[Progress in home uroflowmetry in evaluation of lower urinary tract symptoms in patients].

Uroflowmetry is the most widely used non-invasive urodynamic tool for most patients with suspected lower urinary tract dysfunction. Home uroflowmetry can produce multiple representative flow readings in adequate privacy condition when patients feel a normal desire. Because of its advantages of decreasing variability, describing circadian rhythms and combating problems inherent to clinic-based measurements, it can improve diagnostic accuracy and predictive value. Further studies are required to confirm quantitative data of patient's preferences and to measure cost-benefit of home uroflowmetry.

[Identification of gene expression patterns in superficial and invasive human bladder cancers].

OBJECTIVE: To study the difference of gene expression patterns in invasive and superficial human bladder cancers. METHODS: cDNA microarray was used to detect the RNA in 12 samples of invasive and superficial human bladder cancers and 6 samples of normal bladder tissues as control group obtained during operation. Then, the scanogram was analyzed by applying the image processing software GenePix Pro 3.0 so as to obtain the relevant data of genes. Finally, we analyzed these data by some knowledge about the type of genes and the characteristic of human bladder cancer. RESULTS: There were 714 genes with remarkable differences in the samples of superficial bladder cancer, of which 480 were down-regulated and 234 were up-regulated; and there were 470 genes with remarkable differences in the samples of invasive bladder cancer, of which 302 were down-regulated and 168 were up-regulated. The number of down-regulated genes in the samples of superficial bladder cancer was two times that of up-regulated genes. Most of the up-regulated genes were metabolism, cell signal transduction, DNA combination and transcription, protein translation and synthesis, and development-related genes; and most of the down-regulated genes were immunization-related genes. The down-regulation of immune-related genes was more remarkable in the invasive bladder cancer than in the superficial tumor. CONCLUSION: There are many same features in gene expression spectrum in invasive and superficial human bladder cancers. However, the number of gene phenotype of the superficial human bladder cancer is more than that of invasive one. The loss of immunization-related genes is more severe in the invasive human bladder cancer than in the superficial tumor.