psaA encodes a 37-kDa pneumococcal lipoprotein which is part of an ABC Mn(II) transport complex. Streptococcus pneumoniae D39 psaA mutants have previously been shown to be significantly less virulent than wild-type D39, but the mechanism underlying the attenuation has not been resolved. In this study, we have shown that psaA and psaD mutants are highly sensitive to oxidative stress, i.e., to su...

The process of ferredoxin reduction by photosystem I has been extensively investigated by flash-absorption spectroscopy in psaD and psaE deleted mutants from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. In both mutants, the dissociation constant for the photosystem I/ferredoxin complex at pH 8 is considerably increased as compared to the wild type: approximately 25- and 100-fold increases are found for PsaD-les...

PURPOSE To build a decision tree for patients suspected of having prostate cancer using classification and regression tree (CART) analysis. PATIENTS AND METHODS Data were uniformly collected on 1,433 referred men with a serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels of < or = 10 ng/mL who underwent a prostate biopsy. Factors analyzed included demographic, laboratory, and ultrasound data (ie, hy...

PURPOSE The factors that predict prostate cancer detection on repeat biopsy were evaluated in patients with atypical small acinar proliferation (ASAP) on the initial biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS From 2003 to 2008, 3,130 men with suspected prostate cancer underwent a prostate needle biopsy, and 244 (7.8%) were diagnosed as having ASAP. One hundred seventy of 244 patients were rebiopsied at le...

Circulating levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and testosterone are widely used for the detection of prostate cancer prior to prostate biopsy; however, both remain controversial. Effective screening strategies based on quantitative factors could help avoid unnecessary biopsies. Here, we sought to clarify the predictive value of free testosterone (FT) vs total testosterone (TT) in identif...

Systemic inflammation and immune responses are reported to be associated with progressive prostate cancer. In this study, we explored which among the fractions of white blood cell (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) level were associated with high Gleason score prostate cancer. Prostate needle biopsy was performed in 966 men with suspicion of prostate cancer. We assessed age, serum prostate-spec...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate PSA (Prostate-specific antigen) parameters in patients with lepromatous leprosy (LL). DESIGN In a retrospective study, 23 male patients with LL were evaluated. PSA parameters (serum total PSA (tPSA), free PSA (fPSA), free-to-total PSA ratio (f/tPSA), PSA Density (PSAD)) were assessed. PSA parameters were compared with a control group. RESULTS The mean tPSA, fPSA, f/tP...

OBJECTIVE Compare the capacity of the PSA density (PSAD), Free PSA percentage (%FPSA) and PSA transition zone density (PSATZ) in improving the sensitivity and specificity of the PSA to detect prostate cancer (PCa) in men with a PSA between 4 and 10 ng/mL. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred and forty five men with PSA between 4 and 10 ng/mL were prospectively studied. Blood collection for the t...

INTRODUCTION Preoperative parameters for predicting extraprostatic extension (ECE) in clinically organ-confined prostate cancer patients are not well defined. Our aim was to evaluate the roles of the biopsy Gleason score, prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based parameters, volume, and clinical T classification in prediction of ECE. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 188 patients with clinically o...

Elevated level of prostatic specific antigen (PSA) is an established parameter to help determine the need to perform prostate biopsy. The aim of the present study was to determine whether PSA density (PSAD) could better predict pathologic finding of 12-core prostate biopsy in men with PSA 4-10 ng/mL than PSA alone. Transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy was performed in 125 men with PSA within th...