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Purpose: The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that recovery sleep could counteract the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation (SD) on male rats’ fertility. Materials and Methods: Twenty-two rats were housed in groups of six per cage with unrestricted access to food and water in a room. The modified multiple platform method was used to induce SD in rats over a 96-hour period. We examined the effect of SD on semen quality, reproductive hormones, and testicular histology in adult male rats. Then, we investigated the effect of 7 days recovery sleep on impaired reproductive function induced by SD. Results: After the acclimation period, 22 rats were randomly separated into three experimental groups (SD, recovery sleep, and the control groups). Ninety-six hours of SD resulted in a significant decrease in sperm motility (24.33±10.93 vs. 48.20±8.55, p<0.001) and the number of morphologically normal sperm (9.68±2.77 vs. 26.21±14.60, p<0.01) in rats, accompanied by a decrease in testosterone levels (1.53±0.55 vs. 4.44±0.56, p<0.001) and destruction of testicular tissue structure compared with control group. After 7 days of recovery sleep, semen quality, especially sperm motility, was improved and testosterone levels were significantly higher compared to post-SD (3.70±0.53 vs. 1.53±0.55, p<0.05), but remained low compared to the control group. Conclusions: In conclusion, 96 hours of SD deteriorated the parameters of sperm motility and the number of morphologically normal sperm in rats, probably due to the decrease in serum testosterone levels and the disruption of testicular tissue structure when compared to the control group. After 7 days of recovery sleep, semen parameter, especially sperm motility and testosterone levels did not return to baseline levels compared to the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in bladder tumorigenesis and development by combining with the 3’ untranslated regions (3’-UTRs) of the corresponding mRNAs to negatively regulate gene expression. The role of miR-182-5p in bladder cancer (BC) remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the functional role of miR-182-5p in BC. We predicted candidate mRNAs for miR-182-5p via three databases (TarBase, ENCORI, and miRDB). Dual-luciferase reporter assays and target prediction confirmed FOXF2 as a potential target of miR-182-5p. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that endogenous miR-182-5p expression was significantly upregulated in BC cell lines and clinical samples of BC patients. IHC, western blotting, and qRT-PCR assays indicated that FOXF2 expression was concurrently downregulated in BC tissues and BC cell lines. Gain- and loss-of-function studies showed that the overexpression of miR-182-5p enhanced the proliferation and migration of BC cells, while the downregulation of miR-182-5p showed the opposite results. The effects induced by miR-182-5p were attenuated with the restoration of FOXF2 expression. In BC cells, the upregulation of miR-182-5p not only decreased FOXF2 expression but also markedly increased Sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway levels. These findings suggested that FOXF2 directly binds to miR-182-5p and that miR-182-5p acts as a tumor promoter in BC genesis and metastasis by targeting FOXF2. In addition, miR-182-5p plays a pro-cancer role by downregulating FOXF2 and activating the SHH pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate whether plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) or its integrity could differentiate prostate cancer from benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) in patients with serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) ≥ 4 ng/ml. Methods: Ninety-six patients with prostate cancer and 112 patients with BPH were enrolled. cfDNA levels in plasma before prostate biopsy were quantified by real-time PCR amplification of ALU gene (product size of 115 bp), and quantitative ratio of ALU (247 bp) to ALU (115 bp) reflected the integrity of cfDNA. Results: In patients with serum PSA ≥ 4 ng/ml, there were significant differences in plasma cfDNA or its integrity between the patients with prostate cancer (19.74 ± 4.43, 0.34 ± 0.05) and patients with BPH (7.36 ± 1.58, 0.19 ± 0.03; P < 0.001, P < 0.001). Prostate cancer could be differentiated with a sensitivity of 73.2 % and a specificity of 72.7 % by cfDNA (AUC = 0.864). The integrity of cfDNA had a sensitivity of 81.7 % and a specificity of 78.8 % for the distinguishing prostate cancer from BPH (AUC = 0.910). Conclusions: cfDNA and its integrity could be applied to differentiate prostate cancer from BPH in patients with serum PSA ≥ 4 ng/ml. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to determine whether or not plasma cfDNA levels can predict efficacy of sorafenib in patient with metastatic cRCC. MATERIALSANDMETHODS:Plasma cfDNAlevelswere quantified by quantitative real-time PCRat six different time-points (before treatment, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks, and 24 weeks) in 18 metastatic cRCC patients receiving sorafenib, as assessed by CT examination according to RECIST 1.1. RESULTS: A significantly lower plasma cfDNA level, measured from 8 weeks to 24 weeks, was found in patients with remission or stable disease than in those with progression. Higher levels in plasma cfDNA levels during the course of treatment indicated poor outcome. For predicting progression, a sensitivity of 66.7% was achieved at 100% specificity using cfDNA levels at 8 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Monitoring of plasma cfDNA levels during the course of sorafenib therapy could identify metastatic cRCC patients who are likely to exhibit a poor response at an early stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recently, dapoxetine has been widely accepted to treat premature ejaculation by fast‐inhibiting 5‐hydroxytryptamine reuptake. However, dapoxetine is not suitable for all premature ejaculation patients in clinical treatment. We need to investigate and reveal the mechanism deeply to solve this problem. Objectives: To investigate and reveal the function of dopamine D4 receptor in dapoxetine medicated premature ejaculation treatment. Materials and methods: A rat model was used to screen rapid ejaculators. The molecular mechanisms of histone serotonylation‐mediated regulation of dopamine D4 receptor were demonstrated by chromatin immunoprecipitation, DNA pull‐down, mass spectrometry analysis, and coimmunoprecipitation experiments. The biological function of dopamine D4 receptor was investigated through in vivo experiments by intrathecal injection of shDRD4 to knockdown dopamine D4 receptor. Results: In this study, we found that dapoxetine increased expression of 5‐hydroxytryptamine and dopamine D4 receptor. We demonstrated that dapoxetine increased levels of 5‐hydroxytryptamine, which promoted histone serotonylation (H3K4me3Q5ser) and transcription factor myeloid zinc‐finger 1 complex binding on the dopamine D4 receptor promoter, upregulated the expression of dopamine D4 receptor and thus delayed ejaculation. Discussion: In this study, we demonstrated that dapoxetine increased the levels of 5‐hydroxytryptamine, which promoted histone serotonylation and myeloid zinc‐finger 1 complex binding to the dopamine D4 receptor promoter and upregulated the expression of dopamine D4 receptor, thus delaying ejaculation. Conclusion: It is a novel mechanism that dapoxetine take effect of premature ejaculation treatment through upregulating the dopamine D4 receptor, which indicated that upregulated dopamine D4 receptor would enhance the dapoxetine effect in premature ejaculation treatment. This may lead to the development of novel therapeutic interventions for premature ejaculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess the relationship between 25(OH) levels and erectile dysfunction (ED), particularly arteriogenic ED (A‐ED). From September 2020 to January 2022, 150 patients diagnosed with ED by the International Index of Erectile Function‐5 (IIEF‐5) questionnaire were included. All patients were classified as organic ED and psychological ED by nocturnal penile tumescence and rigidity (NPTR) examination. Organic ED patients were divided into A‐ED and NA‐ED by penile doppler ultrasound (PDU) examination. Finally, 150 patients complaining of ED were enrolled in our study. 25(OH)D levels were significantly lower in patients with organic ED (18.24 ± 6.04 ng/ml) than in patients with psychogenic ED (20.90 ± 8.79 ng/ml) (p = 0.032). In A‐ED and NA‐ED, the mean of peak systolic flow velocity (PSV) values was 18.94 ± 5.28 cm/s and 51.57 ± 15.42 cm/s (p < 0.001), and the mean of 25(OH)D was 15.66 ± 5.86 ng/ml and 20.48 ± 5.90 ng/ml, respectively (p < 0.001). The results showed that 25(OH)D levels were positively correlated with IIEF‐5 scores and the PSV values in A‐ED patients. The 25(OH)D cut‐off value differentiating between A‐ED and NA‐ED was 15.05 ng/ml. Low 25(OH)D levels may be an independent risk factor for ED, especially A‐ED. ED patients should routinely undergo serum 25(OH)D level measurement, and 25(OH)D replacement therapy is necessary for patients with low vitamin D levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LncRNA growth arrest specific 5 (GAS5) has been confirmed to play an essential role in a number of biological processes, such as tumor regulation and gene transcription. GAS5 has been shown to be a tumor suppressor gene in many types of cancer, but its specific mechanism of action in bladder cancer (BC) remains to be elucidated. In this study, we explored the biological properties of GAS5 in BC and its mechanism of action in