The association between the presence of kidney stones and the risk of developing osteoporosis: a NHANES-based cross-sectional study and Mendelian randomization analysis.

Purpose: To investigate whether the presence of kidney stones increases the risk of developing osteoporosis.

Methods: First, we performed an observational study on the basis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES; 2007-2020). Kidney stone patients were identified on the basis of their affirmative response to the question "Have you ever experienced kidney stones?" (KIQ026).

NAD metabolism enzyme NNMT in cancer-associated fibroblasts drives tumor progression and resistance to immunotherapy by modulating macrophages in urothelial bladder cancer.

Background: This study comprehensively investigates the association between the expression of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) and clinical outcomes of urothelial bladder cancer (UBC), as well as the molecular mechanisms by which NNMT in cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) modulates tumor progression and immunotherapy resistance in UBC.

Methods: Single-cell transcriptomic analyses, immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence assays were performed on bladder cancer samples to validate the relationship between NNMT expression and clinical outcomes. A series of experiments, including chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry assay, and CRISPR‒Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and CRISPR-associated protein 9) knockout, together with models, have been established to determine the molecular functions of NNMT in CAFs in UBC.

Mitochondria-Targeted Nanoadjuvants Induced Multi-Functional Immune-Microenvironment Remodeling to Sensitize Tumor Radio-Immunotherapy.

It is newly revealed that collagen works as a physical barrier to tumor immune infiltration, oxygen perfusion, and immune depressor in solid tumors. Meanwhile, after radiotherapy (RT), the programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) overexpression and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) excessive secretion would accelerate DNA damage repair and trigger T cell exclusion to limit RT efficacy. However, existing drugs or nanoparticles can hardly address these obstacles of highly effective RT simultaneously, effectively, and easily.

The mA methylation landscape, molecular characterization and clinical relevance in prostate adenocarcinoma.

Background: Despite the recent progress of therapeutic strategies in treating prostate cancer (PCa), the majority of patients still eventually relapse, experiencing dismal outcomes. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to identify novel viable targets to increase the effectiveness of treatment. The present study aimed to investigate the potential relationship between N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification and PCa development and determine its clinical relevance.

Recent advances in aptamer-based therapeutic strategies for targeting cancer stem cells.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are believed to be the main cause of chemotherapy resistance and tumor relapse. Various therapeutic strategies to eliminate CSCs have been developed recently. Aptamers, also called "chemical antibodies", can specifically bind with their molecular targets through special tertiary structures.

Targeting treatment of bladder cancer using PTK7 aptamer-gemcitabine conjugate.

Background: Gemcitabine (GEM) is one of the first-line chemotherapies for bladder cancer (BC), but the GEMs cannot recognize cancer cells and have a low long-term response rate and high recurrence rate with side effects during the treatment of BC. Targeted transport of GEMs to mediate cytotoxicity to tumor and avoid the systemic side effects remains a challenge in the treatment of BC.

Methods: Based on a firstly confirmed biomarker in BC-protein tyrosine kinase 7 (PTK7), which is overexpressed on the cell membrane surface in BC cells, a novel targeting system protein tyrosine kinase 7 aptamer-Gemcitabine conjugate (PTK7-GEMs) was designed and synthesized using a specific PTK7 aptamer and GEM through auto-synthesis method to deliver GEM against BC.

Single-site multiport vs. conventional multiport robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: A propensity score matching comparative study.

Objective: Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) is a dynamically evolving technique with its new evolution of single-site RARP. Here we sought to describe our extraperitoneal technique, named the single-site multiport RARP (ssmpRARP) using the da Vinci Si platform and compare it with the transperitoneal conventional multiport RARP (cmpRARP).

Materials And Methods: Data were retrospectively collected for patients who underwent RARP for localized prostate cancer from June 2020 to January 2022 in a single center.

"Light green up": Indocyanine Green Fluorescence Imaging-guided Robotic Bilateral Inguinal Lymphadenectomy by the Hypogastric Subcutaneous Approach for Penile Cancer.

Background: Inguinal lymphadenectomy is of great significance in the management of penile cancer, which aims to mitigate the progression of lymph node metastasis. It is important to improve the efficiency of lymph node dissection and reduce surgical complications.

Objective: To detail a novel technique for robotic bilateral inguinal lymphadenectomy through the hypogastric subcutaneous approach by indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging, which promotes the identification and dissection of inguinal lymph nodes with considerable safety.

Negative Effects of Stromal Neutrophils on T Cells Reduce Survival in Resectable Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder.

Urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) is a major type of bladder cancer with a distinct tumor microenvironment (TME). Although neutrophils are the main component of myeloid cells in the TME, the clinical significance and function of the neutrophils remain unclear in UCB. Here, we observed CD66b+ neutrophils were predominantly enriched in the stroma of UCB tissues and their levels emerged as an independent prognostic factor for overall survival ( = 0.

Identification of an IDO1-based immune classifier for survival prediction of upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

The limited response rate of immunotherapy in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) might be attributed to additional immunosuppressive mechanisms in vivo. As a promising immune checkpoint target, the expression and prognostic role of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) in UTUC remains unknown. In this study, the expression and prognostic value of IDO1 was analyzed in 251 patients from 3 independent cohorts.

Targeting the Proteasome in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma: Complexity and Limitations of Patient-Individualized Preclinical Drug Discovery.

Background: Systemic treatment options for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have significantly expanded in recent years. However, patients refractory to tyrosine kinase and immune checkpoint inhibitors still have limited treatment options and patient-individualized approaches are largely missing.

