Diffuse uterine leiomyomatosis: a rare discovery.

PURPOSE: This case report aims to present a rare and challenging clinical scenario involving diffuse uterine leiomyomatosis (DUL), an infrequently encountered benign uterine pathology. The primary objective is to describe this unique case's clinical presentation, diagnostic challenges, and subsequent management. METHODS: A detailed analysis of the patient's medical history, diagnostic evaluations, and treatment approach was conducted. A relevant literature review on DUL was also performed. This case report includes high-resolution images and figures, showcasing MRI scans, surgical procedures, and histopathology slides related to the case. RESULTS: The case report outlines the clinical journey of a patient with DUL, an exceptionally rare uterine condition characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of smooth muscle cells forming nodules and fascicles. This case illustrates the diagnostic complexities associated with DUL, as it mimics other uterine pathologies such as leiomyomas or adenomyosis. The patient's clinical presentation included abnormal uterine bleeding, heavy menstrual bleeding, fertility issues, and dysmenorrhea, leading to initial misdiagnoses. Surgical intervention eventually addressed the condition with corresponding images illustrating the procedures. CONCLUSION: This case report highlights DUL's rarity and diagnostic challenges. Clinicians must be vigilant when encountering similar clinical presentations, ensuring a comprehensive diagnostic workup to differentiate DUL from other uterine pathologies. Enhanced awareness among healthcare providers and further research into DUL's pathophysiology is essential for accurate diagnosis and timely management. The presented case underscores the need for tailored approaches to managing DUL and expanding the knowledge base surrounding this puzzling uterine disorder.

Rational optimization of a transcription factor activation domain inhibitor.

Transcription factors are among the most attractive therapeutic targets but are considered largely 'undruggable' in part due to the intrinsically disordered nature of their activation domains. Here we show that the aromatic character of the activation domain of the androgen receptor, a therapeutic target for castration-resistant prostate cancer, is key for its activity as transcription factor, allowing it to translocate to the nucleus and partition into transcriptional condensates upon activation by androgens. On the basis of our understanding of the interactions stabilizing such condensates and of the structure that the domain adopts upon condensation, we optimized the structure of a small-molecule inhibitor previously identified by phenotypic screening. The optimized compounds had more affinity for their target, inhibited androgen-receptor-dependent transcriptional programs, and had an antitumorigenic effect in models of castration-resistant prostate cancer in cells and in vivo. These results suggest that it is possible to rationally optimize, and potentially even to design, small molecules that target the activation domains of oncogenic transcription factors.

Effectiveness of a hysteroscopic tissue removal system device for hysteroscopic myomectomy on patients' quality of life: a randomized clinical trial.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the quality of life in patients treated for submucosal leiomyomas after hysteroscopic myomectomy compared to medical therapy. This is the first prospective randomized analysis comparing outcomes of medical therapy versus hysteroscopic myomectomy using the TruClear™ hysteroscopic tissue removal system to treat heavy menstrual bleeding from submucosal leiomyoma(s). METHODS: Setting: private practice and community-based hospital; subjects: female patients with symptomatic submucosal leiomyomas from 2014 to 2017. A total of 69 patients enrolled, with 47 completed. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: randomization, linear mixed-effects modeling, hypothesis testing, and intent-to-treat analysis. Each patient was randomized to oral contraceptive pills/progesterone releasing intrauterine device or hysteroscopic myomectomy. Each patient was to complete the Uterine Fibroid Symptom and Health-related Quality of Life (UFS-QOL) questionnaire at baseline, one month, three months, and greater than or equal to six months after treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURED: Primary outcome was the health-related quality of life (HR-QOL), as reflected from UFS-QOL scores. Contrasts were constructed from a linear mixed-effects model to compare the two treatment groups for changes from baseline in UFS-QOL scores. RESULTS: UFS-QOL scores were similar at baseline between the two treatment groups. There was an overall improvement in all UFS-QOL scores within each group. Higher improvement scores were noted in the surgical group compared to the medical group for almost all UFS-QOL scores. At ≥ 6 months, in comparison to the medically managed patients, the most considerable score improvements for the surgical group were reported in HR-QOL concern, activities, self-consciousness and symptom severity scores having mean change scores (95% CIs) of 35.3, 28.9, 28.6, and 32.2, respectively. CONCLUSION: Although there was no statistical difference in the change degree of improvement of overall quality of life among patients with symptomatic submucosal leiomyomas who received medical or surgical treatments in the study, there were greater differences in improvements in health-related quality of life scores over time after surgical treatment.

