Recommendations for the management of advanced and metastatic renal cell carcinoma: joint consensus statements from the Hong Kong Urological Association and the Hong Kong Society of Uro-Oncology.

INTRODUCTION: Kidney cancer, primarily renal cell carcinoma (RCC), ranks among the top 10 most common malignancies in the male population of Hong Kong. In 2019, members of two medical societies in Hong Kong formed an expert panel to establish a set of consensus statements for the management of metastatic RCC. On 22 June 2021, the same panel met to review recent evidence and reassess their positions regarding the management of advanced and metastatic RCC, with the aim of providing recommendations for physicians in Hong Kong. PARTICIPANTS: The panel included 12 experts (6 clinical oncologists and 6 urologists) who had extensive experience managing patients with RCC in Hong Kong. EVIDENCE: The panel reviewed randomised controlled trials, observational studies, systematic reviews/meta-analyses, and international clinical guidelines to address key clinical questions that were identified before the meeting. CONSENSUS PROCESS: In total, 15 key clinical questions were identified before the meeting, covering the surgical and systemic treatment of advanced or metastatic clear cell, sarcomatoid, and non-clear cell RCCs. At the meeting, the panellists voted on these questions, then discussed relevant evidence and practical considerations. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment landscape for advanced and metastatic RCC continues to evolve. More immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based combination regimens will be indicated for the treatment of metastatic clear cell RCC. There is increasing evidence concerning the benefit of adjuvant ICI treatment for resected advanced RCC. This article summarises recent evidence and expert insights regarding a series of key clinical questions about the management of advanced and metastatic RCC.

LncRNA LUCAT1 promotes rowth, migration, and invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma by upregulating PCNA.

Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, "LncRNA LUCAT1 promotes rowth, migration, and invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma by upregulating PCNA, by Y. Kong, Y. Feng, Y.-Y. Xiao, S.-C. Liu, X.-G. Li, Q.-L. Yang, W.-H. Chu, J.-G. Liu, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (11): 4770-4776- DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201906_18059-PMID: 31210306" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/18059.

LncRNA LUCAT1 promotes rowth, migration, and invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma by upregulating PCNA.

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have revealed the important role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the progression of tumorigenesis. This study aims to identify how lncRNA LUCAT1 functions in the progression of OSCC (oral squamous cell carcinoma). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Relative expression of lncRNA LUCAT1 in both OSCC cells and 50 paired tissue samples was detected by quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Moreover, biological function of LUCAT1 in OSCC was identified by performing transwell assay, wound healing assay and proliferation assay in vitro. The underlying mechanism was explored by qRT-PCR and Western blot. RESULTS: LUCAT1 expression was remarkably downregulated in OSCC tissues when compared with that in adjacent normal samples. Moreover, proliferation, invasion and migration of OSCC cells were inhibited after knockdown of LUCAT1 in vitro. Knockdown of LUCAT1 downregulated PCNA in OSCC cells at mRNA and protein level in vitro. Besides, PCNA expression in OSCC tissues was positively correlated with the expression of LUCAT1. CONCLUSIONS: Knockdown of LUCAT1 could inhibit migration, invasion and proliferation capacities of OSCC cells through downregulating PCNA, which may offer a new therapeutic intervention for OSCC patients.

Giant urethral diverticulum calculus presenting as scrotal abscess.

We report herein a patient with a urethral calculus associated with urethral diverticulum. A 39-year-old man presented with scrotal swelling and acute retention of urine. Computed tomography of the pelvis and cystoscopy demonstrated a giant calculus in the proximal penile urethra. Emergency in-situ lithotripsy was performed. Complete stone clearance was achieved and a large urethral diverticulum was encountered. The rare occurrence of urethral diverticulum and associated stone disease were discussed.

Beyond-limit light focusing in the intermediate zone.

