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Detection of H 2 S in the biological system has attracted enormous attention in recent years. In this work, a new vinyl-functionalized metal-organic framework (MOF), [(Me 2 NH 2 ) 2 ] [Eu 6 (μ 3 -OH) 8 (BDC-CH═CH 2 ) 6 (H 2 O) 6 ] (Eu-BDC-CH═CH 2 , BDC-CH═CH 2 = 2-vinylterephthalic acid), was synthesized under solvothermal conditions. The vinyl groups in the ligands can not only modulate the "antenna effect" of the ligand on Eu 3+ ions but also serve as an exposed reactive site to allow for the quantitative detection of H 2 S by Eu-BDC-CH═CH 2 . The ratiometric fluorescent probe has the advantages of water stability, acid-base stability (pH = 2-11), fast response (<2 min), high selectivity, and sensitivity (LOD = 38.4 μM). We also used Eu-BDC-CH═CH 2 to detect and analyze H 2 S in tap and lake waters, demonstrating the potential of the probe for biological and environmental applications. In addition, the MOF-based agarose hydrogel film allows for the visual detection of H 2 S via a smartphone by identifying the RGB values. The vinyl-functionalized MOF can thus be a powerful sensing platform for H 2 S.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), as an emerging class of porous materials, excel in designability, regulatability, and modifiability in terms of their composition, topology, pore size, and surface chemistry, thus affording a huge potential for addressing environment and energy-related challenges. In particular, MOFs can be applied as porous adsorbents for the purification of industrially important hydrocarbons through certain process-efficient separation schemes based on selectivity-reversed adsorption and multicomponent separation. Moreover, the vast combination possibilities and controllable and engineerable luminescent units of MOFs make them a versatile platform to develop functionally tailored materials for luminescent sensing and optical data encryption. In this feature article, we summarize the recent progress in the use of porous MOFs for the separation and purification of acetylene (C 2 H 2 ) and ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) based on selectivity-reversed adsorption and multicomponent separation strategies. Moreover, we highlight the advances over the past three years in the field of MOF-based luminescent materials for thermometry, turn-on sensing, and information encryption.

Recent studies suggest that RRP15 (Ribosomal RNA Processing 15 Homolog) might be a potential target for cancer therapy. However, the role of RRP15 in hepatocarcinogenesis remains poorly delineated. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the expression and biological function of RRP15 in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We show that RRP15 was up regulated in HCC cell lines and tumours. Up-regulation of RRP15 in HCC tumours was also correlated with unfavorable prognosis. We further show that the frequent up-regulation of RRP15 in HCCs is at least partly driven by recurrent gene copy gain at chromosome 1q41. Functional studies indicated that RRP15 knockdown suppresses HCC proliferation and growth both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, RRP15 depletion in p53-wild-type HepG2 cells induced senescence via activation of the p53-p21 signalling pathway through enhanced interaction of RPL11 with MDM2, as well as inhibition of SIRT1-mediated p53 deacetylation. Moreover, RRP15 depletion in p53-mutant PLC5 and p53-deleted Hep3B cells induced metabolic shift from the glycolytic pentose-phosphate to mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation via regulating a series of key genes such as HK2 and TIGAR, and thus, promoted the generation of ROS and apoptosis. Taken together, our findings provide evidence for an important role of the RRP15 gene in hepatocarcinogenesis through regulation of HCC proliferation and growth, raising the possibility that targeting RRP15 may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for HCC treatment., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is widely used for early stage esophageal cancer and precancerous lesions. Non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) is a frequent complication of ESD. However, little is known about its incidence and associated factors. This study investigated the pain incidence and predictive factors for pain development after ESD for esophageal neoplasms. We enrolled a total of 309 patients with esophageal neoplasms, who underwent ESD in our center from January 2018 to June 2019. Sociodemographic and clinicopathological information for all patients was collected, and patients were divided into either a pain-free group (n = 156) or a pain group (n = 153) according to whether there was onset of NCCP 24-48 hours after surgery. We made comparisons between groups using Student's t test or the χ2 test. Logistic-regression analysis was used to screen for risk factors. There were statistically significant differences in histories of previous surgery (P = 0.039), lesion size (P = 0.026), operation time (P = 0.009), and postoperative fever (P = 0.001). History of previous surgery (P = 0.043) and postoperative fever (P = 0.007) were independent risk factors for chest pain after esophageal ESD treatment. Chest pain and fever prolonged postoperative hospitalization time (P = 0.005, P = 0.001) and increased hospitalization cost (P = 0.034, P < 0.001). A history of previous surgery and postoperative fever was associated with the occurrence of NCCP after ESD in patients with esophageal neoplasms. NCCP and fever after esophageal ESD increased both hospitalization time and cost., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Fabrication of dual-emitting materials for H 2 S sensing under environmental and biological conditions is currently of great interest. In this work, a new chemically stable metal supramolecular complex [Zn 2 (pda) 2 (H 2 O) 3 ]·(H 2 O) 0.5 (Znpda, pda = 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxylic acid), with accessible uncoordinated carboxylic oxygen sites, is solvothermally synthesized. It can serve as a host in luminescent hybrid composites. By incorporating Eu 3+ and Cu 2+ in the supramolecular coordination network, we obtained the dual-emitting hybrid material Eu 3+ /Cu 2+ @Znpda, which simultaneously shows intense ligand and weak Eu 3+ emissions in HEPES buffer solution. Since H 2 S can easily chelate with Cu 2+ and recover the blocked "antenna effect" between the ligand and Eu 3+ , Eu 3+ /Cu 2+ @Znpda possesses both the turn-on and ratiomectric fluorescence response to H 2 S. Accordingly, we designed an IMPLICATION logic gate for H 2 S recognition by employing the fluorescence intensity ratio between the ligand and Eu 3+ as the output signal. In addition, Eu 3+ /Cu 2+ @Znpda shows a fast response (<1 min) and high sensitivity (1.45 μM) to H 2 S over other interfering species in the HEPES buffer solution, highlighting its potential use for H 2 S sensing under environmental and biological conditions.

