[Expressions of NLRP1 and NLRC4 inflammasomes in prostate cancer and their clinical value].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical value of the inflammasomes NLRP1 and NLRC4 in the diagnosis and treatment of PCa. METHODS: Using immunohistochemical staining, we detected the expressions of the inflammasomes NLRP1 and NLRC4 and the inflammatory cytokines IL-18 and IL-1ß in 54 cases of BPH and 58 cases of PCa treated in Pinghu First People's Hospital from January 2022 to May 2022. We analyzed the characteristics of their expressions in the two groups of patients and the correlation of NLRP1 and NLRC4 expressions with tPSA, fPSA and Gleason scores in the PCa patients. Based on the Cancer Genome Atlas dataset, we compared the expressions of NLRP1 and NLRC4 in different stages of PCa. RESULTS: The NLRP1 and NLRC4 expressions were significantly increased in the PCa patients (P < 0.001). The expression of NLRP1 was linearly correlated with those of IL-1ß and IL-18 (P < 0.05), and so was the expression of NLRC4 with that of IL-18 (P < 0.05). The expressions of NLRP1 and NLRC4 were positively correlated with the Gleason scores of the PCa patients (P < 0.05), the former remarkably higher in T3 and T4 than in T1 (P > 0.05), and the latter markedly higher in T2, T3 and T4 than in T1 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The inflammasomes NLRP1 and NLRC4 are highly expressed in PCa and facilitate tumorgenesis by promoting the maturation and release of the inflammatory cytokines IL-1ß and IL-18, which indicates their important role in the progression of tumors and clinical value in the risk assessment and prognosis of PCa.

Prostate-specific antigen reduction after capecitabine plus oxaliplatin chemotherapy: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PC) is currently the most common malignant tumor of the genitourinary system in men. Radical prostatectomy (RP) is recommended for the treatment of patients with localized PC. Adjuvant hormonal therapy (AHT) can be administered postoperatively in patients with high-risk or locally advanced PC. Chemotherapy is a vital remedy for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), and may also benefit patients with PC who have not progressed to CRPC. CASE SUMMARY: A 68-year-old male was admitted to our hospital because of urinary irritation and dysuria with increased prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. After detailed examination, he was diagnosed with PC and treated with laparoscopic RP on August 3, 2020. AHT using androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) was performed postoperatively because of the positive surgical margin, extracapsular extension, and neural invasion but lasted only 6 mo. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with rectal cancer about half a year after self-cessation of AHT, and was then treated with laparoscopic radical rectal resection and adjuvant chemotherapy using the capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (CapeOx) regimen. During the entire treatment process, the patient's PSA level first declined significantly after treatment of PC with laparoscopic RP and ADT, then rebounded because of self-cessation of ADT, and finally decreased again after CapeOx chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: CapeOx chemotherapy can reduce PSA levels in patients with high-risk locally advanced PC, indicating that CapeOx may be an alternative chemotherapy regimen for PC.

The relationship between erectile dysfunction and open urethroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Various urethroplasty techniques have been used to treat urethral stricture. Whether the patient erectile function is affected by this open surgery is still controversial. AIM: The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between erectile function and open urethroplasty. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was performed using Medline, Embase, the Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library databases through October 2012 to identify articles published in any language that examined the effect of open urethroplasty on the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED). This meta-analysis was conducted according to the guidelines for the meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The incidence of ED after urethroplasty. RESULTS: This meta-analysis consisted of 23 cohort studies, which included 1,729 cases. No significant difference was noticed in patients with anterior urethral stricture before or after intervention (odds ratio [OR] = 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.52-1.40; P = 0.53). While statistical difference in the incidence of ED was revealed in patients before and after intervention for a posterior urethral (OR = 2.51; 95% CI: 1.82-3.45; P < 0.001), further comparisons demonstrated that most anterior urethroplasties did not have an obvious effect on patient erectile function. However, it seems that the incidence of ED was higher in the bulbar anastomosis group than in the oral graft urethroplasty group (OR = 0.32 95% CI: 0.11-0.93; P = 0.04). For the posterior urethroplasty, previous operative history did not show a strong relationship with ED. No statistically significant difference in the risk of ED was demonstrated comparing the posterior urethral reconstructive techniques included in this analysis. CONCLUSION: The adverse effect of urethroplasty itself on erectile function is limited, as more patients recover erectile function after urethral reconstruction. For anterior urethroplasty, bulbar anastomosis might cause a slightly higher incidence of ED than other operations. For posterior urethroplasty, trauma might be the main cause of ED.

Erectile dysfunction in patients with traumatic urethral strictures treated with anastomotic urethroplasty: a single-factor analysis.

INTRODUCTION: To investigate factors correlated with erectile dysfunction (ED) in patients with traumatic urethral strictures undergoing end-to-end anastomotic urethroplasty (AU). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2010 and January 2011, 41 patients with urethral strictures resulting from pelvic fracture urethral distraction defects underwent end-to-end AU. The abridged International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) was used to subjectively assess erectile function at admission and 2 weeks postoperatively. RESULTS: Pre- and post-injury IIEF-5 scores differed significantly (23.54 ± 1.45 versus 10.02 ± 3.57; p < 0.0001), but pre and postoperative scores did not (10.02 ± 3.57 versus 9.29 ± 4.14; p = 0.1560). Erectile function declined in all patients after injury and was postoperatively unchanged in 56.10%. Pre- and post-injury scores differed significantly in all ages, stricture location and length groups, but did not change postoperatively. Urethral injury resulted in varying degrees of ED. IIEF-5 scores declined significantly postoperatively in patients with mild/mild-moderate ED (13.86 ± 1.88 versus 11.43 ± 3.37; p = 0.0202), but were unchanged in patients with moderate/severe ED. Vascular ED was predominant (63.41%), and erectile function was better in patients with non-vascular ED than in those with arterial/venous ED (15.50 ± 2.08 versus 11.00 ± 2.35, 8.67 ± 3.21; p = 0.0037, p = 0.0183). IIEF-5 scores decreased significantly in patients with non-vascular ED postoperatively (15.50 ± 2.08 versus 10.00 ± 3.83; p = 0.0132), but were unchanged in patients with arterial/venous ED. CONCLUSION: Urethral trauma seriously affects erectile function, but subsequent end-to-end AU for urethral strictures has little impact.