| 1. |
- Crnalic, Sead, et al.
(författare)
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Nuclear androgen receptor staining in bone metastases is related to a poor outcome in prostate cancer patients
- 2010
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Ingår i: Endocrine-Related Cancer. - 1351-0088 .- 1479-6821. ; 17:4, s. 885-895
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Androgen receptors (ARs) are probably of importance during all phases of prostate cancer (PC) growth, but their role in bone metastases is largely unexplored. Bone metastases were therefore collected from hormone-naive (n=11), short-term castrated (n=7) and castration-resistant PC (CRPC, n=44) patients by biopsy (n=4) or at surgery to alleviate symptoms from metastases complications (metastasis surgery, n=58), and immunostained for nuclear ARs, Ki67, active caspase-3, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and chromogranin A, and results were related to serum PSA, treatments and outcome. Nuclear AR immunostaining was decreased and apoptosis was increased, but cell proliferation remained largely unaffected in metastases within a few days after surgical castration. In CRPC patients, nuclear AR staining of metastases was increased when compared to short-term castrated patients. The nuclear AR staining score was related to tumour cell proliferation, but it was not associated with other downstream effects of AR activation such as apoptosis and PSA staining, and it was only marginally related to the presence of neuroendocrine tumour cells. Serum PSA at metastasis surgery, although related to outcome, was not associated with AR staining, markers of metastasis growth or PSA staining in metastases. High nuclear AR immunostaining was associated with a particularly poor prognosis after metastasis surgery in CRPC patients, suggesting that such men may benefit from the potent AR blockers now tested in clinical trials.
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| 2. |
- Crnalic, Sead, et al.
(författare)
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Outcome after surgery for metastatic spinal cord compression in 54 patients with prostate cancer
- 2012
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Ingår i: Acta Orthopaedica. - : Informa Healtcare. - 1745-3674 .- 1745-3682. ; 83:1, s. 80-86
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and purpose The criteria for selecting patients who may benefit from surgery of spinal cord compression in metastatic prostate cancer are poorly defined. We therefore studied patients operated for metastatic spinal cord compression in order to evaluate outcome of surgery and to find predictors of survival. Patients and methods We reviewed the records of 54 consecutive patients with metastatic prostate cancer who were operated for spinal cord compression at Umeå University Hospital. The indication for surgery was neurological deficit due to spinal cord compression. 41 patients had hormone-refractory cancer and 13 patients had previously untreated, hormone-naïve prostate cancer. 29 patients were operated with posterior decompression only, and in 25 patients posterior decompression and stabilization was performed. Results Preoperatively, 6/54 of patients were able to walk. 1 month after surgery, 33 patients were walking, 15 were non-ambulatory, and 6 had died. Mortality rate was 11% at 1 month, 41% at 6 months, and 59% at 1 year. In the hormone-naïve group, 8/13 patients were still alive with a median postoperative follow-up of 26 months. In the hormone-refractory group, median survival was 5 months. Patients with hormone-refractory disease and Karnofsky performance status (KPS) of ≤ 60% had median survival of 2.5 months, whereas those with KPS of 70% and KPS of ≥ 80% had a median survival of 7 months and 18 months, respectively (p < 0.001). Visceral metastases were present in 12/41 patients with hormone-refractory tumor at the time of spinal surgery, and their median survival was 4 months-as compared to 10 months in patients without visceral metastases (p = 0.003). Complications within 30 days of surgery occurred in 19/54 patients. Interpretation Our results indicate that patients with hormone-naive disease, and those with hormone-refractory disease with good performance status and lacking visceral metastases, may be helped by surgery for metastatic spinal cord compression.
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| 3. |
- Fernström, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Achievement of recommended treatment targets for bone and mineral metabolism in haemodialysis patients using paricalcitol : An observational study
- 2011
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0036-5599 .- 1651-2065. ; 45:3, s. 196-205
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective. Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is a common problem among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on haemodialysis. This study was conducted to assess the use, effectiveness and safety of intravenous paricalcitol in haemodialysis patients with various degrees of SHPT. Material and methods. This observational, multicentre, prospective study was conducted in 14 Swedish dialysis centres from May 2007 to June 2008 and included 92 haemodialysis patients with a diagnosis of SHPT associated with CKD. The decision to initiate treatment with intravenous paricalcitol was made by the treating physician. No treatment algorithms were provided. Results. Mean patient age was 64 years. Of the 92 patients included, 74 had an intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) level of > 300 pg/ml at baseline. Median iPTH was 584 pg/ml in patients with a baseline PTH of > 300 pg/ml. During follow-up there was a decrease in iPTH to 323 pg/ml at 6 months (--45%, p < 0.0001). In parallel, there was a small increase in serum calcium, but serum phosphorus and the calcium xx phosphorus product remained unchanged. Conclusions. This study showed that intravenous paricalcitol substantially and safely decreased iPTH in haemodialysis patients with a baseline iPTH above the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative recommended target range (150--300 pg/ml) and had minimal impact on serum minerals.
