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Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible role of the microRNA (miRNA or miR) miR-137 in ischemic stroke. miRNAs are very stable in the blood and may serve as potential diagnostic and therapeutic markers. Wild-type, Src-/- and miR-137-/- mice were treated with p38 siRNA or Erk2 siRNA to identify their roles in the inflammatory response, oxidative stress, neuronal injury and cognitive impairment in brain tissues of mice following middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) operation. We evaluated several factors including; inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, viability and apoptosis of astrocytes in order to identify the functions of miR-137 and Src in ischemic stroke. miR-137 alleviated the inflammatory response, oxidative stress, neuronal injury and cognitive impairment, and restricted apoptosis via targeting Src and inactivating the MAPK signaling pathway. Furthermore, up-regulation of miR-137 or inhibition of Src inhibited the secretion of inflammatory factors, suppressed oxidative stress, and reduced apoptosis of astrocytes. In conclusion, our work suggests that, in mice, miR-137 confers neuroprotective effects against ischemic stroke via attenuation of oxidative, apoptotic, and inflammatory pathways through inhibiting Src-dependent MAPK signaling pathway.

Objective The objective of this study is to determine factors associated with poor outcomes and the need for surgical treatment in neonates with meconium peritonitis (MP). Methods We evaluated the association between prenatal ultrasound features, maternal characteristics, and the likelihood of surgery, mortality, and serious morbidity in 49 neonates with a prenatal diagnosis of MP, who were born in Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center between January 2011 and December 2016. Results Thirty of 49 neonates (61.2%) required surgical treatment, and 17 (34.7%) had a poor outcome. Independent predictors of need for surgical treatment were polyhydramnios, maternal intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (associated with lower risk), and persistence of peritoneal fluid. The model correctly predicted 70.0% of the neonates who required surgery (at a 10% false-positive rate; area under the curve [AUC]: 0.86 [95% CI, 0.75-0.97]). For poor outcomes, independent predictors were low gestational age at birth, persistence of peritoneal fluid, and polyhydramnios. For the latter, the model only achieved a detection rate of 52.9% (10% false-positive rate, AUC: 0.82 [95% CI, 0.70-0.94]). Conclusions A combination of prenatal ultrasound features and maternal characteristics correctly predicted 70.0% the need for neonatal surgery. Prediction of poor outcome-based prenatal ultrasound features and gestational age did not perform well.

Prostate cancer is a common malignancy with a high mortality rate. Long non-coding RNA metastasis associated with lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) has been reported to serve tumor-promoting roles. However, the underlying mechanism requires further examination. In the present study, it was demonstrated that MALAT1 was increased while microRNA (miR/miRNA)-1-3p was decreased in prostate cancer cell lines. The silencing of MALAT1 inhibited migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, when epithelial (E)-cadherin expression level was increased, and neural (N)-cadherin, vimentin, Slug and Snail expression levels were decreased. Dual-luciferase reporter assay results demonstrated that miR-1-3p bound to MALAT1 and coronin 1C (CORO1C) 3′ untranslated region, and MALAT1 competed with CORO1C for the binding sites of miR-1-3p. MALAT1 inhibited the expression of miR-1-3p and vice versa. MALAT1 knockdown induced the decline of CORO1C, which was subsequently recovered by the miR-1-3p inhibitor. In addition, by inhibiting miR-1-3p or overexpressing CORO1C, the silencing of MALAT1-induced phenotypic alterations were restored. In conclusion, MALAT1 serving as a degradable miRNA sponge, may sequester miR-1-3p from CORO1C and by silencing MALAT1, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition may be inhibited in prostate cancer cells. MALAT1 and CORO1C may serve as novel clinical therapeutic targets for prostate cancer.

Cavernous hemangioma is a congenital, benign vascular tumor that occurs in the deep dermis and subcutaneous tissue. Testicular cavernous hemangioma is extremely rare, mostly occurring during childhood or adolescence. Testicular cavernous hemangioma is a benign tumor that appears as a slowly growing painless mass. In rare cases, it may be associated with acute testicular infarction or torsion with acute onset. We herein report the case of a patient with an atypical presentation of testicular cavernous hemangioma, characterized by acute painful testicular enlargement triggered by minor injury. The patient underwent right radical orchiectomy, and histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of testicular cavernous hemangioma. Although this is a rare tumor, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of testicular tumors.

The aim of the study was to assess the association between total flavonoids/flavonoid subclasses intake and prostate cancer risk. Several databases were searched to select eligible studies with predefined criteria. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used as the effect size. Publication bias and sensitivity analysis were performed. A total of five studies including four prospective cohort studies and one case-control study were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled result demonstrated a significantly increased risk of prostate cancer with higher intake of total flavonoids (RR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.02-1.23, P = 0.013). However, sensitivity analysis indicated that there lacked a significant association after removing the study of Wang et al. (RR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.94-1.46). Subgroup analysis stratified by flavonoids subclasses found that higher intake of anthocyanidins and flavan-3-ols were significantly associated with increased prostate cancer risk (RR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.03-1.21, P = 0.011; RR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.10-1.32, P

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most commonly occurring carcinoma among humans. Reports of this lesion on nonexposed areas, such as the scrotum, soles, vulva, groin, pubic region, and axilla, are relatively uncommon. We present the case of a male patient with BCC located in the scrotum with a duration of 12 years who was successfully treated by local excision. Histopathology revealed infiltration by BCC. Our objective of this report is to remind specialists like urologists of the possibility of scrotal BCC when encountering scrotal lesions of unknown origin or not responding to topical treatments in a reasonable time frame.

