Recently published studies had shown that there may be a potential link between the Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of Toll‐like receptor‐4 (TLR4), and the risk of urinary tract infection (UTI); however, no consensus was reached. To further understand the relationship between TLR SNPs and urinary tract infections, we searched for related studies published in PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science before October 30, 2018, for further systematic review and meta‐analysis. Our study accrued 10 case‐control studies, which included 1476 urinary tract infection patients and 1449 healthy controls in TLR4(rs4986790, rs4986791). R3.4.2 and Stata 15.0 software were used for the analysis. In general, there was no statistically significant association between rs4986790 and urinary tract infection in the four genetic models. However, in the subgroup analysis, the Asian population showed significantly difference in the allelic model (G vs A: OR = 1.88 [95% CI:1.42‐2.49], P = .03). In addition, there were also significant differences in the dominant model (GG + AG vs AA OR = 1.97 [95% CI:1.46‐2.66], P = .01). Due to the small number of available literatures, no meaningful conclusion can be drawn regarding the relationship between TLR4 (rs4986791) and the risk of urinary tract infections in general. Nevertheless, our meta‐analysis shows that in Asian populations, TLR4 (rs4986790) may be associated with risk of urinary tract infection.

ABSTRACT. Strong evidence suggests that cancer-associated inflammation promotes tumor growth and progression, and interleukin-6 (IL6) is an important modulator of inflammation. However, the roles of IL6 and mutations of its corresponding gene in prostate cancer have not been clearly documented. We retrieved data from the Oncomine database concerning IL6 expression in prostate cancer and its role in prostatespecific antigen (PSA) recurrence. We also performed a case-control study of the IL6 -572G/C polymorphism (rs1800796) in 236 sporadic prostate cancer patients and 256 healthy controls from a southern Han Chinese population. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to assess the association between rs1800796 and prostate cancer susceptibility. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to test the transcriptional activity of the IL6 promoter G and C alleles. IL6 was overexpressed in prostate cancer tissues compared to normal tissues, especially in those with higher Gleason scores. Moreover, elevated IL6 expression was associated with high PSA recurrence rate in Oncomine data. Our case-control study demonstrated that compared with the -572C allele, the -572G allele conferred a borderline increased risk of prostate cancer (OR = 1.31, 95%CI = 0.99-1.74, P = 0.061). This was more pronounced in the subgroup of individuals having never smoked (OR = 1.85, 95%CI = 1.07-3.22). Moreover, the G allele showed increased activity relative to the C allele in the dual-luciferase reporter assay. Our results suggest that the -572G/C polymorphism may be associated with IL6 expression, which in turn plays a role in prostate cancer development.

Cryptorchidism, a severe congenital malformation, is characterized by an unclear pathogenesis. The objective of this study was to utilize bioinformatic methods to identify potential biomarkers associated with the development of cryptorchidism. Microarray data from the GEO dataset were obtained, and differential expression analysis using the limma package in R software identified 1539 genes that were differentially expressed between the cryptorchidism group and the control group. The Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) algorithm was then utilized to identify a module highly correlated with the cryptorchidism phenotype. A protein interaction network was constructed to investigate the interaction among genes within this module. Subsequently, important hub genes were identified, and single-gene Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA) using the clusterProfiler package in R software was performed to determine genes significantly correlated with the hub genes. The hub genes identified included CDGH1, CS and G6PD, HSPA5, KEAP1, NEDD8, POLR2J, JUN, SOD2, and TXN. Furthermore, the differentially expressed genes were found to be enriched in processes such as mitochondrial translational elongation, mitochondrial translational termination, and translational termination. In conclusion, bioinformatic methods were employed to identify potential biomarkers associated with the pathogenesis of cryptorchidism. However, it is important to acknowledge that these findings reflect correlational rather than causal differences in gene expression, considering the utilization of tissue samples containing various tissue types. Further investigation is needed to establish specific causal relationships.

Background: To compare the clinical outcomes of tubeless minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy（mPCNL）and common minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy under local anesthesia, and to explore the feasibility, safety and clinical efficacy of tubeless mPCNL under local anesthesia. Methods: Patients with PCNL who underwent local anesthesia from January 1, 2018 to November 30, 2018. The patients were divided into Group 1 (tubeless mPCNL: indwelling double J tube, no indwelling nephrostomy tube) and group 2 (common mPCNL: indwelling double J tube and nephrostomy tube). The intraoperative and postoperative parameters of the two groups were compared, including operation time, average postoperative hospital stay, puncture position, postoperative hemoglobin decline, postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS), analgesic use, postoperative fever and stone removal rate. Results: In group1,the VAS scores of 6 hours after surgery was 4.07±1.79 significantly lower than that for group 2 (4.07±1.79 vs 6.24±1.33, P<0.05). and There was a statistically significant difference in the use of analgesics between the two groups（P<0.05）. The VAS scores of day 1 after surgery (2.50±1.76 vs 3.83±2.22 in group1 and group2) was significantly lower in the tubeless mPCNL (P<0.05). The hospital stay for group 1 was significantly shorter than group 2(3.15±1.42 vs 6.48±1.88 days, P<0.01)). There were no significant differences in the operation time, puncture position, postoperative hemoglobin decline rate, VAS score on the day of discharge, postoperative fever, and stone removal rate between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: Tubeless mPCNL is a simple, safe and effective technique under local anesthesia. It is worthy of clinical application. Tubeless mPCNL treatment for renal stones can significantly reduce postoperative pain and shorten hospital stays compared with common m PCNL.