A theoretical study of properties and reactions involving arsenic and selenium compounds present in coal combustion flue gases.

Species of arsenic and selenium thought to be present in coal combustion flue gases were studied using density functional theory and a broad range of ab initio methods. At each level of theory, the calculated geometries and vibrational frequencies of each species as well as the reaction enthalpies of anticipated reactions were compared with experimental data where available. Comparisons between each calculation are given along with a discussion of the better performance of some theoretical calculations for a given species/reaction.

Supplemental and dietary vitamin E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C intakes and prostate cancer risk.

Background: Vitamin E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C are micronutrient antioxidants that protect cells from oxidative damage involved in prostate carcinogenesis. In separate trials, supplemental vitamin E was associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer among smokers and supplemental beta-carotene was associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer among men with low baseline plasma beta-carotene levels.

Methods: We evaluated the association between intake of these micronutrient antioxidants from foods and supplements and the risk of prostate cancer among men in the screening arm of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial.

A prospective study of lycopene and tomato product intake and risk of prostate cancer.

Background: Dietary lycopene and tomato products may reduce risk of prostate cancer; however, uncertainty remains about this possible association.

Methods: We evaluated the association between intake of lycopene and specific tomato products and prostate cancer risk in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, a multicenter study designed to investigate cancer early detection methods and etiologic determinants. Participants completed both a general risk factor and a 137-item food frequency questionnaire at baseline.

Preoperative biofeedback assisted behavioral training to decrease post-prostatectomy incontinence: a randomized, controlled trial.

Purpose: We tested the effectiveness of preoperative biofeedback assisted behavioral training for decreasing the duration and severity of incontinence, and improving quality of life in the 6 months following radical prostatectomy.

Materials And Methods: We performed a prospective, randomized, controlled trial comparing preoperative behavioral training to usual care. The volunteer sample included 125 men 53 to 68 years old who elected radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer.

Retrograde stenting for obstruction of the renal transplant ureter.

Objectives: To present our experience with retrograde stent placement and stent exchange for transplant ureteral obstruction.

Methods: A review of our renal transplant database was performed to identify all renal transplant patients who underwent attempted retrograde ureteral stenting for allograft ureteral obstruction or attempted allograft ureteral stent exchange between May 1992 and April 2004. A retrospective review was performed.

Jahn-Teller distortions and the supershell effect in metal nanowires.

A stability analysis of metal nanowires shows that a Jahn-Teller deformation breaking cylindrical symmetry can be energetically favorable, leading to stable nanowires with elliptic cross sections. The sequence of stable cylindrical and elliptical nanowires allows for a consistent interpretation of experimental conductance histograms for alkali metals, including both the electronic shell and supershell structures. It is predicted that for gold, elliptical nanowires are even more likely to form since their eccentricity is smaller than for alkali metals.

Comorbidity independently predicted death in older prostate cancer patients, more of whom died with than from their disease.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the proportion of men who died from prostate cancer (PrCa) vs. with PrCa and assess the comorbid conditions associated with other-cause deaths.

Study Design And Setting: We identified all male decedents aged >/=65 years in Jefferson County, AL, in 1993-1995.

Risk behaviours and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Objective: To identify risk factors for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Subjects And Methods: Medical history data, including reported urological conditions and treatments, and risk factor data were collected from 34 694 participants in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial, a randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate methods for the early detection of cancer.

Results: Asian men had the lowest risks (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval) for nocturia (0.

Interplay of Rayleigh and Peierls instabilities in metallic nanowires.

A quantum-mechanical stability analysis of metallic nanowires within the free-electron model is presented. The stability is determined by an interplay of electron-shell effects, the Rayleigh instability due to surface tension, and the Peierls instability. Although the latter effect limits the maximum length also for wires with "magic radii," it is found that nanowires in the micrometer range can be stable at room temperature.

Donor nephrectomy: A comparison of techniques and results of open, hand assisted and full laparoscopic nephrectomy.

Purpose: Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LAP) has been gaining more popularity among kidney donors and transplant surgeons. There have been some concerns about the function of kidney grafts harvested by laparoscopic procedures. We report our results of LAP.

A mammalian cell regulatory agent, CeReS-18, inhibits yeast cell proliferation but not bacterial replication.

