Background:Benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH)is one of the most common causes of lower urinary tract symp-toms(LUTS)in older men.Nowadays,there are several plant extracts used for the treatment of LUTS due to BPH.Objec...Background:Benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH)is one of the most common causes of lower urinary tract symp-toms(LUTS)in older men.Nowadays,there are several plant extracts used for the treatment of LUTS due to BPH.Objective:The aim of this study is to compare the effect of combining silodosin 8 mg with Serenoa repens,Urtica dioica,Cucurbita pepo(Rotaprost 530 mg)compared to silodosin 8 mg and Rotaprost 530 mg alone in patients with LUTS/BPH.Methods:Four hundred five men with symptomatic BPH were recruited for the study from June 2020 to Jan-uary 2021.Three hundred eighty-nine patients were followed up for 6 months.All participants provided writ-ten informed consent.This prospective study included analysis of three treatment groups:Group I patients(n=130)received a combination of silodosin 8 mg and Rotaprost 530 mg(containing a dry extract of Serenoa repens 80 mg,a dry extract of Urtica dioica 150 mg,a dry extract of Cucurbita pepo seeds 200 mg,zinc(in the form of zinc picolinate)0.105 mg,and selenium(as sodium selenite)22.5μg);the group II(n=129)re-ceived silodosin 8 mg alone,and the group III(n=130)received Rotaprost 530 mg alone.Outcomes were measured by changes from baseline in International Prostate Symptom Score(IPPS)total score,PSA value,prostate volume,residual urine after urination,and maximum flow rate.Statistical significance was set at P<0.05.Results:In group I,IPSS,prostate volume,and maximum urinary flow rate(Qmax)improved significantly(P<0.05)compared with groups II and III during follow-up.Prostate volume in group I showed a significant decrease only during 6 months of therapy(P<0.05).No serious adverse effects were registered in the three groups.Conclusion:Combination therapy with silodosin 8 mg significantly reduced LUTS/BPH,Qmax,and prostate volume compared with silodosin 8 mg alone.Rotaprost 530 mg can also reduce PSA by at least 20.6−25.7%after 6-months of treatment.展开更多
The significance and diagnostic value of semen analysis in chronic bacterial prostatitis has been extensively debated and remains controversial. To investigate the diagnostic relevance of semen culture in the bacterio...The significance and diagnostic value of semen analysis in chronic bacterial prostatitis has been extensively debated and remains controversial. To investigate the diagnostic relevance of semen culture in the bacteriological workup of prostatitis patients, we retrospectively analyzed a clinical database of 696 symptomatic patients. All patients were routinely subjected to a four-glass test, followed by semen culture and analysis. This allowed to dissect from the database three different diagnostic scenarios, and to compare the 'two-glass' pre-/post- massage test and the standard 'four-glass' test with a 'five-glass' test (four-glass plus post-VB3 semen culture). The 'five-glass' test showed 3.6- or 6.5-fold increases in relative sensitivity and lesser reductions (-13.2% or -14.7%) in relative specificity for traditional uropathogens (TUs) compared with the four-glass or two-glass test, respectively. The area under the ROC curve and Jouden's index were increased, whereas positive and negative likelihood ratios were lower than comparators, indicating that the 'five-glass' assay may be superior in confirming the negative outcome of both standard tests. The five-, four-, and two-glass tests detected TUs (Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococci, etc.) in 120, 33, and 20 patients and unusual pathogens (Streptococci, other Gram-positive species, Mycoplasmata, and others) in 130, 56, and 45 patients, respectively. When patients were subjected to pharmacological treatment, including a combination of a fluoroquinolone and a macrolide, no differences in eradication rates were observed between groups diagnosed with different tests, irrespective of pathogen category. Eradication was associated with long-term sign/symptom remission; no significant intergroup differences in sign/symptom scores were observed throughout a 24-month off-therapy follow-up period. In conclusion, our data support the usefulness of semen analysis in the diagnostic workup ofprostatitis patients when this test is used to complement the four-glass Meares and Stamey test. Improvement of microbiological assays conveys important diagnostic and therapeutic implications.展开更多