The intrinsic advantages of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), including extraordinarily high porosities, tailorable architectures, and diverse functional sites, make the MOFs platforms for multifunctional materials. In this study, we synthesized two kinds of isostructural NbO-type Zn 2+ -based MOFs, where two structurally similar tetracarboxylate ligands, 5,5'-(pyrazine-2,5-diyl)diisophthalic acid (H 4 PZDDI) and 5,5'-(pyridine-2,5-diyl)diisophthalic acid (H 4 PDDI), with pyridine or pyrazine moieties, were employed as the organic linkers. By embedding the red-emitting cationic units of pyridinium hemicyanine dye 4-[p-(dimethylamino)styryl]-1-methylpyridinium (DSM) and trivalent europium ion (Eu 3+ ), two types of composites, DSM@ZnPZDDI and DSM@ZJU-56 and Eu 3+ @ZnPZDDI and Eu 3+ @ZJU-56, were harvested and evaluated for use as potential ratiometric temperature probes. The temperature-responsive luminescence of these dual-emitting composites was investigated, and their representative features of relative sensitivity, temperature resolution, spectral repeatability, and luminescence color change were discussed. Importantly, compared with the DSM-incorporated composites, Eu 3+ @ZnPZDDI and Eu 3+ @ZJU-56 show a much wider sensing temperature range and higher relative sensitivities, suggesting the performance of the composites can be engineered by elaborately combining the host and guest units. Given the rich choices of porous MOFs and emitting units, such a strategy can be useful in the design and preparation of multifunctional dual-emitting sensory materials.

Atherosclerosis (AS), a kind of chronic inflammatory blood vessel disease, is a main cause of cardiovascular disease, which is a leading cause of mortality around the world. Accumulation of macrophages induced by inflammation contributes to AS development. It has been indicated that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the process of AS. However, the pathway and gene miRNAs targeting are poorly understood. Here we reported that miR-520a-3p was increased in mice with AS and silencing of miR-520a-3p attenuated AS process. Furthermore, inhibition of miR-520a-3p increased the expression of α-SMA and collagen. In addition, miR-520a-3p silencing inhibited the expression of M1 macrophage polarization markers and pro-inflammatory genes and promoted the M2 macrophage polarization. What's more, forced expression of miR-520a-3p diminished IL4/IL13 induced macrophage autophagy via targeting UVRAG. Collectively, our study reveals the role of miR-520a-3p in macrophage polarization and suggests the potential of miRNA as a novel treatment target of AS., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Qi, Zhao, Zhao, Luo and Yang.)

Intermediate-band semiconductors perform functions similar to natural photosynthesis by combining two photons to achieve a higher electron excitation. In this study, a strategy was developed to prepare a high oxygen-doped CeF 3 (CeF 3 -O) nanomaterial that exhibits photocatalytic activity under visible/NIR light for the first time. The homogeneous doping oxygen atoms were verified to efficiently modify the band structure of CeF 3 . DFT calculation predicted the formation of an intermediate band within CeF 3 upon homogeneous doping of O at interstitial sites. The interaction between F and O atoms generates an intermediate band, which divides the total bandgap of CeF 3 -O into two sub-bandgaps at about 1.7 eV and 2.9 eV, enabling CeF 3 -O photocatalysis under visible light and NIR light. Reflectance spectra evidenced that the same bandgaps exist. The photocatalytic activities of CeF 3 -O were tested by wavelength-controlled light. The rate constants of TC-HCl photodegrading under visible/NIR light are 12.85 × 10 -3 min -1 and 1.28 × 10 -3 min -1 , respectively. The two-step electron transfer was also obviously confirmed in visible-light photocatalysis. In conclusion, the high oxygen doping builds a more applicable band structure of CeF 3 -O for photocatalytic performance, charge transfer and special light response for visible/NIR light., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Rice planthoppers are notorious plant sap-feeding pests which cause serious damage. While several microbes in rice planthoppers have been broadly characterized, the abundance and diversity of bacteria and fungi in field planthoppers are largely unknown. This study investigated the bacterial and fungal community compositions of Chinese wild rice planthoppers Laodelphax striatellus and Sogatella furcifera using parallel 16S rRNA gene amplicon and internal transcribed space region sequencing. The bacteria varied significantly between the species and were partitioned significantly by sex, tissues and host environments in each species. The majority of bacteria were affiliated with the genera Wolbachia, Cardinium, Rickettsia and Pantoea. The abundance of Wolbachia was negatively correlated with that of Cardinium in both planthopper species. Compared with bacteria, the abundance and diversity of fungi did not differ between sexes but both were enriched in the gut. The bacterial community as a whole showed no significant correlation with the fungal community. The majority of fungi were related to Sarocladium, Alternaria, Malassezia, Aspergillus and Curvularia. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that these fungi were closely related to botanic symbionts or pathogens. Our results provide novel insights into the bacteria and fungi of rice planthoppers., (© 2020 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.)

Ongoing demand for accurate self-calibrated noninvasive thermometers for micro-/nano-scale applications, particular biomedical diagnosis, is driving the development of temperature sensors. Here a new type of lanthanide metal-organic framework having near-infrared absorption and near-infrared emission features is presented, and it is based on efficient Nd 3+ -to-Yb 3+ energy transfer in 808 nm photoexcitation. The results show that the ratiometric parameter of Nd 0.5 Yb 0.5 TPTC (TPTC= 1,1':4',1''-terphenyl]-3,3'',5,5''-tetracarboxylic acid) can deliver good exponential-type luminescence response to temperature in the physiological regime (293-328 K) with high relative sensitivity and accurate temperature resolution, as well as good biocompatibility and chemical stability. Such lanthanide-based materials are especially useful in biomedical applications., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Wolbachia is a widely distributed intracellular bacterial endosymbiont among invertebrates. The wStriCN, the Wolbachia strain that naturally infects an agricultural pest Laodelphax striatellus, has a "Jekyll and Hyde" mode of infection pattern with positive and negative effects: It not only kills many offspring by inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) but also significantly increases host fecundity. In this study, we assembled the draft genome of wStriCN and compared it with other Wolbachia genomes to look for clues to its Jekyll and Hyde characteristics. The assembled wStriCN draft genome is 1.79 Mb in size, which is the largest Wolbachia genome in supergroup B. Phylogenomic analysis showed that wStriCN is closest to Wolbachia from Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri. These strains formed a monophylogentic clade within supergroup B. Compared with other Wolbachia genomes, wStriCN contains the most diverse insertion sequence families, the largest amount of prophage sequences, and the most ankyrin domain protein coding genes. The wStriCN genome encodes components of multiple secretion systems, including Types I, II, IV, VI, Sec, and Tac. We detected three pairs of homologs for CI factors CifA and CifB. These proteins harbor the catalytic domains responsible for CI phenotypes but are phylogenetically and structurally distinct from all known Cif proteins. The genome retains pathways for synthesizing biotin and riboflavin, which may explain the beneficial roles of wStriCN in its host planthoppers, which feed on nutrient-poor plant sap. Altogether, the genomic sequencing of wStriCN provides insight into understanding the phylogeny and biology of Wolbachia., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.)

