The inverse association between fasting blood glucose and the occurrence of gallbladder cancer in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the correlation between diabetes mellitus (DM) and gallbladder cancer (GBC) in an epidemiological setting. METHODS: The study summarized the clinical and laboratory data of 2210 GBC Chinese patients in the authors' hospital. A total of 17 influencing factors for GBC, including gender, body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin (FINS), the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), and lipid indexes were analyzed using unconditional logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Based on the results of univariate logistic regression, the risk of GBC was significantly and positively correlated with serum triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, FINS, HOMA-IR, being female, BMI, DM, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and gallbladder stone disease (GSD), and significantly negatively correlated with high-density lipoprotein and FBG concentrations in serum, as well as hypertension. According to multivariate analysis, FINS was significantly positively associated with GBC risk, while DM showed an insignificant negative association; FBG was also not important. The most significant independent factor of GBC risk in patients with DM was HOMA-IR. Fasting blood glucose levels showed a significant negative relationship with GBC in patients with DM. In addition, this study indicated a significantly negative association between serum RBP levels and GBC. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the current study revealed that the efficient treatment of insulin resistance is an important approach for decreasing GBC risk, as opposed to lowering blood sugar only, particularly in patients with DM. Interestingly, FBG may have had an inverse association with the development of GBC in patients with type 2 DM. Of note, the study found that a dramatic initial drop in RBP may help predict the occurrence of GBC.

Effect of pneumovesicoscopic cohen surgery with adjustable suspension technique through the urethra on the treatment of primary vesicoureteral reflux disease in infants.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pneumovesicoscopic Cohen surgery with an adjustable suspension technique through the urethra for the treatment of primary vesicoureteral reflux disease in infants. METHODS: This study retrospectively analysed the clinical data of 31 infants who underwent pneumovesicoscopic Cohen surgery with an adjustable suspension technique through the urethra in our hospital from January 2019 to December 2020. We also collected the clinical data of 29 infants who underwent open Cohen surgery in our hospital from January 2015 to December 2018 as a control variable. The clinical efficacy of the two groups was compared. RESULT: All pneumovesicoscopic Cohen surgeries were successfully completed and no patients were converted to open surgery. The amount of bleeding, duration of postoperative analgesia, duration of postoperative haematuria, incision size and length of hospital stay in the pneumovesicoscopic surgery group were significantly lower than those in the open surgery group (P < 0.05). The operation time of the pneumovesicoscopic surgery group was significantly longer than that of the open surgery group (P < 0.05). Both groups were followed for six months after surgery. At the 6-month follow-up time, there were no significant differences in the degree of hydronephrosis, renal scarring, renal atrophy, glomerular filtration rate, or KIM-1 and MCP-1 expression between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Pneumovesicoscopic Cohen surgery with an adjustable suspension technique through the urethra for the treatment of primary vesicoureteral reflux disease in infants was safe and effective. This procedure had the advantages of less trauma, quick recovery and good cosmetic effects.

[Molecular mechanism underlying difference of astragaloside â £ content in imitating wild and cultivated Astragalus mongholicus].

The difference of astragaloside Ⅳ content and the expression of its biosynthesis related genes in imitating wild Astragalus mongolicus(IWA) and cultivated A.mongolicus(CA) under different growth years were systematically compared and analyzed.Then the key enzyme genes affected the difference of astragaloside Ⅳ content in the above two A.mongolicus were screened.High-perfo-rmance liquid chromatography(HPLC)was used to determine the content of astragaloside Ⅳ in A.mongolicusunderthe above two diffe-rent growth patterns.Based on the Illumina HiSeq and PacBio high-throughput sequencing platforms, thesecond-and third-generation transcriptome sequencing(RNA-Seq)databaseof the two A.mongolicuswas constructed.The related enzyme genes in the biosynthetic pathway of astragaloside Ⅳ were screened and verified byquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR).The RNA-sequencing(RNA-Seq) and RT-qPCR data of each gene were subjected to correlation analysis and trend analysis.The results showed that the variation trend of astragaloside Ⅳ contentby HPLC wasthe same as that of genes by RNA-Seq and RT-qPCR in 1-4 year IWA and 1-2 year CA.The trend level of astragaloside Ⅳ contentwas lower in 2-year IWA than 1-year IWA.Compared with 2-year IWA, 3-year IWA had an upward trend, while 4-year IWA hada downward trend versus 3-year IWA.Additionally, 1-year CA had increased trendthan 2-year CA.However, the content of astragaloside Ⅳ in 5-year IWA was higher than that of 6-year IWA, which wasinconsistent with the findings of RNA-Seq and RT-qPCR.This study preliminarily clarifiedthat the difference of astragaloside Ⅳ contentin 1-4 year IWA and 1-2 year CA wasclosely related to the expression of the upstream and midstream genes(MVK, CMK, PMK, MVD, SS) in the biosynthetic pathway.The results facilitate the production and planting of Radix Astragali seu Hedysari.