Isolation and characterization of castration-resistant prostate cancer LNCaP95 clones.

The androgen receptor (AR) is a validated therapeutic target for prostate cancer and has been a focus for drug development for more than six decades. Currently approved therapies that inhibit AR signaling, such as enzalutamide, rely solely on targeting the AR ligand-binding domain and, therefore, have limited efficacy on prostate cancer cells that express truncated, constitutively active AR splice variants (AR-Vs). The LNCaP95 cell line is a human prostate cancer cell line that expresses both functional full-length AR and AR-V7. LNCaP95 is a heterogeneous cell population that is resistant to enzalutamide, with its proliferation dependent on transcriptionally active AR-V7. The purpose of this study was to identify a LNCaP95 clone that would be useful for evaluating therapies for their effectiveness against enzalutamide-resistant prostate cancer cells. Seven clones from the LNCaP95 cell line were isolated and characterized using morphology, in vitro growth rate, and response to ralaniten (AR N-terminal domain inhibitor) and enzalutamide (antiandrogen). In vivo growth of the clones as subcutaneous xenografts was evaluated in castrated immunodeficient mice. All of the clones maintained the expression of full-length AR and AR-V7. Cell proliferation of the clones was insensitive to androgen and enzalutamide but importantly was inhibited by ralaniten, which is consistent with AR-Vs driving the proliferation of parental LNCaP95 cells. In castrated immunodeficient animals, the growth of subcutaneous xenografts of the D3 clone was the most reproducible compared to the parental cell line and other clones. These data support that the enzalutamide-resistant LNCaP95-D3 subline may be suitable as a xenograft tumor model for preclinical drug development with improved reproducibility.

Combination therapy with androgen receptor N-terminal domain antagonist EPI-7170 and enzalutamide yields synergistic activity in AR-V7-positive prostate cancer.

Resistance of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) to enzalutamide and abiraterone involves the expression of constitutively active, truncated androgen receptor (AR) splice variants (AR-Vs) that lack a C-terminal ligand-binding domain (LBD). Both full-length AR and truncated AR-Vs require a functional N-terminal domain (NTD) for transcriptional activity thereby providing rationale for the development of ralaniten (EPI-002) as a first-in-class antagonist of the AR-NTD. Here, we evaluated the antitumor effect of a next-generation analog of ralaniten (EPI-7170) as a monotherapy or in combination with enzalutamide in prostate cancer cells that express AR-V7 that were resistant to enzalutamide. EPI-7170 had 8-9 times improved potency compared to ralaniten. Enzalutamide increased levels of AR-V7 and expression of its target genes. Knockdown of AR-V7 restored sensitivity to enzalutamide, indicating a role for AR-V7 in the mechanism of resistance. EPI-7170 inhibited expression of genes transcriptionally regulated by full-length AR and AR-V7. A combination of EPI-7170 and enzalutamide resulted in synergistic inhibition of proliferation of enzalutamide-resistant cells that was consistent with results from cell cycle and clonogenic assays. In addition, this drug enhanced the antitumor effect of enzalutamide in enzalutamide-resistant CRPC preclinical models. Thus, a combination therapy targeting both the NTD and LBD of AR, and thereby blocking both full-length AR and AR-Vs, has potential for the treatment of enzalutamide-resistant CRPC.

Ralaniten Sensitizes Enzalutamide-Resistant Prostate Cancer to Ionizing Radiation in Prostate Cancer Cells that Express Androgen Receptor Splice Variants.

Blocking androgen receptor (AR) transcriptional activity by androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) improves the response to radiotherapy for intermediate and high risk prostate cancer. Unfortunately, ADT, antiandrogens, and abiraterone increase expression of constitutively active splice variants of AR (AR-Vs) which regulate DNA damage repair leading to resistance to radiotherapy. Here we investigate whether blocking the transcriptional activities of full-length AR and AR-Vs with ralaniten leads to enhanced sensitivity to radiotherapy. Combination therapies using ralaniten with ionizing radiation were evaluated for effects on proliferation, colony formation, cell cycle, DNA damage, and Western blot analyses in human prostate cancer cells that express both full-length AR and AR-Vs. Ralaniten and a potent next-generation analog (EPI-7170) decreased expression of DNA repair genes whereas enzalutamide had no effect. FACS analysis revealed a dose-dependent decrease of BrdU incorporation with increased accumulation of γH2AX with a combination of ionizing radiation with ralaniten. An additive inhibitory effect on proliferation of enzalutamide-resistant cells was achieved with a combination of ralaniten compounds with ionizing radiation. Ralaniten and EPI-7170 sensitized prostate cancer cells that express full-length AR and AR-Vs to radiotherapy whereas enzalutamide had no added benefit.