Extracellular enzymes, initiating the degradation of organic macromolecules, are important functional components of marine ecosystems. Measuring in situ seawater extracellular enzyme activity (EEA) can provide fundamental information for understanding the biogeochemical cycling of organic matter in the ocean. Here we investigate the patterns of EEA and the major factors affecting the seawater EEA of Chinese marginal seas. The geographic distribution of EEA along a latitudinal transect was examined and found to be associated with dissolved organic carbon. Compared with offshore waters, inshore waters had higher enzyme activity. All the tested substrates were hydrolyzed at different rates and phosphatase, β-glucosidase and protease contributed greatly to summed hydrolysis rates. For any particular enzyme activity, the contribution of dissolved to total EEA was strongly heterogenous between stations. Comparisons of hydrolysis rates of the polymers and their corresponding oligomers suggest that molecule size does not necessarily limit the turnover of marine organic matter. In addition, several typical enzyme-producing clades, such as Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes, Chloroflexi, Roseobacter , Alteromonas , and Pseudoalteromonas , were detected in the in situ environments. These enzyme-producing clades may be responsible for the production of different enzymes. Overall, each enzyme was found to flexibly respond to environmental conditions and were linked to microbial community composition. It is likely that this activity will profoundly affect organic matter cycling in the Chinese marginal seas., (Copyright © 2019 Li, Sun, Sun, Cha, Li, Zhao, Song, Wang, McMinn, Chen, Zhang and Qin.)

In this work, we prepared two types of isostructural Ln 3+ -based metal-organic frameworks (LnMOFs) under solvothermal conditions, where two structurally similar pyridine-containing dicarboxylate ligands, 6-(4-carboxyphenyl)nicotinic acid and [2,2'-bipyridine]-5,5'-dicarboxylic acid, were used as the organic linkers. The as-synthesized LnMOF compounds were characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), powder XRD, and thermogravimetric analysis. With the lanthanide co-doping approach, two mixed LnMOFs, Tb 0.95 Eu 0.05 cpna and Tb 0.95 Eu 0.05 bpydc, were obtained and evaluated for application as potential ratiometric luminescence thermometers. The temperature-dependent luminescence of the two materials was investigated, and their emission intensities, luminescence lifetimes, and thermometric parameters were compared. They exhibit an excellent S-shaped response for temperatures in the range of 25-300 K, with favorable relative sensitivity and temperature uncertainty. Moreover, their color changes from green at 25 K to red at 300 K, so that they are also suitable as colorimetric luminescent probes.

Plateau pika is the main fossorial mammal in the alpine grassland in Qinghai Lake Watershed of Northwest China. Based on the field investigation data from 18 alpine grassland quadrats in the Watershed, and by using redundancy analysis (RDA) and the surface fitting offered by 'R-Vegan' , the disturbance intensity of plateau pika (Ochotona pallasi) was classified as four levels. In order to explore the impacts of plateau pika disturbance on the alpine grassland ecosystem and its grazing quality, the community characteristics under different disturbance intensities by plateau pika were analyzed, and a conceptual model about the alpine grassland community succession was proposed. The results showed that with the increase of the disturbance intensity, the dominant species changed from Juncus roemerianus to Poa pratensis and Laux maritima. When the disturbance was small, the community had high quantitative values of coverage, aboveground biomass, biodiversity, and species richness, but the proportion of weeds was also high. When the disturbance was large, the quantitative values were the lowest, while the proportion of weeds was the highest. When the disturbance was moderate, the community had relatively high quantitative values, and the proportion of grasses and sedges was the highest. It was concluded that the community' s characteristic values under low plateau pika disturbance intensity were high but the grazing quality was low, while high disturbance intensity resulted in the grassland degradation. Therefore, the disturbance intensity in the threshold could maintain the stability of alpine grassland ecosystem and improve its grazing quality.

Turbulence governed by a generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation (GNSE) including viscous heating and nonlinear damping is numerically investigated. It is found that a large localized pulse can suffer modulational instability and then collapse into the shortest-wavelength modes, as for the classical nonlinear Schrödinger equation. However, the total energy of the nonconservative GNSE can also become constant during the collapse via local balance of energy gain and loss in the phase space. After the collapse, instead of inverse cascading into a state of strong turbulence with broad spectrum, a single-step cascade, or condensation, into modes of one predominant wavelength can occur. In fact, after attaining total energy balance the turbulent system as a whole evolves like a closed adiabatic system.

Background: Overexpression of Bcl-2 protein in cancer cells can inhibit programmed cell death and engender chemoresistance. Bcl-2 antisense oligonucleotide (G3139) has shown its antitumor effects enhanced in preclinical models when combined with taxol-based chemotherapy. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of G3139 combined with epirubicin in the androgen-independent prostate cancer., Methods: PC3 prostate cancer cell line was cultured and treated with epirubicin and Bcl-2 antisense oligonucleotide alone or in combination. The effects of therapeutic agents on cells were determined by the MTT assay. Expression of Bcl-2 mRNA and protein was documented by RT-PCR and Western blotting. Apoptosis induction was confirmed by flow cytometric analysis., Results: Bcl-2 antisense oligonucleotide alone produced no cytotoxic effects and the combination of Bcl-2 antisense oligonucleotide with epirubicin sensitized PC-3 cells to the killing effects of chemotherapy. A marked down-regulation of Bcl-2 mRNA and protein was observed after antisense and epirubicin cotreatment. A statistically significantly higher fraction of apoptotic cells was detected by flow-cytometric analysis after epirubicin treatment with prior antisense Bcl-2 transfenction, as compared with mono antisense Bcl-2 or epirubicin treatment., Conclusion: These data suggested that inhibition of Bcl-2 expression combined with epirubicin may be an attractive therapeutic strategy in hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

The title complex, [Cd(2)(C(8)H(7)O(3))(4)(C(20)H(22)N(4)O)(2)], forms a dimer of the paddle-wheel type, located on a crystallographic inversion centre. The Cd(II) ion is hexa-coordinated by four carboxylate O atoms [Cd⋯O = 2.280 (2)-2.404 (2) Å] from two chelating 4-methoxy-benzoate anions, and two N atoms [Cd⋯N = 2.313 (2) and 2.332 (2) Å] from one chelating 2,2'-dimethyl-3,3'-(oxydiethyl-ene)bis-(1H-benzimidazole) ligand. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by a weak inter-molecular C-H⋯O hydrogen bond and an inter-molecular C-H⋯π inter-action.

