The impact of low-intensity extracorporeal shock waves on testicular spermatogenesis demonstrated in a rat model.

Background: In rodent models, low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy has been shown to negatively impact semen concentration after treatment on the penis, implying that the reproductive system in close proximity may be indirectly affected by this modality. We hypothesized that shock waves are detrimental to spermatogenesis, and the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of shock waves on spermatogenesis after direct shockwave treatment on testes using different energy settings.

Methods: Twenty-five male Sprague Dawley rats, 8 weeks old, were divided into five groups, including one control group and four treatment groups each treated using shock waves of different intensities.

Oncogenic Roles of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 in Bladder Cancer and Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

Cancers of the urinary tract are one of the most common malignancies worldwide, causing high morbidity and mortality, and representing a social burden. Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) accounts for 5−10% of urinary tract cancers, and its oncogenic mechanisms remain elusive. We postulated that cancers of the lower and the upper urinary tract may share some important oncogenic mechanisms.

The comparison of different BCG strains in the intravesical treatment of non-muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma of urinary bladder-A real-world practice.

Background: Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) has been well recognized as the first-line intravesical therapy for high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Oncotice, the Tice strain of BCG, serves as a viable alternative to the Connaught strain owing to the worldwide shortage of the latter. We retrospectively compared these two strains in terms of efficacy and adverse effects (AE) in patients who underwent at least one maintenance course after induction.

Prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms in children with early-treated infantile-onset Pompe disease: A single-centre cross-sectional study.

Aim: To evaluate lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in children with infantile-onset Pompe disease (IOPD) who received early treatment.

Methods: Pompe disease (PD), or glycogen storage disease II is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease that affects multiple organ systems. To our knowledge, only one study has focused on the relationship between LUTS and incontinence in children with PD.

Reproductive outcomes of microdissection testicular sperm extraction in hypogonadotropic hypogonadal azoospermic men after gonadotropin therapy.

Purpose: Male infertility caused by hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) is not common. The main treatment is gonadotropins for 12 months or longer. If the patient is still azoospermic, conventional or microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) may further help in sperm retrieval.

Emodin protected against retinal ischemia insulted neurons through the downregulation of protein overexpression of β-catenin and vascular endothelium factor.

Background: Emodin has been proved to have an anti-ischemic effect on the brain, however little research has been done on its effect on vision-threatening retinal ischemia. Thus, an investigation was carried out into the hypothetical efficacy of emodin against retinal ischemia and the role of β-catenin/VEGF in its therapeutic mechanism.

Methods: Retinal ischemia, followed by reperfusion (IR), was inducted by raising the intraocular pressure of a Wistar rat's eye to 120 mmHg for 60 min.

Development and characterization of 20 new polymorphic microsatellite markers from Mangifera indica (Anacardiaceae).

Premise Of The Study: Twenty microsatellite loci for mango (Mangifera indica), an important commercial fruit tree in East Asia, were developed to evaluate the genetic diversity and identification of cultivars.

Methods And Results: The 20 new microsatellite markers were isolated from mango using a magnetic bead enrichment method, and polymorphisms were identified in 22 mango cultivars. The number of alleles ranged from one to nine, with expected heterozygosity ranging from 0 to 0.

Simple and specific dual-wavelength excitable dye staining for glycoprotein detection in polyacrylamide gels and its application in glycoproteomics.

In this study, a commercially available fluorescent dye, Lissamine rhodamine B sulfonyl hydrazine (LRSH), was designed to specifically stain the glycoproteins in polyacrylamide gels. Through the periodate/Schiff base mechanism, the fluorescent dye readily attaches to glycoproteins and the fluorescence can be simultaneously observed under either 305 nm or 532 nm excitation therefore, the dye-stained glycoproteins can be detected under a regular UV transilluminator or a more elegant laser-based gel scanner. The specificity and detection limit were examined using a standard protein mixture in polyacrylamide gels in this study.

Sonography of the shoulder in hemiplegic patients undergoing rehabilitation after a recent stroke.

Purpose: To examine the hemiplegic shoulders for soft-tissue injury by musculoskeletal sonography and to determine the relationship between the motor functions of the upper extremity and these injuries, which play an important role in hemiplegic shoulder pain and may impede rehabilitation.

Methods: The following characteristics of 34 acute stroke patients were recorded: age, gender, height, body weight, side of hemiplegia, type and duration of stroke, Brunnstrom stage, subluxation, and degree of spasticity of the upper extremity. On the basis of the Brunnstrom stage, the patients were divided into 2 groups.