Prostate cancer is the second common cancer in men with high morbidity and mortality. Androgen receptor (AR) signaling plays a crucial role in occurrence and development of prostate cancer. In this study, we demonstrated that lncRNA metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) was increased in prostate cancer cells after androgen stimulation, as well as AR. The silencing of MALAT1 inhibited dihydrotestosterone (DHT) administration-induced acceleration of proliferation and cell cycle progression, and increase of AR expression in prostate cancer cells. MALAT1 bound to miR-320b and negatively regulated its expression, and vice versa. AR is a target of miR-320b. The phenotypic changes induced by silencing of MALAT1 were abolished by miR-320b inhibition or AR overexpression. Additionally, MALAT1 knockdown also suppressed the tumorigenesis of prostate cancer cells in nude mice. In summary, the silencing of MALAT1 inactivated AR signaling by sponging miR-320b, and inhibited proliferation and cell cycle progression in prostate cancer cells, suggesting that MALAT1 may be a new target in diagnosis and therapy of prostate cancer in clinic.

The etiology of acute scrotal edema can vary from a benign process such as post-trauma hydrocele, allergy, hypoproteinemia, appendicular torsion, or epididymo-orchitis to an emergent process such as an incarcerated inguinal hernia, testicular torsion, or rupture. Rarely, unexplained penile or scrotal swelling occurs as a chemical contact. Here, we reported a case of acetochlor contact presenting as acute genital edema of initial symptom.

The present study aimed to identify the regulatory mechanisms associated with the metastasis of prostate cancer (PC). The microRNA (miRNA/miR) microarray dataset {"type":"entrez-geo","attrs":{"text":"GSE21036","term_id":"21036"}}GSE21036 and gene transcript dataset {"type":"entrez-geo","attrs":{"text":"GSE21034","term_id":"21034"}}GSE21034 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Following pre-processing, differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between samples from patients with primary prostate cancer (PPC) and metastatic prostate cancer (MPC) with |log2 fold change (FC)| >1 and a false discovery rate

Eclampsia is a leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality worldwide, and its pathogenesis remains elusive. Our objective was to investigate neuroimaging findings in women who developed neurologic symptoms in severe preeclampsia with or without eclampsia to further understand the relationship between neuroimaging findings and the pathogenesis of eclamptic seizures. This retrospective study included 79 women with severe preeclampsia/eclampsia who underwent brain MRI/CT examination between 2005 and 2017. We analyzed imaging findings, clinical data, and laboratory data in order to compare patients with severe preeclampsia to those with eclampsia and patients with abnormal imaging findings to those with normal CT or MRI. A total of 41 of 79 women were diagnosed with eclampsia, 36 (88.80%) of which had abnormal neuroimaging findings, including cerebral edema (19 cases), infarction (5 cases), cerebral venous thrombosis (5 cases), and cerebral hemorrhage (7 cases). Five patients died of cerebral hemorrhage. Of the 38 cases of severe preeclampsia, 21 (55.26%) cases had abnormal imaging findings, including cerebral edema (20 cases), and 1 case had cerebral hemorrhage. Serum uric acid was significantly higher in patients with abnormal imaging findings than in patients without them (P = 0.004). The imaging findings in women with neurologic symptoms were similar between the severe preeclampsia and eclampsia groups. Our results suggest that eclampsia may not be a diagnosis with a unique pathogenesis; rather, it may be best considered a severe symptom of the intracranial pathophysiology of preeclampsia. We suggest that cranial imaging should be performed early in the management of patients with severe preeclampsia who develop new neurologic symptoms.

Chromosomal abnormality is the most common genetic cause of infertility. Infertility, as a psychological problem, has received an increasing amount of attention. Psychological interventions have been shown to have beneficial effects on infertile patients with chromosomal abnormalities. The present study explored reproductive outcome of male carriers of chromosomal abnormalities, who accepted genetic counseling and psychological support. Cytogenetic analysis was performed using cultured peripheral blood lymphocytes and G-banding. The detection rate of chromosomal abnormalities was 10.3% in pre-pregnancy counseled males, with polymorphisms being most common, followed by 47,XXY and balanced translocation. Follow-up of 170 carriers with normozoospermia, after 3 years, showed that 94.7% of the cases resulted in live births. In the carriers of polymorphisms, balanced translocation, inv(9), Robertsonian translocation, inversion, and 47,XYY, live birth rates were 96.8, 85.7, 100, 83.3, 75, and 100%, respectively. Follow-up of 54 carriers with oligozoospermia or azoospermia, after 3 years, showed that 14.8% of the cases resulted in live births. In the carriers of 47,XXY with severe oligozoospermia or azoospermia, 80 or 5.9% of the cases resulted in live births, respectively. Therefore, timely psychological support would be beneficial and multidisciplinary approach should be preferentially considered for the management of individuals with chromosomal abnormalities.

