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- Macfarlane, G. J., et al.
(författare)
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Investigating the determinants of international differences in the prevalence of chronic widespread pain: evidence from the European Male Ageing Study
- 2009
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Ingår i: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. - : BMJ. - 1468-2060 .- 0003-4967. ; 68:5, s. 690-695
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: To determine whether among middle-aged and elderly men there is evidence of international differences in the prevalence of chronic widespread pain (CWP) and whether any such differences could be explained by psychological, psychosocial factors or differences in physical health status. Methods: The European Male Ageing Study (EMAS) sampled from population registers in cities ( centres) of eight European countries. Each centre recruited an age-stratified sample of men aged 40-79 years. Information on pain was collected by questionnaire and subjects were classified according to whether they satisfied the American College of Rheumatology definition of CWP. Information was collected on social status, mental health, recent life events and co-morbidities. Results: Across all centres 3963 subjects completed a study questionnaire, with participation rates ranging from 24% in Hungary to 72% in Estonia. There were significant differences in prevalence: between 5% and 7% in centres in Italy, England, Belgium and Sweden, 9-15% in centres in Spain, Poland and Hungary and 15% in Estonia. There were strong relationships between poor mental health, adverse recent life events, co-morbidities and CWP. Adjustment for these factors explained between half and all of the excess risk in the eastern European centres: the excess risk in Poland was explained ( odds ratio ( OR) 1.1, 95% CI 0.9 to 1.2) but there remained excess risk in Hungary ( OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.4 to 1.8) and Estonia ( OR 2.6, 95% CI 2.2 to 2.9). Conclusions: This study is the first directly to compare the occurrence of CWP internationally. There is an excess prevalence in countries of eastern Europe and this excess is associated with adverse psychosocial factors as well as poorer psychological and physical health.
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- Crescioli, C, et al.
(författare)
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Human bladder as a novel target for vitamin D receptor ligands
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. - : The Endocrine Society. - 1945-7197 .- 0021-972X. ; 90:2, s. 962-972
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Human prostate is now considered a target for vitamin D receptor (VDR) ligands, such as BXL-628. Because BXL-628 inhibited prostate growth without interfering with androgen signaling, it represents a new option for benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) therapy. However, BPH symptoms are related not only to prostate size, but also to compensatory bladder hypertrophy and eventual overactivity. We now report that human bladder expresses VDR (determined by real-time PCR immunohistochemistry and Western blot) and responds to VDR agonists, such as the natural ligand, calcitriol, and its synthetic and less hypercalcemic derivative, BXL-628. Experiments were conducted with stromal cells derived from human bladder neck obtained at surgery from BPH patients. BXL-628 counteracted keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) and androgen-induced cell proliferation and stimulated apoptosis with a parallel reduced expression of the survival oncoprotein Bcl-2. Prolonged serum starvation time-dependently pushed bladder stromal cells to express activated myofibroblast markers, such as desmin and smoothelin, without changing other contractile-related proteins and intermediate filaments, such as vimentin. Chronic exposure to BXL-628 prevented starvation-induced cell phenotype modification. Because hypertrophy and starvation-induced bladder remodeling are supposed to underlie bladder overactivity, it is possible that BXL-628 might be helpful in reducing not only cumbersome symptoms related to prostate overgrowth, but also those related to bladder irritation.
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