Objective To analyze the clinical features of patients with prostate adenocarcinoma under 50 years.Methods Between January 2008 and April 2014,we reviewed 21 cases with prostate cancer under 50 years old.The mean age in those patients was 48 years old (ranged 42-49 years old).Their tPSA level was elevated,including＞10 μg/L in 17 cases,4-10 μg/L in 4 cases.21 cases were all confirmed by pathology.The results Gleason score showed 6 scores in 3 cases,7 scores in 6 cases (3+4 scores in 5 cases and 4+3 scores in one case),8 scores in 7 cases and 9 scores in 5 cases.In the study,clinical stage was for T2N0M0 in 16 cases,T3N0M0 in 1 case,T4NxM0 in 1 case and T3-4N1M1 in 3 cases.The treatments were hormonal therapy was chosen in 5 cases and radical prostatectomy was performed in 16 cases,including 16 cases with T2N0M0 stage and one case with T3N0M0.Results In those patients who accepted the radical prostatectomy,the duration of follow-up ranged from 3 to 65 months (mean 23 months).During the follow-up,14 patients had a lower incidence of biochemical recurrence.1 patient (T2,PSA 82.8 μg/L,GS 9) had external beam radiotherapy one month after the radical prostatectomy because of tumor invasion into the prostatic capsule.Then his PSA level returned to the 0.2 μg/L.1 patient (T3,PSA 38.9 μg/L,GS 8) had external beam radiotherapy 18 months after the radical prostatectomy because of biochemical recurrence and the tPSA level returned to the 4.0 μg/L.All patients who underwent radical prostatectomy had favourable recovery of urinary continence.In 5 patients who had androgen deprivation therapy,2 patients died after 63 or 65 months and one patient was lost to follow-up.The PSA level in one patient decreased from 71.8 μg/L to 2 μg/L after four months treatment.One patient had castration resistant prostate cancer and the adjuvant external beam radiotherapy was considered,subsequently.Conclusions Men under the 50 years old,who are diagnosed with localised prostate cancer,usually demonstrated the early clinic stage and high Gleason scores.It should not be discouraged from RP.Young men with metastatic prostate cancer have a poor prognosis.

OBJECTIVETo discuss the impacts of moxibustion for regulating spleen and stomach function on the survival quality of the patients of end stage renal disease (ESRD) with maintenance hemodialysis (MHD).

METHODSOne hundred and nine cases of uremia with MHD from 3 hemodialysis centers were randomized into an observation group (58 cases) and a control group (51 cases). The regular hemodialysis and conventional medication were used in the two groups. In the observation group, on the basis of the common treatment, moxibustion was applied to Zusanli (ST 36) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6), 2-3 times a day, the treatment of 4 weeks made one session. Totally, 3 sessions were required and the follow-up lasted for 3 months. KDQOL-SF (kidney disease quality of life short form,KDQOL-SFTM 1. 3) was adopted for the questionnaire investigation on survival quality before treatment, after treatment and at the end of follow-up separately in the two groups.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the survival quality scores in terms of physical functioning (83.62+/-13.27 vs 79.32+/- 22. 17), general health (58. 88+/- 20.24 vs 48.82+/-20.89) and vitality (77.07+/-15.56 vs 70. 59+/-22.61) in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (all P<0. 05). In comparison before and after treatment in the same group, the survival quality scores in terms of physical functioning, general health, vitality and symptoms/problems were all improved in the observation group (all P<0. 05). At the end of follow-up, the survival quality scores in terms of physical functioning, general health, mental health, social functioning, vitality, effects of kidney disease and cognitive function were higher in the observation group as compared with those in the control group (all P<0. 05). In comparison of the results at the end of follow-up with those before treatment, the survival quality scores in terms of vitality, symptoms/problems and cognitive function in the observation group were improved (all P< 0. 05). The differences were not significant in all of the 19 fields of survival quality evaluation before and after treatment, and after follow-up in the control group (all P>0. 05).

CONCLUSIONMoxibustion for regulating spleen and stomach function improves the survival quality of the patients with hemodialysis in terms of physical functioning, general health and vitality, which benefits the psychological condition of the patients, resulting in the improvements of the survival quality in the fields of mental health, social functioning, effects of kidney disease and cognitive function.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion ; Quality of Life ; Renal Dialysis ; Spleen ; physiopathology ; Stomach ; physiopathology

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of Bushen Tongmai Recipe (, BSTMR) on mRNA and protein expressions of protein kinase B alpha (PKB alpha) in hepatic, adipose, muscular, and ovarian tissues of polycystic ovary (PCO) rats with insulin resistance (IR) and to explore the possible molecular mechanism of BSTMR in treating IR and ovulation dysfunction.

