Comparison of perfluoroalkyl substance adsorption performance by inorganic and organic silicon modified activated carbon.

Owing to the persistence and increasingly stringent regulations of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), it is necessary to improve their adsorption capacities using activated carbon (AC). However, their adsorption capacities are suppressed by dissolved organic matter (DOM). In this study, two ACs modified with organic silicon (C-OS) and inorganic silicon (C-IS) were synthesized and used for the adsorption of PFAS in raw water (RW). The results showed that the PFAS adsorption capacity of C-IS was much less influenced by DOM than that of the original AC (C-virgin). In RW, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) adsorption capacities on C-IS were 15.08 and 3.65 times higher than those on C-virgin, respectively. DOM had less influence on the PFOA and PFOS adsorption kinetics of C-IS than C-OS and C-virgin. Under multi-PFAS condition, C-IS also exhibited slower desorption of short-chain PFAS and breakthrough in batch and column tests, respectively. Characterization of the ACs before and after adsorption and independent gradient modelling indicated that hydrogen bond interactions between the O-Si of C-IS and the -COOH or -CSO3H groups of PFAS contributed to PFAS adsorption. Density functional theory calculations demonstrated that the adsorption energy of C-IS was much lower than that of C-OS and C-virgin. The arrangement of PFAS molecules on C-OS was chaotic owing to the hydrophobic siloxane chain, whereas the arrangement of PFAS on C-IS was orderly in multi-layer or semi-micelle status and more favorable to PFAS adsorption. This study provides a new strategy for avoiding adverse effects of DOM on PFAS adsorption.

The down-regulation of GADD45B leads to a conversion of cellular oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis and promotes the progression of bladder cancer.

Background: The predominant feature of cancer cells during the process of carcinogenesis is the inclination towards glycolytic metabolism rather than mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Nevertheless, there is a scarcity of research investigating the correlation between bladder cancer and mitochondrial energy metabolism. Methods: A qPCR array comprising 90 genes associated with mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation was employed to discern metabolic disparities between three sets of bladder cancer tissue and adjacent normal tissue. Wound healing and transwell assays were utilized to assess cell migration and invasion capabilities, respectively. Colony formation assays were conducted to ascertain the tumorigenic potential of the cells. The proliferative capacity of the cells was examined through in vitro CCK-8 assays. Additionally, nude mouse models were established to evaluate the impact of bladder tumor cells on in vivo proliferation. The Seahorse XFe96 Analyzer was utilized to quantify mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, while the levels of glucose-6-phosphate and pyruvate were assessed to evaluate glycolysis. Results: Examination of qPCR array data demonstrated a noteworthy inhibition of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in bladder cancer tissue, as evidenced by the down-regulation of a majority of genes associated with mitochondrial energy metabolism. Notably, GADD45B may potentially exert a significant influence on bladder cancer development, warranting further investigation. The down-regulation of GADD45B in bladder cancer cells resulted in impaired mitochondrial respiration and elevated levels of glycolysis, thereby enhancing cell migration and invasion. Conversely, up-regulation of GADD45B had the opposite effect. Furthermore, over-expression of GADD45B inhibited tumor proliferation and tumorigenesis in both in vitro and in vivo settings. Conclusion: These findings from our study indicate that the down-regulation of GADD45B promotes the shift of cell mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation towards glycolysis, thereby facilitating the progression of bladder cancer.

Transformation of Al Species on Carbon Surfaces: Effects of Al Species and Carbon Surface Oxygen Groups.

Control of residual Al is critical, owing to its high tendency to accumulate in drinking water distribution systems and its potential risks to human health. Herein, the effects of surface properties of activated carbon (AC) on intercepting different Al species (including monomeric Al and polymeric Al species-Al13) are evaluated. The results showed that Al in the form of monomers was considerably adsorbed by AC; whereas Al in the form of polymeric Al13 was held to a much lower degree by AC, and the effluent Al concentration was even higher than that without AC. By comparing virgin AC and hydrogen thermal treated AC, the surface oxygen functional groups on the AC were proposed to play a critical role in the transformation of Al species. The oxygen functional groups on the AC surface can directly form complexes with monomeric Al, thereby inducing the binding of monomeric Al on the AC surface. However, the AC surface oxygen groups could not bind to polymeric Al13, and the interaction between AC surface oxygen groups and polymeric Al13 partially transforms Al13 into monomeric Al species, which inhibited the self-aggregation of Al13. This study aims to provide new insights into the control of residual Al in water treatment plants to ensure drinking water safety.

