Research progress in signaling pathways related to treatment of functional dyspepsia with traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

Functional dyspepsia(FD) is a prevalent functional gastrointestinal disease characterized by recurrent and long-lasting symptoms that significantly impact the quality of life of patients. Currently, western medicine treatment has not made breakthrough progress and mainly relies on symptomatic therapies such as gastrointestinal motility agents, acid suppressants, antidepressants/anxiolytics, and psychotherapy. However, these treatments have limitations in terms of insufficient effectiveness and safety. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) possesses unique advantages in the treatment of FD. Through literature search in China and abroad, it has been found that the mechanisms of TCM in treating FD is associated with various signaling pathways, and research on these signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms has gradually become a focus. The main signaling pathways include the SCF/c-Kit signaling pathway, 5-HT signaling pathway, CRF signaling pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, TRPV1 signaling pathway, NF-κB signaling pathway, and RhoA/ROCK2/MYPT1 signaling pathway. This series of signaling pathways can promote gastrointestinal motility, alleviate anxiety, accelerate gastric emptying, reduce visceral hypersensitivity, and improve duodenal micro-inflammation in the treatment of FD. This article reviewed the research on TCM's regulation of relevant signaling pathways in the treatment of FD, offering references and support for further targeted TCM research in the treatment of FD.

Pretreatment serum albumin/globulin ratio as a prognostic biomarker in metastatic prostate cancer patients treated with maximal androgen blockade / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

The pretreatment serum albumin/globulin ratio (AGR) has been used as a prognostic biomarker for various cancer types. However, the prognostic value of the AGR for prostate cancer, especially for metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) after maximal androgen blockade (MAB), remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the pretreatment serum AGR for mPCa treated with MAB. This retrospective study included 214 mPCa patients receiving MAB from October 2007 to March 2017. The correlation of the AGR with survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards models. The cutoff value of the AGR was 1.45 according to the receiver operating characteristic curve. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that patients with a low AGR (<1.45) had poor outcomes in terms of progression-free survival (PFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Multivariate Cox analyses showed that the AGR was an independent predictor of PFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.642; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.430-0.957; P = 0.030) and CSS (HR = 0.412; 95% CI: 0.259-0.654; P < 0.001). Furthermore, in a subset of 79 patients with normal serum albumin levels (≥40.0 g l-1), the serum AGR remained an independent predictor of CSS (P = 0.009). The pretreatment AGR was an independent prognostic biomarker for PFS and CSS in patients with mPCa receiving MAB. In addition, the AGR remained effective for the prediction of CSS in patients with normal albumin levels (≥40 g l-1). However, further prospective studies are needed to confirm our conclusions.

Causes of orchiectomy: An analysis of 291 cases / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the causes of orchiectomy in different age groups.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data about 291 cases of orchiectomy performed between March 1993 and October 2014 and analyzed the causes of surgery and their distribution in different age groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The main causes of orchiectomy were testicular torsion (45.8%), cryptorchidism (32.5%) and testicular tumor (16.9%) in the patients aged 0-25 years, testicular tumor (42.4%), cryptorchidism (25.9%) and tuberculosis (10.6%) in those aged 26-50 years. Prostate cancer was the leading cause in those aged 51-75 years (77.6%) or older (84.0%)), and testicular tumor was another cause in the 51-75 years old men (10.2%). Prostate cancer, testicular tumor, cryptorchidism, and testicular torsion were the first four causes of orchiectomy between 1993 and 2009. From 2010 to 2014, however, testicular tumor rose to the top while prostate cancer dropped to the fourth place.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The causes of orchiectomy vary in different age groups. The proportion of castration for prostate cancer patients significantly reduced in the past five years, which might be attributed to the improvement of comprehensive health care service.</p>

Roles of adenosine and cytokines in the prostate tissue of rats with acute bacterial prostatitis / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the possible roles of adenosine and the cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-10 in the pathogenesis of acute bacterial prostatitis (ABP) in rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into groups A (ABP), B (ABP + theophylline intervention), C (sham) and D (blank control). ABP models were established by injecting Escherichia coli 0157 into the prostate, and those in group B were treated by intraperitoneal injection of theophylline immediately after modeling. At 4 and 14 days, the prostate tissues of the rats were collected for detection of the expressions of TNF-alpha and IL-10 by immunohistochemistry and the concentration of adenosine by high-performance liquid chromatography.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At 4 and 14 days, the concentrations of adenosine were significantly higher in group A ([48.38 +/- 17.27] and [26.54 +/- 11.22] microg/g) than in C ([0.45 +/- 0.25] and [0.46 +/- 0.29] microg/g) and D ([0.41 +/- 0.23] and [0.43 +/- 0.27] microg/g) (P < 0.05), and so were the expressions of TNF-alpha in A (0.23 +/- 0.08 and 0.21 +/- 0.03) than in C (0.07 +/- 0.03 and 0.07 +/- 0.01) and D (0.07 +/- 0.06 and 0.07 +/- 0.06) (P < 0.05), and those of IL-10 in A (0.13 +/- 0.03 and 0.25 +/- 0.01) than in C (0.07 +/- 0.03 and 0.07 +/- 0.03) and D (0.07 +/- 0.01 and 0.07 +/- 0.02) (P < 0.05). Compared with group A, the rats in group B showed significant increases at 4 and 14 days in the severity of inflammation, concentration of adenosine ([86.64 +/- 32.87] and [51.17 +/- 22.96] microg/g, P < 0.05) and expression of TNF-alpha (0.37 +/- 0.08 and 0.32 +/- 0.06, P < 0.05), but exhibited no remarkable difference in the expression of IL-10 (0.12 +/- 0.06 and 0.15 +/- 0.06, P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Adenosine may affect the progression of inflammation by regulating the expressions of the cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-10 in ABP rats through the adenosine receptor signaling pathway.</p>

Causes, location and management of BPH surgery-related urethral stricture / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the possible causes of BPH surgery-related urethral stricture and summarize the experience in its clinical management.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 37 cases of BPH surgery-related urethral stricture were analyzed retrospectively. The patients averaged 68.5 years in age, of whom 12 had the history of open surgery, and 25 transurethral surgery. Anterior urethral stricture was found in 6 cases, and posterior urethra in stricture 31. Thirty-five cases were treated by holmium laser urethrotomy (HLU) or a combination of HLU with transurethral resection of the scar in the stenotic segment, and the results were evaluated based on the maximum flow rate (Qmax).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Two cases of full penile urethral stricture were treated by urinary diversion, and all the rest by urethral stricture surgery. Catheters were indwelt in 4 cases of urethral stenosis for 5-7 days post-operatively, and smooth urination was achieved after their removal, with a Qmax of > 15 ml/s. Another 31 cases of membranous urethral stricture received catheter indwelling of 2 -4 weeks and were followed up for 1 - 21 (mean 11. 5) months, of whom 23 experienced satisfactory voiding, with an average Qmax of 14.3 ml/s, and the other 8 poor voiding, with a Qmax of < 8 ml/s.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>HLU or a combination of HLU with transurethral resection of the scar in the stenotic segment is an effective method for the treatment of BPH surgery-related urethral stricture. And conscientiously performed BPH surgery can reduce the incidence of urethral stricture.</p>