A cross-sectional analysis of the relationship between the non-high density to high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (NHHR) and kidney stone risk in American adults.

BACKGROUND: Recent interest in the Non-High Density to High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol ratio (NHHR) has emerged due to its potential role in metabolic disorders. However, the connection between NHHR and the development of kidney stones still lacks clarity. The primary goal of this research is to explore how NHHR correlates with kidney stone incidence. METHODS: An analysis was conducted on the data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2007 and 2018, focusing on adults over 20 years diagnosed with kidney stones and those with available NHHR values. Employing weighted logistic regression and Restricted Cubic Spline (RCS) models, NHHR levels' correlation with kidney stone risk was examined. Extensive subgroup analyses were conducted for enhanced reliability of the findings. RESULTS: The findings indicate a heightened kidney stone risk for those at the highest NHHR levels relative to those at the lowest (reference group). A notable non-linear correlation of NHHR with kidney stone incidence has been observed, with a significant P-value (< 0.001), consistent across various subgroups. CONCLUSION: A clear link exists between high NHHR levels and increased kidney stone risk in the American adult population. This study highlights NHHR's significance as a potential indicator in kidney stone formation.

Association between kidney stones and life's essential 8: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Kidney stones exhibit a robust correlation with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The objective of this research is to investigate the correlation between kidney stones and Life's Essential 8 (LE8), a newly updated assessment of cardiovascular health (CVH), among adults in the United States. METHODS: In this study, which analyzed data from the 2007-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we employed LE8 scores (ranging from 0 to 100) as the independent variable, classifying them into low, moderate, and high CVH categories. The research examined the relationship between LE8 scores and kidney stones by using multivariate logistic regression and restricted cubic spline models, with kidney stones as the dependent variable. RESULTS: Out of the 14,117 participants in this research, the weighted mean LE8 score was 69.70 ± 0.27. After accounting for confounding factors, there was an inverse association between higher LE8 scores and the likelihood of developing kidney stones (OR of 0.81 per 10-point increase, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.77-0.85), demonstrating a non-linear dose-response pattern. Similar patterns were observed for health behaviors, health factor scores, and kidney stones. Stratified analyses demonstrated a stable negative correlation between LE8 scores and kidney stones across different subgroups. CONCLUSION: LE8 and its subscale scores exhibited a robust and inverse correlation with the occurrence of kidney stones. Encouraging adherence to optimal CVH levels has the potential to serve as an effective strategy in preventing and minimizing the occurrence of kidney stones.

Evaluation of semen DNA integrity and related parameters with COVID-19 infection: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: In the context of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic, Its impact on male reproductive function should be concerned. METHODS: Our study is a prospective cohort study that recruited participants infected or uninfected with COVID-19 between December 2022 and March 2023. All laboratory tests and questionnaire data were completed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University. A total of 132 participants were enrolled, with 78 COVID-19 positive patients as the positive group and 54 COVID-19 negative participants as the negative group. Semen quality was assessed by the fifth World Health Organization criteria. The general characteristics of semen samples were assessed using CASA (computer-assisted sperm analysis). DNA damage and the high density stainability was assessed by sperm chromatin structure analysis (SCSA) based on flowcytometry. RESULTS: The sperm concentration, progressive motility and motility in COVID-19 negative group were significantly higher than positive group. In the following DNA damage analysis, a remarkably lower sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) in the COVID-19 negative group. In the positive group, unhealthy lifestyles had no significant effect on semen parameters, DNA fragmentation and nuclear compaction. CONCLUSIONS: After excluding the interference of unhealthy lifestyle, the COVID-19 infection can have a significant impact on the quality of semen, especially the DFI,. Therefore, it shows that COVID-19 can adversely affects male fertility, and this result provides advisory guidance for clinicians.

Identifying ureteral stent encrustation using machine learning based on CT radiomics features: a bicentric study.

