AQUABEAM robotic system use-results survey: Aquablation for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia in the Japanese Population.

Objectives: To evaluate the safety, efficacy, and patient-reported outcomes of Aquablation therapy using the AQUABEAM Robotic System for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in a Japanese population.

Methods: This post-market use-results survey included 103 Japanese men with BPH who underwent Aquablation across five centers with previously Aquablation naïve physicians. Data were collected at baseline, during the procedure, at discharge, and at 3 and 6 months post-procedure.

Polysulfide and persulfide-mediated activation of the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4 pathway increases Sestrin2 expression and reduces methylglyoxal toxicity.

Unfolded protein response (UPR) is activated in cells under endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. One sensor protein involved in this response is PERK, which is activated through its redox-dependent oligomerization. Prolonged UPR activation is associated with the development and progression of various diseases, making it essential to understanding the redox regulation of PERK.

Inhibition of amyloid β aggregation and BACE1, and protective effect on SH-SY5Y cells, by p-terphenyl compounds from mushroom Thelephora aurantiotincta.

The number of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is expected to increase as the population ages. The amyloid cascade hypothesis is proposed as the pathogenic mechanism of AD. We report the isolation and structural determination of three new p-terphenyl compounds, thelephantin P (1), thelephantin Q (2), and thelephantin R (3), with four known compounds (4-7), from the fruiting bodies of Thelephora aurantiotincta Corner.

Predictive factors of immediate continence after conventional robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: a single-institution retrospective study.

Background: To assess the predictive factors of immediate urinary continence after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.

Methods: This study included 282 patients who underwent conventional robot-assisted radical prostatectomy at our institution from April 2019 to March 2024. The primary outcome was immediate urinary continence, defined as the absence of urine leakage immediately after urinary catheter removal on postoperative day 6 or 7.

Elucidating the Antiglycation Effect of Creatine on Methylglyoxal-Induced Carbonyl Stress In Vitro.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) with multiple structures are formed at the sites where carbonyl groups of reducing sugars bind to free amino groups of proteins through the Maillard reaction. In recent years, it has been highlighted that the accumulation of AGEs, which are generated when carbonyl compounds produced in the process of sugar metabolism react with proteins, is involved in various diseases. Creatine is a biocomponent that is homeostatically present throughout the body and is known to react nonenzymatically with α-dicarbonyl compounds.

Clinical Anatomy of the Superficial Preprostatic Vein and Accessory Pudendal Artery in Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy.

We herein describe the superficial preprostatic vein (SPV) anatomy and determine its relationship with the accessory pudendal artery (APA). We reviewed 500 patients with localized prostate cancer who underwent conventional robot-assisted radical prostatectomy between April 2019 and March 2023 at our institution. SPV was defined as "any vein coming from the space between the puboprostatic ligaments and running within the retropubic adipose tissue anterior to the prostate toward the vesical venous plexus or pelvic side wall.

Inguinal hernia leads to worse immediate urinary continence after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.

Objectives: Patients with inguinal hernia (IH) may have voiding dysfunction and weak urethra-stabilizing periurethral fascial tissues, contributing to urinary incontinence. This study aimed to review the association between IH and urinary continence after robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

Methods: This single-institution retrospective study included 251 consecutive cases of RARP between April 2019 and June 2022.

Analysis and characterization of sulfane sulfur.

In the late 1970s, sulfane sulfur was defined as sulfur atoms covalently bound only to sulfur atoms. However, this definition was not generally accepted, as it was slightly vague and difficult to comprehend. Thus, in the early 1990s, it was defined as "bound sulfur," which easily converts to hydrogen sulfide upon reduction with a thiol-reducing agent.

Novel Fluorometric Assay of Antiglycation Activity Based on Methylglyoxal-Induced Protein Carbonylation.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which can have multiple structures, are formed at the sites where the carbonyl groups of reducing sugars bind to the free amino groups of proteins through the Maillard reaction. Some AGE structures exhibit fluorescence, and this fluorescence has been used to measure the formation and quantitative changes in carbonylated proteins. Recently, fluorescent AGEs have also been used as an index for the evaluation of compounds that inhibit protein glycation.

