PURPOSE: We evaluated the impact of collagenase clostridium histolyticum (CCH) on rates of diagnosis, treatment, and corporal rupture in Peyronie's disease (PD). We examined the impact of CCH on cost of PD treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We extracted data on PD diagnosis (ICD-9 607.95 and ICD-10 N48.6), corporal rupture (ICD-9 959.13 and ICD-10 S39.840A), CCH use (J0775), penile injections (CPT 54200), and corporal rupture repair from 2008 to 2016 in men over 40 years old using the Clinformatics® Data Mart Database (3.7 to 4.9 million males). We analyzed for prevalence of PD, rates of PD treatments, cost associated with treatment, and rates of corporal rupture and repair by year. RESULTS: The prevalence of PD was 0.29% in 2013 and did not increase after CCH entered the market in 2014. An average of 2.52% of men with PD received treatment before CCH, compared with 3.75% after (p<0.0001). Penile injection rates increased (1.34% vs. 2.61%, p<0.0001), while rates of surgical treatments decreased between these periods. There was no change in rate of corporal rupture in men with PD before (0.024%) and after (0.024%) CCH. Overall, only 20.0% of corporal ruptures were repaired. After CCH entered practice, a significant increase in cost occurred (p=0.013). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of men with PD did not change after CCH. However, more men with PD received treatment due to an increase in penile injections. The cost of treating PD increased after CCH became available. The overall prevalence of corporal rupture did not change after CCH entered the market.
Clostridium histolyticum ; Clostridium ; Diagnosis ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; International Classification of Diseases ; Male ; Microbial Collagenase ; Penile Induration ; Prevalence ; Rupture ; United States

Background: Both intra-abdominal fat (IAF) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are known to be associated with cardiometabolic health. We evaluated whether the accumulation of computed tomography (CT)-measured IAF over 5 years was related to baseline HDL-C concentration in a prospective cohort study. Methods: All participants were Japanese-Americans between the ages of 34 and 74 years. Plasma HDL-C concentration and CT measurements of IAF, abdominal subcutaneous fat (SCF), and thigh SCF cross-sectional areas were assessed at baseline and at 5-year follow-up visits. Results: A total of 397 subjects without diabetes were included. The mean±standard deviation HDL-C concentration was 51.6±13.0 mg/dL in men and 66.0±17.0 mg/dL in women, and the IAF was 91.9±48.4 cm2 in men and 63.1±39.5 cm2 in women. The baseline plasma concentration of HDL-C was inversely associated with the change in IAF over 5 years using multivariable regression analysis with adjustment for age, sex, family history of diabetes, weight change over 5 years, and baseline measurements of body mass index, IAF, abdominal SCF, abdominal circumference, thigh SCF, and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance. Conclusion These results demonstrate that HDL-C concentration significantly predicts future accumulation of IAF over 5 years independent of age, sex, insulin sensitivity, and body composition in Japanese-American men and women without diabetes.

Background: Both intra-abdominal fat (IAF) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are known to be associated with cardiometabolic health. We evaluated whether the accumulation of computed tomography (CT)-measured IAF over 5 years was related to baseline HDL-C concentration in a prospective cohort study. Methods: All participants were Japanese-Americans between the ages of 34 and 74 years. Plasma HDL-C concentration and CT measurements of IAF, abdominal subcutaneous fat (SCF), and thigh SCF cross-sectional areas were assessed at baseline and at 5-year follow-up visits. Results: A total of 397 subjects without diabetes were included. The mean±standard deviation HDL-C concentration was 51.6±13.0 mg/dL in men and 66.0±17.0 mg/dL in women, and the IAF was 91.9±48.4 cm2 in men and 63.1±39.5 cm2 in women. The baseline plasma concentration of HDL-C was inversely associated with the change in IAF over 5 years using multivariable regression analysis with adjustment for age, sex, family history of diabetes, weight change over 5 years, and baseline measurements of body mass index, IAF, abdominal SCF, abdominal circumference, thigh SCF, and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance. Conclusion These results demonstrate that HDL-C concentration significantly predicts future accumulation of IAF over 5 years independent of age, sex, insulin sensitivity, and body composition in Japanese-American men and women without diabetes.