Objective: To explore the feasibility of inhibition of hTERT and androgen receptor (AR) gene expression simultaneously in LNCaP cells by single shRNA vector., Methods: Templates DNA of both hTERT and AR siRNA were inserted into Pgenesil vector to construct a new vector Pgenesil-hTERT-AR-shRNA by RNAi-DNA vector technology. Pgenesil-HK-shRNA, Pgenesil-hTERT-shRNA, Pgenesil-AR-shRNA and Pgenesil-hTERT-AR-shRNA vectors were transfected into prostate cancer LNCaP cells respectively. The levels of AR mRNA, apoptosis and proliferation of each cell group were determined by FQ-PCR, Annexin V method and MTT., Results: The level of hTERT mRNA of control group cells and cells transfected by Pgenesil-HK-shRNA, Pgenesil-hTERT-shRNA, Pgenesil-AR-shRNA and Pgenesil-hTERT-AR-shRNA was (1.51 +/- 0.08) x 10(8), (7.32 +/- 0.43) x 10(7), (2.94 +/- 0.15) x 10(6), (4.45 +/- 0.25) x 10(7) and (3.17 +/- 0.18) x 10(6) (copies/ml) respectively. The level of AR mRNA of control cell groups and cells transfected by Pgenesil-HK-shRNA, Pgenesil-hTERT-shRNA, Pgenesil-AR-shRNA and Pgenesil-hTERT-AR-shRNA was (1.92 +/- 0.11) x 10(5), (6.47 +/- 0.32) x 10(5), (3.70 +/- 0.24) x 10(4), (1.22 +/- 0.06) x 10(4) and (7.21 +/- 0.41) x 10(3) (copies/ml) respectively. These data indicate that the expression of hTERT or AR gene could be significantly inhibited by Pgenesil-hTERT-shRNA or Pgenesil-AR-shRNA while Pgenesil-hTERT-AR-shRNA could simultaneously inhibit both hTERT and AR gene expression. The apoptosis rate and the inhibition rate of cell growth of Pgenesil-hTERT-AR-shRNA group were significantly higher than those of Pgenesil-hTERT-shRNA group or Pgenesil-AR-shRNA group (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: It is feasible to inhibit both hTERT and AR gene expression simultaneously by single shRNA vector. It will be a new research strategy of gene therapy for prostate cancer.

Objective: To determine the effect of MEK inhibitor (U0126) on donor testes from ischemia-reperfusion injury after orthotopic testicular transplantation in rats., Methods: The rats were divided into 7 groups, Group 1: normal control; Group 2: cold perfusion control; Group 3: sham operation control; Group 4: transplanted for 30 min; Group 5: transplanted for 1 week; Group 6: transplanted for 30 min with pretreatment of U0126; Group 7: transplanted for 1 week with pretreatment of U0126. The orthotopic testicular transplantation model was established with cuff. The levels of ERK1, ERK2, pERK1 and pERK2 of donor testes were evaluated; the change of histology and gonadal hormones were measured as well., Result: Group 1, 2 and 3 had no significant differences in all results (P>0.05). The levels of ERK1, ERK2, pERK1 and pERK2 in Group 4 were significantly increased compared with Group 1 (P<0.05), the levels of ERK1 and ERK2 in Group 6 were not different from those of Group 4 (P >0.05), but the levels of pERK1 and pERK2 in Group 6 were lower than those in Group 4 significantly(P <0.05), the histological changes in Group 6 were similar to Group 1 but milder than that in Group 4. The histological injury was more severe in Group 5 than that in Group 7, and the levels of gonadal hormones in Group 5 were lower than those in Group 7 (P <0.05) which remained at the normal levels., Conclusion: U0126 has a protective effect on the donor testes in a short period through inhibiting expression of pERK1/2 activated by testicular transplantation.

Objective: To introduce a method of retrograde ureteric catheter placement via flexible cystoscope , and to evaluate the feasibility and safety of this method., Methods: 112 patients, 62 males and 50 females undergoing retrograde ureteropyelography by 2 same physicians in cooperation were randomly divided into two equal groups with 31 males and 25 females each: one group via flexible cystoscope and the other group via rigid cystoscope. The catheterizing time, visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, gross hematuria rate, and fever rate were compared between these 2 groups., Results: Fifty-five patients underwent ureteric catheter placement successfully via flexible cystoscope (98%, 55/56), while 53 cases were technically successful by rigid cystoscope (95%, 53/56). The inserting time in women patients of the flexible cystoscopy group was (7.6 +/- 1.8) min, significantly shorter than that of the men [(8.0 +/- 1.8) min, P < 0.05]. The inserting time in women patients of the rigid cystoscopy group was (7.4 +/- 1.5) min, significantly shorter than that of the men [(8.2 +/- 1.2) min, P < 0.05]. However, there were not significant differences in the inserting times in both men and women between these 2 groups (both P > 0.05). The VAS pain scores in men and women of the flexible cystoscope group were 3. 5 and 2. 3 respectively, both significantly lower than those of the rigid cystoscopy group (7.2 and 3.3 respectively, both P < 0.05). The gross hematuria rate of the flexible cystoscope group was 8.6% (5/56), significantly lower than that of the rigid cystoscopy group (25.0%, 14/56, P < 0.05). Four patients had a fever after flexible cystoscopy while 6 cases did after rigid cystoscopy, however, without significant difference between these 2 groups (P > 0.05)., Conclusions: Retrograde placement of ureteric catheter via flexible cystoscope is safe and reliable as rigid cystoscopy. Meanwhile, inserting ureteric catheter via flexible cystoscope causes the patients less pain and less chance of hematuria.

