[Bladder wall neourethra technique improves early urinary continence after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of the bladder wall neourethra (BWN) technique on early urinary continence after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP). METHODS: We prospectively selected 40 cases of LRP performed in our hospital from August 2020 to August 2021 and randomly divided them into a BWN group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20). We recorded the urinary continence rate of the two groups of patients at 7, 30, 90 and 180 days, and measured the maximum urethral pressure (MUP), functional urethral length (FUL) and functional urethral area (UFA) and observed the shape of the neourethra closure by MRI at 1 month after catheter removal. RESULTS: The urinary continence rates were significantly higher in the BWN than in the control group at 7 days (90.0% vs 25.0%, P < 0.001), 30 days (95.0% vs 35.0%, P < 0.001), 90 days (100% vs 60.0%, P < 0.05) and 180 days (100% vs 90.0%, P > 0.05) after catheter removal. No statistically significant difference was observed in MUP between the two groups (P > 0.05). FUL and FUA were remarkably higher in the BWN than in the control group (P < 0.01). MRI showed tight closure of the neourethra in the BWN group in the urine storage period. CONCLUSION: The BWN technique can significantly prolong FUL and improve early urinary continence after LRP.

Mechanisms of wheat (Triticum aestivum) grain storage proteins in response to nitrogen application and its impacts on processing quality.

Basis for the effects of nitrogen (N) on wheat grain storage proteins (GSPs) and on the establishment of processing quality are far from clear. The response of GSPs and processing quality parameters to four N levels of four common wheat cultivars were investigated at two sites over two growing seasons. Except gluten index (GI), processing quality parameters as well as GSPs quantities were remarkably improved by increasing N level. N level explained 4.2~59.2% and 10.4~80.0% variability in GSPs fractions and processing quality parameters, respectively. The amount of N remobilized from vegetative organs except spike was significantly increased when enhancing N application. GSPs fractions and processing quality parameters except GI were only highly and positively correlated with the amount of N remobilized from stem with sheath. N reassimilation in grain was remarkably strengthened by the elevated activity and expression level of glutamine synthetase. Transcriptome analysis showed the molecular mechanism of seeds in response to N levels during 10~35 days post anthesis. Collectively, we provided comprehensive understanding of N-responding mechanisms with respect to wheat processing quality from N source to GSPs biosynthesis at the agronomic, physiological and molecular levels, and screened candidate genes for quality breeding.

Fusarium graminearum ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter Gene FgABCC9 Is Required for Its Transportation of Salicylic Acid, Fungicide Resistance, Mycelial Growth and Pathogenicity towards Wheat.

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters hydrolyze ATP to transport a wide range of substrates. Fusarium graminearum is a major causal agent of Fusarium head blight, which is a severe disease in wheat worldwide. FgABCC9 (FG05_07325) encodes an ABC-C (ABC transporter family C) transporter in F. graminearum, which was highly expressed during the infection in wheat and was up-regulated by the plant defense hormone salicylic acid (SA) and the fungicide tebuconazole. The predicted tertiary structure of the FgABCC9 protein was consistent with the schematic of the ABC exporter. Deletion of FgABCC9 resulted in decreased mycelial growth, increased sensitivity to SA and tebuconazole, reduced accumulation of deoxynivalenol (DON), and less pathogenicity towards wheat. Re-introduction of a functional FgABCC9 gene into ΔFgABCC9 recovered the phenotypes of the wild type strain. Transgenic expression of FgABCC9 in Arabidopsis thaliana increased the accumulation of SA in its leaves without activating SA signaling, which suggests that FgABCC9 functions as an SA exporter. Taken together, FgABCC9 encodes an ABC exporter, which is critical for fungal exportation of SA, response to tebuconazole, mycelial growth, and pathogenicity towards wheat.

Rb deficiency accelerates progression of carcinoma of the urinary bladder in vivo and in vitro through inhibiting autophagy and apoptosis.