METHODSFemale 22-day-old SD rats were injected subcutaneously with sodium prasterone sulfate (9 mg.100g(-1).d(-1)) for 20 days and fed with high-fat diet for 80 days to induce PCO rats with IR. Then, the PCO rats were randomly divided into the model group (n=23) and the treated group (n=21). The treated group was administered with BSTMR for 2 weeks. Meanwhile, a group with 15 rats of the same age was used as the control group. The histological changes in the ovaries were examined. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) was determined by the glucose oxidase method. Serum fasting insulin (Fins) was determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA). The mRNA level of PKBalpha was measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Immunohistochemistry staining and Western blot analysis were employed to detect the protein expression in target tissues.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the ovaries in the model group showed multiple follicular cysts, levels of FBG and Fins in the model group increased markedly (P<0.05 or P<0.01, respectively), and the insulin sensitive index (ISI) decreased obviously (P<0.01). The mRNA and protein expressions of PKBalpha in target tissues in the model group were dramatically lower than those in the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the stratum granulosum of the ovarian follicle in the treated group increased markedly, the level of Fins in the treated group decreased obviously (P<0.01), ISI in the treated group improved markedly (P<0.01), and the mRNA and protein expressions of PKBalpha in target tissues of the treated rats were elevated significantly (P<0.05 or P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONBSTMR could improve IR and ovulation dysfunction in PCO rats with IR, and its molecular mechanisms might be closely related with the elevation of mRNA and protein expressions of PKBalpha in target tissues of PCO rats with IR.

Animals ; Blood Glucose ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Fasting ; blood ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic ; drug effects ; Insulin ; blood ; Insulin Resistance ; physiology ; Organ Specificity ; drug effects ; Ovary ; drug effects ; enzymology ; pathology ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ; blood ; drug therapy ; enzymology ; physiopathology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs, mediate gene expression by either cleaving target mRNAs or inhibiting their translation. They have key roles in the tumorigenesis of several cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of miR-638 in the evaluation of NSCLC patient prognosis in response to chemotherapy. First, we detected miR-638 expression levels in vitro in the culture supernatants of the NSCLC cell line SPC-A1 treated with cisplatin, as well as the apoptosis rates of SPC-A1. Second, serum miR-638 expression levels were detected in vivo by using nude mice xenograft models bearing SPC-A1 with and without cisplatin treatment. In the clinic, the serum miR-638 levels of 200 cases of NSCLC patients before and after chemotherapy were determined by quantitative real-time PCR, and the associations of clinicopathological features with miR-638 expression patterns after chemotherapy were analyzed. Our data helped in demonstrating that cisplatin induced apoptosis of the SPC-A1 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner accompanied by increased miR-638 expression levels in the culture supernatants. In vivo data further revealed that cisplatin induced miR-638 upregulation in the serum derived from mice xenograft models, and in NSCLC patient sera, miR-638 expression patterns after chemotherapy significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis. Moreover, survival analyses revealed that patients who had increased miR-638 levels after chemotherapy showed significantly longer survival time than those who had decreased miR-638 levels. Our findings suggest that serum miR-638 levels are associated with the survival of NSCLC patients and may be considered a potential independent predictor for NSCLC prognosis.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents/*therapeutic use ; Biomarkers, Tumor/blood/genetics ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/blood/diagnosis/*drug therapy/genetics ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cisplatin/*therapeutic use ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects ; Humans ; Lung/*drug effects/metabolism/pathology ; Lung Neoplasms/blood/diagnosis/*drug therapy/genetics ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; MicroRNAs/blood/*genetics ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Survival Analysis ; Treatment Outcome

