Diagnosis and treatment of ovotesticular disorder of sex development: A report of 2 cases / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of ovotesticular disorder of sex development (OT-DSD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively analyzed 2 cases of OT-DSD treated in our hospital. The patients were 19 and 15 years old, respectively, and both received systematic physical examination and examinations of the karyotype, sex hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), color Doppler ultrasonography, urethrocystoscopy, and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) test. Under the laparoscope, we performed surgical gonad exploration, gonadectomy, and vulvar orthopedics. Intraoperative exploration and pathology confirmed true hermaphroditism in both cases, with sex selection as female. One underwent laparoscopic resection of the ovotestis, and the other removal of the testis with the ovarian tissue reserved.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The patients were followed up for 12 months postoperatively, which found no abnormality in either the vulvas or the genital glands.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Surgical exploration of the gonad is the only method for the diagnosis of OT-DSD and sex selection is the key to treatment. Laparoscopic surgical exploration of the gonad and vulvar orthopedics are the first treatment options.</p>

Expression of RhoC and ROCK-1 and their effects on MAPK and Akt proteins in prostate carcinoma / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To detect the expression of RhoC and Rho kinase 1 (ROCK-1) in prostate carcinoma, and explore the possible mechanism of RhoC/ROCK-1 in the pathogenesis of prostate carcinoma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Tissue specimens from 73 patients with prostate carcinoma and corresponding paracancerous tissues were obtained by prostate cancer biopsy or radical prostatectomy. The expression of RhoC/ROCK-1 mRNA was detected by RT-PCR. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were performed to dertect the expression of RhoC/ROCK-1 protein. Eukaryotic expression plasmids of RhoC were constructed and transfected into PC-3M-2B4 cells. p-MAPK and p-Akt were detected by Western bolt.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression levels of RhoC and ROCK-1 mRNA in the prostate carcinomas were significantly higher than those in corresponding paracancerous tissues [72.6% (53/73) vs. 34.2% (25/73); 68.5% (50/73) vs. 38.4% (28/73), P < 0.01], respectively. The results indicated that RhoC/ROCK-1 mRNA expression had no significant correlation with Gleason grade. However, the expression of RhoC/ROCK-1 mRNA showed a significant positive correlation with distant metastasis. The RhoC/ROCK-1 protein expression in prostate cancer was also higher than corresponding paracancerous tissues, and showed a significant positive correlation with p-MAPK and p-Akt expression levels. In addition, p-MAPK and p-Akt expression levels were up-regulated in the transcripts.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Expression levels of RhoC and ROCK-1 in prostate carcinoma are higher than those in corresponding paracancerous tissues, showing a significant positive correlation with distant metastasis. RhoC/ROCK-1 may be involved in the development, invasion and metastasis of prostate carcinoma.</p>

Compare the outcome of ureteroscopic lithotripsy with ureteroscopic management after failed extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for ureteral calculi / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the efficacy and complication of ureteroscopic lithotripsy and ureteroscopic management for ureteral calculi after failed extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and thirty-six cases with ureteral calculi after failed ESWL and 189 cases with ureteral calculi were treated with ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URSL). Clinical data of two groups were analyzed retrospectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean operating time and therapeutic time in ESWL-URSL group was longer than that in URSL group, while the rate of polypi hyperplasia and open-surgery in ESWL-URSL group was 34.6%, 5.88% versus 28.3%, 1.59% in URSL group. There is no significant statistical difference in stone-free rate between two groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Ureteroscopic management can be preferred for the patients with disadvantage of ESWL in some condition.</p>

Surgical treatment of congenital heart diseases in pediatric patients with body weight less than 10 kg / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To report the experience of the surgical treatment of congenital heart diseases (CHD) in pediatric patients with body weight less than 10 kg.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Between January 2000 and December 2007, 105 children with CHD, aged 2 months to 3 years and weighing between 3.5 to 10 kg, underwent surgical treatment. Of the 105 patients, 56 were concomitant with moderate to severe pulmonary hypertension or repeated pulmonary infections, and 35 with complex cardiac abnormalities. Operations were performed through median sternotomy with moderate hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass in 88 cases, with normothermic extracorporeal circulation on beating heart in 14 cases, and with deep hypothermic circulatory arrest in 3 cases.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were 5 early deaths (4.8%). During a follow-up of 2 month to 3 year, 97 survivors with corrective procedure had no late mortality or complications with NYHA class I of cardiac function, excepting 2 cases with little residual shunt. Three survivors with palliative procedure enjoyed higher quality of life.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The surgical treatment of CHD in pediatric patients with body weight less than 10 kg seems to be feasible and safe, with satisfactory early and long-term results.</p>

Expression of P-selectin in the penile vascular epithelia of smoking rats / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the expression of P-selectin in the penile vascular epithelial cells and the morphological changes in the ultrastructure of the penile cavernous tissues of smoking rats, and to explore the pathogenesis of smoking-induced erectile dysfunction.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty healthy Wistar rats were randomly divided into a normal control, a long-term heavy smoking group, a long-term light smoking, a short-term heavy smoking and a smoking cessation group. Their erectile function was tested by subcutaneous injection of apomorphine (APO), the P-selectin expression in the penile vascular epithelial cells detected by ELISA and the morphological changes in the ultrastructure of the penile cavernous tissues observed under the transmission electron microscope (TEM).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The levels of P-selectin were 10.78 +/- 1.71 ng/L, 62.62 +/- 5.95 ng/L, 40.06 +/- 3.97 ng/L, 41.37 +/- 4.06 ng/L and 22.80 +/- 3.15 ng/L respectively in the normal control, long-term heavy smoking, long-term light smoking, short-term heavy smoking and smoking cessation groups, with significant differences between the control group and the other four (P < 0.05). Electron microscopy showed abnormal arrangement of endothelia, penile cavernous sinuses and smooth muscle cells, disrupted continuity of endothelia, damaged ultrastructure of endothelial and smooth muscle cells in the penile cavernous tissue, and obvious proliferation and fibrosis of interstitial tissues in the smoking rats.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Smoking increases the P-selectin expression in the penile vascular epithelial cells and damages the ultrastructure of the penile cavernous tissue, which may be the main contributors to smoking-induced erectile dysfunction.</p>