Impact of different visceral metastatic sites on survival in metastatic prostate cancer patients.

INTRODUCTION: Visceral metastasis is an important predictor for poor outcomes in prostate cancer, however, the prognostic significance surrounding the specific sites of visceral metastasis remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of different visceral metastatic sites on survival in patients with prostate cancer. METHODS: We identified patients with metastatic prostate cancer between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2023 using the TriNetX database. Patients were divided into 4 cohorts according to their specific metastatic sites: lung metastases, brain metastases, liver metastases, and bone metastases. Survival analysis was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression models. RESULTS: In total, 59,875 patients diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer were identified, with 39,495 (65.2%) having bone metastases, 7,573 (12.5%) lung metastases, 5,240 (8.7%) brain metastases, and 7,567 (12.5%) liver metastases. The median overall survival was 44.4 months for patients with bone metastases, 31.9 months for lung metastases, 9.6 months for brain metastases, and 10 months for liver metastases. Lung metastases were associated with an improved survival when compared with liver and brain metastases. For patients with two visceral metastatic sites or concomitant bone metastases, liver metastases were related to worse outcomes. Asian patients experienced better OS than Caucasian and African American patients in visceral metastatic prostate cancer. CONCLUSION: Patients with lung metastases experienced better survival outcomes in prostate cancer with only one visceral metastatic site. Liver metastases were associated with worse outcomes when there were two visceral metastatic sites combined or concomitant bone metastases. Asian patients displayed improved survival rates when compared with both Caucasian and African American patients in visceral metastatic prostate cancer.

Outcome benefits of upfront cytoreductive nephrectomy for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma: An analysis of the TriNetX database.

BACKGROUND: The role of upfront cytoreductive nephrectomy remains debatable in the present era of tyrosine kinase inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Here, we aimed to evaluate the outcomes of metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients treated with upfront CN and modern systemic therapies. METHODS: Using the TriNetX network database, we identified patients, in the period from 2008 to 2022, who were diagnosed with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, receiving first-line systemic therapies with tyrosine kinase inhibitors or immune checkpoint inhibitors. Their overall survivals were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method as well as multivariable regressions. RESULTS: We identified 11,094 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Of them, 2,914 (43%) patients in the tyrosine kinase inhibitor cohort (n = 6,779), and 1,884 (43.7%) in the immune checkpoint inhibitors cohort (n = 4315) underwent upfront cytoreductive nephrectomy. Those receiving upfront cytoreductive nephrectomy showed survival advantages with either tyrosine kinase inhibitor (Hazard ratio 0.722, 95% Confidence interval 0.67-0.73, p<0.001) or immune checkpoint inhibitors (Hazard ratio 65.1, 95% Confidence interval 0.59-0.71, p<0.001). In multivariable analysis, upfront cytoreductive nephrectomy was a factor for improved OS in both cohorts: tyrosine kinase inhibitors (Hazard ratio 0.623, 95% Confidence interval 0.56-0.694, p<0.001) and immune checkpoint inhibitors cohort (Hazard ratio 0.688, 95% Confidence interval 0.607-0.779, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Upfront cytoreductive nephrectomy was associated with an improved overall survival for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma receiving either first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitors or immune checkpoint inhibitors. Our results support a clinical role of upfront cytoreductive nephrectomy in the modern era.

