Prognostic value of Controlling Nutritional Status score for postoperative complications and biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer patients undergoing laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

Background: Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score was used for screening the preoperative nutritional status. The correlation between the CONUT score and the prognosis of patients with prostate cancer (PCa) has yet to be elucidated. Herein, we analyzed the prognostic value of CONUT scores in patients with PCa who underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Materials and methods: Data of 244 patients were retrospectively evaluated. Perioperative variables and follow-up data were analyzed. The patients were categorized into 2 groups according to their preoperative CONUT scores. Postoperative complication and incontinence rates were also compared. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the median biochemical recurrence-free survival (BCRFS) between the 2 groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to identify the potential prognostic factors for BCRFS. Results: Patients were categorized into the low-CONUT group (CONUT score <3, n = 207) and high-CONUT group (CONUT score ≥3, n = 37). The high-CONUT group had a higher overall complication rate (40.5% vs.19.3%, p = 0.004), a higher major complication rate (10.8% vs. 3.9%, p = 0.013), and longer postoperative length of stay (8 days vs. 7 days, p = 0.017). More fever, urinary infection, abdominal infection, scrotal edema, rash, and hemorrhagic events (all p values < 0.05) were observed in the high-CONUT group. A higher rate of urinary incontinence was observed in the high-CONUT group at 1 (34.4% vs. 13.2%, p = 0.030) and 3 months (24.1% vs. 8.2%, p = 0.023) postoperatively. The high-CONUT group had shorter medium BCRFS (23.8 months vs. 54.6 months, p = 0.029), and a CONUT score ≥3 was an independent risk factor for a shorter BCRFS (hazards ratio, 1.842; p = 0.026). Conclusions: The CONUT score is a useful predictive tool for higher postoperative complication rates and shorter BCRFS in patients with PCa who undergo laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

MRI-measured periprostatic adipose tissue volume as a prognostic predictor in prostate cancer patients undergoing laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

In this study, we evaluated the association between the PPAT volume and the prognosis of PCa patients after LRP. We retrospectively analysed data of 189 PCa patients who underwent LRP in Beijing Chaoyang Hospital. Volumes of PPAT and prostate were measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and normalized PPAT volume was computed (PPAT volume divided by prostate volume). Patients were then stratified into the high-PPAT group (n = 95) and low-PPAT group (n = 94) by the median of normalized PPAT volume (73%). The high-PPAT group had significantly higher Gleason score (total score 8 or more, 39.0% vs. 4.3%, p < 0.001) and pathological stage (stage T3b, 28.4% vs. 13.8%, p = 0.048). No significant correlation between normalized PPAT volume and body mass index (ρ = -0.012, p = 0.872) was observed. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis showed the high-PPAT group had significantly shorter biochemical recurrence (BCR) interval (median progression-free survival time 15.9 months vs. 32.7 months, p = 0.001). Univiarate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed high normalized PPAT volume (>73%) (hazard ratio 1.787 [1.075-3.156], p = 0.002) were independent risk factors for BCR post-operatively. In conclusion, MRI-measured PPAT volume is of significant prognostic value for PCa patients undergoing LRP.

Effect of Multimodal Health Education Combined with the Feedback Method in Perioperative Patients with Lung Cancer: A Randomised Controlled Study.

Objective: To explore the effect of multimodal health education combined with a feedback method in perioperative patients with lung cancer. Methods: A total of 200 lung cancer patients were divided into the observation group and the control group. The observation group adopted the multimodal health education combined with the feedback method, and the control group adopted the conventional health education model. The postoperative extubation time, length of hospital stay, time to first leaving the bed, postoperative exercise compliance, emotional-distress index and patient satisfaction were compared between the two groups. Results: The postoperative extubation time (2.80 ± 1.03 days), the emotional-distress index (8.26 ± 3.01) and the time to first leaving the bed (23.74 ± 11.87 h) were all lower in the observation group than in the control group, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). The postoperative exercise compliance (49.69 ± 3.60) and patient satisfaction (98.32 ± 1.66) values were higher in the observation group than in the control group, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Multimodal health education combined with the feedback method can improve the postoperative exercise compliance of lung cancer patients, reduce their postoperative rehabilitation time and improve their postoperative psychological state and satisfaction, which is in line with the concept of promoting the enhanced recovery of lung cancer patients.

