Association of dysmenorrhea with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: a case-control study

OBJECTIVE

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a chronic disabling condition of the urological system. Many gynecological conditions are reported to be associated with IC/BPS. This study presents epidemiological evidence of a possible association between dysmenorrhea and IC/BPS, using population-based data.

DESIGN

A case-control study.

SETTING

Taiwan.

SAMPLE

The study sample was retrieved from Taiwan's Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000, i.e. 291 women aged 18-45 years with a diagnosis of IC/BPS between January 2000 and December 2010 (cases) and 873 randomly selected controls matched on age and index date of ambulatory care visit. We used logistic regression conditioned on age to calculate the odds ratio of cases having a prior diagnosis of dysmenorrhea relative to controls.

RESULTS

Prior dysmenorrhea was found in 87 (29.9%) cases and in 163 (18.7%) of the controls. Conditional logistic regression showed a crude odds ratio of 1.86 (95% confidence interval 1.37-2.52, p < 0.001) for prior dysmenorrhea among cases vs. controls. The adjusted odds ratio was 1.59 (95% confidence interval 1.13-2.23, p = 0.007) after adjusting for medical co-morbidities.

CONCLUSION

This population-based study found that there is an association between IC/BPS and prior dysmenorrhea.

Weekly and holiday-related patterns of panic attacks in panic disorder: a population-based study

BACKGROUND

While chronobiological studies have reported seasonal variation in panic attacks (PA) episodes, information on the timing of PA by week-days may enable better understanding of the triggers of PA episodes and thereby provide pointers for suitable interventional approaches to minimize PA attacks. This study investigated weekly variation in potential PA admissions including associations with holidays using a population-based longitudinal, administrative claims-based dataset in an Asian population.

METHODS

This study used ambulatory care data from the "Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000. We identified 993 patients with panic disorder (PD), and they had 4228 emergency room (ER) admissions for potential PA in a 3-year period between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2011. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine associations between the potential PA admissions and holidays/weekend days/work-days of the week.

RESULTS

The daily mean number of potential PA admissions was 3.96 (standard deviation 2.05). One-way ANOVA showed significant differences in potential PA admissions by holiday and day of the week (p<0.001). Daily frequencies showed a trough on Wednesday-Thursday, followed by a sharp increase on Saturday and a peak on Sunday. Potential PA admissions were higher than the daily mean for the sample patients by 29.4% and 22.1%, respectively on Sundays and holidays. Furthermore, the weekly variations were similar for females and males, although females always had higher potential PA admissions on both weekdays and holidays than the males.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that potential PA admissions among persons with PD varied systematically by day of the week, with a significant peak on weekends and holidays.

Increased risk of pneumonia in patients receiving gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists for prostate cancer

Background

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists and subsequent risk of pneumonia in patients with prostate cancer (PC) using a population-based dataset.

Methods

We obtained the data from Taiwan's Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000. We included 2064 PC in this study. Of the sampled PC patients, 1207 received treatment with GnRH agonists. We individually traced each PC patient for a 1-year period to identify those who were hospitalized with pneumonia. We performed a Cox proportional hazard regression to explore the association between the use of GnRH agonists and the risk of pneumonia during the 1-year follow-up period.

Results

Incidence rates of pneumonia during the 1-year follow-up period were 4.35 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.89∼9.64) per 100 person-years and 2.14 (95% CI: 1.31∼3.32) per 100 person-years for PC patients who did and those who did not receive treatment with GnRH agonists, respectively. The log-rank test suggested that there was a significant difference in the 1-year pneumonia-free survival rate between PC patients who did and those who did not receive treatment with GnRH agonists (p<0.002). After adjusting for age, monthly income, and the Charlson Comorbidities Index score, PC patients who received treatment with GnRH agonists were more likely to have been hospitalized for pneumonia during the 1-year follow-up period than PC patients who did not receive treatment with GnRH agonists (hazard ratio: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.10∼3.36).

Conclusions

PC patients who received treatment with GnRH agonists had an increased risk of pneumonia.