Urinary bladder cancer is known as a common cancer diagnosed across the world and results in significant mortality and morbidity rates among patients. The retinoblastoma (Rb) protein, as a main tumor suppressor, controls cellular responses to potentially oncogenic stimulation. Rb phosphorylation could disrupt E2F complex formation, resulting in diverse transcription factor dysfunction. In our study, we investigated how Rb is involved in controlling urinary bladder cancer progression. The results indicate that Rb expression is reduced in mice with urinary bladder tumor, and its suppression leads to urinary bladder cancer progression in vivo and in vitro. Rb mutation directly results in tumor size with lower survival rate in vivo. Rb knockdown in vitro promoted bladder tumor cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Interestingly, Rb knockout and knockdown result in autophagy and apoptosis inhibition via suppressing p53 and caspase-3 signaling pathways, enhancing bladder cancer development in vitro and in vivo. These findings reveal that Rb deficiency accelerated urinary bladder cancer progression, exposing an important role of Rb in suppressing urinary bladder cancer for treatment in the future.

Actein induces autophagy and apoptosis in human bladder cancer by potentiating ROS/JNK and inhibiting AKT pathways.

Human bladder cancer is a common genitourinary malignant cancer worldwide. However, new therapeutic strategies are required to overcome its stagnated survival rate. Triterpene glycoside Actein (ACT), extracted from the herb black cohosh, suppresses the growth of human breast cancer cells. Our study attempted to explore the role of ACT in human bladder cancer cell growth and to reveal the underlying molecular mechanisms. We found that ACT significantly impeded the bladder cancer cell proliferation via induction of G2/M cycle arrest. Additionally, ACT administration triggered autophagy and apoptosis in bladder cancer cells, proved by the autophagosome formation, LC3B-II accumulation, improved cleavage of Caspases/poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Furthermore, reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and p-c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) could markedly reverse ACT-induced autophagy and apoptosis. In contrast, AKT and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) were greatly de-phosphorylated by ACT, while suppressing AKT and mTOR activity could enhance the effects of ACT on apoptosis and autophagy induction. In vivo, ACT reduced the tumor growth with little toxicity. Taken together, our findings indicated that ACT suppressed cell proliferation, induced autophagy and apoptosis through promoting ROS/JNK activation, and blunting AKT pathway in human bladder cancer, which indicated that ACT might be an effective candidate against human bladder cancer in future.

Rb knockdown accelerates bladder cancer progression through E2F3 activation.

Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers diagnosed in the world and leads to significant mortality and morbidity among affected patients. The retinoblastoma (Rb) protein is a main tumor suppressor, controlling cellular responses to potentially oncogenic stimulation. E2F3 was invariably disrupted in different human cancers for its central role in the control of cellular proliferation. Here, we investigated how Rb is integrated to control bladder cancer progression through E2F3 and p53 regulation. The results exhibit that Rb expression is lower in patients with bladder tumor, while E2F3 level is high. Rb knockdown enhanced bladder tumor cell proliferation and migration, aggravated with p53 silence. Interestingly, Rb silence results in E2F3, Myc and mTOR signaling pathway activation, contributing to bladder cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis suppression mainly through caspase-3 inhibition in vitro and in vivo. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that Rb is highly expressed in normal bladder cells, but was repressed in tumor tissues of the bladder completely, suggesting a possible role of Rb as a tumor suppressor.

Complete mitochondrial DNA genome of Onychostoma sima (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae).

In this study, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of Onychostoma sima (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae). This mitochondrial genome, consisting of 16,601 base pairs (bp), encoded 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNAs, 22 transfer RNAs and a noncoding control region as those found in other vertebrates, with the gene synteny identical to that of typical vertebrates. Control region (D-Loop), of 934 bp lengths long, is located between tRNA(Pro) and tRNA(Phe). The overall base composition of the heavy strand shows 24.30% of T, 28.28% of C, 31.31% of A and 16.11% of G, with a slight AT bias of 55.61%.

Complete mitochondrial DNA genome of Microphysogobio brevirostris (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae).

