Risk Factors Analysis and Pathogen Distribution of Urinary Tract Infection in Patients Undergoing Cutaneous Ureterostomy After Radical Cystectomy for Bladder Cancer

BACKGROUND

Postoperative urinary tract infection is a common complication that not only significantly prolongs the hospital stay and amplifies the economic burden on patients, but also affects their quality of life and prognosis. This study aimed to investigate risk factors and distribution of pathogenic bacteria in urinary tract infections among bladder cancer patients who underwent cutaneous ureterostomy following radical cystectomy.

METHODS

A total of 137 bladder cancer patients, who underwent cutaneous ureterostomy after radical cystectomy at our hospital from November 2018 to October 2022, were enrolled in this retrospective study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to investigate the risk factors associated with postoperative urinary tract infection and the distribution of pathogenic bacteria among the infected patients.

RESULTS

The results of both univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that age, proficiency in ostomy knowledge, frequency of ureteral stent tube replacement, ureteral stent tube dislodgement, urine immersion at the outer end of the ureteral stent tube, and the interval of ostomy bag replacement were independent risk factors for urinary tract infection after radical cystectomy and cutaneous ureterostomy in bladder cancer patients. A total of 55 pathogenic bacteria were isolated from 52 patients with infections. Predominantly, these were gram-negative bacteria (34 strains, 61.8%), with Proteus mirabilis having the highest proportion.

CONCLUSION

Urinary tract infections after radical cystectomy and cutaneous ureterostomy predominantly involve gram-negative bacteria. This is correlated with factors such as the age of bladder cancer patients, the level of nursing education, the duration of ureteral stent tubes and ostomy bag usage, as well as issues related to impaired urine drainage.

Cold-induced phase separation for the simple and reliable extraction of sex hormones for subsequent LC-MS/MS analysis

Sex hormones, including androgens, estrogens, and progestogens, are important biomarkers for various diseases. Quantification of sex hormones is typically conducted by LC-MS/MS. At present, most methods require liquid-liquid extraction or solid phase extraction for sample preparation. However, these pretreatments are prone to compromise LC-MS/MS throughput. To improve on the current standard practices, we investigated cold-induced phase separation for sex hormone extraction. After protein precipitation with acetonitrile and adjusting the solution constitution with water, samples were stored at −30°C for 10 min to generate two distinct phases: an acetonitrile-rich layer on top of a water-rich layer. During this process, the hydrophobic sex hormones spontaneously separate into the upper layer. This simple and reliable cold-induced phase separation-based LC-MS/MS methodology was used here to simultaneously detect estrone, estradiol, estriol, testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, progesterone, and 17-hydroxyprogesterone in serum. Validation of this method indicated satisfactory performance, including acceptable linearity, accuracy, precision, and tractability. Compared with the mainstream liquid-liquid extraction-based method, this new method exhibits significant progress in throughput, which shortens the time cost of sample preparation from 90 to 40 min. We propose that this method can be an excellent alternative for sex hormone analysis in routine clinical laboratories.

[Plasma metabonomics of Guifu Dihuang Wan in the treatment of yang deficiency]

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of Guifu Dihuang Wan (GFDHW) in the treatment of yang deficiency and explore the underlying molecular mechanism.

METHODS

Sixty-two participants without diseases were randomized into control group (n=31) and experimental group (n=31) and were given lifestyle intervention additional GFDHW treatment for a month. NMR technology was used for metabonomics analysis.

RESULTS

Intervention with GFDHW resulted in significantly decreased conversion scores of yang deficiency in the experimental group compared with the control group (P<0.005). The concentrations of lactate, valine, proline, arginine and 3-hydroxybutyrate were increased in the plasma of yang-deficient subjects after lifestyle intervention. GFDHW treatment with lifestyle intervention significantly increased the concentrations of lactate, valine, proline, arginine and 3-hydroxybutyrate and also the levels of alanine, glutamine, alpha glucose, isoleucine, betaine and propylene glycol.

CONCLUSION

GFDHW treatment improves yang deficiency possibly by increasing the concentrations of alanine, glutamine, alpha glucose, isoleucine, betaine and propylene glycol and promoting energy metabolism of the body.

BDNF promotes human neural stem cell growth via GSK-3β-mediated crosstalk with the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays important roles in neural stem cell (NSC) growth. In this study, we investigated whether BDNF exerts its neurotrophic effects through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in human embryonic spinal cord NSCs (hESC-NSCs) in vitro. We found an increase in hESC-NSC growth by BDNF overexpression. Furthermore, expression of Wnt1, Frizzled1 and Dsh was upregulated, whereas GSK-3β expression was downregulated. In contrast, hESC-NSC growth was decreased by BDNF RNA interference. BDNF, Wnt1 and β-catenin components were all downregulated, whereas GSK-3β was upregulated. Next, we treated hESC-NSCs with 6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (BIO), a small molecule inhibitor of GSK-3β. BIO reduced the effects of BDNF upregulation/downregulation on the cell number, soma size and differentiation, and suppressed the effect of BDNF modulation on the Wnt signaling pathway. Our findings suggest that BDNF promotes hESC-NSC growth in vitro through crosstalk with the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, and that this interaction may be mediated by GSK-3β.

