Objective To observe the expression of inducible factor 1(HIF‐1) ,vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and miRNA‐210 and explore the regulatory mechanism after unilateral ureteral occlusion (UUO) .Methods UUO models are made by ligation unilateral ureteral with silk ,and they were divided into sham group and UUO group .All the mice were sacrificed by cer‐vical dislocation after 2 ,5 ,9 and 14 d of UUO .The kidney samples were examined for HIF‐1 mRNA ,VEGF mRNA and miRNA‐210 by quantitative real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) ,and HIF‐1 protein by Western blot . Results The expression level of HIF‐1 mRNA was gradually raised after UUO (P<0 .05) ,and compared with the sham group ,the expression level of VEGF mRNA and miRNA‐210 were up regulated after 2 d of UUO and down regulated after 5 ,9 and 14 d of UUO compared with the sham group (P<0 .05);the expression level of HIF‐1 protein increased after UUO compared to the sham group .Conclusion The results of the level of HIF‐1 protein increased and VEGF mRNA and miRNA‐210 were up regulated ,which might be related to the adaptive response of kidney hypoxia and ischemia after UUO .

Objective:Objectives To introduce the preliminary experience of flexible vacuum-assisted ureteral access sheath(FV-UAS) in the treatment of upper urinary calculi in retrograde intrarenal lithotripsy(RIRS).Methods:The clinical data of 11 patients with upper urinary calculi who were treated in Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital from August to September 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 6 males and 5 females, with the mean age of 48 years (32-72 years), the mean size of stone of 15.5 mm (11-20mm), and the mean stone volume of 1 958 mm3 (1 108-4 036 mm3), including 1 case with upper ureteral calculi, 10 cases with renal calculi, and 2 cases with calculi in multiple renal calyces. Ureteral stents were placed in 2 cases preoperatively. There were 2 cases of grade Ⅱ hydronephrosis according to Grignon classification. All patients were treated by retrograde intrarenal lithotripsy, and the FV-UAS(F12/14) was used during the operation. FV-UAS can be passively bent(>90°) with the bending of the flexible ureteroscopy(f-URS), and connect vacuum suction devices. The method of placing the FV-UAS during the operation was the same as traditional ureteral access sheath. The FV-UAS should be as close to the target stone as possible by the f-URS during the operation. F6 ureteral stent was routinely indwelled for 2-4 weeks. The operation time, postoperative complications, and stone volume clearance rate were summarized and analyzed, and stone volume clearance rate was calculated as(1-residual stone volume/preoperative stone volume)×100%. The stone volume was obtained by CT 3-D reconstruction preoperatively and first day postoperatively.Results:All patients underwent RIRS successfully at the first stage, with the usage of FV-UAS(F12/14)during the operation. The mean operation time was 57.1 minutes(34-90 minutes), and the mean stone volume clearance rate was 98.9%(94.8%-100.0%)on the first day postoperatively. Seven cases reached 100.0% stone-free rate, and 4 cases presented residual calculi. The mean hemoglobin drop was 0.8 g/L, and 1 case presented vomiting without fever on the first day postoperatively. For the 4 cases with residual calculi, no residual stone was found by B-ultrasound when the ureteral stent was removed.Conclusions:Our preliminary study found that it is feasible and safe to use FV-UAS in RIRS, which can follow the f-URS to extend into the renal pelvis and renal calyces. Vacuum-assist can increase the probability of stone-free.