Near infrared spectroscopy has to be studied more to clarify its usefulness in clinical practice. There has been a rapid development of novel serum and urine-based biomarkers for prostate cancer in the last decade to differentiate between benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate Cilengitide cancer. The recent studies with the use of prostate-specific antigen and urine prostate cancer gene 3 look promising.\n\nSummary\n\nAmong promising new techniques in the investigation of prostatic obstruction, intravesical prostatic protrusion
may be considered for clinical use. None of the methods described in recent studies can fully replace urodynamic investigation. Novel biomarkers in the future may help the clinicians to differentiate benign prostatic hyperplasia from prostate cancer.”
“Atrial fibrillation (AF) is by far the most common arrhythmia. It occurs more often with increasing age. Patients with AF almost Selleckchem AZD8186 always require oral anticoagulants and a rate-control treatment. In addition, other cardiovascular diseases must also be carefully treated in order to reduce the risks of cardiovascular complications from AF. Most patients profit from rate-control treatment with drugs that slow the conduction of the electrical impulse through the AV node. The aim is a resting heart rate of 100-110/min. If patients suffer
from AF whilst on optimal rate control therapy, rhythm-control treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs, cardioversion or catheter ablation is indicated. The choice of the rhythm-control therapy should be made based on safety considerations. Whether achieving sinus ALK tumor rhythm beyond improvement of symptoms improves the prognosis of AF is tested in ongoing trials.”
“Aim:\n\nThe ankle brachial index (ABI) is a marker for peripheral artery
disease and can predict mortality in advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) and haemodialysis patients, respectively. However, it is seldom studied in Taiwan, an area with high prevalence of CKD and end-stage renal disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors for mortality by using ABI value in patients with CKD and undergoing haemodialysis in Taiwan.\n\nMethods:\n\nOne hundred and sixty-nine patients with CKD stage 3-5 and 231 haemodialysis patients were enrolled in one regional hospital. The mean follow-up period was 23.3 +/- 3.3 months. Patients were stratified into three groups according to ABI value (< 0.9, >= 0.9 to < 1.3, and >= 1.3). The relative mortality risk was analyzed by Cox-regression methods.\n\nResults:\n\nIn multivariate analysis, an ABI of 1.3 or more (hazard ratio, 3.846; P = 0.043) and coronary artery disease (P = 0.012) were positively associated with overall mortality, and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (P = 0.042) was negatively associated with overall mortality. In addition, an ABI of less than 0.9 (P = 0.049), an ABI of 1.3 or more (P = 0.033), coronary artery disease (P = 0.024) and haemodialysis treatment (P = 0.