Letter to the editor: Aggressive variant prostate cancer: An exemplary case study and comprehensive literature survey

This article enthusiastically explores the study of highly aggressive variant prostate cancer(AVPC),acknowledging its relatively rare yet highly menacing presence within the realm of prostate cancer.The paper delves into the patho-logical characteristics of AVPC,diagnostic and therapeutic challenges,and the potential applications of precision medicine and molecular imaging in the future.

Clinical observation of loupe-assisted intussusception vasoepididymostomy in the treatment of obstructive azoospermia(analysis of 49 case reports)

To evaluate the clinical outcomes of loupe-assisted intussusception vasoepididymostomy(VE)in the treatment of epididymal obstructive azoospermia(EOA),we retrospectively analyzed data from 49 patients with EOA who underwent two-suture longitudinal intussusception vasoepididymostomy(LIVE)between 2000 and 2007.The data included the surgical method,postoperative motile sperm count per ejaculation,percentage of progressive motile sperm and patency and pregnancy outcomes.There were a total of 49 men undergoing scrotal exploration,and epididymal obstruction was found in all cases.Bilateral or unilateral anastomoses were performed in 40 and 6 men,respectively.The postoperative courses of 42 patients were followed up for more than 6 months,and the courses of 38 patients were followed up for more than 1 year.The overall patency and pregnancy rates were 71.4%and 26.3%,respectively.Moreover,progressive motile sperm was more frequently present in those patients who had undergone anastomosis at cauda than at corpus or caput.Pregnancy was achieved only in those patients who had undergone anastomosis at least on one side of the cauda epididymis.We think that the loupe-assisted method,with a lower overall cost and a simplified surgical procedure,can achieve satisfactory patency outcomes and pregnancy results.Data from this paper also suggest that paternity outcomes occur more frequently after anastomoses at cauda than at corpus or caput.

The Hippo pathway and its correlation with acute kidney injury

Acute kidney injury(AKI) is a significant clinical complication with a substantial impact on morbidity and mortality, for which therapeutic options remain limited. The Hippo signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved pathway implicated in cell proliferation, dedifferentiation, and apoptosis via phosphorylation and inactivation of its downstream effectorsYes-associatedprotein(YAP)/transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif(TAZ). Recent studies have revealed that the Hippo pathway plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis and repair of AKI. The Hippo pathway can mediate renal dysfunction through modulation of mitochondrial apoptosis under AKI conditions. Transient activation of YAP/TAZ in the acute phase of AKI may benefit renal recovery and regeneration, whereas persistent activation of YAP/TAZ in severe AKI may lead to maladaptive repair and transition to chronic kidney disease. This review aims to summarize recent findings on the associations between the Hippo pathway and AKI and to identify new therapeutic targets and strategies for AKI.

Percent free prostate-specific antigen is effective to predict prostate biopsy outcome in Chinese men with prostate-specific antigen between 10.1 and 20.0 ng ml^-1

Percent free prostatic-specific antigen （%fPSA） has been introduced as a tool to avoid unnecessary biopsies in patients with a serum PSA level of 4.0-10.0 ng ml^-1, however, it remains controversial whether %fPSA is effective in PSA range of 10.1-20.0 ng ml^-1 in both Chinese and Western population. In this study, the diagnostic performance of %fPSA and serum PSA in predicting prostate cancer （PCa） and high-grade PCa （HGPCa） was analyzed in a multi-center biopsy cohort of 5915 consecutive Chinese patients who underwent prostate biopsy in 22 hospitals across China from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2013. The indication for biopsy was PSA〉4.0 ng ml^-1 or/and suspicious digital rectal examination. Total and free serum PSA determinations were performed by three types of electrochemiluminescence immunoassays with recalibration to the World Health Organization standards. The diagnostics accuracy of PSA, %fPSA and %fPSA in combination with PSA （%fPSA ＋ PSA） was determined by the area under the receivers operating characteristic curve （AUC）. %fPSA was more effective than PSA in men aged ≥60 years old. The AUC was 0.584 and 0.635 in men aged ≥60 years old with a PSA of 4.0-10.0 ng ml^-1 and 10.1-20.0 ng ml^-1, respectively. The AUC of %fPSA was superior to that of PSA in predicting HGPCa in patients ≥60 years old in these two PSA range. Our results indicated that %fPSA is both statistically effective and clinical applicable to predict prostate biopsy outcome in Chinese patients aged ≥60 years old with a PSA of 4.0-10.0 ng ml^-1 and 10.1-20.0 ng ml^-1.

Repeat mid-urethral sling in management of recurrent or persistent stress urinary incontinence

According to the International Continence Society,stress urinary incontinence(SUI)was defined as involuntary leakage on effort or exertion,or on sneezing or coughing.The prevalence of SUI varies among different age groups and is reportedly 48%(29%-75%).⑴The mid-urethral sling(MUS)procedure is currently considered the gold standard in the surgical treatment of SUL The long-term cure rate of SUI using MUS ranges from 76.9%to 90.0%.11,21 However,incontinence persists in approximately 20%of SUI patients who underwent MUS procedure,and they require further treatment.