Objective: To explore the relationship between the activity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and prostate cancer stem cells by utilizing a Wnt/β-catenin signaling reporter system. Methods: Immunofluorescence staining was used to explore the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in prostate cancer. Wnt/β-catenin signaling reporter plasmid 7TGP carrying T cell specific transcription factor (TCF) binding site and enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP) was transfected into prostate cancer PC3 and DU145 cells by liposomes, respectively. Furthermore, the top 5% (GFP+) and bottom 5% (GFP-) groups of PC3 and DU145 cells according to the fluorescent intensity of GFP were collected via flow cytometry. Then Western blotting assay was used to compare the expression level of activated β-catenin protein in the nucleus of GFP+ and GFP- cell groups. The real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR was used to detect the expressions of Wnt/β-catenin signaling downstream target genes in GFP+ and GFPcell groups. Sphere formation assay and real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR were used to compare the stemness of GFP+ and GFP- cells. Results: The activity of canonical Wnt signaling pathway was low in most of prostate cancer cells, in which β-catenin was not activated and translocated to the nucleus. While β-catenin was increasingly translocated to the nucleus in a small percentage of prostate cancer cells resulting in high activation of Wnt signaling pathway. PC3-GFP+ and DU145-GFP+ cells had more expression of nuclear β-catenin comparing with the corresponding GFP- cells (both P < 0.05), and the expression level of Wnt signaling pathway down-stream target gene Axis inhibition protein 2 (AXIN2) was up-regulated (both P < 0.05). In addition, the expression levels of cancer stem cell markers including B-cell-specific moloney leukemia virusinsert site 1 (BMI1) and aldehyde dehydrogenase family 1 member A1 (ALDH1A1) were up-regulated in PC3-GFP+ and DU145-GFP+ cells comparing with the corresponding GFP- cells (all P < 0.05). The sphere formation capacity was remarkedly up-regulated in PC3-GFP+ and DU145-GFP+ cells comparing with the corresponding GFP- cells (both P < 0.05). Conclusion: Prostate cancer cells with higher activity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling show the enhanced stemness.

Objective To evaluate the diagnosis value of urodynamics in patients with benign prostate hypertrophy(BPH).Methods With urodynamic device,the full set of urodynamic exam was administrated in 427 patients with BPH,and the externalsphincter urethral myogram was monitored simultaneously in pressure-flow studies(PFS).The umdynamic finding such as Qmax 、Pdet-Qmax、Popen、DS(descending slope) and post-voiding residual(PVR)were recorded,as well as the situation of bladder detrusor constraction and bladder compliance and urethral sphincter coordination. The bladder outflow obstruction was diagnosed by A-G nomogram，P-Q plot and DS.The IPSS score and prostate volume were also acquired. Results The diagnostic rate of BOO is 81.5％,among them concomitantly detrusor muscle impair in 117 cases(27.4％), decreased bladder compliance in 162 case (37.9％)，urethral sphincter dyssynergia in 148 cases(34.7％)，and unstable bladder in l64 cases (38.4％). The increase degree of BOO show an increasing tendency with urodynamic findings such as Qmax ,Pdet-Qmax,Popen,DS and IPSS score and prostatic volume respectively，however a decreasing tendency with Qmax and bladder compliance. Conclusions The urodynamic exam plays an important role in diagnosis of BOO.There is a positive relation among degree of BOO with urodynamic finding such as Pdet-Qmax,Popen,DS and IPSS score and prostatic volume,however，negative relation with Qmax and bladder compliance respectively.

As a male sexual organ, the penis can not only meet the requirements for sexual life between sexual partners, but also increase and improve sexual satisfaction and enhance male self-confidence.The treatment of micropenis is a high-frequency trending topic.This paper reviews the different causes of micropenis, the treatment methods and progress of "penile elongation, " aiming to improve the understanding and provide solutions.

