Comparison of the efficacy of HoLEP and TURP in the treatment of elderly benign prostatic hyperplasia patients: a retrospective study.

Objective: To prove that holmium laser prostatectomy (HoLEP) is safe and effective in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and is superior to transurethral prostatectomy (TURP) for elderly patients.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 565 HoLEP patients and 76 TURP elderly patients. HoLEP patients were first divided into three groups according to their age(Under 65 years old group, 65-79 years old group and over 80 years old group), and their preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative characteristics were then compared.

A redox-responsive nanosystem to suppress chemoresistant lung cancer through targeting STAT3.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been demonstrated to be involved in tumor initiation and relapse, and the presence of CSCs in the tumor tissue often leads to therapeutic failure. BBI608 has been identified to eliminate CSCs by inhibiting signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). In this study, we confirm that BBI608 can efficiently suppress the proliferation and migration of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, and specifically kill the stemness-high population in chemoresistant NSCLC cells.

Nanoparticles-Based Strategies to Improve the Delivery of Therapeutic Small Interfering RNA in Precision Oncology.

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) can selectively suppress the expression of disease-causing genes, holding great promise in the treatment of human diseases, including malignant cancers. In recent years, with the development of chemical modification and delivery technology, several siRNA-based therapeutic drugs have been approved for the treatment of non-cancerous liver diseases. Nevertheless, the clinical development of siRNA-based cancer therapeutics remains a major translational challenge.

SKLB-14b, a novel oral microtubule-destabilizing agent based on hydroxamic acid with potent anti-tumor and anti-multidrug resistance activities.

A hydroxamic acid based microtubule-destabilizing agent (MDA) SKLB-14b was discovered in this study, which was derived from shortening the linker length of the HDAC6 and microtubule dual-target inhibitor SKLB-23bb. SKLB-14b exhibited low nanomolar IC values on a wide spectrum of human cancer cell lines including both sensitive and multidrug-resistant cell lines. Surprisingly, its anti-proliferative activity relied on the presence of the hydroxamic acid group but lost inhibitory activity against HDACs.

Targeted Drug/Gene/Photodynamic Therapy via a Stimuli-Responsive Dendritic-Polymer-Based Nanococktail for Treatment of EGFR-TKI-Resistant Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Yes-associated protein (YAP) has been identified as a key driver for epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) resistance. Inhibition of YAP expression could be a potential therapeutic option for treating non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Herein, a nanococktail therapeutic strategy is proposed by employing amphiphilic and block-dendritic-polymer-based nanoparticles (NPs) for targeted co-delivery of EGFR-TKI gefitinib (Gef) and YAP-siRNA to achieve a targeted drug/gene/photodynamic therapy.

Patient-derived non-small cell lung cancer xenograft mirrors complex tumor heterogeneity.

Objective: Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models have shown great promise in preclinical and translational applications, but their consistency with primary tumors in phenotypic, genetic, and pharmacodynamic heterogeneity has not been well-studied. This study aimed to establish a PDX repository for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to further elucidate whether it could preserve the heterogeneity within and between tumors in patients.

Methods: A total of 75 surgically resected NSCLC specimens were implanted into immunodeficient NOD/SCID mice.

Space Optimized Plane Wave Imaging for Fast Ultrasonic Inspection with Small Active Aperture: Simulation and Experiment.

Plane wave imaging (PWI) is attracting more attention in industrial nondestructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E). To further improve imaging quality and reduce reconstruction time in ultrasonic imaging with a limited active aperture, an optimized PWI algorithm was proposed for rapid ultrasonic inspection, with the comparison of the total focusing method (TFM). The effective area of plane waves and the space weighting factor were defined in order to balance the amplitude of the imaging area.

Size- and cell type-dependent cellular uptake, cytotoxicity and in vivo distribution of gold nanoparticles.

Background: Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have shown great promise in biomedical applications. However, the interaction of AuNPs with biological systems, its underlying mechanisms and influencing factors need to be further elucidated.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to systematically investigate the effects of particle size on the uptake and cytotoxicity of AuNPs in normal cells and cancer cells as well as their biological distribution in vivo.