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| 4. |
- Hörnberg, Emma, et al.
(författare)
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Expression of androgen receptor splice variants in prostate cancer bone metastases is associated with castration-resistance and short survival
- 2011
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 6:4, s. e19059-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Constitutively active androgen receptor variants (AR-V) lacking the ligand binding domain (LBD) may promote the development of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The expression of AR-Vs in the clinically most important metastatic site, the bone, has, however, not been well documented. Our aim was therefore to compare levels of AR-Vs in hormone-naive (HN) and CRPC bone metastases in comparison to primary PC and non-malignant prostate tissue, as well as in relation to AR protein expression, whole-genome transcription profiles and patient survival.Methodology/Principal Findings: Hormone-naı¨ve (n = 10) and CRPC bone metastases samples (n = 30) were obtained from 40 patients at metastasis surgery. Non-malignant and malignant prostate samples were acquired from 13 prostatectomized men. Levels of full length AR (ARfl) and AR-Vs termed AR-V1, AR-V7, and AR-V567es mRNA were measured with RT-PCR and whole-genome transcription profiles with an Illumina Beadchip array. Protein levels were examined by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Transcripts for ARfl, AR-V1, and AR-V7 were detected in most primary tumors and metastases, and levels were significantly increased in CRPC bone metastases. The AR-V567es transcript was detected in 23% of the CRPC bone metastases only. A sub-group of CRPC bone metastases expressed LBD-truncated AR proteins at levels comparable to the ARfl. Detectable AR-V567es and/or AR-V7 mRNA in the upper quartile, seen in 1/3 of all CRPC bone metastases, was associated with a high nuclear AR immunostaining score, disturbed cell cycle regulation and short survival.Conclusions/Significance: Expression of AR-Vs is increased in CRPC compared to HN bone metastases and associated with a particularly poor prognosis. Further studies are needed to test if patients expressing such AR-Vs in their bone metastases benefit more from drugs acting on or down-stream of these AR-Vs than from therapies inhibiting androgen synthesis.
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| 5. |
- Jernberg, Emma, et al.
(författare)
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Characterization of prostate cancer bone metastases according to expression levels of steroidogenic enzymes and androgen receptor splice variants
- 2013
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 8:11, s. e77407-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Intra-tumoral steroidogenesis and constitutive androgen receptor (AR) activity have been associated withcastration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). This study aimed to examine if CRPC bone metastases expressed higher levels ofsteroid-converting enzymes than untreated bone metastases. Steroidogenic enzyme levels were also analyzed in relation toexpression of constitutively active AR variants (AR-Vs) and to clinical and pathological variables.Methodology/Principal Findings: Untreated, hormone-naıve (HN, n = 9) and CRPC bone metastases samples (n = 45) wereobtained from 54 patients at metastasis surgery. Non-malignant and malignant prostate samples were acquired from 13prostatectomy specimens. Transcript and protein levels were analyzed by real-time RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry andimmunoblotting. No differences in steroidogenic enzyme levels were detected between CRPC and HN bone metastases.Significantly higher levels of SRD5A1, AKR1C2, AKR1C3, and HSD17B10 mRNA were however found in bone metastases thanin non-malignant and/or malignant prostate tissue, while the CYP11A1, CYP17A1, HSD3B2, SRD5A2, and HSD17B6 mRNAlevels in metastases were significantly lower. A sub-group of metastases expressed very high levels of AKR1C3, which wasnot due to gene amplification as examined by copy number variation assay. No association was found between AKR1C3expression and nuclear AR staining, tumor cell proliferation or patient outcome after metastases surgery. With only oneexception, high AR-V protein levels were found in bone metastases with low AKR1C3 levels, while metastases with highAKR1C3 levels primarily contained low AR-V levels, indicating distinct mechanisms behind castration-resistance in individualbone metastases.Conclusions/Significance: Induced capacity of converting adrenal-gland derived steroids into more potent androgens wasindicated in a sub-group of PC bone metastases. This was not associated with CRPC but merely with the advanced stage ofmetastasis. Sub-groups of bone metastases could be identified according to their expression levels of AKR1C3 and AR-Vs,which might be of relevance for patient response to 2nd line androgen-deprivation therapy.