文摘Background:Benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH)is one of the most common causes of lower urinary tract symp-toms(LUTS)in older men.Nowadays,there are several plant extracts used for the treatment of LUTS due to BPH.Objective:The aim of this study is to compare the effect of combining silodosin 8 mg with Serenoa repens,Urtica dioica,Cucurbita pepo(Rotaprost 530 mg)compared to silodosin 8 mg and Rotaprost 530 mg alone in patients with LUTS/BPH.Methods:Four hundred five men with symptomatic BPH were recruited for the study from June 2020 to Jan-uary 2021.Three hundred eighty-nine patients were followed up for 6 months.All participants provided writ-ten informed consent.This prospective study included analysis of three treatment groups:Group I patients(n=130)received a combination of silodosin 8 mg and Rotaprost 530 mg(containing a dry extract of Serenoa repens 80 mg,a dry extract of Urtica dioica 150 mg,a dry extract of Cucurbita pepo seeds 200 mg,zinc(in the form of zinc picolinate)0.105 mg,and selenium(as sodium selenite)22.5μg);the group II(n=129)re-ceived silodosin 8 mg alone,and the group III(n=130)received Rotaprost 530 mg alone.Outcomes were measured by changes from baseline in International Prostate Symptom Score(IPPS)total score,PSA value,prostate volume,residual urine after urination,and maximum flow rate.Statistical significance was set at P<0.05.Results:In group I,IPSS,prostate volume,and maximum urinary flow rate(Qmax)improved significantly(P<0.05)compared with groups II and III during follow-up.Prostate volume in group I showed a significant decrease only during 6 months of therapy(P<0.05).No serious adverse effects were registered in the three groups.Conclusion:Combination therapy with silodosin 8 mg significantly reduced LUTS/BPH,Qmax,and prostate volume compared with silodosin 8 mg alone.Rotaprost 530 mg can also reduce PSA by at least 20.6−25.7%after 6-months of treatment.
文摘The significance and diagnostic value of semen analysis in chronic bacterial prostatitis has been extensively debated and remains controversial. To investigate the diagnostic relevance of semen culture in the bacteriological workup of prostatitis patients, we retrospectively analyzed a clinical database of 696 symptomatic patients. All patients were routinely subjected to a four-glass test, followed by semen culture and analysis. This allowed to dissect from the database three different diagnostic scenarios, and to compare the 'two-glass' pre-/post- massage test and the standard 'four-glass' test with a 'five-glass' test (four-glass plus post-VB3 semen culture). The 'five-glass' test showed 3.6- or 6.5-fold increases in relative sensitivity and lesser reductions (-13.2% or -14.7%) in relative specificity for traditional uropathogens (TUs) compared with the four-glass or two-glass test, respectively. The area under the ROC curve and Jouden's index were increased, whereas positive and negative likelihood ratios were lower than comparators, indicating that the 'five-glass' assay may be superior in confirming the negative outcome of both standard tests. The five-, four-, and two-glass tests detected TUs (Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococci, etc.) in 120, 33, and 20 patients and unusual pathogens (Streptococci, other Gram-positive species, Mycoplasmata, and others) in 130, 56, and 45 patients, respectively. When patients were subjected to pharmacological treatment, including a combination of a fluoroquinolone and a macrolide, no differences in eradication rates were observed between groups diagnosed with different tests, irrespective of pathogen category. Eradication was associated with long-term sign/symptom remission; no significant intergroup differences in sign/symptom scores were observed throughout a 24-month off-therapy follow-up period. In conclusion, our data support the usefulness of semen analysis in the diagnostic workup ofprostatitis patients when this test is used to complement the four-glass Meares and Stamey test. Improvement of microbiological assays conveys important diagnostic and therapeutic implications.