Objective: To develop a urine pretreatment method of Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) for the quantitative determination of a number of aristolochic acids (AAs) and aristololactams (ALs) in rat urine., Method: The HPLC peak area of AA-I , AA-II, AL-I and AL-II, and other sixteen AAs and ALs was chosen as evaluating index to study the extract results of five Solid Phase Extraction columns (Agilent C18/100 mg, Alltech HG18/100 mg, Alltech C18/100 mg, Alltech C18/300 mg and Agilent Phenyl/200 mg) comparatively. The influences of two washing solvents (water and 1% acetic acid-0.02% triethylamine solution) and seven eluting solvents (ether, acetone, chloroform, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, methanol and acetonitrile) on extract results of AAs and ALs are comparatively studied with the extracting recoveries of AA-I , AA-II, AL-I and AL-II as indicators. The HPLC peak area of AA-I , AA-II, AL-I and AL-II, and other seven AAs and ALs with good separation being targets, several factors which affect extracting efficiency of analytes, including activating volume, cleansing volume, washing volume and eluting volume, are optimized by orthogonal design experiments with four factors at three levels., Result: The established method of SPE is as follows: Agilent Phenyl SPE column of 200 mg, activating with 1.0 mL methanol, cleansing with 1 mL water, adding 1.0 mL rat urine sample, washing with 0.8 mL 1% acetic acid 0.02% triethylamine solution, and eluting with 3.0 mL methanol., Conclusion: The established method of SPE is efficient, selective, simple and fast, and can be used as urine pretreatment method to analyze a variety of aristolochic acids and aristololactams in rat urine.

Background: Recent studies have suggested that estrogens are involved in normal and abnormal prostate growth, though their exact role is still controversial. Oestrogens exert inhibitory and stimulatory effects on prostate gland, but the expression of oestrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) and oestrogen receptor-beta (ERbeta) in malignant prostate tissue remains unresolved. We determined ERalpha and ERbeta in prostate cancer and investigated the relationship between expression of ER and pathological features of prostate carcinoma., Methods: Thirty-two cases of prostate cancer, 12 cases of normal prostate tissue and 32 cases of benign prostate hyperplasia were analyzed for the expression of ERalpha and ERbeta using semiquantitative, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the products sequenced., Results: Comparisons of the normal, hyperplastic and tumour prostate tissues indicated an overexpression of ERalpha in tumour specimens (P < 0.01). However, the expression of ERbeta significantly reduced in tumour tissues compared with normal and hyperplastic specimens (P < 0.01), suggesting that severe pathological features of prostate cancer were associated with lower ERbeta expression. Spearman analysis showed negative correlation between ERbeta expression and tumour stage, grade (-0.67, -0.43, respectively, both P < 0.05), and a positive correlation between ERalpha expression and tumour stage, grade (0.51, 0.57, respectively, both P < 0.01). Our analysis also showed that hormone refractory, prostate cancer, compared with hormone dependent, prostate cancer, displayed a decreased expression of ERbeta (P < 0.01) and an increased expression of ERalpha., Conclusions: ERalpha and ERbeta may play important roles in the development of prostate cancer. The decrease in ERbeta expression is associated with higher Gleason grade tumours and prostate cancer with higher metastatic potential. The loss of ERbeta could be one of the key processes leading to uncontrolled growth of prostate epithelial cells.

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) has a close relation with prostate cancer. It is involved not only in angiogenesis, cell proliferation/survival and glucose metabolism but also in p53, p21 and signal transduction pathway in prostate cancer. Further studies of HIF-1 may yield new approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. We present a review of the structure and biological functions of HIF-1 and its relation with prostate cancer.

Objective: To construct a eukaryotic expression vector carrying human VEGF RNAi and to study the effect of RNA interference on VEGF expression in prostate carcinoma., Methods: VEGF RNAi was synthesized, inserted into the RNA interference eukaryotic expression vector, and confirmed by the result sequencing. The vector was transfected into prostate cancer PC-3, the VEGF expression detected by Western blot and the cell inhibiting rate determined by MTT., Results: The VEGF RNAi eukaryotic expression vector was successfully constructed. Compared with the empty vector group and the control group, the amount of VEGF protein expression was obviously decreased in the VEGF RNAi group. The inhibiting rates were 23.5% , 33. 5% and 40. 8% at 24, 48 and 72 h respectively., Conclusion: VEGF RNAi can inhibit the protein expression and growth of PC-3, which provides an experimental base for the biological therapy of prostate cancer.

Objective: To analyze the distribution features of Gleason score and evaluate the relationship between Gleason score and clinical stages in patients with prostate cancer., Methods: Surveys were made of the inpatients with prostate cancer diagnosed by pathology from January 1992 to June 2005 in our hospital. Gleason score and clinical stages were determined on the basis of pathological examination and clinical data of the prostate cancer patients. The patients were divided into three groups (1992-1999, 2000-2002 and 2003-2005). The Chi-square test was used to evaluate the distribution and differences of Gleason score among the three groups. Spearman rank correlation was applied to the evaluation of the relationship between Gleason score and clinical stages., Results: We found a statistically significant shift in the distribution of Gleason score (chi2 = 17.703, P < 0.01), and a slight increase in the mean Gleason score. The proportion of moderately differentiated tumor increased (chi2 = 10.736, P < 0.01). There was little change in the proportion of Gleason score 7, 8, 9 and 10 (chi2 = 4.038, P > 0.05). Gleason score had a significant positive correlation with clinical stages in the 346 cases of prostate cancer (r = 0.452, P < 0.01). Significant difference was observed between Gleason score 2-6 and 7 or 8-10 (chi2 = 8.786, P < 0.01, chi2 = 22.956, P < 0.01), but not between the latter 2 groups (chi2 = 0.787, P > 0.05) in prediction of organ-confined disease., Conclusions: Gleason score 7 shows the similar value to Gleason score 8-10 in predicting the progression of the disease. Gleason score was significantly correlated with clinical stages, which suggests that Gleason score is also an important indicator for the prognosis of prostate cancer.