Patients And Methods: In vitro drug screening of tumor-derived short-term cultures obtained from seven patients with clear cell RCC was performed.

Development and validation of a PD-L1/PD-1/CD8 axis-based classifier to predict cancer survival of upper tract urothelial carcinoma after radical nephroureterectomy.

The expression status of programmed cell death-ligand 1/programmed cell death 1 (PD-L1/PD-1) and the infiltration of CD8 T cells in tumor tissues are considered to be related to immunotherapy efficacy and patient prognosis. The purpose of this study is to clarify the prognostic value of the PD-L1/PD-1/CD8 axis, and to develop and validate a comprehensive scoring system based on multiple immune variables to predict cancer survival of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU). The immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of PD-L1, PD-1, and CD8 in cancer tissues of UTUC patients after RNU.

Serum CCL27 predicts the response to Bacillus Calmette-Guerin immunotherapy in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

The prediction of the response to Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) can help identify non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients that may be better served with alternative therapy. Several cytokine profiles present promising results, but they are difficult to use in clinical practice. In this prospective, longitudinal study, we tried to identify reliable serum cytokines/chemokines to predict the response to BCG using samples collected before and during BCG induction therapy.

PD-1 topographically defines distinct T cell subpopulations in urothelial cell carcinoma of the bladder and predicts patient survival.

Introduction: The pre-existing tumor-infiltrating T cell landscape in urothelial cell carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) may obtain prognostic significance and guide treatment decisions, particularly regarding immunotherapy. However, the current studies typically lead to inconsistent conclusions due to the extreme heterogeneity of T cells in cancer. Herein, we investigated the heterogeneity, distribution and clinical significance of tumor-infiltrating T cells based on PD-1 expression, their spatial organization, and the balance between subsets in a series of UCB patients.

Microenvironment-Derived FGF-2 Stimulates Renal Cell Carcinoma Cell Proliferation through Modulation of p27Kip1: Implications for Spatial Niche Formation and Functional Intratumoral Heterogeneity.

Background/objective: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is characterized by a high degree of functional intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH). This is highlighted by the finding that tumor cell proliferation and intracellular signaling occur preferentially in the tumor periphery. The driving forces for such a spatial organization are largely unknown.

Microlocalization and clinical significance of stabilin-1 macrophages in treatment-naïve patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.

Purpose: Emerging evidence has shown that macrophages (Mφs) at different tumor sites have diverse clinical attributes. Stabilin-1 is a multi-functional scavenger marker for specialized tumor-associated Mφs. This study investigates the relationship between the density and microlocalization of stabilin-1 Mφs within tumors and the clinical outcomes of patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB).

Prospective single center trial of next-generation sequencing analysis in metastatic renal cell cancer: the MORE-TRIAL.

Aim: Targeted therapies have substantially improved the survival of patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell cancer. No prognostic or predictive biomarkers are available. Comprehensive genetic profiling offers the opportunity to define prognostic and predictive signatures aiming at a more personalized approach to treatment.

Generation of autochthonous mouse models of clear cell renal cell carcinoma: mouse models of renal cell carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the 10 most common cancers worldwide, and to date, a strong systemic therapy has not been developed to treat RCC, even with the remarkable modern advances in molecular medicine mostly due to our incomplete understanding of its tumorigenesis. There is a dire unmet need to understand the etiology and progression of RCC, especially the most common subtype, clear cell RCC (ccRCC), and to develop new treatments for RCC. Genetically engineered mouse (GEM) models are able to mimic the initiation, progression, and metastasis of cancer, thus providing valuable insights into tumorigenesis and serving as perfect preclinical platforms for drug testing and biomarker discovery.

[Diagnostic and therapeutic characteristics of the preoperatively misclassified complicated renal cysts].

Objective: To explore the clinical features and treatment options of patients undergoing surgical masses excision for preoperatively misclassified complicated renal cysts.

Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on clinical records of patients who received partial or radical nephrectomy at Department of Urology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital with postoperatively pathological examination as benign renal cysts from January 2008 to December 2014.

Results: There were a total of 31 patients meeting the inclusion criteria for analysis.

Angiomyolipoma being surgically excised for presumed kidney carcinoma.

Objective: To explore the important factors involved in angiomyolipoma (AML) being preoperatively misclassified and surgically removed for presumed kidney carcinoma.

Materials And Methods: From 2008 to 2014, AML was pathologically confirmed in 38 patients who underwent radical or partial nephrectomy for presumed malignant renal tumor. Control group 1 were patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) matched for age and tumor size; control group 2 were patients with typical AML matched for age and sex.

Achieving zero ischemia in minimally invasive partial nephrectomy surgery.

Widespread application of the minimally invasive partial nephrectomy (MIPN) techniques like laparoscopic and robotic partial nephrectomy, has been limited by concerns about prolonged warm ischemia. So techniques aiming at performing have been actively explored. A systemic review of literatures on the MIPN without hilar clamping was performed and related methods were summarized.

Anatomic features involved in technical complexity of partial nephrectomy.

Nephrometry score systems, including RENAL nephrometry, preoperative aspects and dimensions used for an anatomical classification system, C-index, diameter-axial-polar nephrometry, contact surface area score, calculating resected and ischemized volume, renal tumor invasion index, surgical approach renal ranking score, zonal NePhRO score, and renal pelvic score, have been reviewed. Moreover, salient anatomic features like the perinephric fat and vascular variants also have been discussed. We then extract 7 anatomic characteristics, namely tumor size, spatial location, adjacency, exophytic/endophytic extension, vascular variants, pelvic anatomy, and perinephric fat as important features for partial nephrectomy.