We experimentally verify that a new nanolens of a designed plasmonic aperture can focus visible light to a single line with its width smaller than the limit of half the wavelength in the intermediate zone. The experimental measurement indicates that while the near field plays a role to increase the spot size in the near zone, it is negligible at the beyond-limit focused region; i.e., the focused light is dominated by the radiative fields. The image taken by the optical microscope shows that the fields focused have propagated to the far zone. Besides being of academic interest, the nanolens capable in achieving a lower diffraction limit in the intermediate zone is important for application possibilities.

Characteristic of algogenic organic matter and its effect on UF membrane fouling.

Algogenic organic matter (AOM) was extracted from blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) and its characteristic was determined by various methods including high-pressure size-exclusion chromatography (HP-SEC), hydrophobic and hydrophilic fractionation, molecular weight (MW) fractionation and fluorescence excitation emission matrix (EEM). The results revealed that AOM was hydrophilic fractionation predominantly, accounting for 78%. The specific ultraviolet absorbance of AOM was 1.1 L/(mg m) only. The analysis for MW distribution demonstrated that organic matter greater than 30,000 MW accounted for over 40% and was composed of mostly neutral hydrophilic compound. EEM analyses revealed that protein-like and humic-substances existed in AOM. A test for membrane filtration exhibited that AOM could make ultrafiltration membrane substantial flux decline, which can be attributed to membrane pore clog caused by neutral hydrophilic compound with larger MW.

Protective effects of 20-hydroxyecdysone on CoCl(2)-induced cell injury in PC12 cells.

20-Hydroxyecdysone, which is found in the rhizomes, roots and the stems of many plants, is an ecdysteroid hormone that regulates molting in insects. We have previously shown that 20-Hydroxyecdysone could alleviate neurological deficits induced by subarachnoid hemorrhage in rabbits. Thus, we hypothesized that 20-Hydroxyecdysone might protect neurons against hypoxic-ischemic injury. In present study, the effects of 20-Hydroxyecdysone on cobalt chloride (CoCl(2))-induced cellular injury in PC12 cells was investigated. The incubation of PC12 cells with CoCl(2) reduced the cell viability, increased the rate of apoptosis. However, when cells were treated with 20-Hydroxyecdysone before or after CoCl(2) exposure, the CoCl(2)-induced cellular injuries were significantly ameliorated. In addition, 20-Hydroxyecdysone dramatically reduced the CoCl(2)-induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), decreased the depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane, inhibited the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol and increased the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Furthermore, 20-Hydroxyecdysone eliminated the CoCl(2)-induced activation of caspase-3. Taken together, these results indicate that 20-Hydroxyecdysone may protect PC12 cells against CoCl(2)-induced cell injury by inhibiting ROS production and modulating components of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Based on our results, 20-Hydroxyecdysone may be a potential candidate for intervention in hypoxic-ischemic brain injuries such as stroke.

Effect of oral immunization with Aeromonas hydrophila ghosts on protection against experimental fish infection.

AIMS: To investigate whether oral immunization with Aeromonas hydrophila ghosts (AHG) vaccine can elicit mucosal and systemic immune responses of Carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) compared to conventional formalin-killed bacteria (FKC). METHODS AND RESULTS: Fish were fed diets coated with AHG, FKC or phosphate buffered saline (PBS) alone, after immunization, more antigen-specific antibody was significantly detected in serum and intestinal mucus in AHG group than FKC group and PBS group. In addition, after challenged with the parent strain J-1, the survival of bacterial ghost-vaccinated fish was higher than PBS group and FKC group, the relative per cent survival (RPS) being 76.8%, 58.9%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Oral immunization with A. hydrophila ghosts can elicit systemic and mucosal adaptive immune responses and has higher potential to induce protective adaptive immunity than normal vaccine. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Oral immunization with bacterial ghosts is a promising new solution with potential application to prevent diseases in fish.

Isolation of Bdellovibrio as biological therapeutic agents used for the treatment of Aeromonas hydrophila infection in fish.

