Cold atmospheric plasma displays favourable antibacterial effects. We demonstrated that plasma treatment with the PlasmaDerm® VU-2010 device is safe and effective in patients with chronic venous leg ulcers. Thus, larger controlled trials and the development of devices with larger application surfaces are warranted.

Purpose: Homing of malignant lymphocytes to the central nervous system (CNS) may play a role in the pathogenesis of CNS lymphoma. In this study, we evaluated the chemokines CXCL12 and CXCL13 in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of patients with CNS lymphoma. Experimental Design: Samples from 30 patients with CNS lymphoma (23 with primary and 7 with secondary CNS lymphoma; all B-cell lymphoma) and 40 controls (10 patients with other CNS malignancies and 30 without a malignant CNS disease) were examined. CXCL12 and CXCL13 concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The grade of blood-brain barrier disruption was estimated by the CSF/serum albumin ratio. Results: CNS lymphoma patients and controls did not differ in CXCL12 serum and CSF levels. Serum levels of CXCL13 were generally low. CXCL13 CSF levels, however, were significantly higher in CNS lymphoma patients as compared with controls (P < 0.0001). Chemokine levels in CSF and serum did not correlate. In CNS lymphoma, CXCL13 concentration in CSF correlated with the degree of blood-brain barrier disruption (R = 0.66; P = 0.003). Elevated CSF levels of CXCL12 and CXCL13 measured in seven CNS lymphoma patients during therapy decreased in five patients who responded to chemotherapy and increased in two with lymphoma progression. Conclusions: Our results suggest a production of CXCL13 within the CNS of CNS lymphoma patients, which decreases with response to therapy. Thus, CXCL13 may represent a marker for further diagnostic and prognostic studies. (Clin Cancer Res 2009;15(19):5968-73)

BACKGROUND. Inflammation and perturbation of the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis function appears to play a putative role in the etiology of depression. Patients with metastatic cancer demonstrate elevated prevalence rates for depression. The objective of the current study was to illustrate the efficacy of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and HPA axis function as adjuncts to support the diagnosis of depression in cancer patients. METHODS. Plasma concentrations of IL‐6 and cortisol were measured in 114 cancer patients with and without depression. The relative diurnal variation of cortisol (cortisol VAR), expressed as a percentage, was calculated. Receiver operating characteristics analysis was performed. RESULTS. Depression was associated with increased plasma concentrations of IL‐6 (18.7 pg/mL vs. 2.7 pg/mL; P < .001) and higher cortisol concentrations at 8 AM and 8 PM. The relative cortisol VAR (11.7% vs. 60.6%, respectively; P < .001) was found to be decreased in cancer patients with depression, indicating a disturbed circadian function of the HPA axis. As a biomarker of depression, IL‐6 yielded at a cutoff value of 10.6 pg/mL, a sensitivity of 79%, and a specificity of 87% (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.86; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.78–0.94), whereas cortisol VAR demonstrated a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 88% (AUC = 0.85; 95% CI, 0.74–0.97) at a cutoff value of 33.5%. CONCLUSIONS. Depression is associated with increased plasma IL‐6 concentrations in patients with cancer. These patients demonstrate a dysfunction of the HPA‐axis, characterized by a decreased diurnal variation of cortisol. The high sensitivity and specificity of these parameters biomarkers of depression make IL‐6 and cortisol VAR helpful tools in the diagnosis of depression in patients with cancer. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.

Inhibin (I) a gonadal hormone glycoprotein which suppresses follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secretion from the anterior pituitary, is a heterodimer consisting of an alpha subunit and one of two distinct beta subunits. S1 nuclease analysis has revealed that RNAs encoding all three subunits (alpha, beta A and beta B) are expressed in rat brain. We report here on the localization, and a potential function, of inhibin beta in the rat brain. A cell group centred in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), a major recipient of visceral sensory information, was stained immunohistochemically with antisera against synthetic fragments of I beta, but not I alpha. The distribution of I beta-stained fibres is consistent with known NTS projections, and includes a prominent projection to oxytocinergic aspects of the magnocellular neurosecretory system.