Real world treatment sequences and outcomes for metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: The treatment landscape for metastatic renal cell carcinoma changed a lot in the last few years. This study aimed to assess the treatment sequences and outcomes for metastatic renal cell carcinoma in a real-world setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled patients with metastatic renal cell carcinomawho received first-line systemic treatment with tyrosin kinase inhibitors monotherapy, ipilimumab plus nivolumab, or pembrolizumab plus axitinibbetween January2009 and May 2023 on the database of TriNetX network. Overall survival, time on treatment and time to next treatment were evaluated using Kaplan-Meiermethod. RESULTS: Totally, 4183 received tyrosine kinase inhibitor monotherapy, 1555 received ipilimumab plus nivolumab, and 559 received axitinib plus pembrolizumab. Median time on treatment was 2.5 months for the tyrosine kinase inhibitor monotherapy cohort, 5.4 months for the ipilimumab plus nivolumab cohort, and 8.3 months for the pembrolizumab plus axitinib cohort. Median time to next treatment was 16.6 months for both the tyrosine kinase inhibitor monotherapy and ipilimumab plus nivolumab cohorts, and 22.1 months for the pembrolizumab plus axitinib cohort. Median overall survival was 42.2 months for the tyrosine kinase inhibitor monotherapy cohort, 39.7monthsfor the ipilimumab plus nivolumab cohort, and not reached for the pembrolizumab plus axitinib cohort. In comparison with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor monotherapy cohort, patients in the pembrolizumab plus axitinib cohort showed survival benefit (log-rank p = 0.0168) in overall survival, but not the case in the ipilimumab plus nivolumab cohort. CONCLUSION: There was a trend toward using first-line immuno-oncology based therapy for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma in a real-world practice. Axitinib plus pembrolizumuab cohort had survival benefits over tyrosine kinase inhibitor and ipilimumab plus nivolumab cohorts, while patients in the ipilimumab plus nivolumab cohort had more distant metastases and comorbidities.

Influence of Surgical Complications on Outcomes in Kidney Transplantation Patients.

BACKGROUND/AIM: With the increasing use of marginal donors, it is important to identify factors for outcomes in kidney transplantation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of surgical complications for graft survival after kidney transplantation and identify risk factors for surgical complications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study by chart review of patients who underwent kidney transplantation at the Taichung Veterans General Hospital in the period from 2007 to 2018. RESULTS: Of the 433 patients who underwent kidney transplantation, 57 experienced surgical complications with an occurrence rate of 13.2%. The most common complications were vascular complications (n=31; 7.2%), followed by urologic (n=9; 2%) and wound (n=9; 2%) complications. From univariate analyses, risk factors for surgical complications were cold ischemia time, blood loss, operation time, number of vascular anastomoses and year of operation. From univariate and multivariate analyses, operation time was associated to surgical complications. Patients with surgical complications experienced worse both one-year and five-year death-censored graft and patient survival. CONCLUSION: Surgical complications were associated with higher risk of death-censored graft failure and mortality. Cold ischemia time, blood loss, operation time, number of vascular anastomoses and year of operation were risk factors for surgical complications. Efforts should aim to minimize surgical complications to improve both graft and patient survival.

Effects of Compound Danshen Dripping Pills on Ventricular Remodeling and Cardiac Function after Acute Anterior Wall ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (CODE-AAMI): Protocol for a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Ventricular remodeling after acute anterior wall ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (AAMI) is an important factor in occurrence of heart failure which additionally results in poor prognosis. Therefore, the treatment of ventricular remodeling needs to be further optimized. Compound Danshen Dripping Pills (CDDP), a traditional Chinese medicine, exerts a protective effect on microcirculatory disturbance caused by ischemia-reperfusion injury and attenuates ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction. OBJECTIVE: This study is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CDDP in improving ventricular remodeling and cardiac function after AAMI on a larger scale. METHODS: This study is a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial. The total of 268 patients with AAMI after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) will be randomly assigned 1:1 to the CDDP group (n=134) and control group (n=134) with a follow-up of 48 weeks. Both groups will be treated with standard therapy of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), with the CDDP group administrating 20 tablets of CDDP before pPCI and 10 tablets 3 times daily after pPCI, and the control group treated with a placebo simultaneously. The primary endpoint is 48-week echocardiographic outcomes including left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), and left ventricular end-systolic volume index (LVESVI). The secondary endpoint includes the change in N terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level, arrhythmias, and cardiovascular events (death, cardiac arrest, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, rehospitalization due to heart failure or angina pectoris, deterioration of cardiac function, and stroke). Investigators and patients are both blinded to the allocated treatment. DISCUSSION: This prospective study will investigate the efficacy and safety of CDDP in improving ventricular remodeling and cardiac function in patients undergoing pPCI for a first AAMI. Patients in the CDDP group will be compared with those in the control group. If certified to be effective, CDDP treatment in AAMI will probably be advised on a larger scale. (Trial registration No. NCT05000411).

The Highly Accurate Interatomic Potential of CsPbBr3 Perovskite with Temperature Dependence on the Structure and Thermal Properties.

