Atypical chemokine receptors have recently emerged as important molecular players in health and diseases; they affect chemokine availability and function and impact a multitude of pathophysiological events, including the tumorigenesis process. This family of atypical receptors comprises five members: ACKR1/DARC, ACKR2/D6, ACKR3/CXCR7, ACKR4/CCRL1, and ACKR5/CCRL2. This work evaluated the differential expression of these receptors in prostate cancer using quantitative PCR. Further evaluation of CCRL2 at the protein level confirmed its overexpression in a metastatic cell line and in malignant prostatic tissues from patients. CCRL2, a presumed member of the atypical chemokine receptor family, plays a key role in lung dendritic cell trafficking to peripheral lymph nodes. Recent studies have reported the expression of CCRL2 in different human cancer cell lines and tissues. However, its function and expression in prostate cancer has not been previously addressed.

Introduction: The host niche for Staphylococcus aureus (SA) are the anterior nares; however, vaginal colonization rates between 14% and 17.1% in pregnant women have been recently reported, raising interest about the potential risk in postpartum women and in neonates from colonized mothers. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of nasal and vaginal colonization of SA and the antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates in pregnant women attending a maternity hospital in Cartagena, Colombia. Methods: Nasal and vaginal swabs were obtained from participants and subjected to microbiological and molecular assays. A post discharge follow-up was performed for up to four weeks. Results: From 100 pregnant women enrolled in the study, 34 were colonized with SA; 29 only in the nares, three only in the vagina, and two at both sites. Colonization of pregnant women with SA was more common in the nares than in the vagina or at both sites [29/34 (85.3%) vs 3/34 (8.8%) and 2/34 (5.9%); p<0.05]. We obtained 36 SA isolates, nine (25%) of which were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), one was from the vagina; thus, the overall MRSA colonization rate among pregnant women was 9%. Molecular analysis showed that Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes were carried by the vaginal MRSA, seven of the nasal MRSA, and two of the Methicillinsensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) isolates. Two MRSA isolates carried SCCmec type I and seven carried SCCmec type IV. Conclusions: Nasal colonization rate for SA in the study population was similar to previous reports. However, the frequency of nasal colonization of MRSA was higher while vaginal colonization of SA was lower than previously reported in other studies for similar populations. The MRSA isolates obtained showed a community profile.

Objetivo: Determinar las terapias alternativas más frecuentes empleadas por los pacientes diagnosticados con hipertensión arterial, y la presencia o no de daño a órgano blanco en estos pacientes, y su relación con el empleo de terapias alternativas en las clínicas y centros de salud de ASSBASALUD ESE de la ciudad de Manizales. Materiales y métodos: Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo que incluyó a 171 pacientes seleccionados a través de un muestreo por conveniencia pertenecientes a los gruposde hipertensos de los Centros de ASSBASALUD ESE de la ciudad de Manizales. Se indagó sobre el empleo de tratamientos alternativos como terapias coadyuvantes para el manejo de su patología y de éstas cual predominaba, además la presencia oausencia de daño a órgano blanco. Se incluyeron parámetros demográficos como: el sexo, la edad, estrato socioeconómico, ocupación, estado civil, escolaridad, seguridad social, estadio de hipertensión arterial y daño a órgano blanco. Resultados: De una muestra de 171 pacientes, la edad promedio fue de 63,45 años, predominante el sexo femenino (76,6%). El 58,2% se encuentra en un estadio 1 de hipertensión, el 71,3% emplea terapias alternativas, siendo la más utilizada la fitofrutoterapia(23,1%) y en su mayoría automedicadas (51,6%) y recomendadas por familiares (22,2%). Conclusiones: En el presente estudio la mayoría de los pacientes recurrió al uso delos tratamientos alternativos; la fito-frutoterapia se mostró como la terapia más utilizada. Se determinaron diferencias significativas entre el uso de éstas, el estrato socioeconómico(tres) y la ocupación (amas de casa). Se observó mayor uso de tratamientos alternativos en las mujeres. La mayoría son automedicados. No se encontraron indicios que mostraran la efectividad de estas terapias