BC. We analyzed the expression of GAS5 in 50 pairs of BC tissues and found that GAS5 was low expressed in BC tissues compared with normal mucosal tissues. In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that GAS5 could affect the proliferation and migration of BC cells. Nucleoplasmic isolation assays and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays demonstrated the localization of GAS5 in cell cytoplasm. Chromatin isolation by RNA purification (ChIRP), RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and luciferase assay demonstrated the target binding relationship of GAS5 with miR-18a-5p. Rescue experiments demonstrated that GAS5 promoted the proliferation and migration of BC cells through target binding of miR-18a-5p. Moreover, miR-18a-5p bound to its targets AXIN2 and GSK3β, which in turn affected the expression of Wnt/β-catenin pathway-related proteins. Our findings demonstrate that GAS5 regulates Wnt/β-catenin pathway activity by regulating the miR-18a-5p/AXIN2/GSK3β axis to modulate BC progression, providing a new potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several hematologic parameters have been shown to be strongly associated with cardiovascular disease, yet few studies were conducted to assess their relationship with atherogenic erectile dysfunction. Objectives: To find out the differences in hematological parameters between patients with atherogenic erectile dysfunction and healthy controls through as comprehensive a hematological examination as possible and try to assess and predict atherogenic erectile dysfunction using possible indicators. Materials and methods: We collected hematological parameters in detail from 105 healthy controls and 183 patients with erectile dysfunction (119 patients with atherogenic erectile dysfunction patients and 64 patients with venous erectile dysfunction) who were selected by nocturnal penile tumescence and rigidity and color duplex doppler ultrasound. Results: Statistically significant differences were found between the atherogenic erectile dysfunction and venous erectile dysfunction groups in platelet to lymphocyte ratio, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, and mean platelet volume (all p < 0.01). When comparing atherogenic erectile dysfunction with the healthy population, we found statistically significant differences between the two groups in white blood cell, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, platelet to lymphocyte ratio, mean platelet volume, triglycerides, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and non‐high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, platelet to lymphocyte ratio, mean platelet volume, triglycerides, and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, p < 0.01; white blood cell, p = 0.024; non‐high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, p = 0.036). Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis showed that neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and platelet to lymphocyte ratio had the highest diagnostic value (neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio: area under the curve = 0.810, p < 0.001, cut‐off = 1.995; platelet to lymphocyte ratio: area under the curve = 0.782, p < 0.001, cut‐off = 126.3). Conclusion: Several hematological parameters (white blood cell, platelet to lymphocyte ratio, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, mean platelet volume, triglycerides, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and non‐high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol) can be considered markers of atherogenic erectile dysfunction, while these parameters were not significantly different in venous erectile dysfunction compared to healthy subjects. This suggests that hematological examinations may be a convenient and effective method to help evaluate and diagnose atherogenic erectile dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the role of nocturnal penile tumescence and rigidity (NPTR) and laboratory features in patients with mild, moderate and severe ED and then explored the correlation between ED severity with certain blood count parameters such as WBC and NLR. A total of 86 ED patients (age 29.8 ± 7.09 years) were enrolled. Classification of ED severity according to IIEF‐5 scores was as follows: mild ED, 43.02% (37/86); moderate ED, 27.91% (24/86) and severe ED, 29.07% (25/86). Patients with moderate and severe ED had declined IIEF‐5 scores and increased GAD‐7 and PHQ‐9 scores compared with mild ED. The mean NLR value of the mild, moderate and severe ED groups was 1.43 ± 0.39, 1.74 ± 0.45 and 2.0 ± 0.58, respectively. Stratification analysis according to NPTR results indicated that there was a significant difference in WBC and NLR between the two groups. Patients with abnormal NPTR had increased WBC and NLR levels compared with the normal groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that severe ED (OR [95% CI]: 5.736 [1.248–26.354]), WBC (OR [95% CI]: 1.676 [1.094–2.567]) and NLR (OR [95% CI]: 5.595 [1.478–21.178]) were identified as independent risk factors for severe ED (abnormal NPTR results). In conclusion, this study indicates a significant difference in NLR, PLR, PDW, MPV and HDL between the mild, moderate and severe ED groups. The WBC and NLR are significantly increased in patients with severe ED (abnormal NPTR results) and it can be available as a quick, easy and cheap investigation compared with the RigiScan to evaluate the severity of ED with good sensitivity and specificity, which is important for the diagnosis and evaluation of ED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: C‐reactive protein (CRP), as a marker of inflammation, may be closely related to erectile dysfunction (ED), however, there is no meta‐analysis exists for it. Objectives: We aimed to verify the relationship between CRP and erectile dysfunction and to explore the changes of CRP levels in ED patients after first‐line treatment. Materials and methods: We searched databases including the Cochrane Library, PubMed, and MEDLINE to identify studies up to January 1, 2022. We performed a comprehensive analysis of the included studies by STATA software and calculated standardized mean differences (SMDs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Results: A total of 12 studies were included and the analysis showed that CRP levels were higher significantly in patients with erectile dysfunction than the healthy controls (p < 0.001) and decreased by a mean of 0.38 mg/L after first‐line PDE5i drug treatment (p = 0.001). Discussion and conclusion: This novel meta‐analysis suggests that CRP is statistically significantly associated with erectile dysfunction and may be a predictor or risk factor for the assessment of ED. However, further original studies with large sample sizes are needed to validate this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies conducted to study the role of testosterone in erectile dysfunction (ED) extensively, but less is known of the association between estradiol level and ED. To assess the strong association between estradiol and ED by quantitatively synthesizing all studies evaluating the relationship between estradiol and ED. An extensive literature search was conducted by two authors independently in three electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane Library, up to January 10, 2021. The Patient Population or Problem, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes and Setting (PICOS) were used for inclusion criteria to identify studies. The Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale was applied to assess the quality of studies. The standardized mean difference (SMD) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to compare the estradiol level between ED patients and healthy subjects, and the pooled OR and 95%CI were used to evaluate the strong association between estradiol level and ED. Finally, six studies were included in this meta‐analysis, satisfying predefined inclusion criteria. Five studies were considered to be high quality, and only one was judged of moderate quality. The estradiol level of ED patients was statistically higher than that in healthy subjects (SMD 0.45, 95%CI 0.28–0.63, p <0.0001). The pooled OR demonstrated that the estradiol was correlated to the ED significantly (OR 1.08, 95%CI 1.05–1.12, p <0.0001). Subgroup analyses were conducted based on age, diagnosis way, country, sample size, detection method and estradiol level. There was no substantial change in the result of SMD ranging from 0.41 (95% CI 0.31–0.51) to 0.53 (95% CI 0.44–0.62) when performing sensitivity analysis. No publication bias was detected by the Begg test or Egger test. This meta‐analysis demonstrated that the estradiol level is correlated to ED significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have demonstrated that allicin may play critical roles in the procession of ischemia–reperfusion(I/R) injury. The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effects of allicin on renal I/R injury by attenuating oxidative stress and apoptosis. Methods: To establish a model of renal I/R, the right kidney underwent 12 h reperfusion after 45 min ischemia, allicin was administered intraperitoneally at concentrations of 40, 50 or 60 mg/kg. NRK-52E cells were treated with allicin at concentrations of 1, 3 or 5 μM in 24 h hypoxia/ 6 h reoxygenation(H/R) treatments. Indicators of HE, oxidative stress, apoptosis were measured to evaluate the effect of aliicin on renal I/R injury. Results: Allicin protected renal I/R injury by ameliorating histological injury and decreasing the oxidative stress in renal tissues. Meanwhile, allicin significantly downregulated the expression of Bax and