Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Exacerbates Cardiovascular Disease in the Presence of Low or Castrate Testosterone Levels.

Low testosterone (T), common in aging men, associates with cardiovascular disease. We investigated whether follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which is affected by T, modulates the cardiovascular effects associated with low T or castration. FSHβ:low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) mice, untreated or castrated (orchiectomy, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist or antagonist), demonstrated significantly less atherogenesis compared with similarly treated LDLR mice, but not following FSH delivery.

Diagnostic Performance of Ga Prostate-specific Membrane Antigen PET/MRI Compared with Multiparametric MRI for Detecting Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer.

Background Gallium 68 (Ga) prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/MRI may improve detection of clinically significant prostate cancer (CSPC). Purpose To compare the sensitivity and specificity of Ga-PSMA PET/MRI with multiparametric MRI for detecting CSPC. Materials and Methods Men with prostate specific antigen levels of 2.

Cardiovascular Proteomics: A Post Hoc Analysis from a Phase II Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing GnRH Antagonist vs GnRH Agonist among Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: Recent studies demonstrated reduced cardiovascular (CV) risk with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist, yet the underlying mechanism remains undetermined. The objective of this study was to examine longitudinal changes over time in established CV related proteins among men treated with GnRH agonists vs GnRH antagonist.

Materials And Methods: We performed a proteomics analysis of serum samples collected during a phase II randomized study among 80 men with advanced prostate cancer and preexisting CV disease who were randomized to receive a GnRH agonist (39) or GnRH antagonist (41) for 1 year.

Role of Metabolic Syndrome in Prostate Cancer Development.

Prostate cancer and metabolic syndrome are common among men in the Western world. As the population grows older and life expectancy increases, the rates of both diseases are expected to increase. We now recognize that metabolic syndrome and prostate cancer interact.

Diffusion Is Directional: Innovative Diffusion Tensor Imaging to Improve Prostate Cancer Detection.

In the prostate, water diffusion is faster when moving parallel to duct and gland walls than when moving perpendicular to them, but these data are not currently utilized in multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) for prostate cancer (PCa) detection. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can quantify the directional diffusion of water in tissue and is applied in brain and breast imaging. Our aim was to determine whether DTI may improve PCa detection.

Cardiac biomarkers in patients with prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease receiving gonadotrophin releasing hormone agonist vs antagonist.

Background: Gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists and antagonists reduce testosterone levels for the treatment of advanced and metastatic prostate cancer. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) events and CV disease (CVD), especially in patients with preexisting CVD treated with GnRH agonists. Here, we investigated the potential relationship between serum levels of the cardiac biomarkers N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP), D-dimer, C-reactive protein (CRP), and high-sensitivity troponin (hsTn) and the risk of new CV events in prostate cancer patients with a history of CVD receiving a GnRH agonist or antagonist.

3,3-Diindolylmethane (DIM): a nutritional intervention and its impact on breast density in healthy BRCA carriers. A prospective clinical trial.

Women who carry the BRCA mutation are at high lifetime risk of breast cancer, but there is no consensus regarding an effective and safe chemoprevention strategy. A large body of evidence suggests that 3,3-diindolylmethane (DIM), a dimer of indole-3-carbinol found in cruciferous vegetables, can potentially prevent carcinogenesis and tumor development. The primary aim of this prospective single-arm study was to investigate the effect of DIM supplementation on breast density, a recognized predictive factor of breast cancer risk.

Changes in Urology After the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world. Urology needs to overcome these challenges. Our duty is to provide care under any circumstances and our privilege is to re-examine and advance our field.

Short-Term Outcomes of Active Surveillance for Low Risk Prostate Cancer among Men with Germline DNA Repair Gene Mutations.

Purpose: Men with germline mutations in DNA repair genes have a higher risk of prostate cancer. Active surveillance is the preferred treatment modality for low risk prostate cancer. However, many fear offering this alternative to men with germline mutations.

A noninferiority within-person study comparing the accuracy of transperineal to transrectal MRI-US fusion biopsy for prostate-cancer detection.

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US) fusion prostate-biopsies can be performed in a transrectal (TR-fusion) or transperineal (TP-fusion) approach. Prospective comparative evidence is limited. In this study we compared the detection rate of clinically-significant prostate-cancer (csPCa) within an index lesion between TR and TP-fusion.