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common worldwide neoplasm in men [1]. Proliferative inflammatory atrophy (PIA) is proposed as a “risk factor lesion” as it has an important inflammatory component and the associated oxidative stress has been suggested to have a role in prostatic carcinogenesis [2,3] Objectives: To determine correlations between pathological findings of inflammation and proliferative inflammatory atrophy (PIA), in prostate biopsy specimens and to compare their prevalence in biopsies with and without prostate adenocarcinoma. Methods: A prospective study was conducted between December 2010 and June 2012 in the Hospital Universitario del Caribe, Cartagena, Colombia. Patients referred for transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate needle biopsy for suspected PCa were invited to participle and signed an informed consent. Initial prostate biopsies were examined for the presence of PCa, chronic inflammation and atrophy. The inflammation was scored for grade, localization and extension using the classification system of the CPCRN and IPCN consensus [4]. Atrophy was classified according to “Working Group Classification of Focal Prostate Atrophy Lesions” [5], and grade of atrophy was graduated using categories described by Postma [6]. For statistical analysis we compared parameters between groups with and without PCa. This study was approved for the Ethical Review Board of the participating institutions. Results: 97 patients were included, between the ages of 47 and 87 years (mean age: 68.32, SD: 8.9). Adenocarcinoma was identified in 50 of the 97 (51.5%) biopsies examined. There was a significant age difference between the PCa and benign groups (p=0.0031) and PSA levels were significantly higher in patients with cancer. Inflammation was detected in 95.87% of biopsies. Inflammation grade was significantly different between PCa and benign samples (p=0.038) but extension and localization of inflammation was not different between the groups. PIA was observed in 61 cases (62.8%) of which 23 had PCa. Atrophy grade and type were not different between groups and simple atrophy was the most frequently observed type. Morphological transition PIA-HGPIN was significantly more frequent in PCa group (p=0.0002) Conclusions: Our data provide evidence for a role of PIA as a PCa precursor lesion as we observed a strong association between morphological transition PIA-HGPIN and PCa. As inflammation was observed in the vast majority of patient samples, our analysis did not detect an association with PCa. Likewise, a clear association between atrophy and PCa was not observed. Citation Format: Ines Benedetti, Oscar Correa, Jan Geliebter, Raj Tiwari, Niradiz Reyes. Prostatic inflammation and proliferative inflammatory atrophy: Are there any associations with prostatic cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2870. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2870

Background: Prostate cancer progression is a complex process in which chemokines and their receptors play an important role related to tumor survival, growth, and metastasis. Objectives: 1) To determine the expression profiles of proinflammatory chemokines in prostate cancer cell line supernatants and their association with the metastatic phenotype, and 2) To determine whether these chemokines are present in the exosomes released from prostate cancer cell lines examined. Methods: Prostate cancer lines investigated included PWR-1E (non-tumorigenic), LNCaP (low metastatic potential) and PC-3 (high metastatic potential). The Human Common Chemokines Multi-Analyte ELISArray Kit (Qiagen) was used to evaluate the expression profiles of several proinflammatory chemokines in the supernatant and in the exosomal fraction of prostate cancer cells in culture. Chemokine profiles were correlated with the metastatic abilities of the cell lines analyzed. Chemokines evaluated were CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CCL5, CCL11, CCL17, CCL22, CXCL1, CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11. Results: Differential chemokine profiles in the cell lines were observed in the supernatant and in the exosomal fractions. Conclusions: Prostate cancer cell lines with different phenotypes have different chemokine profiles, both in supernatant and in the exosomal fraction of these cells in culture. These results may be useful for the design of diagnostic, prognostic and/ or therapeutic strategies. Financial support: Universidad de Cartagena Project Code: Res 04670 - 2012 Citation Format: Niradiz Reyes, Oscar Correa, Alfonso Bettin, Raj K. Tiwari, Jan Geliebter. Expression profiles of proinflammatory chemokines in prostate cancer cell supernatants. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4882. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4882