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Ying Cao,1,&ast; Heng Zhang,2,&ast; Gui-Lan Tu,3 Ye Tian,2 Xiao-Hu Tang,2 Lei Tang,1 Mu-Xia Luo,1 Yan-Dong Wang,2 Zhen Wang,2 Shu-Jie Xia,4 Guang-Heng Luo2 1Guizhou University Medical College, Guiyang, 550025, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Urology, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, 550002, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pathology, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, 550002, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Urology, Shanghai First People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200080, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Guang-Heng Luo, Email luoguangheng1975@126.comObjective: The aim of the present study was to observe the effect of the stroma proportion in hyperplasia nodules on the clinical symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients and to identify the different genes and pathways in prostatic hyperplasia nodules between patients with epithelial-dominated hyperplasia (EDH) and stromal-dominated hyperplasia (SDH) nodules.Methods: Sixty-seven BPH patient samples underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) were collected and retrospectively analyzed. The differences in clinical parameters between the EDH and SDH groups were investigated. Collagen fiber percentage was assessed, and the correlation with clinical parameters was evaluated. mRNA sequencing in hyperplasia nodules of 8 BPH patients was performed, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the EDH and SDH groups were screened. These DEGs were analyzed using GO, KEGG and PPI analysis.Results: The results showed the IPSS was significantly higher in the SDH group than in the EDH group (p < 0.01). The collagen fiber percentage of BPH nodules was higher in the SDH group than in the EDH group (p < 0.05), and the collagen fiber percentage was positively correlated with the IPSS (r = 0.4058, p = 0.0007). A total of 172 DEGs were obtained, including 63 up-regulated genes and 109 down-regulated genes. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses showed DEGs were mainly enriched in extracellular matrix structural constituents. The top 10 hub genes were associated to the components of extracellular matrix and fibrosis.Conclusion: These results suggested that the symptoms of BPH patients with SDH nodules may be associated with prostate fibrosis and fibrosis may be a significant contributing factor in BPH/LUTS patients with SDH nodules.Keywords: benign prostate hyperplasia, lower urinary tract symptoms, prostate fibrosis, stroma, pathology

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of an imbalance in the estrogen/androgen ratio on prostate fibrosis.Different concentrations of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or estradiol (ECompared with the uncastrated control and corn oil injection groups, the collagen fiber content and collagen I and fibronectin expression were increased and elastin expression was decreased in the castrated rat prostate with corn oil injection group (p 0.01). Compared to castrated corn oil injection group, collagen fiber content, collagen I, and fibronectin expression were significantly decreased, and elastin expression was significantly increased in the castrated rat prostate 0.15 mg/kg DHT treatment group (p 0.01). Following treatment with 0.15 mg/kg DHT, the content of collagen fibers, and the expression of collagen I and fibronectin were increased, and the expression of elastin was decreased in the rat prostate with increasing concentrations of EAn imbalance in the estrogen/androgen ratio may affect prostate fibrosis. E

Background The correlation between modified bladder outlet obstruction index (MBOOI) and surgical efficacy still remains unknown. The purpose of the study was to investigate the clinical value of the MBOOI and its use in predicting surgical efficacy in men receiving transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Methods A total of 403 patients with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) were included in this study. The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life (QoL) index, transrectal ultrasonography, and pressure flow study were conducted for all patients. The bladder outlet obstruction index (BOOI) (PdetQmax–2Qmax) and MBOOI (Pves–2Qmax) were calculated. All patients underwent TURP, and surgical efficacy was accessed by the improvements in IPSS, QoL, and Qmax 6 months after surgery. The association between surgical efficacy and baseline factors was statistically analyzed. Results A comparison of effective and ineffective groups based on the overall efficacy showed that significant differences were observed in PSA, Pves, PdetQmax, Pabd, BOOI, MBOOI, TZV, TZI, IPSS-t, IPSS-v, IPSS-s, Qmax, and PVR at baseline (p max, and the overall efficacy. Additionally, the ROC analysis further verified that MBOOI was more optimal than BOOI, TZV and TZI in predicting the surgical efficacy. Conclusion Although both MBOOI and BOOI can predict the clinical symptoms and surgical efficacy of BPH patients to a certain extent, however, compared to BOOI, MBOOI may be a more useful factor that can be used to predict the surgical efficacy of TURP. Trial registration retrospectively registered.

BACKGROUND Drainage tube removal is difficult when the greater omentum becomes incarcerated in the drainage tube through the side holes. Currently, known removal methods are either ineffective or will cause additional damage to the patient in a secondary operation. Ureteroscopy and the holmium laser have been used in various surgical techniques in urology, and in theory, they are expected to be a good strategy for solving the problem of tissue incarceration. CASE SUMMARY Four patients diagnosed with difficult removal of an abdominal drainage tube following abdominal surgery are reported. All patients underwent surgery to remove the incarcerated greater omentum in the drainage tube using a holmium laser and a ureteroscope, and a new 16-F drain was then placed in the abdominal or pelvic cavity. The efficacy of this technique was evaluated by intraoperative conditions, success rate, and operating time; safety was evaluated by perioperative conditions and the probability of postoperative complications. All four operations went smoothly, and the drains were successfully removed in all patients. The average operating time was 24.5 min. Intraoperatively, the average irrigation volume was 892.0 mL, the average drainage volume was 638.5 mL, and no bleeding or damage to surrounding tissues was observed. Postoperatively, the average drainage volume was 32.8 mL and the new drains were removed within 36 h. All patients were able to get out of bed and move around within 12 h. Their visual analogue pain scores were all below 3. The average follow-up duration was 12.5 mo and no complications such as fever or bleeding were noted. CONCLUSION Ureteroscopic holmium laser surgery is an effective, safe and minimally invasive technique for removing drains where the greater omentum is incarcerated in the abdominal drain.

Modal parameters, including fundamental frequencies, damping ratios, and mode shapes, could be used to evaluate the health condition of structures. Automatic modal parameter identification, which plays an essential role in realtime structural health monitoring, has become a popular topic in recent years. In this study, an automatic modal parameter identification procedure for high arch dams is proposed. The proposed procedure is implemented by combining the density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) algorithm and the stochastic subspace identification (SSI). The 210-m-high Dagangshan Dam is investigated as an example to verify the feasibility of the procedure. The results show that the DBSCAN algorithm is robust enough to interpret the stabilization diagram from SSI and may avoid outline modes. This leads to the proposed procedure obtaining a better performance than the partitioned clustering and hierarchical clustering algorithms. In addition, the errors of the identified frequencies of the arch dam are within 4%, and the identified mode shapes are in agreement with those obtained from the finite element model, which implies that the proposed procedure is accurate enough to use in modal parameter identification. The procedure is feasible for online modal parameter identification and modal tracking of arch dams.

The Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) is widely used to identify modal parameters of structures because of its advantages in analyzing nonstationary signals. However, the mode mixing and end effects of...

BACKGROUND: The golden standard for the treatment of muscle-invasive or high-grade bladder cancer is radical cystectomy combined with various forms of urinary diversion, but postoperative paralytic ileus is an troublesome postoperative complication.The purpose of this research is to build and verify the nomogram prediction model of postoperative ileus.METHODS: From January 2015 to December 2020, the clinical data of patients who underwent radical cystectomy in the urology department of Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital for bladder cancer were collected. The risk factors related to postoperative ileus were obtained by logitic single factor and multiple factor regression analysis. Then, the prediction model of postoperative ileus was constructed based on the risk factors and its identification ability and accuracy were verified.RESULT: 252 patients were included, 51 of whom had ileus. Statistical analysis showed that preoperative creatinine level, postoperative creatinine level, and postoperative serum albumin concentration were correlated with postoperative ileus. The area under ROC curve of nomogram predictive model constructed based on the risk factors was 0.748 (95%CI 0.672-0.824). The bootstrap correction curve of the prediction model shows that the prediction accuracy of the model is close to that of the ideal model.CONCLUSION: Preoperative creatinine level, postoperative creatinine level, and postoperative serum albumin concentration were correlated with postoperative ileus and were risk factors for ileus after radical cystectomy, which could be used as predictors of clinical prediction models. The prediction model of nomogram based on these predictors can predict the probability of postoperative intestinal obstruction.

To establish an experimental prostatitis animal model in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats through induction by treatment of estrogen and androgen at different concentrations.Fifty-three male SD rats aged 3 to 4 months were used in the study, and the castration model of male rats was established by excision of bilateral testes. The rats were randomly assigned to a blank group, a castration group and treatment groups receiving estrogen and androgen at different concentrations after castration, with 4 rats in each group. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estradiol (E) were administered daily by subcutaneous injection to the treatment groups. All the rats were sacrificed by way of cervical dislocation after 1 month and the serum DHT and E concentrations of the rats in each group were assessed with ELISA. Prostate specimens were collected and the relative weight of the prostate of each group of rats was calculated. After HE staining of the prostate tissue, we observed with optic microscope structural changes in the prostate tissue and the state of prostatic inflammation in each group. Immunohistochemical examination was done to assess the expression of three inflammatory factors, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8, in rat prostate tissues.The results of HE staining of rat prostate tissue showed that, compared with the blank group and castration group, the degree of inflammation increased significantly in the E0.05+DHT 0.5 mg/kg group and DHT0.15+E0.15 mg/kg group (Castration combined with treatment of different concentrations of estrogen and androgen could successfully induce the prostatitis model in SD rats.

To evaluate the clinical application value of the bladder outlet obstruction index (BOOI) in the diagnosis of BPH.We retrospectively analyzed the urodynamic parameters and BOOI of 199 cases of BPH diagnosed from July 2016 to September 2018, which were divided into a BOO (n = 119), a suspected BOO (n = 39) and a non-BOO group (n = 41) based on the BOOI. We obtained the prostate volume (PV), IPSS, IPSS-voiding symptom score (IPSS-VS), quality of life score (QOL), maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) and postvoid residual urine volume (PVR) from the patients, compared them among the three groups and analyzed their correlation to BOOI using Pearson's linear correlation analysis.No statistically significant differences were observed in age (P = 0.195), PSA (P = 0.380), IPSS (P = 0.380), IPSS-VS (P = 0.380), QOL (P = 0.380), Qmax (P = 0.380) and PVR (P = 0.912) among the three groups of patients, but PV was remarkably larger in the BOO than in the suspected BOO and non-BOO groups (［58.8 ± 30.0］ vs ［49.8 ± 33.9］ and ［45.5 ± 26.0］ ml, P = 0.031). Pearson's linear correlation analysis showed that BOOI was not correlated significantly to IPSS (r = －0.020, P = 0.778), IPSS-VS (r= －0.013, P = 0.853), QOL (r = －0.107, P = 0.132), Qmax (r = －0.130, P = 0.066) or PVR (r = －0.056, P = 0.433), nor obviously to PV (|r| = 0.1780.4) though with P = 0.012.BOOI is not significantly correlated to PV, IPSS, IPSS-VS, QOL, Qmax or PVR, and therefore BOO cannot be diagnosed exclusively with BOOI.

The spectral analysis of surface waves (SASW) is widely used to reverse the travel time in three-dimensional (3-D) Rayleigh wave tomography, in which data processing is essential to reduce high-frequency harmonics and diffraction. However, data processing depends on visual judgment and is not suitable for large-scale detection. This study proposes a strategy based on theoretical derivation to process data for the SASW method that can be regarded as an improved SASW method. It retains the component of the Rayleigh wave by setting the part after the maximum value of the signal to zero. Compared with traditional visual recognition, the improved SASW method demonstrates higher efficiency in obtaining travel time in 3-D Rayleigh wave tomography. Numerical experiments were conducted to detect voids with different locations, depths, and sizes using the improved SASW method. A small probability event was used to quantitatively determine the velocity range to distinguish a void from the measured region. The results show that the improved method is robust, and the small probability event can effectively identify voids.

Sepsis is an acute inflammatory reaction and a cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In the present study, we explored the roles and underlying mechanism of the lncRNA Nuclear enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) in ARDS. The expression levels of genes, proteins and pro-inflammatory cytokines in patients with ARDS, LPS-stimulated cells and septic mouse models were quantified using qPCR, western blotting and ELISA assays, respectively. The molecular targeting relationship was validated by conducting a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Cell proliferation was assessed using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. The cell cycle phase was determined by flow cytometry assay. The expression levels of NEAT1 and pro-inflammatory cytokines were higher in patients with ARDS and septic models than in controls. Knockdown of NEAT1 significantly increased cell proliferation and cycle progression and prolonged mouse survival in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, miR-27a was identified as a downstream target of NEAT1 and directly inhibited PTEN expression. Further rescue experiments revealed that inhibition of miR-27a impeded the promoting effects of NEAT1 silence on cell proliferation and cycle progression, whereas inhibition of PTEN markedly weakened the inhibitory effects of NEAT1 overexpression on cell proliferation and cycle progression. Altogether, our study revealed that NEAT1 plays a promoting role in the progression of ARDS via the NEAT1/miR-27a/PTEN regulatory network, providing new insight into the pathologic mechanism behind ARDS. Sepsis-induced acute lung injury has been clinically defined as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In the present study, the authors reveal that NEAT1 plays a role in the inflammation and cell cycle progression of ARDS via the NEAT1/miR-27a/PTEN regulatory network, providing new insight into the pathologic mechanism behind ARDS.