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| 6. |
- Josefsson, Andreas, 1979-
(författare)
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Prognostic markers in prostate cancer : studies of a watchful waiting cohort with long follow up
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Prostate Cancer (PC) is a common and highly variable disease. Using current diagnostic methods, the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test and histological grading of prostate tissue needle biopsies, it is often difficult to evaluate whether the patient has a PC that requires active treatment or not. The absolute majority of all 10,000 cases of PCs diagnosed annually in Sweden have tumours graded as Gleason score (GS) 6-7 and a PSA value in blood below 10. Many of these are harmless and can be left without active treatment and hence spared problematic post-therapy side-effects, others are highly malignant and require early diagnosis and treatment. Better prognostic markers are needed and the aim of this study was to evaluate prognostic markers and to test if these markers could identify patients with indolent tumours. Methods: We have studied tumour material from 419 men consecutively diagnosed with PC at transurethral resection (1975-1990). The majority of these patients (295) had no metastasis at diagnosis and was not given any curative treatment and only hormonal treatment upon symptoms from metastatic progression. Standard histological sections and tissue microarrays (TMA) from these tumours and surrounding normal prostate tissue were stained and evaluated for cell proliferation (Ki67), blood vessels (endoglin and von Willebrand factor, vWf) and the extracellular matrix component hyaluronan (HA). An orthotopic rat PC model was used to explore hyaluronan staining, hyaluronic acid synthase (HAS)-1 mRNA levels and the effect of local HA treatment on tumour growth. Results: Tumour cell proliferation (Ki67) and the density of intra-tumoural endoglin stained blood vessels were independent prognostic markers (i.e. they added prognostic information to the conventional prognostic markers; clinical stage and GS). None of the GS 6 patients with low staining for both Ki67 and endoglin died of PC within 15 years of follow-up. High HA staining in the tumour epithelium and stroma was a negative prognostic marker of cancer specific survival but they were not independent of GS. High HA staining and high vascular density in the stroma of the surrounding morphologically normal prostate were prognostic for short cancer specific survival. Implantation of tumour cells in the normal rat prostate resulted in an increase in HA and HAS-1 mRNA levels in the prostate tissue surrounding prostate tumours. Concurrently intra-prostatic injection of HA also stimulated tumour growth. Conclusions: By evaluating both tumour cell proliferation (Ki67) and vascular density, it is possible to identify patients with very low risk of cancer specific death in the absence of active treatment. Prostate tumours influence the surrounding non-malignant prostate tissue, for example they cause an increased angiogenesis and synthesis of hyaluronan. Such responses can possibly be used to diagnose PC and to evaluate PC aggressiveness.
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| 7. |
- Källberg, Eva, et al.
(författare)
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S100A9 Interaction with TLR4 Promotes Tumor Growth
- 2012
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - San Francisco : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 7:3, s. e34207-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- By breeding TRAMP mice with S100A9 knock-out (S100A9(-/-)) animals and scoring the appearance of palpable tumors we observed a delayed tumor growth in animals devoid of S100A9 expression. CD11b(+) S100A9 expressing cells were not observed in normal prostate tissue from control C57BL/6 mice but were readily detected in TRAMP prostate tumors. Also, S100A9 expression was observed in association with CD68(+) macrophages in biopsies from human prostate tumors. Delayed growth of TRAMP tumors was also observed in mice lacking the S100A9 ligand TLR4. In the EL-4 lymphoma model tumor growth inhibition was observed in S100A9(-/-) and TLR4(-/-), but not in RAGE(-/-) animals lacking an alternative S100A9 receptor. When expression of immune-regulating genes was analyzed using RT-PCR the only common change observed in mice lacking S100A9 and TLR4 was a down-regulation of TGF beta expression in splenic CD11b(+) cells. Lastly, treatment of mice with a small molecule (ABR-215050) that inhibits S100A9 binding to TLR4 inhibited EL4 tumor growth. Thus, S100A9 and TLR4 appear to be involved in promoting tumor growth in two different tumor models and pharmacological inhibition of S100A9-TLR4 interactions is a novel and promising target for anti-tumor therapies.
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| 8. |
- Thysell, Elin, et al.