Validating the role of PTGIS gene in colorectal cancer by bioinformatics analysis and in vitro experiments.

Prostaglandin I2 synthase (PTGIS) is a member of the cytochrome P450 family. Studies have revealed that differential expression of the PTGIS gene is closely related to the pathological and physiological processes of many diseases, including breast cancer, oral squamous cell carcinoma, and head and neck cancer. However, the mechanism of action of the PTGIS gene in colorectal cancer is not fully understood. This study explored the role of PTGIS in colorectal cancer through comprehensive bioinformatics analysis and in vitro experiments, and found that the expression of PTGIS gene in colorectal cancer tissue was significantly lower than that in normal colorectal tissue (P < 0.05), and high expression of PTGIS gene was associated with poor prognosis in patients (P < 0.05). The KEGG results showed that PTGIS-related genes were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways, arachidonic acid metabolism, steroid biosynthesis, and cancer pathways. The expression of PTGIS may be related to immune infiltration. Cell experiments showed that PTGIS was expressed at a lower level in cancer. Overexpression of PTGIS inhibited apoptosis and promoted proliferation, invasion, and migration ability of SW480 colorectal cancer cells. Analysis of the PTGIS gene in this study provides a theoretical basis for further exploring the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer and finding more accurate new targets for early screening and treatment of the cancer.

Track Fastener Defect Detection Model Based on Improved YOLOv5s.

Defect detection of track fasteners is a prerequisite for safe and reliable railroad operation. The traditional manual visual inspection method has been unable to meet the growing demand for railroad network inspection in China. To achieve the need for accurate, fast, and intelligent detection of rail fasteners, this paper proposes a rail fastener defect detection model based on improved YOLOv5s. Firstly, the convolutional block attention module (CBAM) is added to the Neck network of the YOLOv5s model to enhance the extraction of essential features by the model and suppress the information of minor features. Secondly, a weighted bidirectional feature pyramid network (BiFPN) is introduced to realize the multi-scale feature fusion of the model. Finally, the K-means++ algorithm is used to re-cluster the dataset to obtain the anchor box suitable for the fastener dataset and improve the positioning ability of the model. The experimental results show that the improved model achieves an average mean precision (mAP) of 97.4%, a detection speed of 27.3 FPS, and a model memory occupancy of 15.5 M. Compared with the existing target detection model, the improved model has the advantages of high detection accuracy, fast detection speed, and small model memory occupation, which can provide technical support for edge deployment of rail fastener defect detection.

Sublethal Effects of Neonicotinoid Insecticides on the Development, Body Weight and Economic Characteristics of Silkworm.

Silkworm Bombyx mori (L.) (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) is a critical insect for silk producers, but the inappropriate application of insecticides negatively affects the physiology and behavior of silkworms. This study found that the effects of neonicotinoid insecticides applied using two spraying methods on the growth and development of silkworms were different: the median lethal concentration (LC50) values of two pesticides applied using the leaf-dipping method were 0.33 and 0.83 mg L-1 and those of two pesticides applied using the quantitative spraying method were 0.91 and 1.23 mg kg-1. The concentration of pesticides on the mulberry leaves did not decrease after their application using the quantitative spraying method, and a uniform spraying density was observed after the mulberry leaves were air-dried (no liquid) under realistic conditions. We then treated silkworms with the quantitative spraying method and leaf-dipping method. The treatment of silkworm larvae with imidacloprid and thiamethoxam at sublethal concentrations significantly prolonged the development time and significantly decreased the weight and pupation rate, as well as economic indicators of enamel layers and sputum production. Thiamethoxam treatment significantly increased the activities of carboxylesterase (CarE) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST). The activity of CarE and GST increased, decreased, and then increased, and the highest activity was detected on the 10th and 12th days. Thiamethoxam exposure significantly elevated the transcription levels of CarE-11, GSTe3 and GSTz2 and induced DNA damage in hemocytes. This study confirmed that the quantitative spray method is more stable than the leaf-dipping method. Moreover, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam treatment affected the economy and indexes of silkworms and induced changes in detoxification enzymes and DNA damage in silkworms. These results provide a basis for understanding the mechanism of the sublethal effects of insecticides on silkworms.

