UBE4B, a microRNA-9 target gene, promotes autophagy-mediated Tau degradation.

The formation of hyperphosphorylated intracellular Tau tangles in the brain is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Tau hyperphosphorylation destabilizes microtubules, promoting neurodegeneration in AD patients. To identify suppressors of tau-mediated AD, we perform a screen using a microRNA (miR) library in Drosophila and identify the miR-9 family as suppressors of human tau overexpression phenotypes.

Methionyl-tRNA Synthetase Regulates Lifespan in .

Methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MRS) is essential for translation. mutants reduce global translation, which usually increases lifespan in various genetic models. However, we found that MRS inhibited reduced lifespan despite of the reduced protein synthesis.

Association between Postoperative Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells and Recurrence in Patients with Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: The clinical implications of postoperative detection of circulating tumor cells in prostate cancer are largely unknown. We investigated the association between postoperative circulating tumor cell detection after radical prostatectomy and disease recurrence in prospectively enrolled patients with prostate cancer.

Materials And Methods: A total of 203 patients with an undetectable prostate specific antigen who had undergone radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer were prospectively enrolled.

Transperitoneal radical nephroureterectomy is associated with worse disease progression than retroperitoneal radical nephroureterectomy in patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma.

This study aimed to compare the oncologic outcomes between retroperitoneal radical nephroureterectomy (rRNU) and transperitoneal radical nephroureterectomy (tRNU) for the treatment of patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Medical records of 743 eligible patients who underwent rRNU or tRNU between 1995 and 2015 were reviewed retrospectively. Progression-free survival (PFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS) were compared according to the surgical approach using the Kaplan-Meier method.

Comparison of outcomes in totally tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy according to nephrostomy tract sealing with fibrin versus gelatin matrix: a propensity score matching study.

To investigate and compare surgical outcomes in totally tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy (ttPCNL) patients according to the type of sealant during nephrostomy tract closure, the records of 158 patients who underwent ttPCNL were retrospectively reviewed. Fibrin sealant [Tisseel; n = 107, fibrin-only sealant (FS)] or gelatin matrix hemostatic sealant [FloSeal; n = 51, gelatin matrix sealant (GS)] was applied during tract closure according to surgeon's preference. On the first postoperative day, computed tomography (CT) was scanned for all patients.

Establishment and Validation of Extra-transitional Zone Prostate Specific Antigen Density (ETzD), a Novel Structure-based Parameter for Quantifying the Oncological Hazard of Prostates with Enlarged Stroma.

Extra-transitional zone density (ETzD), a novel parameter is proposed to stratify the deviation of prostate specific antigen (PSA) due to structural change according to stromal hyperplasia of prostate. ETzD was conducted on a concept to estimate the PSA density (PSAD) after hypothetical enucleation of the transitional zone of an enlarged prostate by a non-linear regression prediction model with intrinsic linearity, from the retrospective analysis of PSA change observed actual enucleation by laser. The performance to predict the presence and severity of malignancy was validated by two cohorts of 3,440 prostate biopsies and 2,783 radical prostatectomy specimens.

Prostate stem cell antigen mRNA in blood is a predictor of survival after radical prostatectomy in patients with high-risk prostate cancer.

Objectives: To investigate whether the preoperative detection of prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) mRNA in blood has predictive value for biochemical recurrence, overall survival, and cancer-specific survival after radical prostatectomy in patients with high-risk prostate cancer.

Results: Median age was 67 years (interquartile range: 63-71), and median follow-up was 41 months (interquartile range: 25-65). mRNA was detected in 151 patients (51.

Urinary Nerve Growth Factor as a Potential Biomarker of Treatment Outcomes in Overactive Bladder Patients.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate urinary nerve growth factor (NGF) as a biomarker of treatment efficacy and recurrence in overactive bladder (OAB) patients.

Methods: We enrolled 189 OAB subjects who visited our outpatient clinic from February 2010 to February 2015. All subjects with OAB received antimuscarinic treatment.

Survival outcomes of double- and triple-sequential targeted therapy in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma: a retrospective comparison.

Objective: To evaluate the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with double- and triple-sequence targeted therapy (TT) using tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors (mTORi).

Materials And Methods: Records of 292 patients with mRCC, treated with TT between January 2005 and July 2015, were analyzed retrospectively. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank analyses were used to calculate and compare the total PFS (tPFS) and OS when patients underwent double- or triple-TT using TKIs or mTORi.

Therapeutic effects of endoscopic ablation in patients with Hunner type interstitial cystitis.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of endoscopic ablation of Hunner lesions (HLs) in patients with interstitial cystitis (IC) and to find predictors of early recurrence of HLs.

Patients And Methods: A prospective study was performed of patients with Hunner type IC who underwent transurethral ablation. We repeated endoscopic ablation when symptoms and HLs recurred during the follow-up period.

Establishment and Application of Prostate Cancer Circulating Tumor Cells in the Era of Precision Medicine.

Prostate cancer (PC) is the second most common cancer in men and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Additionally, there is concern for overdiagnosis and overtreatment of PC. Thus, selection of an appropriate candidate for active surveillance as well as more accurate and less invasive tools for monitoring advanced PC is required.

A retrospective comparative study of progression-free survival and overall survival between metachronous and synchronous metastatic renal cell carcinoma in intermediate- or poor-risk patients treated with VEGF-targeted therapy.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) between metachronous and synchronous metastatic renal cell carcinomas treated with VEGF-targeted therapy.

Methods: Between 2005 and 2014, 93 (78.8%) intermediate- and 25 (21.

Predictive Factors of De Novo Overactive Bladder After Artificial Urinary Sphincter Implantation in Men With Postprostatectomy Incontinence.

