Publications by authors named "Chan Jung Liu"

Background: Recent studies suggest that 5α-reductase inhibitors (5ARIs) for benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) result in abnormal retinal anatomical alteration.

Objective: To compare age-related macular degeneration (AMD) incidence in BPH patients receiving 5ARIs or tamsulosin.

Design: Retrospective, population-based cohort study using new-user and active-comparator design.

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Excessive sodium intake is associated with nephrolithiasis, but the impact of sodium-deficient (SD) diets is unknown. Hence, we investigated the effects of short- and long-term SD diets on the expression of renal aquaporins and sodium transporters, and thus calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystal formation in hyperoxaluria rats. In a short-term sodium balance study, six male rats received drinking water and six received 0.

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Urolithiasis is associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD), irrespective of stone compositions. Chronic inflammation is an important factor for CKD progression. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been recognized as a reliable biomarker of inflammation, yet its use in predicting renal deterioration in patients with urolithiasis remains limited.

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Purpose: Contemporary predictive tools for miniaturized percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mPCNL) mainly focus on stone clearance but not perioperative complications, especially infection and hemorrhage. This study aimed to evaluate whether the Mayo adhesive probability (MAP) score, an index of the perinephric fat characteristics, can predict postoperative fever and intraoperative hemorrhage in mPCNL.

Methods: This is a retrospective study recruiting 159 mPCNL patients from July 2018 to January 2022.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study explored the potential link between nephrolithiasis (kidney stones) and subclinical coronary artery disease (CAD) in asymptomatic adults, focusing on coronary CT-derived metrics.
  • Results indicated that nearly half of the participants had some level of coronary artery calcium score, with a greater prevalence of nephrolithiasis among those with any calcium score.
  • While nephrolithiasis was associated with higher levels of coronary artery calcification, it did not affect the severity of coronary luminal blockage, suggesting that further research is needed to clarify the relationship between kidney stones and CAD.
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Purpose: Growing evidence have suggested an association between nephrolithiasis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) with unclear mechanism. Oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL) induces atherosclerosis and was found to be the possible link between these two diseases. Our study aimed to examine the serum, urine and kidney expression of oxLDL in relation to large calcium oxalate (CaOx) renal stone disease.

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Cardiorenal syndrome is rarely discussed in patients with obstructive uropathy. On the other hand, there is currently no accurate and convenient clinical biomarker to predict the recovery of renal function after the resolution of ureteral obstruction. The purpose of this study is to explore the association between hydronephrosis and cardiorenal syndrome by measuring the change of the N-terminal prohormone of brain-natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), which is a biomarker typically used for cardiac failure, in patients receiving surgery to relieve obstructive uropathy.

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(1) Background: To assess the clinical significance of preoperative inflammatory biomarkers combined with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk score to evaluate carotid artery stenosis in patients with calcium kidney stones; (2) Methods: We conducted a prospective observational case-control study, enrolling 74 patients with calcium kidney stones and 66 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. We calculated the inflammatory biomarkers including the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and systemic inflammation response index (SIRI). An ultrasound of the carotid arteries was performed on all participants to identify the severity of the stenosis; (3) Results: All inflammatory biomarkers and the severity of carotid artery stenosis were higher in the calcium kidney stone group than in controls.

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Ureterorenoscopy (URS) is believed to be a safe and effective procedure for treating ureteral stones or ureteral strictures. Rapidly increasing intrarenal pressure during URS may have a negative impact on the kidney, but its effect on renal function is not well known. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether URS balloon dilation or lithotripsy could cause acute kidney injury (AKI), which was evaluated using urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), and renal tubular damage, which was evaluated using urine -glutathione S-transferase (GST) and GST.

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Calcium oxalate (CaOx) is the major constituent of kidney stones. Growing evidence shows a close connection between hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the formation of kidney stones. Owing to their antioxidant properties, statins control hyperlipidemia and may ameliorate CaOx stone formation.

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Purpose: To investigate the preoperative and intraoperative potential risk factors associated with miniaturized percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mPCNL) fever in the treatment of patients with large renal stones.

Materials And Methods: All patients with renal stones larger than 2.5 cm, who had undergone mPCNL, were included in the period between April 2018 and September 2019.

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Calcium (Ca) is an important mediator of multicellular homeostasis and is involved in several diseases. The interplay among the kidney, bone, intestine, and parathyroid gland in Ca homeostasis is strictly modulated by numerous hormones and signaling pathways. The calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is a G protein-coupled receptor, that is expressed in calcitropic tissues such as the parathyroid gland and the kidney, plays a pivotal role in Ca regulation.

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Objective: To investigate whether the use of statins would alter 24-h urine biochemistry in male patients with calcium kidney stones.

Methods: We prospectively recruited 78 male patients with calcium kidney stones between May 2017 and December 2017, and 30 male controls with matching sex and age, but without kidney stones. All patients were classified into higher- and lower-risk groups of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease according to the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines.

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Previous studies have suggested that kidney stone formers are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular events. To our knowledge, there have been no previous examinations of the relationship between carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and urinary stone risk factors. This study was aimed toward an investigation of the association between dyslipidemia, IMT, and 24-hour urinalysis in patients with calcium oxalate (CaOx) or calcium phosphate (CaP) stones.

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Uric acid urolithiasis constitutes approximately 7-10% of all urinary stones. Previous studies have revealed that patients with gout do not equally have uric acid stones. Instead, the risk of gout in patients with uric acid stones remains controversial.

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