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Background: Angiogenesis is essential for tumor growth and metastasis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and thymidine phosphorylase (TP)/platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF) are involved in increased angiogenic activity and disease progression in solid tumors. However, there is no information regarding the association of these angiogenic factors with clinicopathologic findings in testicular germ cell tumors (GCTs)., Methods: The authors examined the expression of VEGF and TP as well as microvessel density in GCTs and their association with clinicopathologic findings. Expression of VEGF and TP and microvessel density were examined immunohistochemically in 80 GCTs, including 33 seminomas (25 tumors with organ-confined disease and 8 with metastasis) and 47 nonseminomatous testicular GCTs (NSGCTs) (20 tumors with organ-confined disease and 27 with metastasis). Expression of VEGF also was examined in four GCTs and one nonneoplastic testis by immunoblotting., Results: VEGF protein was expressed more highly in GCTs compared with nonneoplastic testes. VEGF expression in GCTs was correlated significantly with microvessel count (P < 0.001). Both VEGF expression and microvessel count were correlated with metastasis in seminoma (P = 0.008 and P < 0.001, respectively), but only VEGF expression was identified as statistically significant by multiple regression analysis (P = 0.006). Conversely, four variables (VEGF expression, microvessel count, the presence of venous invasion, and the presence of embryonal carcinoma elements in the primary tumor) were correlated with metastasis in NSGCT (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.004, and P = 0.029, respectively). However, multiple regression analysis revealed that only VEGF expression and microvessel count were significant factors for metastasis (P < 0.007 and P < 0.001, respectively). In contrast, high levels of TP were observed in infiltrating cells, but not in the majority of cancer cells., Conclusions: The findings of the current study suggest that VEGF expression is involved in tumor development, angiogenesis, and metastasis in GCT.

Background: The successful treatment of bacterial prostatitis depends on an effective antimicrobial concentration in prostatic tissue against the infecting organism. In this study we compared the diffusion of 5 types of antimicrobials into the prostate., Methods: The concentrations of piperacillin, cefotiam, minocycline, amikacin, and ofloxacin were determined in prostatic fluid, prostatic tissue, and serum 2.5 to 3 hours after a single administration from 55 patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy., Results: Although amikacin showed the highest mean concentration both in prostatic tissue and prostatic fluid, the prostatic tissue/serum ratio was significantly higher (P < 0.01) for ofloxacin (1.49 +/- 0.80) and minocycline (0.94 +/- 0.39) compared with those for amikacin (0.49 +/- 0.21) and piperacillin (0.21 +/- 0.15). Also, the prostatic fluid/serum ratio was lower than the prostatic tissue/serum ratio for each drug, however, the prostatic fluid/serum ratio of ofloxacin was significantly higher than that of other antimicrobials tested (P < 0.01)., Conclusion: These results support earlier studies demonstrating that fluoroquinolones are a useful class of antimicrobials for the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis. They also suggest that in view of the pharmacokinetic properties and antimicrobial activities, amikacin and minocycline may be alternate antimicrobial options for selected patients with bacterial infections of the prostate.

We examined whether a combined use of UFT with interferon against human KDR-1 strain cells was effective or not. KDR-1 strain derived from the patient with renal cell carcinoma was transplanted into nude mice. When the tumor grew large enough, the mice were divided into 4 groups. The group consisted of 1) oral use of 5% Acasia as a control, 2) oral administration of UFT, 3) combined use of UFT and IFN-alpha, 4) intraperitoneal injection of IFN. Each group was treated continuously for 16 days. Antitumor effect was not observed in group 2 and 4, but observed in group 3. The concentration of UFT in the tumor tissue did not show any differences between combination and UFT groups. Therefore, there is no evidence to prove that IFN-alpha makes UFT level higher. Antitumor effect was observed histopathologically in the combined regimen group, although a mechanism of synergistic effect is still unknown.

IFN-beta was more active than recombinant interferon-alpha (rIFN-alpha) and interferon-gamma (rIFN-gamma) in a human renal cell carcinoma transplanted in nude mice. In 3 out of 5 mice, the tumor completely disappeared and viable tumor cells were not observed at a daily dose of 5 x 10(5) U/mouse. Combination with anti-asialo GM1 antibody did not influence the tumor growth inhibition by IFN-beta. Mononuclear cells around damaged cancer cells were found not to be macrophages. Although the role of mononuclear cells remained unknown, the antitumor activity of IFN-beta seemed to depend on its direct cellular action. IFN-beta may be a useful agent in some renal cell carcinomas.