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Zhao-Dian Chen

Publications and source records attributed to Zhao-Dian Chen.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Effect of cocaine on germ cell apoptosis in rats at different ages.

AIM: To investigate the effect of cocaine on apoptosis and caspase-3 activity in germ cells in male rats at different ages. METHODS: Cocaine hydrochloride was given (15 mg/kg body weight s.c.) to male Sprague-Dawley rats of 3 weeks (n = 8), 6 weeks (n = 8) and 12 weeks (n = 8) of age, daily for 28 Days. The serum levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), testosterone (T) and estrogen (E2) were assayed, and the DNA fragmentation of germ cells was determined by gel eletronphoresis. The cell cycle, apoptosis and caspase-3 activity of germ cells were tested by flow cytometry. RESULTS: After the 28-day cocaine treatment, testes weight of the 3-week-old rats, the testes and body weights of the 6-week-old rats were decreased significantly compared to those of their corresponding controls (P < 0.05). The serum level of T was decreased significantly in the 3-week-old and 6-week-old rats, and the serum level of PRL was also decreased significantly in 12-week-old rats compared to the controls (P < 0.05). In all the three cocaine-treated groups, the isolated DNA displayed a clear ladder pattern, especially in the 6-week old rats. The number of apoptosic germ cells increased significantly in 3- and 6-week-old rats treated with cocaine (P < 0.05). The caspase-3 activity in all three groups increased significantly compared to the controls (P < 0.05), especially in the 6-week-old rats. CONCLUSION: Cocaine exposure for 28 Days leads to significant damage to male gonad and apoptosis elevation in testes of rats of different ages, especially in those of 6 weeks of age. The increase in caspase-3 activity might be a key pathway related to the early stage of apoptosis as the mechanism of cocaine-induced germ cell loss.

Aging↗
PubMed2006

[The specific expression profile of homeobox gene NKX3.1 mRNA and protein in prostate tissues and its relationship with primary prostate cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To determine expressions of NKX3.1 mRNA and protein in prostatic tissues and to investigate the relation between homeobox gene NKX3.1 and prostatic carcinoma. METHODS: 76 prostatic tissues (32 cancer, 12 normal prostate and 32 benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues) and 96 non-prostatic tissues were analyzed for the detection of expressions of NKX3.1 mRNA and protein by using semi-quantitative RT-PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemical technique. RESULTS: In 76 prostatic tissues, NKX3.1 mRNA was detected in 75 specimens (98.7%), whereas in 96 non-prostatic specimens, NKX3.1 mRNA was negatively expressed in the tissues of bladder, kidney, liver, intestine, fat and skin, except for two expressed in testis and one in mammary gland. The expression ratio of NKX3.1 protein in the epithelia cells of prostate was 100%, but in testis mammary gland was 16.7%, in bladder and intestine was 8.3%, and in kidney, liver, fat and skin was 0% (P < 0.01). The total strong positive ratio of NKX3.1 protein in the epithelia cell of prostate was 94.7%, 5.3% in the stroma cell of prostate (P < 0.01), and 13.6% in benignant prostate cell, 40.6% in prostate cancer (P < 0.01), respectively. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that NKX3.1 is not only the prostate-specific homeobox gene, but is the epithelia-cell-specific gene of prostate. It may play an important role in the development of prostatic carcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