caspase-3, upregulated the expression of Bcl-2 in I/R renal tissues and H/R treated NRK-52E cells. Conclusions: Allicin may exert anti-apoptotic and antioxidative effects to promote renal function recovery in I/R renal tissues and H/R treated NRK-52E cells. Taken together, allicin may be a potential novel therapy option for future renal injury protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To assess the correlation between the drug resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae and antimicrobial drug usage. Methods. The drug resistance rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae and the antimicrobial drug dosage of inpatients admitted to The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College from January 2016 to December 2020 were retrospectively recorded, and their correlation was analyzed using the Pearson method. Results. There are 6493 strains of Gram-negative bacteria, including 1272 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae, ranking first in respiratory medicine. Klebsiella pneumoniae showed an overall increasing trend in resistance to piperacillin/tazobactam and ampicillin/sulbactam and a high resistance to aztreonam, ceftazidime, and ciprofloxacin (all P < 0.05). The top 3 antimicrobial drugs used in 2016–2020 were β-lactams, quinolones, and macrolides. The rates of resistance to piperacillin/tazobactam, cefoperazone/sulbactam, and ampicillin/sulbactam were highly positively correlated with the use of β-lactams. The use of carbapenems and glycopeptides was negatively correlated with the resistance to ciprofloxacin, and the resistance to ceftazidime had a high positive correlation with the use of glycopeptides and carbapenems. Conclusion. The use of antimicrobial drugs is correlated with the resistance rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae. To reduce bacterial drug resistance, the rational use of antimicrobial drugs requires joint control through multiple departments to improve the clinical use of antimicrobial drugs and improve in-hospital control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sleep is a fundamental biological requirement, and lack of sleep has increasingly been recognized to cause metabolic consequences and adversely affect immune function. Recent articles have pointed to how sleep and sexual functions may be interlinked, involving inflammation, vascular alterations, tissue damage, and endothelial dysfunction. Objectives: We examined the effect of paradoxical sleep deprivation on sexual behavior and hemogram parameters in male rats. In addition, we also explored whether 7 days of recovery sleep is sufficient to offset these detriments. Materials and methods: Male rats were given sexual experience through training. At the fifth test, the sexually vigorous males were randomly separated into three experimental groups: paradoxical sleep deprivation (rats submitted to 96 h of paradoxical sleep deprivation, n = 6), recovery sleep (recovery sleep 7 days after paradoxical sleep deprivation, n = 6), and control (n = 10). We evaluated the sexual behaviors of three groups. Blood samples were collected to analyze hemogram parameters. Results: In this study, we recognized that repeated copulatory tests can lead to changes in sexual behavior over time. We found that 96 h of acute sleep deprivation impaired the sexual behavior of male rats. Our results demonstrated that 96 h of paradoxical sleep deprivation also increased levels of white blood cell subpopulations, in particular neutrophils. Recovery sleep after sleep deprivation has a certain reversal effect on white blood cell subgroups and impairment of sexual behavior, with some signs that not all levels were back to baseline even after 7 days of recovery. Conclusion: In general, we found that 96 h of paradoxical sleep deprivation impaired the sexual behavior of male rats. Our results demonstrated that paradoxical sleep deprivation can cause systemic inflammation by affecting white blood cell subpopulations, in particular neutrophils. Seven days of recovery sleep after sleep deprivation has a certain reversal effect to these impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Environmental Science & Technology (10036504) is the property of Editorial Board of Environmental Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Docetaxel is a major treatment for advanced prostate cancer (PCa); however, its resistance compromises clinical effectiveness. Estrogen receptor-related receptor alpha (ERRα) belongs to an orphan nuclear receptor superfamily and was recently found to be closely involved in cancer. In the present study, we found that ERRα was involved in docetaxel resistance in PCa. Overexpression of ERRα conferred docetaxel resistance in PCa cell lines, and cells with ERRα downregulation were more sensitive to docetaxel. Among the drug resistance-related genes, ABCC4 