Initial Experience with Laparoendoscopic Single-Site Surgery by Use of a Homemade Transumbilical Port in Urology

PURPOSE: We present our initial experience with laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) by a single surgeon in the urologic field. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From May 2009 to April 2010, 30 consecutive patients underwent LESS including seven cases of nephrectomy, five cases of nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff excision, four cases of ureterolithotomy, eight cases of marsupialization, and six cases of varicocelectomy. We performed a retrospective analysis of the medical records of the above patients. The single port was made with a surgical glove and an Alexis(R) wound retractor (Applied Medical, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, USA). The wound retractor was put into the peritoneal space through an umbilical incision, and a laparoscopic triangle was secured by crossing both instruments. All operations were performed by the transperitoneal approach. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 54.8 years. Mean operative time was 171.2+/-109.1 minutes. Mean estimated blood loss was 265.0+/-395.5 ml. Mean incision length was 3.2+/-1.4 cm. Mean length of hospitalization was 5.2+/-2.9 days. There was one laparoscopic conversion and two open conversions. There were two cases of transient ileus that improved with conservative treatment. Mean visual analogue pain scales on the operative day and first postoperative day were 6.3/10 and 3.1/10, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, LESS for urologic surgery is feasible, safe, and clinically applicable. We consider the homemade single-port device to be a relatively cost-effective and convenient device. If surgical instruments for LESS and appropriate ports specified for LESS are developed, LESS would be a surgical treatment technique that could be used as an alternative to the conventional types of laparoscopic surgery.

The Association of Metabolic Syndrome and Prostate-Specific Antigen

PURPOSE: Recent studies have reported the association between metabolic syndrome and benign prostatic hyperplasia. This study was conducted to evaluate the relation between metabolic syndrome and prostate-specific antigen (PSA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2004 to December 2007, a total of 4,115 male outpatients (aged 40 to 79 years) who visited the health care center at our medical center were examined. Eligible men were classified according to the presence or absence of metabolic syndrome and the number of components of the metabolic syndrome. The association between the sum of metabolic syndrome components and PSA level was evaluated. The association between each metabolic syndrome component and PSA level was also evaluated. RESULTS: The PSA level of metabolic syndrome patients was lower than that of the control group (p=0.022). An increased number of metabolic syndrome components was significantly associated with a linear, decreasing trend in PSA levels (p-trend=0.040). When a Pearson's correlation was performed, only obesity was inversely associated with PSA level in the metabolic syndrome group. There was no significant factor that was related to having a PSA level greater than or equal to 2.5 ng/ml. CONCLUSIONS: Metabolic syndrome should be considered as a factor associated with reduced PSA levels. If the patient with metabolic syndrome is obese, the PSA cutoff value should be lower than 4 ng/ml.

The Usefulness of Colonoscopy as a Colon Cancer Screening Test for Asymptomatic Adults / 대한소화기내시경학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study evaluated the prevalence and location of colonic adenomatous polyps in asymptomatic adults. METHODS: A total of 2,849 asymptomatic adults underwent colonscopic screening as a part of health evaluation from January 2003 to September 2005. Completed questionnaires as well as the colonoscopic and pathologic findings were analyzed. RESULTS: There were 406 (14.3%) subjects with adenomatous polyps including 78 (2.7%) with advanced polyps. There was a trend toward an increased prevalence of adenomatous polyps with age. The relative risk of a proximal polyp according to the distal findings was 5.7 (95% CI 4.3 ~ 7.4) for adenoma, 4.9 (95% CI 3.0 ~ 7.7) for advanced adenoma compared with that for no adenomatous polyp. There were no index polyps at the distal colon in 30% of the 406 subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Though distal polyps are associated with the proximal polyps, 30% of asymptomatic adults with proximal polyps are not associated with any distal index polyps. For those without any contraindication to the procedure, colonoscopy performed by experienced colonoscopists as a screening test is feasible for detecting those patients with colorectal polyps.

Pathological Analysis of Tumor Response after Preoperative Chemoradiation Therapy for Advanced Rectal Cancer

PURPOSE: We investigated the association of survivin expression with the prognosis in advanced rectal cancer with preoperative chemoradiotherapy for pathological analysis. METHODS: We examined 16 patients with rectal cancer who were preoperatively staged as T3 or T4. The enrolled patients were given 5-FU, 425 mg/m2/day, and leucovorin, 20 mg/m2/day, intravenously for 3 days during weeks 1 and 5 of pelvic radiotherapy. Surgical resection was performed 4~6 weeks after completion of the schedule. Tumor response was divided into CR (complete remission), PR (partial remission), and NR (non remission). Immunohistochemical staining of paraffin sections using monoclonal antibodies for survivin, bcl-2, and p53 was performed on pretreatment biopsy and surgically resected tissue by using the standard avidin-biotin-peroxidase technique. RESULTS: No CR was achieved. PR was achieved in 10 patients (62.5%), and NR in 6 patients (37.5%). After preoperative treatment, survivin expression tended to be decreased in tumor cells (62.5% to 31.3%) and slightly increased in adjacent normal mucosa a (12.5% to 25%). After preoperative treatment, survivin expression was correlated with lymph-node metastasis in the statistical analysis. We failed to find any other significant relationship between survivin expression and any parameters, except lymph node metastasis and apoptotic index. CONCLUSIONS: Survivin expression before preoperative treatment was not related to the prognosis in rectal cancer patients, but survivin expression after preoperative treatment was related to lymph node metastasis of advanced rectal cancer. Further studies, including large numbers of rectal cancer cases with a sufficient follow-up period, are needed in order to establish survivin as a prognostic target in rectal cancer.