In this study, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of Microphysogobio brevirostris (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae), an endemic primary freshwater fish in Taiwan. This mitochondrial genome, consisting of 16,608 base pairs (bp), encoded 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNAs, 22 transfer RNAs, and a non-coding control region as those found in other vertebrates, with the gene synteny identical to that of typical vertebrates. Control region (D-Loop), of 929 bp lengths long, is located between tRNA(Pro) and tRNA(Phe). The overall base composition of the heavy strand shows T 26.28%, C 26.62%, A 30.26%, and G 16.85%, with a slight AT bias of 56.53%.

Low dose of interferon-α improves the clinical outcomes of docetaxel in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer: A pilot study.

The aim of this study was to test whether a low dose of interferon-α-2b (IFN-α2b) enhances the clinical outcome of docetaxel (DXT) in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). A prospective controlled trial of 40 CRPC patients receiving 5 mg of prednisone twice daily was conducted, where patients were randomly assigned to be administered 75 mg/m2 DXT plus 3 mIU/m2 IFN-α2b (group A, n=20) or 75 mg/m2 DXT alone (group B, n=20). The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response, tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. There was no statistically significant difference in PSA response rate between groups A and B (65 vs. 47.4%, P=0.341). The tumor response rate in group A was significantly greater compared with that in group B (55 vs. 21.1%, P=0.048). The median PFS was longer in group A compared with that in group B (10 vs. 8 months, P=0.043). There was no statistically significant difference in median OS between the two groups (19 vs. 17 months, P=0.348), but one patient displayed a complete tumor response in group A. In groups A and B, transient grade 3 to 4 neutropenia was observed in nine and six patients, grade 3 to 4 anemia was observed in three and five patients, and grade 3 to 4 general fatigue was observed in four and one patient(s), respectively. The proportion of patients with grade 3 to 4 toxicity was not statistically different between the two groups. A low dosage of IFN-α2b may improve the antitumor activity of DXT with an acceptable toxicity profile in patients with CRPC.

Role of the NT-proBNP level in the diagnosis of pediatric heart failure and investigation of novel combined diagnostic criteria.

The aim of this study was to investigate the modified Ross criteria score and the diagnostic cut-off level for plasmatic amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in the diagnosis of pediatric heart failure, by analyzing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The plasma NT-proBNP level was measured in 80 children diagnosed with heart failure according to the modified Ross criteria, 80 children with non-cardiogenic dyspnea and 80 healthy children. The NT-proBNP levels were then compared using an F-test. The cut-off score for heart failure in the modified Ross criteria and the diagnostic cut-off level for plasmatic NT-proBNP in pediatric heart failure were determined by ROC curve analysis. The results demonstrated that the NT-proBNP level was markedly increased in 76 of the 80 children with heart failure, and the correlation with the modified Ross criteria was 95%. Based on ROC curve analysis, the diagnosis of pediatric heart failure was most accurate when the modified Ross criteria score was ≥4 and the plasmatic NT-proBNP level was ≥598 ng/l. The NT-proBNP level was normal (0-300 ng/l) in the children with non-cardiogenic dyspnea and the healthy children. Significant differences were observed in the comparison of the three groups (P<0.01). In conclusion, a NT-proBNP level of ≥598 ng/l, combined with a modified Ross criteria score ≥4, is highly diagnostic of heart failure in children.

Interstitial cells of Cajal mediate excitatory sympathetic neurotransmission in guinea pig prostate.