Objective To investigate the influence of thyroid hormone T3 preconditioning on interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-IRa) modulation and neutrophil infiltration after renal ishchemia/reperfusion (IR) in mice, so as to study the protective effect of T3 on IR kidney. Methods Totally 120 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups (n = 30), namely, control group (sham operation), IR group (only received renal IR), T3 + IR group (T3 preconditioning for 48 h before renal IR), and NaOH + IR group (received equivalent 0. 1 mol/L NaOH soltuion 48 h before renal IR). The serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were determined 24 h after reperfusion in each group; renal histological damages were scored using PAS staining; the levels of neutrophil infiltration were evaluated by MPO staining, and IL-10, IL-IRa mRNA expression was examined by real-time PCR at 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h after reperfusion. Results The serum creatinine and BUN levels of T3+IR group were significantly lower than those of IR group 24 h after reperfusion (P< 0. 05), which was accompanied by lower histological score and significantly less neutrophil infiltration (P<0. 05). Real-time PCR results showed that IL-10 and IL-IRa mRNA expression in T3 +IR group was significantly higher than that in the IR group (P<0. 05) 12 h after reperfusion, which lasted for 48 h aft er reperfusion. The above parameters were similar between IR group and NaOH+IR group. Conclusion Thyroid hormone T3 preconditioning can alleviate renal IR injury, partly by increasing expression of IL-10 and IL-IRa and subsequently reducing neutron phil infiltration at the late phase of renal IR.

Increasing evidence indicates that inflammation may play important roles in tumorigenesis and progression, and an elevated peripheral monocyte count predicts a poor prognosis in various types of malignancies. Here, we evaluate the roles of peripheral monocyte count in the diagnosis and prognosis for prostate cancer in Chinese patients. A total of 1107 consecutive patients who had undergone prostate biopsy and 290 prostate cancer patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy as first-line therapy were retrospectively analyzed. The parameters were measured at the time of diagnosis. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the independent predictors of a positive biopsy. Patients were categorized in two groups using a cutoff point of 0.425 × 109 l-1 as calculated by the receiver-operating curve analysis for prognosis. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to determine the associations of monocyte count with progression-free survival, cancer-specific survival, and overall survival. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that monocyte count, age, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), free/total PSA, and prostate volume were independent predictors for prostate cancer. Multivariate Cox regression analyses identified an elevated monocyte count as an independent prognostic factor for worse cancer-specific survival (hazard ratio = 2.244, P < 0.05) and overall survival (hazard ratio = 1.995, P < 0.05), but not progression-free survival (P = 0.117). Our results indicated that an elevated monocyte count was an independent diagnostic biomarker for prostate cancer, and pretreatment peripheral monocyte count might play a significant role in the prognosis of prostate cancer patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy.

Objective • To detect T cell immunoglobulin mucin 3 (Tim-3) and galectin 9 (Gal-9) expression as well as CD3+ T cells and CD8+ T cells infiltration in the tumor tissues of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG), and analyze their correlations with the patients' clinical characteristics and survival prognosis. Methods • A retrospective case study was used to collect clinical data and follow-up data of 116 AEG patients who were admitted to Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from Dec. 2005 to Dec. 2013. Tim-3, Gal-9, CD3, and CD8 protein expressions were detected by immunohistochemistry in the tumor tissues, and the clinical characteristics and prognosis were compared among the patients with different levels of protein expression and T cells infiltration. Results • The results of immunohistochemistry showed that Tim-3 mainly expressed in the infiltrating immune cells, and Gal-9 mainly expressed in the tumor cells. The analysis on the clinical characteristics revealed that Tim-3 expression level was related to the Siewert classification (P=0.030) and CD8+ T cells infiltration level was related to the tumor TNM stage (P=0.042). The results of survival analysis showed that the patients with high level of CD8+ T cells infiltration had a better survival prognosis (P=0.047). However, there was no difference in the prognosis among the patients with different Tim-3 and/or Gal-9 expression levels or with different CD3+ T cell infiltration levels. Conclusion • AEG patients with high level of CD8+ T cells infiltration usually have earlier TNM stages and better prognosis. There is no significant difference in the prognosis of AEG patients with different Tim-3/Gal-9 expression levels.