The covariance-driven stochastic subspace identification (SSI–COV) is widely used in the operational modal analysis of structures. However, the appropriate selection of user-defined parameters in the SSI–COV algorithm remains a challenging issue, especially for the modal tracking. This study aims to analyze the effect of the four user-defined parameters in SSI–COV for the modal identification of high arch dams. Two finite element (FE) models of the Dagangshan dam are investigated by the SSI–COV to identify the modal parameters. The FE model with the massless foundation is analyzed to investigate the effect of four user-defined parameters on the identification of dynamic properties, and the selection suggestions are proposed for each parameter. The FE model recognizing the semi-unbounded size of foundation rock is further analyzed to investigate the radiation damping effect based on the proposed suggestions of user-defined parameters. The results show that the radiation damping effect of the semi-unbounded foundation rock is approximately 0.6%–2.0% for the first four modes. Moreover, the modal parameters of the Xiluodu dam (285 m) are identified using ambient vibration test, which illustrates that the proposed suggestions for selecting user-defined parameters are effective and reasonable. This study is very beneficial for the modal tracking and structural health monitoring of arch dams in the future.

The purpose of the current ex vivo study was to compare the speed of vaporesection of human prostatic tissue with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and the depth of tissue damage using 70- and 120-W 2-µm laser devices. Fresh prostatic tissue specimens were obtained from five patients by open prostatectomy, and were divided into separate groups (70 and 120 W) based on the energy of the laser output (70 and 120 W, respectively). The vaporesection speed, coagulation zone depth and the necrotic tissue layer in the prostatic tissue were evaluated. The current result showed that the speeds (mean±s.d.) of vaporesection were 5.21 ± 0.66 and 10.39 ± 1.15 g/5 min for the 70 and 120 W groups, respectively (P=0.000). There was no difference in the depth of necrosis/coagulation (0.98 ± 0.13/0.30 ± 0.09 and 0.99 ± 0.12/0.31 ± 0.08 mm) for the 70 and 120 W groups, respectively. In conclusion, both 70- and 120-W 2-µm laser devices had superficial tissue damage during the vaporesection of human prostate tissue; moreover, the 120-W laser offers a higher vaporesection speed than the 70-W laser.

Aim: To take a deeper insight into the relationship between the root of the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) and the autonomic nerve plexuses around it by cadaveric anatomy and explore anatomical evidence of autonomic nerve preservation in high ligation of the IMA in laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer. Methods: Anatomical dissection was performed on 11 formalin-fixed cadavers and 12 fresh cadavers. Anatomical evidence-based autonomic nerve preservation in high ligation of the IMA was performed in 22 laparoscopic curative resections of colorectal cancer. Results: As the upward continuation of the presacral nerves, the bilateral trunks of SHP had close but different relationships with the root of the IMA. The right trunk of SHP ran relatively far away from the root of IMA. When the apical lymph nodes were dissected close to the root of the IMA along the fascia space in front of the anterior renal fascia, the right trunk of SHP could be kept in suit under the anterior renal fascia. The left descending branches to SHP constituted a natural and constant anatomical landmark of the relationship between the root of IMA and the left autonomic nerves. Proximal to this, the left autonomic nerves surrounded the root of the IMA. Distally, the left trunk of the SHP departed from the root of IMA under the anterior renal fascia. When high ligation of the IMA was performed distal to it, the left trunk of SHP could be preserved. The distance between the left descending branches to SHP and the origin of IMA varied widely from 1.3 cm to 2.3 cm. Conclusions: The divergences of the bilateral autonomic nerve preservation around the root of the IMA may contribute to provide anatomical evidence for more precise evaluation of the optimal position of high ligation of the IMA in the future.

Chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) is a major cause of graft loss following kidney transplantation and may result from the interactions of various immune and non-immune factors. The aim of the present study was to establish an in vitro model of glomerular mesangial cell injury in order to examine the gene expression levels of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and interleukin-7 (IL-7) in mesangial cells during the healing process as well as to investigate the effects of various immunosuppressants on the expression of these genes. The HBZY-1 glomerular mesangial cell line was pre-treated in vitro with cytochalasin B for 2 h to induce reversible damage. Following the pre-treatment, the HBZY-1 cells were divided into five groups: Blank control group, cyclosporine A (CsA) group, tacrolimus (Tac) group, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) group and rapamycin (RAPA) group. After treating the mesangial cells with each immunosuppressive drug for 6, 12 or 24 h, the mRNA and protein expression levels of IDO, HO-1 and IL-7 were examined using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), western blot and immunohistochemical analyses. The results showed that expression levels of HO-1 were significantly upregulated in response to treatment with CsA, FK506, RAPA and MMF, whereas the expression levels of IL-7 were markedly downregulated by treatment with the above immunosuppressants. CsA, FK506 and MMF significantly enhanced the expression levels of IDO, whereas RAPA exhibited no apparent effect on IDO. The present study may contribute to the understanding of the pathogenesis of CAN and provide novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of CAN.

To compare the speed of vaporization of human prostatic tissue with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and depth of tissue damage using 70 and 120 W 2 µm laser devices.Fresh prostatic tissue specimens were obtained from 5 patients by open prostatectomy and divided into separate groups (70 and 120 W) based on the energy of laser output (70 and 120 W respectively). Trials were performed in acryl basin containing 0.9% saline at 37 °C. And then each prostate gland in vitro was vaporizated similarly as routine transurethral 2 µm laser vaporesection. 70 W and 120 W power were applied for prostatic vaporesection. The 2 µm laser vaporization proportion and vaporesection speed were calculated postoperatively. Prostatic tissue was embedded for histological evaluation. After hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-reduced (NADH) measurement, depth of coagulation zone and necrotic tissue layer were measured. The results of prostatic tissue between two groups were compared.With increasing output power, the speed (mean ± SD) of vaporesection of human prostatic tissue increased from (5.21 ± 0.66) g/5 min at 70 W to (10.84 ± 1.23) g/5 min at 120 W. Significant differences existed in the speed of vaporesection, resection and vaporization between 120 W and 70 W devices (P = 0.000). The proportion of vaporization mode was 81% at 70 W and 87% at 120 W during prostatic vaporesection. There was a stable penetration/coagulation depth with increasing power output for (0.98 ± 0.13)/(0.30 ± 0.09) mm at 70 W and (0.99 ± 0.12)/(0.31 ± 0.08) mm at 120 W. There were no significant differences in penetration and coagulation depth between 120 W and 70 W (P0.05).Both 120 and 70 W 2 µm Laser devices yield excellent performance and security in vaporizated human prostate tissue. The 120 W 2 µm laser offers significantly higher vaporesection rates than 70 W power. And vaporization mode is a predominant procedure of prostatic vaporesection.

To study the re-epithelialization of dog's prostate urethra after two-micron laser resection of the prostate (TmLRP) and the role of CK34 (CK34βE12)-positive cells in this process.TmLRP were performed in 15 elder male dogs and wound specimens harvested at Days 3, 7 and 14 respectively. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to determine the expression levels of CK34 and prostate specific antigen (PSA) in prostatic urethra urothelial cells.There was no CK34-positive cells in surgical wounds after 3 days while a cluster of CK34-positive cells were found to cover surgical wounds after 7 days, and these cells attached to residual prostate tissues. At Day 14 post-operation, positive expression of CK34 was found in basal cells of newborn urothelium.Prostate tissues are the important organizations for re-epithelialization of prostatic urethra after benign prostate hyperplasia surgery, and CK34-positive basal cells play an important role in this process.

Inability to remove a drainage tube is an uncommon complication after laparoscopic nephrectomy. We describe removal of a drainage tube that was entrapped by an abdominal wall suture. The procedure was safely performed using an ureteroscope and a holmium laser.