Background: We describe the association between high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentration and computed tomography (CT)-measured fat depots. Methods: We examined the cross-sectional associations between HDL-C concentration and intra-abdominal (IAF), abdominal subcutaneous (SCF), and thigh fat (TF) areas in 641 Japanese-American men and women. IAF, SCF, and TF were measured by CT at the level of the umbilicus and mid-thigh. The associations between fat area measurements and HDL-C were examined using multivariate linear regression analysis adjusting for age, sex, diabetes family history, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and body mass index (BMI). Non-linearity was assessed using fractional polynomials. Results: Mean±standard deviation of HDL-C concentration and IAF in men and women were 1.30±0.34 mg/dL, 105±55.3 cm2, and 1.67±0.43 mg/dL, 74.4±46.6 cm2 and differed significantly by gender for both comparisons (P<0.001). In univariate analysis, HDL-C concentration was significantly associated with CT-measured fat depots. In multivariate analysis, IAF was significantly and non-linearly associated with HDL-C concentration adjusted for age, sex, BMI, HOMA-IR, SCF, and TF (IAF: β=–0.1012, P <0.001; IAF2: β=0.0008, P<0.001). SCF was also negatively and linearly associated with HDL-C (β=–0.4919, P=0.001). Conclusion HDL-C does not linearly decline with increasing IAF in Japanese-Americans. A more complex pattern better fits this association.

Tumor microenvironment is intrinsically hypoxic with abundant hypoxia-inducible factors-1α (HIF-1α), a primary regulator of the cellular response to hypoxia and various stresses imposed on the tumor cells. HIF-1α increases radioresistance and chemoresistance by reducing DNA damage, increasing repair of DNA damage, enhancing glycolysis that increases antioxidant capacity of tumors cells, and promoting angiogenesis. In addition, HIF-1α markedly enhances drug efflux, leading to multidrug resistance. Radiotherapy and certain chemotherapy drugs evoke profound anti-tumor immunity by inducing immunologic cell death that release tumor-associated antigens together with numerous pro-immunological factors, leading to priming of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and enhancing the cytotoxicity of macrophages and natural killer cells. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy of tumors significantly increase HIF-1α activity in tumor cells. Unfortunately, HIF-1α effectively promotes various immune suppressive pathways including secretion of immune suppressive cytokines, activation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells, activation of regulatory T cells, inhibition of T cells priming and activity, and upregulation of immune checkpoints. Consequently, the anti-tumor immunity elevated by radiotherapy and chemotherapy is counterbalanced or masked by the potent immune suppression promoted by HIF-1α. Effective inhibition of HIF-1α may significantly increase the efficacy of radiotherapy and chemotherapy by increasing radiosensitivity and chemosensitivity of tumor cells and also by upregulating anti-tumor immunity.

Tumor microenvironment is intrinsically hypoxic with abundant hypoxia-inducible factors-1α (HIF-1α), a primary regulator of the cellular response to hypoxia and various stresses imposed on the tumor cells. HIF-1α increases radioresistance and chemoresistance by reducing DNA damage, increasing repair of DNA damage, enhancing glycolysis that increases antioxidant capacity of tumors cells, and promoting angiogenesis. In addition, HIF-1α markedly enhances drug efflux, leading to multidrug resistance. Radiotherapy and certain chemotherapy drugs evoke profound anti-tumor immunity by inducing immunologic cell death that release tumor-associated antigens together with numerous pro-immunological factors, leading to priming of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and enhancing the cytotoxicity of macrophages and natural killer cells. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy of tumors significantly increase HIF-1α activity in tumor cells. Unfortunately, HIF-1α effectively promotes various immune suppressive pathways including secretion of immune suppressive cytokines, activation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells, activation of regulatory T cells, inhibition of T cells priming and activity, and upregulation of immune checkpoints. Consequently, the anti-tumor immunity elevated by radiotherapy and chemotherapy is counterbalanced or masked by the potent immune suppression promoted by HIF-1α. Effective inhibition of HIF-1α may significantly increase the efficacy of radiotherapy and chemotherapy by increasing radiosensitivity and chemosensitivity of tumor cells and also by upregulating anti-tumor immunity.

