显示 MnCl_2处理抑制了 mACON 的蛋白与基因表达。若同时加入柠檬酸氨铁,MnCl_2的抑制效果可被逆转。定点突变报告基因分析法与核酸胶体位移法实验结果表明一个以前公认的位于 mACON 基因的促进子序列上的金属反应元件参与了 MnCl_2对 mACON 基因表达的调控。结论:本研究结果指出锰可作为铁的拮抗剂破坏 mACON 的酶活性和基因表达,进而干扰前列腺细胞的柠檬酸代谢。