Publications by authors named "Defeng Ge"

Background: Metabolic syndrome, identified by increased visceral fat accumulation, is notably linked to a heightened risk of nephrolithiasis. Despite this, the influence of the perirenal fat thickness relative to renal parenchymal thickness on kidney stones (KS) development remains ambiguous. This study investigated the clinical characteristics of perirenal fat on both the left and right sides and explored the association between the aforementioned ratio and KS.

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Kidney stones are gaining attention as one of the most common urological diseases. In this study, we first constructed a mouse model of calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystal deposition by intraperitoneal injection of glyoxalate (Gly) and found that the levels of NLRP3, CASP1 and ASC, which constitute the NLRP3 inflammasome, as well as the level of its downstream product, IL-1β, were elevated in the kidneys of the model group of mice, as determined by RNA-seq. We then examined NLRP3 expression via immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, qPCR, and Western blotting in human samples, calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM)-stimulated HK2 cells, and a model of calcium oxalate crystal deposition via intraperitoneal injection.

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Puerarin(PUE), an isoflavonoid extracted from Pueraria root, has anti-apoptotic effects. The objective of this research is to examine the impact of PUE on renal apoptosis and inflammation resulting from renal calculi and to elucidate its mechanism. The approach of network pharmacology and molecular docking was employed to discover potential targets and pathways of PUE.

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Background: Urolithiasis is a highly prevalent global disease closely associated with metabolic factors; however, the causal relationship between blood metabolites and urolithiasis remains poorly understood.

Method: In our study, we employed a bi-directional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the causal associations between urolithiasis and metabolites. The random-effects inverse-variance weighted (IVW) estimation method was utilized as the primary approach, complemented by several other estimators including MR-Egger, weighted median, colocalization and MR-PRESSO.

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Mitochondria are essential organelles because they generate the energy required for cellular functions. Kidney stones, as one of the most common urological diseases, have garnered significant attention. In this study, we first collected peripheral venous blood from patients with kidney stones and used qRT-PCR to detect mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number as a means of assessing mitochondrial function in these patients.

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The potentially lethal zoonotic disease alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is caused by the metacestode larval stages of the tapeworm . Metacestode growth and proliferation occurs within the inner organs of mammalian hosts, which is associated with complex molecular parasite-host interactions. The host has developed various ways to resist a parasitic infection, and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the most important strategies.

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