(författare)
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Metabolomic characterization of human prostate cancer bone metastases reveals increased levels of cholesterol
- 2010
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Ingår i: PLoS One. - : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 5:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Metastasis to the bone is one clinically important features of prostate cancer (PCa). Current diagnostic methods cannot predict metastatic PCa at a curable stage of the disease. Identification of metabolic pathways involved in the growth of bone metastases therefore has the potential to improve PCa prognostication as well as therapy.Methodology/Principal Findings: Metabolomics was applied for the study of PCa bone metastases (n = 20) in comparison with corresponding normal bone (n = 14), and furthermore of malignant (n = 13) and benign (n = 17) prostate tissue and corresponding plasma samples obtained from patients with (n = 15) and without (n = 13) diagnosed metastases and from men with benign prostate disease (n = 30). This was done using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for sample characterization, and chemometric bioinformatics for data analysis. Results were verified in a separate test set including metastatic and normal bone tissue from patients with other cancers (n = 7). Significant differences were found between PCa bone metastases, bone metastases of other cancers, and normal bone. Furthermore, we identified metabolites in primary tumor tissue and in plasma which were significantly associated with metastatic disease. Among the metabolites in PCa bone metastases especially cholesterol was noted. In a test set the mean cholesterol level in PCa bone metastases was 127.30 mg/g as compared to 81.06 and 35.85 mg/g in bone metastases of different origin and normal bone, respectively (P = 0.0002 and 0.001). Immunohistochemical staining of PCa bone metastases showed intense staining of the low density lipoprotein receptor and variable levels of the scavenger receptor class B type 1 and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme reductase in tumor epithelial cells, indicating possibilities for influx and de novo synthesis of cholesterol.Conclusions/Significance: We have identified metabolites associated with PCa metastasis and specifically identified high levels of cholesterol in PCa bone metastases. Based on our findings and the previous literature, this makes cholesterol a possible therapeutic target for advanced PCa.
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| 9. |
- Wikström Hultdin, Ulrika, et al.
(författare)
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Purification, crystallization and preliminary data analysis of FocB, a transcription factor regulating fimbrial adhesin expression in uropathogenic Escherichia coli
- 2010
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Ingår i: Acta Crystallographica. Section F. - 1744-3091 .- 1744-3091. ; 66:Pt 3, s. 337-341
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The transcription factor FocB belongs to a family of regulators encoded by several different fimbriae gene clusters in uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Recent findings suggest that FocB-family proteins may form different protein-protein complexes and that they may exert both positive and negative effects on the transcription of fimbriae genes. However, little is known about the actual role and mode of action when these proteins interact with the fimbriae operons. The 109-amino-acid FocB transcription factor from the foc gene cluster in E. coli strain J96 has been cloned, expressed and purified. The His6-tagged fusion protein was captured by Ni2+-affinity chromatography, cleaved with tobacco etch virus protease and purified by gel filtration. The purified protein is oligomeric, most likely in the form of dimers. NMR analysis guided the crystallization attempts by showing that probable conformational exchange or oligomerization is reduced at temperatures above 293 K and that removal of the highly flexible His6 tag is advantageous. The protein was crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method at 295 K. A native data set to 2.0 Å resolution was collected at 100 K using synchrotron radiation.
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| 10. |
- Akhter, Tansim, 1967-, et al.
(författare)
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Artery Wall Layer Dimensions during Normal Pregnancy : A longitudinal study using non-invasive high-frequency ultrasound
- 2013
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Ingår i: American Journal of Physiology. Heart and Circulatory Physiology. - : American Physiological Society. - 0363-6135 .- 1522-1539. ; 304:2, s. H229-H234
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The vascular effects of normal pregnancy were investigated by estimating the intima and media thicknesses of the common carotid artery separately using 22MHz ultrasound (Collagenoson, Meudt, Germany) in 57 healthy women with normal pregnancies and pregnancy outcomes, in all three trimesters and at one year postpartum. A thick intima, thin media and high intima/media (I/M) ratio are signs of a less healthy artery wall. The mean artery wall layer dimensions remained fairly constant during pregnancy but the intima thickness and I/M thickness ratio appeared to improve (decrease) postpartum (p<0.001 for both). The cardiovascular risk parameters age, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure in the first trimester were associated with higher I/M ratios, especially in the second trimester, whereas higher serum estradiol levels were significantly associated with a lower I/M ratio. Changes from the first to second trimesters in I/M ratio, taking into account differential changes in intima and media thickness, were significantly (p<0.05-0.001) associated with all risk parameters tested except age, which was associated with increased intima thickness (p=0.02). Associations with third trimester values and changes from first to third trimesters were similar but less apparent. Thus, fairly constant mean artery wall layer dimensions during pregnancy appeared to improve postpartum. However, higher age, BMI or blood pressure, and lower serum estradiol levels in the first trimester appeared to negatively affect the artery wall, strongly suggesting that pregnancy has negative vascular effects in some women. A less likely explanation involves possible adaptation to physiological changes during and after pregnancy.
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