Objective: To study the ultrastructural changes of the rat convoluted seminiferous tubule after alcohol consumption., Methods: Forty-eight Wistar mature male rats were divided into two groups randomly: control group (A) and experimental one (B). 6 ml/(kg x d) of 50 degrees alcohol was perfused through the gastric tube for 39 days in Group B; and 6 ml/(kg x d) of normal saline was supplemented in Group A. The ultrastructure of the rat convoluted seminiferous tubule was observed by transmission electron microscope at day 14, 27 and 40., Results: In Group A, the pykno-basement membrane was unstriated and uniform, Sertoli cells showed cytoplasmic profusion, with big nucleus, well-distributed nucleoplasm, distinct nucleolus, more mitochondria and plain hierarchical tight-junction. And the ultrastructure of the rat convoluted seminiferous tubule in Group B began to change at the end of the first spermatogenic cycle (D 14) and changed more and more evidently with the ethanol administration, mainly as follows: (1) more lysosomes and vacuolisation found in Sertoli cells, and organelles decreased and blurry; (2) more and bigger vacuoles among the spermatogonia, Sertoli cells and basement membrane; (3) obvious apoptosis of spermatogonia and apoptotic bodies aggregated near the membrane; (4) more cytoplasm and vacuolisation in the sperm of the convoluted seminiferous tubule, and disarranged, deleted or clustered mitochondria in the sperm tail; (5) blurry and rigid tight-junction; (6) thickened, wrinkled or broken basement membrane and under-basement, Conclusion: Alcohol can cause ultrastructural changes of the basement membrane, tight-junction and Sertoli cells of the membrane. rat convoluted seminiferous tubule and apoptosis of spermatogonia.

Objective: To establish the testis transplantation model in rats and to study the mechanism of graft injury., Methods: The testis orthotopic transplantation model was established using three-cuff method. The animals were divided into 6 groups. Serum levels of testosterone (T), luteining hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Morphology and ultrastructure were examined by light and electron microscopy. Expression of Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) mRNA was studied by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique., Result: On the 7th day postoperatively, the allotransplanted testes showed perivascular massive infiltration of lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) and reduced number of the sertoli cells under light microscopy. It also showed the broken blood-testis barrier, the atrophy of the sertoli cells and spermatogenic cells arranged in disorder under electron microscopy. The decline of serum T level and the increase of serum LH and FSH levels were similar to those found in bilateral castrates. The levels of GDNFmRNA expression were lower than those in normal controls. On 14th day postoperatively, the spermatogenesis of allotransplanted testes was still not recovered and the expression of GDNFmRNA declined further., Conclusion: The atrophy and reduced number of the sertoli cells and the breakage of the close connection probably are the main causes of dysfunction of spermatogenesis. The decline of GDNFmRNA expression is in accordance with the dysfunction of the sertoli cells and the spermatogenesis.

Objective: To determine expressions of NKX3.1 mRNA and protein in prostatic tissues and to investigate the relation between homeobox gene NKX3.1 and prostatic carcinoma., Methods: 76 prostatic tissues (32 cancer, 12 normal prostate and 32 benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues) and 96 non-prostatic tissues were analyzed for the detection of expressions of NKX3.1 mRNA and protein by using semi-quantitative RT-PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemical technique., Results: In 76 prostatic tissues, NKX3.1 mRNA was detected in 75 specimens (98.7%), whereas in 96 non-prostatic specimens, NKX3.1 mRNA was negatively expressed in the tissues of bladder, kidney, liver, intestine, fat and skin, except for two expressed in testis and one in mammary gland. The expression ratio of NKX3.1 protein in the epithelia cells of prostate was 100%, but in testis mammary gland was 16.7%, in bladder and intestine was 8.3%, and in kidney, liver, fat and skin was 0% (P < 0.01). The total strong positive ratio of NKX3.1 protein in the epithelia cell of prostate was 94.7%, 5.3% in the stroma cell of prostate (P < 0.01), and 13.6% in benignant prostate cell, 40.6% in prostate cancer (P < 0.01), respectively., Conclusion: It is suggested that NKX3.1 is not only the prostate-specific homeobox gene, but is the epithelia-cell-specific gene of prostate. It may play an important role in the development of prostatic carcinoma.

Objective: To establish a model of testis transplantation in the rat using cuff techniques., Methods: Sixty healthy inbred Wistar rats were included as donors and recipients. The testicular artery with the aortic segment with two cuffs was anastomosed to the recipient's aorta and the testicular vein with a cuff was anastomosed to the left common iliac vein of the recipient. The vas deferens was end-to-end anastomosed., Results: Of the 30 rats undergoing transplantation, 27 survived, 2 died from paralytic intestinal obstruction and 1 died from hemorrhage. Of the 27 survivals, 4, 4 and 5 were vivisected on the 14th, 28th and 56th day after operation, respectively, showing a good blood supply to the graft. Another 14 rats were used in another experiment, which revealed no obvious congestion, necrosis and edema in the left lower limb of the recipients., Conclusion: The model of allogeneic rat testis transplantation established with cuff techniques, simple, stable and reliable, can be used as a tool for the study of testis transplantation.

Objective: To investigate the age and pathological features of prostate cancer patients in recent years., Methods: An analysis was made of the age and pathological features of 481 cases of prostate cancer pathologically diagnosed from January 1998 to April 2004, 39 cases in 1998, 69 in 1999, 73 in 2000, 68 in 2001, 72 in 2002, 121 in 2003, and 39 in the first four months of 2004., Results: The patients ranged in age from 40 to 91 years, averaging 72, 95% between 55 and 84, and 84.2% over 65 years. Pathologically, 14 cases were well, 29 moderately, and 83 poorly differentiated according to the three-grade system (WHO, the Mostofi system), with 355 cases ungraded. Forty cases (8.3%) were microcarcinoma (< 1 cm), and 20 cases (4.2%) incidental carcinoma. Of the total number, 473 cases (98.1%) were pathologically diagnosed as adenocarcinoma, 1 endometrioid adenocarcinoma, 1 squamous cell carcinoma, 1 signet ring cell carcinoma, 1 adenosquamous cell carcinoma, 1 small cell carcinoma, 1 mucinous adenocarcinoma, 1 adenoid cystic carcinoma, and 1 transitional cell carcinoma., Conclusion: Prostate cancer commonly develops in men over 65 years, and adenocarcinoma is the most common histological type. The disease has become a major malignant tumor to endanger elderly males.

