Background: Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is identified as a urinary andrological diseases that afflict men due to various discomforts. It is urgent and meaningful to develop the novel and effective treatments as a result of the unclear etiology and dismal therapeutic effect of CP/CPPS. Lycopene exerts a crucial role in numerous chronic inflammatory diseases owing to its potent antioxidant capacity.Objective: This study aimed to observe the effect of lycopene on CP/CPPS and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Materials and Methods:A CP/CPPS model with complete Freund's adjuvant was established in this study. Afterward, intragastric lycopene or corn oil was administered daily for 4 consecutive weeks. Finally, the cardiac blood and prostate tissue samples were collected from rats to carry out related evaluation and testing. Results:It was found in this study that lycopene alleviated changes in prostate histopathology compared with those in the complete Freund's adjuvant-induced CP/ CPPS model rats without lycopene treatment. Furthermore, lycopene was suggested to reduce the levels of chemokines MCP1 and MIP-1α, down-regulate the expression levels of cytokines (such as TNFα, IL-1β, IL-2, and IL-6), and up-regulate those of CAT, GSH-PX, and T-SOD, decrease that of malondialdehyde. Moreover, it also inhibited the phosphorylation of MAPKs, NF-κB, and enhanced phosphorylation of the Nrf2 in the CP/CPPS rat model. Discussion and Conclusions:The findings in this study suggest that lycopene exerts potent anti-CP/CPPS effects through alleviating inflammatory response and oxidative stress, which is probably attributed to the interaction of NF-κB, MAPKs, and Nrf2 signaling pathways in rats. As a natural antioxidant, lycopene may serve as a promising pharmaceutical preparation for treating CP/CPPS.

Objective: To present a single center experience in managing transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) in Chinese renal transplant (RTx) recipients. Methods: In a cohort of 1429 patients who received RTx operation, 27 patients (six males and 21 females) were pathologically diagnosed with TCC in their native urologic system. The data were analyzed retrospectively. Results: The incidence of TCC was 1.89% and accounted for 41.5% of the patients with post-transplant de novo malignancies among 1429 recipients. Among the 27 recipients with TCC, 77.8% were female, 59.3% had taken a Chinese herb that contains aristolochic acid for at least 2 months before RTx, 51.9% had painless gross hematuria, while 40.7% had microscopic hematuria and/or repeated urologic infection. Two patients were found to have asymptomatic hydronephrosis during a routine check-up. The patients with upper tract carcinoma underwent simultaneous bilateral nephroureterectomy or unilateral nephroureterectomy and bladder cuff resection. Transurethral resection of the bladder tumor was carried out in patients with concomitant or solitary superficial bladder lesions. Intravesical chemotherapy was started and immunosuppressants were adjusted in all patients immediately after the surgery. Tumor recurrence in the bladder was noted in five patients. In one patient, residual and/or recurrent carcinoma in the contralateral pelvis was detected. Conclusions: Transitional cell carcinoma is the predominant malignancy in Chinese RTx recipients. Female sex, the Chinese herb containing aristolochic acid and immunosuppression are markedly associated with the development of TCC. Risk-adapted screening, strict follow up, standard surgical intervention and dose reduction of immunosuppressants are very important for early diagnosis and treatment of TCC.

Purpose: Blockade of immune checkpoint and angiogenesis is an effective treatment strategy for advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We report the results of camrelizumab plus famitinib in the RCC cohort of an open-label, multicenter, phase II basket study. Patients and Methods: Eligible patients were enrolled to receive camrelizumab (200 mg i.v. every 3 weeks) and famitinib (20 mg orally once daily). Primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) per RECIST version 1.1. Results: Totally, 38 patients were recruited, including 13 (34.2%) treatment-naïve and 25 (65.8%) previously treated patients. With a median duration from enrollment to data cutoff of 16.5 months (range, 6.1–20.4), 23 patients achieved a confirmed objective response, and ORR was 60.5% [95% confidence interval (CI), 43.4–76.0]. Responses in 18 (78.3%) responders were still ongoing, and Kaplan–Meier estimated median duration of response had not been reached yet (range, 1.0+–14.8+ months). Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 14.6 months (95% CI, 6.2–not reached). ORR was 84.6% (95% CI, 54.6–98.1) in treatment-naïve patients and 48.0% (95% CI, 27.8–68.7) in pretreated patients; median PFS had not been reached and was 13.4 months (95% CI, 4.1–not reached), respectively. Most common grade 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events included proteinuria (18.4%), hypertension (18.4%), decreased neutrophil count (13.2%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (10.5%), and hypertriglyceridemia (10.5%). No treatment-related deaths occurred, and no new safety signals were observed. Conclusions: Camrelizumab plus famitinib showed potent and enduring antitumor activity in patients with advanced or metastatic RCC, both in treatment-naïve and previously treated population.