Xiangming Mao

Identification of long-non coding RNA UCA1 as an oncogene in renal cell carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults, which is associated with poor prognosis and high recurrence. Long non‑coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be dysregulated in cancer and to be important in the regulation of carcinogenesis, thus suggesting that this class of molecules may be used as biomarkers in cancer. The lncRNA urothelial carcinoma associated 1 (UCA1) has been observed to be upregulated and to function as an oncogene in certain types of cancer; however, the role of UCA1 in RCC remains to be elucidated. The present study aimed to determine the expression and function of UCA1 in RCC. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to determine the expression levels of UCA1 in 46 paired RCC and adjacent normal tissue samples. Furthermore, qPCR was used to determine the expression levels of UCA1 in four RCC cell lines compared with the human embryonic kidney 293T cell line. The impact of UCA1 on cell migration, proliferation and apoptosis was investigated by wound scratch assay, MTT and flow cytometry, respectively. The results of the present study demonstrated that UCA1 expression levels were significantly increased in RCC tissues and cells, as compared with the controls. Ectopic expression and gene silencing of UCA1 in RCC cell lines exerted opposite effects on cellular proliferation, migration and apoptosis, and the results suggested that UCA1 may function as an oncogene in RCC. These results indicated that UCA1 may be considered as a promising biomarker for diagnosis, and a therapeutic target in RCC. Further research is required to elucidate the role and target genes of UCA1 in RCC.

Tumor suppressive miR-196a is associated with cellular migration, proliferation and apoptosis in renal cell carcinoma.

Certain microRNAs (miRs) are implicated in the genesis and progression of various cancers by regulating multiple cellular processes, including apoptosis, proliferation and migration. The aim of the present study was to explore the functions of miR‑196a in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). RCC and paired normal tissues we assessed for miR‑196a expression by reverse-transcription quantitative PCR. Furthermore, the effects of miR‑196a on renal cell proliferation, apoptosis and migration were determined using an MTT assay, flow cytometry and a scratch wound assay following restoration of miR-196a with synthetic mimics. miR‑196a was found to be significantly downregulated in RCC tissues compared with that in normal tissues (P<0.05). In addition, miR‑196a suppressed cell proliferation, apoptosis and migration of the 786‑O and ACHN RCC cell lines. To the best of our knowledge, the present study was the first to report this tumor suppressor role of miR‑196a in RCC. The results indicated that miR‑196a may be a potential diagnostic biomarker for RCC and that transfection of miR-196a mimics may represent a novel treatment strategy for RCC.

MicroRNA‑106b functions as an oncogene in renal cell carcinoma by affecting cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis

Kidney cancer is the 14th most common cancer in the world and its prognosis remains poor due to difficult early detection and treatment. Therefore, the identification of biomarkers for early-stage renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is important. MicroRNA-106b (miR-106b) has been described as an oncogene in several types of human cancer. Previous microarray studies have suggested that miR-106b was significantly upregulated in RCC tissues compared with paired normal kidney tissues and may be a promising biomarker for the prediction of early metastasis following nephrectomy. The present study aimed to determine the expression and function of miR-106b in RCC. The expression of miR-106b in RCC tissues and cells, and in paired normal tissues and cells was determined by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction, based on the previous sequencing results of miRNAs. Furthermore, a wound scratch assay, MTT assay and flow cytometry were performed to examine the functions of miR-106b on cell migration, proliferation and apoptosis. The results demonstrated that miR-106b was upregulated in RCC tissues and cell lines compared with control normal tissues and cell lines. Downregulation of miR-106b with a synthesized inhibitor suppressed cell migration and proliferation and induced renal cancer cell apoptosis, suggesting that miR-106b can be characterized as an oncogene in RCC. To the best of our knowledge, the present study was the first to reveal that miR-106b is upregulated and affects cellular migration, proliferation and apoptosis in RCC. Further studies are required to examine the role and target genes of miR-106b in RCC.

Identification of lncRNA EGOT as a tumor suppressor in renal cell carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer and the prognosis of metastatic RCC remains poor, with a high rate of recurrence and mortality. Long non‑coding RNA (lncRNA) is a class of RNA which serves important roles in multiple cellular processes and tumorigenesis. In the present study, the expression and function of lncRNA eosinophil granule ontogeny transcript (EGOT) were examined in RCC. In 24 paired tissues (RCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues) the results of reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that EGOT was downregulated in 22 RCC tissues compared with paired tissues. Upregulation of lncRNA EGOT by transfection of 786‑O and ACHN RCC cells with pcDNA3.1‑EGOT suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced RCC cell apoptosis. The results demonstrated that EGOT may serve as a tumor suppressor in RCC and may be a potential prognostic biomarker of RCC.

