Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio independently predicts advanced pathological staging and poorer survival outcomes in testicular cancer

Yu Guang Tan,Joshua Sia,Hong Hong Huang,Weber Kam On Lau 대한비뇨의학회 2019 Investigative and Clinical Urology Vol.60 No.3

Purpose: An elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been associated with adverse outcomes in various malignancies. However, its role in prognosticating testicular cancer (TC) has not been validated. We aim to study the relationship between NLR and TC. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 160 patients with histological proven TC from January 2005 to June 2016. Youden's index was used to analyse NLR and a cut-off point of 3.0 was obtained, with statistical receiver operating characteristics of 0.755. Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier (log rank test) and logistics regression models were used to predict NLR association with survival outcomes. Results: Median age was 34 years old (range, 17–68 years old). There were 102 pure seminomas and 58 non-seminomatous germ cell tumours. Median follow-up period was 8 years (range, 2.5–17 years). NLR ≥3.0 was independently associated with lymph node involvement (p=0.031; odds ratio [OR], 2.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.67–5.83; p=0.038; OR, 4.12; 95% CI, 1.26–6.51) and metastatic disease (p=0.041; OR, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.22–3.98; p=0.043; OR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.17–3.65) in both seminomatous and non-seminomatous germ cell tumours, translating to a more advanced disease. Moreover, NLR ≥3.0 also predicts poorer cancer specific survival in these patients. Conclusions: NLR can be an inexpensive haematological marker in predicting advanced TC staging and poorer survival outcome. NLR complements the traditional cancer staging by identifying a group of high risk patients who may benefit from multimodal treatment and closer surveillance to achieve long term survival.

Baicalin attenuates adriamycin-induced nephrotic syndrome by regulating fibrosis procession and inflammatory reaction

Tan Ning,Sun Chen-Xia,Zhu Hui-Jun,Li De-Yu,Huang Sheng-Guang,He Shou-Di 한국유전학회 2021 Genes & Genomics Vol.43 No.9

Background Baicalin has anti-infammatory, antibacterial, blood platelet aggregation-inhibiting, free oxygen radical-clearing, and endotoxin-decreasing properties. However, its molecular mechanism involved in the treatment of Adriamycin-induced nephrotic syndrome (NS) is still unclear. Objective This study aimed to explore the efects of baicalin on Adriamycin-induced nephrotic syndrome (NS) and to characterize the genes involved in this progression. Methods We established Adriamycin-induced NS model in 32 rats and used six rats in Sham group. Urinary total protein content and creatinine serum were assessed as physiological indicators. H&E staining was used to observe the pathological changes. We determined gene expression profles using transcriptome sequencing in the rat kidney tissues from Sham, Adriamycin, and Adriamycin+baicalin groups. KEGG was carried out to analyze the enriched pathways of diferentially expressed genes among these groups. Results Baicalin treatment relieved renal injury in NS rats. Expression of 363 genes was signifcantly diferent between the Adriamycin and Adriamycin+baicalin M groups. Most of the diferentially expressed genes were enriched in pathways involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), fbrosis, apoptosis, and infammation. Conclusions Overall, these data suggest that Adriamycin-induced NS can be attenuated by baicalin through the suppression of fbrosis-related genes and infammatory reactions. Baicalin is a potential drug candidate for the treatment of NS, and the identifed genes represent potential therapeutic targets.

Predictors and outcomes of laparoscopic nephrectomy in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

Kenneth Chen,Yu Guang Tan,Darren Tan,Gregory Pek,Hong Hong Huang,Soon Phang Allen Sim 대한비뇨의학회 2018 Investigative and Clinical Urology Vol.59 No.4

Purpose: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common hereditary kidney disease, and 20% of patients eventually require nephrectomies due to compressive symptoms or renal-related complications. Traditionally, nephrectomies were performed via the open approach in view of space constraints. We evaluate our institution's outcomes for laparoscopic nephrectomy (LN) for ADPKD. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 33 patients with ADPKD who underwent nephrectomies from November 2005 to December 2016 at a tertiary institution. Preoperative kidney volume was calculated via the ellipsoid method by using computed tomography scan. Results: The median age was 51.0 years (interquartile range [IQR], 44.5–56.0 years). Sixteen patients (48.5%) underwent open nephrectomy (ON), 15 patients (45.5%) had LNs, and 2 patients (6.1%) had laparoscopic converted to ON due to dense adhesions. Thirteen patients had bilateral while 18 patients had unilateral nephrectomies. Median kidney volume in the open group was 1,042 cm3 (IQR, 753–2,365 cm3) versus 899 cm3 (IQR, 482–1,914 cm3) in the laparoscopy group and did not differ significantly. The operative time was comparable between both groups. Patients who underwent LN had lesser blood loss (350 mL vs. 650 mL; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.822–3.533; p=0.016) and shorter length of hospital stay (4.0 days vs. 6.5 days; 95% CI, 1.445–5.755; p=0.001) compared to patients who underwent ON. Both groups had similar low morbidity rate and no mortality.