CsPbBr3 perovskite has excellent optoelectronic properties and many important application prospects in solar cells, photodetectors, high-energy radiation detectors and other fields. For this kind of perovskite structure, to theoretically predict its macroscopic properties through molecular dynamic (MD) simulations, a highly accurate interatomic potential is first necessary. In this article, a new classical interatomic potential for CsPbBr3 was developed within the framework of the bond-valence (BV) theory. The optimized parameters of the BV model were calculated through first-principle and intelligent optimization algorithms. Calculated lattice parameters and elastic constants for the isobaric-isothermal ensemble (NPT) by our model are in accordance with the experimental data within a reasonable error and have a higher accuracy than the traditional Born-Mayer (BM) model. In our potential model, the temperature dependence of CsPbBr3 structural properties, such as radial distribution functions and interatomic bond lengths, was calculated. Moreover, the temperature-driven phase transition was found, and the phase transition temperature was close to the experimental value. The thermal conductivities of different crystal phases were further calculated, which agreed with the experimental data. All these comparative studies proved that the proposed atomic bond potential is highly accurate, and thus, by using this interatomic potential, the structural stability and mechanical and thermal properties of pure inorganic halide and mixed halide perovskites can be effectively predicted.

Tissue-specific and stereoselective accumulation of Dechlorane Plus isomers in two predator fish in a laboratory feeding study.

The tissue-specific bioaccumulation of Dechlorane Plus (DP) isomers was investigated in two predator fish species (redtail catfish, RF; and oscar fish, OF) that were feeding on tiger barb (TB), which was exposed to syn-DP and anti-DP isomers. The biotransformation potential of DP isomers was examined by in vitro metabolism using fish liver microsomes. No difference in accumulation behaviors of DP isomers was observed between RF and OF, and the accumulation of both syn- and anti-DP isomers exhibiting a linear increase trend with the exposure time in all fish tissues. The assimilation efficiencies and depuration rates for syn-DP and anti-DP were determined to be the highest in the liver. Biomagnification factors (BMFs) for both syn-DP and anti-DP were higher than one in the serum and gastrointestinal tract of fish, whereas were less than one in the other tissues. The wet-weight concentrations of DP isomers in tissues were significantly correlated with the lipid contents in both fish species, indicating that the tissue distribution of DP isomers occurred through passive diffusion to the lipid compartments in vivo. Tissue-specific compositions of DP isomers were observed, with anti-DP selectively accumulating in the liver, gonad, serum, and gills, whilst syn-DP in the carcass and GI tract. However, after being normalized of all tissues, the fish showed no selective accumulation of DP isomers during the exposure period, and selective accumulation of syn-DP was observed during the depuration period. No potential DP metabolites were detected in the fish tissues and in vitro metabolism systems. The main cause of this stereoselective DP isomer accumulation could have been the selective excretion of anti-DP isomer through the fish feces.

Determination of rivaroxaban in rat plasma by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-Q-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry and its application to a pharmacokinetic study.

Therapeutic drug monitoring is critical to decrease the incidence rate of bleeding and thrombosis for personalized treatment with rivaroxaban, especially for drug interaction treatment, patients with renal dysfunction, elderly patients, patients with cardiovascular problems, and so on. In addition, an accurate analytical method is necessary for therapeutic drug monitoring. This study developed a ultra-HPLC-tandem Orbitrap high-resolution MS (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS) method to accurately identify and quantify rivaroxaban in rat plasma. The isotope internal standard method was applied for accurate quantification. Rivaroxaban-d4 was selected as the isotope internal standard substance. The m/z 436.07263 ([M + H]+ ) was selected as the precursor ion and m/z 144.95085 and m/z 231.11259 were selected as the main product ions for rivaroxaban. The lower limit of quantification of rivaroxaban in plasma was 0.01 mg/L. The intra- and inter-day precisions were ≤3.65% and ≤8.16%, while the recoveries ranged from 87.4% to 95.2%. This analysis method was simple, low cost, and easy to operate. The developed and validated method was subsequently applied to successfully investigate the pharmacokinetic parameters of rivaroxaban in rats after its oral administration. These results could be helpful to promote further research regarding the mechanisms of rivaroxaban and drug interaction, which can avoid false positives due to high-precision identification of the proposed method.