[Distribution features of Gleason score and its relationship with clinical stages in 346 prostate cancer patients].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the distribution features of Gleason score and evaluate the relationship between Gleason score and clinical stages in patients with prostate cancer. METHODS: Surveys were made of the inpatients with prostate cancer diagnosed by pathology from January 1992 to June 2005 in our hospital. Gleason score and clinical stages were determined on the basis of pathological examination and clinical data of the prostate cancer patients. The patients were divided into three groups (1992-1999, 2000-2002 and 2003-2005). The Chi-square test was used to evaluate the distribution and differences of Gleason score among the three groups. Spearman rank correlation was applied to the evaluation of the relationship between Gleason score and clinical stages. RESULTS: We found a statistically significant shift in the distribution of Gleason score (chi2 = 17.703, P < 0.01), and a slight increase in the mean Gleason score. The proportion of moderately differentiated tumor increased (chi2 = 10.736, P < 0.01). There was little change in the proportion of Gleason score 7, 8, 9 and 10 (chi2 = 4.038, P > 0.05). Gleason score had a significant positive correlation with clinical stages in the 346 cases of prostate cancer (r = 0.452, P < 0.01). Significant difference was observed between Gleason score 2-6 and 7 or 8-10 (chi2 = 8.786, P < 0.01, chi2 = 22.956, P < 0.01), but not between the latter 2 groups (chi2 = 0.787, P > 0.05) in prediction of organ-confined disease. CONCLUSIONS: Gleason score 7 shows the similar value to Gleason score 8-10 in predicting the progression of the disease. Gleason score was significantly correlated with clinical stages, which suggests that Gleason score is also an important indicator for the prognosis of prostate cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Gene transfer of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide into the penis improves erectile response in the diabetic rat.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the feasibility of transfecting penile corpora cavernosa with pcDNA3/vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) cDNA, which encodes for VIP in streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats, to clarify whether transfection of VIP cDNA into the cavernosum affects the physiological response to cavernosal nerve stimulation, and whether this process would affect other organs in the diabetic rat model in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: pcDNA3/VIP cDNA was injected into the corpus cavernosum of STZ-induced diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats. The intracavernosal pressure (ICP) and response to electrical stimulation of the cavernosal nerve (15 Hz, 1.5 ms, 20 V, 1 min) were measured in subsamples of rats at 1, 3, 7 and 14 days after injection; after measuring the ICP the animals were killed, and penile, hepatic, renal artery and abdominal aorta tissue samples were frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80 degrees C. The gene expression of VIP in all samples, assessed as the expression of VIP mRNA, was estimated using a semiquantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The mean amplitude of ICP and expression of VIP mRNA in the cavernosa of the VIP-treated rats was greater at 1, 3, 7 and 14 days after injection (P < 0.05) than in the control animals. There were no changes in the expression of VIP mRNA in hepatic, renal and abdominal aorta samples after injection (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: VIP cDNA is easily incorporated into corpus cavernosum, and the expression is sustained for > or = 2 weeks in the penis in vivo. The transfer of VIP is capable of altering the physiologically relevant erectile response, as measured by an increase in the ICP after stimulating the cavernosal nerve. The intracorporal micro-injection of pcDNA3/VIP cDNA had little effect on the expression of VIP mRNA in other important organs.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Preliminary study on androgen dependence of calcitonin gene-related peptide in rat penis.

UNLABELLED: To study the androgen dependence of the neurotransmitter, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in rat penis. METHODS: Forty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into Group A (intact controls), Group B (castrated) and Group C (gavaged with finasteride 4.5 mg.kg(-1).day(-1)). Four and ten weeks later respectively, half of rats in each group were anaesthetized. Blood samples were taken for the measurement of serum testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by means of radioimmunoassay. Penile samples were harvested for the investigation of calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP)-immunoreactive nerve fibers with immunohistochemistry. The computer-assisted imaging analysis system was applied to calculate the area proportion of the CGRP-positive nerve fibers (CGRP-PNF) in each group. RESULTS: 1) Both 4 and 10 weeks later, testosterone and DHT levels in Group B decreased significantly compared with those in Group A, (P <0.05, P <0.01, respectively); DHT level in Group C was also significantly decreased in comparison with that in Group A for both 4- and 10- week animals (P <0.05); 2) There was no significant differences in area proportion of CGRP-PNF among Groups A, B and C 4 weeks after treatments (P >0.05); However, 10 weeks later, the proportion of CGRP-PNF in Groups B and C was significantly less than that in Group A (P <0.01); 3) The proportion of CGRP-PNF of 4-week animals in Groups B and C was significantly higher than that of 10-week animals (P <0.05). CONCLUSION: The expression of neurotransmitter, CGRP may depend on androgens, including testosterone and DHT in rat penis.

Androgens↗
PubMed2005

A large intrascrotal calculus.

A large stone with 8.7 cm multiply 7.2 cm multiply 6.5 cm in size and 420 g in weight dropped down spontaneously from a 93-year-old man's scrotum, who had suffered from left intrascrotal mass and pain for more than 20 years. The component of the stone was magnesium ammonium phosphate. To the best of our knowledge, it is the largest intrascrotal calculus reported in the world. We hereby present the case and discuss the diagnosis and etiology of scrotal calculi.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

[Age and pathological features of 481 prostate cancer patients].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the age and pathological features of prostate cancer patients in recent years. METHODS: An analysis was made of the age and pathological features of 481 cases of prostate cancer pathologically diagnosed from January 1998 to April 2004, 39 cases in 1998, 69 in 1999, 73 in 2000, 68 in 2001, 72 in 2002, 121 in 2003, and 39 in the first four months of 2004. RESULTS: The patients ranged in age from 40 to 91 years, averaging 72, 95% between 55 and 84, and 84.2% over 65 years. Pathologically, 14 cases were well, 29 moderately, and 83 poorly differentiated according to the three-grade system (WHO, the Mostofi system), with 355 cases ungraded. Forty cases (8.3%) were microcarcinoma (< 1 cm), and 20 cases (4.2%) incidental carcinoma. Of the total number, 473 cases (98.1%) were pathologically diagnosed as adenocarcinoma, 1 endometrioid adenocarcinoma, 1 squamous cell carcinoma, 1 signet ring cell carcinoma, 1 adenosquamous cell carcinoma, 1 small cell carcinoma, 1 mucinous adenocarcinoma, 1 adenoid cystic carcinoma, and 1 transitional cell carcinoma. CONCLUSION: Prostate cancer commonly develops in men over 65 years, and adenocarcinoma is the most common histological type. The disease has become a major malignant tumor to endanger elderly males.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2005