Objective: To investigate the rates and predictive factors associated with the development of de novo overactive bladder (OAB) and to assess the effects of de novo OAB on surgical outcomes after an artificial urinary sphincter (AUS).

Materials And Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 132 patients with postprostatectomy incontinence who underwent AUS surgery. Urodynamic studies were performed during preoperative visits in all patients, and patients with OAB or neurogenic bladder were excluded.

Prevalence and survival prognosis of prostate cancer in patients with end-stage renal disease: a retrospective study based on the Korea national database (2003-2010).

Objective: The study was aimed to evaluate the prevalence and prognosis of prostate cancer (PC) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD), determine the risk factors for overall survival (OS) and PC-specific survival (CSS), and evaluate differences in PC-related clinical therapeutic patterns between patients with and without PC-ESRD.

Methods: This observational population study, performed at the National Cancer Center and Cancer Research Institute in Korea, included patients with PC and ESRD from the nationwide Korean Health Insurance System and Korean Central Cancer Registry data. Five-year overall and cancer-specific survival.

Potential Biomarkers for Diagnosis of Overactive Bladder Patients: Urinary Nerve Growth Factor, Prostaglandin E2, and Adenosine Triphosphate.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of overactive bladder (OAB).

Methods: A total of 219 subjects were enrolled and divided into 2 groups: OAB subjects (n=189) and controls without OAB symptoms (n=30). Three-day voiding diaries and questionnaires were collected, and urinary levels of nerve growth factor (NGF), prostaglandin E2, and adenosine triphosphate were measured and normalized to urine creatinine (Cr).

Shedding Light on Alzheimer's β-Amyloidosis: Photosensitized Methylene Blue Inhibits Self-Assembly of β-Amyloid Peptides and Disintegrates Their Aggregates.

Abnormal aggregation of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides is a major hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In spite of numerous attempts to prevent the β-amyloidosis, no effective drugs for treating AD have been developed to date. Among many candidate chemicals, methylene blue (MB) has proved its therapeutic potential for AD in a number of in vitro and in vivo studies; but the result of recent clinical trials performed with MB and its derivative was negative.

Assessing the Readjustable Sling Procedure (Remeex System) for Female Stress Urinary Incontinence With Detrusor Underactivity.

Purpose: Many surgeons worry about postoperative voiding problems in patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and detrusor underactivity (DU). This study hypothesized that adjusting the tension after surgery would benefit patients with DU, and therefore researchers evaluated the outcomes and quality of life of women with SUI and DU who underwent the readjustable sling procedure (Remeex).

Methods: The medical records of 27 patients who were treated with the Remeex system for SUI and DU between 2007 and 2013 were retrospectively analyzed.

Tailoring pharmacotherapy for male lower urinary tract symptoms: A prospective, multicenter, observational trial.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the pattern of tailoring and efficacy of several types of pharmacotherapy in male LUTS.

Methods: Prospectively 404 male subjects were included who were over 40 years old, had at least 3 months symptom duration, and 12 or higher international prostate symptom score (IPSS). Subjects were treated with several types of pharmacotherapy for 6 months and were evaluated with IPSS/QoL at every follow-up.

Efficacy of Holmium Laser Transurethral Incision of the Prostate in Symptomatic Mild-to-Moderate Benign Prostate Enlargement Based on Preoperative Characteristics.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of Holmium laser transurethral incision of the prostate (Ho-TUIP) with preoperative characteristics based on urodynamic parameters.

Methods: The medical records of 40 consecutive cases of Ho-TUIP in patients unresponsive to medical treatment were retrospectively reviewed. The efficacy of Ho-TUIP was analyzed according to preoperative factors, including urodynamic parameters.

Phenotypic differences between Alzheimer's disease models expressing human in the developing eye and brain.

expressing amyloid-β42 () transgenes have been used as models to study Alzheimer's disease. Various transgenes with different structures induce different phenotypes, which make it difficult to compare data among studies which use different transgenic lines. In this study, we compared the phenotypes of four frequently used transgenic lines, , , , and .

Surgical Outcomes and Safety of Robotic Sacrocolpopexy in Women With Apical Pelvic Organ Prolapse.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the surgical outcomes and safety of robotic sacrocolpopexy (RSC) in patients with uterine/vaginal vault prolapse.

Methods: Between January 2009 and June 2015, 16 women with apical prolapse underwent RSC. Pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) examination was performed, and treatment success was defined as the presence of grade 0 or I apical prolapse upon POP-Q examination at the final follow-up.

Surgical Outcomes of Primary and Recurrent Female Urethral Diverticula.

Objective: To evaluate the surgical outcomes of female urethral diverticulectomy.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 68 patients with symptomatic urethral diverticula (UD) with at least 1 year of follow-up data following transvaginal urethral diverticulectomy conducted by a single surgeon. The presence of UD was confirmed by a preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Diagnosing bladder outlet obstruction using the penile cuff test in men with lower urinary tract symptoms.

Aim: The current standard diagnostic test to evaluate bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) is pressure-flow study (PFS). The penile cuff test (PCT) was introduced as a non-invasive alternative to PFS to determine the isovolumetric bladder pressure and also flow rate. The aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and acceptability of the PCT, compared to those of PFS, in the assessment of BOO in men.

Long-term outcomes of primary implantation and revisions of artificial urinary sphincter in men with stress urinary incontinence.

Aims: To evaluate long-term outcomes of primary implantation and revisions of artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) in men with stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Methods: The medical records of 155 consecutive patients who underwent AMS 800™ implantation from 2003 to 2015 were reviewed. Treatment success (TS) was defined as no need for pads, and social continence (SC) was defined as a need for pad ≤1/day at last follow-up.