Inhibition of Drp1 ameliorates diabetic retinopathy by regulating mitochondrial homeostasis.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a potentially blinding complication resulting from diabetes mellitus (DM). Retinal vascular endothelial cells (RMECs) dysfunction occupies an important position in the pathogenesis of DR, and mitochondrial disorders play a vital role in RMECs dysfunction. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying DR-induced mitochondrial disorders in RMECs remain elusive. In the present study, we used High glucose (HG)-induced RMECs in vitro and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced Sprague-Dawley rats in vivo to explore the related mechanisms. We found that HG-induced mitochondrial dysfunction via mitochondrial Dynamin-related protein 1(Drp1)-mediated mitochondrial fission. Drp1 inhibitor, Mdivi-1, rescued HG-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Protein Kinase Cδ (PKCδ) could induce phosphorylation of Drp1, and we found that HG induced phosphorylation of PKCδ. PKCδ inhibitor (Go 6983) or PKCδ siRNA reversed HG-induced phosphorylation of Drp1 and further mitochondrial dysfunction. The above studies indicated that HG increases mitochondrial fission via promoting PKCδ/Drp1 signaling. Drp1 induces excessive mitochondrial fission and produces damaged mitochondrial, and mitophagy plays a key role in clearing damaged mitochondrial. Our study showed that HG suppressed mitophagy via inhibiting LC3B-II formation and p62 degradation. 3-MA (autophagy inhibitor) aggravated HG-induced RMECs damage, while rapamycin (autophagy agonist) rescued the above phenomenon. Further studies were identified that HG inhibited mitophagy by down-regulation of the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway, and PINK1 siRNA aggravated HG-induced RMECs damage. Further in-depth study, we propose that Drp1 promotion of Hexokinase II (HK-II) separation from mitochondria, thus inhibiting HK-II-PINK1-mediated mitophagy. In vivo, we found that intraretinal microvascular abnormalities (IRMA), including retinal vascular leakage, acellular capillaries, and apoptosis were increased in STZ-induced DR rats, which were reversed by pretreatment with Mdivi-1 or Rapamycin. Altogether, our findings provide new insight into the mechanisms underlying the regulation of mitochondrial homeostasis and provide a potential treatment strategy for Diabetic retinopathy.

Tumor Size Significantly Affects Prognosis in Pathological T3a Renal Cell Carcinoma.

AIM: To evaluate the prognostic value of tumor size in patients with pathological T3aN0M0 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) postoperatively. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed charts of patients with pathological T2N0M0 and T3aN0M0 RCC undergoing radical or partial nephrectomy at our Institution from 2000-2020. Survival analysis using Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariate Cox regression was performed. RESULTS: A total of 165 patients were included and analyzed. We found that patients with pT3a RCC >7 cm experienced worse 5-year recurrence-free survival (43.8% versus 77.3%, p=0.006) and cancer-specific survival (67.6 versus 94%, p=0.003) compared with those with pT3a RCC ≤7 cm. However, there was no significant difference in recurrence-free and cancer-specific survival between patients with pT2 and pT3a RCC ≤7 cm. Based on multivariate analysis, tumor size >7 cm was an independent factor for tumor recurrence and cancer-related death [hazard ratio(HR)=2.654, p=0.005; and HR=5.016, p=0.005, respectively]. Renal vein invasion was associated with poorer 5-year recurrence-free survival than fat invasion (48.1% versus 70.9%, p=0.032) and was a predictor for tumor recurrence (HR=1.987, p=0.043). CONCLUSION: Tumor size has a significant impact on prognosis for patients with pathological T3aN0M0 RCC and should be taken into consideration when staging disease and predicting outcomes for these patients.

Vascular endothelial growth factor ameliorated palmitate-induced cardiomyocyte injury via JNK pathway.

