Prostate cancer detection by using digital rectal examination: contemporary practice patterns in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Digital rectal examination (DRE) may play an important role as a secondary method of prostate cancer detection if prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening decreases. Current practice patterns in the use of DRE are not well defined, and potential variations in its use among different subgroups of men are unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System was examined for the year 2010. All men aged 40 years old or older were asked if they ever had a rectal examination to check their prostate and the date of their last examination. Men who reported having had a DRE within the past 12 months were considered up to date. The proportion of men who reported having had a DRE and independent demographic and socioeconomic predictors for having had a DRE were determined. RESULTS: A total of 110,661 respondents were included: 72.2% of respondents reported ever having had a DRE; 36.8% had had a DRE within the past year, and 49.7% within the past 2 years. On multivariate analysis for reporting having an up-to-date DRE, older men, those with higher body mass index, and those of black race were more likely to have an up-to-date DRE. Asian or Hispanic race, divorced or widowed marital status, lower education, lower income, and lack of health insurance were independently associated with being less likely to have an up-to-date DRE. CONCLUSIONS: Of American men, 36.8% reported having an up-to-date DRE within the past year and 49.7% of men within the past 2 years. Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics were strongly associated with the likelihood of having an up-to-date DRE.

Carotenoids in bird testes: links to body carotenoid supplies, plumage coloration, body mass and testes mass in house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus).

Carotenoid pigments can be allocated to different parts of the body to serve specific functions. In contrast to other body tissues, studies of carotenoid resources in the testes of animals are relatively scarce. We used high-performance liquid chromatography to determine the types and concentrations of carotenoids in the testes of house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus). Additionally, we examined the relationships between testes carotenoid concentrations and carotenoid pools in other body tissues, as well as body mass, testes mass and plumage coloration. We detected low concentrations of several carotenoids - lutein (the predominant carotenoid), zeaxanthin, anhydrolutein, ß-cryptoxanthin, ß-carotene and an unknown carotene - in the testes of wild house finches. We also found that testes lutein levels were significantly and positively associated with circulating lutein levels, while the concentration of zeaxanthin in testes was positively associated with zeaxanthin levels in liver, though in this instance the relationship was much weaker and only marginally significant. Furthermore, lutein levels in testes were significantly negatively associated with testes mass. Finally, plumage coloration was not associated with either the concentration of carotenoids in the testes or relative testes mass. These results suggest that testes carotenoids are reflective of the pool of circulating carotenoids in house finches, and that plumage coloration is unlikely to signal either the carotenoid content of testes tissue or a male's capacity for sperm production.