-
Archivio Italiano Di Urologia,... Jun 2024The management of chronic prostatitis/ chronic pelvic pain syndrome type III (CP/CPPS) has been always considered complex due to several biopsychological factors...
OBJECTIVE
The management of chronic prostatitis/ chronic pelvic pain syndrome type III (CP/CPPS) has been always considered complex due to several biopsychological factors underlying the disease. In this clinical study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment with Palmitoylethanolamide, Epilobium and Calendula extract in patients with CP/CPPS III.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
From June 2023 to July 2023, we enrolled 45 consecutive patients affected by CP/CPPS type III in three different institution. We included patients aged between 18 and 75 years with symptoms of pelvic pain for 3 months or more before the study, a total National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) score ≥ 12 point and diagnosed with NIH category III, according to 4-glass test Meares-Stamey test. Patients were then allocated to receive rectal suppositories of PEA, Epilobium and Calendula, 1 suppository/ die for 1 month. All patients have been tested with standard urinalysis in order to assess urinary leukocytes (U-WBC). The primary endpoint of the study was the reduction of NIHCPSI. The secondary outcomes were the change of peak flow, post-void residual (PVR), IIEF-5, VAS score, PSA and decrease of U-WBC.
RESULTS
A total of 45 patients concluded the study protocol. At baseline, the median age of all the patients included in the cohort was 49 years, the median PSA was 2.81 ng/ml, the median NIH-CPSI was 18.55, the median IIEF-5 was 18.27, the median U-WBC was 485.3/mmc, the median VAS score was 6.49, the median PVR was 26.5 ml and the median peak flow was 16.3 ml/s. After 1 month of therapy we observed a statistically significant improvement of NIH-CPSI, U-WBC, PSA, IIEF-5, peak flow, PVR and VAS.
CONCLUSIONS
In this observational study, we showed the clinical efficacy of the treatment with PEA, Epilobium and Calendula, 1 suppository/die for 1 month, in patients with CP/CPPS III. The benefits of this treatment could be related to the reduction of inflammatory cells in the urine that could imply a reduction of inflammatory cytokines. These results should be confirmed in further studies with greater sample size.
Topics: Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Adult; Prostatitis; Suppositories; Amides; Aged; Palmitic Acids; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult; Ethanolamines; Plant Extracts; Epilobium; Calendula; Adolescent; Chronic Disease; Pelvic Pain
PubMed: 38934521
DOI: 10.4081/aiua.2024.12582 -
Cureus May 2024The erythroblastosis transformation-specific regulated gene 1 (ERG) is a transcription factor that can be used as an immunohistochemical (IHC) marker in the diagnosis...
INTRODUCTION
The erythroblastosis transformation-specific regulated gene 1 (ERG) is a transcription factor that can be used as an immunohistochemical (IHC) marker in the diagnosis and prognostication of malignancy. ERG was initially used in prostate cancer; however, it is a useful marker in extramedullary myeloid disease. Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), dry bone marrow aspirate, and CD34, CD117-negative blast cells can be in a diagnostic dilemma. This audit aimed to (a) validate ERG IHC in bone marrow trephine samples, (b) quantify ERG IHC positivity in an AML cohort, and correlate concordance with CD34 and CD117 IHC, when available, and (c) to see whether ERG is a useful adjunct in the diagnosis of cases of AML.
METHODS
A retrospective audit was completed of all new and relapsed cases of AML over one year at a single center. For inclusion, patients needed a trephine specimen at presentation, and all had a hematoxylin and eosin(H&E) specimen, ERG IHC, and at least one or both of CD34 and CD117 IHC. Four pathologists independently assessed the stains quantitatively and qualitatively in comparison to the morphology seen on the H&E sample. The kappa value was used to assess agreement.
RESULTS
Seventeen patients with AML met the inclusion criteria. All specimens had H&E, CD34, and ERG stains; 9/17 (53%) had CD117 IHC. ERG demonstrated high concordance with blast cells on H&E morphology, with a high agreement among pathologists. Qualitatively, pathologists recognized that ERG spared lymphoid nodules; however, it also stained granulocytes at various maturation stages.
CONCLUSION
ERG is a sensitive marker for the diagnosis of AML. ERG can help visualize blast cells that have been confirmed by ancillary tests. More research into the utility of ERG in AML diagnostics is recommended.
