3 research outputs found
Serum Prostate Specific Antigen and Mast Cells in Distinguishing Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia from Prostatic Carcinoma: Is there a Correlation?
Introduction: Benign Hyperplasia of the Prostate (BHP) and
prostate cancer comprise about 90% of all diseases of the
prostate gland. An increase in serum Prostate Specific Antigen
(PSA) is an indicator of underlying hyperplasia, inflammation, or
cancer. Mast cells are found in both inflamed and tumour tissue.
Aim: To find the correlation of mast cell count with age, weight
of prostate, and serum PSA level, and thereby distinguishing
between the benign or inflammatory prostatic enlargement
against prostatic carcinoma.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional observational
study was conducted over a period of 18 months from November
2013 to April 2015 in a tertiary care hospital in West Bengal, India.
Patients coming for treatment of enlarged prostate were included
in this study as a convenience sample. Their age in years, weight
of the gland by ultrasonography, serum PSA level, and mast cell
count were recorded for analysis. The data between benign and
malignant lesions were compared by the Mann-Whitney U test
and the Spearman correlation coefficient was calculated to find
correlation among the continuous variables. Chi-square test
was done to compare categorical data. Microsoft Excel 2010
(Microsoft Inc, USA) and International Business Machines (IBM)
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistics
20.0 (IBM, New York, USA) software were used for conducting
the statistical tests.
Results: A total of 48 males with a median age of 63.5 years
were studied. The weight of the prostate gland, serum PSA,
and mast cell count were significantly higher in carcinoma of
the gland. The weight of prostate gland (rs
= 0.34, p-value= 0.02)
and serum PSA (rs
= 0.61, p-value <0.0001) was significantly
positively correlated with mast cell count in overall sample. The
PSA (p-value <0.001) significantly contributed to predicting the
mast cells in linear regression.
Conclusion: The serum level of PSA and mast cells were higher
in carcinoma of the prostate. Higher prostate gland size and
PSA would have higher mast cell infiltration. This study showed
a correlation of serum PSA level with mast cell density, which
may be used as an additional tool in distinguishing BHP versus
prostatic carcinoma. Further studies are needed to find a more
generalisable regression equation
Nano-/Microfibrous Cotton-Wool-Like 3D Scaffold with Core–Shell Architecture by Emulsion Electrospinning for Skin Tissue Regeneration
Electrospun nanofibrous
scaffold has long been studied as skin
substitutes for their structural resemblance to the dermal extracellular
matrix. However, packed fibrous architecture with small pore size
restricts cellular infiltration into nanofibrous mat. In this article,
we report highly porous, nano-/microfibrous 3D structure using polycaprolactone-chitosan
emulsion and its application in skin regeneration. Under the influence
of electric field, the emulsion containing encapsulated charged chitosan
droplets enhances charge of the spinning solution and residual charge
in the core of the deposited fiber, thereby creating core–shell,
cotton-like fluffy structure with average pore size 62 μm, fiber
diameter ∼1.62 μm, contact angle of 72° and 80%
water uptake capacity of the scaffold. Further, differential stirring
period of the specific emulsion developed compact nanofibrous membrane
with nanometer ranged pore size emphasizing the role played by emulsion
droplet size and the charge carried thereafter. Presence of nanofibers
with high-interconnected porosity promoted efficient cellular infiltration
and proliferation from initial days of cell seeding. The scaffold
supported extracellular matrix protein expression and stratified epithelialization <i>in vitro</i>. Effective integration and attachment of scaffold
with margins of a full-thickness excision wound created in a rat model
with accelerated healing within 3 weeks proved the efficiency of the
scaffold as skin substitute. Additionally, gradual and prolong release
of acidic chitosan from the core section benefitted wound healing
by lowering the pH of wound environment. Simple technique with inexpensive
raw materials endorsed the scaffold as a promising off-the-shelf matrix
for skin tissue regeneration