Ureteral inflammatory edema grading clinical application

PurposeTo evaluate the relationship between endoscopic ureteral inflammatory edema (UIE) and ureteral lumen, formulate a preliminary grading method for the severity of UIE, and analyze the impact of different grades of UIE on endoscopic ureteral calculi surgery and prognosis.Materials and methodsWe retrospectively analyzed 185 patients who underwent ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URSL) for upper urinary tract stones between January 2021 and November 2021. The UIE grade and lumen conditions were assessed by endoscopic observation. The effect of UIE grade on URSL and on patient prognosis were analyzed by multiple linear regression and binary logistic regression.ResultsA total of 185 patients were included in the study. UIE grade showed a significant correlation with age, hydronephrosis grading (HG), ureteroscope placement time (UPT), surgery time (ST), hemoglobin disparity value (HDV), and postoperative ureteral stenosis (PUS) (P < 0.05). Logistics regression analysis showed a gradual increase in intraoperative UPT and ST with increase in UIE grade. The severity of UIE showed a negative correlation with improvement of postoperative hydronephrosis (IPH) and the appearance of PUS. HDV was significantly increased in patients with UIE grade 3.ConclusionsUIE grading can be used as an adjunctive clinical guide for endoscopic treatment of upper urinary tract stones. The postoperative management measures proposed in this study can help inform treatment strategy for ureteral stones

Giant superficial angiomyxoma of the male perineum: A case report

Superficial angiomyxoma (SA) is a rare benign tumor that occurs either in the superficial dermis or subcutaneously. It often occurs in the trunk, neck, or limbs, and grows slowly. The diameter of the tumor is usually less than 5 cm. A giant SA of the perineum in men is very rare. We detailed the diagnosis and treatment of male patients with perineal SA and performed a literature review. We report a case of a 42-year-old male patient. He was admitted to hospital with a perineal mass found more than 1 year previously. A pelvic contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan in our hospital suggests that a round slightly hypointense foci of about 6.0 cm × 8.6 cm × 4.5 cm in size with still clear borders was seen below the penile corpus cavernosum in the perineum. We performed a perineal mass excision under continuous epidural anesthesia. A postoperative pathology report diagnosed perineal SA. There was no recurrence at follow-up for 27 months up to May 2022. Perineal SA is rare and should be combined with patient history and imaging to ensure complete excision of the mass margins. Adherence to long-term postoperative follow-up is the key to curing this case

CD36 and Its Role in Regulating the Tumor Microenvironment

CD36 is a transmembrane glycoprotein that binds to a wide range of ligands, including fatty acids (FAs), cholesterol, thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) and thrombospondin-2 (TSP-2), and plays an important role in lipid metabolism, immune response, and angiogenesis. Recent studies have highlighted the role of CD36 in mediating lipid uptake by tumor-associated immune cells and in promoting tumor cell progression. In cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), CD36 regulates lipid uptake and matrix protein production to promote tumor proliferation. In addition, CD36 can promote tumor cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and induce epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). In terms of tumor angiogenesis, CD36 binding to TSP-1 and TSP-2 can both inhibit tumor angiogenesis and promote tumor migration and invasion. CD36 can promote tumor angiogenesis through vascular mimicry (VM). Overall, we found that CD36 exhibits diverse functions in tumors. Here, we summarize the recent research findings highlighting the novel roles of CD36 in the context of tumors

Thermo- and pH-Responsive, Coacervate-Forming Hyperbranched Poly(β-amino ester)s for Selective Cell Binding

We report a new type of thermo- and pH-responsive, coacervate-forming highly degradable polymer-hyperbranched poly­(β-amino esters) (HPAEs) and its selective cell binding behaviors. The HPAEs were synthesized from 5-amino-1-pentanol (S5) and trimethylolpropane ethoxylate triacrylate (TMPETA) via an A2+B3 type Michael addition. The existence of multiple hydrogen bond pairs as well as tertiary amines makes the S5-TMPETA polymers manifest temperature- and pH-dependent phase transition. By varying the length of the ethylene glycol (EG) spacers in the TMPETA, polymer molecular weight, concentration, and pH value, the phase transition of the S5-TMPETA can be easily tuned in aqueous and buffer solutions, as evidenced by UV–vis spectroscopy and DLS measurements. Especially, the S5-TMPETA prepared from S5 and trimethylolpropane ethoxylate triacrylate 692 (S5-TMPETA692) shows a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) around 33 °C, above which the S5-TMPTEA can form coacervate particles able to encapsulate functional molecules effectively. Importantly, when incubation with HeLa cells, the S5-TMPTETA692 exhibits a temperature- and pH-responsive selective cell binding behaviors. In addition, the S5-TMPETA are highly hydrolyzable and elicit negligible cytotoxicity. This new type of “smart” polymer should find use in a variety of biomedical applications

