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BackgroundThere have been inconsistent results about the association between consumption of fruits and vegetables and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) risk. We conducted a meta-analysis of the published observational studies to explore this association.ResultsNineteen observational studies (4 cohort, 1 pooled and 14 case-control studies), involving 10,215 subjects with RCC were part of this meta-analysis. The SRR for the highest vs. the lowest intake of vegetables was 0.73 (95% CI: 0.63–0.85; Pheterogeneity = 0.004, I2 = 53.5%), whereas for fruits it was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.75–0.98; Pheterogeneity = 0.012, I2 = 47.4%). Linear dose-response analysis also showed similar results, e.g., for per 1 serving/day increment of vegetables, the SRR was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.84–0.96) and for fruits it was 0.97 (95% CI: 0.93–1.01). Nonlinear association was only observed for vegetables (Pnonlinearity = 0.001), but not for fruits (Pnonlinearity = 0.221).Materials and MethodsEligible studies up to August 31, 2016 were identified and retrieved by searching MEDLINE and EMBASE databases along with manual review of the reference list from the retrieved studies. Quality of included studies was evaluated using Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS). Random-effects model was used to calculate summary relative risk (SRR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI).ConclusionsThis meta-analysis indicated a protective effect of consumption of vegetables and fruits on RCC risk. Further studies are warranted with prospective designs that use validated questionnaires and control for important confounders.

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This study investigated the effect of muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) and adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and their differences in a rat model. MDSCs and ADSC were isolated from rats (n = 10), examined for their properties, and labeled with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and β-galactosidase (β-gal) gene. Rats received bladder-neck and transurethral sphincter injection of EGFP-labeled MDSCs and β-gal gene-labeled ADSC and injection of D-Hanks as a control (n = 24 each group). At 0, 15, 30, and 60 days after cells injection, urinary voiding function was assessed by urine dynamics detector. The rats were killed to harvest their urethras for tracking of MDSCs and ADSC. Western blotting and quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect smooth muscle contents. Urodynamic test showed that MDSCs and ADSC improved the function of urination in rats with intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD), and effect of MDSCs-treatment was more pronounced. In addition, histologic analysis showed that the MDSCs and ADSC-treated groups had significantly higher myosin and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) content than the control group. Compared with ADSC-treated groups, the MDSCs-treated groups in myosin and α-SMA content showed the tendency of increase. In summary, MDSCs and ADSCs have obvious effects in the treatment and/or prevention of ISD and transplantation of MDSCs is more effective than ADSC. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 70(10):976-984, 2018.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is common among elderly men, of which inflammation, oxidative stress, proliferative, and apoptotic changes play important roles. Xialiqi (XLQ) capsule, a traditional Chinese herbal formula, is used as a potential drug in treating BPH. This study aims to evaluate the therapeutic effect of XLQ capsule on testosterone propionate- (TP-) induced BPH in rats. Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: sham control, BPH model, high and low dose of XLQ, and finasteride as a positive control group. All groups were treated with appropriate drugs/normal saline for 28 consecutive days. Prostate weights were recorded; histopathological changes and content of IL-8, TNF-α, DHT, SOD, MDA, caspase-3, and PCNA of the prostate were determined. Animals with BPH demonstrated significantly increased prostate weights and prostate index, higher levels of IL-8, TNF-α, DHT, MDA, and PCNA, but lower activity of SOD and reduced expression of caspase-3. After treatment with XLQ, significant reductions of prostate weights, prostate index, IL-8, TNF-α, DHT, MDA, and PCNA, increased activity of SOD, and higher level of caspase-3 were shown. The present study indicates that XLQ can effectively prevent the development of TP-induced BPH model through mechanisms of anti-inflammation, antioxidation, antiproliferation, and proapoptosis.

Background: Insulin resistance (IR) is increased among people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The Triglyceride glucose (TyG) index is a marker of IR and is also associated with the prognosis of cardiovascular disease among patients initiating peritoneal dialysis (PD). This study was aimed at examining the associations between TyG index and cardiovascular deaths in patients initiating PD. Methods and Results: Three thousand fifty-four patients initiating PD between 2007 and 2014 were included in a prospective cohort derived from Henan PD Registry, TyG index alongside other baseline characteristics were measured when ESRD patients initiated PD. Logistic regression adjusting for age, gender, and major cardiovascular risk factors estimated the association between TyG index and subsequent cardiovascular mortality within 2 years since the initiation of PD. Results: TyG index was positively associated with cardiovascular mortality: adjusted incidence rates ratio (95% CI) comparing the highest vs. lowest TyG index quartile was 2.32 (2.12–2.55) in all, 2.22 (2.01–2.46) in those with body mass index (BMI) <25 kg/m2, and 2.82 (2.24–3.54) in those with BMI ≥25 kg/m2, respectively. Linear dose-response relationships were revealed in all and by BMI. Conclusions: TyG index might be a prognostic factor in predicting cardiovascular mortality among patients initiating PD.

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Background:Gastric cancer (GC) is a highly aggressive cancer type associated with significant mortality owing to delayed diagnosis and non-specific symptoms observed in the early stages. Therefore, identification of novel specific GC serum biomarkers for screening purposes is an urgent clinical requirement.Methods:This study recruited a total of 432 serum samples from 296 GC patients split into the mining and testing sets. We aimed to screen for reliable protein biomarkers from matched serum samples based on mass spectrometry, followed by comparison with three representative conventional markers using receiver operating characteristic and survival curve analyses to ascertain their potential values as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for GC.Results:We identified an apoC-III fragment with confirmation in an independent test set from a second hospital. We found that the diagnostic ability of this fragment performed better than current standard GC diagnostic biomarkers both individually and in combination in distinguishing patients with GC from healthy individuals. Moreover, we found that this apoC-III protein fragment represents a more robust potential prognostic factor for GC than the three conventional markers.Conclusions:In view of these findings, we suggest that apoC-III protein fragment is a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, a complement to conventional biomarkers in detecting GC.