To investigate the impact of preoperative serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels on the probability of testicular sperm retrieval, we conducted a study of nonobstructive azoospermic (NOA) men with different testicular volumes (TVs) who underwent microdissection testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE). A total of 177 NOA patients undergoing micro-TESE for the first time from April 2019 to November 2022 in Shenzhen Zhongshan Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital (formerly Shenzhen Zhongshan Urology Hospital, Shenzhen, China) were retrospectively reviewed. The subjects were divided into four groups based on average TV quartiles. Serum hormone levels in each TV group were compared between positive and negative sperm retrieval subgroups. Overall sperm retrieval rate was 57.6%. FSH levels (median [interquartile range]) were higher in the positive sperm retrieval subgroup compared with the negative outcome subgroup when average TV was <5 ml (first quartile [Q1: TV <3 ml]: 43.32 [17.92] IU l -1 vs 32.95 [18.56] IU l -1 , P = 0.048; second quartile [Q2: 3 ml ≤ TV <5 ml]: 31.31 [15.37] IU l -1 vs 25.59 [18.40] IU l -1 , P = 0.042). Elevated serum FSH levels were associated with successful micro-TESE sperm retrieval in NOA men whose average TVs were <5 ml (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.06 per unit increase; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-1.11; P = 0.011). In men with TVs ≥5 ml, larger TVs were associated with lower odds of sperm retrieval (adjusted OR: 0.84 per 1 ml increase; 95% CI: 0.71-0.98; P = 0.029). In conclusion, elevated serum FSH levels were associated with positive sperm retrieval in micro-TESE in NOA men with TVs <5 ml. In men with TV ≥5 ml, increases in average TVs were associated with lower odds of sperm retrieval.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/surgery* ; Sperm Retrieval/statistics & numerical data* ; Adult ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone/blood* ; Retrospective Studies ; Testis/pathology* ; Microdissection ; Organ Size

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the factors affecting ferric chloride (FeCl₃) - induced carotid artery thrombosis model experiment. METHODS: After the common carotid artery was damaged by FeCl₃, the injured vessels were dissected for fixation, embedding, frozen section, and then processed HE staining. The carotid thrombus area ratio was calculated. We examined the effect of FeCl₃ concentration (5%, 10% and 15%), reaction time (2, 4 and 6 min), and recipient mouse age (4-5, 6-8 and 10 weeks) on the formation and stability of arterial thrombosis model. The model was injected through the post-glomus venous plexus of mouse eyeball with 0.075 μg/g and 0.1 μg/g R300 to verify the accuracy of the FeCl₃-induced model on thrombus formation by adjusting the platelet number. RESULTS: HE staining showed that thrombus formation induced by 10% and 15% FeCl₃ was more stable, dense and larger than 5% FeCl₃-induced thrombosis. 10% FeCl₃ induced the formation of dense and large thrombosis after 4 and 6 minutes of vascular endothelium injury, while the thrombosis induced for 2 minutes were looser and smaller in area. Mouse age can not affect thrombus formation and stability, because there were no significant differences in the formation of dense thrombus and thrombus area induced by 10% FeCl₃ among three different age groups of mice. CONCLUSION Many factors affect the formation and stability of arterial thrombosis model induced by FeCl₃. This optimal experimental conditions for construction of a stable carotid artery thrombosis model are 10% FeCl₃, 4 minutes for injury, and 6-8 week old mice.
Animals ; Mice ; Ferric Compounds/adverse effects* ; Chlorides ; Disease Models, Animal ; Carotid Artery Thrombosis/chemically induced* ; Male

177Lu-prostate specific membrane antigen(PSMA)radio-ligand therapy has been approved abroad for advanced prostate cancer and has been in several clinical trials in China.Based on domestic clinical practice and experimental data and referred to international experience and viewpoints,the expert group forms a consensus on the clinical application of 177Lu-PSMA radio-ligand therapy in prostate cancer to guide clinical practice.

