Localization of external urethral orifice in coronary sulcus during urethroplasty in case of severe hypospadias accompanied by prostatic utricle cyst.

BACKGROUND: To explore whether opening the external urethral orifice in the coronal sulcus can reduce the incidence of epididymitis after operating on hypospadias with prostatic utricle cyst (PUC) connecting to the vas deferens. Group A consisted of 3 patients with severe hypospadias and PUC undergoing cystostomy, hypospadias correction and urethroplasty, along with the relocation of the external orifice of the urethra to the coronal sulcus. Group B consisted of 4 patients having initial hypospadias repaired with meatus in the orthotopic position in the glans, presenting with multiple epididymitis after hypospadias surgery and unsuccessful conservative treatment. MR confirmed that all the Group B patients had PUC connecting to the vas deferens. Group B patients underwent urethral dilatation along with urethral catheterization, cutting of the original corpus cavernosum that encapsulated the urethra, and extension of the position of the external urethral orifice to the coronal sulcus. RESULTS: In group A, 3 children underwent bladder fistula removal 2 weeks after the operation. The penis developed normally without any complications. Four children in group B underwent stent removal 12 weeks after operation, and one patient was still stenosed and dilated again. All patients in group B were followed without epididymitis recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with hypospadias complicating with a PUC, connecting to one side of the vas deferens, the positioning of the external urethral orifice in the coronary sulcus would be helpful to reduce the occurrence of epididymitis.

Elevated levels of mitochondrion-associated autophagy inhibitor LRPPRC are associated with poor prognosis in patients with prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Autophagy has recently been found to play important roles in tumorigenesis and leucine-rich pentatricopeptide repeat motif-containing protein (LRPPRC) has been identified as an inhibitor that suppresses autophagy and mitophagy and maintains mitochondrial activity. The authors hypothesized that LRPPRC levels can be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer. METHODS: Immunochemistry analysis was performed to evaluate the levels of LRPPRC in 112 samples collected from patients with prostate adenocarcinoma (PCa) and 38 samples from patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) who were enrolled in hospitals in Guangzhou City, China and were followed for 10 years. RESULTS: Significantly higher levels of LRPPRC were found in PCa samples compared with BPH samples. Greater than 75% of patients with PCa demonstrated high levels of LRPPRC whereas only 10% of patients with BPH were found to have similar levels of LRPPRC. The levels of LRPPRC were found to be positively correlated with tumor grade, metastasis, and serum prostate-specific antigen level, but were negatively correlated with hormone therapy sensitivity after 2 years of surgery and overall survival. The association between high levels of LRPPRC and late-stage PCa or hormone therapy insensitivity was confirmed in tissue samples collected from prostate-specific phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)(-/-) mice or hormone-dependent and hormone-independent PCa cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: LRPPRC levels may be used as an independent biomarker for patients with PCa at a late stage with poor prognosis.

Adsorption of bisphenol A to a carbon nanotube reduced its endocrine disrupting effect in mice male offspring.

Soluble carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have shown promise as materials for adsorption of environmental contaminants such as Bisphenol A (BPA), due to the high adsorption capacity and strong desorption hysteresis of BPA on CNTs. The adsorption of BPA to CNTs may change the properties of both BPA and CNTs, and induce different toxicity to human and living systems from that of BPA and CNTs alone. Herein, we report that oral exposure of BPA/MWCNT-COOH (carboxylated multi-walled carbon nantubes) adduct to mice during gestation and lactation period decreased the male offspring reproductive toxicity compared with those induced by BPA alone. The adduct decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) level in testis and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in serum, but increased the level of serum testosterone in male offspring in comparison to BPA alone. Our investigations broadened the knowledge of nanotoxicity and provided important information on the safe application of CNTs.

[Composition and distribution patterns of rare earth elements in Fujian teas].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the composition and distribution pattern of rare earth elements in the teas from Fujian province. METHODS: A total of 145 samples of nine varieties of the teas were collected from their plantation fields and markets in Fujian province. The concentrations of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu and Y in the samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). RESULTS: The concentrations of total REEs, light REEs (LREEs) and heavy REEs (HREEs) in the teas were 2.483, 1.764, 0.720 mg/kg, respectively. The LREE was dominant with the highest concentration of Ce. The distribution pattern of the REE contents in the teas and corresponding plantation soils were similar. CONCLUSION: After the chondrite-nomalized distribution treatment, it was found that the REEs in the Fujian teas had a similar pattern with those of the soils in the Fujian province and Mainland China, and also with those in the green tea from Jiangsu province. However, the high concentrations of REEs in some Fujian teas should be paid with more attention and investigation.