Obstructive: To develop and validate radiomics and machine learning models for identifying encrusted stents and compare their recognition performance with multiple metrics. Methods: A total of 354 patients with ureteral stent placement were enrolled from two medical institutions and divided into the training cohort (n = 189), internal validation cohort (n = 81) and external validation cohort (n = 84). Based on features selected by Wilcoxon test, Spearman Correlation Analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression algorithm, six machine learning models based on radiomics features were established with six classifiers (LR, DT, SVM, RF, XGBoost, KNN). After comparison with those models, the most robust model was selected. Considering its feature importance as radscore, the combined model and a nomogram were constructed by incorporating indwelling time. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve (AUC), decision curve analysis (DCA) and calibration curve were used to evaluate the recognition performance of models. Results: 1,409 radiomics features were extracted from 641 volumes of interest (VOIs) and 20 significant radiomics features were selected. Considering the superior performance (AUC 0.810, 95%CI, 0.722-0.888) in the external validation cohort, feature importance of XGBoost was used as a radscore, constructing a combined model and a nomogram with indwelling time. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and AUC of the combined model were 98, 100, 97.3% and 0.999 for the training cohort, 83.3, 80, 84.5% and 0.867 for the internal cohort and 78.2, 76.3, 78.8% and 0.820 for the external cohort, respectively. DCA indicates the favorable clinical utility of models. Conclusion: Machine learning model based on radiomics features enables to identify ureteral stent encrustation with high accuracy.

Cisplatin causes erectile dysfunction by decreasing endothelial and smooth muscle content and inducing cavernosal nerve senescence in rats.

Introduction: Cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum II, CDDP), a drug widely used for cancer worldwide, may affect erectile function, but its side effects have not received enough attention. To investigate the effect of CDDP on erectile function and its possible mechanism. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally administered CDDP (CDDP group) or the same volume of normal saline (control group). Erectile function was evaluated after a one-week washout. Then, histologic changes in the corpus cavernosum and cavernous nerve (CN) were measured. Other Sprague-Dawley rats were used to isolate the major pelvic ganglion and cavernous nerve (MPG/CN). RSC96 cells were then treated with CDDP. SA-ß-gal staining was used to identify senescent cells, and qPCR was used to detect the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Finally, the supernatant of RSC96 cells was used to culture MPG/CN. Erectile function was measured after administration of CDDP. The cavernosum levels of α-SMA, CD31, eNOS, and γ-H2AX, the apoptosis rate and the expression of p16, p21 and p53 in CN were also assayed. The senescent phenotype of RSC96 cells treated with CDDP was identified, and neurite growth from the MPG/CN was photographed and measured. Results: The CDDP group had a significantly lower ICP/MAP ratio than the control group. Compared to the control group, the CDDP group exhibited significantly lower α-SMA, CD31 and eNOS levels and significantly higher γ-H2AX and apoptosis rates in corpus cavernosum. In addition, CDDP increased some senescence markers p16, p21 and p53 in CN. In vitro, CDDP induced RSC96 senescence and SASP, and the supernatant of senescent cells slowed neurite outgrowth of MPG/CN. Discussions: CDDP treatment could induce erectile dysfunction, by affecting the content of endothelial and smooth muscle and causing SASP in CN. The results indicate that CDDP treatment should be considered as a risk factor for ED. Clinicians should pay more attention to the erectile function of cancer patients who receive CDDP treatment.

[Research progress on male infertility caused by prostatitis].

Prostatitis, as a common disease in urology, accounts for one-fourth of the outpatient volume in urology clinics. The number of patients is increasing year by year. In particular, chronic prostatitis not only affects the quality of life of patients but also often poses challenges for doctors in outpatient clinics. In recent years, male health issues have also attracted much attention, especially male infertility. Studies have shown that prostatitis lead to male infertility through a variety of mechanisms. However, there were few comprehensive discussions on male infertility caused by prostatitis. This article provides a review of the research on the correlation between prostatitis and male infertility.