Biomedical subjects

M Bach

Publications and source records attributed to M Bach.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2000

Visual contrast response functions in Parkinson's disease: evidence from electroretinograms, visually evoked potentials and psychophysics.

OBJECTIVES: Visual contrast detection thresholds and suprathreshold contrast discrimination thresholds were compared to luminance and flash/pattern electroretinograms (ERG) and visually evoked potentials (VEP) in patients with Parkinson's disease (n = 31), patients with multiple system atrophy (n = 6), patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (n = 6) and control patients without central nervous disease (n = 33). METHODS: The stimuli were luminance modulated full-field (flash) or horizontally oriented sinewave gratings (pattern), the latter having either a low (0.5 cycles/deg) or medium (4.0 cycles/deg) spatial frequency. Stimulus contrast ranged from 10 to 80% so that contrast response functions could be derived. RESULTS: Contrast thresholds were higher in the patients with Parkinson's disease than in the control patients. Contrast discrimination thresholds were also somewhat elevated in patients with Parkinson's disease. Pattern ERG amplitudes were significantly reduced in patients with Parkinson's disease for the medium spatial frequency stimulus, but less for the low spatial frequency and flash stimuli. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that Parkinson's disease impairs contrast processing in the retina. VEP amplitudes did not significantly differ between the groups for the conditions tested. Patients with progressive supranuclear palsy also showed impaired contrast perception and reduced ERG amplitudes, whereas patients with multiple system atrophy were less impaired.

Aged↗

PubMed2000

Standard for pattern electroretinography. International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision.

The pattern electroretinogram (PERG) is a retinal response evoked by viewing an alternating checkerboard or grating. It receives clinical and research attention because it can provide information about inner retinal cells and the macula. However, clinicians may have trouble choosing between different techniques for recording the PERG that have been described in the literature. The International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision has prepared a standard for a basic PERG recording procedure to aid new users in obtaining reliable responses and to encourage more uniformity among existing users.

Clinical Protocols↗

PubMed2000

[Can fixation disparity be detected reliably by measurement and correctional techniques according H.J. Haase (MKH)?].

BACKGROUND: The theory of the "Measuring and Correction Methods of H.-J. Haase" (MCH) states that a small misalignment of one eye, called fixation disparity, indicates a difficulty in overcoming a "vergence position of rest" that is different from ortho position. This difficulty, so the theory, can cause asthenopic complaints, such as headaches, and these complaints can be relieved by prisms. The theory further claims that fixation disparity can be ascertained by a series of tests which depend on the subject's perception. The tests most decisive for the diagnosis of a so-called fixation disparity type 2 consist of stereo displays. The magnitude of the prism that allows the subject to see the test configurations in symmetry is thought to be the one that corrects the "vergence position of rest". METHODS: Nine subjects with healthy eyes in whom a "fixation disparity type 2" had been diagnosed were selected for the study. Misalignment of the eyes was determined according to the principle of the unilateral cover test. Targets identical for both eyes were presented on the screen of the Polatest E. Then, the target was deleted for one eye and the ensuing position change of the other eye was measured, using the search coil technique. This test was performed both with and without the MCH prism. RESULTS: In all 9 subjects the misalignment was less than 10 minutes of arc, i.e. in the range of normal fixation instability. Averaging across the 9 subjects, the deviation of the eye (misaligned according to MCH) was 0.79 +/- 3.45 minutes of arc in the direction opposed to that predicted by the MCH, a value not significantly different from zero. The MCH prism elicited a fusional vergence movement the magnitude of which corresponded to the magnitude of the MCH prism. CONCLUSION: Ascertaining fixation disparity with the MCH is unreliable. Accordingly, it appears dubious to correct a "vergence position of rest" on the basis of the MCH.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Effects of growth hormone on renal renin gene expression in normal rats and rats with myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Published data regarding effects of growth hormone (GH) on the renin system are controversial. The aim of this study therefore was to evaluate the effects of GH on the renin system in normal rats and rats with myocardial infarction (MI). METHODS: Normal rats received 2, 5, or 10 IU GH/kg/day or vehicle subcutaneously for 4 weeks. Furthermore rats with MI were randomized to receive 2 IU GH/kg/day or vehicle for 4 weeks. Subdivision into MI groups (mild, moderate, and large) was by histological determination of infarct size. Renal renin gene expression was assessed by RNAase protection assay and plasma renin activity by radioimmunoassay. In addition, isolated mouse juxtaglomerular cells were exposed to GH for 20 h, and renin secretion rates were assessed. RESULTS: GH treatment in normal rats for 4 weeks increased body weight, and kidney weight to body weight ratio, but did not affect renin secretion and renal renin gene expression. In rats with large MI, renal renin gene expression increased about fourfold, but was unchanged in rats with small and moderate MI as compared to normal rats. In rats with MI, body weight decreased and this decrease was partially reversed by GH treatment. GH treatment did not change renal renin gene expression, and renin secretion in rats with MI. Renin secretion of isolated juxtaglomerular cells was unaffected by GH. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that GH treatment has no significant effect on renin secretion and on renal renin gene expression in normal rats and in rats with stimulated renin system due to MI in vivo. In isolated juxtaglomerular cells in vitro, renin secretion was also unaffected by GH.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