demonstrated synchronous expression after ERRα manipulation in cells. Moreover, both ERRα and ABCC4 were overexpressed in the docetaxel-resistant cell, which could be reversed by ERRα knockdown. The knockdown of ERRα also reversed the reduced drug accumulation in the docetaxel-resistant cell. We also demonstrated for the first time that ABCC4 was a direct target of ERRα as determined by the CHIP and luciferase assays. Bioinformatics analysis revealed high expression of ERRα and ABCC4 in PCa patients, and a number of potential ERRα/ABCC4 targets were predicted. In conclusion, our study demonstrated a critical role for ERRα in docetaxel resistance by directly targeting ABCC4 and stressed the importance of ERRα as a potential therapeutic target for drug-resistant PCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The roles of lncRNA PLAC2 in bladder cancer (BC) were explored.Methods: The expression of PLAC2 in two types of tissue of BC patients was detected by RT-qPCR and the expression data were compared by paired t test. The 56 patients were staged according to the AJCC criteria, and 12, 15, 15 and 14 cases were classified into stage I-IV, respectively. The expression of TGF-β1 and miR-663 in BC tissues were also detected by RT-qPCR experiments.Results: Our data showed that the expression levels of PLAC2 were significantly lower in BC tissues than that in non-cancer tissues. The expression of PLAC2 was not affect by clinical stages and low expression levels of PLAC2 predicted lower survival rate. The expression of PLAC2 was positively correlated with miR-663 and inversely correlated with TGF-β1 in BC tissues. In BC cells, downregulated TGF-β1 and upregulated miR-663 were observed after the overexpression of PLAC2. Overexpression of PLAC2 also resulted in suppressed invasion and migration of BC cells. Overexpression of miR-663 resulted in downregulated TGF-β1 but did not affect the expression of PLAC2. Overexpression of TGF-β1 reduced the inhibitory effects of overexpression of PLAC2 and miR-663 on cell migration and invasion.Conclusion: PLAC2 can upregulate miR-663 to downregulate TGF-β1 and suppress BC cell migration and invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bufalin has been demonstrated to possess a wide range of pharmacological effects. Among these is its antitumour effect, which has been confirmed in multiple organs or tissues and provoked many concerns. However, its cytostatic effect and underlying mechanism in bladder cancer has not thoroughly been elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the hypothesis that Bufalin induces cell apoptosis and inhibits cell growth in bladder cancer through the inactivation of Na+/K+‑ATPase (NKA). In the current study, it was demonstrated that Bufalin remarkably inhibited cell viability and induced cell apoptosis in bladder cancer cell line T24. Subsequently, we found that the expression of NKA was significantly supressed in Bufalin‑treated cells and the NKA‑α3 isoform was most sensitive to Bufalin among all α subunits of NKA. By transfection with NKA‑α3 overexpressing plasmids, the expression of the NKA‑α3 subunit was upregulated and NKA‑α3 overexpression was found to markedly attenuated Bufalin‑induced cell apoptosis in T24 cells, suggesting NKA‑α3 played a critical role in Bufalin‑induced cell apoptosis. Taken together, the present study confirmed that Bufalin promotes tumour apoptosis and inhibits tumour growth in bladder cancer in vitro, and this antitumour effect may be ascribed to the inactivation of NKA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that BRD4 induces cisplatin resistance in a bladder cancer (BCa) xenograft mouse model. (A) Axillary tumor formation in nude mice. (B) Tumors harvested from each xenograft mouse were photographed. (C) The volume of the xenograft tumor was measured at the indicated time after treatment. (D) Tumor weight of the different treatment groups was calculated posttreatment.

Soil respiration is one of the important parts of carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Because of strong soil and water conservation and ecological construction, the vegetation type conversion was very common in south red soil hilly. Studying the effects of vegetation type conversion on soil respiration and its key components, could help us not only well understand the internal mechanism of soil respiration and carbon cycle, but also scientifically evaluate the role and contribution of soil and water conservation to climate change. This paper investigated the changes of soil respiration rates for one year when eroded bare land was converted to Paspalum notatum Flugge grassland, Herbals citrus orchards and Pinus elliottii forest, respectively, using a LI-8100A automated soil CO2 flux system in Jiangxi eco-technology garden for soil and water conservation, including the separation of soil total