Longitudinal changes in prostate volume in a community-based cohort study of middle-aged and elderly men in rural China.

BACKGROUND: Prostate volume (PV) and its change rate are important for the progression of prostate disease, but studies on their estimates are inconsistent. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether age, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and other specific characteristics are associated with PV and its change rate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A community-based cohort study was conducted in a rural area of China among male residents aged 40-80 years. PV was estimated at baseline and at 4 years of follow-up by trans-abdominal ultrasound. Annual PV change rate (PVCR) was calculated as change in volume divided by time interval. Baseline characteristics, including age, serum PSA, and hormones, were evaluated. And their relationships with PV or PVCR were assessed with Pearson correlation and multivariate linear regression analyses. RESULTS: Totally, 462 participants completed the follow-up with baseline PV (PV0 ) of 15.6 ± 5.5 ml. PV0 was highly correlated with age and PSA in pairwise correlations (Pearson r = 0.35 and 0.34, respectively, p < 0.01). Multivariate linear regression showed similar associations that PV0 tended to increase with age and PSA. The average PVCR was 0.7 ± 1.8 ml/year. In pairwise correlations, PVCR was inversely correlated with PV0 and positively correlated with PSA, while it was not significantly related to baseline age. Linear regression of PVCR on age and PSA in groups classified by PV0 quartile showed that age was not a significant estimator of PVCR, whereas PSA was. In each PV0 group, PVCR tended to increase with PSA. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: PV was positively associated with age and PSA, and it tended to grow faster in men with smaller baseline PV and higher PSA. PSA can be a valuable parameter for estimating both the size and the growth speed of prostate. Although age is associated with prostate enlargement, it does not appear to be related to the longitudinal change rate of PV.

[Research progress on meralgia paresthetica after posterior spine surgery].

Meralgia paresthetica (MP) after posterior spine surgery is caused by mechanical compression injury of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, which presents as numbness or paresthesia in the confined area of the anterolateral thigh. MP after posterior spine surgery is a common postoperative complication, and the incidence is 12.7%-25.5%. Because its clinical manifestations are mild and easy to be ignored, often leading to treatment delays. This article mainly reviews the incidence, risk factors, prevention and treatment of MP after posterior spine surgery.

Effect of general anesthesia combined with epidural anesthesia on perioperative immune factors in cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer (CC) is a common malignant tumor that seriously threatens the health and life of female patients. At present, surgical resection remains as the preferred treatment for CC.

[Research progress on risk factors, clinical prevention and treatment of postoperative delirium in patients undergoing spinal surgery].

Postoperative delirium is a common complication after spinal surgery, and it is a complex issue involving multiple factors. However, there is currently insufficient understanding of postoperative delirium in patients undergoing spinal surgery, and there is still a lack of clear regulation in prevention and treatment. Although the literature and research on postoperative delirium have been comprehensive, there are still few studies on postoperative delirium in patients undergoing spinal surgery. This article mainly reviews the incidence, social and economic problems, risk factors, prevention and treatment of postoperative delirium in patients undergoing spinal surgery.

[Advances in the study of anatomy and biomechanics of lumbosacral transitional vertebrae].

Lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (LSTV) is a common phenomena of developmental anomaly, which is characterized by anatomic variation and biomechanical changes. LSTV is often accompanied with low back pain, lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis, lumbar spondylolisthesis and other spinal diseases. The diagnosis of LSTV has a great significance for proper treatment process. Early imageological studies have limitations on distinguishing different types of LSTV from the aspect of morphological changes. This review focuses on recent studies of LSTV anatomy and variation, its influence in local biomechanics and spinal alignment, and its relationship with spinal diseases.

Exogenous 3-Deoxyglucosone-Induced Carbonyl and Oxidative Stress Causes ß-Cells Dysfunction by Impairing Gut Permeability in Rats.