PubMed: 38933637
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.61168 -
Frontiers in Oncology 2024Radionuclide probes-targeted prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is used in diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer (PCa). Recent studies have shown that PSMA...
Radionuclide probes-targeted prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is used in diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer (PCa). Recent studies have shown that PSMA is expressed in the tumor neovascular endothelium, such as in malignant liver tumors. We report a case of PCa with incidental intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) detection using F-PSMA-1007 and F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission topography (PET)/MRI.F-PSMA-1007 PET/MRI of our patient with PCa showed that one liver lesion had high PSMA uptake. F-FDG PET/MRI revealed minimal FDG uptake in the liver lesion. Histopathological examination revealed that the liver lesion was moderately to poorly differentiated cholangiocarcinoma. Our studies, along with others, demonstrated that malignant liver tumors, such as ICC, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (CHC), and benign lesions, such as benign liver hemangioma, focal nodular hyperplasia, focal inflammation and steatosis, vascular malformation, and fatty sparing, exhibited elevated PSMA uptake. Moreover, PSMA-PET was superior to FDG-PET in detecting ICC and HCC, indicating that PSMA-PET may be used as alternative staging and to identify patients for PSMA-targeted therapy.
PubMed: 38933442
DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1408453 -
Fundamental Research May 2024The sudden onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in January 2020 has affected essential global health services. Cancer-screening services that can reduce... (Review)
Review
The sudden onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in January 2020 has affected essential global health services. Cancer-screening services that can reduce cancer mortality are strongly affected. However, the specific role of COVID-19 in cancer screening is not fully understood. This study aimed to assess the efficiency of global cancer screening programs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and to promote potential cancer-screening strategies for the next pandemic. Electronic searches in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science, and manual searches were performed between January 1, 2020 and March 1, 2023. Cohort studies that reported the number of participants who underwent cancer screening before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were included. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Differences in cancer-screening rates were estimated using the incidence rate ratio (IRR). Fifty-five cohort studies were included in this meta-analysis. The screening rates of colorectal cancer using invasive screening methods (Pooled IRR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.42 to 0.65, < 0.01), cervical cancer (Pooled IRR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.47 to 0.67, < 0.01), breast cancer (Pooled IRR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.49 to 0.66, < 0.01) and prostate cancer (Pooled IRR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.56 to 0.90, < 0.01) during the COVID-19 pandemic were significantly lower than those before the COVID-19 pandemic. The screening rates of lung cancer (Pooled IRR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.58 to 1.03, = 0.08) and colorectal cancer using noninvasive screening methods (Pooled IRR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.50 to 1.09, = 0.13) were reduced with no statistical differences. The subgroup analyses revealed that the reduction in cancer-screening rates varied across economies. Our results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a noteworthy impact on colorectal, cervical, breast, and prostate cancer screening. Developing innovative cancer-screening technologies is important to promote the efficiency of cancer-screening services in the post-COVID-19 era and prepare for the next pandemic.
PubMed: 38933198
DOI: 10.1016/j.fmre.2023.12.016 -
World Journal of Nuclear Medicine Jun 2024Gallium-68 prostate-specific membrane antigen ( Ga-PSMA) imaging is valuable for staging because an accurate diagnosis, metastatic or nonmetastatic for prostate...
Gallium-68 prostate-specific membrane antigen ( Ga-PSMA) imaging is valuable for staging because an accurate diagnosis, metastatic or nonmetastatic for prostate cancer patients, is required for deciding to treatment approaches and prognostic assessment. The aim of this study was primarily to distinguish between benign and metastatic adrenal gland lesions detected during Ga-PSMA positron emission tomography (PET)/CT imaging, to evaluate the presence of factors predicting its development, and then to determine the life expectancy of patients with metastatic adrenal lesions. We performed a database search for PET/CT records generated from June 2016 to February 2021 for "adrenal gland" in report for patients who underwent Ga-PSMA examination with prostate cancer patients. Twenty-three patients (10 benign and 13 metastatic) were included in this study. The total prostate-specific antigen, adrenal gland size, adrenal gland density, and maximum standardized uptake (SUVmax) values are significantly different between groups ( < 0.05). On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the SUVmax cutoff value > 6.8 provided both sensitivity and specificity of 100%. However, with 29 mm as the adrenal gland size cutoff and 21.2 as Hounsfield unit, the sensitivity and specificity were 56.2 and 92.3%, and 93.8 and 92.3%, respectively. The survival of the benign and metastatic groups was compared and a statistically significant difference was found ( = 0.006). The presence of pelvic lymph nodes was statistically negatively affected the surveillance between the groups. The presence of atypical metastases such as adrenal gland is not insignificant in prostate cancer patients. Because of this degree of impact on patient management, accurate staging by imaging with Ga-PSMA should be an integral part of prostate cancer management.