Genome-wide identification and expression profiling of the fatty acid desaturase gene family in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Fatty acid desaturases exist in all living organisms and play important roles in many different biologic processes, such as fatty acid metabolism, lipid biosynthetic processes, and pheromone biosynthetic processes. Using the available silkworm genome sequence, we identified 14 candidate fatty acid desaturase genes. Eleven genes contain 3 conserved histidine cluster motifs and 4 transmembrane domains, but their N-terminal residues exhibit obvious diversity. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that there are 6 groups; Bmdesat1 and Bmdesat5-8 were clustered into group 2, which is involved in Δ11 desaturation activity, and Bmdesat3-4 were grouped in group 1, which is involved in Δ9 desaturation activity. Twelve of the 14 genes have expressed sequence tag evidence. Microarray data and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that Bmdesat3-4 and Bmdesat10 were expressed from the larval to moth stages and in multiple tissues on day 3 of 5th instar larvae. Bmdesat9, Bmdesat11, and Bmdesat14 were expressed during the pupal and late-embryonic stage, suggesting that they may take part in fatty acid metabolism to provide energy. These results provide some insights into the functions of individual fatty acid desaturases in silkworm.

Decellularization and Recellularization Technologies in Tissue Engineering

Decellularization is the process by which cells are discharged from tissues/organs, but all of the essential cues for cell preservation and homeostasis are retained in a three-dimensional structure of the organ and its extracellular matrix components. During tissue decellularization, maintenance of the native ultrastructure and composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is extremely acceptable. For recellularization, the scaffold/matrix is seeded with cells, the final goal being to form a practical organ. In this review, we focus on the biological properties of the ECM that remains when a variety of decellularization methods are used, comparing recellularization technologies, including bioreactor expansion for perfusion-based bioartificial organs, and we discuss cell sources. In the future, decellularization–recellularization procedures may solve the problem of organ assembly on demand.

Dryocrassin Suppresses Immunostimulatory Function of Dendritic Cells and Prolongs Skin Allograft Survival

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the major specialized antigen-presenting cells for the development of optimal T-cell immunity. DCs can be used as pharmacological targets to monitor novel biological modifiers for the cure of harmful immune responses, such as transplantation rejection. Dryopteris crassirhizoma Nakai (Aspiadaceae) is used for traditional herbal medicine in the region of East Asia. The root of this fern plant has been listed for treating inflammatory diseases. Dryocrassin is the tetrameric phlorophenone component derived from Dryopteris. Here we tested the immunomodulatory potential of dryocrassin on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated activation of mouse bone marrow-derived DCs in vitro and in skin allograft transplantation in vivo. Results demonstrated that dryocrassin reduced the emission of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and interleukin-12p70 by LPS-stimulated DCs. The expression of LPS-induced major histocompatibility complex class II, CD40, and CD86 on DCs was also blocked by dryocrassin. Moreover, LPS-stimulated DC-elicited allogeneic T-cell proliferation was alleviated by dryocrassin. In addition, dryocrassin inhibited LPS-induced activation of IkB kinase, JNK/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and the translocation of NF-κB. Treatment with dryocrassin noticeably diminished 2,4-dinitro-1-fluorobenzene-reduced delayed-type hypersensitivity and extended skin allograft survival. Dryocrassin may be one of the potent immunosuppressive agents for transplant rejection via the destruction of DC maturation and function.

Laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) retroperitoneal partial adrenalectomy using a custom-made single-access platform and standard laparoscopic instruments: technical considerations and surgical outcomes

BACKGROUND

We previously reported our initial experience with laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) retroperitoneal partial adrenalectomy using a custom-made single-port device and conventional straight laparoscopic instruments.

METHODS

Between December 2010 and February 2012, LESS retroperitoneal partial adrenalectomies were performed in 11 patients. Six patients had aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs) and five patients had nonfunctioning tumors. A single-port access was created with an Alexis wound retractor (Applied Medical, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, USA) through an incision of 2-3 cm beneath the tip of the 12th rib. All procedures were performed with straight laparoscopic instruments.