Suppression of performance of activated carbon filter due to residual aluminum accumulation.

Extending the lifetime of granular activated carbon (GAC) filters with no significant loss in their effectiveness is a considerable challenge for drinking water supply utilities. However, the effects of residual Al from coagulants on GAC performance are rarely considered. Herein, in-service GAC samples obtained from full-scale water treatment plants were investigated to evaluate the amount of accumulated Al. Although the Al concentration in water was two to three times lower than the Ca concentration, Al exhibited considerable accumulation (second to Ca accumulation) in in-service GAC samples (0.68-8.63 mg g-1). Surface characterization results indicated that Al accumulation could have been caused by the co-precipitation of Al with Ca and Si to form Ca4Al2Si3O10·H2O and Ca4Al6O12SO4, self-precipitation or complexion with -OH/-COOH on the GAC or biofilm surfaces. Correlation analysis of the accumulated Al and GAC properties implied that Al accumulation considerably reduced the surface area of GAC by ∼30%. Lab simulation experiments indicated that the removal of dissolved organic matter was reduced by 6-10% when additional Al was loaded. In addition, results showed that the residual Al (up to 200 µg L-1) considerably affected the extracellular polymeric substance component and microorganism community structure. In summary, strict control of residual Al is beneficial for maintaining the efficacies of GAC and biologically activated carbon.

Inhibition of Wnt7b reduces the proliferation, invasion, and migration of colorectal cancer cells.

OBJECTIVE: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common gastrointestinal tumors. The role of Wnt7b as a ligand of the Wnt signaling pathway in colorectal cancer remains to be studied. Through bioinformatics online analysis, we found that Wnt7b is abnormally highly expressed in a variety of gastrointestinal tumors. This study mainly explored the effects of Wnt7b regulating the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of SW480 cells in colorectal cancer. METHODS AND RESULTS: Applying the TCGA data set, Wnt7b was found to be highly expressed in most gastrointestinal tumor samples. Real-time quantitative PCR(q-PCR), Western blotting(WB) results showed that Wnt7b was significantly higher expressed in colorectal cancer cell lines compared with normal intestinal epithelial cells. SW480 cells transfected with the sh-Wnt7b showed successful knockdown of Wnt7b. MTT colorimetry showed the proliferation ability of sh-Wnt7b group decreased significantly compared with the non-transfected group. The results of double staining flow cytometry showed that the sh-Wnt7b group had more apoptosis. Cell scratch test showed that the cell migration rate of sh-wnt7b group considerably reduced. The Transwell invasion experiment demonstrated that the number of cell invasions in the sh-Wnt7b group decreased significantly. After SW480 cells was transfected with sh-Wnt7b, the protein levels of ß-catenin, CCND1, and CD44 in this group of cells were detected to be reduced by WB, and the same results were obtained by q-PCR detection of mRNA. CONCLUSION: Wnt7b is highly expressed in colorectal cancer cells, which may affect the proliferation, migration, and invasion of colorectal cancer cells by activating the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

Toxicity of nitenpyram to silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) and its potential mechanisms.

