[Status quo of ED-related studies in China: A bibliometric analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To summarize and visualize the status quo, future hotspots and development trend of ED-related researches in China through bibliometric analysis. METHODS: We searched the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) and the database of Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) for ED-related studies published in China from January 1, 2010 to August 14, 2023. Using the CiteSpace and VOSviewer softwares, we bibliometrically analyzed and visualized the related journals, regions, institutions, authors, key words, co-citations and other indexes of the identified studies. RESULTS: A total of 2,465 ED-related studies were retrieved, with an increasing number of publications year by year, relatively more in the southeast region, with Sun Yat-sen University ranking the first in the number of published articles (n = 169), LIU Jihong (n = 73), WANG Tao (n = 71) and JIANG Rui (n = 49) as the top three prolific core authors. The first two Chinese journals with the most ED-related publications were Chinese Journal of Andrology (n = 320) and Journal of Sexual Medicine (n = 128), and the latter was also the mostly cited (n = 5 060). Keyword co-occurrence analysis showed that the highest-frequency Chinese terms included impotence, anxiety, andrology, expert consensus, experience of famous doctors, acupuncture, Earthworm protein (Chinese) and hypertension, and the English terms included erectile dysfunction, apoptosis, inflammation, fibrosis, risk and women. CONCLUSION: Recent years have wit-nessed a rapid development in ED-related studies in China, with the risk factors and patho-genic mechanisms of ED as hot topics. PDE5 inhibitors and adipose-derived stem cells for the treatment of ED have attracted long and continuous attention and will remain an important target of future research.

Bibliometric analysis of scientific publications on cryptorchidism: Research hotspots and trends between 2000 and 2022.

Background: Cryptorchidism is defined as failure of unilateral or bilateral testicular descent, which increases the risk of infertility and testicular carcinoma. Although there is much research on cryptorchidism, few studies have used the bibliometric analysis method. The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive analysis of cryptorchidism from muti-dimensional perspectives to summarize the research hotspots and trends in cryptorchidism research. Methods: Relevant studies on cryptorchidism were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database from 2000 to 2022. A comprehensive bibliometric analysis of cryptorchidism was performed by using the CiteSpace, Tableau Public, and VOSviewer software, including the annual distributions of publications, countries, authors, institutions, journals, references, and keywords. Results: From January 1st, 2000 to May 17th, 2022, a total of 5023 papers concerning cryptorchidism were identified for analysis. The USA contributed the most publications (n = 1193) in this field, and the annual number of publications rose rapidly in China. The University of Melbourne published the largest number of papers (n = 131). "Hutson, John M." was the most core author ranked by publications (n = 51), and "Skakkebaek, Niels E." enjoyed the largest number of citations (4441). The JOURNAL OF UROLOGY published the largest number of papers (n = 225), while the average citations per publication of the 75 papers in HUMAN REPRODUCTION reached 62.38. Additionally, burstness analysis of references and keywords showed that cryptorchidism research was mainly focused on the exploration of the optimal mode of treatment for cryptorchidism, including hypogonadism such as Kallmann syndrome and Klinefelter syndrome. Conclusion: Cryptorchidism has attracted continuous attention from the scientific community concerned. International collaboration in the field has witnessed significant growth in recent years and remains essential to further enhance collaborative efforts between scholars from different countries. In addition, the exploration of the optimal treatment modality for cryptorchidism, especially in the prevention of adult infertility, remains a major focus of future research. High-quality follow-up studies are also needed in the future. The pathogenesis (especially at the genetic level) and treatment of hypogonadism such as Kallmann syndrome and Klinefelter syndrome have attracted increasing attention recently, which may usher in some breakthroughs in coming years.

