The advancements in cancer therapy have improved the clinical outcomes of cancer patients in recent decades. However, advanced cancer therapy is expensive and requires good health care systems. For kidney cancer, no studies have yet established an association between clinical outcome and health care disparities. We used the mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) for kidney cancer as a marker of clinical outcome to compare World Health Organization (WHO) country rankings and total expenditures on health/gross domestic product (e/GDP) using linear regression analyses. We included 57 countries based on data from the GLOBOCAN 2012 database. We found that more highly developed regions have higher crude and age-standardized rates of kidney cancer incidence and mortality, but a lower MIR, when compared to less developed regions. North America has the highest crude rates of incidence, but the lowest MIRs, whereas Africa has the highest MIRs. Furthermore, favorable MIRs are correlated with countries with good WHO rankings and high e/GDP expenditures (p < 0.001 and p = 0.013, respectively). Kidney cancer MIRs are positively associated with the ranking of health care systems and health care expenditures.

Favorable testicular cancer mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs) are associated with health care disparities, including health care expenditures, but the trends of testicular MIR and health care disparity remain unclear. We evaluated changes in MIR as the difference between 2012 and 2018, termed delta MIR (δMIR). Health care expenditures and the human development index (HDI) were obtained from the World Health Organization and the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme. The association between the variables was analyzed by Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. A total of 54 countries were included in the criteria of data quality reports and missing data. By continent, the most favorable MIR was in Oceania (0.03) while it was 0.36 in Africa. In these areas, the incidence rates were positively correlated to health care expenditure, but the mortality rates showed a reversed correlation. The MIR ranged from 0.01 to 0.34 and the δMIR ranged from −0.05 to 0.34. The favorable MIRs are correlated to high health care expenditure and HDI (all p < 0.001). Interestingly, favorable δMIRs tend to be seen in countries with relatively low health care expenditure and HDI (all p < 0.001). In conclusion, favorable testicular cancer MIRs are associated with high HDI and health care expenditure, but the improvement in MIR between 2012 and 2018 (δMIR) is negatively correlated with HDI and health care expenditure.

The mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) is associated with the clinical outcomes of different types of cancer as well as the ranking of health care systems. However, the association between MIRs for testicular cancer and health care disparities, including differences in expenditures and health system rankings, has not yet been reported. We used the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (CC) to analyze the correlation between testicular cancer MIRs and both total expenditures on health/gross domestic product (e/GDP) and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) health system rankings. After screening the data for quality and missing information, 57 countries were chosen for analysis. Generally, developed countries and regions had relatively high rates of incidence/mortality, but with a favorable MIR. Among the continents, Europe had the highest incidence rates, whereas the highest MIRs were in Africa. Globally, favorable testicular cancer MIRs were observed in countries with both a high e/GDP and a good WHO ranking (R² = 0.325, p < 0.001 and CC = −0.568, p < 0.001; R² = 0.367, p < 0.001 and CC = 0.655, p < 0.001, respectively). In conclusion, the MIR for testicular cancer varies in countries and regions based on both their total health expenditure and their health care system ranking.

Albumin supplementation of culture media induces sperm capacitation in assisted reproduction technique cycles. Synthetic serum supplementation is clinically used to replace albumin for preventing transmission of infectious agents. However, the effects of synthetic serum supplementation on sperm capacitation have rarely been investigated. Spermatozoa from 30 men with normal basic semen analysis results were collected, divided into five aliquots, and cultured in capacitating conditions in four combinations of two synthetic serum supplements, serum substitute supplement (SSS) and serum protein substitute (SPS), and two fertilization media, Quinns Advantage™ Fertilization (QF) and human tubular fluid (HTF) media. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in spermatozoa were measured through chemiluminescence. Furthermore, acrosome reaction and western blotting for tyrosine phosphorylation were used to evaluate sperm capacitation. HTF+SSS had significantly higher ROS levels than QF+SPS did (11,725 ± 1,172 versus 6,278 ± 864 relative light units). In addition, the spermatozoa cultured in QF+SPS had lower motility, acrosome reaction rates, and tyrosine phosphorylation levels compared with those cultured in HTF+SSS. In conclusion, the effects of synthetic serum supplementation on sperm capacitation varied according to the combination of media. These differences may lead to variations in spermatozoon ROS levels, thus affecting sperm function test results.

Testicular cancer (TC) is a rare malignancy worldwide and is the most common malignancy in males aged 15–44 years. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway mediates numerous essential cellular functions and has potentially important effects on tumorigenesis and cancer progression. The search for drugs to inhibit this pathway has identified a small molecule, PNU-74654, as an inhibitor of the β-catenin/TCF4 interaction. We evaluated the therapeutic role of PNU-74654 in two TC cell lines, NCCIT and NTERA2, by measuring cell viability, cell cycle transition and cell death. Potential pathways were evaluated by protein arrays and Western blots. PNU-74654 decreased cell viability and induced apoptosis of TC cells, with significant increases in the sub G1, Hoechst-stained, Annexin V-PI-positive rates. PNU-74654 treatment of both TC cell lines inhibited the TNFR1/IKB alpha/p65 pathway and the execution phase of apoptosis. Our findings demonstrate that PNU-74654 can induce apoptosis in TC cells through mechanisms involving the execution phase of apoptosis and inhibition of TNFR1/IKB alpha/p65 signaling. Therefore, small molecules such as PNU-74654 may identify potential new treatment strategies for TC.

Geographic and gender-specific disparity can be observed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). While screening and more effective therapies, such as induction chemotherapy, could improve survival rates, they are costly. This study aims to explore the correlation between healthcare expenditure and the mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) in NPC. Data were obtained from the World Health Organization and the Global Cancer Observatory. The correlation was evaluated by Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Most new cases and deaths occur in Asia, and more males are affected than females. Our study shows that countries with higher MIRs have lower levels of health expenditure regardless of the NPC’s gender-specific incidence. Correspondingly, MIRs are all significantly negatively associated with current health expenditure (CHE) per capita and CHE as a percentage of gross domestic product (CHE/GDP) in both genders. CHE per capita and CHE/GDP have a significant impact on NPC outcomes. Moreover, economic status is a potential major factor in MIR differences between countries.