In most parts of China, mosquitoes have been subjected to organophosphate (OP) insecticide treatments since the mid-1960s, and resistance gene monitoring in the Culex pipiens complex (Diptera: Culicidae) started in only a few locations from the end of the 1980s. ). This situation is atypical, and may represent a complex situation for the evolution of insecticide resistance genes in China. To increase our understanding of the Chinese situation and our ability to manage resistance in the C. pipiens complex, a large study was performed. Twenty field populations were sampled from Beijing to Guangzhou. Bioassays with five insecticides (dichlorvos, parathion, chlorpyrifos, 2-sec-butylphenyl methyl carbamate, and propoxur) disclosed resistance levels variable according to the geographic origin, and up to 85-fold for dichlorvos. Six overproduced esterases were identified, including two that have not been previously described. Most of them were found in all samples, although at variable frequencies, suggesting variable selection or a transient situation, e.g., each one was recently restricted to a particular geographic area. The results are discussed in the context of recent alterations to insecticide campaigns, and of the evolution of resistance genes in Chinese C. pipiens populations.

Abstract. Prostate cancer (PCa) is common in Western populations and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality among males in North America, with an increasing morbidity in China and other Asian countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protein expression of autophagy-related genes Beclin-1 and LC3 in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and elucidate their association with p53 and Bcl-2. The total protein of 34 PCa and 50 BPH samples was extracted and the expression of Beclin-1 and LC3 was analyzed by western blotting assay. Subsequently, a total of 96 paraffin-embedded BPH tissue samples was subdivided into 2 groups, one group in which patients had received 5α-reductase inhibitor, due to its effect of androgen ablation, and the control group, in which patients had not received the 5α-reductase inhibitor. The samples were randomly collected and examined using immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis. The western blot analysis demonstrated that Beclin-l and LC3 expression was higher in BPH tissues compared to PCa tissues (P<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between PCas of different Gleason scores (P>0.05). The result of IHC revealed that Beclin-l and LC3 expression in the group of patients who had received the 5α-reductase inhibitor was significantly higher compared to that in the control group; however, the expression of Bcl-2 and p53 was lower (P<0.05). Beclin-1 expression exhibited a negative correlation with Bcl-2 (r=-0.402, P<0.001), whereas LC3 expression exhibited a positive correlation with Beclin-1 (r=0.345, P=0.001) and a negative correlation with Bcl-2 (r=-0.216, P=0.035). It was suggested that autophagy-related genes Beclin-l and LC3 may be involved in the development and progression of PCa. In addition, the expression of these genes was higher in patients with BPH who had received a 5α-reductase inhibitor, due to androgen reduction. As a result, the induced autophagy may reduce the risk of PCa.

Background To study the outcome and experience of using metallic stents in treating patients with malignant ureteral obstruction (MUO). Methods Seventy-six patients with MUO were assigned to the metallic stent group (MSG) or the ordinary polymer stent group (OPSG) according to the different materials. The success rate of the operation, duration of operation, patency rate serum creatinine values ,postoperative complications and QOL scores were compared between the two groups. Results In the OPSG and MSG, the success rates of the operation were 95.5% and 96.9%, respectively, and the durations of the operation were 20.6 ± 2.2 min and 50.9 ± 10.3 min ( P < 0.01), respectively. There was no significant difference between the groups in serum creatinine values at 3 days after the operation ( P > 0.05); however, the creatinine values at 3 days after the operation decreased significantly compared with those before the operation ( P < 0.01). In the OPSG, there was no significant difference in creatinine values between 3 days and 6 months after operation, while the creatinine values 1 year after operation were increased significantly compared to those at 3 days after the operation ( P < 0.05). In the MSG, there was no significant difference among creatinine values at different intervals ( P > 0.05). The total rate of post-procedural complication was lower in the MSG than that in the OPSG( P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the QOL score between the two groups before the operation ( P > 0.05); however, the QOL scores at 6 months and 1 year after the operation were higher in the MSG than that in the OPSG( P < 0.05). In the MSG, there was no significant difference in the QOL score between preoperation and 6 months after surgery. Similarly, there was also no difference in the QOL score between 6 months after surgery and 1 year after surgery( P > 0.05). On the contrary, the differences of QOL score in the OPSG group were much significant between disparate time intervals ( P < 0.05). Conclusions For patients with MUO who require long-term retention of the stent, metallic stents with longer indwelling time are superior to ordinary polymeric stents.

Histone methylation, which is regulated by histone methyltransferases (HMTs) and histone demethylases (HDMs), has been indicated to be involved in a variety of diseases, particularly in cancer, including androgen‑independent prostate cancer (PCa). However, the functions of HMTs and HDTs in cancer have largely remained elusive. The present study, utilized an RNA interference screening using a lentiviral small hairpin (sh)RNA library to systematically elucidate the function of HMTs and HDTs in PCa cell growth and viability. Nine HMTs and HDTs, namely FBXO11, PRDM10, JMJD8, MLL, SETD4, JMJD7, PRMT2, MEN1 and PRDM16, were identified to affect DU145 cell viability, as indicated by an MTS assay subsequent to knockdown of the specific genes using shRNA pools. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis and western blot analysis of apoptosis‑associated proteins indicated that PRDM16 has an anti‑apoptotic role in PCa cells. In addition, the spliced form, sPRDM16/MEL1S, was detected to be overexpressed in PCa cell lines. In conclusion, the present study indicated an important oncogenic role of sPRDM16/MEL1S in PCa and suggested that PRDM16 may represent a novel therapeutic target.