Functional Optical Fiber Sensors Detecting Imperceptible Physical/Chemical Changes for Smart Batteries.

The battery technology progress has been a contradictory process in which performance improvement and hidden risks coexist. Now the battery is still a "black box", thus requiring a deep understanding of its internal state. The battery should "sense its internal physical/chemical conditions", which puts strict requirements on embedded sensing parts. This paper summarizes the application of advanced optical fiber sensors in lithium-ion batteries and energy storage technologies that may be mass deployed, focuses on the insights of advanced optical fiber sensors into the processes of one-dimensional nano-micro-level battery material structural phase transition, electrolyte degradation, electrode-electrolyte interface dynamics to three-dimensional macro-safety evolution. The paper contributes to understanding how to use optical fiber sensors to achieve "real" and "embedded" monitoring. Through the inherent advantages of the advanced optical fiber sensor, it helps clarify the battery internal state and reaction mechanism, aiding in the establishment of more detailed models. These advancements can promote the development of smart batteries, with significant importance lying in essentially promoting the improvement of system consistency. Furthermore, with the help of smart batteries in the future, the importance of consistency can be weakened or even eliminated. The application of advanced optical fiber sensors helps comprehensively improve the battery quality, reliability, and life.

Topological spin-orbit-coupled fermions beyond rotating wave approximation.

The realization of spin-orbit-coupled ultracold gases has driven a wide range of research and is typically based on the rotating wave approximation (RWA). By neglecting the counter-rotating terms, RWA characterizes a single near-resonant spin-orbit (SO) coupling in a two-level system. Here, we propose and experimentally realize a new scheme for achieving a pair of two-dimensional (2D) SO couplings for ultracold fermions beyond RWA. This work not only realizes the first anomalous Floquet topological Fermi gas beyond RWA, but also significantly improves the lifetime of the 2D-SO-coupled Fermi gas. Based on pump-probe quench measurements, we observe a deterministic phase relation between two sets of SO couplings, which is characteristic of our beyond-RWA scheme and enables the two SO couplings to be simultaneously tuned to the optimum 2D configurations. We observe intriguing band topology by measuring two-ring band-inversion surfaces, quantitatively consistent with a Floquet topological Fermi gas in the regime of high Chern numbers. Our study can open an avenue to explore exotic SO physics and anomalous topological states based on long-lived SO-coupled ultracold fermions.

Fluorescence characteristics of bisphenol A in room temperature ionic liquids.

Room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) are emerging as a new class of 'green' solvents for use in a wide range of chemical processes. RTILs can sensitize or quench fluorescence of organic chemicals and their interactions still remain unclear, especially for weakly fluorescent chemicals. Herein, we report the effects of six RTILs on the fluorescence behavior of bisphenol A (BPA). The fluorescence intensities (FIs) of BPA in a RTIL-acetonitrile system were significantly quenched compared to acetonitrile. The quenching effect was stronger for [CnMIM]BF4 than [CnMIM]PF6. A decreasing trend of fluorescence lifetime (FL) of BPA was observed for [C6MIM]PF6 (4.26 to 3.86 ns) and [C14MIM]PF6 (4.15 to 3.78 ns) with increasing RTIL concentrations in the range of 1-10 mM. The quenching mode was consistent with a static quenching mechanism based on the consistency of FL and FI results. The emission bands of BPA and RTILs did not interfere with each other when RTILs were used as the solvent. The investigated RTILs enhanced the FIs of strongly fluorescing chemicals (12.0 ~ 19.0-fold for norfloxacin and 6.1 ~ 8.5-fold for dansyl chloride), but quenched those of weakly fluorescing chemicals (BPA). These results demonstrate that RTILs have different fluorescent effects on organic chemicals with different fluorophores. The interactions between RTILs and BPA result from many factors in addition to viscosity, such as solvent electrostatic dielectric constant, refractive index, density, polarization and molecular interaction. These results provide a theoretical foundation for application of RTILs in the analysis of weakly fluorescing chemical.

Fluorescence quenching of 4-tert-octylphenol by room temperature ionic liquids and its application.

The interactions between room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) and weak fluorescent chemicals still remain unclear, which hinders the complete and efficient utilization of these "green" solvents in fluorescent analyses of organic chemicals. Herein, we reported the effects of four RTILs, [C8MIM]BF4, [C14MIM]BF4, [C8MIM]PF6 and [C14MIM]PF6, on fluorescence behavior of 4-tert-octylphenol (4-t-OP). In the fortified concentration range of 0.2-1.0 mM, the quenching effects were increased with increasing concentrations of RTILs. However, no obvious variation of peak shape of 4-t-OP was observed in the quenching process, suggesting no formation of ground-state complex between fluorophores in 4-t-OP and quencher (ionic liquids). As for anion effect, the fluorescence quenching efficiency of 4-t-OP by BF4(-) was greater than PF6(-), but the carbon chain length on the imidazolium ring had no significant relationship with fluorescence intensity of 4-t-OP. Both Ksv values (>1.0 × 10(3) L/mol.s) and the different temperature effects demonstrated that the quenching of 4-t-OP by four RTILs was the presence of dynamic and static quenching mechanism. The FI of dansyl chloride within [C8MIM]BF4 increased nearly 5-fold as compared to the control, showing a sensitizing effect on the strong fluorescent chemicals, while a quenching effect on 4-t-OP belonging to weak fluorescent chemicals. The fluorescence-enhanced amplitude of dansyl chloride in [C8MIM]PF6 was greater than [C8MIM]BF4. The fluorescence quenching of 4-t-OP by [C8MIM]PF6 did not belong to FRET phenomenon because of no overlap of emission spectrum of 4-t-OP and absorption spectrum of [C8MIM]PF6. When 0.6 mM [C8MIM]PF6 in acetonitrile was used as the solvent, the detection limit of 4-t-OP was 3.7 µg/L, and the linearity range was 0.01-0.8 mg/L (R(2) = 0.9990). In summary, these results provide a theoretical foundation for the application of RTILs in weak fluorescent chemicals.

Effects of ionic liquids on fluorescence characteristics of 17α- and 17ß-estradiol.

Herein, we report the effects of six different room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) on fluorescence spectra of 17α-estradiol (EE1) and 17ß-estradiol (E2). The selected RTILs belonged to the compound classes of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([C(n)MIM]BF(4)) and 1-alkyl-3-methyl imidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([C(n)MIM]PF(6)). RTILs had a gradual quenching effect on fluorescence intensity (FI) of EE1 and E2, and the quenching process followed the well-known Stern-Volmer theory. The quenching mechanism of EE1 and E2 by RTILs was demonstrated to be dynamic quenching. Additionally, the overall quenching efficiency by [C(n)MIM]BF(4) was higher than [C(n)MIM]PF(6). The increased carbon chain length of RTILs did not lead to obvious differences in FI for EE1 and E2. The quenching efficiency showed irregular trend at three different temperatures (25, 35 and 45 °C). RTILs such as [C(4)MIM]PF(6) had the different fluorescent effects on organic chemicals with different fluorophores. The enhancing effects of [C(4)MIM]PF(6) were observed on strong fluorescence chemicals (dansyl chloride, rhrodamine B, 1,10-phenanthroline, norfloxacin), while quenching effect on weak fluorescence chemicals (EE1 and E2). In theory, these results provide a theoretical foundation for deep insight into their interaction mechanism between RTILs and estradiol.

Separation and determination of triclosan and bisphenol A in water, beverage, and urine samples by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with capillary zone electrophoresis-UV detection.

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with capillary zone electrophoresis-UV detection was developed for analyzing triclosan (TCS) and bisphenol A (BPA) in water, beverage, and urine samples. The factors influencing microextraction efficiencies, such as the kind and volume of extraction and dispersive solvent, the extraction time, and the salt effect, were optimized. A background electrolyte composed of 8 mM sodium tetraborate at pH 9.8 was used as the running buffer. Detection was performed at 214 nm. Under the optimum conditions (sample volume, 5.0 mL; extraction solvent, tetrachloroethane, 22.0 microL; dispersive solvent, tetrahydrofuran, 1.0 mL; extraction time, fewer than 5 s; and without salt addition), the enrichment factors were 110.2 and 82.0 for TCS and BPA, respectively. The linear range was 0.02-2 microg/mL with correlation coefficients of 0.9966-0.9969. LODs were in the range of 4.0-8.0 ng/mL. The environmental water, beverage, and urine samples (at spiking levels of 0.1 and 0.4 microg/mL) were successfully analyzed by the proposed method; the recoveries compared to previous methods were in the range of 81.2-103.3%. As a result, this method can be successfully applied for the rapid and convenient determination of TCS and BPA in water, beverage, and urine samples.

How does blockchain technology affect the development of green finance? Theoretical analysis and empirical verification.

Facing the problem of a lack of endogenous incentive mechanisms for the development of green finance, we regard blockchain technology as an institutional technology and elevate it to the height of governance mechanisms. Using a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model framework, we compare and analyze its effects with traditional supportive policies such as fiscal subsidies. The modeling simulation results show that the blockchain green finance platform model is conducive to better promoting the development of green finance. Subsequently, we construct a financial technology development index centered on blockchain technology and empirically test the impact of blockchain financial technology on the level of green finance development from both the supply and demand sides. The results show that the development of blockchain financial technology has significantly increased the scale of green credit issuance and effectively eased the financing constraints of green enterprises, reducing financing costs. We conduct an economic analysis of the impact of blockchain financial technology on the development of green finance, providing a feasible path for the integration and development of green finance and financial technology.

Localized high-concentration electrolyte enabled by a novel ester diluent for lithium metal batteries.

To achieve stable Li anode cycling with a high-voltage cathode and high efficiency, a novel ester diluent-based localized high-concentration electrolyte (LHCE) was successfully applied. The oxidation resistance of the high-concentration electrolyte is retained after dilution. More than 99.5% Coulombic efficiency is achieved in Li||Cu cells owing to the optimized physical properties, and the robust SEI film enables superior long-term operation with a high-voltage cathode. This strategy verifies the effectiveness of developing ester diluents for LHCEs applied in lithium metal batteries.

Stereo vision calibration based on GMDH neural network.

In order to improve the accuracy and stability of stereo vision calibration, a novel stereo vision calibration approach based on the group method of data handling (GMDH) neural network is presented. Three GMDH neural networks are utilized to build a spatial mapping relationship adaptively in individual dimension. In the process of modeling, the Levenberg-Marquardt optimization algorithm is introduced as an interior criterion to train each partial model, and the corrected Akaike's information criterion is introduced as an exterior criterion to evaluate these models. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed approach is stable and able to calibrate three-dimensional (3D) locations more accurately and learn the stereo mapping models adaptively. It is a convenient way to calibrate the stereo vision without specialized knowledge of stereo vision.

Effects of imidazolium room temperature ionic liquids on the fluorescent properties of norfloxacin.

The effects of 12 imidazolium room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs), including [C(n)mim]BF4, [C(n)mim]PF6, and [C(n)mim]Br (n = 4, 6, 8, 10), on the fluorescent properties of norfloxacin were examined. The fluorescence intensity of norfloxacin at 0.1 mg/L in methanol significantly increased with the addition of [C(n)mim]BF4 and [C(n)mim]PF6 into the solvent at 0.1-15.0%. The sensitizing effect may result from the higher viscosity of the RTILs-methanol mixture solvent than that of the methanol itself. However, the quenching effect on fluorescence of norfloxacin was observed in [C(n)mim]Br-methanol solvent. The fluorescence intensities of norfloxacin decreased with an increase in the alkyl chain length of the alkyl substituents of the imidazolium ring of RTILs. The main interaction between the RTILs and norfloxacin is not by hydrogen bonding. The fact, that some RTILs can significantly sensitize fluorescence of norfloxacin, indicates that RTILs could be a group of promising solvents for development of sensitive spectrofluorimetric methods for determination of norfloxacin at ultra-trace levels in environmental samples.

[The analysis of perioperative complications during radical cystectomy using a standardized reporting system].

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the perioperative complications of radical cystectomy using a standardized reporting methodology. METHODS: The clinical data of 233 cases of radical cystectomy from January 1996 to December 2008 were reviewed. Two hundred male patients and 33 female patients were included. The mean age was 58.9 years old. All complications within 30 days of surgery were recorded and classified using a 5-grade modification of the Clavien system. RESULTS: Overall mean operative time was 339 (170 - 610) minutes, and mean blood loss was 818 (range 100 to 3500) ml. Of the 233 subjects at least 1 postoperative complication developed in 84 (36.1%), including five cases of intraoperative complications. According to the modified Clavien system, 27 patients (11.6%) had grade 1, 38(16.3%) had grade 2, 16(6.9%) had grade 3, and 3(1.7%) had grade 4 complications. The most frequent complication was gastrointestinal complications (15.9%), then the incision-related complications (15.0%) and lung infections (4.7%). An association between hypoproteinemia and any complication was found after adjusting for confounding variables (OR = 2.963, 95%CI: 1.451 - 6.050, P = 0.003), and American society of anesthesia score (ASA score) was significantly associated with any major complication (OR = 2.520, 95%CI: 1.003 - 6.332, P = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: Radical cystectomy is associated with a high perioperative complications, using the modification of the Clavien system has allowed us to stratify complications during radical cystectomy. Hypoproteinemia is independently associated with any complication in these patients and ASA score was significantly associated with any major complication.

Efficacy and treatment-related adverse events of multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are used to treat advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Their efficacy and safety have been studied in randomized controlled trials. AIM: This meta-analysis aimed to summarize the most up-to-date evidence regarding the efficacy and adverse events of TKIs in NSCLC treatment. METHOD: Randomized controlled trials were searched from PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The intervention arm was the TKI-containing group, and the control arm was the TKI-free group. Objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival, and adverse events were extracted and synthesized. The last search was performed in April 2022. Two researchers independently screened articles, extracted data, and evaluated the quality of the included studies. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to assess the quality of each study. Random or fixed-effect models were used in statistical methods. I2 statistics were used to assess heterogeneity. RESULTS: Thirty-one studies (12,517 patients) were included. Compared to the control group, the TKI group had significantly higher ORR (relative risk RR 1.52, 95% confidence interval, CI [1.29, 1.80], P < 0.05), DCR (RR 1.34, 95%CI [1.19, 1.51], P < 0.05), and prolonged PFS (hazard ratio HR 0.67, 95%CI [0.59, 0.77], P < 0.05). The TKI group showed a higher rate of adverse events (RR 1.70, 95%CI [1.34, 2.16], P < 0.05) and grade 3-5 adverse events (RR 1.59, 95% CI [1.35, 1.88], P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: TKIs could increase ORR and DCR and prolong PFS for advanced NSCLC. Adverse events should be closely monitored.

SWELLMAP 2, a phyB-Interacting Splicing Factor, Negatively Regulates Seedling Photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis.

Light-triggered transcriptome reprogramming is critical for promoting photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis seedlings. Nonetheless, recent studies have shed light on the importance of alternative pre-mRNA splicing (AS) in photomorphogenesis. The splicing factors splicing factor for phytochrome signaling (SFPS) and reduced red-light responses in cry1cry2 background1 (RRC1) are involved in the phytochrome B (phyB) signaling pathway and promote photomorphogenesis by controlling pre-mRNA splicing of light- and clock-related genes. However, splicing factors that serve as repressors in phyB signaling pathway remain unreported. Here, we report that the splicing factor SWELLMAP 2 (SMP2) suppresses photomorphogenesis in the light. SMP2 physically interacts with phyB and colocalizes with phyB in photobodies after light exposure. Genetic analyses show that SMP2 antagonizes phyB signaling to promote hypocotyl elongation in the light. The homologs of SMP2 in yeast and human belong to second-step splicing factors required for proper selection of the 3' splice site (3'SS) of an intron. Notably, SMP2 reduces the abundance of the functional REVEILLE 8 a (RVE8a) form, probably by determining the 3'SS, and thereby inhibits RVE8-mediated transcriptional activation of clock genes containing evening elements (EE). Finally, SMP2-mediated reduction of functional RVE8 isoform promotes phytochrome interacting factor 4 (PIF4) expression to fine-tune hypocotyl elongation in the light. Taken together, our data unveil a phyB-interacting splicing factor that negatively regulates photomorphogenesis, providing additional information for further mechanistic investigations regarding phyB-controlled AS of light- and clock-related genes.

Total Body Irradiation-Based Conditioning Regimen Improved the Survival of Adult Patients With T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma After Allogeneic Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is one of the consolidation modalities for adult patients with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL). However, the optimal conditioning regimen needs to be explored. In the present study, 40 patients with T-LBL undergoing allo-HSCT were retrospectively analyzed, including 23/40 (57.5%) with total body irradiation (TBI)-based conditioning regimen and 17/40 (42.5%) with busulfan (BU)-based regimen. TBI-based regimen significantly increased the cumulative incidence (CI) of grade II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) as compared with BU-based regimen (13.0% vs 0%, P = 0.000). The relapse risk was significantly lowered in TBI-based group with a 2-year CI of relapse (CIR) of 9.1% as compared with that of 49.6% in BU-based group (P = 0.008). The 1-year and 2-year non-relapse mortalities (NRMs) for all patients were 5.0% and 10.3%, respectively. The 1-year and 2-year NRMs were 8.9% and 16.0% in TBI-based group, and 0.00% and 0.00% in BU-based group (P = 0.140). The 2-year probabilities of overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) were 83.0% [95% confidence interval, 63.4%-100%] and 74.0% (95% confidence interval, 54.4%-93.6%) in TBI-based group, which were higher than that of 35.0% (95% confidence interval, 0.0%-72.2%) and 50.0% (95% confidence interval, 24.5%-75.4%) in BU-based group, respectively (P = 0.020 for OS and P = 0.081 for RFS). In multivariate analysis, TBI-based regimen significantly reduced the risk of relapse [subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) = 0.030, 95% CI, 0.002-0.040, P = 0.000] and improved the OS [hazard ratio (HR) 0.121, 95% CI, 0.021-0.683, P = 0.017] as an independent prognostic factor. These results suggested that TBI-based regimen might be an optimal choice for adult patients with T-LBL undergoing allo-HSCT.

L-type calcium channel activity in osteoblast cells is regulated by the actin cytoskeleton independent of protein trafficking.

Voltage-dependent L-type calcium channels (VDCC) play important roles in many cellular processes. The interaction of the actin cytoskeleton with the channel in nonexcitable cells is less well understood. We performed whole-cell patch-clamp surface biotinylation and calcium imaging on different osteoblast cells to determine channel kinetics, amplitude, surface abundance, and intracellular calcium, respectively. Patch-clamp studies showed that actin polymerization by phalloidin increased the peak current density of I (Ca), whereas actin depolymerization by cytochalasin D (CD) significantly decreased the current amplitude. This result is consistent with calcium imaging, which showed that CD significantly decreased Bay K8644-induced intracellular calcium increase. Surface biotinylation studies showed that CD is not able to affect the surface expression of the pore-forming subunit α(1C). Interestingly, application of CD caused a significantly negative shift in the steady-state inactivation kinetics of I (Ca). There were decreases in the voltage at half-maximal inactivation that changed in a dose-dependent manner. CD also reduced the effect of activated vitamin D(3) (1α,25-D3) on VDCC and intracellular calcium. We conclude that in osteoblasts the actin cytoskeleton affects α(1C) by altering the channel kinetic properties, instead of changing the surface expression, and it is able to regulate 1α,25-D3 signaling through VDCC. Our study provides a new insight into calcium regulation in osteoblasts, which are essential in many physiological functions of this cell.

[Efficacy of transurethral resection of ejaculatory duct for treatment of ejaculatory duct obstruction: report of 60 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of transurethral resection of ejaculatory duct (TURED) for treatment of ejaculatory duct obstruction (EDO). METHODS: The clinical data of 60 cases of EDO from Oct. 2004 to Oct. 2010 were analyzed. The diagnostic criteria included semen analyses, fructose in seminal plasma, transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS), and vasography if necessary. All the patients were treated by TURED. Post-operative semen assay, postoperative patency rate and postoperative impregnation rate were followed. RESULTS: Semen analyses in the majority of cases showed the typical characteristics of EDO, azoospermia, low semen volume (average 1.10 ± 0.76 mL), low pH (average 6.5 ± 1.4), absent or low semen fructose (average 5.86 ± 2.19 µmol/one ejaculation). TRUS showed pure dilation of both ejaculatory ducts in 15 cases, prostatic cyst in 6, pure dilated seminal vesicles on both sides in 10, unilateral dilated seminal vesicle in 4, dilation of both ejaculatory duct and seminal vesicles in 10, dilated seminal vesicles with prostatic cyst in 5, unilateral dilated seminal vesicle and contralateral aplasia of seminal vesicle in 2, dilated seminal vesicles with dilation and calcifications of both ejaculatory ducts in 3. The remaining 5 had unilateral dilated ejaculatory duct and seminal vesicle with contralateral aplasia of seminal vesicle. In all the cases followed up more than 6 to 78 months after TURED, 51 patients (85.0%) had improved semen parameters and 16 patients' wives (26.7%) had pregnancies. CONCLUSION: TURED may be the simple, minimally invasive and effective method for the treatment of EDO.