Endoprosthesis implantation in the treatment of recurrent urethral stricture: a multicenter study. Sicilian-Calabrian Urology Society.

Purpose: This study was conducted by nine urology departments in southern Italy to assess the efficacy of and tolerance to treatment of recurrent urethral stricture using a permanent prosthesis.

Patients And Methods: Since 1992, 99 prostheses have been implanted to treat inflammatory and iatrogenic (seven departments) or all types (two departments) of urethral strictures. The Urolume Wallstent was used in 94 cases.

Serum free prostate-specific antigen in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Objective: To determine the value of the ratio of free prostate-specific antigen (fPSA) to total PSA (tPSA) in the diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer in a cohort of patients undergoing prostatic transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS).

Patients And Methods: The study comprised 153 patients (99 with BPH and 54 with prostate cancer) undergoing diagnostic TRUS of the prostate. Patients with a tPSA of > 30 ng/mL were excluded from analysis.

bcl-2 overexpression combined with p53 protein accumulation correlates with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

Seventy-seven men with histologically proven and newly diagnosed prostate cancer we investigated for the presence of bcl-2 protein overexpression and p53 protein accumulation 1 immunohistochemistry. Forty-five men had evidence of locally advanced and metastatic disease and we treated by means of hormone manipulation. Twenty-eight patients either failed to respond to initial hormone manipulation or relapsed within 37 months from diagnosis (median 20 months).

Ureaplasma urealyticum and infected renal calculi.

In a group of 41 patients with infection lithiasis, the presence of Ureaplasma urealyticum in urine and in the calculi was investigated. A control group of 27 patients with metabolic lithiasis was simultaneously evaluated. Ureaplasma urealyticum was detected in a total of 10 patients with infection lithiasis.