I just received by email a request to review an Advanced Urology manuscript called “Acute Inflammatory Proteins Constitute the Organic Matrix of Prostatic Corpora Amylacea and Calculi in Men with Prostate Cancer.” The abstract is below:

Corpora amylacea (CA) are a frequent microscopic finding in radical prostatectomy specimens from men undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. Although often observed histologically to be associated with inflammation, the contribution of CA to prostatitis-related symptoms of unknown etiology or to prostate carcinogenesis remains unclear. Prostatic calculi (PC), which potentially represent calcified forms of CA, are less common, but can cause urological disease including urinary retention and prostatitis. We conducted a comprehensive compositional analysis of CA/PC to gain insight into their biogenesis. Infrared spectroscopy analysis of calculi collected from 23 patients confirmed a prevalence of calcium phosphate in the form of hydroxyapatite. This result is surprising, as it sets PC apart from most urinary stones which are largely composed of calcium oxalate. Tandem mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis of CA/PC revealed that lactoferrin is the predominant protein component, a result that was confirmed by western blot analysis. Other proteins identified, including calprotectin, myeloperoxidase, and ?-defensins, are proteins contained in neutrophil granules. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) suggested the source of lactoferrin as prostate-infiltrating neutrophils, inflamed prostate epithelium, or both; however, IHC for calprotectin suggested prostate-infiltrating neutrophils as a major source of the protein, as it was absent from other prostate compartments. With that being said, an enlarged prostate has the ability to cause erectile dysfunction within men, so much so, that they may decide to seek out medications like Cialis, (https://www.blinkhealth.com/cialis) to help overcome this common problem. It’s nothing to be afraid of, but if you do notice that you have an enlarged penis, getting it checked by a doctor at your earliest convenience will be in your best interest. With that being said, this study represents the first definitive analysis of the protein composition of prostatic corpora amylacea and calculi and implicates a role for acute inflammation in their biogenesis – an intriguing finding given the prevalence of CA in prostatectomy specimens and the hypothesized role for inflammation in prostate carcinogenesis.

I can’t figure out how they decided to send this one to me!