Vascular endothelium function among male carriers of BRCA 1&2 germline mutation.

Breast cancer susceptibility genes 1&2 (BRCA1&2) mutations hinder DNA-repair. Germline mutations in these genes are known to cause cancer; however, they may have other consequences. In this study we evaluated for the first time, the effect of the BRCA mutations on the vascular endothelium of young healthy males.

Cardiovascular Morbidity in a Randomized Trial Comparing GnRH Agonist and GnRH Antagonist among Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer and Preexisting Cardiovascular Disease.

Purpose: Androgen deprivation therapy may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Limited data suggest that GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) antagonist may be associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than GnRH agonist.

Materials And Methods: We performed a phase II, randomized, open label study in men with prostate cancer and preexisting cardiovascular disease who were randomized to receive GnRH agonists or antagonists for 1 year.

Screening, Active Surveillance, and Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer Among Carriers of Germline BRCA Mutations.

Male carriers of BRCA mutations are at higher risk of developing prostate cancer. Many issues are still unanswered and are currently being studied, including differences between BRCA1 and BRCA2, screening and specific protocols, the role of active surveillance, and the choice of definitive treatment.

Characterizing the learning curve of MRI-US fusion prostate biopsies.

Background: MRI-US fusion prostate biopsies are becoming a common procedure to diagnose prostate cancer. There is a paucity of information regarding the learning curve for fusion biopsies. We aim to study the amount of experience needed to be both accurate and time-efficient in this procedure.

Non-canonical activation of DAPK2 by AMPK constitutes a new pathway linking metabolic stress to autophagy.

Autophagy is an intracellular degradation process essential for adaptation to metabolic stress. DAPK2 is a calmodulin-regulated protein kinase, which has been implicated in autophagy regulation, though the mechanism is unclear. Here, we show that the central metabolic sensor, AMPK, phosphorylates DAPK2 at a critical site in the protein structure, between the catalytic and the calmodulin-binding domains.

Assessment of Needle Tip Deflection During Transrectal Guided Prostate Biopsy: Implications for Targeted Biopsies.

Objectives: To measure needle tip deflection during transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) prostate biopsy and evaluate predictors for needle tip deflection.

Materials And Methods: Analysis of 568 prostate biopsies obtained from 51 consecutive patients who underwent a standard 12-core TRUS guided prostate biopsy. TRUS guided prostate biopsies were performed using BK flex500, with a side-fire biplane probe.

Is there a difference in testosterone levels and its regulators in men carrying BRCA mutations?

Background: Male BRCA mutation carriers are at risk for an early onset aggressive prostate cancer. No data exist on the association of testosterone levels among these patients. We aimed to analyze testosterone and associated hormonal levels among male BRCA carriers and non-carriers.

Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Benign Prostate Hyperplasia Features Among Male BRCA Mutation Carriers.

Objective: To analyze lower urinary tract symptoms and benign prostate hyperplasia features among male BRCA1 and 2 carriers and an age-matched control group.

Methods: Male BRCA carriers and noncarriers aged 40-70 years were enrolled in our cross-sectional study. Relevant clinical data were collected, and patients filled the International Prostate Symptom Score.

Discovering protein-protein interactions within the programmed cell death network using a protein-fragment complementation screen.

Apoptosis and autophagy are distinct biological processes, each driven by a different set of protein-protein interactions, with significant crosstalk via direct interactions among apoptotic and autophagic proteins. To measure the global profile of these interactions, we adapted the Gaussia luciferase protein-fragment complementation assay (GLuc PCA), which monitors binding between proteins fused to complementary fragments of a luciferase reporter. A library encompassing 63 apoptotic and autophagic proteins was constructed for the analysis of ∼3,600 protein-pair combinations.

The autophagy protein Atg12 associates with antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members to promote mitochondrial apoptosis.

Autophagy and apoptosis constitute important determinants of cell fate and engage in a complex interplay in both physiological and pathological settings. The molecular basis of this crosstalk is poorly understood and relies, in part, on "dual-function" proteins that operate in both processes. Here, we identify the essential autophagy protein Atg12 as a positive mediator of mitochondrial apoptosis and show that Atg12 directly regulates the apoptotic pathway by binding and inactivating prosurvival Bcl-2 family members, including Bcl-2 and Mcl-1.