[Three-cuff method for establishing an allogeneic testis transplantation model in the rat].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a model of testis transplantation in the rat using cuff techniques. METHODS: Sixty healthy inbred Wistar rats were included as donors and recipients. The testicular artery with the aortic segment with two cuffs was anastomosed to the recipient's aorta and the testicular vein with a cuff was anastomosed to the left common iliac vein of the recipient. The vas deferens was end-to-end anastomosed. RESULTS: Of the 30 rats undergoing transplantation, 27 survived, 2 died from paralytic intestinal obstruction and 1 died from hemorrhage. Of the 27 survivals, 4, 4 and 5 were vivisected on the 14th, 28th and 56th day after operation, respectively, showing a good blood supply to the graft. Another 14 rats were used in another experiment, which revealed no obvious congestion, necrosis and edema in the left lower limb of the recipients. CONCLUSION: The model of allogeneic rat testis transplantation established with cuff techniques, simple, stable and reliable, can be used as a tool for the study of testis transplantation.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

[Correlation of Skp2 and P27kip1 protein expression and clinicopathological features of prostate cancer].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: The F-box protein Skp2 is required for the ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis of the cyclin-depended kinase inhibitor p27(kip1). Overexpression of Skp2 has been reported in many cancers, including breast carcinoma, gastric carcinoma, and prostate cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of Skp2 and p27(kip1) expression with the clinicopathological features of prostatic carcinoma, and the correlation between expression of Skp2 and p27(kip1) in prostate cancer. METHODS: Skp2 and p27(kip1) protein expression were evaluated in the tissues of 41 human prostatic carcinomas as well as 20 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) using immunohistochemistry (EnVision method). RESULTS: The Skp2 labeling frequency in prostatic carcinoma (8.52%+/-2.40%) was significantly higher than that in BPH (0.21%+/-0.15%)(P< 0.001). The Skp2 protein expression in prostatic carcinoma was positively correlated with preoperative serum prostate-specific antigen level (r=0.360,P=0.021), extraprostatic extension (r=0.570,P< 0.001), tumor stage (r=0.531, P< 0.001), and histological grade (r=0.514,P=0.001). The p27(kip1) labeling frequency in prostatic carcinoma(70.71%+/-4.25%) was significantly lower than that in BPH (97.21%+/-2.10%) (P< 0.001). The p27(kip1) protein expression in prostatic carcinoma was inversely correlated with preoperative serum prostate-specific antigen level (r=-0.399,P=0.010), extraprostatic extension (r=-0.329, P=0.036), tumor stage (r=-0.453,P=0.003), and histological grade (r=-0.290,P=0.046). Skp2 expression was inversely correlated with p27(kip1) in prostate cancer (rho=-0.572,P< 0.001). CONCLUSION: Expression of Skp2 protein may lead to decrease p27(kip1) level in human prostatic carcinoma, indicating its involvement in the development of human prostatic carcinoma. It may provide new targets for the therapy of prostate cancer.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Ultrastructural changes of penile tunica albuginea in diabetic rats.

AIM: To clarify the ultrastructural changes of penile tunica albuginea (TA) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. METHODS: Intraperitoneal injection of STZ was used to induce diabetes mellitus (DM) in 12 Sprague Dawley rats. Ten rats (age and weight-matched) were used as control. Blood samples from the tail snips of the rats were used for the determination of serum glucose levels with SureStep Plus Blood Meter. At week 4 and 10 after the injection, half of the rats in each group were sacrificed and penile samples were obtained from the middle third of the penile shaft for the examination of TA under scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS: In the diabetic group, the serum glucose levels were higher (P<0.01 at both time points) and the TA were thinner (P<0.05) than those of the controls. In the control group, the fibers of TA were rich and arranged regularly and undulated, while in the diabetic group, the fibers were diminished, lost the undulations and were arranged irregularly. CONCLUSION: In rats, DM appeared to impair the penile TA ultrastructures and this impairment could contribute to diabetic erectile dysfunction in part by impairing the veno-occlusive function.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Effect of androgen deprivation on penile ultrastructure.

