OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of post-treatment PSA kinetics on the prognosis of prostate cancer (PCa).

METHODSWe retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 114 cases of locally advanced PCa treated by maximal androgen blockade (MAB) combined with brachytherapy, and analyzed the association of the changes in PSA kinetics with the prognosis of the patients.

RESULTSThe median survival time of the patients was 81 (15 - 144) months, with 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates of 91. 23%, 78.07% and 68.42% , respectively. Univariate analysis indicated that the baseline PSA level, PSA nadir, the time of PSA decreasing to nadir, PSA doubling time, and the extent of PSA declining were all predictive factors for the survival time of the PCa patients. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that PSA nadir, the time of PSA decreasing to nadir, and the extent of PSA declining were three independent prognostic factors, which prolonged the long-term survival of the patients by 1.7, 3.2 and 6.8 times, respectively.

CONCLUSIONFor locally advanced PCa treated by MAB combined with brachytherapy, PSA nadir <1 micro g/L, the time to nadir <3 months, and the extent of PSA declining >96% are independent prognostic factors.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Androgens ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Brachytherapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; therapy ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo investigate the therapeutic effects of Ping-tang Recipe (, PTR) on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

METHODSForty male SD rats were included in the study. Ten rats were fed on normal diet as normal control, and thirty rats were fed on HFD for 8 weeks to induce obesity, followed with low dose (0.42 g/kg) or high dose (0.84 g/kg) of PTR or vehicle for 8 weeks with 10 animals for each group. Glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity were evaluated by oral glucose tolerance test and insulin tolerance test. Hepatic steatosis was measured by immunohistochemistry. Liver lipid metabolic genes were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, while AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) expression was examined by Western blot.

RESULTSRats fed on HFD developed abdominal obesity, insulin resistance and NAFLD. PTR treatment reduced visceral fat (peri-epididymal and peri-renal) accumulation, improved glucose metabolism, and attenuated hepatic steatosis. The expressions of the key lipolytic regulating genes, including peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor γ co-activator 1α (PGC-1α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PRAR-γ) and α (PRAR-α), were up-regulated (P<0.05 or P<0.01), while the expressions of lipogenic genes such as sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c), fatty acid synthase (FAS) and liver fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) were down-regulated (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In addition, PTR activated AMPK and promoted acetyl-CoA carboxylase phosphorylation in the liver.

CONCLUSIONSPTR improves insulin resistance and reverse hepatic steatosis in the rat model of HFD-induced obesity through promotion of lipolysis and reduction of lipogenesis, which involves the AMPK signaling pathway, thus representing a new therapeutic intervention for obesity related insulin resistance and NAFLD.

AMP-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism ; Animals ; Body Weight ; drug effects ; Diet, High-Fat ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Fatty Liver ; blood ; complications ; prevention & control ; Gene Expression Regulation ; drug effects ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Insulin Resistance ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; drug effects ; pathology ; Lipogenesis ; drug effects ; Lipolysis ; drug effects ; Liver ; drug effects ; enzymology ; pathology ; Male ; Obesity ; blood ; complications ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Triglycerides ; metabolism

Objective A/H1N1(pdm09) viruses were the dominant strains in Shanghai during 2018-2019 influenza surveillance year.This study is to provide a scientific reference for clinical drug use by investigating the susceptibility of A/H1N1(pdm09) viruses to neuraminidase inhibitors(NAIs). Methods Sixty strains of A/H1N1(pdm09) viruses were randomly selected for testing the susceptibility and drug resistance to Oseltamivir and Zanamivir by means of neutaminidase inhibition and neuraminidase (NA) gene sequencing. Results The 60 epidemic strains all proved to be susceptible to Oseltamivir and Zanamivir and the susceptibility was not observed to be decreased or remarkably decreased.In genetic sequencing, NA was not observed to present amino acid mutation at the key sites and auxiliary sites in catalytic activity, which confirmed the results of the phototypic detection of neuraminidase inhibition. Conclusion The subtype influenza viruses A/H1N1(pdm09) circulating in Shanghai during 2018-2019 surveillance year are still sensitive to NAIs, which provides a scientific reference for clinical use of drugs.However, we monitored only a number of strains and think that the work monitoring antiviral susceptibility should be continued with the wide use of the drugs.

Amniotic Fluid ; metabolism ; Biomarkers ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Embolism, Amniotic Fluid ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Keratin-13 ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Respiratory Aspiration ; metabolism ; pathology

BACKGROUNDPim-1 plays an important role in the apoptosis, proliferation, differentiation of cancer cells and progression of cancer. In this study we detected the expression of pim-1 mRNA in normal prostate, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and prostate cancer (PCa) and explored its diagnostic value for PCa.

METHODSThe prostate tissues were collected from 23 patients with PCa, 37 patients with BPH, and 3 healthy volunteers. Pim-1 mRNA expression levels in these samples were determined by the quantitative real-time PCR (QRT-PCR). The differences of expression were calculated based on a standard curve.

RESULTSThe ratio of pim-1 mRNA to beta-actin in the normal prostate, BPH, and PCa were 1.05 +/- 0.04, 2.57 +/- 0.74 and 4.45 +/-0.63, respectively. The differences among PCa, BPH and NT were significant (P < 0.05, respectively).

CONCLUSIONDetecting pim-1 mRNA expression by QRT-PCR provides a reliable metric for the diagnosis of PCa.

Aged ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prostate ; metabolism ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-pim-1 ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Sensitivity and Specificity

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship of oxidative stress with DNA integrity and semen parameters in infertile men with varicocele (VC).

METHODSThis prospective study included 98 infertile males with VC. According to the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the semen, we divided the patients into a high ROS group (n=44) and a low ROS group (n=54), determined the sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI), motility and morphology, and analyzed their correlation with ROS in the two groups of patients.

RESULTSCompared with the patients of the low ROS group, those of the high ROS group showed a significantly higher DFI (27.38±8.10 vs 34.49±6.05, P=0.039) and a higher concentration of seminal leukocytes (［0.65±0.15］×10⁶/ml vs ［0.86±0.41］×10⁶/ml, P=0.022), but lower sperm motility (［36.16±22.83］% vs ［18.22±25.21］%, P=0.017), percentage of progressively motile sperm (［23.34±11.53］% vs ［16.34±9.22］%, P=0.041), sperm curvilinear velocity (［27.03±6.21］ vs ［20.62±4.38］ μm/s, P=0.013), and sperm linearity (［29.75±8.24］% vs ［18.30±7.93］%, P=0.024). Spearman correlation analysis indicated that the ROS level was correlated positively with the concentration of seminal leukocytes (r=0.41, P<0.01) and DFI (r=0.21, P=0.006), but negatively with sperm curvilinear velocity (r=－0.24, P=0.017), linearity (r=－0.24, P=0.021), motility (r=－0.31, P=0.002), and the percentage of progressively motile sperm (r=－0.41, P=0.012). Additionally, the sperm DFI manifested a significant negative correlation with sperm motility (r=－0.29, P<0.01) and the percentage of progressively motile sperm (r=－0.34, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe level of seminal ROS is positively correlated with the sperm DFI in infertile men with varicocele, and both the ROS level and DNA integrity are associated with semen parameters.

DNA Fragmentation ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; complications ; Male ; Oxidative Stress ; Prospective Studies ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Semen ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa ; pathology ; Varicocele ; complications