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International Journal of Cancer Feb 2021The analysis of tumor cells or tumor cell products obtained from blood or other body fluids ("liquid biopsy" [LB]) provides a broad range of opportunities in the field... (Review)
Review
The analysis of tumor cells or tumor cell products obtained from blood or other body fluids ("liquid biopsy" [LB]) provides a broad range of opportunities in the field of oncology. Clinical application areas include early detection of cancer or tumor recurrence, individual risk assessment and therapy monitoring. LB allows to portray the entire disease as tumor cells or tumor cell products are released from all metastatic or primary tumor sites, providing comprehensive and real-time information on tumor cell evolution, therapeutic targets and mechanisms of resistance to therapy. Here, we focus on the most prominent LB markers, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor-derived DNA (ctDNA), in the blood of patients with breast, prostate, lung and colorectal cancer, as the four most frequent tumor types in Europe. After a brief introduction of key technologies used to detect CTCs and ctDNA, we discuss recent clinical studies on these biomarkers for early detection and prognostication of cancer as well as prediction and monitoring of cancer therapies. We also point out current methodological and biological limitations that still hamper the implementation of LB into clinical practice.
Topics: Biomarkers, Tumor; Breast Neoplasms; Circulating Tumor DNA; Colorectal Neoplasms; Early Detection of Cancer; Female; Humans; Liquid Biopsy; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Neoplasms; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; Prognosis; Prostatic Neoplasms
PubMed: 32683679
DOI: 10.1002/ijc.33217 -
Physiological Reviews Jul 2017Estrogens have historically been associated with female reproduction, but work over the last two decades established that estrogens and their main nuclear receptors... (Review)
Review
Estrogens have historically been associated with female reproduction, but work over the last two decades established that estrogens and their main nuclear receptors (ESR1 and ESR2) and G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) also regulate male reproductive and nonreproductive organs. 17β-Estradiol (E2) is measureable in blood of men and males of other species, but in rete testis fluids, E2 reaches concentrations normally found only in females and in some species nanomolar concentrations of estrone sulfate are found in semen. Aromatase, which converts androgens to estrogens, is expressed in Leydig cells, seminiferous epithelium, and other male organs. Early studies showed E2 binding in numerous male tissues, and ESR1 and ESR2 each show unique distributions and actions in males. Exogenous estrogen treatment produced male reproductive pathologies in laboratory animals and men, especially during development, and studies with transgenic mice with compromised estrogen signaling demonstrated an E2 role in normal male physiology. Efferent ductules and epididymal functions are dependent on estrogen signaling through ESR1, whose loss impaired ion transport and water reabsorption, resulting in abnormal sperm. Loss of ESR1 or aromatase also produces effects on nonreproductive targets such as brain, adipose, skeletal muscle, bone, cardiovascular, and immune tissues. Expression of GPER is extensive in male tracts, suggesting a possible role for E2 signaling through this receptor in male reproduction. Recent evidence also indicates that membrane ESR1 has critical roles in male reproduction. Thus estrogens are important physiological regulators in males, and future studies may reveal additional roles for estrogen signaling in various target tissues.
Topics: Animals; Aromatase; Estrogens; Genitalia, Male; Genotype; Humans; Male; Mice, Knockout; Mutation; Phenotype; Prostate; Prostatic Diseases; Receptors, Estrogen; Reproduction; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 28539434
DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00018.2016 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2023Prostatitis is a common urological condition that affects almost half of all men at some point in their life. The prostate gland has a dense nerve supply that... (Review)
Review
Prostatitis is a common urological condition that affects almost half of all men at some point in their life. The prostate gland has a dense nerve supply that contributes to the production of fluid to nourish sperm and the mechanism to switch between urination and ejaculation. Prostatitis can cause frequent urination, pelvic pain, and even infertility. Long-term prostatitis increases the risk of prostate cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia. Chronic non-bacterial prostatitis presents a complex pathogenesis, which has challenged medical research. Experimental studies of prostatitis require appropriate preclinical models. This review aimed to summarize and compare preclinical models of prostatitis based on their methods, success rate, evaluation, and range of application. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive understanding of prostatitis and advance basic research.
Topics: Humans; Male; Prostatitis; Semen; Pelvic Pain; Prostate; Spermatozoa
PubMed: 37228599
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1183895 -
Clinical Anatomy (New York, N.Y.) Jul 2022Women expel fluids of various quantities and compositions from the urethra during sexual arousal and orgasm. These are classified as either female ejaculation (FE) or... (Review)
Review
Women expel fluids of various quantities and compositions from the urethra during sexual arousal and orgasm. These are classified as either female ejaculation (FE) or squirting (SQ). The aim of our analysis was to present evidence that FE and SQ are similar but etiologically different phenomena. A review of studies was performed on fluids expelled from the urogenital tract during female sexual activities using the Web of Knowledge™ (Web of Science Core Collection) and MEDLINE (Ovid) databases from 1946 to 2021. Until 2011, all female orgasmic expulsions of fluids were referred to as FE. The fluid was known to be either from the paraurethral glands or as a result of coital incontinence. At present, SQ is considered as a transurethral expulsion of approximately 10 milliliters or more of transparent fluid, while FE is considered as a secretion of a few milliliters of thick fluid. The fluid in SQ is similar to urine and is expelled by the urinary bladder. The secretion in FE originates from the paraurethral glands and contains a high concentration of prostate-specific antigen. Both phenomena can occur simultaneously. The mechanisms underlying SQ and FE are entirely different. SQ is a massive transurethral orgasmic expulsion from the urinary bladder, while FE is the secretion of a very small amount of fluid from the paraurethral glands.
