No abstract

The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy and safety between zoledronic acid (ZA) and clodronate (CA) in the treatment of bone metastases for prostate cancer patients. We conducted a prospective study in recruiting 137 prostate cancer patients with bone metastases from 2008 to 2010. All men were well responding to first-line hormone therapy (PSA < 2 ng/mL); Patients were randomly assigned to receive zoledronic acid (4 mg over a 30 min infusion) every 1 month or to take 4 tablets per day of clodronate (1,600 mg) for up to 3 years. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at femoral neck, lumbar spine, and total hip, together with visual analog scale score were evaluated on baseline and 6, 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively. Toxicity and skeletal-related events (SREs) happened in both groups during this period were recorded down and compared. The ZA group had better bone progression-free survival (BPFS) (31 months vs 22 months, P = 0.04), but no statistical evidence of benefit was observed in terms of overall survival rate. The ZA group significantly increased lumbar spine BMD (4.5 ± 2.3 % vs CA group 2.3 ± 3.9 % P = 0.03), had a better response on pain-relieve effect (92 vs 76 % P = 0.002) and a rapid pain palliation (9 months vs 13 months P = 0.03). The CA group reported more gastrointestinal cases. However, the ZA group required more dose modifications. As compared to clodronate, Zoledronic acid has advantages on extending BPFS, better bone pain control and lumbar spine BMD performance for prostate cancer patients with bone metastases. The overall survival rate and SREs rate are similar.

Smad ubiquitin regulatory factor 1 (SMURF1), a recently identified E3 ubiquitin ligase, targets substrate proteins for ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Previous studies have reported that SMURF1 also functions as an oncogene in human cancers. However, the clinical value of SMURF1 and its role in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are unknown. SMURF1 expression was analyzed in 100 cases of ccRCC and matched tumor‐adjacent specimens. SMURF1 was prominently overexpressed in ccRCC specimens compared with tumor‐adjacent specimens. Increased levels of SMURF1 were also observed in ccRCC cell lines. Clinicopathological detection verified that SMURF1 expression was associated with advanced tumor node metastasis stage, large tumor size and vascular invasion of ccRCC patients. Moreover, Kaplan–Meier analysis found that SMURF1 elevation led to adverse overall survival and disease‐free survival. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that SMURF1 expression was an independent marker for prognosis prediction. Further experiments illustrated that SMURF1 knockdown significantly inhibited growth and metastasis of 769P cells, while SMURF1 overexpression promoted proliferation, migration and invasion in OSRC‐2 cells. Mechanistically, SMURF1 inversely regulated the expression of DAB2 interacting protein, which negatively mediated the activation of both the ERK/RSK1 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways in ccRCC cells. Taken together, these results suggest that SMURF1 might be a promising biomarker and target for novel treatment of human ccRCC.

No abstract

BACKGROUND Pelvic lipomatosis (PL) is a rare benign condition with characteristic overgrowth of histologically benign fat and invasion and compression of pelvic organs, often leading to non-specific lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Approximately 40% of patients with PL have cystitis glandularis (CG). The cause of PL combined with CG is poorly understood, and there is currently no effective treatment. Refractory CG with upper urinary tract obstruction even requires partial or radical bladder resection. CASE SUMMARY In this case, a patient suffering from PL with CG was treated by transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TUR-BT) and oral administration of celecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor. The LUTS were alleviated, and the cystoscopy results improved significantly. Immunohistochemistry showed up-regulated COX-2 expression in the epithelium of TUR-BT samples, suggesting that COX-2 may participate in the pathophysiological process of PL combined with CG. CONCLUSION We report for the first time that celecoxib may be an effective treatment strategy for PL combined with refractory CG.