Silkworm (Bombyx mori L.), as an economic insect, occupies a certain position in the development of China's economy. The neonicotinoid insecticide nitenpyram is commonly used in farmland to control planthoppers and aphids. In China, mulberry orchards are often planted adjacent to fields or commercial crops, and mist drifts occur during application, which may affect the production safety of Bombyx mori. In this study, a risk assessment of nitenpyram was carried out, and the results showed that there were risks in spraying nitenpyram around the periphery and subperipheries of mulberry fields. However, few studies have reported the mechanism underlying nitenpyram's toxic effect on silkworms. Here, we validated 25 differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs in the nitenpyram treatment group of silkworms, and the significantly enriched mTOR signaling pathway, oxidative phosphorylation and FoxO signaling pathway were verified. Among them, bmo-miR-2766-5P was up-regulated by 2.122-fold, and the expression of its regulated target gene 101,741,287 was up-regulated. After the injection of bmo-miR-2766-5P inhibitor, the Log2FC value of 101,741,287 was changed from 1.26 to -2.19. Bmo-miR-3326, bmo-miR-3378-5P and bmo-miR-2761-3P were down-regulated by 2.386-fold, 1.158-fold and 2.359-fold, respectively. After injecting miRNA mimics into silkworms, the Log2FC values of the target genes 100,302,609, 101,740,730 and 101,746,319 were changed from 1.24 to -11.94, -1.12 changed to 2.84 and 1.93 changed to -0.37, respectively. In addition, nitenpyram induced oxidative damage in silkworms, and the degree of DNA damage increased with the increase of concentration and time. Meanwhile Imd was significantly up-regulated in IMD-related pathways (38.7-fold, p < 0.01). The results indicated that nitenpyram could affect the growth and development process of silkworms, and these DE-miRNAs may have an important impact on the stress response of silkworms to nitenpyram.

Control efficiency of hexaconazole-lentinan against wheat sharp eyespot and wheat crown rot and the associated effects on rhizosphere soil fungal community.

The use of polysaccharides to induce the systemic immune response of plants for disease resistance has become an effective plant protection measure. Sharp eyespot wheat and crown rot wheat are serious diseases of wheat. In this study, the control effects of hexaconazole and lentinan (LNT) seed dressing of the two wheat diseases were evaluated by field experiments, and the effects of the seed dressing on plant growth, soil enzyme activity, and community diversity in the wheat rhizosphere were discussed. The results showed that the combined seed dressing of hexaconazole at 0.5 a.i. g·100 kg-1 and LNT at 4 a.i. g·100 kg-1 could significantly improve the control effect of the two wheat diseases. The combined treatment of hexaconazole and LNT had little effect on wheat soil enzyme activities. Different seed dressing treatments changed the fungal community structure in the wheat rhizosphere soil, and the combination of LNT and hexaconazole reduced the relative abundance of Rhizoctonia, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Bipolaris, and Gibberella in wheat planting soils. These findings suggested that the combined seed dressing of hexaconazole and LNT could effectively control soilborne diseases of wheat, concurrently could change in rhizosphere fungal community, and reduce in potential soilborne pathogens.

Biocontrol activity and action mechanism of Bacillus velezensis strain SDTB038 against Fusarium crown and root rot of tomato.

Fusarium crown and root rot of tomato is a soilborne diseases that has brought serious harm and economic losses to tomato production in facilities in recent years. The disease has been reported in more than 30 countries worldwide, but there are few reports on its biological control. A Bacillus velezensis strain SDTB038 with biocontrol effects was isolated and identified in a previous study and is considered one of the most important PGPRs. Seven secondary metabolite biosynthesis gene clusters were found in strain SDTB038 by whole genome sequencing, explaining its biocontrol effects. Results indicated that different concentrations of SDTB038 fermentation broth inhibited the mycelial growth of Fusarium crown and root rot of tomato. Strain SDTB038 could generate indole acetic acid and promote healthy growth of tomatoes, while the effect of 108 CFU/ml SDTB038 concentration on promoting tomato growth was the most obvious. B. velezensis SDTB038 significantly reduced the accumulation of ROS in tomato plants, induced the up-regulation of antifreeze genes, and promoted the rapid recovery of tomato plants at low temperatures in a pot experiment. At the same time, SDTB038 had good control effect on Fusarium crown and root rot of tomato, and 108 CFU/ml SDTB038 fermentation broth had the best control effect, which was 42.98%. In summary, the strain B. velezensis SDTB038 may be a promising bacterial agent for biological control of Fusarium crown and root rot of tomato, and an important source of potential antimicrobial compounds.