External evaluation of LIAISON tumour marker assays on the fully automated chemiluminescent LIAISON immunoassay analyser.

The LIAISON immunoassay analyser was tested in a multicentre evaluation performed by 8 laboratories. The analytes evaluated were CA 15-3, CA 19-9, CA 125II, AFP, CEA, NSE and PSA. Excellent results were obtained for within-run and between-run precision with most assays showing within-run CVs < 5% and between-run CVs between 4 and 8%. The linearity of all assays was acceptable, however, for PSA, NSE and CA 19-9 a recovery > 110% was obtained for some of the samples tested. None of the assays revealed a high-dose hook effect. Method comparisons were performed by using the routine method of the respective study centre. Results generally showed an acceptable agreement between the LIAISON system and the different methods of comparison. The reference ranges for all assays were found to be in accordance with data known from the literature. All assays showed similar results for serum, heparinised plasma and EDTA plasma. Additionally, two experiments were performed with only one of the analytes tested: the sample-to-sample carry-over, using the CA 19-9 assay (3.3 x 10(-6)-2.3 x 10(-5)) and the functional sensitivity for the PSA assay (0.2 ng/ml).

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

PubMed2000

Evaluation of the LIAISON thyroid chemiluminescence immunoassays.

The LIAISON thyroid hormone assays TSH, FT4, FT3, T4 and T3 were evaluated by determining the imprecision, the reference ranges, the functional sensitivity (TSH), the dilution characteristics (accuracy) (FT4, FT3), and the recovery after spiking (TSH, T4, T3). Furthermore, inter-method comparisons were performed with following methods: Elecsys (Roche Diagnostics; TSH), AxSYM (Abbott Diagnostics; TSH, FT4, FT3, T4), ACS:180 (Bayer Diagnostics; all analytes), Amerlex-M (Johnson & Johnson; T4) and LISO-Phase (Techno Genetics; FT4). The fully automated LIAISON random access analyser is based on microparticle immunoassays and chemiluminescence. The coefficients of variation (CV) of intra-assay imprecision were between 0.2-6.0%, except for the control sample with extremely low TSH concentrations and low T3 concentrations. Inter-assay imprecision was performed by measuring controls covering the measuring range over a period of 9 to 20 days, with CVs ranging from 2.3-16.0%. The suitability of the sample material was determined by analysing serum and samples treated with EDTA, citrate or heparin in parallel. The results showed good correlations of the thyroid hormone concentrations between serum and plasma samples except for LIAISON FT3, for which lower results were observed with EDTA-plasma. The regression analysis of correlation studies gave slopes from 0.849 to 0.957 for TSH, from 1.023 to 1.375 for FT4, from 0.670 to 0.911 for FT3, from 0.917 to 1.166 for T4 and 1.00 for T3 depending on the concentration range and the method of comparison. The LIAISON FT4 assay showed a trend towards higher values in the high concentration range when compared with the ACS:180. The ranges of thyroid hormone concentrations determined in serum taken from apparently healthy subjects were found to be in accordance with published data. The clinical sample study confirmed that the LIAISON thyroid hormone assays are sensitive methods for the differentiation of euthyroid subjects and patients with hyper- and hypothyroidism. In conclusion, the automated thyroid hormone immunoassays on the random-access LIAISON immunoassay analyser proved to be very satisfactory, both from the analytical and the clinical point of view.