Revealing Metabolic Liabilities of Ralaniten To Enhance Novel Androgen Receptor Targeted Therapies.

Inhibition of the androgen receptor (AR) is the mainstay treatment for advanced prostate cancer. Ralaniten (formally EPI-002) prevents AR transcriptional activity by binding to its N-terminal domain (NTD) which is essential for transcriptional activity. Ralaniten acetate (EPI-506) the triacetate pro-drug of ralaniten, remains the only AR-NTD inhibitor to have entered clinical trials (NCT02606123). While well tolerated, the trial was ultimately terminated due to poor pharmacokinetic properties and resulting pill burden. Here we discovered that ralaniten was glucuronidated which resulted in decreased potency. Long-term treatment of prostate cancer cells with ralaniten results in upregulation of UGT2B enzymes with concomitant loss of potency. This has proven to be a useful model with which to facilitate the development of more potent second-generation AR-NTD inhibitors. Glucuronidated metabolites of ralaniten were also detected in the serum of patients in Phase 1 clinical trials. Therefore, we tested an analogue of ralaniten (EPI-045) which was resistant to glucuronidation and demonstrated superiority to ralaniten in our resistant model. These data support that analogues of ralaniten designed to mitigate glucuronidation may optimize clinical responses to AR-NTD inhibitors.

Female Sexual Dysfunction in Women with Pelvic Pain.

A variety of conditions can give rise to the perception of painful sexual intercourse in women with pelvic pain. Female sexual dysfunction may stem from psychological, medical such as endocrinological disturbances, and gynecological pathologies. This article provides a discussion of various conditions, offering diagnostic and therapeutic measures to consider in women with pelvic pain experiencing sexual dysfunction. Treatment and management options are also reviewed.

In vitro activity of Lycium barbarum (Goji) against major human phase I metabolism enzymes.

BACKGROUND: Goji berry (Lycium barbarum) has been used as traditional Chinese medicine and a functional food in China. Goji tea may interact with drugs such as warfarin by inhibiting the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C9, and this study was undertaken to characterize the effect of Goji products on CYP2C9/19-, CYP2D6 *1/*10-, CYP3A4/5/7-, CYP19-, and flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) 3-mediated metabolism. METHODS: Goji juice, water, and ethanol extracts were examined for their effect on CYP2C9/19-, 2D6-, 3A4/5/7-, 4A11-, CYP19-, and FMO3-mediated metabolism by using in vitro bioassay. The mechanism-based inactivation (MBI) of Goji juice on CYP3A4 was also examined. RESULTS: Data indicates that both fresh juice and commercially available juice caused strong inhibition (over 75 %) of most of the major CYP450 enzymes and moderate inhibition of FMO3 (30-60 %). Compared to juice, the Goji cold/hot water extracts effected low inhibition (below 30 %) of these enzymes. Ethanol (80 %) extracts exhibit the strongest inhibition on CYP2C9 and 2C19 (over 90 %). The inhibition pattern of dried and fresh berry extract and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-UV fingerprints were similar. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that Goji products (berries, tea, tincture, and juice) can inhibit phase I drug metabolism enzymes and have the potential to affect the safety and efficacy of therapeutic products.

Efficiency of Screening for the Recurrence of Antenatal Group B Streptococcus Colonization in a Subsequent Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis with Independent Patient Data.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk of recurrent group B streptococcus (GBS) colonization in a subsequent pregnancy and to assess clinical characteristics that influence this risk. STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed. Databases were searched from inception through June 2015 using PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Central, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Studies were eligible if they assessed antenatal GBS colonization in two successive pregnancies. The quality of included studies was evaluated. Independent patient data was requested from the authors of the included trials. Unadjusted odds ratios (OR) were pooled using the Mantel-Haenszel fixed effect model. RESULTS: In the five studies identified, two studies lacked a nonexposed cohort. GBS colonization in the index pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of recurrence of GBS colonization in a subsequent pregnancy (three studies: 50.2 compared with 14.1%; pooled fixed effects OR, 6.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.84-7.55). When heavy colonization with GBS was compared with colonization by vaginal culture only, an increased risk of recurrence was shown (four studies: 52.0 compared with 45.1%, pooled fixed effects OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.02-2.31). CONCLUSION: Women colonized with GBS are at significantly higher odds for recurrent colonization in a subsequent pregnancy when compared with women who were not colonized in an index pregnancy. If the individual is considered heavily colonized with GBS, there appears to be an association with an increased risk compared with conventional culture. Subgroup analysis of the variables time interval ≤ 12 months between subsequent pregnancies, body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m(2), race, ethnicity, and primiparous in the subsequent pregnancy showed no effect.