Objective • To investigate the effects of levosimendan on kidney injury in the rat model of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Methods • Twentyfive healthy adult male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups, which were sham group (S group, n=5), levosimendan group (L group, n=10) and control group (C group, n=10). Cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedure were created in L group and C group by inducing ventricular fibrillation. L group was treated with levosimendan during and after resuscitation, while C group and S group were given equivalent volume of saline solution. S group was not induced into cardiac arrest and resuscitation. Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), creatinine (SCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and cystatin-C (CysC) levels were compared between L group and C group at 1, 4 and 6 h after resuscitation.Three groups of rats were sacrificed, and the pathological changes of kidney tissues were observed at 6 h after resuscitation. Results • All rats were resuscitated successfully. No differences were found between the three groups about baseline data. After resuscitation, compared with S group, the levels of serum inflammatory cytokines and kidney function indicators increased dramatically (all P<0.05) in the other two groups. In resuscitation after 1, 4 and 6 h, the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in L group were lower than those in C group, but IL-10 levels were higher in L group (P=0.000, P=0.002, P=0.036) than those in C group, and there were significant differences between the two groups (all P=0.000). In resuscitation after 1, 4 and 6 h, the levels of SCr (P=0.001, P=0.007, P=0.472), BUN (P=0.001, P=0.004, P=0.122) and CysC (P=0.493, P=0.001, P=0.175) were lower in L group than those in C group. Only 1 and 4 hours after resuscitation, the differences in the levels of SCr and BUN were significant, and only 4 hours after resuscitation, the difference in the level of CysC was significant between L group and C group. Both L and C group showed pathological characteristics of severe acute kidney injury, and the pathological injury scores of L group were alleviated compared with those of C group (all P=0.000). Conclusion • Levosimendan can improve kidney injury of cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation model rats.

Objective • To investigate the characteristics and clinical application value of anti-double stranded DNA (dsDNA) antibody detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Methods • 186 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, 183 autoimmune disease of non-SLE controls, 78 non-autoimmune disease controls and 50 healthy controls were selected. The serum anti-dsDNA antibody was detected simultaneously by the methods of ELISA and radioimmunoassay (RIA) and their diagnostic efficacies for detection were compared. Results • The sensitivities of anti-dsDNA antibody in SLE by RIA and ELISA were 47.31% and 62.90%, respectively. The specificities were 85.85% and 81.67%, respectively. The positive predictive were 66.67% and 67.24%, respectively. The negative predictive were 73.15% and 78.14%, respectively. The anti-dsDNA antibody levels of SLE patients detected by ELISA and RIA both increased with the increase of SLE disease activity index. Conclusion • The specificity of ELISA is similar with RIA in diagnosing SLE, and the sensitivity is higher than RIA, which can screen the patients with SLE. In addition, the two methods are both suitable for monitoring the condition of SLE.

The rostral ventromedial medulla is one of the key structures in descending pain modulation system. It receives inputs from the thalamus, the periaqueductal gray, and parabrachial nucleus, and sends descending projections through the dorsolateral funiculus and ventrolateral funiculus to the spinal dorsal horns. The rostral ventromedial medulla is thought to be the final relay in descending modulation of pain. The neurons in this region can be classified into On-cells, Off-cells and Neutral cells according to the changes in the firing activity before tail flick. This review mainly focuses on pain modulation functions and potential analgesia mechanisms of On-cells and Off-cells.

Objective • To evaluate the strain parameters measured by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) in predicting myocardial segment functional recovery and left ventricular (LV) remodeling. Methods • Eighty-one patients with first acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction were enrolled. All patients underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) within 8 days after reperfusion therapy to detect the percentage of necrotic myocardium and the presence of microvascular obstruction or intra myocardial hemorrhage. Echocardiography examination for the first time was performed on the same day as CMR. Segmental and global circumferential strain (CS), radial strain, and longitudinal strain were measured by 2D-STE. Echocardiography was performed again after an average follow-up of 14 months. Results • The segments with functional recovery were associated with higher absolute values of strain parameters at baseline compared to those without functional recovery. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the sensitivity and specificity of CS≤-7.77% to predict the functional recovery of myocardial segment were 77.17% and 61.40%, respectively (AUC=0.74, P=0.000). Multiple Logistic regression showed that the percentage of necrotic myocardium and global CS (GCS) were the powerful predictors of LV remodeling (P<0.05). According to ROC curve analysis, GCS≥-17.48% had sensitivity of 88.33% and specificity of 69.23%(AUC=0.80, P=0.000) in predicting LV remodeling. Conclusion • Among the strain parameters of 2D-STE, CS may be an ideal predictor of segment functional recovery and LV remodeling after myocardial infarction.