The expression and significance of p4E-BP1/4E-BP1 in prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although the phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 that has been detected in high-grade prostate cancer has been reported in previous studies, overexpression of p4E-BP1 and 4EBP1 and their clinical significance in prostate cancer still remain unknown. METHODS: One hundred six samples of prostate tissues were collected and analyzed by immunohistochemistry with p4E-BP1 or 4E-BP1 specific antibodies. Everolimus was used to block the phosphorylation of p4E-BP1, and then flow cytometry, clone formation, transwell, and wound healing assays were performed to detect the survival and invasive ability of the prostate cancer cells. RESULTS: We found that the expression of 4E-BP1 and p4E-BP1 was higher in prostate cancer tissues than in normal tissues. Interestingly, the expression of p4E-BP1 was significantly associated with Gleason score and lymph node metastasis, but had no obvious correlation with PSA and the presence of bone or visceral metastasis. However, no evident correlation was found between the positive expression of 4E-BP1 and these clinical characteristics. In in vitro experiments, we found similar results as the clinical presentation that 4E-BP1 and p4E-BP1 were low expressed in normal prostate epithelial cells, but in prostate cancer cells, as the malignancy increasing, 4E-BP1 and p4E-BP1 expression also gradually increased. Then, we used Everolimus to inhibit the phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 and found that Everolimus effectively reduced cloning formation, inhibited cell migration, and promoted apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in PC3 cells. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that p4E-BP1 is a potential biomarker and therapy target for prostate cancer, and patients with high expressions of p4E-BP1 may benefit from Everolimus treatment.

Medical evaluation and pharmacotherapeutical strategies in management of urolithiasis.

Treatment of urolithiasis depends on several important factors which include stone location, size, composition, and patient symptoms. Although significant advancements have been made in the surgical management of urolithiasis in the last decade, pharmacotherapy which can prevent the formation of new stones and decrease the recurrence of urolithiasis has not experienced the same level of success. Currently, urolithiasis is regarded as a complicated syndrome that is determined by numerous factors, and any treatment plan for urolithiasis should be individualized while considering any potential damage arising from stone-forming factors. This review introduces the most popular methods currently used to evaluate urolithiasis and the pharmacotherapy of urolithiasis based on patient-specific factors.

Emodin Induced Necroptosis and Inhibited Glycolysis in the Renal Cancer Cells by Enhancing ROS.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a tumor with unpredictable presentation and poor clinical outcome. RCC is always resistant to chemotherapy and radiation, and weakly sensitive to immunotherapeutic agents. Therefore, novel agents and approaches are urgently needed for the treatment of RCC. Emodin, an anthraquinone compound extracted from rhubarb and other traditional Chinese herbs, has been implicated in a wide variety of pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antitumor activities. However, its role in RCC remains unknown. In this study, we found that emodin effectively killed renal cancer cells without significant toxicity to noncancerous cell HK-2. Flow cytometry assay with Annexin V-FITC and PI demonstrated that emodin induces necroptosis, but not apoptosis, in renal cancer cells. Meanwhile, the phosphorylation levels of RIP1 and MLKL, the key necroptosis-related proteins, were significantly increased. To explore how emodin inhibits kidney tumor growth, we tested reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and found that the levels of ROS increased upon emodin treatment in a dose-dependent manner. Further studies demonstrated that emodin induces necroptosis through ROS-mediated activation of JNK signaling pathway and also inhibits glycolysis by downregulation of GLUT1 through ROS-mediated inactivation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Our findings revealed the potential mechanisms by which emodin suppresses renal cancer cell growth and will help develop novel therapeutic approaches for patients with JNK- or PI3K/AKT-dysregulated renal cancer.

Four MicroRNAs, miR-13b-3p, miR-278-5p, miR-10483-5p, and miR-10485-5p, Mediate Insecticide Tolerance in Spodoptera frugiperda.

