[Usefulness of the percentage of free prostatic specific antigen in the differential diagnosis between benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer].

Background: PSA (prostatic specific antigen) is the most used tumor marker to monitor prostate cancer (PC). It is an acceptably sensitive test. Molecular forms of PSA give a chance to improve its specificity.

One-incision nephroureterectomy endoscopically assisted by transurethral ureteral stripping.

Objectives: Ureteral endoscopic surgery has been proposed as the first step of nephroureterectomy, either open or laparoscopic, to obviate the low abdominal incision. We present our experience with a technique of one-incision nephroureterectomy endoscopically assisted by transurethral ureteral stripping.

Methods: Standard nephrectomy is performed after placement of a Chevassu ureteral catheter.

[Secondary neoplasm in patients with bladder carcinoma. A case-control study].

Presentation of a case-control study on 755 subjects with the purpose of defining whether the development of a neoplasia on any organ and of any histological type, either synchronous or metachronous, occurs more frequently in patients who already have vesical carcinoma (338 cases) versus other populations of similar epidemiological characteristics comprising subjects who do not present that condition (417 controls). The evaluation of the difference between both groups establishes a cause-effect relationship expressed in terms of an odds ratio of 2:11 which allows to claim that presence of a second neoplasia is more frequent in patients with vesical carcinoma (p < 0.001).

Defective functional response to membrane stimuli in lymphocytes from patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a local disturbance in the prostate that may involve an inflammatory infiltrate predominantly composed of activated lymphocytes and macrophages. The activation and proliferative response of T lymphocytes to different mitogenic signals has been analysed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 45 patients with BPH and 55 healthy controls. The PBMC obtained from the patients showed a significant specific impairment in proliferation, CD25 expression and IL-2 production in response to stimulation with lectins (phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (Con A)), that was not corrected by the addition of IL-2 or of phorbol esters (phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)).

[Study, treatment and follow-up of 379 patients with urinary tract lithiasis].

Between May 1988 and December 1989, 369 patients were seen at our lithiasis unit. During that time the Unit had neither "percutaneous nephroscope" nor "ureterorenoscope". Twenty-three percent of the patients were not susceptible to therapy either due to spontaneous extrusion of their lithiasis or because it was not considered indicated.