Analysis of Factors Influencing the Long Term Outcome after Endoscopic Stenting for Benign Biliary Stricture / 대한소화기내시경학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The problem with endoscopic management for benign biliary stricture is the occurrence of restenosis after removal of biliary stents. However the factors that influence the rate of restenosis have not yet been identified. The aim of this study was to identify the factors that affect patency of the bile duct after removal of an endoscopic stent for management of benign biliary stricture. METHODS: The medical records and potential factors that influence biliary restenosis were analyzed in 19 patients with benign biliary stricture. RESULTS: At the time of stent removal, successful stricture resolution was noted in 13 out of 19 patients. Among these 13 patients, good biliary patency, without restenosis, was observed in 10 patients during a mean follow-up of 24 months. The time interval, from biliary surgery to stricture, tended to be shorter in the group with good results compared to the group with poor results (6.2+/-3.3 months vs. 80.2+/-139.3 months respectively: p=0.07). Other factors did not affect the rate of restenosis after removal of the stent. CONCLUSIONS: The time interval, from biliary surgery to stricture, tends to influence restenosis after endoscopic management for benign biliary stricture.

Metabolic Abnormalities of 24-hour Urinary Lithogenic Factors in Recurrent Stone Formers / 대한비뇨기과학회지

PURPOSE: To determine the metabolic characteristics of recurrent stone formers (RSF), we investigated urinary lithogenic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The 24-hour urine samples of 151 RSF (114 men, 37 women) and 70 normal controls (33 men, 37 women) were analyzed for excretion rate differences of lithogenic and inhibitory constituents such as volume, sodium, phosphorus, uric acid, calcium, magnesium, oxalate, and citrate. The incidence and spectrum of metabolic abnomality in REF were aldo determined. RESULTS: The RSF showed significantly increased excretion of phosphorus (p=0.004), uric acid (p=0.003), and calcium (p=0.007) and decreased in that of citrate (p=0.044). No significant differences were found between the RSF and normal controls with regard to the excretions of sodium, magnesium, oxalate, and volume. The most frequent metabolic abnormality in RSF was hypocitraturia (43.7%), followed by hypernatriuria (41.7%), hypercalciuria (23.2%), and hyperuricosuria (20.5%). At least one metabolic abnormality was found in 118 of out of 151 RSF (78.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that RSF had different urinary excretions of citrate as well as phophorus, uric acid, and calcium compared to the normal subjects and metabolic abnomalities were found up to 80% of them. The 24-hour urine study would be an effective means for metabolic evaluation in RSF although diagnostic accuracy increases with repeated examination.

Altered Expression of p33(ING1) in Human Bladder Cancer / 대한비뇨기과학회지

PURPOSE: p33(ING1) seems to be a candidate of novel growth inhibitor as a tumor suppressor gene and plays a critical role in regulation of cell cycle progression and susceptibility to apoptosis. In this study, we investigated p33(ING1) expression pattern in human bladder cancer and normal tissue. MATERIALS AND METHODS: RNA was extracted from 42 bladder cancer specimens and 24 normal bladder mucosa. Expression of p33(ING1) was examined by quantitative RT- PCR in which the ratio to GAPDH, an internal control, was used as a standardized expression value of the p33(ING1). Alterations of p33(ING1) expression between cancer and normal mucosa were compared and interrelationship with stage and grade was analyzed. To detect the mutations in the p33(ING1), PCR-SSCP analysis was also performed. RESULTS: Out of 42 bladder cancer (25 superficial and 17 invasive), 9 were grade I, 23 were grade II, and 10 were grade III. p33(ING1) expression in bladder cancer significantly decreased compared to that in normal bladder mucosa. The ratio of p33(ING1)/ GAPDH was 0.45 +/- 0.13 in bladder cancer, whereas for normal bladder mucosa this ratio was 0.66 +/- 0.17 (p <0.001). However, expression of p33(ING1) was neither correlated with tumor stage nor grade (p=0.489 and p=0.375, respectively). Changes in electrophoretic mobility of PCR-SSCP products were not detected in any of bladder cancers. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that decreased expression of p33(ING1) may contribute to the development of bladder cancer in part, even though the gene is mostly preserved. However, considering a discrepancy between the rate of mutation and the decreased expression, further study is warranted to determine the mechanism.

The Effect of IkappaBalpha-SR Gene Transfer on the Sensitivity of Human Lung Cancer Cell Lines to Cisplation and Paclitaxel / 결핵

BACKGROUND: Some chemotherapeutic drugs induce NF-κB activation by degrading the IκBα protein in cancer cells which contributes to anticancer drug resistance. We hypothesized that inhibiting IκBα degradation would block NF-κB activation and result in increased tumor cell mortality in response to chemotherapy. METHODS: The "superrepressor" form of the NF-κB inhibitor was transferred by an adenoviral vector (Ad-IκBα-SR) to the human lung cancer cell lines (NCI H157 and NCI H460). With a MTT assay, the level of sensitization to cisplatin and paclitaxel were measured. To confirm the mechanism, an EMSA and Annexin V assay were performed. RESULTS: EMSA showed that IκBα-SR effectively blocked the NF-κB activation induced by cisplatin. Transduction with Ad-IκBα-SR resulted in an increased sensitivity of the lung cancer cell lines to cisplatin and paclitaxel by a factor of 2~3 in terms of IC50. Annexin-V analysis suggests that this increment in chemosensitivity to cisplatin probably occurs through the induction of apoptosis. CONCLUSION: The blockade of chemotherapeutics induced NF-κB activation by inducing Ad-IκBα-SR, increased apoptosis and increasing the chemosensitivity of the lung cancer cell lines tested, subsequently. Gene transfer of IκBα-SR appears to be a new therapeutic strategy of chemosensitization in lung cancer.

Risk factors of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor-Induced Cough in Patients with Hypertension

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The reported incidence of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor-induced cough ranges widely from 1.3% to 44% in many studies, depending upon methods of data collection, analysis, symptom reporting, and race. Risk factors of ACE induced cough is not well recognized. We evaluated the incidence of ACEI-induced cough and risk factors including ACE gene polymorphism that partially determine ACE activity in hypertensive patients. MATERIALS AND METHOD: New hypertensive patients (N=56, F:M=96:160) from Jan. 1994 to Jul. 1998 at Seoul National University Hospital were prospectively prescribed ACEI and followed up for one year observing the occurrence of cough. Cough group is defined as reproduced cough after ACEI therapy without evidence of any other cause of cough and cough stops within 4 weeks after withdrawal. Non-cough group is defined as not developing cough during 12 months with ACEI. Differences between two groups are analyzed in clinical factors and ACE gene polymorphism. RESULTS: Cough developed in 144 patients (40%, 144/356) after ACEI administration. The cough incidence was not statistically different between ACEIs; 34%(19/58) for captopril, 38%(61/161) for enalapril, and 47%(64/137) for perindopril. In univariate analysis, the frequencies of female gender and non-smokers were significantly higher in the cough group than non-cough group than non-cough group(M:F =43:101 vs 116:95, p<0.001, OR 2.87 ; non-smoker : smoker =124:18 vs 166:46, p<0.05, OR 1.91, cough vs non-cough group, respectively). However, ACE gene polymorphism does not have an association with cough (I/I:I/D:D/D=6:44:31 vs 74:76:37, p=S; I:D=.59:0.41 vs 0.60:0.40, p=S, cough vs non-cough group, respectively). In multivariate analysis, female gender is the only significant risk factor for cough. Though adjusting of age, sex, and smoking status between two groups, ACE gene polymorphism was not associated with cough. (II:ID:DD=7:22:18 vs 23:30:14, p=NS). CONCLUSION: The incidence of ACEI-induced cough is higher in Koreans than that of previously reported in Caucasians. Our present study suggests The significant risk factors for ACEI-induced cough in Korean are female gender(cough incidence 50%, 93/196) and non-smoking status rather than ACE gene polymorphism.

The Effects of the decortication on pulmonary function in tuberculous empyema / 결핵

BACKGROUND: The purpose decortication is to eliminate the infection focus and to improve the decreased lung function due to chronic empyema. However, lung function is not improved in all cases. It would be clinically useful it we could predict preoperatively whether lung function would improve after decortication. The purpose of this study is to find useful indices for predicting the possible improvement of lung function after decortication. METHOD: The medical records of 37 tuberculous empyema patients who underwent pleural decortication were analyzed retrospectively from 1990 to 1996. The measurements of preoperative and postoperative forced vital capacity(FVC) were used for evaluating the effects of decortication. RESULTS: The sex ratio was 29 : 8 (male to female), and the median age was 34 years. The time interval between the formation of empyema and operation was 1 month to 30 years. Postoperative pulmonary function test was performed 5.4±2.6 months later. FVC(forced vital capacity) was significantly increased from 2.77±0.67(L) to 2.95± 0.81(L). Interestingly, postoperative pulmonary function was significantly improved in patients who were less than 40 years old, within 4 months after diagnosis of tuberculous empyema, in the group with FVC of less than 60% of the predicted value and in the absence of calcification. CONCLUSION: The improvement of lung function after decortication was expected in patients younger than 40 years old, within 4 months after diagnosis of tuberculous empyema, in the group having less than 60% of the predicted FVC, without calcification.