Reasons for prescription change of α1-blockers in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reasons for prescription change of α1-blockers in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia. METHODS: The ratio and interval of prescription change were assessed in 3200 patients who were eligible for the study and took 1 of 4 different α1-blockers (doxazosin, alfuzosin, tamsulosin, or silodosin). The reasons for prescription change and evaluation of efficacy were analyzed in 444 patients whose medical records were complete. RESULTS: Prescription change to another α1-blocker occurred in 694 of 3200 patients (21.7%), and the mean duration of taking their first α1-blocker was 10.8 ± 8.2 weeks. Lack of efficacy (52.7%) was the main reason for changing α1-blockers, followed by adverse events (33.1%), relatively high cost compared with other α1-blockers (7.0%), inconvenience of taking drugs (4.1%), and cardiovascular comorbidity (3.2%). The mean duration of treatment according to each reason is as follows: increased adverse events: 6.3 ± 5.2 weeks, relatively high cost compared with other α1-blockers: 8.7 ± 4.5 weeks, cardiovascular comorbidity: 10.5 ± 6.8 weeks, inconvenience of taking drugs: 10.8 ± 3.9 weeks, and lack of efficacy: 14.8 ± 6.8 weeks. The proportion of prescription change (16.3%) and prescription change because of hemodynamic adverse events (2.4%) in the silodosin group were low compared with those in the other groups (P <.05 and P <.006, respectively), but prescription change because of a ejaculation disorder was high in the silodosin group (30.1%, P <.001). CONCLUSION: Major reasons for prescription change in patients taking α1-blockers were lack of efficacy and adverse events. In the silodosin group, the proportion of prescription change was significantly low compared with that in the other 3 groups.

The Relationship between B7-H4 Expression and Clinicopathological Characteristics in Clinical Stage T1 Conventional Renal Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: The diagnosis of clinically early-stage (T1) renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has increased. The present study evaluated the association of B7-H4 expression on the pathological outcome and recurrence of carcinoma in the T1 stage of RCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among patients who underwent partial or radical nephrectomy after diagnosis of T1 stage RCC during the period of January 2000 to March 2007, 102 pathologically confirmed cases of clear cell carcinoma were included in this study. The patients' medical records were reviewed retrospectively. For the immunohistochemical staining tests, the B7-H4 antibody (Abbiotec 1:500) was used, and clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients (39 males: 38.2%, 63 females: 61.8%) was 53.0±12.0 years (range, 31-74 years), and the mean follow-up time was 33.4±21.0 months (range, 6-84 months). B7-H4 expression was positive in 18 cases and negative in 84 cases. Recurrence during the follow-up period occurred in 5 cases in the group with positive B7-H4 expression and in 7 cases in the group with negative B7-H4 expression, respectively (p=0.035). In the univariate analysis, a statistically significant relationship was observed only for the presence of B7-H4 expression (p=0.0019). In the multivariate analysis, other than the expression of B7-H4, cancer size and TNM stage had effects on the recurrence of cancer. CONCLUSIONS: For clear cell RCC, B7-H4 expression had a critical impact on the prognosis of the patients, particularly on the recurrence of the carcinoma in patients with clinical stage T1 RCC.

Laparoscopic removal of a broken sewing needle in a patient with irritative bladder symptoms.

A foreign body near the bladder is rare. Although foreign bodies in the bladder can be easily found and removed by endoscopic transurethral removal, extravesical foreign bodies may require the use of an open or laparoscopic procedure. Here, we report a case of a patient complaining of frequency and urgency in whom an extravesical sewing needle was successfully removed by a laparoscopic approach. A 4.5 cm rusty sewing needle was found between the bladder and the left external iliac vessels and was removed through a 5 mm trocar port by use of endo forceps with no complications.