LRRC59 serves as a novel biomarker for predicting the progression and prognosis of bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 59 (LRRC59) is an endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein involved in various cancers, but its role in bladder cancer (BC) has not been reported. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of LRRC59 protein in BC progression and prognosis. METHODS: The expression profile and clinical significance were retrieved from BC patients in the Cancer Genome Atlas database. The methylation status of LRRC59 was analyzed by UALCAN and MethSurv databases. Potential signaling pathways and biological functions were explored by functional enrichment analysis. Immunocyte infiltration was evaluated by CIBERSORT analysis. The prognostic value of LRRC59 was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. Overall survival (OS) was predicted by the nomogram plot established in this study. LRRC59 expression in 10 pairs BC and adjacent noncancerous tissues were analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were detected by CCK8, colony formation assay, transwell assay, and cell scratch assay, respectively. Proteins related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition and apoptosis were detected by western blot. RESULTS: LRRC59 overexpression significantly decreased OS, disease-specific survival, and progress-free interval of BC patients. LRRC59 was a prognostic marker for OS and its hypomethylation status signified a poor prognosis. LRRC59 overexpression was correlated with infiltration of resting memory CD4 T cells, memory activated CD4 T cells, resting NK cells, macrophages M0, M1, M2, and neutrophils. IHC showed that the LRRC59 expression in BC tissue was significantly higher than that in adjacent noncancerous tissue. Knockdown of LRRC59 expression inhibited the proliferation of BC cells and reduced their migratory ability. Western blot showed that Snail and vimentin protein expressions decreased, while E-cadherin expressions increased. CONCLUSIONS: LRRC59 expression can predict the outcome of BC independently and serve as a new biomarker for diagnosis.

Global research status and hotspots of radiotherapy for prostate cancer: a bibliometric analysis based on Web of Science from 2010-2022.

Background: Radiotherapy (RT) is one of the important treatments for various cancer types and its application to prostate cancer (PCa) has also gradually gained increasing attention. However, there is a lack of comprehensive and objective studies on the overall status of research on RT for PCa. This article aims to summarize and quantify the dynamic trends of RT in PCa by using bibliometrics. Methods: Studies on RT for PCa were screened from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database between 1 January 2010 and 21 November 2022 to collate and quantify information characteristics by analyzing parameters including annual publications, countries/regions, institutions and authors with the aid of the bibliometric software CiteSpace and VOSviewer. In addition, research trends and hotspots were explored by analyzing keywords and co-cited references. Results: A total of 21338 documents were retrieved. The United States of America (USA) ranked first and maintained the leading position among all countries in the number of publications (8489) and total citations (266342). The University of Toronto was the most active institution in total publications (n=587). Paul L Nguyen enjoyed the most publications (n=179), and Michael J Zelefsky enjoyed the most co-citations (n=3376). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RADIATION ONCOLOGY BIOLOGY PHYSICS published the most papers (n=1026), and was the most frequently co-cited journal (n=78550). The largest and closest cluster in the reference cluster analysis was "oligorecurrent prostate cancer". The timeline view of keywords reveals that cluster "biochemical recurrence(BCR)" is ongoing. Moreover, keywords burstness analysis showed that "radiation dosimetry", "dose rate brachytherapy(BT)", "salvage radiotherapy", "stereotactic body radiotherapy(SBRT)", "guideline", and "multicenter" were the terms with great bursts in the past a few years. Conclusion: The application of RT targeting oligometastatic prostate cancer(OMPC) has garnered considerable attention among researchers. SBRT and BT have become hot topics in the field. Additionally, the BCR of PCa has long been a critical issue requiring extensive research and resolution, and salvage radiotherapy has currently emerged as a closely related research focus. Related large-scale multicenter studies have been conducted over the past few years, providing valuable insights. More high-quality research is expected to be employed to guide clinical decision-making.

The prognostic value and immunological role of SULF2 in adrenocortical carcinoma.