Humans↗

PubMed2000

Heterophoria and fixation disparity: a review.

Heterophoria does not provide a reliable clue for ordering prisms in an asthenopic patient. The same reservation applies to associated phoria, as determined by prism correction of fixation disparity. Subjective tests for fixation disparity, even those with a fusionable fixation target, do not correctly indicate the vergence position of the eyes under natural viewing conditions. Attempts to measure fixation disparity on the basis of stereo disparity, using the "Measuring and Correction Methods of H.-J. Haase", have failed.

Eyeglasses↗

PubMed1999

Processing of carnitine octanoyltransferase pre-mRNAs by cis and trans-splicing.

Trans-splicing is a mechanism by which two pre-mRNAs are processed to produce a mature transcript that contains exons from both precursors. This process has been described mostly in trypanosoma, nematodes, plant/algal chloroplasts and plant mitochondria [Bonen et al. (1993) FASEB J. 7, 40-46]. Our studies clearly demonstrate that a trans-splicing reaction occurs in the processing of the carnitine octanoyltransferase (COT) gene in rat liver. Three different mature transcripts of COT have been found in vivo, the canonical cis-spliced mRNA and two trans-spliced transcripts, in which either exon 2 or exons 2 and 3 are repeated. Splicing experiments in vitro also indicate the capacity of exon 2 to act either as a donor or as an acceptor of splicing, allowing the trans-splicing reactions to occur.

Alternative Splicing↗

PubMed1999

[Drug prescriptions and multiple falls in community-dwelling frail elderly subjects].

The purpose of the study was to identify associations between drug prescriptions and the risk of falls in community-dwelling frail elderly people. 360 frail elderly patients underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment during hospital stay. After discharge, the home falls were recorded by a questionnaire during the follow-up year and a home visit was carried out at the end of the year. Of 279 final patients with complete data, 141 subjects (50.5%) fell once; 62 subjects (22.2%) had a history of two or more falls during the follow-up period. Compared with subjects who did not fall or fell at the most once, those subjects with two or more falls showed a significantly higher prescription of tranquillizers/hypnotics, neuroleptics, diuretics, nitrates, and five or more different drugs. In multivariate analysis the prescription of tranquillizers/hypnotics with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.02 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.14 to 3.68) and the prescription of five or more different drugs with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.25 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.03 to 4.49) were found to be independent risk factors for multiple falls. In this prospective study in community-dwelling frail, elderly people the prescription of tranquillizers/hypnotics and five or more different medications could be identified as independent risk factors for multiple falls.

Accidental Falls↗

PubMed1999

The contrast characteristic of the pattern electroretinogram depends on temporal frequency.

BACKGROUND: The pattern electroretinogram (PERG) amplitude is believed to be linearly related to contrast. In the context of analyzing the effects of media opacities on the PERG, we measured its contrast-amplitude function at various temporal frequencies. METHODS: PERGs were recorded in nine subjects with a checksize of 0.8 degree and a mean luminance of 45 cd/m2. Experiment 1 covered six temporal frequencies [checkerboard pattern onset/offset in a transient (4 Hz) condition and checkerboard pattern reversal at 7, 10, 13, 16, 21 rev/s] at three contrast levels (25%, 50% and 100%). A second experiment covered two frequencies (7 and 21 rev/s) at five contrast levels from 25 to 100%, in a large field (27 degrees x 32 degrees) and a perifoveal condition (central mask of 7.5 degrees radius). RESULTS: Experiment 1: At all temporal frequencies the PERG amplitude increases with contrast, but the shape of the contrast-amplitude function varies markedly: Under transient conditions and at 7 rev/s, the PERG increases linearly with contrast, but this function displays a progressively positive curvature at higher frequencies (P < 0.001). At 21 rev/s a reduction of the contrast from 100% to 50% reduces the amplitude to 1/5. Experiment 2: Experiment 1 was replicated. The amplitude-contrast characteristic was found to be linear at 7 rev/s and smoothly accelerating at 21 rev/s; the same characteristics were found when stimulating the perifoveal area alone. CONCLUSION: This dependency of the contrast characteristic on temporal frequency is contrary to what would be expected from a magno/parvo model. Further, this contrast dependency needs to be taken into account when designing stimuli for use in patients that may have media opacities.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Time course of motion adaptation: motion-onset visual evoked potentials and subjective estimates.

