Endocrine Abstracts

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the leading causes of tumor death in Western countries. Modifications in expression and functional alterations that involve the androgen receptor (AR) have been implicated in the progression of PCa and in the development of androgen independence; however, the role of AR in these processes is still debated, as contrasting results have been reported in several studies evaluating the relation between AR expression and disease progression (Tamburrin...

Introduction: Concern about a testosterone-induced PSA increase is often perceived as one of the main limitations in treating hypogonadism even when it is symptomatic, such as in subjects with sexual dysfunction (SD). The aim of the present study is to evaluate the relationship between testosterone (T) and PSA levels in subjects with SD.Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the relationship between T and PSA in 2291 subjects seeking medical care at our O...

Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common disease in the aging male, often comorbid with erectile dysfunction (ED). PDE5 inhibitors (PDE5i, sildenafil, tadalafil and vardenafil) decrease lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in patients with ED and BPH. We studied PDE5 expression and activity in the human bladder and PDE5i effects both in vitro (human and rat) and in vivo (rat). PDE5 is highly expressed in rat and human bladder and immunolocalized in vas...

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) are often comorbid. Chronic inflammation, a determinant pathogenic factor for BPH, is a putative link between the two conditions.Methods: In a multi-center cohort of BPH patients (n=244) who underwent prostatectomy, we evaluated whether MetS is associated with prostatic inflammation in BPH specimens. In addition, we investigated the in vitro inflammatory effects...