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The purpose of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic significance of two new and a few clinical markers for prostate cancer (PCa) at various prostate volumes (PV).The study subjects were divided into two groups. Among them, there were 70 cases in the PV ≤30 ml group (benign prostatic hyperplasia [BPH]: 32 cases, PCa: 38 cases) and 372 cases in the PV 30 ml group (BPH: 277 cases, PCa: 95 cases). SPSS 26.0 and GraphPad Prism 8.0 were used to construct their receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for diagnosing PCa and calculating their area under the ROC curve (AUC).In the PV ≤30 ml group, the diagnostic parameters based on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) had a decreased diagnostic significance for PCa. In the PV 30 ml group, PSAD (AUC = 0.709), AVR (AVR = Age/PV, AUC = 0.742), and A-PSAD (A-PSAD = Age×PSA/PV, AUC = 0.736) exhibited moderate diagnostic significance for PCa, which was better than PSA-AV (AUC = 0.672), free PSA (FPSA, AUC = 0.509), total PSA (TPSA, AUC = 0.563), (F/T) PSA (AUC = 0.540), and (F/T)/PSAD (AUC = 0.663). Compared with AVR, A-PSAD exhibited similar diagnostic significance for PCa, but higher than PSA density (PSAD).Choosing appropriate indicators for different PVs could contribute to the early screening and diagnosis of PCa. The difference in the diagnostic value of two new indicators (A-PSAD and AVR), and PSAD for PCa may require further validation by increasing the sample size.

This study aimed to analyse the clinical characteristics and risk factors of patients with positive prostate biopsy at 4-20 ng/mL of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), construct a new parameter based on this characteristics and assess its diagnostic value for prostate cancer (PCa). Logistic regression analysis was used to clarify the risk factors of PCa, and a new parameter based on the results was constructed. Compare the diagnostic value of various diagnostic parameters for PCa. Logistic multivariate regression analysis revealed that age (OR, 5.269; 95%CI, 2.762-10.050), comorbid diabetes (OR, 2.437; 95%CI, 1.162-5.111), PSA (OR, 2.462; 95%CI, 1.198-5.059) and prostate volume (PV) (OR, 0.227; 95%CI, 0.100-0.516) are risk factors for PCa. The age, PSA and PV of patients were combined to construct a new parameter, that is A-PSAD = (age × total PSA [TPSA])/PV]. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve(AUC) of A-PSAD (0.728) for PCa diagnosis was higher than the AUCs of TPSA (0.581), free prostate-specific antigen (0.514), (F/T)PSA (0.535) and PSAD (0.696), with significant differences. Age, history of diabetes, TPSA and PV are risk factors for PCa(PSA:4-20ng/mL); in addition, A-PSAD has a moderate diagnostic value for PCa and may become a new indicator for PCa screening.

Substantial evidence suggests that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are the main cause of the initiation, progression and recurrence of tumors. Benzidine has been identified as a risk factor for bladder cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of benzidine on bladder CSCs (BCSCs) and the possible mechanism underlying its action. The bladder cancer cell lines UM-UC-3 and EJ were maintained in serum-free medium and cells forming three-dimensional spheres were characterized as BCSCs. The sphere-forming cells were exposed to different concentrations of benzidine and vismodegib, and western blotting was performed to evaluate the expression of markers associated with CSCs and the Sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway. Flow cytometry was used to detect the distribution of cells in different phases of the cell cycle, and immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the protein expression of CD44. The results revealed that the levels of BCSC markers, namely CD133, CD44, aldehyde dehydrogenase 1-A1, Nanog and octamer-binding transcription factor-4, in the cell spheres were markedly elevated compared with those in cells cultured in serum-supplemented medium. Furthermore, benzidine increased the expression of BCSC markers and promoted the sphere-forming ability of the cells. In addition, it was observed that benzidine activated the SHH pathway, while inhibition of the Shh pathway using vismodegib diminished the promoting effects of benzidine on BCSCs. The findings of the present study indicate that benzidine promoted the stemness of BCSCs via activation of the SHH pathway, which may support further exploration of the molecular basis of the association between benzidine exposure and bladder oncogenesis.

There have been some conflicting claims whether larger prostate weight (PW) reduces the risk of positive surgical margins (PSMs). This study aims to examine the associations between PW and PSMs. PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane library were systematically retrieved. Relative risks (RRs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were synthesised utilising random-effect models. Ultimately, 22 cohort studies met criteria were enrolled in this meta-analysis, of which 18 studies reporting the RR of the highest VS lowest category of PW yielded the combined RR of PSMs of 0.61 (95% CI 0.50-0.74). Subgroup analysis showed that geographic region and surgical modalities were considered as potential confounders of influence of PW on PSMs. The nonlinear dose-response relationship demonstrated that PSM risk decreased by 1% (RR = 0.99, 95% CI, 0.98-0.99) for every one gram increment in PW. This study suggests PW has a negative association with risk of PSMs, and having a appropriate PW is very important.

Background: Qualitative and quantitative analysis of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a potential detection method for bladder cancer. Many studies have focused on the reliability of these results, but the conclusions have not been consistent. Methods: We performed a diagnostic meta-analysis to investigate the diagnostic significance of serum and urine cfDNAs with tumor tissues as the standard control. We searched the MEDLINE, EMABASE, and Cochrane Central Controlled Trials Register (CCTR) databases until January 2019. Results: A total of 11 studies involving early and/or advanced bladder cancer were finally included. The overall diagnostic accuracy was measured as follows: pooled sensitivity and specifcity were 0.69 (95%CI: 0.67, 0.71) and 0.72 (95%CI: 0.70, 0.74). Pooled positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio were 3.10 (95%CI: 2.35, 4.07) and 0.41 (95%CI: 0.34, 0.49). Combined diagnostic odds ratio was 8.26 (95%CI: 5.64, 12.11). A high diagnostic accuracy was demonstrated by the summary receiver operating characteristic curve, with area under the curve of 0.80 (95%CI: 0.77, 0.83). Conclusions: CfDNA assay has high diagnostic value for the detection of bladder cancer. Larger sample studies are needed to further confirm our conclusions and to make this approach more sensitive and specific.

Objective: Using a rodent model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), we investigated the effect of remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) on spatial learning and memory ability after focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R). Method: Thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated into 3 groups (n=12, each): sham group, rats were subjected to sham operations without MCAO and RIPC; I/R group, rats were subjected to 1h of MCAO followed by 3 days of reperfusion; I/R+RIPC group, rats were subjected to RIPC and 1h MCAO followed by 3 days of reperfusion. The spatial learning and memory ability of the rats was measured by the Morris water maze task.The activity of cholineacetyltransferase (ChAT) in the hippocampus CA1 region was observed by an immunohistochemistry method. Results: In the Morris water maze task, MCAO elicited a significant decrease of the ability of spatial learning and memory in contrast to the sham group. Meanwhile, RIPC induced a significantly shorter prolongation of the escape latency (pConclusions: RIPC could improve the ability of spatial learning and memory after focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion probably due to its protection of the cholinergic neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region.