Enhanced apoptosis of cardiomyocytes in suffering overloaded saturated fatty acids (SFAs) can result in myocardial infarction and cardiac dysfunction. The function of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in cardiomyocyte protection was not clearly described. To investigate the preservative effects of VEGF sensitization on ceramide-mediated programmed cell death of cardiomyocytes, palmitate-induced injury in H9c2 cells was established as an in vitro model. Results revealed that 0.5 mM palmitate application effectively led to debased viability and activated apoptotic factors. A significant time-dependent relation between PAL and cardiomyocyte injury was observed. The apoptosis rate was increased greatly after 16 h of treatment with 0.5 mM PAL. In addition, cell viability was restored by VEGF overexpression during treatment with 0.5 mM PAL. Reduced apoptosis rate and expression of caspase 3, Bax, and NF-κB p65 were observed in this process, while boosted Bcl-2, p-JNK/JNK expression and activity of caspase 3 were checked. However, p-ERK/ERK levels did not exhibit a significant change. These findings indicated the protective effects of VEGF in confronting the ceramide-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and would devote therapeutic targets for cardiovascular safeguard in dealing with fatty acid stress.

Prognostic Evaluation of the Site of Invasion in Pathological Stage T3a Renal Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIM: To investigate the prognostic values of fat invasion (FI) and renal vein invasion (RVI) in pT3a renal cell carcinoma (RCC), as single factors or concomitant presence. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 173 patients who underwent radical or partial nephrectomy for RCC in our Institution. RESULTS: At a median follow-up time of 48 months, patients with RVI showed significantly increased risk of disease recurrence and worse cancer-specific survival (CSS) when compared to those with FI (p=0.007, p=0.022, respectively). Having combined RVI and FI did not show inferior prognosis compared to those with RVI only. In multivariable analysis, RVI was an independent factor for disease recurrence (HR=2.06, 95% CI=1.10-3.87, p=0.024) and CSS (HR=2.46, 95% CI=1.01-6.0, p=0.048). CONCLUSION: For patients with T3a renal tumors, RVI was associated with inferior prognosis compared to those with FI.

TGR5 Activation Ameliorates Mitochondrial Homeostasis via Regulating the PKCδ/Drp1-HK2 Signaling in Diabetic Retinopathy.

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most important microvascular diseases of diabetes. Our previous research demonstrated that bile acid G-protein-coupled membrane receptor (TGR5), a novel cell membrane receptor of bile acid, ameliorates the vascular endothelial cell dysfunction in DR. However, the precise mechanism leading to this alteration remains unknown. Thus, the mechanism of TGR5 in the progress of DR should be urgently explored. Methods: In this study, we established high glucose (HG)-induced human retinal vascular endothelial cells (RMECs) and streptozotocin-induced DR rat in vitro and in vivo. The expression of TGR5 was interfered through the specific agonist or siRNA to study the effect of TGR5 on the function of endothelial cell in vitro. Western blot, immunofluorescence and fluorescent probes were used to explore how TGR5 regulated mitochondrial homeostasis and related molecular mechanism. The adeno-associated virus serotype 8-shTGR5 (AAV8-shTGR5) was performed to evaluate retinal dysfunction in vivo and further confirm the role of TGR5 in DR by HE staining, TUNEL staining, PAS staining and Evans Blue dye. Results: We found that TGR5 activation alleviated HG-induced endothelial cell apoptosis by improving mitochondrial homeostasis. Additionally, TGR5 signaling reduced mitochondrial fission by suppressing the Ca2+-PKCδ/Drp1 signaling and enhanced mitophagy through the upregulation of the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway. Furthermore, our result indicated that Drp1 inhibited mitophagy by facilitating the hexokinase (HK) 2 separation from the mitochondria and HK2-PINK1/Parkin signaling. In vivo, intraretinal microvascular abnormalities, including retinal vascular leakage, acellular capillaries and apoptosis, were poor in AAV8-shTGR5-treated group under DR, but this effect was reversed by pretreatment with the mitochondrial fission inhibitor Mdivi-1 or autophagy agonist Rapamycin. Conclusion: Overall, our findings indicated that TGR5 inhibited mitochondrial fission and enhanced mitophagy in RMECs by regulating the PKCδ/Drp1-HK2 signaling pathway. These results revealed the molecular mechanisms underlying the protective effects of TGR5 and suggested that activation of TGR5 might be a potential therapeutic strategy for DR.