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Activins and inhibins are structurally related dimeric glycoprotein hormones belonging to the transforming growth factor-β superfamily but whether they are also involved in malignancy is far from clear. No study has reported the expression of INHBE in kidney cancer. The purpose of this study was to examine the expressions of INHBE in the tumor tissue of patients with clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and to explore the pathologic significance. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The INHBE mRNA expression in the tumor tissue of ccRCC patients was analyzed by using RNA sequencing data from the TCGA database. To examine the expression of inhibin βE protein, 241 ccRCC patients were recruited and immunohistochemistry was performed on the tumor tissue of these patients along with 39 normal renal samples. The association between the inhibin βE expression level and patient’s clinicopathological indices was evaluated. <b><i>Results:</i></b> In the normal renal tissue, inhibin βE was found to be expressed mainly by renal tubular epithelial cells. In the tumor tissue, inhibin βE was expressed mainly in cancer cells. The expressions of INHBE mRNA and protein in the tumor tissue of ccRCC patients increased significantly compared with those in normal renal samples. There was a significant correlation between the level of inhibin βE in the tumor tissue and tumor grade. Patients with a lower inhibin βE expression in the tumor tissue were found to have a longer overall survival and disease-specific survival. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> INHBE might be involved in the pathogenesis of ccRCC and function as a tumor promoter.

Background. The study’s objective was to determine Proteus mirabilis susceptibility in individuals with urinary tract infections and stones to antibiotics and prescribe optimal antimicrobial treatment. Methods. Nonrepetitive Proteus mirabilis strains were isolated from urine specimens obtained from 317 patients diagnosed with urinary stones from January, 2018, to December, 2021. A VITEK mass spectrometer was used for species identification, and a VITEK-compact 2 automatic microbial system was used for the antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST). Susceptibility to imipenem and cefoperazone/sodium sulbactam was tested by the disc diffusion method (K-B method). The antibiotic sensitivity of the strains was analyzed by sex and season. Results. A total of 317 patients were reviewed: 202 females (63.7%) and 115 males (36.3%). Proteus mirabilis infections were observed during spring (21.8%, n = 69), summer (26.2%, n = 83), autumn (33.8%, n = 107), and winter (18.2%, n = 57). Proteus mirabilis infections in females were diagnosed most often during the fall (24.3%, n = 77) and during the summer in males (11.0%, n = 35) ( p  = 0.010). Female patients responded best to levofloxacin ( p  = 0.014), and male patients responded best to sulfamethoxazole ( p  = 0.023). Seasonal variation in antibiotic sensitivity was confirmed, with significantly higher rates in the winter for cefuroxime ( p  = 0.002) and sulfamethoxazole ( p  = 0.002). Significant seasonal increases were also found in levofloxacin sensitivity during the summer ( p  = 0.005). Conclusions. Highly effective antibiotics such as cefoxitin and ceftazidime should be used empirically by considering antibiotic sensitivity changes by sex, season, and year. Regional studies should be conducted frequently.

Lycium barbarum is a boxthorn that produces the goji berries. L. barbarum polysaccharide is a water soluble bioactive component extracted from L. barbarum L. that has been shown to exert multiple pharmacological effects including antitumor effects. Herein, we have explored the mechanism underlying inhibition of tumor growth in J82 bearing bladder carcinoma by L. barbarum polysaccharides. The results of in vitro studies show that L. barbarum polysaccharide inhibited the expression of programmed death-ligand 1 protein, but not the gene transcription in bladder carcinoma cells. Also, L. barbarum polysaccharide decreased the level of phospho-protein kinase B/protein kinase B in cancer cells, and phosphoinositide- 3-kinase/protein kinase B pathway agonists reversed the inhibitory effect of L. barbarum polysaccharide on protein kinase B activation and programmed death-ligand 1 expression. Furthermore, when T cells and cancer cells were cultured together, treatments with either L. barbarum polysaccharide or antiprogrammed death-ligand 1 protein, enhanced T cell function including the expression of interferon-γ and interleukin-2 that were inhibited by phosphoinositide-3-kinase/protein kinase B pathway agonists. In conclusion, the results suggested that L. barbarum polysaccharide could inhibit programmed deathligand 1 expression via phosphoinositide-3-kinase/protein kinase B suppression of bladder cancer cells and further enhance the T-cell function in tumor microenvironment.