Aim: To clarify the ultrastructural changes of penile tunica albuginea (TA) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats., Methods: Intraperitoneal injection of STZ was used to induce diabetes mellitus (DM) in 12 Sprague Dawley rats. Ten rats (age and weight-matched) were used as control. Blood samples from the tail snips of the rats were used for the determination of serum glucose levels with SureStep Plus Blood Meter. At week 4 and 10 after the injection, half of the rats in each group were sacrificed and penile samples were obtained from the middle third of the penile shaft for the examination of TA under scanning electron microscopy., Results: In the diabetic group, the serum glucose levels were higher (P<0.01 at both time points) and the TA were thinner (P<0.05) than those of the controls. In the control group, the fibers of TA were rich and arranged regularly and undulated, while in the diabetic group, the fibers were diminished, lost the undulations and were arranged irregularly., Conclusion: In rats, DM appeared to impair the penile TA ultrastructures and this impairment could contribute to diabetic erectile dysfunction in part by impairing the veno-occlusive function.

Objective: To determine the expression of estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) and estrogen receptor-beta (ERbeta) in prostatic carcinoma (PCa)., Methods: The expression of ERalpha and ERbeta was analysed in 32 cases of PCa, 12 cases of normal prostate tissue and 32 cases of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the genes were sequenced., Results: Compared with the tissue of BPH, the ERalpha expression significantly increased, but the ERbeta expression decreased in the tissue of PCa (P < 0.01). Compared with in the early stage and high differentiation of prostatic carcinoma, the ERalpha expression increased obviously, but ERbeta expression decreased in the developed stage and low differentiation (P < 0.01). ERalpha increased, but ERbeta decreased in hormone-refractory prostatic carcinoma (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: ERalpha and ERbeta may play an important role in the development of PCa. It is shown that analysis of the expression of ER, especially ERbeta in PCa, will benefit to the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

Objective: To study significance and limitations of the ratio of free to total prostate specific antigen (f/t PSA) in differential diagnosis between prostate cancer and benign prostatehyperplasia (BPH) with total PSA (tPSA) levels between 4 and 10 ng/ml., Methods: We analysed retrospectively 180 prostate cancer and BPH patients who were diagnosed and treated in our hospital from October 1998 to October 2002 and had serum tPSA levels between 4 and 10 ng/ml. Of the 180 patients, 36 (20%) were histologically confirmed as prostate cancer and 144 (80%) BPH. The tPSA and free PSA (fPSA) in serum were measured by micropartical enzyme immunoassay. Prostate volume was measured by transabdominal ultrasonography. We chose Student's t-test for comparison between prostate cancer and BPH groups. The correlation between prostate volume and f/t PSA was analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient., Results: The mean values of tPSA and f/t PSA were 6.75 ng/ml and 0.17 in patients with prostate cancer, 6.48 ng/ml and 0.25 in patients with BPH. The mean value of tPSA wasn't significantly different between patients with prostate cancer and BPH (P > 0.05). However, the mean value of f/t PSA of patients with prostate cancer was significantly lower than that of patients with BPH (P < 0.01). Furthermore, there were significant and positive correlation between prostate volume and f/t PSA in both groups with prostate cancer and BPH (prostate cancer group's correlation coefficient (r = 0.50, P < 0.01); BPH group (r = 0.24, P < 0.01). There was significant difference in f/t PSA between prostate cancer and BPH patients with prostate volumes more than 40 cm(3) (P < 0.05), but not between these two groups with prostate volumes more than 40 cm(3) (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: The f/t PSA is significant in differential diagnosis between prostate cancer and BPH with tPSA levels between 4 and 10 ng/ml. But prostate volume has an effect on f/tPSA. The f/tPSA has diagnostic value of differentiation only when the prostate volume is less than 40 cm(3).

Objective: To evaluate the effect of pretreatment with finasteride in decreasing intraoperative bleeding and irrigating fluid absorption during transurethral resection of prostate (TURP)., Methods: Eighty patients with benign prostate hypertrophy undergoing TURP were divided into two groups: 40 patients were pretreated with finasteride for 7 to 14 days before TURP and 40 patients without pretreatment. Absorption of irrigating fluid was quantified by analyzing the serum concentration of gentamycin. Intraoperative blood loss was calculated based on hemoglobin concentrations before and after operation., Result: The whole blood loss, hemoglobin concentration of irrigating fluid used, blood loss per minute, blood loss per gram tissue resected, whole irrigation absorption, irrigation absorption per minute and per gram tissue resected in patients pretreated with finasteride were significantly less than those in patients without pretreatment (P<0.05). The blood transfusion volume, the incidence of hypotension and hyponatremia in patients pretreated with finasteride were significantly less than those in patients without pretreatment (P<0.05)., Conclusion: Pretreatment with finasteride is of value in reducing intraoperative bleeding, irrigation absorption and perioperative complication during TURP.

Background & Objective: The F-box protein Skp2 is required for the ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis of the cyclin-depended kinase inhibitor p27(kip1). Overexpression of Skp2 has been reported in many cancers, including breast carcinoma, gastric carcinoma, and prostate cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of Skp2 and p27(kip1) expression with the clinicopathological features of prostatic carcinoma, and the correlation between expression of Skp2 and p27(kip1) in prostate cancer., Methods: Skp2 and p27(kip1) protein expression were evaluated in the tissues of 41 human prostatic carcinomas as well as 20 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) using immunohistochemistry (EnVision method)., Results: The Skp2 labeling frequency in prostatic carcinoma (8.52%+/-2.40%) was significantly higher than that in BPH (0.21%+/-0.15%)(P< 0.001). The Skp2 protein expression in prostatic carcinoma was positively correlated with preoperative serum prostate-specific antigen level (r=0.360,P=0.021), extraprostatic extension (r=0.570,P< 0.001), tumor stage (r=0.531, P< 0.001), and histological grade (r=0.514,P=0.001). The p27(kip1) labeling frequency in prostatic carcinoma(70.71%+/-4.25%) was significantly lower than that in BPH (97.21%+/-2.10%) (P< 0.001). The p27(kip1) protein expression in prostatic carcinoma was inversely correlated with preoperative serum prostate-specific antigen level (r=-0.399,P=0.010), extraprostatic extension (r=-0.329, P=0.036), tumor stage (r=-0.453,P=0.003), and histological grade (r=-0.290,P=0.046). Skp2 expression was inversely correlated with p27(kip1) in prostate cancer (rho=-0.572,P< 0.001)., Conclusion: Expression of Skp2 protein may lead to decrease p27(kip1) level in human prostatic carcinoma, indicating its involvement in the development of human prostatic carcinoma. It may provide new targets for the therapy of prostate cancer.