Expression pattern of NeuN and GFAP during human fetal spinal cord development

PURPOSE

The development of the human embryonic spinal cord is very complicated, and many cell types are involved in the process. However, the morphological characteristics of neuronal and glial cells during the development of the human fetal spinal cord have not been described. We investigated the systemic distributions and expression pattern of the cell type-specific markers Neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) during the development of the human fetal spinal cord, in order to clarify the detailed developmental changes of neuronal and glial cells in chronological and spatial aspects.

METHODS

A total of 35 fetuses, aged 3 weeks to 8 months of gestation (E3W-E8M), were studied. The markers used for immunohistochemical study were NeuN and GFAP.

RESULTS

The intracellular makers NeuN and GFAP were widely detected expression in different structures and cells during the development of the human fetal spinal cord, including the following: central canal, neuroepithelial layer, internal limiting membrane, mantle layer, marginal layer, basal plate, alar plate, ependymal layer, gray matter, white matter, neuron, astrocytes, and nerve fibers. However, there was an absence of GFAP in astrocytes during early fetal spinal cord development until E9W, and the appearance of GFAP-positive reactivity was later than that of neurons.

CONCLUSIONS

We consider that NeuN and GFAP can be used to identify neuronal and glial cells during the development of the human fetal spinal cord, and their distribution differs both chronologically and spatially. These characteristic expression patterns would give us a clue to better understand the developmental characteristics of the human spinal cord.

Expression pattern of β-catenin during the development of human fetal spinal cord

Development of the human fetal spinal cord is a very complicated process involving numerous signaling pathways including Wnt signaling pathways. These pathways are critical for the development and function of the mammalian nervous system. β-Catenin is a key molecule in the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. However, the distributions of β-catenin during development of the human fetal spinal cord have not been well characterized. Therefore, in this study, we performed immunohistochemical analysis of the β-catenin distribution in the developing human spinal cord from 35 fetuses at three weeks to eight months of gestation. As early as E3W and E4W, β-catenin was mainly expressed in the internal limiting membrane of the neural tube and neuroepithelium (E: Embryos; W: Weeks). During developmental stages, β-catenin was widely expressed in various structures and cells including the neuroepithelium, internal limiting membrane, mantle layer, marginal layer, basal plate, alar plate, ependyma, gray matter, white matter, neurons with multiple processes, glial cells, and nerve fibers. This study clarifies the morphological developmental characteristics of the human fetal spinal cord as well as the distribution and expression pattern of β-catenin in chronological and spatial aspects. Our results suggest that the Wnt÷β-catenin signaling pathway might play a crucial role in various stages of the formation and differentiation of the human fetal spinal cord.

Bu-zhong-yi-qi pill alleviate the chemotherapy-related fatigue in 4 T1 murine breast cancer model

Background

Paclitaxel induced fatigue still remains underrecognized and undertreated, partly because of limited understanding of its pathophysiology and lack of effective treatments. This study is aim to evaluate the anti-fatigue effects and mechanism of Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi pill in murine 4 T1 breast cancer mice were treated with paclitaxel.

Methods

Breast cancer mice established with murine 4 T1 cells were randomly and repectively divided into five groups: negative control group (NC), tumor control group (TC), paclitaxel group (PTX), Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi pill group (BZYQ) and Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi pill plus paclitaxel group (BZYQ + PTX). The mice were administered for 21 days. During this period, the tumor volume, body weight and the weight-loaded swimming time were measured. After the last administration, all mice were sacrificed, weighted the tumor, measured immune cell cytokines and oxidative stress indicator. The remaining 10 mice in each group were observed for survival analysis.

Results

Treatments with BZYQ + PTX and PTX significantly reduced the rates of tumor volume in comparison with TC starting on the 9th day and the 18th day respectively (P < 0.05-0.01), and presented decreased tumor weight compared to TC (P < 0.05-0.01). Compared with mice in TC group, the median survival time and the average survival time in BZYQ + PTX group, BZYQ group and PTX group were significantly prolonged (P < 0.05-0.01). The swimming time of the BZYQ + PTX group gradually increased, which is longer than the PTX group on Day 14 and Day 21 (P < 0.01). The level of TNF-α was lower in BZYQ + PTX group than PTX group (P < 0.01). The level of SOD activity in BZYQ + PTX group was lower than the NC group (P <0.01), but much higher than the PTX group (P < 0.01). The level of MDA of BZYQ + PTX group was higher than the NC group (P < 0.01), but significant lower than the PTX group (P < 0.01).

Conclusions

BZYQ has the potential of alleviating paclitaxel chemotherapy-related fatigue in 4 T1 breast cancer mice by reducing the serum levels of TNF-α and modulating the level of MDA and the SOD activity.

