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In the context of tightening resource and environmental constraints globally, it is urgent to promote enterprise's green technological innovation through environmental regulation. This paper uses the panel data of Chinese listed companies from 2009 to 2019 to empirically test the relationship between environmental regulation and green technological innovation, and it also explores the transmission mechanism of executive compensation between these two. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) environmental regulation can promote enterprise green technological innovation. (2) Environmental regulation negatively influences the enterprise green technological innovation by reducing executive compensation. (3) The effect of environmental regulation on the promotion of green technological innovation of enterprise is higher in coastal areas than inland areas of China; while the effect of environmental regulation on the promotion of green technological innovation of enterprise is higher in state-owned enterprises than others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of uric acid in promoting tubular cell apoptosis and verify the role of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 4 (Nox4)-induced oxidative stress in this process. HK-2 cells were used as a human proximal tubular cell model and co-cultured with various concentrations of uric acid with or without pre-treatment with the Nox4 inhibitor diphenylene iodonium (DPI). The apoptotic rate and the amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were examined by flow cytometry. Furthermore, levels of Nox4, phosphorylated (p)-P38, p-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-extra large (Bax) were detected by western blot analysis. The results showed that treatment with uric acid decreased HK-2 cell viability and promoted apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. This was paralleled with an upregulation of Nox4 as well as ROS overproduction, which activated the phosphorylation of P38/ERK and caused an imbalance of Bax/Bcl-2 in HK-2 cells. Of note, inhibition of Nox4 with DPI prevented uric acid-induced cell injury by suppressing ROS generation and P38/ERK activation. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that elevated uric acid promoted ROS-induced tubular cell apoptosis by upregulating Nox4 expression. The present study therefore provided possible mechanisms and a potential therapeutic target of uric acid-induced chronic kidney disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the establishment of a scoring system that can provide a reference for clinical decision making regarding the endoscopic treatment of 1-2 cm lower pole stones (LPS).Materials and Methods: The data of patients with renal calculi who were treated with percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) or retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) in three hospitals from January 2013 to December 2017 were analyzed retrospectively. Multivariable logistic analysis was performed to determine the statistically significant indicators and regression coefficients, which were used to construct the scoring system. The stone-free rate (SFR) and postoperative complication rates of PCNL and RIRS within the two fractional segments of the scoring system were compared to select the optimal procedures.Results: A total of 137 patients in the PCNL group and 152 patients in the RIRS group were included in this study. Five factors were found to be most predictive of endoscopic treatment choice: stone number, stone diameter, infundibulopelvic angle (IPA), infundibular length (IL), and infundibular width (IW), yielding a total score ranging from 0-5. In the 0-2 segments, the RIRS group had better outcomes than the PCNL group in terms of the postoperative complication rates (6.8% versus 18.0%, P = .026). In segments 3-5, the SFR of the PCNL group was significantly higher than that of the RIRS group (88.5% versus 70.6%, P = .017).Conclusion: Our scoring system was based on the patient's preoperative imaging examination to measure the stone number, stone diameter, IPA, IL and IW. RIRS was recommended at 0-2 segments, and PCNL was recommended at 3-5 segments. This new scoring system is expected to provide guidance for urologists to make endoscopic treatment decisions for 1-2 cm LPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]