RESULTS

All LESS procedures were successfully completed without conversion to traditional laparoscopic conversion. The tumors ranged from 1 cm to 4.7 cm (mean, 2.3 cm). The operative time was 71-257 minutes (mean, 121 minutes). Most patients (n = 8) had minimal blood loss; the other three patients had a blood loss of 150 mL, 100 mL, and 100 mL. The mean hospital stay was 3 days (range, 1-6 days). There were no perioperative or postoperative complications. Pathological examinations revealed negative surgical margins in all specimens. All patients with Conn's syndrome had an improvement in blood pressure and normalization of plasma renin activity and serum aldosterone levels; all patients were free of potassium supplementation.

CONCLUSION

Our results clearly demonstrate that LESS retroperitoneal partial adrenalectomy can be performed safely and effectively using a custom-made single-access platform and standard laparoscopic instruments.

Health care service utilization among patients with bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis in a single payer healthcare system

Background

This study aims to investigate the differences in the utilization of healthcare services between patients with bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) and patients without using a population-based database in Taiwan.

Methods

This study comprised of 350 patients with BPS/IC and 1,750 age-matched controls. Healthcare resource utilization was evaluated in the one-year follow-up period as follows: number of outpatient visits and inpatient days, and the mean costs of outpatient and inpatient treatment. A multivariate regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between BPS/IC and total costs of health care services.

Results

For urological services, patients with BPS/IC had a significantly higher number of outpatient visits (2.5 vs. 0.2, p<0.001) as well as significantly higher outpatient costs ($US166 vs. $US6.8, p<0.001) than the controls. For non–urologic services, patients with BPS/IC had a significantly high number of outpatient visits (35.0 vs. 21.3, p<0.001) as well as significantly higher outpatient cots ($US912 vs. $US675, p<0.001) as compared to the controls. Overall, patients with BPS/IC had 174% more outpatient visits and 150% higher total costs than the controls. Multiple-regression-analyses also showed that the patients with BPS/IC had significantly higher total costs for all healthcare services than the controls.

Conclusions

This study found that patients with BPS/IC have a significantly higher number of healthcare related visits, and have significantly higher healthcare related costs than age-matched controls. The high level of healthcare services utilization accrued with BPS/IC was not necessarily exclusive for BPS/IC, but may have also been associated with medical co-morbidities.

n-butylidenephthalide protects against dopaminergic neuron degeneration and α-synuclein accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans models of Parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that impairs motor skills and cognitive function. To date, the disease has no effective therapies. The identification of new drugs that provide benefit in arresting the decline seen in PD patients is the focus of much recent study. However, the lengthy time frame for the progression of neurodegeneration in PD increases both the time and cost of examining potential therapeutic compounds in mammalian models. An alternative is to first evaluate the efficacy of compounds in Caenorhabditis elegans models, which reduces examination time from months to days. n-Butylidenephthalide is the naturally-occurring component derived from the chloroform extract of Angelica sinensis. It has been shown to have anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory properties, but no reports have yet described the effects of n-butylidenephthalide on PD. The aim of this study was to assess the potential for n-butylidenephthalide to improve PD in C. elegans models.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

In the current study, we employed a pharmacological strain that expresses green fluorescent protein specifically in dopaminergic neurons (BZ555) and a transgenic strain that expresses human α-synuclein in muscle cells (OW13) to investigate the antiparkinsonian activities of n-butylidenephthalide. Our results demonstrate that in PD animal models, n-butylidenephthalide significantly attenuates dopaminergic neuron degeneration induced by 6-hydroxydopamine; reduces α-synuclein accumulation; recovers lipid content, food-sensing behavior, and dopamine levels; and prolongs life-span of 6-hydroxydopamine treatment, thus revealing its potential as a possible antiparkinsonian drug. n-Butylidenephthalide may exert its effects by blocking egl-1 expression to inhibit apoptosis pathways and by raising rpn-6 expression to enhance the activity of proteasomes.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

n-Butylidenephthalide may be one of the effective neuroprotective agents for PD.