Fourteen strains of Bdellovibrio-like organisms were isolated from cultured fish ponds using Aeromonas hydrophila J-1 as host, one of them formed large plaques after 48 h of incubation at 28 degrees C on a double layer plate, designated as Bdellovibrio C-1. The Bdellovibrio was confirmed by electron microscopy and PCR amplification of Bdellovibrio-specific 16S rDNA. The optimum temperature for the growth of BdC-1 was between 15-37 degrees C and with optimal activity at temperatures of 25-30 degrees C. The ability of BdC-1 to lyse A. hydrophila was similar in the pH range of 6.5 to 8.5. It can lyse 23 Gram-negative bacterial strains comprising three genera of fish pathogens and one strain of Escherichia coli but cannot lyse Gram-positive bacteria such as Bacillus subtillis and Staphylococcus aureus. Immersion of fish in water containing different concentrations of BdC-1 was used in protection against an experimental infection of A. hydrophila J-1. Results show that the mortality of groups immersed with BdC-1 was lower than the group without BdC-1. These results suggest that it may be possible to use Bdellovibrio to control the disease caused by A. hydrophila.

Role of microfilaments and microtubules in the invasion of EPC cells by Aeromonas hydrophila.

The influence of the cytoskeleton on the invasion of Aeromonas hydrophila strain AhJ-1, isolated from diseased fish, in the monolayer cell of epithelioma papillosum cells of carp (EPC) was evaluated by the recovery of gentamicin-resistant bacteria from Triton X-100 cell lysates. The depolymerization of microfilaments (MF) by cytochalasin B and D inhibited the uptake of A. hydrophila in a dose-dependent manner and that of microtubules (MT) by colchicines and nocodazole did not affect the invasion of A. hydrophila in EPC cells significantly. The invasion frequency decreased approximately 62% with the addition of 0.1 microg/ml cytochalasin D and nearly 86% by the addition of 5.0 microg/ml. Invasion decreased approximately 49% and 83% by addition of cytochalasin B in a concentration of 2.5 microg/ml and 10.0 microg/ml. Colchicine and nocodazole, inhibitors of MT formation appears to have little effect on the invasion of EPC cells by strain Ah J-1. Thus MF formation, but not MT formation seems to play an important role in the internalization of A. hydrophila J-1.

A simplified risk-based approach for process screening in municipal wastewater reclamation and reuse.

Reuse of municipal wastewater has become a promising solution to relieve the tension of increasing fresh water demand in many metropolitans. Although different advanced technologies are available to reclaim wastewater into premium quality, associated health effects are usually not properly assessed in reclamation process selection. A simplified risk-based approach developed for process screening and adaptation of health impacts as a consideration in reclamation process selection is discussed in this paper. This approach can be used to screen out unqualified processes and those with poor cost benefits. As a result, the design of wastewater reclamation could be enhanced to control the associated health impacts in wastewater reuse.

Microfabricated biocapsules provide short-term immunoisolation of insulinoma xenografts.

This study examines the viability and functionality of two insulinoma cell lines, RIN (1048) and betaTC6F7, encapsulated within microfabricated biocapsules. Surface and bulk micromachining are integrated in the biocapsule fabrication process, resulting in a diffusion membrane with uniform pore size distribution as well as mechanical and chemical stability, surrounded by an anisotropically-etched silicon wafer, which serves as the encapsulation cavity. Insulinoma cells (4500 cells/biocapsule) were enclosed within these microfabricated biocapsules and subjected to a static incubation study after either implantation in BALB-C mice or incubation in vitro. Examination of retrieved microfabricated biocapsules revealed an insulin stimulatory index of approximately 1.5 for encapsulated RIN cells and 3.6 for encapsulated betaTC6F7 cells for biocapsules with 18 nm pore sized microfabricated membranes, similar to indices of biocapsules incubated in vitro. There was an 80% decrease in cell stimulatory response between in vitro and in vivo 66 nm-biocapsules as compared to 20% for 18 nm-biocapsules, indicating that the immunoisolatory effectiveness depends greatly on achieving uniform pore sizes in the size range of 18 nm or smaller. The present study demonstrates the feasibility of using microfabricated biocapsules for the immunoisolation of insulinoma cells lines. The microfabricated biocapsule may serve as an alternative to conventional polymeric based biocapsules for possible use as in vivo insulin secreting bioreactor.