Background: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) represents the rare urological epithelial cancer of urinary tract, which has a large mass and is usually diagnosed at the advanced stage, thus inducing the poor prognosis. As a result, early detection and diagnosis are more important for the prognosis rather than the treatment of ACC. There is evidence supporting the association of Sulfatase2 (SULF2) with bladder cancer. However, the relationships of SULF2 with the clinical features and immune infiltration of ACC remain unclear. Methods: This work comprehensively investigated the different expression levels of SULF2 within ACC and its prognostic significance through various databases including Gene Expression Profiling Interaction Analysis (GEPIA), Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER), The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), Kaplan-Meier (KM) plotter and UALCAN. Besides, SULF2 levels within different tumor and paraneoplastic tissues were examined based on Human Protein Atlas (HPA) and TIMER. Afterwards, this study identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in high-compared with low-SULF2-expression groups. To predict the possible interaction between SULF2 and its targets, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed based on relevant data collected in STRING database. Besides, the SULF2 functional annotation was carried out, including Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and GSEA. In addition, gene mutation analysis was also performed based on the cBioPortal database. The relation of SULF2 with immune infiltration was analyzed from various aspects by using the resources of various databases including TIMER, TISIDB, and GEPIA, which was first reported in this work. Finally, R package was utilized to plot the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of diagnosis, time-dependent survival, and the association of SULF2 with cancer stage and the nomogram model. Finally, CellMiner dataset was adopted for SULF2 correlation as well as drug sensitivity analysis. Results: Relative to healthy people, SULF2 level markedly elevated within ACC tissues. Besides, SULF2 up-regulation significantly predicted the dismal prognostic outcome, which may be an important prognostic factor. Afterwards, the PPI network was constructed, and the possible link of SULF2 with the corresponding targets was predicted. Besides, up-regulated SULF2 expression was tightly related to immune regulation and tumor-infiltration immune cell (TIICs), including CD8+, CD4+ and mast cells. Finally, SULF2 expression was speculated to help determine the sensitivity of certain drugs. Conclusions: SULF2 may offer a new therapeutic target for ACC patients and become an important potential prognostic biomarker.

Research trends and hotspots of COVID-19 impact on sexual function: A bibliometric analysis based on Web of Science.

Background: The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has brought indelible harms to the world and aroused great concern worldwide. This paper aims to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on sexual function using bibliometrics, and summarize research hotspots in this field. Methods: Relevant publications concerning the impact of COVID-19 on sexual function in the Web of Science collection database (WoSCC) between January 1, 2020 and March 12, 2022 were screened and analyzed by bibliometric analysis using the visualization software CiteSpace and VOSviewer. Results: Of the 1,054 publications screened, the United States (US) contributed the most (398/37.8%), followed by the United Kingdom (UK) (119/11.3%). Among all institutions, the University of Toronto in Canada enjoyed the largest number of publications (30), and Johns Hopkins University in the US enjoyed the highest frequency of citation (235). The journal INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH published the largest number of studies in this field (31), and the most-cited journal was LANCET. "Chow, Eric," "Ong, Jason J," and "Stephenson, Rob" tied for first place in publications (8), and "Fish, Jessica N." enjoyed the highest number of citations (99). Burstness analysis of references and keywords showed that the developing research trends in this field mainly focused on "sexual transmission" and "angiotensin converting-enzyme 2 (ACE2)" during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: The impact of COVID-19 on sexual function remains an urgent concern at present, and the management of sexual health during the pandemic needs to be further improved. More frequent and deeper cooperation between countries and institutions is required in future. Meanwhile, searching for more evidence on whether COVID-19 can achieve sexual transmission and the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the impact of COVID-19 on sexual function remains a focus of research in the coming years.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) for advanced malignancies with multiple DNA-repair genetic aberrations.

INTRODUCTION: Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) have been approved for the treatment of advanced tumors with defects in genes involved in homologous recombination repair (HRR), including cancers of the prostate, pancreas, breast, and ovary. In these advanced tumors, PARPi afford 'synthetic lethality' by blocking the PARP-associated repair pathway in cancer cells with HRR genetic mutations, resulting in chromosome instability and cellular apoptosis. According to the synthetic lethality theory, patients with a greater burden of genetic alterations, in proportion (relative quantity) or category, would have more satisfactory outcomes after PARPi administration. However, this issue remains obscure based on the existing sporadic evidence. AREAS COVERED: We summarize the therapeutic effects of PARPi in advanced tumors with multiple HRR genetic mutations, and attempted to compare these results with those obtained for cancers with a single mutation. EXPERT OPINION: Limited evidence has provided a possibly encouraging response to PARPi among patients carrying multiple HRR genetic mutations compared with those with a single mutation (although the treatment effect was negative in some patients). Further research is needed to understand the role of PARPi in tumor cells with multiple HRR genetic mutations.

A Novel Pyroptosis-Related Gene Signature for Predicting Prognosis in Kidney Renal Papillary Cell Carcinoma.

