[Low-dose tadalafil for erectile dysfunction following pelvic fracture-induced urethral injury: clinical observation of 42 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of daily low-dose tadalafil in the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) following pelvic fracture-induced urethral injury (PFUI). METHODS: Based on the length of time between pelvic fracture and the patients' clinic visit, we divided 42 PFUI-caused ED patients into groups A (< 1 month), B (6-24 months) and C (> 24 months). We treated them with tadalafil at 5 mg daily for 12 weeks consecutively, followed by evaluation of the therapeutic effect using IIEF-5 questionnaire and Sexual Encounter Profile (SEP) diaries. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients (83.3%) completed the investigation and all responded well to tadalafil medication. Group A showed significant differences from B and C in the increase of IIEF-5 scores and the positive rate of SEP. CONCLUSION: Daily low-dose tadalafil helps penile rehabilitation in ED patients following PFUI, and the earlier the medication is initiated, the better the effect will be.

[Transverse preputial island flap technique (Duckett's procedure) for hypospadias repair: a report of 356 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of the transverse preputial island flap technique (Duckett's procedure) for hypospadias repair. METHODS: A total of 356 patients with hypospadias were treated by Duckett's procedure from March 1995 to December 2010, of whom 324 (91.0%) were younger than 14 years. The length of urethra repair ranged from 1.5 to 10 cm. RESULTS: The total success rate of Duckett's procedure was 91.0%. Urethra fistula occurred in 30 cases, external orifice stricture in 1, and urethral anastomosis stricture in another. There were no significant differences in the rate of complications among either different age groups or different surgical times (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Duckett's procedure remains the first choice for the one-stage repair of hypospadias, especially applicable to hypospadias with chordee.

[Molecular cloning of a novel human testis-specific gene TDRG1].

OBJECTIVE: To clone a novel human testis-specific gene TDRG1. METHODS: A new contig of expression sequence tags (ESTs) Hs.180197 was identified from the testis libraries using digital differential display (DDD) to screen the novel human testis-specific gene. To validate the use of bioinformatics approaches in gene discovery, the ESTs Hs.180197, which was predicted to be testis specific, was chosen for further study. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed on different normal tissues to identify the expression of Hs.180197 in human testis. Using bioinformatics methods and IMAGE cloning of this contig, the full-length cDNA sequence of the noval human gene was cloned. RESULTS: This novel gene was 1197 bp in length, located in chromosome 6p21.1-p21.2. The sequence of the open reading frame was 504-806 bp, as confirmed by RT-PCR and sequencing in human testis. The cDNA encodes a novel protein of 100 amino acids with a theoretical molecular weight of 10 000 and isoelectric point of 6.81. The sequence shares no significant homology with any known protein in the databases. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis of multiple tissues further showed that the novel gene was expressed specifically in adult human testis. Considering a possible relation of this novel gene with the function of human testis, we named this new gene TDRG1 (testis development related gene 1, GenBank accession number: DQ168992). CONCLUSION: DDD combined with laboratory validation is an efficient method for identifying new human functional genes.

[Expression of S100 protein in renal cell carcinoma and its relation with P53].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of S100 in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and its relation with P53. METHODS: Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expressions of S100A1, S100B and the mutant P53 in 36 RCC and 14 normal kidney tissues. The associations of S100 protein expression with the tumor pathological types, clinical stages and P53 expression were analyzed. RESULTS: The positive rates of S100A1 expression in RCC and normal kidney tissues were 72.2% and 21.4%, respectively (P <0.01); S100A1 expression in RCC was significantly correlated with its stage and degree of malignancy. The positive rates of the mutant P53 expression in RCC and normal kidney tissues were 30. 6% and zero respectively (P <0.05), and its expression was not associated with the stage and degree of malignancy degree of RCC (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in S100B expression between RCC (36.1%) and normal kidney tissues (64.3%, P >0.05). There was no significant correlation between the mutant P53 and S100A1 or S100B expression (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: S100A1 may serve as a new useful marker in judging the degree of malignancy and invasion of RCC.