Topics: Ejaculation; Female; Humans; Male; Orgasm; Sexual Behavior; Urethra; Urinary Bladder
PubMed: 35388532
DOI: 10.1002/ca.23879 -
Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in... May 2018The human and murine prostate glands have similar functional roles in the generation of seminal fluid to assist in reproduction. There are significant differences in the... (Review)
Review
The human and murine prostate glands have similar functional roles in the generation of seminal fluid to assist in reproduction. There are significant differences in the anatomy and histology of murine and human prostate and knowledge of the normal anatomy and histology of the murine prostate is essential to interpreting changes in genetically engineered mouse models. In this review, the normal anatomy and histology of both human and mouse prostate will be described.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Male; Mice; Models, Animal; Prostate
PubMed: 29038334
DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a030346 -
Nature Reviews. Urology Jul 2016Ejaculation is a synchronized cascade of events that has the ultimate goal of activating sperm and enabling them to reach an egg for fertilization. The seminal plasma... (Review)
Review
Ejaculation is a synchronized cascade of events that has the ultimate goal of activating sperm and enabling them to reach an egg for fertilization. The seminal plasma contains a complex mixture of fluids that is secreted from the testes, epididymis and male accessory glands. The prostate gland has a pivotal role in this process, as prostatic fluid enriched in Zn(2+), citrate and kallikreins is crucial for the molecular synchronization of the functional cascade triggered by ejaculatory stimuli. The prostate is the target of a number of common diseases that can affect male fertility at different ages. In both young and aged men, prostatic diseases or an unhealthy prostate can affect spermatozoa functioning and, therefore, male fertility. Consideration of prostate physiology emphasizes a number of points: the central role of Zn(2+) and citrate in the regulation of prostate epithelium homeostasis and in ejaculation; the influence of bacteria-related prostatic inflammation on male fertility; and the potential role of prostatic inflammation in promoting the development of prostatic hyperplastic growth and carcinogenesis.
Topics: Animals; Ejaculation; Health Status; Humans; Infertility, Male; Male; Prostate; Prostatic Neoplasms; Prostatitis; Semen; Sperm Motility; Spermatozoa
PubMed: 27245504
DOI: 10.1038/nrurol.2016.89 -
International Urogynecology Journal May 2018Women expel various kinds of fluids during sexual activities. These are manifestations of sexual arousal and orgasm or coital incontinence. This study is aimed at... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS
Women expel various kinds of fluids during sexual activities. These are manifestations of sexual arousal and orgasm or coital incontinence. This study is aimed at suggesting a diagnostic scheme to differentiate among these phenomena.
METHODS
Web of Science and Ovid (MEDLINE) databases were systematically searched from 1950 to 2017 for articles on various fluid expulsion phenomena in women during sexual activities, which contain relevant information on sources and composition of the expelled fluids.
RESULTS
An ultra-filtrate of blood plasma of variable quantity, which is composed of transvaginal transudate at sexual stimulation, enables vaginal lubrication. Female ejaculation (FE) is the secretion of a few milliliters of thick, milky fluid by the female prostate (Skene's glands) during orgasm, which contains prostate-specific antigen. Squirting (SQ) is defined as the orgasmic transurethral expulsion of tenths of milliliters of a form of urine containing various concentrations of urea, creatinine, and uric acid. FE and SQ are two phenomena with different mechanisms. Coital incontinence (CI) could be classified into penetration and orgasm forms, which could be associated with stress urinary incontinence or detrusor hyperactivity.
CONCLUSION
Squirting, FE, and CI are different phenomena with various mechanisms and could be differentiated according to source, quantity, expulsion mechanism, and subjective feelings during sexual activities.
Topics: Bodily Secretions; Coitus; Ejaculation; Female; Humans; Orgasm; Sexual Behavior; Urethra; Urinary Incontinence, Stress
PubMed: 29285596
DOI: 10.1007/s00192-017-3527-9 -
Cell Reports Dec 2021The prostate gland produces prostatic fluid, high in zinc and citrate and essential for the maintenance of spermatozoa. Prostate cancer is a common condition with...
The prostate gland produces prostatic fluid, high in zinc and citrate and essential for the maintenance of spermatozoa. Prostate cancer is a common condition with limited treatment efficacy in castration-resistant metastatic disease, including with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Using single-cell RNA-sequencing to perform an unbiased assessment of the cellular landscape of human prostate, we identify a subset of tumor-enriched androgen receptor-negative luminal epithelial cells with increased expression of cancer-associated genes. We also find a variety of innate and adaptive immune cells in normal prostate that were transcriptionally perturbed in prostate cancer. An exception is a prostate-specific, zinc transporter-expressing macrophage population (MAC-MT) that contributes to tissue zinc accumulation in homeostasis but shows enhanced inflammatory gene expression in tumors, including T cell-recruiting chemokines. Remarkably, enrichment of the MAC-MT signature in cancer biopsies is associated with improved disease-free survival, suggesting beneficial antitumor functions.
Topics: Aged; Animals; Epithelial Cells; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Macrophages; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Middle Aged; Prostate; Prostatic Neoplasms; RNA-Seq; Receptors, Androgen; Single-Cell Analysis; Transcriptome; Zinc
PubMed: 34936871
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110132