PubMed: 38933065
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1786012 -
World Journal of Nuclear Medicine Jun 2024Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) is widely used for the evaluation of prostate cancer and is known to have better accuracy. Gallium-68...
Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) is widely used for the evaluation of prostate cancer and is known to have better accuracy. Gallium-68 prostate-specific membrane antigen (Ga-68 PSMA) is a radiotracer that shows high localization in prostate cancer cells. The purpose of this study was to assess the sensitivity and utility of Ga-68 PSMA positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in comparison with mpMRI as a noninvasive imaging technique for the initial diagnosis and locoregional staging of prostate cancer using transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided biopsy as gold standard. This prospective observational study conducted from August 2017 to April 2020 evaluated 60 men ( = 60) with biopsy-proven prostate carcinoma. They underwent mpMRI and Ga-68 PSMA PET/CT scans within 14 days with TRUS biopsy being gold standard. T staging of disease, N staging of lymph nodes within the pelvis, and M staging of lesions in pelvic bones (within the imaging field of mpMRI) were compared using PSPP version 1.0.1 statistical software. All 60 men with a mean age of 69.9 ± 9.35 years showed Ga-68 PSMA avid disease, whereas 55 were detected by mpMRI. The sensitivity in detection of prostate lesions (with 95% confidence interval) was 99.08% for Ga-68 PSMA PET/CT and 84.40% for mpMRI. Ga-68 PSMA PET/CT detected greater number of patients with regional lymph nodal involvement (19/60) as compared with mpMRI (12/60). Ga-68 PSMA PET/CT showed PSMA avid pelvic skeletal lesions in nine patients, whereas mpMRI detected pelvic lesions in six patients. In addition, four other patients showed extrapelvic skeletal lesions on Ga-68 PSMA PET/CT. Ga-68 PSMA PET/CT has superior sensitivity in detection of primary prostate tumor, as compared with mpMRI. Both modalities correlate well in detection of seminal vesicle involvement. Ga-68 PSMA PET/CT outperformed mpMRI in detection of lymph nodal and skeletal metastases. Hence, Ga-68 PSMA PET/CT should be considered as first-line diagnostic modality for carcinoma prostate. : Ga-68 PSMA PET/CT shows superior diagnostic performance than mpMRI in the evaluation of prostate cancer.
PubMed: 38933063
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1779749 -
Pharmaceutics May 2024The phytochemical diversity and potential health benefits of and fruits call for further scientific inquiry. Our study aimed to determine the phytochemical composition...
The phytochemical diversity and potential health benefits of and fruits call for further scientific inquiry. Our study aimed to determine the phytochemical composition of extracts from these fruits and assess their antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer properties in vitro. It was found that the ethanolic extracts of and fruits, which contained more lipophilic compounds, had 2-14 times lower antioxidant activity compared to the dry aqueous extracts of cranberry fruit, which contained more hydrophilic compounds. All tested cranberry fruit extracts (OE, OW, ME, and MW) significantly inhibited the growth of bacterial strains , , , and in vitro compared to the control. Cytotoxic activity against the human prostate carcinoma PPC-1 cell line, human renal carcinoma cell line (CaKi-1), and human foreskin fibroblasts (HF) was determined using an MTT assay. Furthermore, the effect of the cranberry fruit extract samples on cell migration activity, cancer spheroid growth, and viability was examined. The ethanolic extract from fruits (ME) showed higher selectivity in inhibiting the viability of prostate and renal cancer cell lines compared to fibroblasts. It also effectively hindered the migration of these cancer cell lines. Additionally, the fruit extract (ME) demonstrated potent cytotoxicity against PPC-1 and CaKi-1 spheroids, significantly reducing the size of PPC-1 spheroids compared to the control. These findings suggest that cranberry fruit extracts, particularly the ethanolic extract from fruits, have promising potential as natural remedies for bacterial infections and cancer therapy.