Pyroptosis is defined as an inflammatory form of programmed cell death. Increasing studies have demonstrated that pyroptosis is closely related to tumor development and antitumor process. However, the role of pyroptosis in kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma (KIRP) remains obscure. In this study, we analyzed the expression of 52 pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) in KIRP, of which 20 differentially expressed PRGs were identified between tumor and normal tissues. Consensus clustering analysis based on these PRGs was used to divided patients into two clusters, from which a significant difference in survival was found (p = 0.0041). The prognostic risk model based on six PRGs (CASP8, CASP9, CHMP2A, GPX4, IL6, and IRF1) was built using univariate Cox regression and LASSO-Cox regression analysis, with good performance in predicting one-, three-, and five-year overall survival. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the high-risk group had a poor survival outcome (p < 0.001) and risk score was an independent prognostic factor (HR: 2.655, 95% CI 1.192-5.911, p = 0.016). Immune profiling revealed differences in immune cell infiltration between the two groups, and the infiltration of M2 macrophages was significantly upregulated in the tumor immune microenvironment, implying that tumor immunity participated in the KIRP progression. Finally, we identified two hub genes in tumor tissues (IL6 and CASP9), which were validated in vitro. In conclusion, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of PRGs in KIRP and tried to provide a pyroptosis-related signature for predicting the prognosis.

The relationships of acute kidney injury duration and severity with long-term functional deterioration following partial nephrectomy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of acute kidney injury (AKI) duration and severity on long-term renal functional outcomes in patients undergoing partial nephrectomy (PN). METHODS: Altogether 292 consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopic PN from 2010 to 2018 were identified in two medical centers. In addition, the AKI duration {transient AK [≤ 3d] or persistent AKI [> 3d]} was combined with AKI severity (stages) to elucidate their relationships with long-term functional results. Kaplan-Meier (KM) analysis was also used to compare among patients with no AKI, transient AKI, and persistent AKI. Moreover, the Cox-proportional hazards regression model was utilized to assess the risk factors for renal function deterioration. RESULTS: Altogether 67 patients (22.9%) experienced postoperative AKI. 75% eGFR preserve rate during the follow-up was compared among patients with no AKI, transient AKI and persistent AKI using KM analysis and log-rank test, which revealed significant difference. After adjusting for age and warm ischemia time by multivariate model proportional hazards analysis, AKI duration and severity were identified as the risk factors (Stage 1-transient AKI vs. non-AKI: adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 4.361, 95% confidential interval (CI) [2.062-9.233], p < 0.001; stage 1-persistent AKI vs. non-AKI: adjusted HR 6.706, 95% CI [2.405-18.699], p < 0.001; stage 2/3-transient AKI vs. non-AKI: adjusted HR 8.949, 95% CI [1.571-50.963], p = 0.014; stage 2/3-persistent AKI vs. non-AKI: adjusted HR 13.453, 95% CI [11.353-133.798], p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: The AKI duration after PN is an important risk factor for long-term renal functional deterioration. Besides, AKI duration combined with AKI severity can be more comprehensive to understand the role of AKI on ultimately renal function. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese ClinicalTrials: ChiCTR2000034080.

Effect of Brachytherapy vs. External Beam Radiotherapy on Sexual Function in Patients With Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of brachytherapy (BT) versus external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) on sexual function in patients with localized prostate cancer (PCa). Methods: Data were retrieved from the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang Database until March 4, 2021. Analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.4.1. The main clinical outcomes were the Prostate Cancer Symptom Indices (PCSI) scale and the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) scale scores for sexual function. A meta-analysis was performed to calculate standardized mean differences (SMDs) and their 95% CI. This study has undergone PROSPERO registration (No. CDR42021245438). Results: Among the 962 studies retrieved, eight prospective cohort studies met the inclusion criteria, covering a total of 2,340 patients, including 1,138 treated with BT alone and 1,202 treated with EBRT alone. The results demonstrated that BT was to some extent advantageous over EBRT in overall sexual function scores in patients with localized PCa during the immediate post-treatment period (SMD = -0.09, 95% CI: -0.18 to -0.01, p = 0.03), but this difference was not detectable at 3 months (SMD = -0.07, 95% CI: -0.18-0.05, and p = 0.25), 12 months (SMD = -0.01, 95% CI: -0.21-0.20, and p = 0.96), and 24 months (SMD = -0.09, 95% CI: -0.20-0.01, and p = 0.09) after treatment. Conclusion: Our analysis showed that BT showed a short-term advantage over EBRT in terms of sexual function in patients with localized PCa, but this difference diminished over time, though the conclusion needs to be further verified by a longer-term follow-up study.