Spodoptera frugiperda is the world's major agricultural pest and has the distinctive features of high fecundity, strong migratory capacity, and high resistance to most insecticides. At present, the control of S. frugiperda in China relies mainly on the spraying of chemical insecticides. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, single-stranded, non-coding RNAs and play crucial regulatory roles in various physiological processes, including the insecticide resistance in insects. However, little is known about the regulatory roles of miRNAs on the resistance of S. frugiperda to insecticides. In the present research, the miRNAs that were differentially expressed after cyantraniliprole, spinetoram, and emamectin benzoate treatment were analyzed by RNA-Seq. A total of 504 miRNAs were systematically identified from S. frugiperda, and 24, 22, and 31 miRNAs were differentially expressed after treatments of cyantraniliprole, spinetoram, and emamectin benzoate. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were used to predict the function of differentially expressed target genes of miRNAs. Importantly, ten miRNAs were significantly differentially expressed among the treatments of three insecticides. miR-278-5p, miR-13b-3p, miR-10485-5p, and miR-10483-5p were significantly downregulated among the treatments of three insecticides by RT-qPCR. Furthermore, the overexpression of miR-278-5p, miR-13b-3p, miR-10485-5p, and miR-10483-5p significantly increased the mortality of S. frugiperda to cyantraniliprole and emamectin benzoate. The mortality was significantly increased with spinetoram treatment after the overexpression of miR-13b-3p, miR-10485-5p, and miR-10483-5p. These results suggest that miRNAs, which are differentially expressed in response to insecticides, may play a key regulatory role in the insecticide tolerance in S. frugiperda.

Antagonistic Activity of Bacillus velezensis SDTB038 against Phytophthora infestans in Potato.

Potato late blight is a severe and highly epidemic disease caused by Phytophthora infestans that can affect all parts of the plant. This study mainly screened antagonistic strains for good control of potato late blight and identified strain SDTB038 as Bacillus velezensis according to its morphological and chemical properties and the 16S rRNA, gyrA, and gyrB gene sequences. This antagonistic strain achieved good control of potato late blight in greenhouses and fields and promoted potato plant growth. Two-year field trials (2018 and 2019) showed that B. velezensis SDTB038 can be used to reduce food losses caused by late blight, achieving late blight reductions of 40.79% (2018) and 37.67% (2019). In two-year field trials, the control effects of the highest concentrations of fluopimomide and B. velezensis SDTB038 were better than those of the other treatments. The control effect of 85 g ha-1 fluopimomide and B. velezensis SDTB038 and that of 170 g ha-1 fluopimomide alone showed no significant differences. These field results indicate that a low concentration of fungicide and a high concentration of SDTB038 can be effective in controlling potato late blight. Foliar detection showed that lipopeptides have an inhibitory effect on P. infestans. The amplification of lipopeptide genes revealed surfactin (srfAB and srfAC) and fengycin (fenB) genes in SDTB038, but only surfactin production by B. velezensis SDTB038 was observed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis. Therefore, the strain B. velezensis SDTB038 can produce secondary metabolites that help potato plants resist late blight development, can effectively inhibit the infection of potato leaves by P. infestans, and has potential value for development as a biological pesticide against potato late blight.

Efficacy and safety of docetaxel and prednisolone chemotherapy in very elderly men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in real world: a single institute experience.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is the most common type of malignancy in elderly men. Although elderly patients are commonly encountered in clinical practice, few studies have focused on the value of chemotherapy in elderly patients. In this study, we reviewed the use of docetaxel with prednisolone in elderly men (aged ≥80 years) with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) at Ningbo First Hospital with a focus on efficacy and toxicity. METHODS: A retrospective study including a series of men aged ≥80 years with mCRPC and received docetaxel plus prednisone chemotherapy between August 2011 and May 2019. All these cases were selected from the Ningbo First Hospital prostate cancer database located in Zhejiang Province, China. RESULTS: Sixteen patients were identified, with a mean age of 82 years (range, 80 to 87 years). All patients have received a median of four and half cycles (range, 1-10) of 3-week (60-75 mg/m2 ) docetaxel regimens and 5 mg prednisone twice per day. Seven (43.75%) patients completed more than six cycles. Ten (62.50%) patients had a good prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response of ≥50% decline. Eight (50.00%) patients had ostealgia before receiving docetaxel treatment and six of them (75.00%) experienced reduced pain after the treatment. Hematologic toxicity was observed in six (37.50%) patients with neutropenia, one of which was diagnosed with agranulocytosis and had to be admitted for the same reason. Other adverse reactions such as fever, debilitation, and alopecia were also observed. CONCLUSIONS: Very elderly patients (aged ≥80 years) with mCRPC are easy to be neglected and infrequently involved in clinical trials. Our study demonstrates that docetaxel chemotherapy plus prednisone is tolerable and effective among Chinese elderly patients (≥80 years) with mCRPC. Docetaxel chemotherapy may be given under careful surveillance even in frail elderly patients.