To observe the influences of erectile dysfunction (ED) by age, prostate size and lower urinary tract symptom (LUTS) undergoing two micro (thulium) laser resection of prostate-tangerine technique (TmLRP-TT).A total of 50 BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) patients underwent TmLRP-TT with a 70 W laser power. The patient prostate volume, international prostatic symptomatic score (IPSS), maximal flow rate and international index of erectile function (IIEF-5) were assessed preoperatively. A retrospective assessment was made after surgery and at a 6-month follow-up. They were divided into 2 groups according to prostate volume ≤ 50 or50 ml, age ≤ 65 yrs or65 yrs, IIEF-5 ≤ 20 or21 and IPSS ≤ 27 or27 respectively. The postoperative influences of erection by age, prostate size and LUTS were observed.Significant differences existed between pre-operation and 6 months post-operation in terms of IPSS (25.35 ± 5.6 vs 9.52 ± 3.1, P0.01) and maximal flow rate (6.51 ± 1.21 vs 13.4 ± 2.7 ml/s, P0.01). There was no difference between pre-operation and 6 months post-operation (34 vs 32 cases, χ(2) = 0.673, P = 0.603). The patients with prostate volume50 ml group had 9 additional ED cases while those with IPSS27 group contained 11 fewer ED cases. There were significant differences between both groups (χ(2) = 5.255, P = 0.002; χ(2) = 11.560, P = 0.001 respectively). BPH patients aged over 65 years old were more likely to suffer ED than those under 65 years old (χ(2) = 5.882, P = 0.015). However, there was no significant difference in age in terms of suffering postoperative ED (χ(2) = 3.125, P = 0.077).TmLRP-TT can significantly improve LUTS in BPH patients. The presence of large volume prostate is an independent risk factor for an increased number of ED patients after TmLRP-TT. LUTS is an independent risk factor for ED. And TmLRP-TT may improve the ED patients with severe LUTS.

To determine whether urinary connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) can be a molecular marker for chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) in a rat model.F344 rat renal grafts were orthotopically transplanted into Lewis rats (n = 24). Lewis rats underwent sham operation as control group (n = 12). Kidney grafts were harvested at Weeks 4, 8, 12 and 16 respectively. Serum creatinine (SCr) was measured. The CAN grades were evaluated according to the Banff 97 schema. The expressions of CTGF in kidney, serum and urine were determined by Western blot and competitive indirect ELISA. Spearman correlation analysis was used to compare CTGF expression and the development of CAN.The expression of CTGF in the graft group was markedly elevated in comparison with the control group. Statistics analysis of CTGF protein in kidney detected by Western blot showed significant differences between these five groups (0.33 ± 0.05 for control, 0.55 ± 0.02 for Week 4, 0.80 ± 0.03 for Week 8, 0.90 ± 0.03 for Week 12 and 1.14 ± 0.11 for Week 16, P0.01). Both urine and serum CTGF increased by Week 4 and maintained a high level up to Week 16. The urinary CTGF of renal allografts was (2.9 ± 0.7), (12.9 ± 3.6), (32.3 ± 11.4) and (31.0 ± 8.9) ng/mg creatinine for Weeks 4, 8, 12 and 16 respectively. The urinary levels were positively correlated with SCr, Banff scores and expression of CTGF in the graft kidney (r = 0.848, 0.874, 0.747, all P0.01).CTGF plays a significant role in the pathological changes of CAN after kidney transplantation. Urinary CTGF has the potential as a biomarker for predicting the clinical course of CAN.

The purpose of this study is to characterize the re-epithelialization of wound healing in canine prostatic urethra and to evaluate the effect of this re-epithelialization way after two-micron laser resection of the prostate (TmLRP). TmLRP and partial bladder neck mucosa were performed in 15 healthy adult male crossbred canines. Wound specimens were harvested at 3 days, and 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after operation, respectively. The histopathologic characteristics were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The expression of cytokeratin 14 (CK14), CK5, CK18, synaptophysin (Syn), chromogranin A (CgA), uroplakin, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1 ), and TGF-β type II receptor in prostatic urethra wound were examined by immunohistochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Van Gieson staining was performed to determine the expression of collagen fibers in prostatic urethra and bladder neck would. The results showed that the re-epithelialization of the prostatic urethra resulted from the mobilization of proliferating epithelial cells from residual prostate tissue under the wound. The proliferating cells expressed CK14, CK5, but not CK18, Syn, and CgA and re-epithelialize expressed uroplakin since 3 weeks. There were enhanced TGF-β1 and TGF-β type II receptor expression in proliferating cells and regenerated cells, which correlated with specific phases of re-epithelialization. Compared with the re-epithelialization of the bladder neck, re-epithelialization of canine prostatic urethra was faster, and the expression of collagen fibers was relatively low. In conclusion, re-epithelialization in canine prostatic urethra resulted from prostate basal cells after TmLRP and this re-epithelialization way may represent the ideal healing method from anatomic repair to functional recovery after injury.