Single-site laparoscopic high ligation of the extraperitoneal hernia sac with an epidural needle for incarcerated ovarian hernia in infants.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of single-site laparoscopic extraperitoneal hernia sac ligation with an epidural needle for incarcerated ovarian hernias in infants and young children. METHODS: The clinical data of 38 infants with incarcerated ovarian hernias who underwent single-site laparoscopic extradural needle extraperitoneal hernia sac ligation from January 2015 to January 2018 were retrospectively analysed. RESULTS: All procedures were successfully performed using laparoscopy with no need for conversion to open surgery. The time of hospital stay was 1.30 ± 0.39 days. During hospitalization and follow-up, there were no complications, such as intestinal or bladder injury, abdominal wall vascular injury, ovarian atrophy, hernia recurrence or contralateral indirect hernia. However, three patients experienced complications, including two cases of poor healing of the umbilical incision and one case of suture granuloma. CONCLUSIONS: Single-site laparoscopic high ligation of the extraperitoneal hernia sac with an epidural needle is a safe and feasible method for the treatment of incarcerated ovarian hernias in infants and young children. It has the advantages of minimal trauma, no scarring and good cosmetic effects.

Testicular descent and fixation through a scrotal stria incision for the treatment of palpable cryptorchidism in children aged <3 years: 10-year experience with 1034 cases.

This study was performed to summarize our clinical experience with testicular descent and fixation through a scrotal stria incision for the treatment of palpable cryptorchidism in children. This study included 1034 children with palpable cryptorchidism from March 2009 to March 2019. A scrotal stria incision was used to perform testicular descent and fixation. Overall, 1020 children successfully underwent surgical testicular descent and fixation through a scrotal stria incision, and 14 patients underwent conversion to inguinal incision surgery. All patients were discharged 1-2 days after the operation. During hospitalization and follow-up, 55 patients developed complications, including 10 patients with testicular retraction, 7 with poor healing of the incision, and 38 with a scrotal hematoma. No patients developed testicular atrophy, an indirect inguinal hernia, or a hydrocoele. Testicular descent and fixation through a scrotal stria incision for the treatment of palpable cryptorchidism in children is safe and feasible in well-selected cases. This method has the advantages of no scarring and a good cosmetic effect.

Laparoscopic Disconnected Pyeloplasty to Treat Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction (UPJO) in Children.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to assess the safety and clinical effectiveness of laparoscopic disconnected pyeloplasty in treating ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) in children. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 122 young children with UPJO treated from February 2015 to February 2018 at our hospital. According to the surgery type, the patients were divided into 2 groups: a laparoscopic surgery group (group A, n=69) and a traditional open surgery group (group B, n=53). RESULTS The success rate of laparoscopic disconnected pyeloplasty was 100%, and none of the patients were converted to open surgery. The mean duration of use of painkillers was 27.6±11.3 h in group A and 58.2±18.2 h in group B (p=0.012), the postoperative hospital stay was 7.8±1.5 days in group A and 11.5±2.6 days in group B (p=0.041), and the length of the incision was 1.5±0.4 cm in group A and 5.2±1.1 cm in group B (p=0.007). The incidence rate of poor surgical wound healing was 0% in group A and 7.5% in group B (p=0.020). The incidence rate of ureteral stricture was 4.3% in group A and 3.8% in group B (p=0.874) during follow-up. The 1-year follow-up showed that both the anterior and posterior diameters and glomerular filtration rate were significantly improved from the preoperation period. CONCLUSIONS Laparoscopic disconnected pyeloplasty to treat UPJO in young children has the same early clinical effectiveness and safety as open surgery, and this procedure has the advantages of minimal trauma, quick recovery, and good cosmetic effect.

[Advances in three important signaling pathways related to aging in Drosophila melanogaster and screening of anti-aging traditional Chinese medicine].

Aging is the most basic life feature of organisms. It is a phenomenon of dysfunction of cells,tissues and organs under the influence of external environment and internal factors during the growth of organisms. During the process,many cellular signaling pathways and biologically active substances,such as insulin/insulin-like growth factor( IGF)-1 signaling( IIS) pathway,apoptotic signaling pathway,mTOR signaling pathway,AMPK pathway,sirtuin pathway,deacetylases have been found to be closely related to the molecular mechanism of aging. Modern studies have indicated that anti-aging natural compounds can cause great side effects,while delaying aging and even inducing another disease,which is against with the purpose of delaying aging and achieving healthy aging. Therefore,the researches of anti-aging traditional Chinese medicines with fewer side effects are extremely important. Based on the different mechanisms and theories of aging,many traditional Chinese medicines have been discovered to be related to anti-aging. As one of the most important model organisms,Drosophila melanogaster has been widely used in studies of aging process in recent years. In this paper,we reviewed three important signaling pathways related to aging,such as insulin/insulin-like growth factor( IGF)-1 signaling( IIS) pathway,m TOR pathway,AMPK pathway,and screened out anti-aging traditional Chinese medicines based on D. melanogaster in recent years.