Up-Regulation of RIP3 Alleviates Prostate Cancer Progression by Activation of RIP3/MLKL Signaling Pathway and Induction of Necroptosis.

BACKGROUND: The receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIP3/RIPK3) was recently found to be a critical regulator of programmed necrosis/necroptosis. However, the biological role and clinical significance of RIP3 in prostate cancer remain obscure. METHODS: Western blotting and QRT-PCR were performed to detect the level of RIP3 in prostate cancer cells. Fixed cancer tissue and normal tissue specimens were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis of RIP3. Cell migration and invasion abilities were evaluated by transwell assays. In vitro proliferative ability was examed by MTS. And in vivo nude mice model were used to evaluate the effect of RIP3 ectopic expression on proliferative capability. Cell cycle of prostate cancer cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Changes in some related proteins caused by RIP3 overexpression were explored using Western blotting. RESULTS: RIP3 was significantly down-regulated in prostate cancer cell lines and clinical prostate tumor samples. And over-expressing RIP3 suppressed the migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells. Two important matrix metalloproteinases MMP2, MMP9 which enables the destruction of the histological barrier of tumor cell invasion and three mesenchymal markers Vimentin, fibronectin, and N-cadherin were under-expressed due to the overexpression of RIP3, but the E-cadherin level which is the epithelial marker was increased. Furthermore, our results also showed that RIP3 can inhibit the proliferation and tumorigenicity of prostate cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo by phosphorylating MLKL, which were reversed by MLKL inhibitor treatment, indicating that necroptosis was involved in cell death. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these findings indicated that RIP3 is responsible for the progression of prostate cancer, suggesting that RIP3 might have the potential to be a prognostic marker or a therapeutic target against prostate cancer.

Progress in applications of 18F-fluciclovine in diagnosis of prostate cancer. / 18F-fluciclovineåº”ç”¨äºŽå‰åˆ—è ºç™Œè¯Šæ–­çš„è¿›å±•.

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy tumor among men in developed countries. The incidence rate in recent years is also increasing in China. With the development of technology, the application of PET/CT examination has been augmented in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. In order to detect prostate cancer more safely and effectively, new types of targeted tracer for PET/CT has been developed, including 18F-fluiclovine. 18F-fluiclovine has the characteristics of fast uptake, rapid development and fast metabolism, which has a good diagnostic rate for the recurrence and metastasis of prostate cancer. However, at present, there are few researches and its security, diagnosis efficiency, and application value still need further research to verify.

Advantages of retrograde flexible ureteroscopy in determining the etiology of painless hematuria originating from the upper urinary tract.

The present study investigated the use of retrograde flexible ureteroscopy (RFU) in the discrimination of the etiology of hematuria that originates from the upper urinary tract (UUT). The present study collected retrospective data for patients who presented with hematuria and cystoscopy-detected bleeding from the UUT between June 2006 and August 2018 in Ningbo First Hospital. All patients accepted RFU to determine the etiology of hematuria. Data regarding imaging examinations, surgery, pathology and complications were also collected and analyzed. In total, 65 patients (males, 38; females, 27) with a mean age of 63 years underwent RFU to determine the etiology of hematuria originating from the UUT. Using RFU, UUT tumors were found in 29 cases. Stones, polyps and atypical hyperplasia were found in two cases, and a definite diagnosis was not found in three cases. There were 17 cases without obvious abnormalities and nine cases were unable to undergo RFU due to ureteral stenosis. In patients who could not be diagnosed by imaging examination, 34.4% (11/32) were diagnosed with urothelial carcinoma by RFU, and these results were also confirmed by postoperative pathology. In the present study, no patient had severe complications after RFU. The present results suggested RFU may be used as a sensitive method to diagnose UUT tumors (78.4%; 29/37) and has strong specificity. RFU could be performed as a routine examination for patients with hematuria from the UUT.