Melatonin Interaction Resulting in Severe Sedation.

PURPOSE: Natural health products (NHPs), including melatonin, are widely used products. Despite the widespread assumption that all NHPs are safe, they contain pharmacologically active substances and can therefore have adverse effects and/or interact with pharmaceuticals. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism underlying NHP interactions identified through the Pharmacy SONAR active surveillance study. METHODS: Active surveillance was undertaken in community pharmacies to identify adverse events in patients who had recently taken NHPs together with conventional pharmaceuticals. For suspected NHP-pharmaceutical interactions, the possible mechanism of action was explored by in vitro analysis of samples of different products to identify cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP) inhibition potential. RESULTS: Active surveillance identified a 19-year-old male taking citalopram, nortriptyline and oxycodone concomitantly and who experienced severe sedation when melatonin was added to this regimen. In vitro analysis involving several melatonin products showed product-dependent inhibition of CYP1A2, CYP2C19 and CYP3A7. CONCLUSION: The adverse event was likely due to a primary pharmacokinetic interaction between melatonin and citalopram; although mechanistically, interactions affecting cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism may have occurred with all of these health products. A pharmacodynamic interaction may also be possible, but beyond the capacity of this study to establish.

Cytochrome P450 3A4 and 2D6-mediated metabolism of leisure and medicinal teas.

PURPOSE: Thirty-five commercially available Camellia sinensis (black and green) and herbal leisure teas and an assortment of Traditional Chinese medicinal teas were randomly selected and examined for their potential to inhibit the drug metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4). The study was then extended to examine CYP2D6*1 and CYP2D6*10. METHODS: Microtiter fluorometric assays were utilized to examine the potential for the teas to inhibit CYP-mediated metabolism. Aqueous or alcoholic extracts of the dried tea plant material were examined. METHODS: Most of the black and green leisure teas generally inhibited CYP3A4 more than the Chinese medicinal teas. The medicinal Chinese teas were generally more inhibitory towards CYP3A4 compared to the CYP2D6 isozymes, and the aqueous extracts displayed more potency than the alcoholic extracts. CONCLUSIONS: Tea whether used for leisure or medicinal purposes has the potential to inhibit CYP3A4-mediated drug metabolism particularly black tea.

Oxidized regenerated cellulose resembling vaginal cuff abscess.

INTRODUCTION: Application of oxidized regenerated cellulose is commonly performed in laparoscopy to achieve hemostasis during surgery. The appearance of an abscess resembles oxidized regenerated cellulose, causing imaging studies to be difficult to interpret. CASE DESCRIPTION: We describe the cases of 3 patients who underwent oxidized regenerated cellulose placement during laparoscopic gynecologic surgery. They subsequently presented with signs and symptoms resembling an abscess. Computed tomographic imaging can be challenging to interpret in such cases; radiologic findings can be used to differentiate between the characteristics of oxidized regenerated cellulose and those of abscess formation on the vaginal cuff. DISCUSSION: Oxidized regenerated cellulose has an appearance that often mimics postsurgical abscess formation. There are distinct characteristics that distinguish both findings. It is essential that patients' records accurately describe the presence and location of regenerated oxidized cellulose when placed intraoperatively, and this information must be relayed to the interpreting radiologist to facilitate medical diagnosis and guide clinical management.

Antimicrobial and P450 inhibitory properties of common functional foods.

