Effectiveness of transforaminal approach spinal endoscopy in the treatment of patients with lumbar disc herniation and the factors affecting its efficacy.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the surgical metrics, improvement of functional scores, and clinical efficacy of percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy (PETD) and percutaneous endoscopic interlaminar discectomy (PEID) and to analyze the independent risk factors affecting the therapeutic efficacy of PETD. METHODS: The clinical data of LDH (lumbar disc herniation) patients who underwent treatment in Shaanxi Provincial Nuclear Industry 215 Hospital from May 2020 to May 2022 were retrospectively collected, including 70 PEID cases and 74 PETD cases. The two groups were compared in terms of surgical indexes, such as operation time and bleeding volume, as well as changes in functional scores, such as preoperative and postoperative Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). The clinical efficacy was evaluated according to the Macnab criteria, and logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent influencing factors of the treatment efficacy of PETD. RESULTS: The differences between the two surgical groups were statistically significant in terms of operation time (P<0.001), bleeding (P=0.005), and C-arm X-ray exposure times (P<0.001), and the above indexes were higher in the PETD group; however, there were no statistical differences in terms of improvement in functional scores (P>0.05) and clinical efficacy (P>0.05) between the two groups. BMI≥25 kg/m2 (P=0.001), severe disc degeneration (P=0.003), and operation time ≥60 min (P=0.003), severe disc degeneration (P=0.003), and operation time ≥60 min (P=0.036) were independent risk factors for the outcome of PETD. CONCLUSION: The clinical effectiveness of PEID and PETD in treating LDH is comparable, and each has its own advantages. While PETD is more technically demanding, it does not yield superior results. Obesity, severe disc degeneration, and prolonged surgery are risk factors for the treatment efficacy of PETD.

An updated patent review of glutaminase inhibitors (2019-2022).

INTRODUCTION: Kidney-type glutaminase (GLS1), a key enzyme controlling the hydrolysis of glutamine to glutamate to resolve the 'glutamine addiction' of cancer cells, has been shown to play a central role in supporting cancer growth and proliferation. Therefore, the inhibition of GLS1 as a novel cancer treating strategy is of great interest. AREAS COVERED: This review covers recent patents (2019-present) involving GLS1 inhibitors, which are mostly focused on their chemical structures, molecular mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetic properties, and potential clinical applications. EXPERT OPINION: Currently, despite significant efforts, the search for potent GLS1 inhibitors has not resulted in the development of compounds for therapeutic applications. Most recent patents and literature focus on GLS1 inhibitors IPN60090 and DRP104, which have entered clinical trials. While other patent disclosures during this period have not generated any drug candidates, the clinical update will inform the potential of these inhibitors as promising therapeutic agents either as single or as combination interventions.

Evolution of renal cyst to renal carcinoma: a case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Renal cyst is a common benign disease which is rare to progress from simple renal cyst to renal cell carcinoma. CASE PRESENTATION: A 62-year-old woman who suffered a simple renal cyst for over 20 years complained intermittent lumbar in recent 2 years. At her latest admission, the cyst lesion displayed enhancement in the cystic wall by CT scan and cystic to partially solid change by ultrasound, so we did a partial nephrectomy and found that the cystic lesion had become a cyst-solid transition. The pathology turned out to be renal clear cell carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Although the canceration of a renal cyst is a small probability event, patients with a long history of a cyst, especially those with symptoms, need to seek for medical treatment in time, and if necessary, lesion biopsy or resection may be under consideration.

Reduced PDZRN4 promotes breast cancer progression and predicts poor prognosis.

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most lethal types of cancer throughout the world due its proliferation and invasion. PDZ domain containing ring finger 4 (PDZRN4) belongs to the LNX family, which has E3 ubiquitin ligase activity and is involved in the progression of cancer. However, the role of PDZRN4 in the progression of BC remains unknown. In the present study, the public database Oncomine was used to detect PDZRN4 expression for primary screening. BC tissues and matched normal tissues were collected for detection of expression and cohort analysis. BC cells were used for invasion and proliferation function tests in vitro and in vivo. The results revealed that both the mRNA and protein levels of PDZRN4 in the BC tissues were markedly reduced compared to normal tissues. The expression of PDZRN4 was significantly correlated with LNM, histological grade and perineural invasion. Prognostic analysis confirmed that PDZRN4 expression is an independent risk factor for overall survival and disease-free survival of patients with BC. The functional experiments demonstrated that knockdown of PDZRN4 significantly improved the invasive and proliferative abilities of BT-20 cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, overexpression of PDZRN4 markedly inhibited the malignant aspects of MDA-MB-231 cells. Therefore, reduced PDZRN4 correlates with the progression of BC and may act as a novel prognostic marker for patients with BC.