Objective To evaluate the relationship between diabetic nephropathy(DN)and diabetic retinopathy(DR)in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)based on imaging and clinical testing data.Methods Totally 600 T2DM patients who visited the First People's Hospital of Ziyang from March 2021 to December 2022 were included.The fundus photography and fundus fluorescein angiography were performed on all these patients and their age,gender,T2DM duration,cardiovascular diseases,cerebrovascular disease,hypertension,smoking history,drinking history,body mass in-dex,systolic blood pressure,diastolic blood pressure and other clinical data were collected.The levels of fasting blood glu-cose(FPG),triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(TC),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),low-density lipo-protein cholesterol(LDL-C),glycosylated hemoglobin(HbA1c),24 h urinary albumin(UAlb),urinary albumin to creati-nine ratio(ACR),serum creatinine(Scr)and blood urea nitrogen(BUN)were measured.Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors associated with DR.DR staging was performed according to fundus images,and the convolutional neural network(CNN)algorithm was used as an image analysis method to explore the correlation between DR and DN based on emission computed tomography(ECT)and clinical testing data.Results The average lesion area rates of DR and DN detected by the CNN in the non-DR,mild-non-proliferative DR(NPDR),moderate-NPDR,severe-NPDR and pro-liferative DR(PDR)groups were higher than those obtained by the traditional algorithm(TCM).As DR worsened,the Scr,BUN,24 h UAlb and ACR gradually increased.Besides,the incidence of DN in the non-DR,mild-NPDR,moderate-NPDR,severe-NPDR and PDR groups was 1.67％,8.83％,16.16％,22.16％and 30.83％,respectively.Logistic regression analysis showed that the duration of T2DM,smoking history,HbA1c,TC,TG,HDL-C,LDL-C,24 h UAlb,Scr,BUN,ACR and glomerular filtration rate(GFR)were independent risk factors for DR.Renal dynamic ECT analysis demonstrated that with the aggravation of DR,renal blood flow perfusion gradually decreased,resulting in diminished renal filtration.Conclusion The application of CCN in the early stage DR and DN image analysis of T2DM patients will improve the diag-nosis accuracy of DR and DN lesion area.The DN is worsening as the aggravation of DR.

Objective:To discuss the inhibitory effect of microRNA-487a(miR-487a)on the M2 polarization of tumor-associated macrophages(TAMs)in gastric cancer,and to clarify its effect on the proliferation,invasion,and migration of the gastric cancer AGS cells.Methods:The TAMs from gastric cancer tissue and adjacent normal tissue macrophages(NTMs)from adjacent tissue of the primary gastric cancer patients were isolated and cultured.The human monocyte THP-1 cells were induced in vitro to differentiate into TAMs,and the differentiated M0,M1,and M2 macrophages were cultured for 24 h by conditioned medium(CM)to obtain the TAMs,M1-TAMs,and M2-TAMs respectively.The TAMs were transfected and then divided into blank group,inhibitor-NC group,miR-487a inhibitor group,miR-487a inhibitor+si-NC group,and miR-487a inhibitor+si-TIA1 group.The transfection efficiencies of the cells in various groups were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)and Western blotting methods.The M2-TAMs were co-cultured with the AGS cells,and divided into AGS group,AGS+inhibitor-NC group,AGS+miR-487a inhibitor group,AGS+miR-487a inhibitor+si-NC group,and AGS+miR-487a inhibitor+si-TIA1 group.RT-qPCR method was used to detect the expression levels of miR-487a and lymphocyte intracytoplasmic antigen-1(TIA1)mRNA in TAMs from gastric cancer tissue and NTMs from adjacent normal tissue in various groups;Western blotting method was used to detect the expression level of TIA1 protein in TAMs from gastric cancer tissue and NTMs from adjacent normal tissue and TAMs in various groups;flow cytometry was used to detect the levels of CD206 and CD163 in TAMs in various groups;enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to detect the levels of interleukin-10(IL-10),transforming growth factor-beta(TGF-β),vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGF-A),and arginase-1(Arg-1)in culture supernatant of the TAMs cells;CCK-8 assay was used to detect the proliferative activity of the AGS cells in various groups;wound healing assay was used to detect the migration rates of the AGS cells in various groups;Transwell assay was used to detect the number of invasion AGS cells in various groups.Results:The RT-qPCR results shoued that compared with NTMs from adjacent tissue,the expression level of miR-487a in the TAMs from gastric cancer tissue was significantly increased(P<0.01)and the expression level of TIA1 mRNA was significantly decreased(P<0.01).Compared with TAMs,the expression level of miR-487a in M1-TAMs was significantly decreased(P<0.01),and the expression level of TIA1 mRNA was increased(P<0.01);the expression level of miR-487a in M2-TAMs was significantly increased(P<0.01),and the expression level of TIA1 mRNA was decreased(P<0.01).After transfection,compared with blank group and inhibitor-NC group,the expression level of miR-487a in the cells in miR-487a inhibitor group was significantly decreased(P<0.01),indicating successful transfection.The Western blotting results showed that compared with NTMs from adjacent normal tissue,the expression level of TIA1 protein in TAMs from gastric cancer tissue was decreased(P<0.01);compared with TAMs,the expression level of T1A1 protein in M1-TAMs was significantly increased(P<0.01),and the expression of TIA1 protein in M2-TAMs was significantly decreased(P<0.01);after co-transfection,compared with inhibitor-NC group,the expression level of TIA1 protein in the cells in miR-487a inhibitor group was significantly increased(P<0.01);compared with miR-487a inhibitor+si-NC group,the expression level of TIA1 protein in the cells in miR-487a inhibitor+si-TIA1 group was significantly decreased(P<0.01).The flow cytometry results showed that compared with blank group and inhibitor-NC group,the levels of CD206 and CD163 in the cells in miR-487a inhibitor group were significantly decreased(P<0.01);after co-transfection,compared with inhibitor-NC group,the levels of CD206 and CD163 in the cells in miR-487a inhibitor group were significantly decreased(P<0.01);compared with miR-487a inhibitor+si-NC group,the levels of CD206 and CD163 in the cells in miR-487a inhibitor+si-TIA1 group were significantly increased(P<0.01).The ELISA results showed that compared with blank group and inhibitor-NC group,the levels of IL-10,TGF-β,VEGF-A,and Arg-1 in culture supernatant of the TAMs in miR-487a inhibitor group were significantly decreased(P<0.01);after co-transfection,compared with inhibitor-NC group,the levels of IL-10,TGF-β,VEGF-A,and Arg-1 in culture supernatant of the TAMs in miR-487a inhibitor group were significantly decreased(P<0.01);compared with miR-487a inhibitor+si-NC group,the levels of IL-10,TGF-β,VEGF-A,and Arg-1 in culture supernatant of the TAMs in miR-487a inhibitor+si-TIA1 group were significantly increased(P<0.01).The CCK-8 assay results showed that compared with AGS group,the proliferation activity of the cells in AGS+inhibitor-NC group was significantly increased(P<0.01);compared with AGS+inhibitor-NC group,the proliferation activity of the cells in AGS+miR-487a inhibitor group was significantly decreased(P<0.01);compared with AGS+miR-487a inhibitor+si-NC group,the proliferation activity of the cells in AGS+miR-487a inhibitor+si-TIA1 group was significantly increased(P<0.01).The wound healing assay results showed that compared with AGS group,the migration rate of the cells in AGS+inhibitor-NC group was significantly(P<0.05);compared with AGS+inhibitor-NC group,the migration rate of the cells in AGS+miR-487a inhibitor group was significantly decreased(P<0.01);compared with AGS+miR-487a inhibitor+si-NC group,the migration rate of the cells in AGS+miR-487a inhibitor+si-TIA1 group was significantly increased(P<0.05).The Transwell assay results showed that compared with AGS group,the number of invasion AGS cells in AGS+inhibitor-NC group was significantly increased(P<0.01);compared with AGS+inhibitor-NC group,the number of invasion AGS cells in AGS+miR-487a inhibitor group was significantly decreased(P<0.01);compared with AGS+miR-487a inhibitor+si-NC group,the number of invasion AGS cells in AGS+miR-487a inhibitor+si-TIA1 group was significantly increased(P<0.01).Conclusion:Silencing the miR-487a expression can inhibit the M2 polarization of the gastric cancer-associated macrophages by targeted upregulation of TIA1,and suppress the proliferation,migration,and invasion of the gastric cancer cells.