PubMed: 38931857
DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16060735 -
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024The circulatory system is a closed conduit system throughout the body and consists of two parts as follows: the cardiovascular system and the lymphatic system.... (Review)
Review
The circulatory system is a closed conduit system throughout the body and consists of two parts as follows: the cardiovascular system and the lymphatic system. Hematological malignancies usually grow and multiply in the circulatory system, directly or indirectly affecting its function. These malignancies include multiple myeloma, leukemia, and lymphoma. -linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (-GlcNAc) transferase (OGT) regulates the function and stability of substrate proteins through -GlcNAc modification. Abnormally expressed OGT is strongly associated with tumorigenesis, including hematological malignancies, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. In cells, OGT can assemble with a variety of proteins to form complexes to exercise related biological functions, such as OGT/HCF-1, OGT/TET, NSL, and then regulate glucose metabolism, gene transcription, cell proliferation, and other biological processes, thus affecting the development of hematological malignancies. This review summarizes the complexes involved in the assembly of OGT in cells and the role of related OGT complexes in hematological malignancies. Unraveling the complex network regulated by the OGT complex will facilitate a better understanding of hematologic malignancy development and progression.
PubMed: 38931332
DOI: 10.3390/ph17060664 -
Nutrients Jun 2024Cancer therapy, from malignant tumor inhibition to cellular eradication treatment, remains a challenge, especially regarding reduced side effects and low energy...
Cancer therapy, from malignant tumor inhibition to cellular eradication treatment, remains a challenge, especially regarding reduced side effects and low energy consumption during treatment. Hence, phytochemicals as cytotoxic sensitizers or photosensitizers deserve special attention. The dark and photo-response of Yemenite 'Etrog' leaf extracts applied to prostate PC3 cancer cells is reported here. An XTT cell viability assay along with light microscope observations revealed pronounced cytotoxic activity of the extract for long exposure times of 72 h upon concentrations of 175 μg/mL and 87.5 μg/mL, while phototoxic effect was obtained even at low concentration of 10.93 μg/mL and a short introduction period of 1.5 h. For the longest time incubation of 72 h and for the highest extract concentration of 175 μg/mL, relative cell survival decreased by up to 60% (below the IC). In combined phyto-photodynamic therapy, a reduction of 63% compared to unirradiated controls was obtained. The concentration of extract in cells versus the accumulation time was inversely related to fluorescence emission intensity readings. Extracellular ROS production was also shown. Based on an ATR-FTIR analysis of the powdered leaves and their liquid ethanolic extract, biochemical fingerprints of both polar and non-polar phyto-constituents were identified, thereby suggesting their implementation as phyto-medicine and phyto-photomedicine.
Topics: Humans; Male; Plant Extracts; Photochemotherapy; Prostatic Neoplasms; Plant Leaves; Cell Survival; Photosensitizing Agents; PC-3 Cells; Reactive Oxygen Species; Yemen; Cell Line, Tumor; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
PubMed: 38931175
DOI: 10.3390/nu16121820 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024, popularly used in México, possesses bioactive lignans. These compounds are low in the bark, and its extraction endangers the life of the trees. The aim of the present...
, popularly used in México, possesses bioactive lignans. These compounds are low in the bark, and its extraction endangers the life of the trees. The aim of the present investigation was to search for alternative sources of cytotoxic compounds in . prepared as leaves and in vitro callus cultures. The friable callus of was established using a combination of plant growth regulators: 4 mgL of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 1 mgL Naphthaleneacetic Acid (NAA) and 1 mgL Zeatin. The maximum cell growth was at day 28 with a specific growth rate of μ = 0.059 days and duplication time td = 11.8 days. HPLC quantification of the dichloromethane callus biomass extract showed that Scopoletin, with a concentration of 10.7 µg g dry weight, was the main compound inducible as a phytoalexin by the addition of high concentrations of 2,4-D, as well as by the absence of nutrients in the culture medium. In this same extract, the compounds γ-sitosterol and stigmasterol were also identified by GC-MS analysis. Open column chromatography was used to separate and identify yatein, acetyl podophyllotoxin and 7',8'-dehydropodophyllotoxin in the leaves of the wild plant. Cytotoxic activity on four cancer cell lines was tested, with PC-3 prostate carcinoma (IC of 12.6 ± 4.6 µgmL) being the most sensitive to the wild-type plant extract and HeLa cervical carcinoma (IC of 72 ± 5 µgmL) being the most sensitive to the callus culture extract.
PubMed: 38931054
DOI: 10.3390/plants13121622