PURPOSE: To study the effect of functional foods on human cytochrome P450 (CYP) and the gut bacterial microflora that may potentially affect drug metabolism and ultimately affect human health and wellness. METHODS: This study examined a variety of food plants from the Apiaceae, Fabaceae, and Lamiaceae families for their inhibitory potential on cytochrome 2D6-, 3A4-, 3A5-, and 3A7-mediated metabolism. The antimicrobial effects of these samples were also investigated with 7 selected bacterial surrogate species to determine potential effects on the gut microflora. RESULTS: The highest CYP inhibitory activities, based upon visual examination, were observed from extracts of celery seed, cumin, fennel seed, basil, oregano, and rosemary belonging to the Apiaceae and Lamiaceae families, respectively. Likewise, the strongest antimicrobial activities were also observed in the Apiaceae and Lamiaceae. No significant antimicrobial and CYP inhibition was observed in the Fabaceae extracts. CONCLUSION: Results demonstrated the possible risk of food-drug interactions from spice and herb plants may affect drug disposition and safety.

The effect of Cree traditional medicinal teas on the activity of human cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Rhododendron groenlandicum (Bog Labrador tea), Rhododendron tomentosum (Marsh Labrador tea) and Juniperus communis (Juniper) are used in medicinal teas by Canadian aboriginal cultures alone and in combination with conventional drug products. The safety of this combination had not been previously examined and this study was initiated to examine the potential of medicinal teas to inhibit the major human drug metabolizing enzyme, cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The decoctions of Rhododendron groenlandicum and Rhododendron tomentosum leaves and Juniperus communis berries were examined in a microtiter fluorometric assay to examine their potential to inhibit CYP-mediated metabolism. RESULTS: The decoctions showed progressive inhibition towards CYP3A4 the longer the leaves or berries were brewed. R. Rhododendron groenlandicum and Juniperus communis may have the potential to inhibit CYP3A4-mediated metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study with these traditional medicines are significant in that they provide mechanistic support that these products have the potential to affect the safety and efficacy of other health and medicinal products. As this study only examined CYP3A4, it is possible that these medicinals contain substances that could also affect other metabolic enzymes.

Infiltration of bupivacaine local anesthetic to trocar insertion sites after laparoscopy: a randomized, double-blind, stratified, and controlled trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine if injection of local anesthetic into trocar insertion sites after laparoscopy improves postoperative pain. DESIGN: A prospective, 2-arm, randomized, double-blind, stratified, and controlled trial (Canadian Task Force classification I). SETTING: A university-based teaching hospital. PATIENTS: This study was performed on women who had a laparoscopic gynecologic procedure for benign indications from March 2013 to June 2013. One hundred thirty-five subjects were stratified by chronic pelvic pain or no chronic pelvic pain. Chronic pelvic pain was defined as pelvic pain occurring for 6 months or more in duration. Randomization was performed for this trial, with 68 receiving a bupivacaine block and 67 receiving no bupivacaine block. Of the 71 patients with chronic pelvic pain, 35 patients were in group 1 (i.e., bupivacaine block) and 36 patients were in group 2 (i.e., no bupivacaine block). INTERVENTIONS: After the laparoscopic surgery was completed, the trocar incision sites were closed. For subjects randomized to receive a local anesthesia block, bupivacaine (0.25%) was injected. Incisions 8 mm or greater were injected with 10 mL 0.25% bupivacaine. Incisions 5 mm or less were infiltrated with 5 mL. Injecting the local anesthetic through all preperitoneal layers provided a full-thickness local injection. Group 2 did not receive a local injection. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: At the preoperative suite, the nurses gauged the patient's pain using the Numeric Rating Scale. This score was used as the baseline pain level with which the postoperative pain scores were compared. The primary objective was to measure changes in pain scores, from preoperative to postoperative time frames of 2 to 4 hours, 6 to 8 hours, 18 to 24 hours, and 3 to 7 days postoperatively. These score changes were measured as the main objective. Secondary objectives include estimated blood loss, operating time, length of hospital stay, and histopathologic diagnosis. The hospital personnel caring for the patient during the preoperative and postoperative course were given standard pain evaluation protocols. All study pain evaluators and patients were blinded to treatment assignments throughout the pain assessment process. There were no statistically significant differences in patient characteristics between the 2 treatment groups. No significant difference was found in secondary outcomes including estimated blood loss, length of hospital stay, and histopathologic diagnosis. In general, Numeric Rating Scale pain scores were lower (i.e., less pain) in the "bupivacaine block" group compared with the "no bupivacaine" block group at the following postsurgery time assessments: 2 to 4 hours, 6 to 8 hours, 18 to 24 hours, and 3 to 7 days after surgery. However, the effect was not large enough (<1 point) to show a statistical difference between the treatment groups at any of these postsurgery assessments. CONCLUSION: The postoperative injection of bupivacaine in trocar port sites did not significantly improve pain scores after laparoscopic gynecologic surgery.