The aim of this study was to quantitatively describe the dynamics of adaptation to visual motion with electrophysiological and psychophysical methods in man. We recorded visual evoked potentials (VEPs) to motion onset of random dot patterns from occipital and occipito-temporal electrodes during a succession of adaptation-recovery sequences. In these sequences the test stimulus was used to set the adaptation level: seven trials with 70% motion duty cycle (adaptation) followed by seven trials of 7% motion duty cycle (recovery). In a similar paradigm we determined the length of the perceptual motion after-effect to obtain a psychophysical measure of the time course of motion adaptation. Our results show a highly significant reduction of the N2 amplitude in the maximally compared to the minimally adapted condition (P < 0.001). Electrophysiological and psychophysical results both indicate that adaptation to visual motion is faster than recovery: The data were fit with an exponential model yielding adaptation and recovery time constants, respectively, of 2.5 and 10.2 s for the N2 amplitude (occipito temporal derivation) and of 7.7 and 16.7 s for the perceptual motion after-effect. Implications for the design of motion stimuli are discussed, e.g. a motion stimulus moving 10% of the time may lead to about 30% motion adaptation.

Adaptation, Ocular↗

PubMed1999

On the statistical significance of electrophysiological steady-state responses.

Steady-state stimulation is a useful paradigm in many physiologic and clinical situations, for ERG, Pattern-ERG and VEP. One of the advantages is the easy evaluation of the response via Fourier analysis. However, the question whether a given response is statistically significant or not has received little attention so far, although it is especially relevant in high noise, low amplitude recordings, as often occur in pathologic conditions. A given response is statistically significant if it is unlikely that its value is due to noise fluctuations. Thus appropriate estimates of noise and response are required. We have analytically derived formulas for the statistical significance of a given signal-to-noise-ratio s, based on two different estimates of noise: (1) Noise estimate by a 'no stimulus' recording, or by a '+/-average'. The former needs an additional recording, the latter can simultaneously be calculated as the standard average. (2) Noise is estimated as the average of the two neighboring spectral lines (one below, and one above the response frequency). Analytical solutions were obtained for both noise estimates that can easily be evaluated in all appropriate recordings. Noise estimate (1) performs much poorer than noise estimate (2), as can be seen from the following landmark values: Typical significance levels of 5%, 1%, and 0.1% require s values of 4.36, 9.95, and 31.6 (1), and 2.82, 4.55, and 8.40 (2). The noise estimate based on the neighboring frequencies can be easily applied after recording, provided that the noise spectrum is reasonably smooth around the response and frequency-overspill was avoided. It allows a quantitative assessment of low responses in physiological threshold analyses and pathological conditions, e.g., 'submicrovolt flicker-ERG'.

Electroretinography↗

PubMed1999

Do's and don'ts in Fourier analysis of steady-state potentials.

Fourier analysis is a powerful tool in signal analysis that can be very fruitfully applied to steady-state evoked potentials (flicker ERG, pattern ERG, VEP, etc.). However, there are some inherent assumptions in the underlying discrete Fourier transform (DFT) that are not necessarily fulfilled in typical electrophysiological recording and analysis conditions. Furthermore, engineering software-packages may be ill-suited and/or may not fully exploit the information of steady-state recordings. Specifically: * In the case of steady-state stimulation we know more about the stimulus than in standard textbook situations (exact frequency, phase stability), so 'windowing' and calculation of the 'periodogram' are not necessary. * It is mandatory to choose an integer relationship between sampling rate and frame rate when employing a raster-based CRT stimulator. * The analysis interval must comprise an exact integer number (e.g., 10) of stimulus periods. * The choice of the number of stimulus periods per analysis interval needs a wise compromise: A high number increases the frequency resolution, but makes artifact removal difficult; a low number 'spills' noise into the response frequency. * There is no need to feel tied to a power-of-two number of data points as required by standard FFT, 'resampling' is an easy and efficient alternative. * Proper estimates of noise-corrected Fourier magnitude and statistical significance can be calculated that take into account the non-linear superposition of signal and noise. These aspects are developed in an intuitive approach with examples using both simulations and recordings. Proper use of Fourier analysis of our electrophysiological records will reduce recording time and/or increase the reliability of physiologic or pathologic interpretations.

