[en] Many analogs of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) have been synthesized to study the structure-activity relationship and obtain potent and long-acting agonist and antagonist of LH-RH. [D-Ser(tBu)]⁶des-Gly-NH₂¹⁰ ethylamide is an LH-RH agonist that has been used in the treatment of various diseases including prostate cancer. However, its exact pharmacokinetics are not known because no sensitive method is available for determining its plasma level. In this work the authors developed a specific radioimmunoassay for buserelin and used it to study its kinetics in man. (Auth.)

No abstract available

[en] The labelled dehydroamino acid, 2-N-acetylamino-3-(2-naphthyl)-3-[¹⁴C]-acrylic acid was prepared at 52.8 mCi/m mol from Ba¹⁴CO₃. Asymmetric reduction of this precursor with hydrogen in the presence of the chiral homogeneous catalyst (S,S) BPPMRh⁺ afforded N-acetyl-D-3-(2-naphthyl)-3-[¹⁴C]-alanine in greater than 98% optical yield. This unnatural amino acid was used in a solution phase synthesis of 2 ¹⁴C-labelled LHRH analogs, [N-Ac-D-3[¹⁴C]Nal¹ D-p-Cl-Phe², D-Trp³, D-hArg(Et₂)⁶, D-Ala¹⁰] LHRH and [D-3-[¹⁴C] Nal⁶] LHRH having specific activities in excess of 50 mCi/mmol. (author)

[en] The relationship between pituitary size evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and pituitary function was studied in 104 boys and 81 girls with short stature. Eighteen boys and 10 girls had normal secretion of growth hormone (GH) based on growth hormone provocative tests. Their height and volume of pituitary gland with normal anatomy were significantly correlated with their age. The pituitary height of girls was higher than that of boys. Sixty boys and 29 girls had growth hormone deficiency (GHD), and 3 boys of them had multiple pituitary deficiencies (MPHD) with pituitary interruption syndrome (transected pituitary stalk, severe small anterior lobe, ectopic posterior lobe). Pituitary height of the groups with GHD were almost less than normal groups. Thirteen girls with Turner syndrome out of 81 girls with short stature showed no difference in pituitary height compared to normal girls. (author)

[en] A luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH)-like substance has been detected in human seminal plasma by a radioimmunoassay (RIA) with a highly specific anti-LH-RH antiserum. The seminal samples - not only the plasma itself but also the sample extracted by an acid/alcohol method - showed satisfactory displacement curves in our RIA system. The relationship between fertility and the LH-RH values in the seminal plasma was studied by comparing the peptide levels with sperm concentration and motility. By these two parameters, 103 samples were divided into four groups. In the low-concentration groups (oligozoospermic patients), the hormonal concentrations differed significantly between those specimens demonstrating good and poor motility. These data suggest that this immunoreactive LH-RH may play a role in human spermatogenesis

[en] The objective of this study was to determine the impact of salvage therapy for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) recurrence on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients after radical retropubic prostatectomy (RP). Between January 2000 and December 2003, a total of 249 patients who underwent RP were available for 2-year follow up. Of the respondents, 203 men did not show evidence of recurrence (group A), and 46 men received salvage hormonal therapy and/or radiotherapy after RP because of a rise in PSA (group B). The general and prostate-target HRQOL was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form and University of California, Los Angeles Prostate Cancer Index, respectively. Patients completed the HRQOL instruments by mail at baseline and at 24 months after RP. All of the patients completed both questionnaires. At baseline no significant differences were found between the two groups in any of the HRQOL domains. There were significant improvements in mental health and social function for the patients without biochemical recurrence postoperatively. Repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significantly different patterns of alteration in several general HRQOL domains among the treatment groups. The urinary and bowel domains were equivalent between the two treatment groups at baseline and 24 months after RP. The patients treated with salvage hormonal therapy tended to show delayed recovery of sexual function. Using a self-administered questionnaire, biochemical recurrence following RP was found to impose a substantial burden in patients with localized prostate cancer. (author)

No abstract available

[en] We attempted to identify factors that predict the outcomes of salvage external beam radiotherapy (sEBRT) in patients who showed local recurrence without systemic progression or isolated prostate specific antigen (PSA) recurrence after initial hormonal therapy. The subjects were 33 patients who were diagnosed as having local recurrence without systemic progression (30 cases) or isolated PSA recurrence (three cases). Of these patients, those with continuously decreasing PSA levels, which were 1.0 ng/ml or less 1-1.5 years after sEBRT, were regarded as good responders (GR) whereas the remaining patients were regarded as poor responders (nGR). Survival rates in these patients and factors that distinguish GR from nGR were evaluated retrospectively. The cancer-specific 10-year survival rate was 82.4% in the 33 patients, 100% in the 21 GR patients and 55% in the 12 nGR patients (P<0.0001). Stepwise variable selection to discriminate between GR and nGR revealed that the time from sEBRT initiation to the nadir PSA was the most significant factor (P=0.000097). Before sEBRT, GR can be predicted in patients with pre-sEBRT PSA <30.0 ng/ml and PSA doubling time (PSADT) >7.0 months, with a sensitivity of 95.2% (20/21), a specificity of 100% and an accuracy of 97.0%. Good responses to sEBRT can be expected in patients with local recurrence without systemic progression or isolated PSA recurrence after initial hormonal therapy when the patients show both pre-sEBRT PSA <30.0 ng/ml and PSADT >7.0 months. (author)

[en] Published in summary form only

[en] The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant androgen suppression in conjunction with external beam irradiation after radical prostatectomy in patients with pathologically confirmed extraprostatic disease. Between July 1988 and October 1999, 38 patients with pT3N0 or pT3N1 prostate cancer received adjuvant hormonal therapy and external beam irradiation following radical retropubic prostatectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. Administration of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analog or castration were initiated as an adjuvant androgen suppression within 4 weeks after surgery, whereas pelvic irradiation was performed at a median dose of 50 G within 3 months after surgery. The prognostic advantage of this combined adjuvant therapy was analyzed. During the median observation period of 92 months, biochemical recurrence occurred in four of the 38 patients and five patients died. Of these five patients, only one died of prostate cancer progression. The 10-year biochemical recurrence-free, cancer-specific and overall survival rates of the 38 patients were 86.7%, 90.9% and 78.7%, respectively. Among several factors examined, only tumor grade was significantly associated with biochemical recurrence-free survival in these patients; however, there were no factors that were independent predictors for biochemical recurrence, based on multivariate analysis. Furthermore, biochemical recurrence-free survival in the 38 patients was significantly superior to that in 54 patients with locally advanced disease who did not receive any postoperative therapies until biochemical recurrence; however, there was no significant difference in cancer-specific and overall survival between these two groups. Despite retrospective analysis with a relatively small number of patients, results of the present study suggest favorable effects of the combined adjuvant treatments with androgen ablation and pelvic irradiation on cancer control for patients with pT3N0 or pT3N1 disease. However, considering the absence of a significant difference in cancer-specific and overall survival between patients with and without adjuvant treatments, it might not be necessary to routinely perform combined hormonal and radiation therapies in an adjuvant setting for pT3N0 or pT3N1 prostate cancer. (author)