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs, mediate gene expression by either cleaving target mRNAs or inhibiting their translation. They have key roles in the tumorigenesis of several cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of miR-638 in the evaluation of NSCLC patient prognosis in response to chemotherapy. First, we detected miR-638 expression levels in vitro in the culture supernatants of the NSCLC cell line SPC-A1 treated with cisplatin, as well as the apoptosis rates of SPC-A1. Second, serum miR-638 expression levels were detected in vivo by using nude mice xenograft models bearing SPC-A1 with and without cisplatin treatment. In the clinic, the serum miR-638 levels of 200 cases of NSCLC patients before and after chemotherapy were determined by quantitative real-time PCR, and the associations of clinicopathological features with miR-638 expression patterns after chemotherapy were analyzed. Our data helped in demonstrating that cisplatin induced apoptosis of the SPC-A1 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner accompanied by increased miR-638 expression levels in the culture supernatants. In vivo data further revealed that cisplatin induced miR-638 upregulation in the serum derived from mice xenograft models, and in NSCLC patient sera, miR-638 expression patterns after chemotherapy significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis. Moreover, survival analyses revealed that patients who had increased miR-638 levels after chemotherapy showed significantly longer survival time than those who had decreased miR-638 levels. Our findings suggest that serum miR-638 levels are associated with the survival of NSCLC patients and may be considered a potential independent predictor for NSCLC prognosis.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents/*therapeutic use ; Biomarkers, Tumor/blood/genetics ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/blood/diagnosis/*drug therapy/genetics ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cisplatin/*therapeutic use ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects ; Humans ; Lung/*drug effects/metabolism/pathology ; Lung Neoplasms/blood/diagnosis/*drug therapy/genetics ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; MicroRNAs/blood/*genetics ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Survival Analysis ; Treatment Outcome

To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of external therapies of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) combined with sodium hyaluronate(SH) injected in articular cavity therapy on knee osteoarthritis(KOA). The following databases such as CNKI, WanFang, VIP, CBM, PubMed and Medline were researched to collect the randomized controlled trails on external therapies of TCM combined with sodium hyaluronate injected in articular cavity therapy on KOA. The selection of studies, assessment of methodological quality and data extraction were performed independently by two researchers. The methodological quality was assessed by using the Cochrane system evaluation methodology and Meta-analysis were performed by using Cochrane Collaboration's the RevMan 5.3 software. Forteen studies involving 1 449 patients were included. All of the trails were not adequate enough in methodological quality. Meta-analysis indicated that compared with control group, external therapies of TCM combined with sodium hyaluronate injected in articular cavity could raise effectiv rate(<0.000 01) and cure-rate(<0.000 01), improve Lysholm score(=0.003) and reduce VAS score(<0.000 1). But two groups have no difference in Womac score (=0.13).Compared with the treatment with sodium hyaluronate injected in articular cavity, external therapies of TCM combined with sodium hyaluronate injected in articular cavity, a promising treatment options, can be complementary advantages, improve the clinical curativ effect. But it still needs low risk and high quality clinical trials to verify.

Taking lipophagy as the breakthrough point, we explored the mechanism of Zexie Decoction(ZXD) in improving lipid metabolism in the hepatocyte model induced by palmitic acid(PA) and in the animal model induced by high-fat diet(HFD) on the basis of protein kinase B(Akt)/transcription factor EB(TFEB) signaling pathway. Co-localization was carried out for the microtubule-associated protein light chain 3(LC3) plasmid labeled with green fluorescent protein(GFP) and lipid droplets(LDs), and immunofluorescence co-localization for liver LC3 of HFD mice and perilipin 2(PLIN2). The results showed that ZXD up-regulated the expression of LC3, reduced lipid accumulation in hepatocytes, and increased the co-localization of LC3 and LDs, thereby activating lipo-phagy. Western blot results confirmed that ZXD increased autophagy-related protein LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ transformation ratio and lysosome-associated membrane protein 2(LAMP2) in vivo and in vitro and promoted the degradation of sequestosome-1(SQSTM1/p62)(P<0.05). The results above jointly explained that ZXD regulated lipophagy. Furthermore, ZXD activated TFEB expression(P<0.05) and reversed the PA-and HFD-induced decrease of TFEB nuclear localization in hepatocytes(P<0.05). Meanwhile, ZXD activated liver TFEB to up-regulate the expression of the targets Lamp2, Lc3 B, Bcl2, and Atg5(P<0.05). Additionally, ZXD down-regulated the protein level of p-Akt upstream of TFEB in vivo and in vitro. In conclusion, ZXD may promote lipophagy by regulating the Akt/TFEB pathway.
Animals ; Mice ; Autophagy/drug effects* ; Hepatocytes/metabolism* ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*