Morphological and functional studies have confirmed that interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) are involved in many enteric motor neurotransmission pathways. Recent investigations have demonstrated that human and guinea pig prostate glands possess a distinct cell type with morphological and immunological similarities to ICCs. These prostate ICCs have a close relationship with nerve bundles and smooth muscle cells. Prostate smooth muscle tone is largely induced by stimulation from the sympathetic nervous system, which releases excitatory norepinephrine (NE) to act on the α1-adrenoceptor. We have performed morphological and functional experiments to determine the role of ICCs in sympathetic neurotransmission in the guinea pig prostate based on the hypothesis that prostate ICCs act as mediators of sympathetic neurotransmission. Immunohistochemistry revealed many close points of contact between ICCs and sympathetic nerve bundles and smooth muscle cells. Double-labeled sections revealed that α1-adrenoceptor and the gap junction protein connexin 43 were expressed in prostate ICCs. Surprisingly, prostate ICCs co-expressed tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine ß-hydroxylase, two markers of sympathetic neurons. Functionally, the application of NE evoked a large single inward current in isolated prostate ICCs in a dose-dependent manner. The inward current evoked by NE was mediated via the activation of α1-adrenoceptors, because it was abolished by the non-specific α-adrenoceptor antagonist, phentolamine and the specific α1-adrenoceptor antagonist, prazosin. Thus, ICCs in the guinea pig prostate are target cells for prostate sympathetic nerves and possess the morphological and functional characteristics required to mediate sympathetic signals.

Correlation between the length and weight of Arius maculatus off the southwestern coast of Taiwan

In this study, Arius maculatus were collected using the samples caught by bottom trawling off the southwestern coast of Taiwan. Length-weight and length-length, fork (FL), standard (SL) and total (TL) lengths, relationships were determined. The relationships between the lengths were all significantly linear (p<0.01), the b value in the length-weight relationship for this value was significantly lower than 3 in the fall (p<0.01), when the temporal changes were taken into account, indicating that only the sampling time affected the growth pattern of A. maculatus. The growth was isometric in the spring, summer and winter, but it was negative and allometric in the fall.

[Sevoflurane used for induction and maintenance of anaesthesia in children].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of sevoflurane on the induction and maintenance of anaesthesia in children, and to evaluate its safety and effectiveness. METHODS: Forty child patients who conformed to the selection standard were operated under anaesthesia with intubation.Without premedicant, all the patients inhaled 100% oxygen(1L/min) and sevoflurane by mask, and escalated the concentration of sevoflurane (to the maximum concentration 7%) until the lash reflex disappeared, and the maintenance concentration was controlled under 4%. All the patients were intubated, together with vecuronium 0.1mg/kg. RESULTS: With little tract excretion, the achievement ratio of induction by sevoflurane was 100%, and the children tolerated well. With stable hemodynajmics,1% approximately 4.0% maintenance concentration of sevoflurane during the operation showed effective anaesthesia, no decreased heart rate or blood pressure appeared, and all the patients' body temperature was normal. CONCLUSION: Sevoflurane for children induction can bring fewer stimuli in the respiratory tract,less cardiac vascular inhibition and palinesthesia time. Anaesthesia in children induced by sevoflurane is safe and effective.

Phylogeography of Varicorhinus barbatulus (Cyprinidae) in Taiwan based on nucleotide variation of mtDNA and allozymes.

The phylogeographical patterns and population genetic structures of Varicorhinus barbatulus in Taiwan were investigated based on genetic diversity of 34 allozyme loci and nucleotide sequences of 3' end of the cytochrome b gene, tRNA genes, D-loop control region, and the 5' end of the 12S rRNA of mtDNA. Allozyme and mtDNA analyses revealing evident geographical structuring suggest limited gene flow between populations (F(ST)=0.511 and 0.791, respectively). Low genetic variability within populations (P=5.56%; He=0.018) based on allozymes and significantly negative Tajima's D statistics based on mtDNA suggest that most populations in Taiwan may have originated from a small number of founders followed by demographic expansion. The gene genealogy of mtDNA identified six lineages corresponding to major drainages that were separated by the geological barriers due to vicariant events. A minimum spanning network based on nucleotide substitutions reflects divergence from populations of the Miao-li Plateau to northern and southern regions of the island. In contrast to a previous hypothesis that suggests an early invasion to eastern part of Taiwan prior to the lifting of central mountain range some one million years ago, the mtDNA genealogy and molecular dating reveal very recent colonization of the eastern population. Nested clade analyses revealing significant associations between genetic structure and geographical division identify past fragmentation and range expansion as major phylogeographical events that shaped the geographical distribution of this species in Taiwan.