Microfabricated immunoisolating biocapsules.

A microfabricated silicon-based biocapsule for the immunoisolation of cell transplants is presented. The biocapsule-forming process employs bulk micromachining to define cell-containing chambers within single crystalline silicon wafers. These chambers interface with the surrounding biological environment through polycrystalline silicon filter membranes. The membranes are surface micromachined to present a high density of uniform pores, thus affording sufficient permeability to oxygen, glucose, and insulin. The pore dimensions, as small as 20 nm, are designed to impede the passage of immune molecules and graft-borne viruses. The underlying filter-membrane nanotechnology has been successfully applied in controlled cell culture systems (Ferrari et al., 1995), and is under study for viral elimination in plasma fractionation protocols. Here we report the encouraging results of in vitro experiments investigating the biocompatibility of the microfabricated biocapsule, and demonstrate that encapsulated rat neonatal pancreatic islets significantly outlive and outperform controls in terms of insulin-secretion capability over periods of several weeks. These results appear to warrant further investigations on the potential of cell xenografts encapsulated within microfabricated, immunoisolating environments for the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes.

Prostatein C3-mRNA: a sensitive marker of androgen-responsiveness in prostate explant cultures.

Prostatein is an androgen-dependent protein which is secreted by the rat ventral prostate. To determine if prostatein or its mRNA were responsive to androgen in vitro, prostate explants were cultured in media containing 0 or 25 nM dihydrotestosterone (DHT), estradiol (E2), or cortisol (F). Prostatein concentrations in medium were measured by radioimmunoassay at 2 and 4 days and in homogenates at 4 days. They were not changed significantly by any of these steroids. The concentration of the mRNA for the C3-subunit of prostatein was determined by dot hybridization at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 days. It was decreased significantly by 2 days when compared with explants cultured in the presence of DHT and significant differences persisted through 8 days. In conclusion, quantitation of the mRNA for the C3-subunit of prostatein in short-term cultures of ventral prostate explants appears to be more sensitive to changes in androgen concentration than does measurement of prostatein, per se. Prostatein C3-mRNA may be a useful marker for in vitro studies of androgen agonists and antagonists.

Maternal cell contamination in cultured chorionic villi: comparison of chromosome Q-polymorphisms derived from villi, fetal skin, and maternal lymphocytes.

Maternal cell contamination of chorionic villi (CV) samples used for first trimester prenatal diagnosis can cause obvious and/or unrecognized diagnostic dilemmas. The purpose of this investigation is to assess the frequency of maternal cell contamination (MCC) in chorionic villus samples and to evaluate selected parameters which might predict where contamination is more likely to have occurred. Maternal lymphocytes, chorionic villi from ultrasonically directed transcervical catheter aspiration, and fetal tissue were obtained at 8-11 weeks gestation from 45 patients undergoing elective termination. Quinacrine (Q) banded metaphases were compared from duplicate direct preparations of chorionic villi; cultured chorionic villi, fetal fibroblast tissue cultures, and maternal lymphocyte cultures. Q-polymorphisms in metaphase chromosomes were 100 per cent concordant between fetal tissue and direct CV preparation. However, evidence for maternal cell contamination occurred in 13.1 per cent of cultured chorionic villi preparations where polymorphisms were found to be identical between maternal and cultured CV and both distinct from fetal tissue preparations. Where MCC was identified, it was noted that CV cell cultivation interval was prolonged (24.2 +/- 6.8 days) compared with non-contaminated cultures (14.1 +/- 4.4 days) (p less than 0.05). We conclude that maternal cell contamination is a significant problem with chorionic villus sampling. Where direct preparations are not employed or when cultures are 'slow growing', MCC may be a significant and unrecognized complication re: fetal diagnosis. Direct preparations, multiple cultures, quinacrine banding, and maternal Q-polymorphism comparisons can minimize diagnostic dilemmas secondary to maternal cell contamination.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)