[Transurethral columnar balloon dilation of the prostate for benign prostatic hyperplasia].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical effect of transurethral columnar balloon dilation of the prostate (TUCBDP) in the treatment of BPH and introduce the experience with the surgical procedure. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data on 265 cases of BPH treated by TUCBDP from August 2016 to August 2019. RESULTS: Operations were successfully completed in all the cases, with the mean operation time of (24.67 ± 7.6) min and the average intraoperative blood loss of (26.5 ± 21.4) ml, and all the patients had urinary patency after removal of the catheter. Follow-up examinations every 3 months after surgery showed significant improvement over the baseline in IPSS, quality of life score (QOL), maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), postvoid residual urine (PVR) and other indicators (P < 0.05). Forty-five of the patients with sexual life exhibited no significant difference from the baseline in IIEF-5 and erectile hardness scale (EHS) scores (P > 0.05). Postoperative complications were observed in 53 cases (20%), including 28 cases of transient urinary incontinence (10.56%), 3 cases of hemorrhage (1.13%), 11 cases of urinary tract infection (4.15%), 1 case of urethral stricture (0.37%), and 8 cases of acute urinary retention (3.01%), which were all improved after regular treatment, with no occurrence of true urinary incontinence. Retrograde ejaculation occurred in 2 (4.45%) of the 45 patients with sexual life. CONCLUSIONS: Transurethral columnar balloon dilation of the prostate, with the advantages of short operation time and less intraoperative bleeding, has a significant short-term clinical effect in the treatment of BPH, particularly suitable for the elderly and those who want to retain the sexual function. Intraoperative localization of the protrusion may significantly influence the outcome of surgery, which deserves strengthened studies. Special attention should be paid to the incidence of postoperative transient urinary incontinence.

[Inhibitory effect of 3-bromopyruvate on the proliferation, migration and invasive ability of prostate cancer PC-3 cells].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of the glycolysis inhibitor 3-bromopyruvate (3-BrPA) on the proliferation, migration and invasive ability of prostate cancer PC-3 cells in vitro and explore the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: We cultured prostate cancer PC-3 cells in vitro and treated them with 3-BrPA at different concentrations for 24, 48 and 72 hours. Then we observed the morphological changes of the PC-3 cells under the inverted microscope. We also detected the effects of different concentrations of 3-BrPA on the proliferation, migration and invasive ability of the cells by MTT, wound-scratch and Transwell assays and determined the protein expressions of glucose transporter-1 (GLUT1), matrix metalloproteinase-14 (MMP-14), MMP-9 and MMP-2 in the PC-3 cells by Western blot. RESULTS: More significant changes were observed in the morphology of the PC-3 cells with increased concentrations of 3-BrPA. MTT assay showed that the inhibition rate of the proliferation of the PC-3 cells was remarkably increased in a concentration- and time-dependent manner (P<0.01). Wound-scratch and Transwell assays exhibited significant decreases in the scratch healing rate and number of invasive cells after 24 hours of intervention with 3-BrPA at 25, 50 and 100 µmol/L, even more significant after treated for 48 hours at the concentrations of 50 and 100 µmol/L (P<0.01). The expressions of the GLUT1, MMP-14, MMP-9 and MMP-2 proteins were markedly down-regulated after 3-BrPA intervention in comparison with those in the control group (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The glycolysis inhibitor 3-BrPA reduces the proliferation, migration and invasive ability of prostate cancer PC-3 cells by down-regulating the expressions of the related proteins GLUT1, MMP-14, MMP-9 and MMP-2.

Evaluating the effects of transgenic Bt rice cultivation on soil stability.

Insecticidal crystal (Cry) proteins produced by genetically modified rice that enter the soil via pollen dispersal, plant residues, and root exudation may disturb soil health. In the present study, we assessed the influences of transgenic Bt rice (i.e., HH1 with Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac) cultivation on the dynamics of soil carbon and nutrients under field conditions during 2013-2016. Transgenic treatments (transgenic Bt rice vs. its parental line (i.e., MH63) of non-Bt rice) have no consistently significant effects on soil property, including available nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus, while apparent seasonal changes were observed. Besides, the variations of soil nutrients in the paddy field of transgenic Bt rice did not exceed their resistance capacities, except total organic carbon (TOC; RS (resistance) = 1.51) and total potassium (TK; RS = 2.62) in 2013 and TK (RS = 1.94) in 2014. However, the TOC and soil nutrient of TK in the paddy field of transgenic Bt rice have recovered to the pre-perturbation status after harvest (RL (resilience) = 1.01, F = 0.01, P = 0.91; RL = 0.98, F = 0.34, P = 0.58; RL = 0.99, F = 1.26, P = 0.29). Moreover, the paddy yield of transgenic Bt rice was consistently higher than that of its parental line of non-Bt rice. These results suggested that the cultivation of transgenic Bt rice has no adverse impact on soil stability in terms of soil carbon and nutrients and paddy yield.

Effects of seed mixture sowing with transgenic Bt rice and its parental line on the population dynamics of target stemborers and leafrollers, and non-target planthoppers.

The widespread planting of insect-resistant crops has caused a dramatic shift in agricultural landscapes, thus raising concerns about the potential impacts on both target and non-target pests. In this study, we examined the potential effects of intra-specific seed mixture sowing with transgenic Bt rice (Bt) and its parental non-transgenic line (Nt) (100% Bt rice [Bt100 ], 5% Nt+95% Bt [Nt05 Bt95 ], 10% Nt+90% Bt [Nt10 Bt90 ], 20% Nt+80% Bt [Nt20 Bt80 ], 40% Nt+60% Bt [Nt40 Bt60 ] and 100% Nt rice [Nt100 ]) on target and non-target pests in a 2-year field trial in southern China. The occurrence of target pests, Sesamia inferens, Chilo suppressalis and Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, decreased with the increased ratio of Bt rice, and the mixture ratios with more than 90% Bt rice (Bt100 and Nt05 Bt95 ) significantly increased the pest suppression efficiency, with the lowest occurrences of non-target planthoppers, Nilaparvata lugens and Sogatella furcifera in Nt100 and Nt05 Bt95 . Furthermore, there were no significant differences in 1000-grain dry weight and grain dry weight per 100 plants between Bt100 and Nt05 Bt95 . Seed mixture sowing of Bt rice with ≤10% (especially 5%) of its parent line was sufficient to overcome potential compliance issues that exist with the use of block or structured refuge to provide most effective control of both target and non-target pests without compromising the grain yield. It is also expected that the strategy of seed mixture sowing with transgenic Bt rice and the non-transgenic parental line would provide rice yield stability while decreasing the insecticide use frequency in rice production.