Effect of maternal folic acid supplementation on prostatitis risk in the rat offspring.

Purpose: Folic acid (FA) intake has increased to high levels in many countries for the prevention of neural tube defects. However, the impact of excess FA intake, particularly before and during pregnancy, requires further investigation. Our aim was to investigate the effect of maternal folic acid supplementation on prostatitis risk in the rat offspring.

Inhibition of EGF expression and NF-κB activity by treatment with quercetin leads to suppression of angiogenesis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The present study was performed to investigate the effect of quercetin on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) angiogenesis. The real-time RT-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were performed to analyze the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines prior to and after the quercetin treatment. Effect of quercetin on the rate of cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay.

Oral exposure of low-dose bisphenol A promotes proliferation of dorsolateral prostate and induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition in aged rats.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known endocrine disruptor compound reported to have prostate toxicity. This study aimed to assess the effect of BPA on the proliferation of dorsolateral prostate (DLP) and the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes in aged rats. Male aged SD rats were treated with BPA (10.

Genetic Effects on Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Evidence-based Treatment for Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

In this article, the mechanism of inheritance behind inherited hearing loss and genetic susceptibility in noise-induced hearing loss are reviewed. Conventional treatments for sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), i.e.

Confounding Effect in Clinical Research of Otolaryngology and Its Control.

Confounding effect is a critical issue in clinical research of otolaryngology because it can distort the research's conclusion. In this review, we introduce the definition of confounding effect, the methods of verifying and controlling the effect. Confounding effect can be prevented by research's design, and adjusted by data analysis.

[Categories and characteristics of BPH drug evaluation models: a comparative study].

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a worldwide common disease in men over 50 years old, and the exact cause of BPH remains largely unknown. In order to elucidate its pathogenesis and screen effective drugs for the treatment of BPH, many BPH models have been developed at home and abroad. This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the categories and characteristics of BPH drug evaluation models, highlighting the application value of each model, to provide a theoretical basis for the development of BPH drugs.

Advances in nanomedicine for head and neck cancer.

The quality of life of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has been improved because of advances in surgical and radiotherapeutic techniques as well as organ-preservation methods. Despite such progresses, survival rates are dismal because of frequent recurrences, distant metastases and the development of secondary primary tumors. Nanoparticles have distinct characteristics such as a high surface/volume ratio and surface charge and size that can be easily modified.

[Study on the stability of perceptual evaluation of voice quality].

Objective: To explore the factors that influence the stability of evaluation results judged by a jury through a standard research on perceptual evaluation measurements of voice quality.

Methods: Voice samples from 300 patients with dysphonia and 100 control subjects with normal voice were recorded and assessed by a jury composed of 6 experienced listeners from different hospitals. The voice samples were discourse voices and ordered randomly 3 times, and the mean of 3 evaluations using visual analogue scale were the final results.

A novel vaccine against Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus infections: the recombinant swinepox virus expressing M-like protein.

To develop a safer, more immunogenic and efficacious vaccine against Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus (SEZ) infections, the gene of M-like protein (SzP) was placed under the strong vaccinia virus promoter P28 and then inserted into swinepox virus (SPV) genome. The recombinant swinepox virus (rSPV-szp) was isolated in a non-selective medium by the co-expression of Escherichia coli LacZ gene and verified by PCR, western blotting and immunofluorescence assays.

[Electron microscopic observation of vocal fold polyps].

Objective: The purpose of this study was to observe the ultrastructure of the fibroblasts, collagen and elastic fibers in vocal fold polyps.

Methods: Ten vocal fold polyps and 3 normal vocal fold specimens obtained from total laryngectomy were studied by means of transmission electron microscope and scanning electron microscope.

Results: The result showed that in vocal fold polyps, the quantity of fibroblasts increased and there were abundant organelles, suggesting that the fibroblast were in the status of activation.

[Case-control survey on risk factors of benign vocal fold lesions].

Objective: To investigate the risk factors that may relate with benign vocal fold lesions including vocal fold nodule, vocal fold polyp, chronic laryngitis and Reinke's edema

Methods: In present series, 321 cases who were performed laryngoscope were invited to participate the survey. Among them 168 cases with benign vocal fold lesions composed the case group. Another 153 cases with normal larynx composed the control group.

[mRNA expression of extracellular matrix proteins of vocal fold polyps and Reinke edema].

Objective: To investigate the pathogenic mechanism of vocal fold polyps and Reinke's edema.

Methods: A reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique was adopted, mRNA levels of 9 proteins were measured in 12 vocal fold polyps, 2 Reinke's edema and 5 normal vocal folds (from total laryngectomy).

Results: The results showed that in the vocal fold polyps, mRNA levels of collagenase and fibromodulin descended and levels of fibronectin increased (P < 0.