Retinal pigment epithelial cells secrete miR-202-5p-containing exosomes to protect against proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Previous studies have reported that endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) contributes to pathological fibrosis in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). The hypothesis of our study was that exosomes from high glucose (HG)-treated ARPE19 cells reprogram endothelial cell behavior in HG conditions by transferring their genetic contents. Our study showed that ARPE19-derived exosomes were internalized by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Additionally, miR-202-5p, a miRNA known to target TGFßR2, was enriched in ARPE19-derived exosomes. A dual luciferase reporter assay, qPCR, and western blotting were used to characterize the expression of miR-202-5p and phosphorylation of the TGF/Smad pathway proteins. We showed that miR-202-5p-containing exosomes suppressed HUVEC cell growth, migration, and tube formation. Furthermore, TGFßR2 was confirmed as the target of miR-202-5p. A dual luciferase reporter assay showed that TGFßR2 expression was negatively regulated by miR-202-5p. We also showed that miR-202-5p-containing exosomes suppressed HG-induced EndoMT. These collective results suggested that ARPE-derived exosomes may serve as significant mediators of cell-to-cell crosstalk to suppress EndoMT by transferring miR-202-5p through the TGF/Smad pathway, and may be a potential treatment for PDR patients.

Survival Analysis of Pathological T3a Upstaging in Clinical T1 Renal Cell Carcinoma.

AIM: To evaluate the oncological outcomes of pathological T3a upstaging from clinical T1 renal cell carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied patients who underwent radical or partial nephrectomy for clinical T1 renal tumors. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 44 months. At three and five years, the respective overall survival rate was 88.7% and 82.4% in pT3a disease, 95.7% and 93.4% in pT1 (p=0.008), the cancer-specific survival rate, 93.9% and 90.8% in pT3a, 99% and 97.7% in pT1 (p=0.001), and the recurrence-free survival rate, 79.7% and 71.0% in pT3a, and 95.5 and 94.3% in pT1 (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients with pathological T3a upstaging tumors were associated with a significantly decreased survival rate, along with a higher recurrence rate when compared to those with pathological T1 disease.

TGR5 receptor activation attenuates diabetic retinopathy through suppression of RhoA/ROCK signaling.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus. Abnormal energy metabolism in microvascular endothelium is involved in the progression of diabetic retinopathy. Bile Acid G-Protein-Coupled Membrane Receptor (TGR5) has emerged as a novel regulator of metabolic disorders. However, the role of TGR5 in diabetes mellitus-induced microvascular dysfunction in retinas is largely unknown. Herein, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used for analyzing bile acid (BA) profiles in diabetic rat retinas and retinal microvascular endothelial cells (RMECs) cultured in high glucose medium. The effects of TGR5 agonist on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic retinopathy were evaluated by HE staining, TUNEL staining, retinal trypsin digestion, and vascular permeability assay. A pharmacological inhibitor of RhoA was used to study the role of TGR5 on the regulation of Rho/Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase (ROCK) and western blot, immunofluorescence and siRNA silencing were performed to study the related signaling pathways. Here we show that bile acids were downregulated during DR progression in the diabetic rat retinas and RMECs cultured in high glucose medium. The TGR5 agonist obviously ameliorated diabetes-induced retinal microvascular dysfunction in vivo, and inhibited the effect of TNF-α on endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and permeability in vitro. In contrast, knockdown of TGR5 by siRNA aggravated TNF-α-induced actin polymerization and endothelial permeability. Mechanistically, the effects of TGR5 on the improvement of endothelial function was due to its regulatory role on the ROCK signaling pathway. An inhibitor of RhoA significantly reversed the loss of tight junction protein under TNF-α stimulation. Taken together, our findings suggest that insufficient BA signaling plays an important pathogenic role in the development of DR. Upregulation or activation of TGR5 may inhibit RhoA/ROCK-dependent actin remodeling and represent an important therapeutic intervention for DR.

Renal volume matters: Assessing the association between excisional volume loss and renal function after partial nephrectomy.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To investigate the oncological and functional outcomes after partial nephrectomy for clinical stage T1 (cT1) renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and assess the association between excisional volume loss (EVL) and postoperative renal function. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 150 patients with cT1 RCC undergoing partial nephrectomy from 2002 to 2016. End-point evaluation was assessed by recurrence free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), stage III and stage IV chronic kidney disease (CKD). Regression models were used to determine the risk factors of CKD after surgery. The relationship between EVL and renal function decline was evaluated using Spearman correlation method. RESULTS: Ninety patients with clinical stage T1a (cT1a) tumors and 60 patients with clinical stage T1b (cT1b) tumors were included. There were no differences in RFS, OS, and risk of stage III and stage IV CKD between the two groups. In Cox regression models, multivariate analysis showed that preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was an independent risk factor for developing stage III (hazard ratio 0.937, P < 0.001) and stage IV CKD (hazard ratio 0.929, P = 0.027). EVL was significantly associated with postoperative eGFR decrease. (Correlation Coefficient = 0.325, P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with cT1a and cT1b RCC have comparable oncological and functional outcome after partial nephrectomy, and preoperative eGFR is an independent factor to predict developing CKD. EVL has influence on the postoperative renal function decline.

