To the Editor: The Technical Brief by Blase et al. [1] reported some troubling clinical conclusions while describing analytical differences among various immunoassays of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Their study used samples consisting of free PSA and PSA complexes prepared in vitro. The free PSA molecule represents a very heterogeneous population, including pro-PSA, cleaved (“nicked”) PSA [...

We have analyzed matched serum and breast cyst fluid samples for total PSA from 148 patients with fibrocystic breast disease. We have also determined the molecular forms of PSA (free PSA and PSA bound to alpha1-antichymotrypsin) in 78 breast cyst fluid samples. We found that total PSA can be detected in all cyst fluids and in about 75% of female sera. The median total PSA concentration in breas...

BACKGROUND Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Prostrate-specific antigen (PSA) is a marker of prostate gland malignancy which has been considered in cases with breast cancer in recent years. The goal of this study was to determine total and free PSA levels in cases with malignant and benign breast lesions. METHOD Ninety women with histological proved malignant breast masses and...

BACKGROUND Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is the most reliable tumor marker available and is widely used for the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer. Unfortunately, PSA cannot distinguish efficiently between benign and malignant disease of the prostate, especially within the range of 4-10 microg/L. Among the refinements developed to enhance PSA specificity is the free/total PSA ratio, ...

PURPOSE Recent studies have suggested that the percent of positive cores in the prostate needle biopsy is a significant predictor of outcome among men undergoing radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy for prostate cancer. We evaluate whether either percent of cores with cancer or percent of cores positive from the most and least involved side of the prostate needle biopsy was associated wit...

PURPOSE To detect differences in biochemical failure rates by treatment modality (radiation therapy or radical prostatectomy) in patients with early-stage prostate cancer presenting with pretreatment prostatic-specific antigen (PSA) levels < or = 10.0 ng/ml. METHODS AND MATERIALS A total of 1467 consecutive patients with prostate carcinoma were treated with either radiotherapy (RT) or radical...

PURPOSE Biopsy Gleason score, serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels, and clinical stage are known to be independent predictors of adverse pathological features and biochemical failure after radical prostatectomy. We determine whether various prostate needle biopsy parameters were predictive of either adverse pathological findings or disease recurrence after radical prostatectomy. MATER...

Extracellular population responses are largely preferred for the study of long-term potentiation (LTP). The effect of Mg2+-free medium on changes in activity and plasticity of Schaffer collateral-CA1 pyramidal cell synapses was examined. Hippcampal slices from cysteamine-treated (200 mg/kg, s.c.) and saline-injected (1 ml/kg, s.c.) albino rats were perfused with ACSF. Population spikes (PS) wer...