Objective: To improve the understanding of acute obstructive anuria at upper urinary tract in order to cope properly with corresponding clinical problems., Methods: The clinical problems of acute obstructive anuria at upper urinary tract in 55 patients was summarized and analysed. Anuria, lumbago, edema and progressive increase of blood creatinine and ureal nitrogen were the main bases of diagnosis. B-typed ultrasonography and plain film of abdomen (KUB) were the first choice in examinations. The treatment principles lied in prompt removal of obstruction as well as effective prevention and treatment of infection to protect renal function to maximum extent., Results: Forty-three cases (78.2%) recovered normal renal function. Ten cases (18.2%) still had azotemia three months after treatment. Two cases gave up treatment., Conclusions: The reason of tumor for anuria should be paid attention to. The first choice in treatments is ureteral intubation by cystoscope. Diuretic should be used cautiously.

Objective: To investigate whether different types of injury on bladder wall can influence bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) attachment., Methods: The bladder mucosa of 24 rabbits were treated by electrocautery,cryocautery and incision on left lateral wall, right lateral wall and posterior wall, respectively. Then radiolabeled BCG ((3)H-BCG) was instilled into bladder. Two hours latter, the injured bladder wall with different methods and non-injured wall (anterior wall of bladder) were surgically removed and digested. The quantity of BCG of each specimen was determined by liquid scintillation counter., Result: The quantity of BCG attachment to bladder wall with different injuries was significantly higher than that of non-injured wall (P<0.001), meanwhile there was no statistically difference among the BCG levels of different injury types (P>0.05)., Conclusion: BCG attachment is not influenced by different types of injury on the bladder wall.

Trauma, tumor, disease and congenital abnormalities may lead to genital organ damage or function failure, and consequently the requirement of its reconstruction. Tissue engineering follows the principles of cell transplantation, materials science and engineering toward the development of biological substitutes that would restore and maintain normal function. These new techniques have been recently introduced into the field of andrology. Based on the latest advances, the present paper afferds a general prospect of the future direction of the development of tissue engineering in andrology.

Objective: To investigate the effects of testosterone on GDNF(glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor) expression in rat ventral prostate., Methods: Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into 3 groups, group A(n = 8, sham operation, uncastrated controls), group B (n = 8, castrated), group C (n = 8, castrated and given testosterone undecanoate (TU) 50 mg/kg by intramuscular injection). Ventral prostate tissues removed from adult male rats at 3 days after operation were analyzed for the expression of GDNF mRNA by semiquantitative RT-PCR assay., Results: The ventral prostate tissues shrank remarkably in the castrated rats, and prostatic hyperplasia accurred in those that had received both castration and testosterone undecanoate. GDNF mRNA expressed in the normal rats ventral prostates, and the prostatic expression of GDNF mRNA decreased significantly at 3 days after castration(P < 0.05), but increased significantly (P < 0.05) in those that had received both castration and TU., Conclusions: The gene expression of glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor in the ventral prostate of rats is dependent on testosterone, and GDNF is involved in the growth of rat ventral prostate.

Objective: To explore the effect of the binding ability of the dihydrotestosterone(DHT) in prostate., Methods: Twenty-two normal prostate tissues taken from accident-death corpses without serious diseases, and cytosolic and nuclear fractions were prepared with all the endogenous hormone removed from the cytosolic and nuclear fractions by ether stripping. The content of the bound 3H-DHT was assayed by adding 3H-DHT., Results: The average DHT-binding capacity of the DHT-binding protein in prostate was (0.0263 +/- 0.0047) nmol/g wet tissue. The DHT-binding capacities of cytosolic and nuclear fractions were (0.0103 +/- 0.0015) nmol/g wet tissue and (0.0155 +/- 0.0035) nmol/g wet tissue respectively, and the difference between them was very significant(P < 0.01)., Conclusions: The DHT-binding capacity of the DHT-binding protein in prostate is high and maintaining the high DHT level facilitates the effect of DHT.

Aim: To investigate the ultrastructural changes of penile corpus cavernosum and tunica albuginea in rats treated with castration or finasteride., Methods: Eighteen male Sprague-Dawley rats of nine weeks old were randomly divided into three groups with 6 rats each. Group A served as the control, Group B was castrated and Group C, treated with finasteride. Four weeks later, rats were anesthetized and blood samples obtained for the determination of serum testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels; penile tissues were taken for scanning electron microscopy., Results: The T, free T and DHT levels in Group B and the DHT level in Group C were significantly lower than those in Group A (P<0.05). The tunica albuginea was significantly thinner in Group B than that in Group A (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between Group C and Group A (P>0.05). Elastic fibers in the tunica albuginea of Group A were very rich and arranged regularly and undulatedly, but in Group B, most of the elastic fibers were replaced by collagenous fibers. In Group C, the tunica albuginea was mainly composed of thick and irregular-arranged collagenous fibers. In Group A, there were abundant smooth muscle fibers in the trabeculae of corpus cavernosum, but they were much less in Group C and scarce or even disappeared in Group B. In Groups B and C, the diminished/disappeared smooth muscle fibers were replaced by irregularly arranged collagenous fibers., Conclusion: In rats, androgen is essential for maintaining the normal structure of penile tunica albuginea and corpus cavernosum.

Aim: To explore the changes of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expressions in cryptorchid children and their clinical significance., Methods: The level of serum EGF was measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and the expression of EGFR by immunohistochemistry., Results: (1) The level of serum EGF was significantly lower in cryptorchid children than in normal subjects at age group of 5-9 years (P<0.01) and 10-14 years (P<0.01), (2) The level of EGF was significantly lower in boys with impalpable testis than in those with extracanalicular and intracanalicular testes (P<0.01), (3) The serum EGF level increased significantly 6 months after orchiopexy (P<0.05), (4) The EGFR expression in testicular Leydig's cells was lower in 2 approximately 4 year-old boys than in those over 5 years (P<0.05) and (5) the EGFR expression was less positive in the impalpable group and the intracanalicular group than that of the extracanalicular group (P<0.01)., Conclusion: The EGF and EGFR expressions may correlate with the age and the position of testes; orchiopexy improves the EGF and EGFR expressions in cryptorchid boys.