Bioinformatic prediction of critical genes and pathways involved in longevity in Drosophila melanogaster.

The pursuit of longevity has been the goal of humanity since ancient times. Genetic alterations have been demonstrated to affect lifespan. As increasing numbers of pro-longevity genes and anti-longevity genes have been discovered in Drosophila, screening for functionally important genes among the large number of genes has become difficult. The aim of the present study was to explore critical genes and pathways affecting longevity in Drosophila melanogaster. In this study, 168 genes associated with longevity in D. melanogaster were collected from the Human Ageing Genomic Resources (HAGR) database. Network clustering analysis, network topological analysis, and pathway analysis were integrated to identify key genes and pathways. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was applied to verify the expression of genes in representative pathways and of predicted genes derived from the gene-gene sub-network. Our results revealed that six key pathways might be associated with longevity, including the longevity-regulating pathway, the peroxisome pathway, the mTOR-signalling pathway, the FOXO-signalling pathway, the AGE-RAGE-signalling pathway in diabetic complications, and the TGF-beta-signalling pathway. Moreover, the results revealed that six key genes in representative pathways, including Cat, Ry, S6k, Sod, Tor, and Tsc1, and the predicted genes Jra, Kay, and Rheb exhibited significant expression changes in ageing D. melanogaster strain w1118 compared to young ones. Overall, our results revealed that six pathways and six key genes might play pivotal roles in regulating longevity, and three interacting genes might be implicated in longevity. The results will not only provide new insight into the mechanisms of longevity, but also provide novel ideas for network-based approaches for longevity-related research.

Single-Site Laparoscopic Percutaneous Extraperitoneal Closure of the Internal Ring Using an Epidural Needle for Children with Inguinal Hernia.

BACKGROUND This study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of single-site laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure of the internal ring using an epidural needle for children with inguinal hernia. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 542 children with inguinal hernia who underwent single-site laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure of the internal ring using an epidural needle at our hospital from June 2014 to June 2017. RESULTS All patients successfully underwent surgery and none were converted to conventional surgery. Abdominal vascular injury, vasectomy injury, testicular vascular injury, umbilical hernia, iatrogenic cryptorchidism, testicular atrophy, hydrocele, hernia recurrence, and scrotal edema were not reported during the perioperative period. A follow-up of these patients was performed for 12-24 months. During the follow-up period, umbilical hernia, iatrogenic cryptorchidism, testicular atrophy, and hydrocele were not noted, but 3 cases of hernia recurrence were found. CONCLUSIONS The single-site laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure of the internal ring using an epidural needle for children with inguinal hernia is safe and effective, and this procedure has the advantages of minimal trauma, no scarring, and good cosmetic effect.

Laparoscopic Percutaneous Extraperitoneal Internal Ring Closure for Pediatric Inguinal Hernia: 1,142 Cases.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to summarize the clinical experience of the laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure of the internal ring using an epidural needle for the treatment of inguinal hernias. Methods: There were 1,142 children with an isolated inguinal hernia who participated in this study from January 2013 to May 2018. An epidural needle was used to treat the indirect inguinal hernia with laparoscopic assistance. Symptoms and signs were followed up at 1 week, 3 months, and every 1-2 years after the operation. Results: All 1,142 children underwent laparoscopic surgery successfully. All patients were discharged 1-2 days after the operation. During the hospitalization and follow-up, there were 21 patients with complications, including 6 cases of hernia recurrence, 7 cases of poor healing of the umbilical incision, 5 cases of suture granuloma and 3 cases of groin traction pain discomfort. None of the following complications occurred: abdominal wall vascular injury, deferent duct injury, umbilical hernia, iatrogenic cryptorchidism, testicular atrophy, hydrocele, or scrotal oedema. Conclusion: Laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure of the internal ring using an epidural needle is a safe and feasible method for the treatment of inguinal hernias in children. This method has the advantages of less trauma, no scarring and a good cosmetic effect.

Metabonomics approach to assessing the metabolism variation and gender gap of Drosophila melanogaster in aging process.