Development of Branched Poly(5-Amino-1-pentanol-<i>co</i>-1,4-butanediol Diacrylate) with High Gene Transfection Potency Across Diverse Cell Types

One of the most significant challenges in the development of polymer materials for gene delivery is to understand how topological structure influences their transfection properties. Poly­(5-amino-1-pentanol-<i>co</i>-1,4-butanediol diacrylate) (C32) has proven to be the top-performing gene delivery vector developed to date. Here, we report the development of branched poly­(5-amino-1-pentanol-<i>co</i>-1,4-butanediol diacrylate) (HC32) as a novel gene vector and elucidate how the topological structure affects gene delivery properties. We found that the branched structure has a big impact on gene transfection efficiency resulting in a superior transfection efficiency of HC32 in comparison to C32 with a linear structure. Mechanistic investigations illustrated that the branched structure enhanced DNA binding, leading to the formation of toroidal polyplexes with smaller size and higher cationic charge. Importantly, the branched structure offers HC32 a larger chemical space for terminal functionalization (e.g., guanidinylation) to further enhance the transfection. Moreover, the optimized HC32 is capable of transfecting a diverse range of cell types including cells that are known to be difficult to transfect such as stem cells and astrocytes with high efficiency. Our study provides a new insight into the rational design of poly­(β-amino ester) (PAE) based polymers for gene delivery

Multidomain interventions for non-pharmacological enhancement (MINE) program in Chinese older adults with mild cognitive impairment: a multicenter randomized controlled trial protocol

Abstract Background Dementia is characterized by progressive neurodegeneration and therefore early intervention could have the best chance of preserving brain health. There are significant differences in health awareness, living customs, and daily behaviors among Chinese older adults compared to Europeans and Americans. Because the synergistic benefits of multidomain non-pharmacological interventions are consistent with the multifactorial pathogenicity of MCI, such interventions are more appealing, easier to adhere to, and more relevant to daily life than single-mode interventions. One of the aims of this study is to verify the effect of multidomain intervention strategies for MCI patients based on Chinese population characteristics, and the other is to establish a biobank and image database to investigate the pathogenesis and pathways of cognitive impairment. Methods Our study was designed as a national multicenter, community-based randomized controlled trial (RCT). Twelve medical institutions in ten Chinese cities will participate in our study from 2020 to 2024, and 1080 community residents aged 50 and above will be enrolled as participants. Each sub-center will be responsible for 90 participants (30 people per community) across three communities (non-contact control group, health education group, and multidomain intervention group). The community will be the basic unit of the present study, and all participants in each community will receive the same intervention/control measure. Three working groups are set up in each sub-center to manage the three communities independently to minimize interference at the implementation level between the groups. The multidomain intervention group will receive integrated interventions including exercise, nutrition, sleep, health education and mindfulness meditation. All data generated by the research will be analyzed and processed by statistical software (such as SPSS 21.0, Python 3.0, etc.), and part of the research data will be displayed in the form of graphs and tables. Discussion In order to achieve a high-quality community intervention study, it is crucial to have a well-designed experimental protocol that follows rigorous scientific methodology. In addition, effective management of quality control measures and monitoring compliance throughout the study process are essential components. This study provides a detailed discussion of stakeholder compliance, research quality control, potential harm and mitigation, auditing, and future plans in order to better address research issues. Trial registration : ChiCTR2000035012 (July 27, 2020)

Additional file 1 of Multidomain interventions for non-pharmacological enhancement (MINE) program in Chinese older adults with mild cognitive impairment: a multicenter randomized controlled trial protocol

Supplementary Material