respiration rate (Rs) and soil heterotrophic respiration rate (Rh), and their seasonal patterns and influencing factors. It showed that soil temperature, soil moisture and monthly soil CO2 emission rate generally fluctuated in different vegetation types during the study period. Both Rs and Rh displayed obvious seasonal pattern being high in summer and low in winter across the observed period in 4 vegetation types, with the highest fluxes observed in August or September and the lowest fluxes in January. Vegetation type conversion didn't change the seasonal pattern of soil respiration rates. Soil temperature at 5 cm depth had significant effect on the change dynamics of soil respiration rates, but soil moisture did not. Soil temperature at 5 cm depth could explain 83.3% and 86.0% of the variations in Rs and Rh. With the conversion from bare land to grassland, orchard and forest land, Rs was more sensitive to the change of soil temperature at 5 cm depth, and values of temperature sensitivity coefficient changed from 1.86 to 2.20, 2.72 and 2.75, respectively. The average proportions of Rh to Rs were 75%, 73% and 69% in grassland, orchard and forest, respectively, and there were no significant differences among the 3 vegetation types (P>0.05), which showed similar single-peak curves of change dynamics with the maximum of 100% in winter and the minimum of 50% in summer. In addition, the proportion of Rh to Rs decreased with the increase of Rs, and there were logarithmic relationships between the proportion and Rs (P<0.001). During the observation period, the mean values of Rs were 1.09, 3.15, 2.34 and 1.65 μmol/(m2∙s) (CO2 emission amount) in bare land, grassland, orchard and forest land, respectively, which showed significant difference between bare land and grassland (P<0.05). The mean values of Rh were 1.09, 2.13, 1.51 and 1.04 μmol/(m2∙s) (CO2 emission amount) in bare land, grassland, orchard and forest land, respectively, which showed significant difference between grassland and bare land, and between grassland and forest land (P<0.05). With the conversion from bare land to grassland, orchard and forest, the contents of total organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon of surface soil (0-20 cm) all increased, which would bring a better living environment for soil microbe. The change of soil respiration under vegetation type conversion would be caused by the combination of soil temperature and soil organic carbon (both the quantity and the quality) change. Vegetation type was an important influencing factor of soil respiration in the scale of region or ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate whether CD146 gene expression could provide useful information to predict early recurrence after nephrectomy. Methods: This study included 84 patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (cRCC), and 44 subjects without tumor were used as controls. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to measure the CD146 gene expression. Results: The mean value of CD146 expression in patients with metastatic cRCC (0.0438 ± 0.0024) was significantly higher than in those with localized cRCC (0.0374 ± 0.0012, P = 0.018) or in controls (0.0344 ± 0.0010, P = 0.001). Of patients with localized cRCC, those with recurrence had a significantly higher CD146 expression than those without recurrence ( P = 0.029). The univariate analysis showed that CD146 was associated with early recurrence. The recurrence-free survival curve indicated that patients with a high CD146 expression had a significantly higher recurrence rate than those with a low CD146 expression ( P = 0.018). Conclusions: CD146 gene expression can be useful for predicting early recurrence and stratifying the patients into risk groups for possible adjuvant treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ewing sarcoma (ES) or primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET) represents a spectrum of poorly differentiated and aggressive malignancies. It rarely arises from the kidney and accounts for less than 1% of renal mass. Given the uncharacteristic clinical symptoms and imaging features, renal Ewing sarcoma (RES) is often diagnosed by postoperative pathology.Case Presentation: Herein, we depicted a case of RES, which was administrated in our institution by chief complaints of intermittent left plank pain and palpable abdominal mass. We demonstrated the aggressive behavior of this renal malignancy and summarized its therapeutic modalities and outcomes.Conclusion: The diagnosis of RES relies on integrated analysis including histomorphology, immunohistochemical staining and confirmation of molecular-genetic testing. Despite the surgery and adjuvant therapy, optimized and potent therapeutic regimes are still urgently needed to improve the poor prognosis of RES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]