Recent role of inflammation in prostate diseases: chemoprevention development opportunity

The role of inflammation in prostate diseases is suggested by the presence of inflammatory cells within the Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and Prostate Cancer (PC). Inflammation suggests influence a balance between prostate cell growth and apoptosis by increasing microenvironment around prostate factors such as cytokines, COX-2 and oxidative stress. These factors stimulate proliferation and minimize cell apoptosis. In vitro studies showed an over expression of these inflammatory markers in BPH and PC compared normal tissue. There were also inflammatory marker differences between BPH and PC, which was more severe inflammation process in PC. Another basic difference was a gene polymorphism in PC. Targeting the microenvironment may represent a promising therapeutic approach for prostate disease. Many epidemiological studies showed a beneficial effect of drug that influences inflammation such as non steroidal anti-Inflammatory drugs, antioxidant compound in food or supplements and vitamin D receptor (VDR) agonists. These drugs need more investigation to prove their function as chemoprevention of prostatic disease.     

Comparison of efficacy between oral morphine sulphate and diclofenac suppository for analgesia during transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy

AIM: to prospectively evaluate degree of pain during transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy after receiving analgesics treatment of oral morphine sulphate compared to suppository sodium diclofenac. METHODS: the study group comprised 60 consecutive men subjects (median age 67.8 years) undergoing transrectal prostate biopsy. They were randomized into two groups; group 1 received oral analgesic of morphine sulphate 10 mg and group 2 received suppository analgesic of sodium diclofenac 100 mg 1 hour before biopsy. Biopsy was taken using a gun biopsy 18 G needle with total 10 biopsies (5 at each lobe). Immediately after the procedure patients were asked to indicate the degree of pain based on visual analogue scale (VAS) from 0 (no pain) to 10 (unbearable pain) scale. RESULTS: the mean VAS score was 3.83 in oral morphine sulphate group and 4.10 in sodium diclofenac group. According to subdividing of VAS score, low degree of pain was found in 17 patients (56.7%) of morphine sulphate group and in 14 patients (46.7%) of sodium diclofenac group. There was no statistically significant difference in pain between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: oral analgesic of morphine sulphate 10 mg has the same efficacy with sodium diclofenac suppository 100 mg to decrease pain during transrectal prostate biopsy.     

The 3rd Conference on Asian Trends in Prostate Cancer Hormone Therapy

From its inception in 2001, the Conference on Asian Trends in Prostate Cancer Hormone Therapy has served as an annual forum for Asian urologists to compare data on prostate cancer and to discuss issues regarding the use of hormone therapy. The 3rd conference, held in Tokyo in December 2003, began with participants from China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan presenting QOL data deriving from a survey of patients with prostate cancer. For this purpose, each country translated the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate (FACT-P) questionnaire into its own language. Although the surveys conducted in each country included a heterogeneous cohort of patients and gave very mixed results, the trial of FACT-P in Asian countries seemed propitious and in future may provide insights that could prove beneficial to patients. Day 2 of the conference included 2 discussions, focusing on the most appropriate number of biopsy cores and the implementation of prospective trials involving the collaboration of Asian countries, respectively. In the latter discussion, although a varied assortment of proposals were put forth, the participants generally agreed that any collaborative study must be a prospective outcome study conducted in a relatively short time not exceeding 2-3 years, and that patient registration should be done using the Internet.     

The 2nd conference on Asian trends in prostate cancer hormone therapy

Among the aims of the 2nd Conference on Asian Trends in Prostate Cancer Hormone Therapy, Hong Kong, December 7-8, 2002, was to lay the groundwork for eventually having cooperative or collaborative studies of prostate cancer specifically in Asian patients. The conference was divided into 2 sessions. In the first session, entitled "Current Status of Therapy for Prostate Cancer in Asian Countries," the results of analysis of 100 patients with prostate cancer enrolled in the Patients Registration System is each of the 6 participating Asian countries were discussed. The Patients Registration System is a database template established by the Japanese Urological Association that allows physicians to compare prostate cancer therapy in the different Asian countries. Session 2 was devoted to a "Roundtable Discussion on the Establishment of Asian Guidelines for Prostate Cancer." This session included 2 lively discussions, on whether Asian physicians can apply Western clinical data to Asian patients, and the need for Asian clinical data and developing clinical trials in the region, respectively.     

The SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant and its neutralisation efficiency following vaccination with Comirnaty,Israel, April to June 2021

The SARS-CoV-2 Lambda (Pango lineage designation C.37) variant of interest, initially identified in Peru, has spread to additional countries. First detected in Israel in April 2021 following importations from Argentina and several European countries, the Lambda variant infected 18 individuals belonging to two main transmission chains without further spread. Micro-neutralisation assays following Comirnaty (BNT162b2 mRNA, BioNTech-Pfizer) vaccination demonstrated a significant 1.6-fold reduction in neutralising titres compared with the wild type virus, suggesting increased susceptibility of vaccinated individuals to infection.     

Identification of novel gammadelta T-cell subsets following bacterial infection in the absence of Vgamma1+ T cells: homeostatic control of gammadelta T-cell responses to pathogen infection by Vgamma1+ T cells

Although gammadelta T cells are a common feature of many pathogen-induced immune responses, the factors that influence, promote, or regulate the response of individual gammadelta T-cell subsets to infection is unknown. Here we show that in the absence of Vgamma1+ T cells, novel subsets of gammadelta T cells, expressing T-cell receptor (TCR)-Vgamma chains that normally define TCRgammadelta+ dendritic epidermal T cells (DETCs) (Vgamma5+), intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (iIELs) (Vgamma7+), and lymphocytes associated with the vaginal epithelia (Vgamma6+), are recruited to the spleen in response to bacterial infection in TCR-Vgamma1-/- mice. By comparison of phenotype and structure of TCR-Vgamma chains and/or -Vdelta chains expressed by these novel subsets with those of their epithelium-associated counterparts, the Vgamma6+ T cells elicited in infected Vgamma1-/- mice were shown to be identical to those found in the reproductive tract, from where they are presumably recruited in the absence of Vgamma1+ T cells. By contrast, Vgamma5+ and Vgamma7+ T cells found in infected Vgamma1-/- mice were distinct from Vgamma5+ DETCs and Vgamma7+ iIELs. Functional analyses of the novel gammadelta T-cell subsets identified for infected Vgamma1-/- mice showed that whereas the Vgamma5+ and Vgamma7+ subsets may compensate for the absence of Vgamma1+ T cells by producing similar cytokines, they do not possess cytocidal activity and they cannot replace the macrophage homeostasis function of Vgamma1+ T cells. Collectively, these findings identify novel subsets of gammadelta T cells, the recruitment and activity of which is under the control of Vgamma1+ T cells.