Skull metastasis is a poor prognostic factor for prostate cancer patients with bone metastasis: a retrospective study based on a Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: Skull is a relatively rare metastasis site for prostate cancer (PCa). There is no evidence regarding the prognostic indication of skull metastasis (SM) in PCa patients. In this study, we analyzed the prognostic value of SM for metastatic PCa patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). METHODS: 107 consecutive patients were included from September 2008 to August 2021. All patients were administered with standard ADT. Abiraterone plus glucocorticoid and/or docetaxel chemotherapy were given after failure to castration-resistant prostate cancer. Clinical parameters and follow-up prognostic data were retrospectively analyzed. The association of clinical and pathological parameters with SM were analyzed. The progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: Patients with SM (n = 26) had significantly higher biopsy Gleason scores, higher clinical T stage, higher prostate-specific antigen level at diagnosis, and were more likely to have high-burden metastasis and lymph node metastasis, compared with those without SM (n = 81). They also showed significantly lower level of hemoglobin, albumin and serum calcium, along with higher level of alkaline phosphatase. SM was significantly associated with shorter medium PFS (9.4 vs. 18.3 months, p < 0.001) and OS (22.2 vs. 58.2 months, p < 0.001). Cox analysis demonstrated that SM was an independent risk factor for shorter PFS (hazard ratio 2.327 [1.429-3.789], p = 0.001) and shorter OS (hazard ratio 2.810 [1.615-4.899], p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In this study, we found that SM was significantly correlated with more aggressive disease and indicated poor prognosis in PCa patients with bone metastasis. Our study may provide useful reference for the risk stratification of PCa patients.

MRI-measured adipose features as predictive factors for detection of prostate cancer in males undergoing systematic prostate biopsy: a retrospective study based on a Chinese population.

In this study, we retrospectively evaluated the data of 901 men undergoing ultrasonography-guided systematic prostate biopsy between March 2013 and May 2022. Adipose features, including periprostatic adipose tissue (PPAT) thickness and subcutaneous fat thickness, were measured using MRI before biopsy. Prediction models of all PCa and clinically significant PCa (csPCa) (Gleason score higher than 6) were established based on variables selected by multivariate logistic regression and prediction nomograms were constructed. Patients with PCa had higher PPAT thickness (4.64 [3.65-5.86] vs. 3.54 [2.49-4.51] mm, p < 0.001) and subcutaneous fat thickness (29.19 [23.05-35.95] vs. 27.90 [21.43-33.93] mm, p = 0.013) than those without PCa. Patients with csPCa had higher PPAT thickness (4.78 [3.80-5.88] vs. 4.52 [3.80-5.63] mm, p = 0.041) than those with non-csPCa. Adding adipose features to the prediction models significantly increased the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve for the prediction of all PCa (0.850 vs. 0.819, p < 0.001) and csPCa (0.827 vs. 0.798, p < 0.001). Based on MRI-measured adipose features and clinical parameters, we established two nomograms that were simple to use and could improve patient selection for prostate biopsy in Chinese population.

Can acoustic radiation force impulse imaging (ARFI) accurately diagnose renal masses?: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Renal masses are increasingly being discovered because of the wide accessibility of modern high resolution imaging procedures. Previous clinical studies have reported that acoustic radiation force impulse imaging (ARFI) is used for diagnosis of renal masses. However, no study has investigated this topic systematically. Therefore, this study will evaluate the diagnostic value of ARFI for the diagnosis of renal masses. METHODS: A systematic search using the databases of Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Pubmed, WANGFANG, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure will be performed to identify studies in which patients with renal masses are assessed by ARFI. Two investigators will independently screen the literature and extract the data. Any discrepancies will be resolved via discussion with the senior author. Study quality will be assessed by the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 tool, and pooled sensitivity and specificity of various ARFI findings for the diagnosis of renal masses will be determined. Summary receiver operating characteristic curve will be used to assess the overall performance of ARFI. RESULTS: This study will evaluate the diagnostic value of ARFI for the diagnosis of renal masses through sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio. CONCLUSION: This study will summarize the most recent evidence that focusing on the diagnosis of ARFI for renal masses. STUDY REGISTRATION: INPLASY202060105.

Nematode-specific cadherin CDH-8 acts as a receptor for Cry5B toxin in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Parasitic nematodes of animals and plants cause worldwide devastating impacts on people's lives and agricultural crops. The crystal protein Cry5B produced by Bacillus thuringiensis has efficient and specific activity against a wide range of nematodes. However, the action mode of this toxin has not yet been thoroughly determined. Here, a nematode-specific cadherin CDH-8 was demonstrated to be a receptor for Cry5B toxin by using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model, providing evidence that the cadherin mutant worm cdh-8(RB815) possesses significant resistance to Cry5B, and the CDH-8 fragments bind specifically to Cry5B. Furthermore, CDH-8 was identified to be required for the oligomerization of Cry5B toxin in vivo and contribute to the internalization and pore formation of Cry5B in nematode cells. This study will facilitate a better understanding of the action mode of nematicidal Cry toxins and help the design of Cry toxin-based products for the control of plant or animal parasitic nematodes.

Bacillus thuringiensis Crystal Protein Cry6Aa Triggers Caenorhabditis elegans Necrosis Pathway Mediated by Aspartic Protease (ASP-1).

Cell death plays an important role in host-pathogen interactions. Crystal proteins (toxins) are essential components of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) biological pesticides because of their specific toxicity against insects and nematodes. However, the mode of action by which crystal toxins to induce cell death is not completely understood. Here we show that crystal toxin triggers cell death by necrosis signaling pathway using crystal toxin Cry6Aa-Caenorhabditis elegans toxin-host interaction system, which involves an increase in concentrations of cytoplasmic calcium, lysosomal lyses, uptake of propidium iodide, and burst of death fluorescence. We find that a deficiency in the necrosis pathway confers tolerance to Cry6Aa toxin. Intriguingly, the necrosis pathway is specifically triggered by Cry6Aa, not by Cry5Ba, whose amino acid sequence is different from that of Cry6Aa. Furthermore, Cry6Aa-induced necrosis pathway requires aspartic protease (ASP-1). In addition, ASP-1 protects Cry6Aa from over-degradation in C. elegans. This is the first demonstration that deficiency in necrosis pathway confers tolerance to Bt crystal protein, and that Cry6A triggers necrosis represents a newly added necrosis paradigm in the C. elegans. Understanding this model could lead to new strategies for nematode control.

In vitro uptake of 140 kDa Bacillus thuringiensis nematicidal crystal proteins by the second stage juvenile of Meloidogyne hapla.

Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are piercing/sucking pests, which cause severe damage to crops worldwide, and are difficult to control. The cyst and root-knot nematodes (RKN) are sedentary endoparasites that develop specialized multinucleate feeding structures from the plant cells called syncytia or giant cells respectively. Within these structures the nematodes produce feeding tubes, which act as molecular sieves with exclusion limits. For example, Heterodera schachtii is reportedly unable to ingest proteins larger than 28 kDa. However, it is unknown yet what is the molecular exclusion limit of the Meloidogyne hapla. Several types of Bacillus thuringiensis crystal proteins showed toxicity to M. hapla. To monitor the entry pathway of crystal proteins into M. hapla, second-stage juveniles (J2) were treated with NHS-rhodamine labeled nematicidal crystal proteins (Cry55Aa, Cry6Aa, and Cry5Ba). Confocal microscopic observation showed that these crystal proteins were initially detected in the stylet and esophageal lumen, and subsequently in the gut. Western blot analysis revealed that these crystal proteins were modified to different molecular sizes after being ingested. The uptake efficiency of the crystal proteins by the M. hapla J2 decreased with increasing of protein molecular mass, based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis. Our discovery revealed 140 kDa nematicidal crystal proteins entered M. hapla J2 via the stylet, and it has important implications in designing a transgenic resistance approach to control RKN.

Retrospective serological investigation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus antibodies in recruits from mainland China.

Different assays were used to analyze 1,621 serum specimens collected from military recruits from the People's Republic of China in 2002 for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus antibodies. The results demonstrated that the subjects either had rarely been exposed to the virus before the 2003 SARS outbreak or had not been exposed but the nucleocapsid protein cross-reacted with other antibodies in humans.