AIM: To investigate the ultrastructural changes of penile corpus cavernosum and tunica albuginea in rats treated with castration or finasteride. METHODS: Eighteen male Sprague-Dawley rats of nine weeks old were randomly divided into three groups with 6 rats each. Group A served as the control, Group B was castrated and Group C, treated with finasteride. Four weeks later, rats were anesthetized and blood samples obtained for the determination of serum testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels; penile tissues were taken for scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS: The T, free T and DHT levels in Group B and the DHT level in Group C were significantly lower than those in Group A (P<0.05). The tunica albuginea was significantly thinner in Group B than that in Group A (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between Group C and Group A (P>0.05). Elastic fibers in the tunica albuginea of Group A were very rich and arranged regularly and undulatedly, but in Group B, most of the elastic fibers were replaced by collagenous fibers. In Group C, the tunica albuginea was mainly composed of thick and irregular-arranged collagenous fibers. In Group A, there were abundant smooth muscle fibers in the trabeculae of corpus cavernosum, but they were much less in Group C and scarce or even disappeared in Group B. In Groups B and C, the diminished/disappeared smooth muscle fibers were replaced by irregularly arranged collagenous fibers. CONCLUSION: In rats, androgen is essential for maintaining the normal structure of penile tunica albuginea and corpus cavernosum.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

[Effects of testosterone on GDNF mRNA expression in rat ventral prostate].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of testosterone on GDNF(glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor) expression in rat ventral prostate. METHODS: Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into 3 groups, group A(n = 8, sham operation, uncastrated controls), group B (n = 8, castrated), group C (n = 8, castrated and given testosterone undecanoate (TU) 50 mg/kg by intramuscular injection). Ventral prostate tissues removed from adult male rats at 3 days after operation were analyzed for the expression of GDNF mRNA by semiquantitative RT-PCR assay. RESULTS: The ventral prostate tissues shrank remarkably in the castrated rats, and prostatic hyperplasia accurred in those that had received both castration and testosterone undecanoate. GDNF mRNA expressed in the normal rats ventral prostates, and the prostatic expression of GDNF mRNA decreased significantly at 3 days after castration(P < 0.05), but increased significantly (P < 0.05) in those that had received both castration and TU. CONCLUSIONS: The gene expression of glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor in the ventral prostate of rats is dependent on testosterone, and GDNF is involved in the growth of rat ventral prostate.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

[Studies on dihydrotestosterone-binding capacity in prostate tissue].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of the binding ability of the dihydrotestosterone(DHT) in prostate. METHODS: Twenty-two normal prostate tissues taken from accident-death corpses without serious diseases, and cytosolic and nuclear fractions were prepared with all the endogenous hormone removed from the cytosolic and nuclear fractions by ether stripping. The content of the bound 3H-DHT was assayed by adding 3H-DHT. RESULTS: The average DHT-binding capacity of the DHT-binding protein in prostate was (0.0263 +/- 0.0047) nmol/g wet tissue. The DHT-binding capacities of cytosolic and nuclear fractions were (0.0103 +/- 0.0015) nmol/g wet tissue and (0.0155 +/- 0.0035) nmol/g wet tissue respectively, and the difference between them was very significant(P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The DHT-binding capacity of the DHT-binding protein in prostate is high and maintaining the high DHT level facilitates the effect of DHT.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

[Tissue engineering used in andrology].

Trauma, tumor, disease and congenital abnormalities may lead to genital organ damage or function failure, and consequently the requirement of its reconstruction. Tissue engineering follows the principles of cell transplantation, materials science and engineering toward the development of biological substitutes that would restore and maintain normal function. These new techniques have been recently introduced into the field of andrology. Based on the latest advances, the present paper afferds a general prospect of the future direction of the development of tissue engineering in andrology.

Genitalia, Male↗
PubMed2002

Clinical significance of EGF and EGFR expression changes in cryptorchid boys.

AIM: To explore the changes of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expressions in cryptorchid children and their clinical significance. METHODS: The level of serum EGF was measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and the expression of EGFR by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: (1) The level of serum EGF was significantly lower in cryptorchid children than in normal subjects at age group of 5-9 years (P<0.01) and 10-14 years (P<0.01), (2) The level of EGF was significantly lower in boys with impalpable testis than in those with extracanalicular and intracanalicular testes (P<0.01), (3) The serum EGF level increased significantly 6 months after orchiopexy (P<0.05), (4) The EGFR expression in testicular Leydig's cells was lower in 2 approximately 4 year-old boys than in those over 5 years (P<0.05) and (5) the EGFR expression was less positive in the impalpable group and the intracanalicular group than that of the extracanalicular group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The EGF and EGFR expressions may correlate with the age and the position of testes; orchiopexy improves the EGF and EGFR expressions in cryptorchid boys.

Adolescent↗