Long-term radiation exposure affects human health. Ionizing radiation has long been known to raise the risk of cancer. In addition to high doses of radiation, low-dose ionizing radiation might increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, lens opacity, and some other non-cancerous diseases. Low- and high-dose exposures to ionizing radiation elicit different signaling events at the molecular level, and may involve different response mechanisms. The health risks arising from exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation should be re-evaluated. Health workers exposed to ionizing radiation experience low-dose radiation and have an increased risk of hematological malignancies. Reproductive function is sensitive to changes in the physical environment, including ionizing radiation. However, data is scarce regarding the association between occupational radiation exposure and risk to human fertility. Sperm DNA integrity is a functional parameter of male fertility evaluation. Hence, we aimed to report sperm quality and DNA damage in men from Jilin Province, China, who were occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation. Sperm motility and normal morphology were significantly lower in the exposed compared with the non-exposed men. There was no statistically significant difference in sperm concentration between exposed and non-exposed men. The sperm DNA fragmentation index was significantly higher in the exposed than the non-exposed men. Chronic long-term exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation could affect sperm motility, normal morphology, and the sperm DNA fragmentation index in the Chinese population. Sperm quality and DNA integrity are functional parameters that could be used to evaluate occupational exposure to ionizing radiation.

Infertility as a psychological problem has gained increasing attention. Male partners among infertile couples have elevated levels of psychological distress, which could affect semen quality, result in hormonal abnormalities, and increase the occurrence of early miscarriage. Infertile women are more vulnerable to psychological distress and require psychological support. Subfertile women who conceive after assisted reproduction have higher stress, anxiety, and depression levels. Psychological interventions have been shown to have beneficial effects on infertility patients. However, psychosocial characteristics of carriers of structural chromosome abnormalities have not been studied. We report the characteristics of carriers of structural chromosome abnormalities and their influence on psychological counseling. Seventy-five patients were carriers of reciprocal translocations, 25 carried Robertsonian translocations, 17 carried inversions, 10 carried deletions, and 3 carried isochromosomes. The main clinical characteristics were recurrent spontaneous abortion, oligospermatism, azoospermatism, primary amenorrhea, and fetal death. Self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) scores of women with structural chromosome abnormality were significantly higher than those scores of women with normal karyotype. SAS and SDS scores of men with structural chromosome abnormality were significantly higher than those of men with normal karyotype. SAS and SDS scores of women with structural chromosome abnormality were significantly higher than their scores of men with structural chromosome abnormality. Women carriers with structural chromosome abnormality were more vulnerable to psychological distress. Psychosocial counseling for carriers of structural chromosome abnormalities should focus on self-confidence and treatment with assisted reproductive technology.

Adenomatoid tumors (AT) are the most common paratesticular neoplasms and account for approximately 30% of all paratesticular masses. Most of them occur in the third or fourth decade and present as well-defined firm and painless masses. We report here a case of adenomatoid tumor from tunica albuginea. This patient is a 12-year-old boy with left testicular pain for 6 months. Scrotal ultrasonography revealed a solid mass of paratesticular origin. The histology and immunohistochemistry confirmed the final diagnosis. A right tumor resection was performed. Because of its rarity, the clinical and histopathologic appearance is seldom illustrated. Here we present a case report and a comprehensive literature review with the objective of providing useful information on this entity.

Aphallia is a rare urogenital anomaly with an estimated incidence of 1 in 10-30 million. We report a case of aphallia in a male, who had two well-developed testicles, but lacked a penis. Digital rectal examination revealed the urethral meatus was opening to the anterior wall of the rectum posterior to the sphincter. Magnetic resonance imaging showed complete absence of penile development with normal testis and scrotum, as well as the urethra running posterior to the prostatic apex and corpus spongiosum in sagittal and coronal T2-weighted images. Chromosome karyotype confirmed 46,XY, and the polymerase chain reaction method tested no azoospermic factor (AZF) or sex-determining region Y (SRY) gene deletion. Taking into account the physical and psychosocial conditions, seeking a female without sexual desire as his wife was recommended.

Spermatocytic seminoma (SS) is a rare testicular neoplasm characterized by a palpable, painless, slowly enlarging mass in the testis. Even more rare is a synchronous bilateral presentation. Only eight cases of bilateral SS have been reported in the literature, of which three cases were present with synchronous testis enlargement, and five were sequential. Here, we report an additional case of synchronous bilateral SS and present a comprehensive relevant literature review concerning clinical features, histopathology, and treatment.

Liposarcoma of the spermatic cord (LSC) is a rare condition characterized by a painless inguinal or scrotal mass. To our knowledge, only about 200 cases have been previously reported in the literature. These tumors are often mistaken for common scrotal swellings, such as hydroceles and hernias. We present a LSC case in which a definitive diagnosis was obtained upon histological examination. We also provide a literature review of other cases that have been reported.