Artifacts↗

PubMed1999

A randomized trial of comprehensive geriatric assessment and home intervention in the care of hospitalized patients.

OBJECTIVE: to prove the effectiveness of geriatric evaluation and management for elderly, hospitalized patients, combined with post-discharge home intervention by an interdisciplinary team. DESIGN: randomized controlled trial with outcome and costs assessed for 12 months after the date of admission. SETTING: university-affiliated geriatric hospital and the homes of elderly patients. SUBJECTS: 545 patients with acute illnesses admitted from home to the geriatric hospital. INTERVENTIONS: patients were randomly assigned to receive either comprehensive geriatric assessment and post-discharge home intervention (intervention), comprehensive geriatric assessment alone (assessment) or usual care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: survival, functional status, rehospitalization, nursing home placement and direct costs over 12 months. RESULTS: the intervention group showed a significant reduction in length of hospital stay (33.49 days vs 40.7 days in the assessment group and 42.7 days in the control group; P < 0.05) and rate of immediate nursing home placement (4.4% vs 7.3% and 8.1%; P < 0.05). There was no difference in survival, acute care hospital readmissions or new admissions to nursing homes but the intervention group had significantly shorter hospital readmissions (22.2 days vs 34.2 days and 35.7 days; P < 0.05) and nursing home placements (114.7 days vs 161.6 days and 170.0 days; P < 0.05). Direct costs were lower in the intervention group [about DM 7000 (US $4000) per person per year]. Functional capacities were significantly better in the intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: comprehensive geriatric assessment in combination with post-discharge home intervention does not improve survival, but does improve functional status and can reduce the length of the initial hospital stay and of subsequent readmissions. It can reduce the rate of immediate nursing home admissions and delay permanent nursing home placement. It may also substantially reduce direct costs of hospitalized patients.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1999

Impairment in preattentive visual processing in patients with Parkinson's disease.

We explored the possibility of whether preattentive visual processing is impaired in Parkinson's disease. With this aim, visual discrimination thresholds for orientation texture stimuli were determined in two separate measurement sessions in 16 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. The results were compared with those of 16 control subjects age-matched and 16 young healthy volunteers. Discrimination thresholds were measured in a four-alternative spatial forced-choice paradigm, in which subjects judged the location of a target embedded in a background of distractors. Four different stimulus configurations were employed: (i) a group of vertical targets among horizontal distractors ('vertical line targets'); (ii) targets with varying levels of orientation difference on a background of spatially filtered vertically oriented noise ('Gaussian filtered noise'); (iii) one 'L' among 43 '+' signs ('texton'), all of which assess preattentive visual processing; and (iv) control condition, of one 'L' among 43 'T' distractors ('non-texton' search target), which reflects attentive visual processing. In two of the preattentive tasks (filtered noise and texton), patients with Parkinson's disease required significantly greater orientation differences and longer stimulus durations, respectively. In contrast, their performance in the vertical line target and non-texton search target was comparable to that of the matched control subjects. These differences were more pronounced in the first compared with the second session. Duration of illness and age within the patient group correlated significantly with test performance. In all conditions tested, the young control subjects performed significantly better than the more elderly control group, further indicating an effect of age on this form of visual processing. The results suggest that, in addition to the well documented impairment in retinal processing, idiopathic Parkinson's disease is associated with a deficit in preattentive cortical visual processing.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Natural trans-splicing in carnitine octanoyltransferase pre-mRNAs in rat liver.