Objective:To investigate the effect of overexpression of T cell restricted intracellular antigen 1(TIA1)gene in M2-type tumor-associated macrophages(M2-TAMs)on invasion and migration of gastric cancer cells and its mechanism.Methods:Primary TAMs were extracted from gastric cancer tissues and induced to differentiate into M2-TAMs using IL-4 and IL-13.The TIA1 overex-pression plasmid(oe-TIA1)and its empty vector were transfected into M2-TAMs.The expression levels of TIA1 mRNA and protein were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot.The expression levels of CD206 and CD163 were detected by flow cytometry.The levels of IL-10,TGF-β,VEGF-A and Arg-1 in cell culture supernatant were detected by ELISA.The transfected M2-TAMs were co-cultured with gastric cancer BGC-823 cells by Transwell co-cultivation system,and PI3K agonist 740Y-P was used to intervene in parallel.The cell migration ability was detected by scratch assay.Transwell assay was used to detect cell invasion ability.Protein expression levels of PI3K,p-PI3K,AKT,p-AKT,MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the cells were detected by Western blot.Results:①Compared with primary TAMs,the levels of CD206 and CD163 expression in M2-TAMs cells and IL-10,TGF-β,VEGF-A and Arg-1 in cell culture superna-tant were significantly increased(P<0.05),while the expression levels of TIA1 mRNA and protein were significantly decreased(P<0.05).Overexpression of TIA1 gene significantly decreased the expression levels of CD206 and CD163 in M2-TAMs and IL-10,TGF-β,VEGF-A and Arg-1 in cell culture supernatant(P<0.05).②Overexpression of TIA1 gene in M2-TAMs could significantly reduce the migration and invasion ability and the expression levels of p-PI3K/PI3K,p-AKT/AKT,MMP-2 and MMP-9 proteins in BGC-823 cells(P<0.05).③740Y-P could significantly reverse the inhibitory effects of overexpression of TIA1 gene in M2-TAMs on migration,inva-sion and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway of BGC-823 cells.Conclusion:Overexpression of TIA1 gene in M2-TAMs can affect the inva-sion and migration of gastric cancer cells by blocking the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Objective:To investigate how reactive oxygen species(ROS)regulates the signal transduction of platelet activation and apoptosis,and to explore the relationship between platelet activation and apoptosis.Methods:Platelets were directly stimulated with thrombin or pretreated with ROS inhibitor N-acetylcysteine(NAC)before being stimulated with thrombin,and then flow cytometry was used to detect the effects of thrombin and NAC on P-selectin expression,αⅡbβ3 activation,mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization,phosphatidylserine(PS)externalization,ROS expression and platelet aggregation.Results:Thrombin could induce the production of ROS in platelets in a concentration-and time-dependent manner.0.01 U thrombin induced ROS-dependent high degree of integrin αⅡbβ3 activation,P-selectin expression,and platelet aggregation.The platelets induced by different concentration gradients of thrombin exhibited ROS-dependent mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization and PS externalization in platelets.After induction with thrombin for 30 min,the activation of integrin αⅡbβ3 in platelets reached its maximum level,and after 60 minutes,the depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential in platelets reached its maximum level.However,the expression of P-selectin,depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential,and platelet aggregation function were all inhibited to a certain extent when the platelets were pretreated with ROS inhibitor NAC and then induced with thrombin.Conclusion:When platelets are induced by thrombin,ROS first regulates the activation of platelets,and then regulates the apoptosis of platelets.Both platelet activation and apoptosis depend on the production of ROS in platelets,and the signals of activation and apoptosis occur orderly.Inhibiting the ROS signal in platelets can effectively inhibit the activation and apoptosis of platelets.

Based on the focal adhesion kinase(FAK)/steroid receptor coactivator(Src)/extracellular regulated protein kinase(ERK) pathway, this study explored the effects of Xihuang Pills on angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis in prostate cancer. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS) was used to analyze and identify the active ingredients of Xihuang Pills. Bioinformatics techniques, including R language and Perl programs, were employed to analyze the interactions between prostate cancer-related targets and the potential targets of Xihuang Pills. A subcutaneous transplantation tumor model of prostate cancer was established in nude mice using PC3 cells to verify the efficacy and molecular mechanisms of Xihuang Pills. In vitro cellular experiments, including cell proliferation assays(CCK-8), Transwell assays, scratch assays, real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR, and Western blot, were used to detect the effects of Xihuang Pills on the proliferation, invasion, and migration of prostate cancer cells, as well as on FAK/Src/ERK pathway-related targets. LC-MS/MS identified 99 active ingredients in Xihuang Pills, including gallic acid, gentisic acid, artemisinin, corilagin, phenylbutazone-glucoside, thujic acid, and arecoic acid B. Network pharmacological analysis of the active ingredients in Xihuang Pills revealed that the FAK/Src/ERK signaling pathway was a key pathway in its anti-prostate cancer effects. In vivo and in vitro experiments confirmed that Xihuang Pills significantly inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of PC3 and LNCaP cells, suppressed the growth of PC3 subcutaneous tumors, and reduced the protein expression levels related to the FAK/Src/ERK signaling pathway. In conclusion, the inhibition of angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis by regulating the FAK/Src/ERK pathway is one of the mechanisms by which Xihuang Pills exert anti-prostate cancer effects.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms/enzymology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Animals ; Mice ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Mice, Nude ; Cell Movement/drug effects* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; src-Family Kinases/genetics* ; Neovascularization, Pathologic/metabolism* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Focal Adhesion Kinase 1/genetics* ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/genetics* ; MAP Kinase Signaling System/drug effects* ; Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Angiogenesis