Surgical treatment for prostatic utricle cyst in children: A single-center report of 15 patients.

OBJECTIVES: To report our single-center experience of the management of children with prostatic utricle cysts. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 15 children who were incidentally found to have a prostatic utricle cyst and were admitted to our department between October 2013 and August 2020. Clinical characteristics and management were collected and catalogued. RESULTS: Recurrent genitourinary tract infections were the most frequent complaint, and two-thirds of patients also had hypospadias. A connection between the posterior urethra and the prostatic utricle cyst was found in all cases. Two patients directly had their progressively enlarging prostatic utricle cyst resected laparoscopically. Endoscopic techniques were used in 13 patients, two of whom underwent laparoscopic excision for repeated symptoms. The mean (range) follow-up period was 34.9 (2-82) months. No recurrences were observed in four patients who underwent prostatic utricle cyst excision and eight patients who received endoscopic treatment. Three patients had recurrent symptoms after endoscopic treatment and were managed by nonsurgical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Prostatic utricle cyst is a rare disease which can cause recurrent genitourinary tract infections. Extra attention should be paid to evaluation for prostatic utricle cyst in children with external genital anomalies. Retrograde urethrogram and magnetic resonance imaging are useful tools with which to distinguish prostatic utricle cyst from other cystic lesions that are located in the midline pelvis in male patients. Individualized treatment is appropriate when considering fertility preservation, recurrences and malignancy. Laparoscopic excision is feasible for symptomatic and large prostatic utricle cyst. Regular long-term monitoring is recommended for all patients with prostatic utricle cyst.

The Role of Ferroptosis in Environmental Pollution-Induced Male Reproductive System Toxicity.

This article provides a comprehensive review of the toxic effects of environmental pollution on the male reproductive system, with a particular emphasis on ferroptosis, a form of programmed cell death. Research has shown that environmental pollutants, such as heavy metals, pesticide residues, and plastic additives, can disrupt oxidative stress, increasing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in germ cells. This disruption damages cellular lipids, proteins, and DNA, culminating in cell dysfunction or death. Ferroptosis, a cell death pathway closely linked to oxidative stress, is characterized by the accumulation of intracellular iron ions and elevated levels of lipid ROS. This review also explores the role of ferroptosis in male reproductive disorders, including its contributions to reduced sperm count, decreased motility, and abnormal morphology. Environmental pollutants, particularly heavy metals, can induce ferroptosis by interfering with intracellular antioxidant systems, notably the NRF2, GSH, and GPX4 pathways, accumulating toxic lipid peroxides. Furthermore, the article examines the potential interplay between ferroptosis and other forms of cell death, such as apoptosis, autophagy, pyroptosis, and necrosis, in the context of male reproductive health. The review underscores the critical need for further research into the link between environmental pollutants and male fertility, particularly focusing on ferroptosis. It advocates for targeted research efforts to mitigate the adverse effects of ferroptosis and protect reproductive health, emphasizing that a deeper understanding of these mechanisms could lead to innovative preventive strategies against environmental threats to fertility.

A new approach to 3-hydroxyprolinol derivatives by samarium diiodide-mediated reductive coupling of chiral nitrone with carbonyl compounds.

A flexible diastereoselective approach to trans-(3S)-hydroxyprolinol derivatives is described, which is based on the samarium diiodide-mediated reductive coupling of the chiral 1-pyrroline N-oxide (nitrone)(S)-10 with carbonyl compounds. The reductive hydroxyalkylation of nitrone 10 with ketones and aromatic aldehydes is highly diastereoselective in establishing the C-2 chiral center of the pyrrolidine ring.

[Effect of carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum on the translocation of intestinal endotoxin/bacteria in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum on the translocation of intestinal endotoxin/bacteria. METHODS: The ampicillin-resistant E. coli JM109 labeled with plasmid PUC18 was given by gavage to 48 rats to detect the translocation of intestinal bacteria. Hydrochloric acid was peritoneal inoculated to the rats to induce acute chemical peritonitis. The rats were randomly allocated to the control group without pneumoperitoneum (n = 16), the experimental groups with low insufflation (5 mmHg of carbon dioxide, n = 16) and with high insufflation (15 mmHg of carbon dioxide, n = 16). The blood endotoxin in the femoral veins were detected every hour. The ampicillin-resistant E. coli JM109 were identified by restricted digest and agrose gel-electrophoresis. The rats were killed at the end of the 3 hour experiment and blood samples from the portal and mesenteric lymph nodes were taken for culture. The levels of SIgA in the plasma and the intestinal mucosal were detected by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: The blood endotoxin in the femoral veins of the rats increased significantly 1 hour after the induction of pneumoperitoneum with 15mmHg of carbon dioxide (P < 0.01) and continued to increase with time. The plasma and intestinal mucosal SIgA of the rats decreased significantly (P < 0.01) after 3 hours of exposure to 15 mmHg of carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum. The bacterial translocation rates from intestinal to portal were 0%, 25% and 50% for the control, 5 mmHg and 15 mmHg groups respectively, and 12.5%, 25%, and 75% from intestinal to mesenteric lymph nodes for the three groups respectively. CONCLUSION: Carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum increase intestinal Endotoxin/bacterial translocations and the effect increases with pressures.

[Tissue-engineered graft constructed by bone marrow mononuclear cells and heterogeneous acellularized tissue matrix: an animal experiment].

OBJECTIVE: To construct a tissue-engineered graft by using bone marrow cells as seeding cells and heterogeneous acellularized matrix as scaffold. METHODS: Mononuclear cells were isolated from the bone marrow from piglets and cultured in different mediums including either vessel endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or platelet derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) to observe the differentiation of cells. Immunoassay was used to detect the expression of specific markers of endothelial cells or specific markers of smooth muscle cells. Adult dogs were killed and their thoracic or abdominal aortas were taken out and processed by multi-step decellularizing technique to remove the original cells while the elastic and collagen fibers were preserved. The undifferentiated bone marrow mononuclear cells were seeded onto the acellularized matrix and incubated in vitro. The cell-seeded grafts were then transplanted to the bone marrow donating piglets to substitute part of the native pulmonary artery. Three weeks later right ventriculography was performed. 100 days later the piglets were sacrificed. The transplanted vessels and the nearby tissues of native pulmonary vessels were excised for inspection. RESULTS: The mononuclear cells cultured in the medium including VEGF showed the morphological features of endothelial cells and were positive of the specific markers of endothelial cells: platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-l, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor Flk-1, VE-cadherin, and plasma factor VIII. The cells cultured in the medium including PDGF-BB showed morphological feature of smooth muscle cells and were positive of he specific marks of smooth muscle cells: alpha-SMA and calponin. One hundred days after transplantation, the inner surfaces of the grafts were smooth without thrombosis, calcification, and aneurysm. The maximal load was 2.76 N and the maximal elongation was 20.31 mm. Under the microscopy a great number of growing endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells could be seen and elastic and collagen fibers were abundant. CONCLUSION: The mononuclear cells from bone marrow and acellularized matrix may be used to construct tissue-engineered graft.

Identification of mTOR as a primary resistance factor of the IAP antagonist AT406 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Dysregulation of inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins (IAPs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is often associated with poor prognosis. Here we showed that AT406, an IAP antagonist, was cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic to both established (HepG2, SMMC-7721 lines) and primary HCC cells. Activation of mTOR could be a key resistance factor of AT406 in HCC cells. mTOR inhibition (by OSI-027), kinase-dead mutation or knockdown remarkably enhanced AT406-induced lethality in HCC cells. Reversely, forced-activation of mTOR by adding SC79 or exogenous expressing a constitutively active S6K1 (T389E) attenuated AT406-induced cytotoxicity against HCC cells. We showed that AT406 induced degradation of IAPs (cIAP-1 and XIAP), but didn't affect another anti-apoptosis protein Mcl-1. Co-treatment of OSI-027 caused simultaneous Mcl-1 downregulation to overcome AT406's resistance. Significantly, shRNA knockdown of Mcl-1 remarkably facilitated AT406-induced apoptosis in HCC cells. In vivo, AT406 oral administration suppressed HepG2 tumor growth in nude mice. Its activity was potentiated with co-administration of OSI-027. We conclude that mTOR could be a key resistance factor of AT406 in HCC cells.

Tissue-engineered graft constructed by self-derived cells and heterogeneous acellular matrix.

BACKGROUND: Endothelial and smooth muscle cells were used as seeding cells and heterogeneous acellularized matrix was used as scaffold to construct the tissue-engineered graft. METHODS: A 2 weeks piglet was selected as a donor of seeding cells. Two-centimetre length of common carotid artery was dissected. Endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells were harvested by trypsin and collagenase digestion respectively. The isolated cells were cultured and expanded using routine cell culture technique. An adult sheep was used as a donor of acellularized matrix. The thoracic aorta was harvested and processed by a multi-step decellularizing technique to remove the original cells and preserve the elastic and collagen fibers. The cultured smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells were then seeded to the acellularized matrix and incubated in vitro for another 2 weeks. The cell seeded graft was then transplanted to the cell-donated piglet to substitute part of the native pulmonary artery. RESULTS: The cultured cells from piglet were characterized as endothelial cells by the presence of specific antigens vWF and CD31, and smooth muscle cells by the presence of specific antigen alpha-actin on the cell surface respectively with immunohistochemical technique. After decellularizing processing for the thoracic aorta from sheep, all the cellular components were extracted and elastic and collagen fibers kept their original morphology and structure. The maximal load of acellular matrix was decreased and 20% lower than that of untreated thoracic aorta, but the maximal tensions between them were not different statistically and they had similar load-tension curves. Three months after transplantation, the animal was sacrificed and the graft was removed for observation. The results showed that the inner surfaces of the graft were smooth, without thrombosis and calcification. Under microscopy, a great number of growing cells could be seen and elastic and collagen fibers were abundant. CONCLUSION: Cultured self-derived endothelial and smooth muscle cells could be used as seeding cells and heterogeneous acellularized matrix could be used as scaffold in constructing tissue-engineered graft.

[Synthesis and UV/Vis spectra of a dialkyloxy substituted phthalocyanine].

A dialkyloxy substituted metal-free phthalocyanine was synthesized by using 3-(2',2',4'-trimethyl-3'-pentoxy)-1,3-diiminoisoindoles and 1,3,3-trichloroisoindolenine as starting materials, and characterized by element analysis, 1H NMR, IR and UV/Vis spectra. The dependences of wavelength of UV/Vis spectra and its split of Q band absorption on the number of substituents and, dielectric constant of solvents are discussed based on the comparison with tetraalkyloxy substituted metal-free phthalocyanine.