Identification of miR‑195‑3p as an oncogene in RCC

There is increasing evidence that the deregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs; miRs) contributes to tumorigenesis. Previous studies have shown that miR‑195 is downregulated in various types of cancer. The present study aimed to investigate the function and expression levels of miR‑125b. Results of qPCR revealed that miR‑195‑3p, the mature sequence of miR‑195, was upregulated in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tissues and cell lines (786‑O, 769P and ACHN). This indicated that the function and role of miR‑195‑3p may differ in different types of tumor. To assess the function of miR‑195‑3p in RCC cell lines, cell proliferation was examined using MTT and CCK‑8 assays, mobility was assessed using a cell scratch assay, Transwell migration assay and invasion assay, and apoptosis was examined using flow cytometry. These assessments were also performed in cells with upregulated or downregulated miR‑195‑3p via transfection with synthesized miR‑195‑3p mimic or inhibitor. The results revealed that the overexpression of miR‑195‑3p promoted 786‑O and ACHN RCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and inhibited cell apoptosis, whereas the downregulation of miR‑195‑3p suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced cell apoptosis. These results indicated that miR‑195‑3p was associated with the tumorigenesis of RCC, with further investigations to focus on the pathway and use of miR‑195‑3p as a clinical biomarker for RCC.

Primary Amyloidosis of the Urinary Bladder: A Case Report

Primary amyloidosis of the urinary bladder is a rare disease, with only approximately 200 cases reported in the literature. We herein present a case of amyloidosis of the urinary bladder with painful gross hematuria. Pelvic Computed Tomography showed uneven thickening of the bladder wall suspicious of neoplastic lesion. Cystoscopy and transurethral resection were performed. Congo-red staining confirmed amyloidosis it was. Postoperative recovery was good and close follow-up was recommended after discharged. Amyloidosis is usually benign, while it can masquerade as a malignancy. Doctors should consider it when imaging studies reveal a malignancy in bladder.

Brenner tumor of the testis: A case report and review of the literature

Brenner tumor is a rare type tumor, which mainly develops in the ovaries and rarely in the adnexal region and urinary system. To the best of our knowledge, only 5 cases of testicular Brenner tumor have been reported to date. In this report, we present the case of a 55-year-old patient who noted a swelling of the right scrotum for ~20 days. The clinical suspicion was an epididymal cyst. However, following surgical resection and subsequent pathological examination, the mass was diagnosed as a testicular Brenner tumor. A supplementary review of previously published cases and literature is also presented. The aim of this report is to help elucidate this disease and reduce the rate of clinical and pathological misdiagnosis.

miR‑514a‑3p functions as a tumor suppressor in renal cell carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer, and the prognosis of metastatic RCC remains poor with a high rate of recurrence and mortality. A previous study has revealed that microRNA (miRNA), which negatively regulates protein expression, serves a role of oncogene or tumor suppressor. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression and function of miR-514a-3p in RCC. To detect the expression of miR-514a-3p in 32 paired RCC tissues, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed. The function of miR-514a-3p in the proliferation, mobility and apoptosis of RCC cells (786-O and ACHN) was assessed by MTT, CCK-8, cell scratch, Transwell, Hoechst 33342 staining and flow cytometry assay. The results of qPCR revealed that miR-514a-3p was significantly downregulated in RCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. Upregulation of miR-514a-3p by transfection of mimics suppressed RCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced cell apoptosis. The results revealed that miR-514a-3p was significantly downregulated in RCC and may serve a role as tumor suppressor in RCC. Further studies are required, focusing on the possibility of using miR-514a-3p as a biomarker for RCC as well as the pathway of miR-514a-3p in RCC.

A Case Report of Giant Adrenal Ganglioneuroma

Adrenal ganglioneuroma (AGN) is an extremely rare and benign entity comprising Schwann cells and ganglion cells. If the lesion approaches to 6 cm, laparoscopic resection is considered as relative contraindication. Now we present a giant adrenal AGN in a 25-year-old male patient. After abdominal computed tomography (CT) scanning, the patient underwent an exploratory laparotomy with right adrenalectomy and histopathological examination further confirmed the lesions as giant AGN, which measured 7 cm × 5 cm × 3.5 cm. Because giant AGN with lesion size greater than 6 cm should be treated by open surgery, it is significant to report the laparoscopic adrenalectomy in patients with large adrenal lesions.

Urachal carcinoma: Report of two cases and review of the literature

Urachal carcinoma is a rare tumor that most commonly occurs in ovaries and less often in the adnexal region and urinary system. We herein present two cases of urachal carcinoma: One case was a 32-year-old male patient who presented with painless hematuria with blood clots for 1 month, whereas the other case was a 50-year-old woman who presented with gross hematuria with mild dysuria, urgency and frequent urination for 1 year. Following surgical resection, the two patients were diagnosed with urachal adenocarcinoma (mixed type) and urachal mucinous adenocarcinoma, respectively, based on the histopathological examination. A review of previously published cases and relevant literature is also presented. The aim of the present study was to help understand this disease better, in order to reduce the rate of clinical and pathological misdiagnosis.