Increasing Demeclocycline Production in Streptomyces aureofaciens by Manipulating the Expression of a Novel SARP Family Regulator and Its Genes

Yan-Ying Tan,Guang-Yao Zhu,Rui-Fang Ye,Hong-Zhou Zhang,De-Yu Zhu 한국생물공학회 2021 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.26 No.6

Demeclocycline (DMCTC), a tetracycline derivative antibiotic produced by Streptomyces aureofaciens, has attracted attention owing to its high bioavailability, prolonged maintenance of a therapeutic concentration, and greater efficacy against many infectious microorganisms. However, the productivity of the DMCTC-producing strains has remained low. Thus, it is necessary to identify gene-knockout or amplification targets to increase DMCTC production. Here, we demonstrated that ctcB, which encodes a Streptomyces antibiotic regulatory protein (SARP), and ctcC, which encodes a resistance gene, positively regulate the biosynthesis of DMCTC in S. aureofaciens strain DT1. In particular, overexpression of the ctcB gene in S. aureofaciens DT1 significantly enhanced DMCTC production, resulting in increased expression of ctcG, ctcN, ctcQ, ctcH, ctcV, and ctcC. The deletion of ctcB dramatically reduced the DMCTC level, implying that CtcB is an activator of DMCTC biosynthesis. Although overexpression of the ctcC, which encodes a ribosomal protection protein, enhancing DMCTC biosynthesis in S. aureofaciens DT1, the improvement was limited compared with that achieved by ctcB overexpression. This is the first study to identify the role of ctcB and ctcC in DMCTC accumulation; these genes may also be ideal candidate targets for facilitating DMCTC production by other Streptomyces strains.

Ginsenoside Ro, an oleanolic saponin of Panax ginseng, exerts antiinflammatory effect by direct inhibiting toll like receptor 4 signaling pathway

Hong-Lin Xu,Guang-Hong Chen,Yu-Ting Wu,Ling-Peng Xie,Zhang-Bin Tan,Bin Liu,Hui-Jie Fan,Hong-Mei Chen,Gui-Qiong Huang,Min Liu,Ying-Chun Zhou 고려인삼학회 2022 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.46 No.1

Background: Panax ginseng Meyer (P. ginseng), a herb distributed in Korea, China and Japan, exerts benefits on diverse inflammatory conditions. However, the underlying mechanism and active ingredients remains largely unclear. Herein, we aimed to explore the active ingredients of P. ginseng against inflammation and elucidate underlying mechanisms. Methods: Inflammation model was constructed by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in C57BL/6 mice and RAW264.7 macrophages. Molecular docking, molecular dynamics, surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) and immunofluorescence were utilized to predict active component. Results: P. ginseng significantly inhibited LPS-induced lung injury and the expression of proinflammatory factors, including TNF-a, IL-6 and IL-1b. Additionally, P. ginseng blocked fluorescence-labeled LPS (LPS488) binding to the membranes of RAW264.7 macrophages, the phosphorylation of nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Furthermore, molecular docking demonstrated that ginsenoside Ro (GRo) docked into the LPS binding site of toll like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation factor 2 (MD2) complex. Molecular dynamic simulations showed that the MD2-GRo binding conformation was stable. SPRi demonstrated an excellent interaction between TLR4/MD2 complex and GRo (KD value of 1.16 × 10<SUP>-9</SUP> M). GRo significantly inhibited LPS488 binding to cell membranes. Further studies showed that GRo markedly suppressed LPS-triggered lung injury, the transcription and secretion levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β. Moreover, the phosphorylation of NF-kB and MAPKs as well as the p65 subunit nuclear translocation were inhibited by GRo dose-dependently. Conclusion: Our results suggest that GRo exerts anti-inflammation actions by direct inhibition of TLR4 signaling pathway.

Corrigendum to "Ginsenoside Ro, an oleanolic saponin of Panax ginseng, exerts anti-inflammatory effect by direct inhibiting toll like receptor 4 signaling pathway" [J Ginseng Res 46 (2022) 156-166]

Xu, Hong-Lin,Chen, Guang-Hong,Wu, Yu-Ting,Xie, Ling-Peng,Tan, Zhang-Bin,Liu, Bin,Fan, Hui-Jie,Chen, Hong-Mei,Huang, Gui-Qiong,Liu, Min,Zhou, Ying-Chun The Korean Society of Ginseng 2022 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.46 No.2