A case-control study in Shanghai of fruit and vegetable intake and endometrial cancer

In a population-based case–control study of 832 incident endometrial cancer cases and 846 frequency-matched controls among Chinese women in Shanghai, using a validated food-frequency questionnaire, dietary habits were estimated by in-person interviews. Total vegetable consumption was inversely associated with endometrial cancer risk (highest quartile vs lowest: OR=0.69, 95% CI 0.50–0.96). The risk was reduced with increasing intake of dark green/dark yellow vegetables (trend test, P=0.02), fresh legumes (trend test, P<0.01), and allium vegetables (trend test, P=0.04). Fruit consumption was unrelated to risk. These results suggest that high consumption of certain vegetables may reduce the risk of endometrial cancer.

Correlation of Blood Sex Steroid Hormones with Body Size, Body Fat Distribution, and Other Known Risk Factors for Breast Cancer in Post-Menopausal Chinese Women

OBJECTIVE

Estrogen plays a central role in breast cancer. It has been suggested that many known breast cancer risk factors may exert their effect via levels of endogenous sex hormones. The objective of this analysis is to evaluate the association between measures of body size, dietary macronutrient intake, and reproductive factors with levels of endogenous sex hormones among women living in Shanghai, China.

METHODS

Included in this study were 420 post-menopausal healthy women randomly selected from the general population as controls who participated in the Shanghai Breast Cancer Study, a population-based case-control study conducted in Shanghai, China between 1996 and 1998. Comprehensive dietary and reproductive information was collected using a structured questionnaire during an in-person interview and anthropometrics were measured by trained interviewers according to a standard protocol. Hormone levels were log-transformed and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the correlation between hormone levels and selected breast cancer risk factors.

RESULTS

Measures of body size were strongly correlated with hormone levels. In particular, weight, waist circumference, and hip circumference were significantly positively correlated (p < 0.05) with levels of testosterone, estradiol, estrone, and significantly negatively correlated with sex hormone binding globulin. Macronutrient intake and reproductive factors were not correlated with endogenous sex hormone levels.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that breast cancer risk associated with measures of body size may be mediated, at least partially, by levels of endogenous sex hormones.

Genetic polymorphism of cytochrome P450-1B1 and risk of breast cancer

Cytochrome P450-1B1 (CYP1B1) is a major enzyme catalyzing the formation of genotoxic 4-hydroxyestradiol. This enzyme is also involved in the activation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic aromatic amines, mammary carcinogens in experimental animals. CYP1B1 is genetically polymorphic, and the variations in the CYP1B1 gene may be related to the risk of breast cancer. We evaluated this hypothesis among 186 breast cancer cases and 200 age-matched controls as part of a large population-based case-control study conducted in urban Shanghai during 1996 to 1998. Genomic DNA from cases and controls was analyzed for genetic polymorphism in codon 432 (Val-->Leu) of the CYP1B1 gene using a PCR-RFLP-based assay. The frequency of the Leu allele was 53% in cases and 46% in controls (P = 0.06). Compared with those with the Val/Val genotype, women with the Leu/Leu genotype had a 2.3-fold [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.2-4.5] elevated risk of breast cancer after adjusting for potential confounding variables. This positive association was more pronounced among postmenopausal women (Odds ratio, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.0-9.1) than premenopausal women (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 0.8-4.3). Elevated risks of breast cancer associated with homozygosity for the Leu allele were observed in virtually all subgroups of women defined by major risk factors for breast cancer. The results from this study were consistent with recent findings from in vitro and animal experiments implicating a potentially important role of CYP1B1 in the etiology of human breast cancer.

[Medicinal plants of Valerianaceae in China]

Based on field investigation and taxonomic research on the medicinal plants of Valerianaceae in China, twenty-two species and two subspecies of three genera in this family are reported. Also some new medicinal plant resources are supplemented, Latin names of some species are revised, distribution and medicinal uses of the species are spelled out and a key for the species is given.

Photoaffinity labeling of platelet activating factor binding sites in rabbit platelet membranes

A photoreactive, radioiodinated derivative of platelet activating factor (PAF), 1-O-(4-azido-2-hydroxy-3-iodobenzamido)undecyl-2-O-acetyl-sn- glycero-3-phosphocholine ([125I]AAGP), was synthesized and used as a photoaffinity probe to study the PAF binding sites in rabbit platelet membranes. The nonradioactive analog, IAAGP, induced rabbit platelet aggregation with an EC50 value of 3.2 +/- 1.9 nM as compared to 0.40 +/- 0.25 nM for PAF. Specific binding of [125I]AAGP to rabbit platelet membranes was saturable with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 2.4 +/- 0.7 nM and a receptor density (Bmax) of 1.1 +/- 0.2 pmol/mg protein. Photoaffinity labeling of platelet membranes with [125I]AAGP revealed several 125I-labeled components by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A protein species with apparent molecular weight of 52,000 was consistently observed and inhibited significantly by unlabeled PAF at nanomolar concentrations. The labeling was specific since the PAF antagonists, SRI-63,675 and L-652,731, at 1 uM also blocked the appearance of this band; whereas lysoPAF was not effective at the same concentration. These results suggest that the binding sites of PAF receptor in rabbit platelets reside in the polypeptide of Mr = 52,000.