Descending thoracic aortitis due to Haemophilus influenzae: a case report and literature review

Aortitis due to Haemophilus influenzae especially involving the descending thoracic aorta is rarely encountered. We present a case and literature review concerning Haemophilus influenzae aortitis. This article serves to enhance the awareness of this extremely rare disease.     

Role of pomegranate and citrus fruit juices in colon cancer prevention

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.Recent studies prove that though chemotherapeutic agents are being used for the treatment of colon cancer,they become non-effective when the cancer progresses to an invasive stage.Since consumption of certain dietary agents has been linked with various cancers,fruit juices have been investigated for their consistently protective effect against colon cancer.The unique biochemical composition of fruit juices is responsible for their anticancer properties.In this review,the chemo-preventive effect of fruit juices such as pomegranate and citrus juices against colon cancer are discussed.For this purpose,the bioavailability,in vitro and in vivo effects of these fruit juices on colorectal cancer are highlighted.Moreover,there is a scarcity of studies involving human trials to estimate the preventive nature of these juices against colon cancer.This review will support the need for more preclinical tests with these crude juices and their constituents in different colorectal cancer cell lines and also some epidemiological studies in order to have a better understanding and promote pomegranate and citrus juices as crusaders against colon cancer.     

Stratification of the aggressiveness of prostate cancer using pre‐biopsy multiparametric MRI (mpMRI)

Risk stratification, based on the Gleason score (GS) of a prostate biopsy, is an important decision‐making tool in prostate cancer management. As low‐grade disease may not need active intervention, the ability to identify aggressive cancers on imaging could limit the need for prostate biopsies. We assessed the ability of multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) in pre‐biopsy risk stratification of men with prostate cancer. One hundred and twenty men suspected to have prostate cancer underwent mpMRI (diffusion MRI and MR spectroscopic imaging) prior to biopsy. Twenty‐six had cancer and were stratified into three groups based on GS: low grade (GS ≤ 6), intermediate grade (GS = 7) and high grade (GS ≥ 8). A total of 910 regions of interest (ROIs) from the peripheral zone (PZ, range 25–45) were analyzed from these 26 patients. The metabolite ratio [citrate/(choline + creatine)] and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of voxels were calculated for the PZ regions corresponding to the biopsy cores and compared with histology. The median metabolite ratios for low‐grade, intermediate‐grade and high‐grade cancer were 0.29 (range: 0.16, 0.61), 0.17 (range: 0.13, 0.32) and 0.13 (range: 0.05, 0.23), respectively (p = 0.004). The corresponding mean ADCs (×10^–3 mm²/s) for low‐grade, intermediate‐grade and high‐grade cancer were 0.99 ± 0.08, 0.86 ± 0.11 and 0.69 ± 0.12, respectively (p < 0.0001). The combined ADC and metabolite ratio model showed strong discriminatory ability to differentiate subjects with GS ≤ 6 from subjects with GS ≥ 7 with an area under the curve of 94%. These data indicate that pre‐biopsy mpMRI may stratify PCa aggressiveness noninvasively. As the recent literature data suggest that men with GS ≤ 6 cancer may not need radical therapy, our data may help limit the need for biopsy and allow informed decision making for clinical intervention. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.