Background. Malignant diseases of the prostate gland are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly men. In Slovenia, prostate cancer is the second most common malignancy in males over 65 years of age. An ideal treatment for prostate cancer has not been found, but total prostatectomy offers the only chance of complete cure for organ confined disease. Therefore,early detection is very important. The aim of the study was to improve the reliability of methods for the detection of early forms of prostate cancer, in order to reduce the number of negative biopsies and spare the patients invasive diagnostic evaluation. An additional goal was to accountfor the difference in the proportion of free PSA in prostate cancer compared to benign prostatic hyperplasia. Patients and methods. This prospective study included 454 patients who underwent ultrasound guided biopsyfor an elevation in serum PSA or abnormality on digital rectal evaluation. Prostate volume and transition zone were measured with ultrasound.Serum total and free PSA level were determined, and the complexed PSA level, total PSA density, complexed PSA density, PSA density of transitionzone, and percentage of free PSA in serum were calculated. Statistical analysis was done using Mann-Whitney U test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated for each test. Further analyses were done comparing the ROC curves. Histological changes were evaluated in 391tissue specimens removed by biopsy or on radical prostatectomy. A total of 147 specimens were examined by immunohistocemical methods to determine the presence and distribution of PSA and alpha1-antichymotrypsin. (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters).

Renalnu osteodistrofiju kao jednu od najćešćih komplikacija kroničnog zatajenja bubrega karakterizira veliki spektar histoloških promjena: od znatnoubrzane do izrazito usporene koštane pregradnje. Više je uzroka jednomu ali drugome obliku bolesti. Cilj ove disertacije jest utvrditi korelacije između razine intaktnog parathormona u serumu (iPTH), denzitometrije kosti i histomorfometrijskih parametara kosti. Određivali smo koncentracije iPTH u serumu, gustuću minerala u kostima denzitometrijom i radili histomorfometriji kosti - statičku (određivanje volumena kosti, volumena osteoida, peritrabekularne fibroze, površine trabekula pokrivenih osteoidom, presjeka osteoida, broja aktivnih osteoblasta i osteoklasta (osteoblast, osteoklast interface), i dinamičku (pod fluorescntnim mikroskopom - dvostruko obilježavanje tetraciklina i brzine prirasta kosti) te izračunali korelaciju između koncentracija iPTH, gustoće minerala u kostima i pojedinih parametara histomorfometrije kosti. Denzitometrija kosti i određivanje koncentracija i PTH su metode koje se koristi u dijagnosticiranju renalne osteodistrofije, međutim, svaka sama za sebe nije dovoljna za postavljanje dijagnoze. Na temelju samo jedne ne možemo sa sigurnošću utvrditi dominantni entiopatogenetski tip renalne osteodistrofije, što je bitno za izbor terapije.Ovom studijom dokazali smo da bez dodatnih parametara ni kombinacija tih metoda ne može bitno povećati njihov dijagnostički potencijal. Pomoću dodatnih parametara, i to AF,P i starost bolesnika, uspjeli smo po dijagnozamapravilno rasporediti 73,3% bolesnika. Histomorfometriju kosti upotrebili smo kao referentnu metodu za definitivnu dijagnozu tipa renalne osteodistrofije.