Identification of Long Non-Coding RNA-Associated Competing Endogenous RNA Network in the Differentiation of Chicken Preadipocytes.

Emerging evidence indicates that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in the regulation of cell differentiation by acting as competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA). However, the regulatory mechanisms of lncRNA and the lncRNA-associated ceRNA network involved in adipogenic differentiation of chicken preadipocytes remain elusive. Here, we first constructed the chicken preadipocyte in vitro induction model.

Long non-coding RNA mortal obligate RNA transcript suppresses tumor cell proliferation in prostate carcinoma by inhibiting glucose uptake.

A previous study reported the decreased expression of long non-coding RNA mortal obligate RNA transcript (lncRNA MORT) in 16 types of cancer, while the functionality of lncRNA MORT in cancer biology remains unknown. Therefore, the present study was conducted to characterize the functionality of lncRNA MORT in prostate carcinoma, a common cancer type worldwide. lncRNA MORT expression level was downregulated in tumor tissues compared with that in the adjacent healthy tissues of patients with prostate carcinoma.

Multi-Modal Visualization of Uptake and Distribution of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in Macrophages, Cancer Cells, and Xenograft Models.

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have shown great potential in various biomedical applications. However, information on the interaction between IONPs and biological systems, especially the uptake and distribution of IONPs in cells and tissues, as well as the mechanism of biological action, is relatively limited. In the present study, multi-modal visualization methods, including confocal fluorescence microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, magnetic resonance imaging, and fluorescence optical imaging, were utilized to unveil the uptake and distribution of IONPs in macrophages, cancer cells, and xenograft models.

The deregulation of miR-133b is associated with poor prognosis in bladder cancer.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded, endogenous, non-coding RNAs that are increased or decreased in almost all cancer types, and they paly crucial roles in the tumorigenesis as well as development.

Materials And Methods: 90 patients diagnosed with bladder cancer were enrolled in the present study. The bladder cancer tissues or adjacent normal tissues were obtained from the tumor area or adjacent normal zone.

Uptake, distribution, clearance, and toxicity of iron oxide nanoparticles with different sizes and coatings.

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have been increasingly used in biomedical applications, but the comprehensive understanding of their interactions with biological systems is relatively limited. In this study, we systematically investigated the in vitro cell uptake, cytotoxicity, in vivo distribution, clearance and toxicity of commercially available and well-characterized IONPs with different sizes and coatings. Polyethylenimine (PEI)-coated IONPs exhibited significantly higher uptake than PEGylated ones in both macrophages and cancer cells, and caused severe cytotoxicity through multiple mechanisms such as ROS production and apoptosis.

CSTB Downregulation Promotes Cell Proliferation and Migration and Suppresses Apoptosis in Gastric Cancer SGC-7901 Cell Line.

This study aimed to investigate the pivotal role of cystatin B (CSTB) in the development of gastric cancer and to explore its possible regulatory mechanism. Human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells as a model in vitro were transfected with plasmid PCDNA3.1-CSTB and siRNA-CSTB using Lipofectamine 2000.

Super-Mini Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy in the Treatment of Pediatric Nephrolithiasis: Evaluation of the Initial Results.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of super-mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (SMP) in the treatment of pediatric kidney stones.

Patients And Methods: We reviewed the records of 111 children with renal stones treated with SMP technique in four different centers between September 2014 and September 2015. The indications for SMP treatment in all these kids were either previously failed shock wave lithotripsy or retrograde intrarenal surgery approaches, according to their parents' preferences.

A Prediction Model for the Peripheral Arterial Disease Using NHANES Data.

We aim to build models for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) risk prediction and seek to validate these models in 2 different surveys in the US general population. Model building survey was based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES, 1999-2002). Potential predicting variables included race, gender, age, smoking status, total cholesterol (TC), body mass index, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), ratio of TC to HDL, diabetes status, HbA1c, hypertension status, and pulse pressure.