A cell regulatory sialoglycopeptide, CeReS-18, purified from intact bovine cerebral cortex cells, has exhibited the capability of reversibly inhibiting cellular DNA synthesis and the proliferation of a wide array of mammalian cells. In the present study, the effect of CeReS-18 on the proliferation of bacterial ( Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli) and yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe) cells was investigated. The results showed that replication and viability of the bacterial cells were not affected by CeReS-18 at any concentration tested, including 15-fold higher than that used for inhibiting mouse 3T3 cell proliferation.

Stereocontrolled Synthesis of alpha-C-Galactosamine Derivatives via Chelation-Controlled C-Glycosylation.

The samarium diiodide-promoted reduction of 2-deoxy-2-acetamidogalactosyl pyridyl sulfone alpha-5 with ketones or aldehydes under Barbier conditions led unexpectedly to the stereoselective synthesis of alpha-C-galactosamine derivatives in good yields. With carbonyl substrates, alpha:beta selectivities ranged from 20:1 to 5:1, and with aldehydes a stereoselectivity of approximately 5:1 was observed at C7 in favor of the S-isomer. The stereochemical preference of these C-glycosylation reactions is explained by the intermediacy of an alpha-oriented anomeric glycosyl samarium(III) compound that is stabilized via chelation of the metal ion to the C2-acetamido group.

Bayesian monitoring of a phase 2 chemoprevention trial in high-risk cohorts for prostate cancer.

The objective of phase 2 cancer chemoprevention trials is to evaluate whether a chemopreventive agent will cause significant modulation of intermediate endpoint biomarkers (IEB) in patients at high risk for the disease. A phase 2 chemoprevention trial of 4-hydroxyphenyl retinamide (4-HPR) versus placebo was conducted in men with a histologic diagnosis of early prostate cancer and scheduled to have radical prostatectomy. A Bayesian monitoring method was used to sequentially monitor this trial for evidence of biological activity or ineffectiveness based on a single IEB variable.

NCCN Practice Guidelines for Prostate Cancer.

Systemic therapies for prostate cancer are likely to improve, and as they do, they will have enormous impact on the treatment of high-risk and locally advanced cancers. Further technical improvements in radiotherapy and alternative local modalities, such as cryoablation, are also likely, and will bring even more options for local control. It is certain these guidelines will continue to evolve.

The effect of isolated soy protein on plasma biomarkers in elderly men with elevated serum prostate specific antigen.

Purpose: We performed a randomized double-blind crossover pilot study in elderly men with elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) on the effects of the daily consumption of 2 soy beverages, each containing 20 gm. of isolated soy protein, on the isoflavone concentration in blood and urine, and on the 3 serum biomarkers cholesterol, PSA and the soluble p105 component of the p185erbB-2 proto-oncogene.

Materials And Methods: A total of 34 men supplemented their diet by consuming 1 of 2 soy protein beverages assigned randomly twice daily for a 6-week period.

Effects of pelvic rotation and needle angle on pubic arch interference during transperineal prostate implants.

Purpose: Pubic arch interference due to an enlarged prostate gland or a narrow pubic arch is often a limiting factor in adequate prostate coverage during transperineal brachytherapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of both pelvic rotation and needle angles on pubic arch interference using CT-based 3-D information.

Methods And Materials: Seven patients had CT imaging in both supine and lithotomy positions and 3-D treatment planning was performed with three needle angles (20 downward, 0, 20 upward).

Evaluation of biomarker modulation by fenretinide in prostate cancer patients.

An NCI-sponsored, phase II trial of N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)- retinamide (4-HPR) in patients with organ-confined prostate cancer in the period prior to radical prostatectomy was carried out. Thirty-seven men with the histologic diagnosis of prostate cancer planning to have radical prostatectomy entered the study after informed consent and were given 4-HPR (or matching placebo) as a single daily dose (two 100-mg capsules of 4-HPR or two capsules of placebo daily) for 3 weeks prior to surgery. Four men dropped out for unrelated reasons.

Retroperitoneal and pelvic extraperitoneal laparoscopy: an international perspective.

Objectives: To assess technical preferences and current practice trends of retroperitoneal and pelvic extraperitoneal laparoscopy.

Methods: A questionnaire survey of 36 selected urologic laparoscopic centers worldwide was performed.

Results: Twenty-four centers (67%) responded.