title: Serum and semen prostate specific antigen concentrations are different in young spinal cord injured men compared to normal controls.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent investigations have indicated that factors within the seminal plasma may contribute to the condition of low sperm motility in men with spinal cord injury. To determine whether the prostate gland functions normally in these men we chose prostate specific antigen (PSA) as a marker of prostatic function, and compared serum and semen concentrations in spinal cord injured and healthy noninjured men.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 21 spinal cord injured men (mean age 33.3+/-1.2 years) and 22 noninjured normal men (mean age 30.3+/-1.5 years). Blood was obtained from subjects following at least 24 hours of abstinence from ejaculation and serum PSA was determined by modified enzyme immunoassay. Antegrade ejaculates from all subjects were frozen to -80 C, exactly 15 minutes after collection. Seminal plasma PSA was determined using Hybritech Tandem MP assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean serum PSA concentration was 1.20+/-0.19 ng./ml. in spinal cord injured and 0.69+/-0.07 ng./ml. in noninjured men (p<0.02). Mean seminal plasma PSA concentration was 0.59+/-0.11 mg./ml. in spinal cord injured and 1.29+/-0.15 mg./ml. in noninjured men (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings of elevated serum and decreased seminal plasma PSA concentrations indicate that prostatic secretory dysfunction is present in men with spinal cord injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology and The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami School of Medicine, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lynne
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Aballa
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Rittenhouse
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ferrell
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Brackett
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D012661:Semen / Q000737:chemistry*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen