The association between computed tomography attenuation value of renal angiomyolipoma associated with tuberous sclerosis complex and response to everolimus.

BACKGROUND: The response to everolimus in patients with renal angiomyolipoma associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC-RAML) varies among individuals. This study aims to identify potential factors associated with the response to everolimus. METHOD: We retrospectively examined data encompassing age, gender, tumor size, computed tomography attenuation value (CT value), CT enhancement, and tumor reduction rate in patients with TSC-RAML undergoing everolimus in two previously registered clinical trials. RESULT: A total of 33 participants (29.33 ± 6.63 years old, 20 females) were included. The correlation analysis conducted separately for tumors located in the left and right kidneys revealed significant negative correlations (P < 0.05) between tumor reduction rate and age, as well as tumor size. While significant positive correlations (P < 0.05) were observed between tumor reduction rate and unenhanced CT value as well as CT enhancement. Nonetheless, based on multiple linear regression analysis, unenhanced CT value emerged as the sole-independent predictor of tumor reduction rate among age, gender, tumor size, unenhanced CT value and CT enhancement for both left (coefficient = 0.00319, P < 0.0001) and right kidneys (coefficient = 0.00315, P = 0.0104). Notable reductions were observed in unenhanced CT value (- 3.81 vs - 24.70HU, P < 0.0001) and CT enhancement (48.16 vs 33.56HU, P < 0.0001) following a 3-month administration of everolimus. The decline in both unenhanced CT value and tumor size predominantly occurred within the initial 3 months, subsequently maintaining a relatively stable level throughout the treatment. CONCLUSION: The unenhanced CT value of TSC-RAML showed an independent correlation with the response to everolimus, suggesting its potential as a predictor of everolimus efficacy in patients with TSC-RAML.

Osteoimmunology in Periodontitis and Orthodontic Tooth Movement.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review the role of the immune cells and their interaction with cells found in gingiva, periodontal ligament, and bone that leads to net bone loss in periodontitis or bone remodeling in orthodontic tooth movement. RECENT FINDINGS: Periodontal disease is one of the most common oral diseases causing inflammation in the soft and hard tissues of the periodontium and is initiated by bacteria that induce a host response. Although the innate and adaptive immune response function cooperatively to prevent bacterial dissemination, they also play a major role in gingival inflammation and destruction of the connective tissue, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone characteristic of periodontitis. The inflammatory response is triggered by bacteria or their products that bind to pattern recognition receptors that induce transcription factor activity to stimulate cytokine and chemokine expression. Epithelial, fibroblast/stromal, and resident leukocytes play a key role in initiating the host response and contribute to periodontal disease. Single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) experiments have added new insight into the roles of various cell types in the response to bacterial challenge. This response is modified by systemic conditions such as diabetes and smoking. In contrast to periodontitis, orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) is a sterile inflammatory response induced by mechanical force. Orthodontic force application stimulates acute inflammatory responses in the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone stimulated by cytokines and chemokines that produce bone resorption on the compression side. On the tension side, orthodontic forces induce the production of osteogenic factors, stimulating new bone formation. A number of different cell types, cytokines, and signaling/pathways are involved in this complex process. Inflammatory and mechanical force-induced bone remodeling involves bone resorption and bone formation. The interaction of leukocytes with host stromal cells and osteoblastic cells plays a key role in both initiating the inflammatory events as well as inducing a cellular cascade that results in remodeling in orthodontic tooth movement or in tissue destruction in periodontitis.

Dual-tracer PET/CT-targeted, mpMRI-targeted, systematic biopsy, and combined biopsy for the diagnosis of prostate cancer: a pilot study.

PURPOSE: Growing evidence proved the efficacy of multi-parametric MRI (mpMRI) and prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT)-guided targeted biopsy (TB) in prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis, but there is no direct comparison between mpMRI-TB and PSMA PET/CT-TB. Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) is highly expressed in PCa, which can compensate for the unstable expression of PSMA in PCa. Therefore, we designed a study to compare the efficiency of mpMRI-TB, dual-tracer (GRPR and PSMA) PET/CT-TB, systematic biopsy, and combined biopsy for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. METHODS: One hundred twelve suspicious PCa patients were enrolled from September 2020 to June 2021. Patients with anyone of positive dual-tracer PET/CT or mpMRI underwent TB, and all enrolled patients underwent systematic biopsy (SB) after TB. The primary outcome was the detection rates of PCa in different biopsy strategies. Secondary outcomes were the performance of three imaging methods, omission diagnostic rates, and upgrading and downgrading of biopsy samples relative to those of prostatectomy specimens in different biopsy strategies. McNemar's tests and Bonferroni correction in multiple comparisons were used to compare the primary and secondary outcomes. RESULTS: In 112 men, clinically significant PCa (grade group[GG] ≥ 2) accounted for 34.82% (39/112), and nonclinically significant PCa (GG = 1) accounted for 4.46% (5/112). 68 Ga-PSMA PET/CT-TB achieved higher PCa detection rate (69.77%) and positive ratio of biopsy cores (0.44) compared with SB (39.29% and 0.12) and mpMRI-TB (36.14% and 0.23), respectively (P < 0.005). Dual-tracer PET/CT screen out patients for avoiding 52.67% (59/112) unnecessary biopsy, whereas dual-tracer PET/CT-TB plus SB achieved high detection rate (77.36%) without misdiagnosis of csPCa. CONCLUSION: Dual-tracer PET/CT might screen patients for avoiding unnecessary biopsy. Dual-tracer PET/CT-TB plus SB might be a more effective and promising strategy for the definite diagnosis of clinically significant PCa than mpMRI-TB.

Nontarget metabolomics profiling of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

To investigate the characteristic of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid, UHPLC-MS was used to identify metabolites by metabolite extraction and on-machine detection. Multivariate analysis methods were used to complete differential metabolite screening and metabolic pathway analysis. The content of eight substances, such as tryptophan and l-glutamic acid in the plasma of NMOSD patients, was higher than that of the healthy control group. Moreover, no differential metabolite was found in the plasma of patients with AQP-4 antibody-positive and antibody-negative NMOSD. The content of five substances including 3-hydroxybutyric acid in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with NMOSD was reduced. We demonstrated that the distribution of metabolites in plasma between NMOSD patients and healthy counterparts was significantly different. However, there is no significant difference in plasma metabolites between AQP-4 antibody positive and negative NMOSD. There were some differences in metabolites between the cerebrospinal fluid of NMOSD patients and that of healthy controls. A variety of amino-acid abnormalities, sphingomyelin dysfunction, energy metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction are involved in the pathogenesis of NMOSD.

Safety and diagnostic value of brain biopsy in HIV patients: a case series and meta-analysis of 1209 patients.

Early brain biopsy may be indicated in HIV patients with focal brain lesion. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the safety and diagnostic value of brain biopsy in HIV patients in the pre-highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) versus post-HAART era via meta-analysis. Appropriate studies were identified per search criteria. The local database was retrospectively reviewed to select a similar patient cohort. Patient demographics, brain biopsy technique, histopathology and patient outcomes were extracted from each study. Study-specific outcomes were combined per random-effects model. Outcomes were compared between the pre-HAART and post-HAART era. Correlations between outcomes and baseline characteristics were assessed via meta-regression analysis. The proportions of histopathological diagnosis were tabulated and compared between the pre- and post-HAART era. Survival analysis was performed for patients in the post-HAART era. A total of 26 studies (including the local database) with 1209 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The most common indications for brain biopsy were diagnosis unlikely to be toxoplasmosis (n=8, 42.1%), focal brain lesion (n=5, 26.3%) or both (n=3, 15.8%). The weighted proportions for diagnostic success were 92% (95% CI 90.0% to 93.8%), change in management 57.7% (45.9% to 69.1%) and clinical improvement 36.6% (26.3% to 47.5%). Morbidity and mortality were 5.7% (3.6% to 8.3%) and 0.9% (0.3% to 1.9%), respectively. Diagnostic success rate was significantly higher in the post-HAART than the pre-HAART era (97.5% vs 91.9%, p=0.047). The odds ratio (OR) for diagnostic success in patients with contrast-enhanced lesions was 2.54 ((1.25 to 5.15), p<0.01). The median survival for HIV patients who underwent biopsy in the post-HAART era was 225 days (90-2446). Brain biopsy in HIV patients is safe with high diagnostic yield. Early brain biopsy should be considered in patients without classic presentation of toxoplasmosis encephalitis.

Removal of dyes from wastewater using Eucalyptus wood fiber loaded nanoscale zero-valent iron: Characterization and removal mechanism.

Wood fiber as a natural and renewable material has low cost and plenty of functional groups, which owns the ability to adsorb dyes. In order to improve the application performance of wood fiber in dye-pollution wastewater, Eucalyptus wood fiber loaded nanoscale zero-valent iron (EWF-nZVI) was developed to give EWF magnetism and the ability to degrade dyes. EWF-nZVI was characterized via FTIR, XRD, zeta potential, VSM, SEM-EDS and XPS. Results showed that EWF-nZVI owned a strong magnetism of 96.51 emu/g. The dye removal process of EWF-nZVI was more in line with the pseudo-second-order kinetics model. In addition, the Langmuir isotherm model fitting results showed that the maximum removal capacities of Congo red and Rhodamine B by EWF-nZVI were 714.29 mg/g and 68.49 mg/g at 328 K, respectively. After five adsorption-desorption cycles, the regeneration efficiencies of Congo red and Rhodamine B were 74 % and 42 % in turn. The dye removal mechanisms of EWF-nZVI included redox degradation (Congo red and Rhodamine B) and electrostatic adsorption (Congo red). In summary, EWF-nZVI is a promising biomass-based material with high dye removal capacities. This work is beneficial to promote the large-scale application of wood fiber in water treatment.

Diabetic conditions promote drug coating degradation but prevent endothelial coverage after stenting.

The endothelialization of drug-eluting stents is delayed after implantation in patients with diabetes. Although numerous factors were implicated in hyperglycemia-induced endothelial dysfunction, the effects of stent drug coating degradation on endothelial dysfunction remains unclear. We hypothesized that diabetic conditions promote drugcoating degradation and enhance antiproliferative agent release, but that the rapid release of these antiproliferative agents inhibits endothelial cell proliferation leading to poor reendothelialization post-stenting. To verify this hypothesis, a dynamic hyperglycemic circulation system was introduced to measure the profile of drugcoating degradation in vitro. Flow cytometry and RNA sequencing were performed to evaluate endothelial cell proliferation. Moreover, a Type 1 diabetic rabbit model was generated and a rescue experiment conducted to evaluate the effects of rapid drugcoating elution on endothelial coverage in vivo. The main findings were as follows: 1) diabetic conditions promoted drugcoating degradation and increased antiproliferative agent release; 2) this increase in antiproliferative agent release inhibited endothelial cell proliferation and delayed endothelial coverage; and 3) strict glycemic control attenuated drugcoating degradation and promoted endothelial coverage post-stenting. This is the first study to illustrate rapid drugcoating degradation and its potential effects on endothelial recovery under diabetic conditions, highlighting the importance of strict glycemic management in patients with diabetes after drug-eluting stent implantation. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Diabetic conditions promote drug coating degradation and increase the release of antiproliferative agents. Rapid drug coating degradation under diabetic conditions inhibits endothelial cell proliferation and delays endothelialization. Strict glycemic control attenuates drug coating degradation and promotes endothelialization.

The predictive value of PFKFB3 in bladder cancer prognosis.

6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase-3 (PFKFB3) influences cancer progression via participating in tumor aerobic glycolysis. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of PFKFB3 in bladder cancer (BLCA) patients by analyzing a combination of publicly available databases, clinical patient data, and bladder tumor samples from our hospital. Single-cell and bulk RNA-seq data of bladder cancer, obtained from ENA, GEO, and TCGA databases, were utilized for our analysis. The results indicated that PFKFB3 mRNA expression was markedly elevated in bladder cancer compared to paired normal tissue. Furthermore, BLCA patients with high PFKFB3 expression exhibited a significantly worse prognosis (P < 0.05). To validate these findings, clinical data and immunohistochemistry staining were performed on specimens obtained from 89 BLCA patients who underwent radical cystectomy at either Qingdao University Affiliated Hospital or Peking Union Medical College Hospital. The findings from this verification process confirmed that high expression of PFKFB3 serves as a biomarker for predicting worse prognosis in BLCA patients (OR: 2.462, 95 % CI: 1.202-5.042, P = 0.012). To facilitate clinical application, we developed a nomogram based on four variables, including PFKFB3 expression, to predict the survival of BLCA patients. Importantly, this nomogram demonstrated a low mean prediction error of 0.03. Taken together, our findings suggest that PFKFB3 has the potential to serve as both a prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target for BLCA patients.

Corroded iron stent increases fibrin deposition and promotes endothelialization after stenting.

Poststent restenosis is caused by insufficient endothelialization and is one of the most serious clinical complications of stenting. We observed a rapid endothelialization rate and increased fibrin deposition on the surfaces of the corroded iron stents. Thus, we hypothesized that corroded iron stents would promote endothelialization by increasing fibrin deposition on rough surfaces. To verify this hypothesis, we conducted an arteriovenous shunt experiment to analyze fibrin deposition in the corroded iron stents. We implanted a corroded iron stent in both the carotid and iliac artery bifurcations to elucidate the effects of fibrin deposition on endothelialization. Co-culture experiments were conducted under dynamic flow conditions to explore the relationship between fibrin deposition and rapid endothelialization. Our findings indicate that, from the generation of corrosion pits, the surface of the corroded iron stent was rough, and numerous fibrils were deposited in the corroded iron stent. Fibrin deposition in corroded iron stents facilitates endothelial cell adhesion and proliferation, which, in turn, promotes endothelialization after stenting. Our study is the first to elucidate the role of iron stent corrosion in endothelialization, pointing to a new direction for preventing clinical complications caused by insufficient endothelialization.

Prediction of clinically significant prostate cancer using a novel 68Ga-PSMA PET-CT and multiparametric MRI-based model.

Background: There are some limitations in the commonly used methods for the detection of prostate cancer. There is a lack of nomograms based on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) and 68Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) for the prediction of prostate cancer. The study seeks to compare the performance of mpMRI and 68Ga-PSMA PET-CT, and design a novel predictive model capable of predicting clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) before biopsy based on a combination of 68Ga-PSMA PET-CT, mpMRI, and patient clinical parameters. Methods: From September 2020 to June 2021, we prospectively enrolled 112 consecutive patients with no prior history of prostate cancer who underwent both 68Ga-PSMA PET-CT and mpMRI prior to biopsy at our clinical center. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to identify predictors of csPCa, with a predictive model and its nomogram incorporating 68Ga-PSMA PET-CT, mpMRI, and the clinical predictors then being generated. The constructed model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis, and further validated with the internal and external cohorts. Results: The model incorporated prostate-specific antigen density (PSAd), Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) category, and maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), and it exhibited excellent predictive efficacy when applying to evaluate both training and validation cohorts [area under the curve (AUC): 0.936 and 0.940, respectively]. Compared with SUVmax alone, the model demonstrated excellent diagnostic performance with improved specificity (0.910, 95% CI: 0.824-0.963) and positive predictive values (0.811, 95% CI: 0.648-0.920). Calibration curve and decision curve analysis further confirmed that the model exhibited a high degree of clinical net benefit and low error rate. Conclusions: The constructed model in this study was capable of accurately predicting csPCa prior to biopsy with excellent discriminative ability. As such, this model has the potential to be an effective non-invasive approach for the diagnosis of csPCa.

Clinical Features Differ Between Patients With Vertigo Attack Only and Weakness Attack Accompanying Vertigo Before Vertebrobasilar Stroke: A Retrospective Study.

Objective: To determine the different clinical features of patients with vertigo attacks alone and of those with weakness accompanying vertigo attacks before the vertebrobasilar ischemic stroke. Methods: In this 4-year retrospective study, we manually screened the medical records of 209 patients, hospitalized with vertigo attack as the main complaint who were finally diagnosed with acute vertebrobasilar ischemic stroke. Patients were divided into two groups according to their symptoms: patients who only experienced vertigo attacks prior to the vertebrobasilar stroke (VO group) and patients who had both vertigo and weakness attacks (VW group) prior to the stroke. Clinical parameters, such as infarction site and volume, relative risk factors, ABCD2 score, and medical intervention, were compared between the two groups. Results: The prevalence of hypertension was higher in the Vertigo attacks only (VO) group (42.2 vs. 29.0%, p < 0.05). The total cerebral infarction volume in the VO group was larger than the Vertigo and weakness attacks (VW) group (4.44 vs. 2.12 cm3, p < 0.05). Additionally, the cerebellum was more likely to be affected in the VO group. In contrast, patients in the VW group had higher carotid stenosis (14.2 vs. 27.2%, p < 0.05) and ABCD2 score (2.1 ± 1.2 vs. 3.6 ± 1.5, p = 0.02). The percentage of patients with medullary infarctions also increased in the VW group. Vertigo attack events occurred more frequently in the VW group (median 2.4 vs. 4.3, p < 0.04). We also found that the patients in the VW group were more likely to seek medical intervention after vertigo. Conclusions: Clinical parameters, such as infarction location, relative risk factors, and ABCD2 score, differed between patients with vertigo symptoms with or without weakness attacks. These findings highlight the different clinical features of patients with vertigo attack only and those with weakness attacks accompanying vertigo prior to vertebrobasilar ischemic stroke.

Computer-aided diagnosis of prostate cancer based on deep neural networks from multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging.

Objectives: To evaluate a new deep neural network (DNN)-based computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) method, namely, a prostate cancer localization network and an integrated multi-modal classification network, to automatically localize prostate cancer on multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) and classify prostate cancer and non-cancerous tissues. Materials and methods: The PROSTAREx database consists of a "training set" (330 suspected lesions from 204 cases) and a "test set" (208 suspected lesions from 104 cases). Sequences include T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted, Ktrans, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) images. For the task of abnormal localization, inspired by V-net, we designed a prostate cancer localization network with mp-MRI data as input to achieve automatic localization of prostate cancer. Combining the concepts of multi-modal learning and ensemble learning, the integrated multi-modal classification network is based on the combination of mp-MRI data as input to distinguish prostate cancer from non-cancerous tissues through a series of operations such as convolution and pooling. The performance of each network in predicting prostate cancer was examined using the receiver operating curve (ROC), and the area under the ROC curve (AUC), sensitivity (TPR), specificity (TNR), accuracy, and Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) were calculated. Results: The prostate cancer localization network exhibited excellent performance in localizing prostate cancer, with an average error of only 1.64 mm compared to the labeled results, an error of about 6%. On the test dataset, the network had a sensitivity of 0.92, specificity of 0.90, PPV of 0.91, NPV of 0.93, and DSC of 0.84. Compared with multi-modal classification networks, the performance of single-modal classification networks is slightly inadequate. The integrated multi-modal classification network performed best in classifying prostate cancer and non-cancerous tissues with a TPR of 0.95, TNR of 0.82, F1-Score of 0.8920, AUC of 0.912, and accuracy of 0.885, which fully confirmed the feasibility of the ensemble learning approach. Conclusion: The proposed DNN-based prostate cancer localization network and integrated multi-modal classification network yielded high performance in experiments, demonstrating that the prostate cancer localization network and integrated multi-modal classification network can be used for computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) of prostate cancer localization and classification.

Iron corroded granules inhibiting vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation.

In-stent restenosis after interventional therapy remains a severe clinical complication. Current evidence indicates that neointimal hyperplasia induced by vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation is a major cause of restenosis. Thus, inhibiting VSMC proliferation is critical for preventing in-stent restenosis. The incidence of restenosis was reduced in nitrided iron-based stents (hereafter referred to as iron stents). We hypothesized that the corroded granules produced by the iron stent would prevent in-stent restenosis by inhibiting VSMC proliferation. To verify this hypothesis, we introduced a dynamic circulation device to analyze the components of corroded granules. To investigate the effects of corroded granules on VSMC proliferation, we implanted the corroded iron stent into the artery of the atherosclerotic artery stenosis model. Moreover, we explored the mechanism underlying the inhibition of VSMC proliferation by iron corroded granules. The results indicated that iron stent produced the corroded granules after implantation, and the main component of the corrosion granules was iron oxide. Remarkably, the corroded granules reduced the neointimal hyperplasia in an atherosclerotic artery stenosis model, and iron corroded granules decreased the neointimal hyperplasia by inhibiting VSMC proliferation. In addition, we revealed that corroded granules reduced VSMC proliferation by activating autophagy through the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway. Importantly, safety of iron corroded granules was evaluated and proved to be satisfactory hemocompatibility in rabbit model. Overall, the role of corroded granules in restenosis prevention was described for the first time. This finding highlighted the implication of corroded granules produced by iron stent in inhibiting VSMC proliferation, pointing to a new direction to prevent in-stent restenosis.

Smoking status and pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy among patients with bladder cancer: a pooled analysis.

BACKGROUND: Smoking status has been confirmed as an independent prognostic factor for bladder cancer. However, for patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), the influence of smoking status on the pathological response and prognosis remains unclear. This pooled analysis aimed to investigate whether smoking status is an independent risk factor for pathological response, recurrence, and prognosis in patients with bladder cancer who undergo NAC. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar for related studies published between 1990 and 2017. In total, 10 studies comprising 1,382 patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer were included. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of complete pathological response, partial pathological response, overall survive (OS), recurrence, and cancer-specific mortality (CSM) were chosen as outcome measures. Analyses were performed using Review Manager (version 5.3, The Cochrane Collaboration, UK) and Stata statistical software (version 15, Stata Corp., USA). RESULTS: Compared to nonsmokers, smokers were less likely to have a complete pathologic response (OR =0.55, 95% CI: 0.35-0.87) and partial pathological response (OR =0.57, 95% CI: 0.37-0.88). However, we found no significant association between smoking status and overall survival (OR =0.71, 95% CI: 0.28-1.80), recurrence (OR =1.35, 95% CI: 0.97-1.88), and cancer-specific mortality (OR =0.90, 95% CI: 0.62-1.32). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking reduces both complete and partial pathological response rate to NAC in patients with bladder cancer. Thus, smoking status should be given more importance when developing treatment plans and evaluating efficacy, particularly of NAC, among bladder cancer patients.

Intracorporeal versus extracorporeal urinary diversion after robot-assisted radical cystectomy: a pooled analysis.

BACKGROUND: To compare intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD) with extracorporeal urinary diversion (ECUD) after robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) for surgery safety, postoperative recovery, complication, and prognosis. METHODS: We performed a literature search on PubMed, Embase, Medline and the Cochrane Library based on all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational comparative studies related to study topics published before July 14th, 2020. Then systematic review and meta-analysis was performed. RESULTS: 13 retrospective studies containing 4,755 patients were identified. In terms of surgery safety, with similar operative time, ICUD group showed less estimated blood loss (EBL) (P<0.0001) and lower blood transfusion rate (P=0.006). In terms of postoperative recovery, with similar hospital stay, ICUD group showed earlier recovery on flatus (P<0.001) and oral intake (P<0001). In aspect of complications, there were no significant differences between ICUD and ECUD groups, except for gastrointestinal system complications. ICUD group had lower gastrointestinal complications rate than ECUD group (P=0.002). In aspect of prognosis outcomes, with similar mortality, ICUD group had lower recurrence rate than ECUD group (P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the current evidence, ICUD procedure is excellence in surgery safety, postoperative recovery, complications, and prognosis. However, the observational studies reduced the level of evidence, larger randomized trials are needed to confirm these findings.

Effects of Fibrin Clot Inhibitors and Statins on the Intravesical Bacille Calmette-Guérin Therapy for Bladder Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of fibrin clot inhibitors (aspirin, clopidogrel, and warfarin) and statins on intravesical BCG therapy. METHOD: A systematic literature search was carried out through PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Search Library in March 2020. Accumulative analyses of odds ratios (ORs), hazard ratio (HR), and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were performed. All analyses were performed by using Review Manager software version 5.3 and Stata 15.1. RESULTS: Four cohort studies and nine case-control studies containing 3,451 patients were included. The pooled analysis indicated that statins (HR = 1.00; 95%CI, 0.82 to 1.22; p = 1.00) and fibrin clot inhibitors (HR = 1.01; 95%CI, 0.64 to 1.59; p = 0.98) did not affect the efficacy of BCG on recurrence-free survival. The cumulative analysis showed that statins (HR = 0.79; 95%CI, 0.41 to 1.49; p = 0.46) and fibrin clot inhibitors (HR = 1.62; 95%CI, 0.90 to 2.91; p = 0.11) did not affect the efficacy of BCG on progression-free survival. There were no differences on cancer-specific survival (HR = 1.68; 95%CI, 0.64 to 4.40; p = 0.29) and overall survival (HR = 1.13; 95%CI, 0.73 to 1.78; p = 0.58) after taking statins. CONCLUSION: The present study shows that the application of fibrin clot inhibitors and statins do not influence the efficacy of BCG on oncological prognosis. Consequently, we do not need to stop using them or change to other drugs during intravesical BCG treatment. However, large-scale multi-center prospective research is still needed to confirm the above conclusions.

Efficacy of Intra-Arterial Plus Intravesical Chemotherapy for High-Risk Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: A Pooled Analysis.

Background: The treatment for high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) remains highly debated for its high recurrence and progression risk. This work aimed to verify the efficacy and toxicity of intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) plus intravesical chemotherapy (IVC) in high-risk NMIBC. Methods: A comprehensive online literature search was conducted in three databases to select researches related to IAC + IVC for high-risk NMIBC. All data were analyzed using the Review Manager software version 5.3. And we used the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool to assessed the quality of these enrolled researches. Results: Seven eligible original publications were enrolled in our studies with a total of 1,247 patients. Compared with the intravesical instillation, IAC + IVC therapy showed a better therapeutic effect. The total odds ratio for tumor recurrence rate, tumor progression rate, survival rate, and tumor-specific death rate was calculated as 0.51 (95% CI: 0.36-0.72; p < 0.05), 0.51 (95% CI: 0.36-0.72; p < 0.05), 1.75 (95% CI: 1.09-2.81; p < 0.05), and 0.48 (95% CI: 0.28-0.84; p < 0.05), respectively. In patients who received IAC, most of the adverse events (AEs)in the treatment were Grade I and II. Conclusion: IAC + IVC regimen for high-risk NMIBC could effectively reduce recurrence and progression and provide a better prognosis than intravesical instillation. The adverse events of IAC were mild and acceptable.