Mouse-induced pluripotent stem cells generated under hypoxic conditions in the absence of viral infection and oncogenic factors and used for ischemic stroke therapy

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are considered as having the greatest potential for use in cell-based therapies. However, at least two hurdles remain: integrating viral transgenes and introducing the c-Myc and Klf4 oncogenes. In a previous study, fibroblasts were incapable of generating iPS cells in the absence of both oncogenes and viral infection. For the present study, we tested our hypothesis that iPS cells can be generated without oncogenes and viral infection under hypoxic conditions and used for cell therapies. By avoiding oncogenic factors and virus integration, this strategy would decrease the potential for cancer formation. According to our observations, the repeated transfection of two expression plasmids (Oct4 and Sox2) into mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and combined hypoxic condition resulted in the generation of a novel iPS cell. At 6 h post-transfection, MEFs were subjected to hypoxic conditions (3% O2) for 24 h; this procedure was repeated four times. The resulting MEFs were seeded on feeder cells on day 9; iPS cell clones were observed 12 days post-seeding and designated as iPS-OSH. Data for cell morphology, stem cell marker staining, gene expression profiles, and embryonic body, teratoma, and chimeric mouse formation indicated iPS-OSH pluripotent capability. Neural precursor cells differentiated from iPS-OSH cells were used to treat an ischemic stroke mouse model; results from a behavior analysis indicate that the therapeutic group surpassed the control group. Further, iPS-OSH-derived neural precursor cells differentiated into neurons and astrocytes in mouse stroke brains. In conclusion, we generated a novel iPS-OSH in the absence of viral infection and oncogenic factors and could use it for ischemic stroke therapy.

Reconstructive surgery for idealising penile shape and restoring erectile function in patients with penile dysmorphology and erectile dysfunction

Objective

To report an innovative combination of two surgical procedures to treat patients with erectile dysfunction and penile deviation, arising from advances in penile anatomy.

Patients and methods

From October 1998 to October 2011, 132 men (aged 23–39 years) underwent penile venous stripping and corporoplasty. Of these, 37 were allocated to a transverse and 95 to a longitudinal group, with an infrapubic transverse or pubic median longitudinal approach, respectively. The abridged five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) and cavernosography were used for assessment, as necessary. Under acupuncture-aided local anaesthesia, and after a circumferential incision, the deep dorsal vein and cavernous veins were completely stripped, with 6-0 Nylon sutures for ligation, followed by tunical surgery for correcting the penile shape.

Results

In the transverse and longitudinal groups the mean (SD) duration of surgery was 4.6 (0.2) and 4.8 (0.3) h, respectively. Before surgery the mean (SD) IIEF-5 score was 9.4 (2.3) and 9.6 (2.1), which increased to 20.6 (2.4) and 20.8 (2.7), respectively, after surgery. The penile shape (<15°) was deemed satisfactory in 92% (34/37) and 96% (91/95) of patients in the transverse and longitudinal groups, respectively. The cavernosograms consistently showed a good penile shape. There were significant differences in the mean (SD) duration of penile oedema, at 3.2 (1.6) vs. 11.9 (2.1) days, the overall satisfaction rate and the prevalence of hypertrophied scarring (all P < 0.001).

Conclusion

This combination of unique penile venous stripping with a pubic median longitudinal approach and an anatomy-based corporoplasty is ideally suited to the simultaneous restoration of penile erectile function and morphological reconstruction.

A population-based study on the association between urinary calculi and kidney cancer

BACKGROUND

Using a nationwide population-based dataset and case-control study design, we investigate the association between urinary calculi (UC) and kidney cancer (KC) in Taiwan.

METHODS

The data for this case-control study were sourced from the Taiwan National Health Insurance program. The cases included 1308 incident patients pathologically diagnosed with KC. This study also used 6540 randomly selected subjects as controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to examine the associations between KC and patients previously diagnosed with UC.