Hyperoxidized Peroxiredoxin 2 Is a Possible Biomarker for the Diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Peroxiredoxin (Prx) 2 in red blood cells (RBCs) reacts with various reactive oxygen species and changes to hyperoxidized Prx2 (Prx2-SO). Therefore, Prx2 may serve as an indicator of oxidative stress in vivo. This study aimed to analyze Prx2-SO levels in clinical samples to examine whether the oxidation state of Prx2 in human RBCs reflects the pathological condition of oxidative stress diseases.

Exposure to Heated Tobacco Products Aerosol Causes Acute Stress Responses in the Lung of Mouse.

In the present study, we evaluated the acute response of mice exposed to IQOS aerosol, a brand-name heated tobacco product (HTP), in the lung tissue. First, the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBA-RS) value was measured as an index to assess oxidative stress, and a significant increase was observed after exposure, followed by a significant increase in the total lung GSH concentration. The stress responses induced by IQOS aerosols was then analyzed by focusing on the changes in Nrf2 and ATF4, which are transcription factors that induce the expression of genes involved in GSH biosynthesis or metabolism.

Plasma unconjugated bile acids as novel biomarker for schizophrenia.

In this study, we measured conjugated and unconjugated free bile acids (BAs) in plasma from patients with schizophrenia and healthy subjects to examine the possibility of BA as a biomarker for schizophrenia. Although the levels of each BA conjugate showed no significant differences, significant differences for three unconjugated bile acids were observed in the plasma between patients with schizophrenia and healthy subjects. Additionally, a more than three times difference between patients and healthy subjects was observed in the mean value of the total concentrations of primary BAs.

Large adrenocortical adenoma with malignant features on imaging: A case report.

Large adrenocortical adenomas have rarely been reported. We describe a case of a 26-year-old man who underwent an adrenalectomy for a large adrenocortical adenoma (8.6 × 7.

Combined glyoxalase 1 dysfunction and vitamin B6 deficiency in a schizophrenia model system causes mitochondrial dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex.

Methylglyoxal (MG) is a reactive and cytotoxic α-dicarbonyl byproduct of glycolysis. Our bodies have several bio-defense systems to detoxify MG, including an enzymatic system by glyoxalase (GLO) 1 and GLO2. We identified a subtype of schizophrenia patients with novel mutations in the GLO1 gene that results in reductions of enzymatic activity.

Carbonylation of skin collagen induced by reaction with methylglyoxal.

Our previous studies have shown that glycerin, which is present at high concentrations in moisturizers and skin lotions, gradually oxidizes to produce methylglyoxal (MGO). In this study, we observed that MGO-treated porcine dermis type-I collagen was carbonylated in an MGO concentration- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, we examined the structure of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) induced by MGO reacting with type-I collagen.

Accumulation of Carbonyl Proteins in the Brain of Mouse Model for Methylglyoxal Detoxification Deficits.

Recent studies have shown that carbonyl stress is a causative factor of schizophrenia, categorized as carbonyl stress-related schizophrenia (CS-SCZ). However, the correlation between carbonyl stress and the pathogenesis of this disease is not well established. In this study, glyoxalase 1(Glo1)-knockout and vitamin B6-deficient mice (KO/VB6 (-) mice), which are susceptible to methylglyoxal (MGO)-induced oxidative damages, were used as a CS-SCZ model to analyze MGO-modified protein and the carbonyl stress status in the brain.

Effects of osmolality on the expression of brain aquaporins in AQP11-null mice.

Water transport in the brain is tightly controlled by blood-brain-barrier (BBB) composed of capillary endothelial cells expressing AQP1/AQP11 and glial foot processes expressing AQP4. Here we examined each AQP mRNA expression in acute hyponatremic and hypernatremic mouse models of wild type (WT) and AQP11 KO mice (KO). The expressions of AQP1, AQP4 and AQP11 mRNAs were quantified by real-time qRT-PCR analysis of whole brain RNA.

