1. Research progress of endoplasmic reticulum stress and its role in lung cancer
Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2020;25(10):1160-1170
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a place where secreted proteins and membrane proteins are synthesized and folded. The homeostatic environment of the endoplasmic reticulum is necessary to keep ER protein synthesis proceed smoothly. When unfolded proteins and misfolded proteins aggregate in the ER abnormally, it often leads to protein synthesis disorder and triggers endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS). The endoplasmic reticulum can maintain the endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis and restore cellular function by inducing an unfolded protein response (UPR). However, as the ERS increasingly intensify, the continuous UPR reaction will trigger programmed cell death. There is close relationship between the tumorigenesis of lung cancer and ERS in cells. This article will introduce ERS, UPR and related pathways, and summarize their main causes and their roles in lung cancer, aiming to providing new ideas and potential therapeutic targets for basic research and clinical treatment of lung cancer.
2.Is There a Two-Way Risk between Decreased Testosterone Levels and the Progression and Prognosis of Chronic Kidney Disease? A Cohort Study Based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Database
Jiashan PAN ; Zhenming ZHENG ; Xike MAO ; Dekai HU ; Wenbo WANG ; Guiyi LIAO ; Zongyao HAO
The World Journal of Men's Health 2024;42(2):429-440
Purpose:
The causal relationship between the incidence and prognosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and serum testosterone levels in patients is not yet fully understood. This study aims to use the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a large-scale nationally representative sample, to investigate the relationship between CKD and testosterone.
Materials and Methods:
This study included six NHANES cycles for linear regression analysis, verified by multiple imputation methods. Stratified analysis and subgroup analysis were used to demonstrate the stability of CKD’s effect on testosterone. Furthermore, we used Kaplan-Meier plots and log-rank tests to evaluate differences in survival rates between CKD male patients with low and normal levels of testosterone.
Results:
From a total of 71,163 subjects, the cohort selected 28,663 eligible participants. Results showed that CKD patients had testosterone levels 28.423 ng/mL (24.762, 32.083) lower than non-CKD patients. The results of multiple imputations (β=27.700, 95% confidence interval: 23.427, 31.974) were consistent with those of linear regression analysis, and the numerical match was good. Stratified regression analysis, and subgroup analysis results showed that CKD had a significant impact on testosterone at different dimensions. Kaplan-Meier plots showed significantly reduced survival rates in low testosterone CKD male patients (p<0.0001).
Conclusions
The results of this big data analysis suggest that there may be a two-way risk between low levels of testosterone and CKD. The testosterone levels of CKD patients were significantly lower than those of the non-CKD population, and CKD patients with low testosterone levels had poorer prognoses. These results suggest that correcting testosterone levels in a timely manner can have preventive and therapeutic effects on the progression of CKD.