RESULTS

Of the sampled patients, 1262 (16.1 %) had previously been diagnosed with UC; 415 (31.7 % of the patients with KC) and 847 controls (13.0 % of patients without KC). After adjusting for monthly income, geographic location, urbanization level, hypertension, diabetes, renal disease, obesity, cystic kidney disease, tobacco use disorder, and alcohol abuse, we found that patients with KC were likely to have been previously diagnosed with UC than controls (odds ratio [OR] 3.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.75-3.68, p < 0.001). In addition, the magnitude of the observed associations were stronger among females (females OR 3.59; 95% CI 2.87-4.48 vs. males OR 2.93, 95% CI 2.42-3.55) and transitional cell carcinoma patients (transitional cell carcinoma, OR 3.96; 95% CI 3.23-4.86 vs. renal cell carcinoma OR 2.76, 95% CI 2.31-3.29).

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that there is an association between KC and prior UC, especially in females and patients with transitional cell carcinoma.

Bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis is associated with anxiety disorder

AIM

Recent research demonstrated that bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) is associated with many coexisting physical and psychiatric conditions. In this study, we explored the potential association between anxiety disorder (AD) and BPS/IC using a case-controlled population-based approach in Taiwan.

METHODS

Data on the sampled subjects analyzed in this study were retrieved from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000. Our study included 396 female cases with BPS/IC and 1,980 randomly selected female controls. We excluded subjects who had a history of major psychosis (except AD) or a substance-related disorder. A conditional logistic regression was performed to calculate the odds ratio (OR) for the association between a previous diagnosis of AD and IC/BPS.

RESULTS

Of the 2,376 sampled subjects, 136 (5.72%) had received an AD diagnosis. AD was found in 64 (16.16%) cases and in 72 (3.64%) controls (P < 0.001). The conditional logistic regression analysis (conditioned on age group and the index year) suggested that compared to controls, the OR for prior AD among cases was 4.59 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.32-9.08, P < 0.001). After adjusting for chronic pelvic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, migraines, sicca syndrome, allergies, asthma, and an overactive bladder, the OR for prior AD among cases was 4.37 (95% CI = 2.16-8.85, P < 0.001) compared to the controls.

CONCLUSIONS

There was an association between AD and BPS/IC, even after taking demographic characteristics, medical co-morbidities, and substance-related disorders into consideration. Results of this study should alert clinicians to evaluate and monitor the presence of BPS/IC in patients with AD.

Bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis is associated with hyperthyroidism

BACKGROUND

Although the etiology of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) is still unclear, a common theme with BPS/IC patients is comorbid disorders which are related to the autonomic nervous system that connects the nervous system to end-organs. Nevertheless, no study to date has reported the association between hyperthyroidism and BPS/IC. In this study, we examined the association of IC/BPS with having previously been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in Taiwan.

DESIGN

Data in this study were retrieved from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database. Our study consisted of 736 female cases with BPS/IC and 2208 randomly selected female controls. We performed a conditional logistic regression to calculate the odds ratio (OR) for having previously been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism between cases and controls.

RESULTS

Of the 2944 sampled subjects, there was a significant difference in the prevalence of prior hyperthyroidism between cases and controls (3.3% vs. 1.5%, p<0.001). The conditional logistic regression analysis revealed that compared to controls, the OR for prior hyperthyroidism among cases was 2.16 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.27∼3.66). Furthermore, the OR for prior hyperthyroidism among cases was 2.01 (95% CI: 1.15∼3.53) compared to controls after adjusting for diabetes, coronary heart disease, obesity, hyperlipidemia, chronic pelvic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, panic disorder, migraines, sicca syndrome, allergies, endometriosis, and asthma.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study results indicated an association between hyperthyroidism and BPS/IC. We suggest that clinicians treating female subjects with hyperthyroidism be alert to urinary complaints in this population.