Tumor microenvironment is intrinsically hypoxic with abundant hypoxia-inducible factors-1α (HIF-1α), a primary regulator of the cellular response to hypoxia and various stresses imposed on the tumor cells. HIF-1α increases radioresistance and chemoresistance by reducing DNA damage, increasing repair of DNA damage, enhancing glycolysis that increases antioxidant capacity of tumors cells, and promoting angiogenesis. In addition, HIF-1α markedly enhances drug efflux, leading to multidrug resistance. Radiotherapy and certain chemotherapy drugs evoke profound anti-tumor immunity by inducing immunologic cell death that release tumor-associated antigens together with numerous pro-immunological factors, leading to priming of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and enhancing the cytotoxicity of macrophages and natural killer cells. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy of tumors significantly increase HIF-1α activity in tumor cells. Unfortunately, HIF-1α effectively promotes various immune suppressive pathways including secretion of immune suppressive cytokines, activation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells, activation of regulatory T cells, inhibition of T cells priming and activity, and upregulation of immune checkpoints. Consequently, the anti-tumor immunity elevated by radiotherapy and chemotherapy is counterbalanced or masked by the potent immune suppression promoted by HIF-1α. Effective inhibition of HIF-1α may significantly increase the efficacy of radiotherapy and chemotherapy by increasing radiosensitivity and chemosensitivity of tumor cells and also by upregulating anti-tumor immunity.

Humans ; Sarcoma, Small Cell/pathology* ; Sarcoma/pathology* ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; Soft Tissue Neoplasms/genetics*

Objective: To understand the overweight rate and obesity rate in middle-aged and elderly people in urban area of Beijing, and analyze the changes of body composition and resting metabolic rate with age. Methods: From November 2014 to December 2015, body composition measurement and resting metabolic rate detection were conducted among 858 people aged 51 to 99 years, including 760 men, 98 women, who received physical examination at Beijing Hospital. Results: The overweight rate was 51.4%, and the obesity rate was 16.9%. The overweight rate was 26.5% and the obesity rate was 14.3% in women, significantly lower than those in men (54.6% and 17.2%) (P<0.001). The distribution of skeletal muscle volume, muscle index, body fat percentage, visceral fat area and resting metabolic rate in different age groups were different (P<0.001). In the normal weight group, the skeletal muscle volume, muscle index and resting metabolic rate in age group ≥80 years decreased obviously (P<0.05). At the same time, the body fat percentage and visceral fat area increased obviously (P<0.05). However, the skeletal muscle volume, muscle index and resting metabolic rate of the overweight and obese groups began to decrease obviously in age group 70- years (P<0.05), and the decrease in age group ≥80 years was more obvious. At the same time, body fat percentage and visceral fat area increased significantly in age group 70- years (P<0.05). Conclusion: The overweight and obesity rates were high in the middle-aged and elderly people in the urban area of Beijing, and the rates were higher in men than in women. With the increase of age, the skeletal muscle volume, muscle index and resting metabolic rate gradually decreased, while the percentage of body fat and visceral fat area increased; Overweight and obese people had earlier changes in body composition and resting metabolic rate.
Adipose Tissue ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Basal Metabolism/physiology* ; Body Composition ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Obesity/epidemiology* ; Overweight/epidemiology* ; Urban Population

OBJECTIVES: To establish multiplex system of 16 miniSTR loci, and explore its application value for the degraded materials in forensic medicine. METHODS: The multiplex system of 16 miniSTR loci was established using a six-dye fluorescence labeling technology and its application value in forensic medicine was assessed. RESULTS: A six-dye fluorescence labeling miniSTR amplification kit was developed, which enabled 15 autosomal STR loci, Amelogenin locus and DYS391 to be typed simultaneously. This method showed good specificity and could provide stable and accurate typing results with a sensitivity of 50 pg. This system also provided a good test result for the normal biological sample of actual cases. CONCLUSIONS The multiplex system of 16 miniSTR loci has application value for degraded and trace materials with the advantages of high sensitivity and database compatibility, which can be used for forensic casework.
Amelogenin ; DNA Fingerprinting ; DNA Primers ; Forensic Medicine/methods* ; Microsatellite Repeats/genetics* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction