Composition of Urine Collected from Non-Stone-Forming Chinese Persons during Different Short-Term Periods of the Day.

The purpose of this study in a small group of non-stone-forming Chinese persons was to measure the levels of supersaturation with calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate and pH with the aim of confirming if any of the different short-term urine samples were better for risk evaluation than a 24-h sample. Nine normal men and 1 woman collected urine during 4 periods of the day. Period 1 between 08 and 12 h, Period 2 between 12 and 18 h, Period 3 between 18 and 22 h, and Period 4 between 22 and 08 h. Each sample was analysed for calcium, oxalate, citrate, magnesium and phosphate, and estimates of supersaturation with calcium oxalate (CaOx) and calcium phosphate (CaP) were expressed in terms of AP(CaOx) and AP(CaP) index. An estimate of the solute load of CaOx was also calculated. Urine composition for 24-h urine (Period 24) was obtained mathematically from the analysed variables. Urine composition corresponding to 14-h urine portions 22-12 h (Period 14N) and 08-22 h (Period 14 D) were calculated. The lowest pH levels were recorded in Period 1 urine. The highest level of AP(CaOx) index was recorded during Period 1, and the product AP(CaOx) index × 107 × hydrogen ion concentration was significantly higher in Period 1 urine than in 24-h urine (p = 0.02). Also, the product SL(CaOx) × 107 × hydrogen ion concentration was significantly higher in Period 1 urine (p = 0.02). Low AP (CaP) index levels were recorded in Period 4, but also in all periods following dietary loads of calcium and phosphate. With the important reservation that the analytical results were obtained from non-stone-forming persons, the conclusion is that analysis of urine samples collected between 08 and 12 h might be an alternative to 24-h urine. The risk evaluation might advantageously be expressed either in terms of the product AP(CaOx) index × 107 × hydrogen ion concentration or the product SL(CaOx) × 107 × hydrogen ion concentration.

Efficacy of air purifier therapy for patients with allergic asthma

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of air purifier therapy for patients with allergic asthma. Methods: Thirty-eight subjects were categorized under two groups namely treatment group and control group. All subjects were under 18 years of age and they had been clinically diagnosed with allergic asthma. The treatment group used high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifiers for six consecutive months, and the control group did not use the air filters. Particulate matter (PM) data and dust samples (from bedding and a static point) were collected from the subjects’ bedrooms before they started using the air purifiers and each month thereafter. Simultaneously, the subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire for the Asthma Control Test (ACT) or Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT). Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) tests were performed at the start and end of the study. The concentrations of Der p1 and Der f1 were measured in the dust samples. Results: (1) After utilizing the air purifier, the concentrations of house dust mite (HDM) allergens (Der p1+ Der f1) in the dust samples decreased. In addition, the PMindoor/outdoor values significantly decreased. (2) The ACT and C-ACT scores in the treatment group maintained a steady significant upward trend. (3) At the end of the study, the FENO levels in both groups were lower, although the differences were not significant. Conclusions: It is witnessed that HEPA air purifiers can decrease indoor HDM allergen and PM levels and improve the quality of life for allergic asthma patients (AU)

Trends in urinary stone composition in 23,182 stone analyses from 2011 to 2019: a high-volume center study in China.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the distribution and dynamic trends in constituents of urinary stones in China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The composition of 23,182 stones were analyzed and then recorded between January 2011 and December 2019. The characteristics in terms of stone patient's gender, age and calendar year were analyzed. RESULTS: Most stones (22,172, 95.64%) had several crystal components, among which 40.25% (8925/22,172) were mixtures with infection components. Calcium oxalate (CaOx) and uric acid (UA) stones were more commonly encountered in men, but calcium phosphate (CaP), magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) and carbonate apatite (CA) stones were more prevalent in women (p < 0.05). In males, the proportion of CaOx stones increased up to the age of 40, but subsequently decreased (p < 0.001). Interestingly, females showed an inverse trend regarding CaOx stones (p < 0.001). The proportion of UA stones increased with age (p < 0.001), and CA stones most frequently were recorded at age 20-49. Over the past 9 years, UA, CA, and MAP stones increased over time, whereas there was a tendency for CaOx stones to decrease (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The scarcity of pure stones and a certain proportion of mixtures with infection stone components (e.g., mixtures of CaOx and CA) suggest that treatment directed against a single stone component is insufficient for effective recurrence prevention. Age and gender were significant determinants of stone composition, and according to the observed chronological trends, it seems that in the future, more UA, CA and MAP stones and fewer CaOx stones may be encountered in the studied population.

Revolution spectral CT for urinary stone with a single/mixed composition in vivo: a large sample analysis.

PURPOSE: To analyze various compositions of urinary stones using revolution spectral CT (rapid kV switching dual-energy CT) in vivo. METHODS: 202 patients with urinary stones underwent spectral CT before surgery. Zeff peak, overall scope and CT values were detected. Moreover, water/iodine attenuating material images were obtained. Removed stones were subjected to infrared spectroscopy after surgery. The results of infrared spectroscopy were compared with CT. RESULTS: 28 stones (14.08%) with single composition, 165 stones with two mixed compositions (81.68%), and 9 stones with three mixed compositions (4.46%) were observed. When Zeff peaks of stones with single/mixed compositions were summarized together, 146 peaks of calcium oxalate monohydrate, 119 peaks of calcium oxalate dihydrate, 55 peaks of carbapatite, 38 peaks of urate, 16 peaks of struvite, and 11 peaks of brushite were totally observed. 93.8% of calcium oxalate monohydrate had Zeff peaks between 13.3 and 14.0. 91.6% of calcium oxalate dihydrate had peaks between 12.0 and 13.3. For carbapatite, 90.9% of stones had peaks from 14.0 to 15.0. A total of 94.8% of urate had peaks between 7.0 and 11.0. 93.8% of struvite had peaks between 11.0 and 13.0, and 90.9% of brushite had peaks between 12.0 and 14.0. Moreover, densities of urate, struvite and brushite were low density in iodine-based images and high-density in water-based images. CONCLUSION: The in-vivo analysis of spectral CT in urinary stone revealed characteristics of different compositions, especially mixed compositions. An in-vivo predictive model may be constructed to distinguish stone compositions.

1H NMR-based metabolomic study of metabolic profiling for the urine of kidney stone patients.

Kidney stone is a chronic metabolic disease that caused by many factors, especially by the metabolic disturbances of urine compositions, but the metabolic profiling of the urine from kidney stone patients remains poorly explored. In the present study, 1H NMR spectroscopy and multivariate pattern recognition analytical techniques were combined to explore the metabolic profiling of the urine from kidney stone patients. A total of 216 urine samples obtained from kidney stone patients (n = 110) and healthy controls (n = 106) were investigated. The results indicated that principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models were capable of distinguishing kidney stone patients from healthy controls. In addition, a total of 15 metabolites was obviously different in concentration between the two groups. Furthermore, four metabolic pathways, including glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism and citrate cycle (TCA cycle), were closely associated with kidney stone. Together, our results established a preliminary metabolic profiling of the urine from kidney stone patients via using 1H NMR-based analytical techniques for the first time and provided a novel method for recognizing and observing the kidney stone disease.

Sulfur Ylide Initiated [4 + 1]/[4 + 2] Annulation Reactions: A One-Pot Approach to Dibenzofuran Acrylate Derivatives.

A one-pot approach has been developed for the synthesis of polysubstituted dibenzofuran acrylate derivatives from (E)-2-(2-nitrovinyl)phenols, sulfur ylides, and alkynes. This protocol was carried out under mild reaction condition without any precious catalysts in generally moderate to good yields. Additionally, a plausible mechanism for the transformation was proposed.

Dietary vinegar prevents kidney stone recurrence via epigenetic regulations.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological evidence of over 9000 people suggests that daily intake of vinegar whose principal bioactive component is acetic acid is associated with a reduced risk of nephrolithiasis. The underlying mechanism, however, remains largely unknown. METHODS: We examined the in vitro and in vivo anti-nephrolithiasis effects of vinegar and acetate. A randomized study was performed to confirm the effects of vinegar in humans. FINDINGS: We found individuals with daily consumption of vinegar compared to those without have a higher citrate and a lower calcium excretion in urine, two critical molecules for calcium oxalate (CaOx) kidney stone in humans. We observed that oral administration of vinegar or 5% acetate increased citrate and reduced calcium in urinary excretion, and finally suppressed renal CaOx crystal formation in a rat model. Mechanism dissection suggested that acetate enhanced acetylation of Histone H3 in renal tubular cells and promoted expression of microRNAs-130a-3p, -148b-3p and -374b-5p by increasing H3K9, H3K27 acetylation at their promoter regions. These miRNAs can suppress the expression of Nadc1 and Cldn14, thus enhancing urinary citrate excretion and reducing urinary calcium excretion. Significantly these mechanistic findings were confirmed in human kidney tissues, suggesting similar mechanistic relationships exist in humans. Results from a pilot clinical study indicated that daily intake of vinegar reduced stone recurrence, increased citrate and reduced calcium in urinary excretion in CaOx stone formers without adverse side effects. INTERPRETATION: Vinegar prevents renal CaOx crystal formation through influencing urinary citrate and calcium excretion via epigenetic regulations. Vinegar consumption is a promising strategy to prevent CaOx nephrolithiasis occurrence and recurrence. FUND: National Natural Science Foundations of China and National Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province.

Reference intervals for stone risk factors in 24-h urine among healthy adults of the Han population in China.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to establish reference intervals for 24-h urinary stone risk factors in the healthy Chinese Han population. METHODS: From May 2013 to July 2014, we collected and analyzed 24-h urine samples from healthy adult Han population during a cross-sectional study across China. The protocol for analysis of 24-h urine included volume, pH, oxalate, citrate, sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, phosphorous, creatinine, urate, magnesium, the ion activity products of calcium oxalate (AP(CaOx) indexs) and calcium phosphate (AP(CaP) indexs). We calculated the reference intervals according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) 2008 guidelines and compared them with those recorded in other studies. RESULTS: A total of 132 male and 123 female healthy subjects with a mean (SD, range) age of 52.4 (15.2, 19-89) years were eligible in the final analysis. Men had higher 24-h excretion of creatinine, calcium, urate and phosphorus and lower levels of citrate, magnesium, chloride, sodium and potassium than women. AP(CaOx) indexs and AP(CaP) indexs were significantly higher among men than women. When urinary findings were compared with the reference intervals, most of our data showed a high abnormality rate, especially for creatinine, calcium, citrate, magnesium, chloride, sodium and potassium. CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed the normal metabolic status for stone risk factors of the Chinese Han population. It is therefore necessary for each country or region to define their own reference intervals for comparison of stone risk factors between patients and healthy subjects.

Predictors for uroseptic shock in patients who undergo minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

To identify risk factors that can predict which patient is likely to progress from systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) to uroseptic shock after minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy (MPCNL) for the upper urinary tract stones. We retrospectively reviewed 156 patients who suffered infectious complications after MPCNL from March 2014 to February 2016. Perioperative risk factors that could potentially contribute to uroseptic shock were compared to those of patients with only SIRS. 135 of the 156 patients developed to SIRS only, the remaining 21 patients progressed to uroseptic shock. The rate of positive preoperative urine nitrite was significantly higher (p < 0.001), stone diameter was larger (p = 0.015) and operative time was longer (p < 0.001) in uroseptic shock group. Multivariable logistic analysis showed that preoperative urine nitrite (OR 10.570, p = 0.025), stone size (OR 11.512, p = 0.009) and postoperative blood leukopenia (OR 0.009, p < 0.001) were independently related to uroseptic shock. Moreover, ROC curve analysis showed that white blood count threshold within the first 3 h of uroseptic shock was 2.98 × 109/L. The sensitivity and specificity of leukocyte count in predicting uroseptic shock were 90.5 and 92.6%, respectively. Preoperative urine nitrite, stone size and postoperative leukocyte count are statistically linked to uroseptic shock after MPCNL. Leukopenia of less than 2.98 × 109/L within 3 h after MPCNL can be a predictor for uroseptic shock. For patients who have high risk factors for developing uroseptic shock, the white blood count should be measured within 3 h after MPCNL.

Metabolic disturbances in Chinese children with urolithiasis: a single center report.

Urinary stones and urine composition are the first steps in the process of recurrence prevention, but data concerning the association between the two compositions are scarce in Chinese children with urolithiasis. We retrospectively analyzed the records of children (age range 0-18 years) with urolithiasis in our center between March 2004 and December 2013. Stone analysis was carried out in 382 children and 24-hour urine analysis in 80 children. Analysis of both stone and 24-hour urine composition was completed in 56 children. Stone samples were analyzed by Fourier transform-infrared spectrometry. The major stone constituents were calcium oxalate (78.8 %). Of 80 children with 24 h urine analysis, only 2.5 % were without urinary metabolic abnormalities. Hypocitraturia was recorded in 97.5 %, high sodium excretion in 50.0 %, cystinuria in 48.7 %, hypercalciuria in 18.8 %, small urine volumes in 12.5 %, hyperoxaluria in 5.0 % and hyperuricosuria in 1.3 %. Interestingly, higher urine volumes were recorded in girls than in boys (73.2 ± 58.5 vs 51.3 ± 45.3 mL/kg, p = 0.036). Urine sodium (p = 0.002) and oxalate (p = 0.004) were significantly higher in children >9 year old. Moreover, compared with calcium oxalate stone formers, the urine volume (p = 0.040), citrate (p = 0.007) and cystine (p = 0.004) were higher in patients with cystine stones. Hypocitraturia was the common abnormality among Chinese children with urolithiasis. The surprisingly high incidence of cystinuria is of note.

Difference in urinary stone composition between Uyghur and Han children with urolithiasis.

The Objective of this study is to analyze the difference in renal stone composition between Uyghur and Han children with urolithiasis in China and possible reasons. From May 2011 to September 2013, we analyzed the stone compositions of 274 Chinese children with urolithiasis, including 151 Uyghur children from Xinjiang Province and 123 Han children from Guangdong Province. All the stone components were determined by Infrared spectroscopy and the main components were recorded. We also evaluated the data, including age, gender and geographic region of the patients. The mean age of Uyghur children was less than Han children (5.3 ± 4.2 vs 8.6 ± 5.7 years, p < 0.001). Calcium oxalate (CaOx) was the main stone composition in both Uyghur (35.1 %) and Han (64.2 %) children, but was more common in Han children (p < 0.0001). Cystine stone was also more abundant in Han children (8.9 % vs 0.7 %, p = 0.001). While, both uric acid (20.5 % vs 3.3 %, p < 0.0001) and magnesium ammonium phosphate (16.6 % vs 2.5 %, p < 0.0001) stones were more common in Uyghur. Interestingly, the significant differences in stone composition between the two groups were only observed in males. When the pediatric patients were further divided into three age groups which were 0-5, 6-12 and >12, the prevalence of calcium oxalate stones increased with age in both groups and was higher in Han children at each age level. The compositions of urinary stones were significantly different between Uyghur and Han children with urolithiasis, factors such as diet habit, life style, genetic diversity, environmental and medical conditions may all contribute to the variances.

Collection and storage of urine specimens for measurement of urolithiasis risk factors.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate how different methods for storage and preservation of urine samples affected the outcome of analysis of risk factors for stone formation. METHODS: Spot urine samples were collected from 21 healthy volunteers. Each fresh urine sample was divided into ten 10-mL aliquots: 2 without preservative, 2 with thymol, 2 with toluene, 2 with hydrochloric acid (HCl), and 2 with sodium azide. One sample of each pair was stored at 4 °C and the other at room temperature. The concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphate, urate, oxalate, citrate, and pH in each urine sample were analyzed immediately after collection (0 hour) and after 24 and 48 hours. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in calcium, oxalate, magnesium, phosphate, sodium, urate or pH (without acidification) between samples with different preservation methods (P >.05). Urinary citrate, however, was significantly lower in the urine collected with HCl than when other preservatives were used, both at room temperature and at 4 °C. Urine pH was significantly higher after 48 hours than after 24 hours, whether the samples were stored at room temperature or at 4 °C. CONCLUSION: Antibacterial preservatives (eg, thymol or toluene) can be recommended as preservatives for 24-hour urine collections. Ideally, the samples should be stored at 4 °C. When HCl is used as a preservative, it seems essential to neutralize the samples before analysis. This is particularly obvious with the chromatographic method used for analysis of citrate that was used in this study.

Association study of DGKH gene polymorphisms with calcium oxalate stone in Chinese population.

Diacylglycerol kinase eta (DGKH) participates in regulating the intracellular concentrations of two bioactive lipids, diacylglycerol and phosphatidic acid. With the emerging evidence of a novel regulatory function for diacylglycerol kinase and diacylglycerol in transplasmalemmal calcium ion influx, the present study was designed to investigate the association between DGKH genetic polymorphisms and calcium oxalate stone. 507 patients with calcium oxalate stone and 505 healthy cohorts as control were entered in this prospective study. Three tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs4142110, rs180870 and rs17646069) were investigated. Genotyping was carried out by iPLEX Gold for MassARRAY system. Our results showed that rs4142110 was associated with risk of calcium oxalate stone and hypercalciuria (P < 0.05). The T allele, CT genotype, TT genotype, and the combined T variant genotype (TT + CT) of rs4142110 significantly decreased calcium oxalate stone risk (P < 0.05). Rs180870 also showed significant association in genotype distributions between cases and controls (P = 0.042). Hypercalciuria was more prevalent in stone formers (P = 0.010). These findings implicate a link between nucleotide variant of DGKH and a cause for a complex-trait disease, calcium oxalate stone. Similar relationship might also exist between polymorphism of DGKH and hypercalciuria.

Safety and efficacy of minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy in treatment of calculi in horseshoe kidneys.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy (MPCNL) in horseshoe kidneys (HKs) with calculi. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 2006 to 2012, 35 renal units in 32 patients with calculi in HKs underwent MPCNL. Patients and stone characteristics, stone-free rates (SFR), and complications were evaluated. The composition of the stones obtained from operation was also analyzed by infrared spectroscopy. RESULTS: The average age of patients was 38.2±7.3 years (range 14-72). The mean stone burden was 657±510.9 mm(2) (range 134.7-2460.1). The mean operative time was 93.4±17.6 minutes (53-152). The most popular access site was upper pole access (35/42, 83.3%). The SFR after initial MPCNL was 82.9% (29/35 renal units). Second-stage MPCNL was performed in 5 renal units, with a 91.4% (32/35 renal units) final SFR. Minor complications (Clavien grades I and II) were seen in six patients, and urosepsis requiring intensive care unit management in one (Clavien grade IVa). All were treated successfully. CONCLUSION: MPCNL is a safe and effective treatment modality in HK stones with acceptable results, which was compatible to a normal anatomy kidney. However, further studies with a larger sample size are required.

Interconversion of stone composition profiles from two recurrent stone episodes in stone formers.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to investigate the interconversion of the stone chemical composition of two recurrent stone episodes in stone formers. METHODS: The data of 1098 stones analyses from 549 patients with a history of two renal stone episodes were selected and reviewed. The stone composition between the two recurrent episodes of stones was compared. RESULTS: The percent occurrences of stones caused by infection, known as infection stones, in new episodes of stones significantly increased by 7% and uric acid stones increased by 3.8% while the calcium oxalate stones decreased by 13.1% (each p<0.05). The mean recurrent interval of new episodes of stones was 34.2 months. Infection stones had a significant shorter interval time compared to calcium oxalate stones (p<0.001). On a patient-by-patient investigation, 32.9% of patients underwent conversions of stone compositions, with 31.9% and 34.1% in men and female, respectively (p=0.590). The mutual conversion of infection stones to calcium oxalate stones was most common. The 61.1% of patients with uric acid recurrent stones were composed of calcium oxalate in the previous episode of stones, and 5% and 51.7% of patients with infection stones developed stones of uric acid or calcium oxalate in the new episode, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Alterations of stone components during follow-up were found in as high as 32.9% of patients with no gender difference. The impetus of these shifts is not readily apparent. Accurate and repeated stone analyses throughout the course of recurrent stone disease are highly warranted, which may be useful to prevent recurrence of composition-specific stones.

The characteristics of the stone and urine composition in Chinese stone formers: primary report of a single-center results.

OBJECTIVE: To assess urine composition in Chinese patients with urolithiasis. METHODS: Five hundred seven Chinese patients with urolithiasis from our center in southern China were included in this study. Analysis of stone composition was performed using infrared spectrometry. From all patients, 24-hour urine samples were collected for analysis of urinary variables. Some ion activity product risk indices were also calculated. RESULTS: The major stone constituents in the 507 analyzed stones were as follows: calcium oxalate (78.3%), infection stone components (14.6%), uric acid (3.6%), and calcium phosphate (3.4%). Only 1 stone was composed of cystine (0.2%). Of all patients, 504 (99.4%) had 1 or several urinary metabolic abnormalities. Hypocitraturia was recorded in 93.9%, high sodium excretion in 58.6%, small urine volume in 45.6%, hyperoxaluria in 31.0%, hypercalciuria in 26.0%, hyperuricosuria in 19.3%, and hyperphosphaturia in 2.8%. Moreover, high sodium excretion was more frequent in men than women (59.2% vs 49.3%, P = .027), whereas hypercalciuria was more common in women (34.5% vs 20.4%, P <.001). High levels of urine sodium (187.7 ± 86.9 vs 179.8 ± 107.7 mmol/24h, P = .038) and phosphate (18.26 ± 8.36 vs 15.69 ± 11.14 mmol/24h, P <.001) were found in men than in women. Infection stones were significantly (P <.004) more common in women. Compared with noninfection stone formers, the occurrence of hypomagnesuria (P = .040) was more common in patients with infection stones. CONCLUSION: The results of urinary risk factors for stone formation in this study might serve as a basis for design of recurrence prevention. It is of interest to note that some of the demonstrated abnormalities differ from that in reports from other countries.

Urinary stone analysis on 12,846 patients: a report from a single center in China.

We reported a retrospective review of the urinary stone compositions in 12,846 patients. Data on urinary stone compositions analyzed between January 2003 and December 2012 in our center were collected. Infrared spectroscopy was used for stone analysis. Predominant stone component was recorded. Patients were divided into four age groups: 0-18, 19-40, 41-60, and 61-92, and five categories by components. In order to determine the change of stone characteristics with respect to time, data were also divided into two periods, 2003-2007 and 2008-2012. A total of 12,846 stones were included in this study. The age of the patients ranged from 1 to 92 years with 7,736 males and 5,110 females. Stone made of single component was rare, 2.61%. Calcium oxalate stone was the most common component at 82.56%. Calcium oxalate and uric acid stones were more common in male than in female. The incidence of calcium phosphate stones and uric acid stones had increased during the past 5 years, while calcium oxalate stones decreased. We found the highest incidence of stone disease in the 41-60 years old group and the lowest in the 1-18 years old for both genders. Calcium oxalate was the dominant component in every group but was more prevalent in 19-40 years group. The percentage of magnesium ammonium phosphate stone and uric acid stone increased with age.

Serum estradiol and testosterone levels in kidney stones disease with and without calcium oxalate components in naturally postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: Epidemiological data reveal that the overall risk for kidney stones disease is lower for women compared to age-matched men. However, the beneficial effect for the female sex is lost upon menopause, a time corresponding to the onset of fall in estrogen levels. The aim of this study was to describe the serum estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) characteristics of naturally postmenopausal women with kidney stones. METHODS: 113 naturally postmenopausal women with newly diagnosed kidney stones (aged 57.4±4.98 years) and 84 age frequency matched stone-free controls (56.9±4.56 years) were validly recruited in the case-control study. The odds ratios (ORs) for the associations between sex hormones and kidney stones were estimated with logistic regression models, adjusting for demographic data and medical history. Patients were also stratified analyzed according to stone components (calcium oxalate stones [COS]; non-calcium oxalate stones [NCOS]). RESULTS: Serum E2 (21.1 vs. 31.1 pg/ml) was significantly lower in kidney stones patients compared to controls. Post-hoc analysis demonstrated that this effect was driven by COS patients (p<0.001). According to tertiles of the E2 levels, a significant higher frequency of COS was seen in the lowest E2 group (p <0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis identified E2 level as a strong factor that was independently associated with the risk for COS (per 1 SD increase, OR=0.951, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.919-0.985; highest: lowest tertile, OR=0.214, 95%CI = 0.069-0.665). However, serum T levels did not significantly differ among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Naturally postmenopausal women with higher remaining estradiol levels appear less likely to suffer from kidney calcium oxalate stones. However, no correlation was found between serum T level and kidney stones. These findings support the hypothesis that higher postmenopausal endogenous estrogens may protect against kidney stones with ageing.

Small interference RNA-mediated silencing of prostate stem cell antigen attenuates growth, reduces migration and invasion of human prostate cancer PC-3M cells.

OBJECTIVES: Prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored cell surface glycoprotein, is highly expressed in both local and metastatic prostate cancer (CaP). Elevated PSCA expression has been shown to correlate with malignant phenotype and clinical progression. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the therapeutic potential of small interference RNA (siRNA) targeting PSCA on human CaP cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A set of two siRNAs directed different regions of human PSCA (siRNA-PSCA) were designed and transfected into a human CaP PC-3M cell line. The silencing effect was screened by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The biological effects of siRNA-PSCA on PC-3M cells were investigated by examining the cell proliferation through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, cell cycle distribution through flow cytometry, and migration and invasion potencies through transwell invasion assay upon the PSCA silencing. RESULTS: PC-3M cells had positive PSCA expression on immunocytochemical assay. PSCA expression was depleted at 48 hours after transfection with siRNA-PSCA. Silencing of PSCA significantly suppressed cell proliferation. Cell cycle assay showed that the anti-proliferation effect of siRNA-PSCA was mediated by arresting cells in the G0/G1 phase rather than apoptosis. Furthermore, PSCA knockdown resulted in a marked decrease of cell migration and invasion capabilities in PC-3M cells. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides the first evidence that silencing PSCA using siRNA can inhibit the proliferation and invasiveness properties of human CaP cells, which may provide a promising therapeutic strategy for CaP and open a novel avenue toward the investigation of the role of PSCA overexpression in cancers.

A novel method for the determination of isokinetic ratios and its application in the synthesis of two new positional scanning libraries.

A novel method for the direct evaluation of the equimolarity of the compounds contained in a mixture is presented. We applied the method toward calculating isokinetic ratios for the reaction between the amine termini of a resin bound peptide fragment and a sulfonyl chloride to produce equal molar mixtures of sulfonamides. The results of this study and the application of the method to the synthesis of two new positional scanning synthetic combinatorial libraries (PS-SCL) are discussed.