Adipose-Derived Stem Cells: Isolation, Characterization, and Differentiation Potential

In mammals, the two main types of adipose tissues, white and brown adipose tissues, exert different physiological functions. White adipose tissue (WAT) is for storing energy, while brown adipose tissue (BAT) is for energy consumption. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are abundant in WAT and BAT, have multipotent characteristics, and are easily extracted. ADSCs can be differentiated into several cell lineages, including adipocytes, osteoblasts, chondrocytes (cartilage cells), myocytes, and neuronal cells. Therefore, ADSC could be considered as a strategy for future regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

Aberrant Alternative Splicing Events in Parkinson's Disease

Alternative splicing (AS) using a sole gene to express multiple transcripts with diverse protein coding sequences and/or RNA regulatory elements raises genomic complexities. In the nervous system, several thousand AS events play important roles in ion transportation, receptor recognition, neurotransmission, memory, and learning. Not surprisingly, AS influences human physiology, development, and disease. Many research studies have focused on aberrant AS in nervous system diseases, including Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most common progressive neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system. PD affects the lives of several million people globally. It is caused by protein aggregation, such as in Lewy bodies, and the loss of dopamine-containing neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain. To our knowledge, six genes, including PARK2, SNCAIP, LRRK2, SNCA, SRRM2, and MAPT, are involved in aberrant AS events in PD patients. In this review, we highlight the relevance of aberrant AS in PD and discuss the use of an aberrant AS profile as a potential diagnostic or prognostic marker for PD and as a possible means of applying therapy.

Obstructive sleep apnea increases the risk of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis: a population-based matched-cohort study

AIMS

Previous studies indicated a possible association between bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) and sleep disorders including sleep abnormalities with delayed onset of sleep, waking up before needed, and snoring. Nevertheless, no previous study has reported the association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and BPS/IC. In this retrospective cohort study, we examined the risk of BPS/IC among subjects with OSA during a 3-year follow-up in Taiwan using a population-based dataset.

METHODS

This study comprised 2,940 study subjects with OSA, and 29,400 randomly selected comparison subjects. We individually followed-up each sampled subject (n = 32,340) for a 3-year period to identify those subjects who subsequently received a diagnosis of BPS/IC. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was constructed to estimate the risk of subsequent BPS/IC following a diagnosis of OSA.

RESULTS

Incidences of BPS/IC during the 3-year follow-up period were 13.61 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.37-23.13) and 3.60 (95% CI = 2.06-4.39) for subjects with and those without OSA, respectively. After adjusting for diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, obesity, hyperlipidemia, chronic pelvic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, panic disorder, migraines, sicca syndrome, allergies, endometriosis, asthma, tobacco use disorder, and alcohol abuse, the stratified Cox proportional hazards regressions revealed that the hazard ratio for BPS/IC among subjects with OSA was 3.71 (95% CI = 1.81-7.62, P < 0.001) that of comparison subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides epidemiological evidence of a link between OSA and a subsequent BPS/IC diagnosis. We suggest that clinical practitioners treating subjects with OSA be alert to urinary complaints in this population.

Association between schizophrenia and urinary calculi: a population-based case-control study

Background

People with schizophrenia have been demonstrated to have higher overall morbidity and all-cause mortality rates from general medical conditions. However, little attention has been given to the urinary system of people with schizophrenia. As no direct evidence has been reported demonstrating a link between schizophrenia and urinary calculi, this study utilized a population-based case-control study design to investigate the possibility of an association between schizophrenia and the occurrence of urinary calculi.

Method

This study used data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database. Cases consisted of 53,965 urinary calculi patients newly diagnosed between 2002 and 2008. In total, 269,825 controls were randomly selected and matched with the cases in terms of age and sex. Each person was traced to discern whether he had previously received a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Conditional logistic regression models were performed for the analysis.

Results

A total of 3,119 (1.0%) subjects had been diagnosed with schizophrenia prior to the index date. This included 0.7% of the patients with urinary calculi, and 1.0% of the controls. A prior diagnosis of schizophrenia was independently associated with a 30% decrease (95% CI = 0.62–0.76) in the occurrence of urinary calculi. The reduction was even more remarkable in males (38%, 95% CI = 0.55–0.71) and in elder individuals independent of gender (48% in those aged >69, 95% CI = 0.36–0.77).

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that there is an inverse association between schizophrenia and urinary calculi. Future studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which schizophrenia negatively associates with urinary calculi.

