BACKGROUND:Numerous diseases like cardiac hypertrophy and intervertebral disc degeneration are known to be implicated in the changes of mechanical stress acting on surrounding tissues or cells, and autophagy contributes to the pathogenesis of these diseases. OBJECTIVE:To review the effects of mechanical factors on autophagy in different tissues and the underlying molecular mechanisms, thereby providing references for the research of autophagy and the prevention and treatment of related diseases. METHODS:A search of Web of Science and PubMed databases was performed for the literatures addressing the effects of mechanical factors on autophagy using the English keywords ofautophagy, mechanicaland the articles were summarized systematically. Finally, 52 literatures were enrolled according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Mechanical factors make great effects on autophagy of various cells, such as myocardial cells, endothelial cells, chondrocytes and skeletal muscle cells. Autophagy is a self-protective reaction, and the mechanical stress of physiological conditions induces autophagy to maintain cellhomeostasis, normal function and survival. The mechanism of autophagy induced by mechanical stress may involve PI3K-AKT-mTOR, oxygen free radical, AKT-FoxO and other pathways, and the definite mechanism needs to be further studied.

Objective:To summarize the patient profiles and therapeutic efficacies of ABO-incompatible living-related kidney transplantations at 19 domestic transplant centers and provide rationales for clinical application of ABOi-KT.Methods:Clinical cases of ABO-incompatible/compatible kidney transplantation (ABOi-KT/ABOc-KT) from December 2006 to December 2009 were collected. Then, statistical analyses were conducted from the aspects of tissue matching, perioperative managements, complications and survival rates of renal allograft or recipients.Results:Clinical data of 342 ABOi-KT and 779 ABOc-KT indicated that (1) no inter-group differences existed in age, body mass index (BMI), donor-recipient relationship or waiting time of pre-operative dialysis; (2) ABO blood type: blood type O recipients had the longest waiting list and transplantations from blood type A to blood type O accounted for the largest proportion; (3) HLA matching: no statistical significance existed in mismatch rate or positive rate of PRA I/II between two types of surgery; (4) CD20 should be properly used on the basis of different phrases; (5) hemorrhage was a common complication during an early postoperative period and microthrombosis appeared later; (6) no difference existed in postoperative incidence of complications or survival rate of renal allograft and recipients at 1/3/5/10 years between ABOi-KT and ABOc-KT. The acute rejection rate and serum creatinine levels of ABOi-KT recipients were comparable to those of ABOc-KT recipients within 1 year.Conclusions:ABOi-KT is both safe and effective so that it may be applied at all transplant centers as needed.