Drosophila melanogaster is increasingly used for study aging mechanism and evaluating anti-aging drugs, but the changes of metabolites and differences of metabolites change between male and female during the aging process are not well known. Metabolomics technology, a massive information provider, has promoted the understanding of metabolic profile and overall changes of metabolites in organism. In this study, 1H NMR based metabonomics was employed to investigate the dynamic changes of metabolites in whole bodies of male and female Drosophila melanogaster at 3, 15, 30, 45days and to research the gender gap of metabolites changes in aging process. The results showed that the metabolic profile at different ages in both male and female Drosophila melanogaster were separated obviously by multivariate analysis. Besides, the variety track of metabolites between male and female Drosophila melanogaster were different, the change speed in female was significantly slow than that in male. In addition, the results showed 14 metabolites (including leucine, valine, alanine, methionine, cysteine, phenylalanine, glycine, glutamine, tyrosine, tryptophan and histidine, succinate, xanthine and DMA) were associated with aging and 7 metabolites (including leucine, valine, methionine, cysteine phenylalanine, succinate and DMA) were associated with gender gap in the aging process of Drosophila melanogaster. Corresponding metabolic mechanisms referenced to the KEGG database and literatures were discussed. This study demonstrate that metabolomics is promising as a valuable method not only to reveal metabolites that related to senescence, but also to help us understand differences between male and female flies in aging process.

A Bioinformatic Approach for the Discovery of Antiaging Effects of Baicalein from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi.

Aging is one of the most complicated phenomena and is the main risk factor for age-related diseases. Based on the public aging-related gene data, we propose a computational approach to predict the antiaging activities of compounds. This approach integrates network pharmacology and target fishing methods with the aim of identifying a potential antiaging compound from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. Utilizing this approach and subsequent experimental validation, it was found that baicalein at concentrations of 0.04, 0.2, and 1 mg/mL extended the mean, median, and maximum life spans in Drosophila melanogaster. Particularly, 0.2 mg/mL baicalein extends the mean and median life spans in male flies by 19.80% and 25.64%, respectively. Meanwhile, it was discovered that baicalein improved fertility in flies. Baicalein exerts antiaging effects likely through attenuating oxidative stress, including increases of CAT activity and GSH level and decrease of GSSG level.

Metabolic Syndrome Components are Associated with Increased Prostate Cancer Risk.

BACKGROUND: Our study investigated the associations of metabolic syndrome (MS) and metabolic indicators with prostate cancer (PCa) risk in the Chinese Han ethnic population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied 101 PCa patients (without/with MS) and 120 healthy controls. Clinical data, including waist circumference, BMI, TG, FINS, FBG, and PCa-related indicators, were collected. The correlations between MS and PCa were analyzed. RESULTS: Compared to PCa, PV and Gleason scores increased and PSA levels decreased in PCa with MS group (all P<0.001). PV was positively correlated with BMI, FINS, and HOMA-IR (r=0.459, P<0.001; r=0.421, P=0.001; r=0.490, P=0.003, respectively), and was negatively correlated with HDL-C (r=-0.378, P<0.001). PSA level in MS patients was negatively correlated with BMI (r=-0.125, P<0.001), TG (r=-0.256, P<0.001) and FBG (r=-0.183, P<0.001). Large PV, high TG, low HDL-C, high LDL-C, and high FBG were associated with an increased risk of PCa (P<0.001, OR=1.10, 95%CI: 1.009-3.304; P<0.001, OR=2.91, 95%CI: 1.612-5.241; P<0.001, OR=7.89, 95%CI: 3.908-15.947; P=0.015, OR=1.87, 95%CI: 1.131-3.077; P=0.004, OR=2.17, 95%CI: 1.280-3.686, respectively). MS-related indicators showed a positive relationship with PCa (P<0.001, OR=1.90, 95%CI: 1.107-10.629). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that MS and metabolic indicators are associated with an increased risk of PCa, pointing to a novel therapeutic approach for PCa management.

Heme oxygenase-1 polymorphism associated with severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested that susceptibility to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) might be related to the length polymorphism of (GT)(n) repeat in the 5'-flanking region of heme oxygenase-1 (HOX-1) gene. However, there has been no research about the relationship between the polymorphism of HOX-1 gene and severity of COPD. METHODS: The polymorphism of HOX-1 gene in 452 patients with COPD from Han population in Southwest China was analysed by fragment analysis. The frequencies of the HOX-1 genotype were compared with the stage of COPD of each patient. RESULTS: The HOX-1 genotypes were classified into two groups: group I were individuals with class L allele (the number of GT = 32 repeats), and group II were those without class L allele (the number of GT < 32 repeats). The genotypic frequency of the HOX-1 group I was significantly higher than group II in the very severe COPD patients (36.8% vs 22.4%, P < 0.01, OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.3 - 3.1), while the genotypic frequency of the HOX-1 group II was lower in the mild COPD (16.0% vs 26.0%, P = 0.02, OR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.3 - 0.9). However, in moderate and severe stages COPD, there were similar genotypic frequencies between HOX-1 group I and group II. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic polymorphism in HOX-1 is associated with the severity of COPD in Southwest China. COPD patients with class L allele may be susceptible to develop very severe COPD. Conversely, the COPD patients without class L allele may be more easily stabilized on mild COPD.