Comparative analysis of prognosis and gene expression in prostate cancer patients with site-specific visceral metastases.

INTRODUCTION: Prostate cancer patients with visceral metastases often exhibited poor prognoses. Few researches had compared the prognostic impact and gene expression profiles among distinct visceral metastatic sites. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive study utilizing data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and the Gene Expression Omnibus database. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed the prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM) risk for 8,170 patients diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) between 2000 and 2019, utilizing data from the SEER 17 registry database. Patients with metastatic disease in nonregional lymph nodes, bones, brains, livers, and lungs were identified. Competing risks regression was employed to evaluate the effect of visceral metastatic disease sites on PCSM. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between visceral metastases were assessed using data from the GSE6752 dataset. A relative protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed based on STRING analysis. Furthermore, we explored the distribution of DEGs in various normal tissues and tumor tissues using the Human Protein Atlas and GEPIA. RESULTS: Competing risks regression analysis revealed that liver and lung metastases had a substantial impact on PCSM (hazard ratio 2.24, 95% confidence interval 1.70-2.95, P < 0.001; hazard ratio 1.30, 95% confidence interval 1.06-1.59, P = 0.012, respectively). Seven significant DEGs were identified from samples of liver and lung metastases (HERV-FRD, NUDT12, FAM63A, SCGB3A1, CEACAM6, LOC440416, SFTPB) and were associated with respiratory gaseous exchange, pulmonary surfactant metabolism, and fibronectin matrix formation in PPI network analysis. Notably, the expression levels of the three DEGs significantly upregulated in lung metastases were also found to be higher in normal lung tissues compared to normal liver tissues. CONCLUSION: Patients diagnosed with mPCa and presenting with liver and/or lung metastases exhibit poorer prognoses. SCGB3A1, identified as a tumor suppressor gene, may contribute to the better survival prognosis observed in patients with prostate cancer lung metastases compared to those with liver metastases. The gene expression profiles in these two specific metastatic sites reveal a combination of both heterogeneity and homogeneity.

microRNA-155 silencing inhibits proliferation and migration and induces apoptosis by upregulating BACH1 in renal cancer cells.

The purpose of this study was to explore the functional role and mechanism of miR-155 in the development of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). miR-155 expression was quantified in renal cancers, matched adjacent non­tumor tissues and renal cell lines using quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Cell proliferation, apoptosis and migratory activity were measured following suppression of miR-155 expression by antisense oligonucleotides. miR-155 targets were scanned using target prediction programs. Following the inhibition of miR-155, target gene expression was detected by western blotting. The expression of miR-155 was upregulated in clear cell RCC (ccRCC) tissue and renal cancer cell lines. The suppression of miR-155 inhibited cell proliferation and migratory activity and induced apoptosis in renal cancer cells. The suppressor gene suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS-1) and BACH1 were predicted as potential target genes by bioinformatics analysis. The suppression of miR-155 inhibited BACH1 protein expression. miR-155 may function as an oncogene by targeting BACH1. Thus, the inhibition of miR-155 may be an effective way to treat RCC.

hsa-miR-96 up-regulates MAP4K1 and IRS1 and may function as a promising diagnostic marker in human bladder urothelial carcinomas.

Numerous microRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in cancer development. In this study, we report that hsa-miR-96 is expressed at higher levels in human bladder urothelial carcinomas compared to normal tissues. We found that hsa-miR-96 increased invasion and differentiation of human bladder T24 cells and promoted their growth. Down­regulation of hsa-miR-96 significantly affected the phenotype of bladder cancer T24 cells. The mRNA and protein levels of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) and MAP4K1 were significantly reduced in cells transfected with the hsa-miR-96 inhibitor when compared with levels in cells transfected with the empty plasmid vector or the negative control miRNA inhibitor. Altogether, these results suggest that hsa-miR-96 may affect the growth of bladder cancer cells by up-regulating IRS1 and MAP4K1 levels, functioning as a promising diagnostic marker in human bladder urothelial carcinomas.

Renal cavernous hemangioma in a child: case report and review of the literature.

Renal cavernous hemangioma is rare, and most cases of renal hemangioma tend to be small, with a peak incidence between 30 and 40 years of age. We report a case of a large renal hemangioma in a 12-year-old child, which is extremely rare. The diagnosis and treatment of renal cavernous hemangiomas are discussed.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for recovery of erectile function after posterior urethral reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively study the effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on the recovery of erectile function (EF) after posterior urethral reconstruction. METHODS: Between August 2006 and March 2010, a total of 24 male patients with posterior urethral reconstruction and without erectile dysfunction (ED) before urethral stricture were involved in the study. Twelve of them were assigned to HBOT group that received HBOT, and the others comprised the control group. All 24 participants were asked to assess their EF pre-operatively and 3 months postoperatively by using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). RESULTS: All 24 participants completed the study. The total IIEF scores and scores in two domains of IIEF (erectile function (EF) and overall satisfaction (OS) domain) were significantly lower than the preoperative baseline scores in HBOT group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, a significant decrease in the total IIEF scores and scores in three domains of IIEF (EF, OS and intercourse satisfaction (IS) domain) was observed in control group (P < 0.05). However, at 3 months postoperatively, the total IIEF scores and scores in three domains of IIEF (EF, OS and IS domain) after HBOT were significantly higher in HBOT group than in control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest that HBOT may be effective for improving EF recovery after posterior urethral reconstruction.

[Phloroglucinol: safe and effective for the prevention of bladder spasm after TURP].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of phloroglucinol in preventing bladder spasm after transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). METHODS: Using the random sampling method, we assigned 74 cases of TURP into a treatment group (n = 39), given 80 mg phloroglucinol every day for 3 days, and a control group (n = 35), left untreated. Then we observed the frequency, duration and pain of bladder spasm within the 3 days and compared them between the two groups. RESULTS: The mean frequency, duration and pain visual analogue score of bladder spasm were (4.3 +/- 1.2) times, (7.2 +/- 2.1) min and 3.2 +/- 1.6 respectively in the treatment group, as compared with (7.5 +/- 2.4) times, (15.6 +/- 6.8) min and 4.7 +/- 2.3 in the control, with statistically significant differences between the two groups (P < 0.05). And no obvious adverse reactions were found in the treatment group. CONCLUSION: Phloroglucinol is safe and effective for the prevention and treatment of bladder spasm following TURP.

Down-regulation of annexin II in prostate cancer is associated with Gleason score, recurrence, metastasis and poor prognosis.

The aim of this study was to compare the expression of annexin II (ANXA2) in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with that of prostate cancer (PC), and to correlate the expression levels with pathologic grade and stage. Immunohistochemistry was performed on samples from 85 patients with PC and 40 patients with BPH. The correlation between ANXA2 expression and clinicopathologic features and clinical outcome was evaluated. The data showed that ANXA2 expression was significantly lower in PC compared to BPH (P<0.01). There was significant difference between ANXA2 expression and Gleason score (P<0.01). Patients with down-regulated ANXA2 tended to have tumors of advanced clinical stage, more frequent recurrence and regional lymph node and distant metastasis. ANXA2 expression was not correlated with age. The down-regulation of ANXA2 in a PC-3 cell line increased in vitro invasive ability, and ANXA2 had an independent prognostic effect on overall survival. In conclusion, ANXA2 dysregulation is an important event associated with the development and progression of PC. ANXA2 down-regulation aids in the discrimination of PC from BPH and may serve as a clinically useful biomarker.