Emerging Biomarkers for Predicting Bladder Cancer Lymph Node Metastasis.

Bladder cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide. Early detection of lymph node metastasis of bladder cancer is essential to improve patients' prognosis and overall survival. Current diagnostic methods are limited, so there is an urgent need for new specific biomarkers. Non-coding RNA and m6A have recently been reported to be abnormally expressed in bladder cancer related to lymph node metastasis. In this review, we tried to summarize the latest knowledge about biomarkers, which predict lymph node metastasis in bladder cancer and their mechanisms. In particular, we paid attention to the impact of non-coding RNA on lymphatic metastasis of bladder cancer and its specific molecular mechanisms, as well as some prediction models based on imaging, pathology, and biomolecules, in an effort to find more accurate diagnostic methods for future clinical application.

YTHDF1 Is a Potential Pan-Cancer Biomarker for Prognosis and Immunotherapy.

BACKGROUND: YTH N6-methyladenosine RNA binding protein 1 (YTHDF1) has been indicated proven to participate in the cross-presentation of tumor antigens in dendritic cells and the cross-priming of CD8+ T cells. However, the role of YTHDF1 in prognosis and immunology in human cancers remains largely unknown. METHODS: All original data were downloaded from TCGA and GEO databases and integrated via R 3.2.2. YTHDF1 expression was explored with the Oncomine, TIMER, GEPIA, and BioGPS databases. The effect of YTHDF1 on prognosis was analyzed via GEPIA, Kaplan-Meier plotter, and the PrognoScan database. The TISIDB database was used to determine YTHDF1 expression in different immune and molecular subtypes of human cancers. The correlations between YTHDF1 expression and immune checkpoints (ICP), tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and neoantigens in human cancers were analyzed via the SangerBox database. The relationships between YTHDF1 expression and tumor-infiltrated immune cells were analyzed via the TIMER and GEPIA databases. The relationships between YTHDF1 and marker genes of tumor-infiltrated immune cells in urogenital cancers were analyzed for confirmation. The genomic alterations of YTHDF1 were investigated with the c-BioPortal database. The differential expression of YTHDF1 in urogenital cancers with different clinical characteristics was analyzed with the UALCAN database. YTHDF1 coexpression networks were studied by the LinkedOmics database. RESULTS: In general, YTHDF1 expression was higher in tumors than in paired normal tissue in human cancers. YTHDF1 expression had strong relationships with prognosis, ICP, TMB, MSI, and neoantigens. YTHDF1 plays an essential role in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and participates in immune regulation. Furthermore, significant strong correlations between YTHDF1 expression and tumor immune-infiltrated cells (TILs) existed in human cancers, and marker genes of TILs were significantly related to YTHDF expression in urogenital cancers. TYHDF1 coexpression networks mostly participated in the regulation of immune response and antigen processing and presentation. CONCLUSION: YTHDF1 may serve as a potential prognostic and immunological pan-cancer biomarker. Moreover, YTHDF1 could be a novel target for tumor immunotherapy.

[Retracted] Methylation­induced downregulation and tumor-suppressive role of microRNA­98 in glioma through targeting Sal­like protein 4.

Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editors' attention by a concerned reader that certain of the cell Transwell assay data in the article (featured in Figs. 4D and 6D) were strikingly similar to data appearing in different form in other articles by different authors at different research institutions, which were already under consideration for publication or had already been published elsewhere at the time of the present article's submission. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article had already appeared in different form in other articles prior to its submission to International Journal of Molecular Medicine, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. After having been in contact with the authors, they agreed with the decision to retract the paper. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [the original article was published in International Journal of Molecular Medicine 41: 2651-2659, 2018; DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2018.3464].