3-Deoxyglucosone (3DG) is a highly reactive dicarbonyl species, and its accumulation evokes carbonyl and oxidative stress. Our recent data reveal the role of 3DG as an independent factor for the development of prediabetes and suggest that intestine could be its novel target tissue. The present study investigated whether exogenous 3DG increases intestinal permeability by triggering carbonyl and oxidative stress, thus contributing to ß-cell dysfunction. Rats were administered 3DG for two weeks by gastric gavage. Then levels of insulin, ROS, MDA, SOD, NLRP3, TNF-α and IL-1ß in blood plasma as well as the ROS level and content of TNF-α and IL-1ß in pancreas were assessed. Also, the expression of E-cadherin and ZO-1 as well as levels of 3DG, protein carbonylation, ROS, TNF-α and IL-1ß in colon were determined. The 3DG-treated rats showed an elevation in systemic oxidative stress (ROS, MDA and SOD) and in inflammation (TNF-α and IL-1ß), decreased plasma insulin level 15 min after the glucose load, and increased levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß and ROS in pancreatic tissue. In colon tissues of the 3DG-treated rats, decreased E-cadherin expression and increased ROS production as well as an elevation of TNF-α and IL-1ß levels were observed. Interestingly, elevation of colon protein carbonylation was observed in the 3DG-treated rats that displayed 3DG deposition in colon tissues. We revealed for the first time that 3DG deposition in colon triggers carbonyl and oxidative stress and, as a consequence, impairs gut permeability. The enhanced intestinal permeability caused by 3DG deposition in colon results in systemic and pancreatic oxidative stress and inflammatory process, contributing to the development of ß-cell dysfunction.

[Research progress on the clinical significance of sagittal alignment and balance in cervical spine].

Though great progress on spinal sagittal alignment has been seen recently, which focuses on the lumbar spine-pelvic region and the whole spine, while there is a few research mainly concentrated on the cervical spine. In recent years, a growing number of researchers have been exploring the changes in the compensation of cervical sagittal alignment and their effect on surgery, and the preliminary results of these researches are satisfactory. The present review focuses on the measurement of sagittal plane parameters of cervical spine, changes of sagittal alignment in cervical spine disorders, and its effect on cervical surgery.

Optical resonator analog of a two-dimensional topological insulator.

A lattice of optical ring resonators can exhibit a topological insulator phase, with the role of spin played by the direction of propagation of light within each ring. Unlike the system studied by Hafezi et al., [Nat. Phys. 7, 907 (2011).] topological protection is achieved without fine-tuning the interresonator couplings, which are given the same periodicity as the underlying lattice. The topological insulator phase occurs for strong couplings, when the tight-binding method is inapplicable. Using the transfer matrix method, we derive the band structure and phase diagram, and demonstrate the existence of robust edge states. When gain and loss are introduced, the system functions as a diode for coupled resonator modes.

Robust absorption broadband in one-dimensional metallic-dielectric quasi-periodic structure.

We demonstrated that a broad and robust absorption band for a wide range of incidence angles and for both polarizations can be realized using a one-dimensional metallic-dielectric quasi-periodic structure, when the thickness of the constituent metal is comparable to its skin depth. The absorptance in such peculiar structure can exceed 99% to meet different applications. Furthermore, employing the effective medium approach, a theoretical expression has been deduced to instruct the working frequency of the absorption band. By tuning the permittivity and thickness of the constituent layers, the robust absorption band can cover the wavelength from the visible to the near-infrared.

Tunable sharp angular defect mode with invariant transmitted frequency range in one-dimensional photonic crystals containing negative index materials.

We propose a different photonic crystal structure with a novel defect mode. In this defect mode, the transmitted angle is sharp and the pass band is of rectangular shape. Surprisingly, there is a critical refractive index of the defect layer in the crystal. By changing the refractive index in a range higher than this critical value, the sharp transmitted angle can be tuned with transmitted frequency range maintained; when the refractive index is lower than this critical value, only the transmittance of the defect mode is adjusted, with the sharp transmitted angle and transmitted frequency kept unchanged. All these phenomena provide possible mechanisms for angular filtering, optical switching (i.e., an optical switch working in the angular domain) and setting optical limits.

Formation principles of two-dimensional compound photonic lattices by one-step holographic lithography.

From the view of crystallography, a systematic theoretical study on one-step formation of two-dimensional compound photonic lattices by four noncoplanar elliptical waves is presented. A general formula for the interference intensity of N elliptically polarized waves, and relevant phase shifts that compensate for the initial phases and control the relative position and size of the motifs, have been deduced. Using appropriate polarization configurations, four kinds of beam geometries can be used to form various compound lattices. This provides an ideal new experimental platform for fabricating large-area compound photonic lattices.