Carnitine octanoyltransferase (COT) transports medium-chain fatty acids through the peroxisome. During isolation of a COT clone from a rat liver library, a cDNA in which exon 2 was repeated, was characterized. Reverse transcription-PCR amplifications of total RNAs from rat liver showed a three-band pattern. Sequencing of the fragments revealed that, in addition to the canonical exon organization, previously reported [Choi, S. J. et al. (1995) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1264, 215-222], there were two other forms in which exon 2 or exons 2 and 3 were repeated. The possibility of this exonic repetition in the COT gene was ruled out by genomic Southern blot. To study the gene expression, we analyzed RNA transcripts by Northern blot after RNase H digestion of total RNA. Three different transcripts were observed. Splicing experiments also were carried out in vitro with different constructs that contain exon 2 plus the 5' or the 3' adjacent intron sequences. Our results indicate that accurate joining of two exons 2 occurs by a trans-splicing mechanism, confirming the potential of these structures for this process in nature. The trans-splicing can be explained by the presence of three exon-enhancer sequences in exon 2. Analysis by Western blot of the COT proteins by using specific antibodies showed that two proteins corresponding to the expected Mr are present in rat peroxisomes. This is the first time that a natural trans-splicing reaction has been demonstrated in mammalian cells.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Transient molecular visualization of ocular dominance columns (ODCs) in normal adult marmosets despite the desegregated termination of the retino-geniculo-cortical pathways.

The activity-dependent immediate early gene protein Krox-24, expressed in the neocortex at high basal levels, decreases rapidly upon neuronal deactivation (Chaudhuri et al. [1995] Vis. Neurosci. 12:35-50). In infant marmosets, as in most primates, the geniculo-cortical terminations segregate into eye-specific anatomical ocular dominance columns (ODCs), which disappear, however, during adolescence (Spatz [1989] Brain Res. 488:376-380), resulting in balanced inputs from the two eyes (Sengpiel et al. [1996] Vis. Neurosci. 13:145-160). Nevertheless, we found, in adult marmosets, 24 hours after monocular retinal activity blockade by tetrodotoxin, distinct alternating compartments of potentiated and depressed Krox-24-like immunoreactivity (Krox-IR) in layer IV of area 17. This pattern of Krox-IR disappeared at 10 days of retinal silencing, but was still present at this survival time in stains for cytochrome oxidase or NADPH-diaphorase. After 20 days of retinal silencing, the pattern was not demonstrable with any of the three stains. We term these compartments physiological ODCs, in contrast to the anatomical ODCs of most primates. If the anatomical ODCs of infant marmosets disappear by collateral sprouting into the inappropriate ODCs, then the collateral geniculo-cortical synapses might differ slightly in their properties from the original ones. We silenced the sets of original and collateral synapses of the one ocularity. This apparently transiently initiated, at the synapses driven by the intact eye, two different complex processes leading to molecular potentiation at the original synapses and to molecular depression at the collateral synapses.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1998

Biologic variability of prostate-specific antigen and its usefulness as a marker for prostate cancer: effects of finasteride. Finasteride PSA Study Group.

OBJECTIVES: The effects of finasteride on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) variability and usefulness in prostate cancer detection were examined. METHODS: Percent change and crossover of PSA levels between the low (1.0 to 3.9 ng/mL) and high (4.0 to 10.0 ng/mL) ranges were evaluated in 72 men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and 77 men with both BPH and prostate cancer (PCa) treated with finasteride or placebo for 6 months. Patients with PCa were studied as a model for evaluating the effects on PSA levels in patients with BPH and latent PCa. As recommended on the product label, PSA levels for finasteride-treated patients were doubled for interpretation. RESULTS: In patients with BPH, most placebo- and finasteride-treated patients with low PSA levels at baseline had subsequent PSA levels below 4.0 ng/mL throughout the study. Among patients with high baseline PSA levels, only 1 of 17 finasteride-treated patients, compared with 8 of 13 placebo-treated patients, crossed into the low range. In the BPH/PCa study, most placebo-treated patients maintained PSA levels in the same range (15 of 19 less than 4.0 ng/mL; 14 of 16 greater than 4.0 ng/mL). Almost one third of finasteride-treated patients with low PSA levels at baseline crossed into the high range (8 of 22), whereas most patients with high PSA levels at baseline were not masked with treatment, with PSA levels remaining high (12 of 15). CONCLUSIONS: PSA levels cross between the low and high PSA ranges in both finasteride- and placebo-treated patients with BPH and those with both BPH and PCa. Doubling the PSA levels in finasteride-treated patients allows appropriate interpretation of PSA values and does not mask the detection of PCa.

Adult↗