Clinical value of vestibular-evoked myogenic potential tests in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the clinical value of two kinds of vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). METHODS: A total of 82 patients were divided into two groups: vertigo group and non-vertigo group. All patients underwent examinations for pure tone hearing thresholds, middle ear analysis, the videonystagmography, caloric tests, and vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials elicited from the sternocleidomastoid and extraocular muscle. In addition, 30 healthy subjects were selected as the control group. RESULTS: For the 30 healthy subjects, the average latency of p13 and n23 of the cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPs) were 13.13 ± 2.89 ms and 23.51 ± 3.25 ms, respectively, and the bilateral amplitude asymmetry rate ranged within 0.05-0.31. The average latency of n10 of the ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMPs) was 10.13 ± 0.48 ms. The average amplitude of the n10-p15-wave was 5.58 ± 0.65 µV. Among the 35 vertigo patients with SSNHL, 27 patients had normal cVEMP and oVEMP examination results, five patients had abnormal oVEMP examination results, and five patients had abnormal cVEMP examination results. The latency and amplifier of oVEMPs and cVEMPs were within the normal range in 47 SSNHL patients without vertigo. The chi-square value was 5.647, the P-value was equal to 0.017, and the difference was statistically significant at a confidence interval of 95%. CONCLUSIONS: OVEMPs and cVEMPs can be used evaluate the vestibular nerve function of SSNHL patients with vertigo.

Abnormal mTORC1 signaling leads to retinal pigment epithelium degeneration.

Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) degeneration is potentially involved in the pathogenesis of several retinal degenerative diseases. mTORC1 signaling is shown as a crucial regulator of many biological processes and disease progression. In this study, we aimed at investigating the role of mTORC1 signaling in RPE degeneration. Methods: Western blots were conducted to detect mTORC1 expression pattern during RPE degeneration. Cre-loxP system was used to generate RPE-specific mTORC1 activation mice. Fundus, immunofluorescence staining, transmission electron microscopy, and targeted metabolomic analysis were conducted to determine the effects of mTORC1 activation on RPE degeneration in vivo. Electroretinography, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, and histological experiments were conducted to determine the effects of mTORC1 activation on choroidal and retinal function in vivo. Results: RPE-specific activation of mTORC1 led to RPE degeneration as shown by the loss of RPE-specific marker, compromised cell junction integrity, and intracellular accumulation of lipid droplets. RPE degeneration further led to abnormal choroidal and retinal function. The inhibition of mTORC1 signaling with rapamycin could partially reverse RPE degeneration. Targeted metabolomics analysis further revealed that mTORC1 activation affected the metabolism of purine, carboxylic acid, and niacin in RPE. Conclusion: This study revealed that abnormal activation of mTORC1 signaling leads to RPE degeneration, which could provide a promising target for the treatment of RPE dysfunction-related diseases.

Ureteric bud remnant with renal agenesis.

INTRODUCTION: Ureteric bud remnant with renal agenesis is a rare disorder when urogenic system develops. Because of no obvious symptoms, it is usually explored incidentally. CASE PRESENTATION: A 41-year-old male presented with intermittent discharge of turbid fluid from his scrotum. A pinhole was noted in his left scrotum, and an infectious sinus or fistula was impressed. After serial studies, computed tomography revealed agenesis of his left kidney and a cystic lesion over his left scrotum. He underwent resection of the infectious sinus. Near the tail of the sinus, a connection was found to a channel-like structure. Contrast medium was injected which showed a blind end of this channel-like structure. The tube was ligated, and the cut end was sent for surgical pathology, which confirmed a left ureteric bud remnant. CONCLUSION: Complete imaging studies make this diagnosis clearly.