Acetylcorynoline impairs the maturation of mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells via suppression of IκB kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinase activities

Background

Dendritic cells (DCs) are major modulators in the immune system. One active field of research is the manipulation of DCs as pharmacological targets to screen novel biological modifiers for the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Acetylcorynoline is the major alkaloid component derived from Corydalis bungeana herbs. We assessed the capability of acetylcorynoline to regulate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated activation of mouse bone marrow-derived DCs.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Our experimental data showed that treatment with up to 20 µM acetylcorynoline does not cause cytotoxicity in cells. Acetylcorynoline significantly inhibited the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and interleukin-12p70 by LPS-stimulated DCs. The expression of LPS-induced major histocompatibility complex class II, CD40, and CD86 on DCs was also decreased by acetylcorynoline, and the endocytic capacity of LPS-stimulated DCs was restored by acetylcorynoline. In addition, LPS-stimulated DC-elicited allogeneic T-cell proliferation was blocked by acetylcorynoline, and the migratory ability of LPS-stimulated DCs was reduced by acetylcorynoline. Moreover, acetylcorynoline significantly inhibits LPS-induced activation of IκB kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinase. Importantly, administration of acetylcorynoline significantly attenuates 2,4-dinitro-1-fluorobenzene-induced delayed-type hypersensitivity.

Conclusions/Significance

Acetylcorynoline may be one of the potent immunosuppressive agents through the blockage of DC maturation and function.

Association between prostate cancer and urinary calculi: a population-based study

BACKGROUND

Understanding the reasons underlying the emerging trend and the changing demographics of Asian prostate cancer (PC) has become an important field of study. This study set out to explore the possibility that urinary calculi (UC) and PC may share an association by conducting a case-control study on a population-based database in Taiwan.

METHODS

The cases of this study included 2,900 subjects ≥ 40 years-old who had received their first-time diagnosis of PC and 14,500 randomly selected controls without PC. Conditional logistic regressions were employed to explore the association between PC and having been previously diagnosed with UC.

RESULTS

We found that prior UC was found among 608 (21.0%) cases and 2,037 (14.1%) controls (p<0.001). Conditional logistic regression analysis revealed that compared to controls, the odds ratio (OR) of prior UC for cases was 1.63 (95% CI = 1.47-1.80). Furthermore, we found that cases were more likely to have been previously diagnosed with kidney calculus (OR = 1.71; 95% CI = 1.42-2.05), bladder calculus (OR = 2.06; 95% CI = 1.32-3.23), unspecified calculus (OR = 1.66; 95% CI = 1.37-2.00), and ≥2 locations of UC (OR = 1.73; 1.47-2.02) than controls. However, there was no significant relationship between PC and prior ureter calculus. We also found that of the patients with UC, there was no significant difference between PC and treatment method.

CONCLUSIONS

This investigation detected an association between PC and prior UC. These results highlight a potential target population for PC screening.

Myricetin attenuates lipopolysaccharide-stimulated activation of mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells through suppression of IKK/NF-κB and MAPK signalling pathways

BACKGROUND

Myricetin is a naturally occurring flavonoid that is found in many fruits, vegetables, teas and medicinal herbs. It has been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory properties, but, to date, no studies have described the immunomodulatory effects of myricetin on the functions of dendritic cells (DCs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential for myricetin to modulate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated activation of mouse bone marrow-derived DCs.

RESULTS

Our experimental data showed that treatment with myricetin up to 10 µg mL(-1) does not cause cytotoxicity in cells. Myricetin significantly decreased the secretion of tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 and interleukin-12p70 by LPS-stimulated DCs. The expression of LPS-induced major histocompatibility class II, CD40 and CD86 on DCs was also inhibited by myricetin, and the endocytic and migratory capacity of LPS-stimulated DCs was blocked by myricentin. In addition, LPS-stimulated DC-elicited allogeneic T-cell proliferation was reduced by myricetin. Moreover, our results confirmed that myricetin attenuates the responses of LPS-stimulated activation of DCs via suppression of IκB kinase/nuclear factor-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent pathways.

CONCLUSION

Myricetin has novel immunopharmacological activity, and modulation of DCs by myricetin may be an attractive strategy for the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, and for transplantation.