High-energy transurethral microwave thermotherapy in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia: comparative study between 30-and 60-minute single treatments.

We retrospectively evaluated the subjective and objective treatment results of transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT) for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and explored the difference in effectiveness between 30- and 60-min single treatments. From June 1997 through March 2003, 58 men with BPH underwent TUMT using the Targis device. Twenty-seven and 31 patients each received a single treatment of 60 or 30 min, respectively. Evaluations after treatment included a clinical determination of the International Prostate Symptom Score, urodynamic assessments by peak flow rate, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In the 60-min treatment, the symptom score improved significantly, from 17.9 to 9.5 after 2 months. Similarly, there was a significant improvement in peak flow rate, from 6.7 to 11.2 ml/sec after 2 months. In the 30-min treatment, the symptom score also improved significantly, from 18.4 to 13.4 after 2 weeks. Similarly, there was a significant improvement in the peak flow rate, from 6.4 to 11.7 ml/sec after 1 month. MRI imaging showed necrosis of the prostate gland 2 weeks after either treatment. These results demonstrated that both the 60-min and the 30-min treatments were effective for patients with BPH. Moreover, the 30-min treatment led to quicker improvement than the 60-min treatment. Thus, a 30-min TUMT protocol is considered recommendable for this treatment.</p

Intraprostatic Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A Injection for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia:Preliminary Results with a Newly Purified Neurotoxin

Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of intraprostatic injection of botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) against symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The most commonly used BoNT/A product, Botox®, forms large complexes and composed of neurotoxin (NTX) as well as non-toxic components. We purified NTX lacking non-toxic components. We investigated the efficacy of this newly purified NTX for men with BPH. Ten male patients (mean age, 70.0 years) with BPH received 100 units (prostate volume [PV] ＜30ml) or 200 units (PV ｧ30ml) of NTX injected into the prostate via a minimally invasive outpatient technique. Evaluation included uroflowmetry, postvoid residual urine volume (PVR), PV, and International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) measured at baseline and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-treatment. The status of 7 of the 10 patients examined was found to have improved within 1 month of treatment. The mean IPSS decreased from 23.8±7.0 to 16.3±10.3 (p＝0.0093) at 1 month, to 14.9±8.2 (p＝0.0074) at 3 months, and to 16.9±7.3 (p＝0.018) at 12 months. The mean PV decreased from 47.8±21.2 to 39.2±19.5ml (p＝0.0076) at 3 months. The PVR improved at 3 and 6 months post-treatment. Intraprostatic NTX injection induces prostate shrinkage and is effective in men with BPH

Esr and radiocarbon dating of gut strings from early plucked instruments

Early European plucked instruments have recently experienced a great revival, but a few aspects remain unknown (e.g., the gauge of gut strings). Here we report, for the first time, that the electron spin resonance (ESR) signal intensity of oxidized iron, Fe(III), from gut strings at g = 2 increases linearly with age within a few hundred years. The signal increase in the remaining old strings on early instruments can be used to judge if they are as old as or younger than the instrument. Obtaining the authenticity information of gut strings contributes to the revival of the old instruments and the music. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland