Serum N

Background. The aim of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of serum N-glycan profiling for prognosis in hemodialysis patients. Methods. Serum N-glycan analysis was performed in 100 hemodialysis patients in June 2008 using the glycoblotting method, which allows high-throughput, comprehensive, and quantitative N-glycan analysis. All patients were longitudinally followed up for 5 years. To evaluate the independent predictors for prognosis, patients' background, blood biochemistry, and N-glycans intensity were analyzed using Cox regression multivariate analysis. Selected N-glycans and independent factors were evaluated using the log-rank test with the Kaplan-Meier method to identify the predictive indicators for prognosis. Each patient was categorized according to the number of risk factors to evaluate the predictive potential of the risk criteria for prognosis. Results. In total, 56 N-glycan types were identified in the hemodialysis patients. Cox regression multivariate analysis showed cardiovascular events, body mass index, maximum intima media thickness, and the serum N-glycan intensity of peak number 49 were predictive indicators for overall survival. Risk classification according to the number of independent risk factors revealed significantly poor survival by increasing the number of risk factors. Conclusions. Serum N-glycan profiling may have a potential to predict prognosis in patients undergoing hemodialysis

Testicular Metastasis of Prostate Cancer: A Case Report

The incidence of secondary neoplasms of the testis during autopsies is approximately 2.5%. Although most secondary testicular metastases are due to prostate cancer, only a few patients with prostate cancer have clinically manifested testicular metastasis. We report the case of a prostate cancer patient with testicular metastasis who was diagnosed after the presence of a palpable mass in the right testis. A 56-year-old Japanese male presented to our hospital with an elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 137 ng/ml. He was diagnosed with stage IV (T3N1M1b) prostate cancer and received androgen deprivation therapy, followed by various hormonal manipulations. His serum PSA level was undetectable for 1 year. No distant metastases were detected during imaging examinations. He received radiation therapy; however, his serum PSA level increased gradually. Four months later, he presented with right testicular swelling. Computed tomography revealed a heterogenous mass in the right testis and a right high inguinal orchiectomy was performed. Histopathological analysis showed that the right testis was infiltrated with metastatic adenocarcinoma with a Gleason score of 8. This is a rare case of right testicular metastasis in a patient with prostate cancer. Testicular metastasis of prostate cancer can be aggressive and metastasize

Renal Function Outcomes and Risk Factors for Stage 3B Chronic Kidney Disease after Urinary Diversion in Patients with Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer [corrected].

To assess the effects of urinary diversion on renal function, we retrospectively investigated renal function over 5 years after urinary diversion using a propensity score matching strategy.Between May 1996 and November 2013, 345 consecutive adult patients underwent radical cystectomy and urinary diversion in our hospital; one hundred and fifteen patients with more than a 5-year follow-up were enrolled. Propensity scores were calculated using logistic analysis, and the data used in the analyses included age, gender, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS), clinical tumor stage, presence of cardiovascular disease; hypertension; and type 2 diabetes and preoperative eGFR at the initial visit. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the risk factors for stage 3B chronic kidney disease (CKD) after the different types of urinary diversion.Continent and incontinent diversion were performed in 68 and 47 patients, respectively. The mean preoperative eGFR was significantly lower in the incontinent than in the continent group (P < 0.001). In propensity score-matched patients (n = 34 each), no significant differences were observed in pre- and postoperative eGFR and 5-year eGFR decrease rates between the groups. In the incontinent group, the number of postoperative stage 3B CKD patients was significantly increased than the continent group. Using multivariate analysis, independent risk factors significantly associated with stage 3B CKD at 5 years after surgery were older age, eGFR before surgery, incontinent diversion (cutaneous ureterostomy), and postoperative hydronephrosis.The types of urinary diversion had no significant impact on renal function decline, whereas older age, preexisting impaired renal function, postoperative hydronephrosis, and cutaneous ureterostomy were independent risk factors for stage 3B CKD at 5 years after radical cystectomy