Simultaneous Determination of Five Bile Acids as Potential Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease in Mouse Brain and Plasma.

In this study, we developed an analytical method using LC-MS/MS for the simultaneous determination of five bile acids (BAs) that have been recently reported as candidate diagnostic biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) or AD related factors in the brain. The measurement of BAs in the brains of healthy mice led to the determination of candidate diagnostic markers for AD, such as cholic acid and deoxycholic acid, and other bile acids, such as chenodeoxycholic acid noted for the ameliorating effect on the symptoms of AD. Significant positive correlations were observed between the brain and plasma concentrations of four BAs in healthy young mice.

Oxidative Formation of Methylglyoxal in Glycerol Preparations during Storage.

Methylglyoxal (MGO) is a reactive α-dicarbonyl compound that causes carbonylation of protein and DNA through the pathways of the Maillard reaction. It is known that MGO is physiologically involved in renal dysfunction, vascular disorders, and the acceleration of aging. In this study, we showed for the first time, that a trace amount of MGO was present as an impurity in glycerol preparations used as external medicines and intravenous infusions, when kept unused.

Differential oxidation processes of peroxiredoxin 2 dependent on the reaction with several peroxides in human red blood cells.

Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) detoxify hydrogen peroxide (HO), peroxynitrite, and various organic hydroperoxides. However, the differential oxidative status of Prxs reacted with each peroxide remains unclear. In the present study, we focused on the oxidative alteration of Prxs and demonstrated that, in human red blood cells (RBCs), peroxiredoxin 2 (Prx2) is readily reactive with HO, forming disulfide dimers, but was not easily hyperoxidized.

Age-related alteration in the distribution of methylglyoxal and its metabolic enzymes in the mouse brain.

Methylglyoxal (MG) is an α-dicarbonyl compound that is naturally produced in vivo through glucose metabolism. In general, MG is metabolized by the glyoxalase 1(GLO1)/GLO2 system and aldose reductase (AR); however, excessive MG can react with proteins and nucleic acids to induce the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Recently, the accumulation of AGEs in the brain has been presumed to be related to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, respectively.

Alternative pathway of HS and polysulfides production from sulfurated catalytic-cysteine of reaction intermediates of 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase.

It has been known that hydrogen sulfide and/or polysulfides are produced from a (poly)sulfurated sulfur-acceptor substrate of 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (MST) via thioredoxin (Trx) reduction in vitro. In this study, we used thiosulfate as the donor substrate and the catalytic reaction was terminated on the formation of a persulfide or polysulfides. We can present alternative pathway of production of hydrogen sulfide and/or polysulfides from (poly)sulfurated catalytic-site cysteine of reaction intermediates of MST via Trx reduction.

Analysis of endogenous HS and HS in mouse brain by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence and tandem mass spectrometric detection.

Previous studies indicated that bound sulfur species (BSS), including hydrogen polysulfide (HS), have various physiological functions in mammalian cells. Although HS molecules have been considered as secondary metabolites derived from hydrogen sulfide (HS) based on in vitro studies or predetermined reaction formula, the physiological form of BSS and their endogenous concentration remain unclear. In the present study, we aimed to improve the usual method using monobromobimane (mBB) followed by high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) analysis for HS for simultaneous determination of HS, HS, HS and cysteine persulfide in biological samples.

3-Mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase produces potential redox regulators cysteine- and glutathione-persulfide (Cys-SSH and GSSH) together with signaling molecules HS, HS and HS.

Cysteine-persulfide (Cys-SSH) is a cysteine whose sulfhydryl group is covalently bound to sulfur (sulfane sulfur). Cys-SSH and its glutathione (GSH) counterpart (GSSH) have been recognized as redox regulators, some of which were previously ascribed to cysteine and GSH. However, the production of Cys-SSH and GSSH is not well understood.