Chen PC, et al. World J Mens Health. 2022 Jul;40(3):490-500. https://doi.org/10.5534/wjmh.210098

Cannabidiol (CBD) is an active natural compound that is extracted from Cannabis sativa. Previous studies show that CBD is a nonpsychotropic compound with significant anticancer effects. This study determines its cytotoxic effect on oral cancer cells and OEC-M1 cells and compares the outcomes with a chemotherapeutic drug, cisplatin. This study has investigated the effect of CBD on the viability, apoptosis, morphology, and migration of OEC-M1 cells. Electric cell–substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) is used to measure the change in cell impedance for cells that are treated with a series concentration of CBD for 24 h. AlamarBlue and annexin V/7-AAD staining assays show that CBD has a cytotoxic effect on cell viability and induces cell apoptosis. ECIS analysis shows that CBD decreases the overall resistance and morphological parameters at 4 kHz in a concentration-dependent manner. There is a significant reduction in the wound-healing recovery rate for cells that are treated with 30 μM CBD. This study demonstrates that ECIS can be used for in vitro screening of new chemotherapy and is more sensitive, functional, and comprehensive than traditional biochemical assays. CBD also increases cytotoxicity on cell survival and the migration of oral cancer cells, so it may be a therapeutic drug for oral cancer.

The most common oral cancer is squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and its highest occurrence is in the tongue. Almost 30% of patients with one primary head and neck tumor will have a second primary malignancy. In recent studies, two novel plant extracts, andrographolide and cannabidiol (CBD), have been exploited for their anticancer effects. Here, we investigated the cytotoxic effects of these two compounds on SCC-25 cells, a human tongue squamous carcinoma cell line, and compared the outcomes with two chemotherapeutic drugs, cisplatin and fluorouracil. Electric cell substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) system was applied to measure frequency- and time-dependent impedance of SCC-25 cell-covered electrodes and to further assess subtle changes in cell morphology and micromotion in response to different concentrations (0, 10, 30, 100, and 300 µM) of these compounds. AlamarBlue and Annexin V/7-AAD binding assays were used to measure the concentration dependent changes in viability and apoptosis of SCC-25 cells. Our results demonstrate that 24 hours after exposure to 30 µM CBD can significantly decrease the micromotion rate, damage the integrity of cell morphology, reduce cell viability, and induce higher apoptosis in treated SCC-25 cells, while the other three drugs attain similar effects at the concentration of 100 µM or higher. The apoptosis-induced changes in cell morphology and micromotion monitored by ECIS correlate well with biochemical assays. Thus, both frequency- and time-dependent impedance measurements using ECIS can be used to real-time follow cancer cell activities in response to anticancer drugs with different temporal cytotoxicity profiles.

We demonstrate an effective reduction in postmenstrual spotting after our novel hysteroscopic isthmoplasty. This study included 66 patients with isthmocele-related postmenstrual spotting confirmed by sonography and diagnostic hysteroscopy between 2000 and 2017. Our new interventions included the following four steps: (1) make a resection gradient of the distal edge of the isthmocele from the ape of the isthmocele down to the cervical outer orifice; (2) resect the distal and proximal niches of the isthmocele; (3) electrocauterize the distal and proximal sides (not only the niche bottom) of the small cave on the scar side of the isthmocele; (4) manage the isthmocele until it is largely connected to the cavity. In our results, all patients underwent extensive hysteroscopic repair of newly hysteroscopic isthmoplasty without any intra- or postoperative complications. After final hysteroscopic repair modification, prolonged menstrual spotting was significantly decreased in 98.2% (53/54) of the patients, and the total number of bleeding days per menstrual cycle significantly decreased from a mean of 15.38 ± 3.3 days to 6.4 ± 1.9 days postoperatively (p < 0.001). Our four-step hysteroscopic technique successfully resolved prolonged menstrual spotting in over 90% of the patients, exceeding the resolution rates of 60–85% achieved with other hysteroscopic techniques used to treat symptomatic isthmocele. No patients experience recurrence after long-term follow up. Four simple steps led to a significant improvement in bleeding status.

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an important health issue for women. Infection and inflammation play an important role in carcinogenesis and PID has been reported to be associated with ovarian cancer in some small scale studies. We sought to determine whether PID is associated with an elevated risk of ovarian cancer in Asian women. Using data from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), our retrospective cohort study included women diagnosed with PID (cases) between the years of 2000 till 2012. Each case was matched with two women without PID (controls) by age and the year of first entry into the database. Both study cohorts were followed-up until the first event of ovarian cancer, withdrawal from the NHI program, death, or the end of the study period (December 31, 2012). Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate crude and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs and aHRs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the association of PID and ovarian cancer risk, with and without adjusting for potential confounders. During an approximate 10 years of follow-up, cases were significantly more likely than controls to develop ovarian cancer (incidence rates of 0.27 and 0.16 per 1,000 person-years, respectively; P < 0.001). Women with a history of PID had a 1.49-fold elevated risk for ovarian cancer (aHR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.21–1.84; P < 0.001). Our study evidence supports the contention that PID increases the risk of developing ovarian cancer among Taiwanese women. Gynecologists should undertake careful assessments and closely follow patients with PID, who are at long-term risk of developing ovarian cancer. Our findings need further verification in other international cohorts.

Acute lung injury (ALI) occurs frequently in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and is associated with a poor clinical outcome. Aquaporins (AQPs), particularly AQP1 and AQP4, maintain water balances between the epithelial and microvascular domains of the lung. Since pulmonary edema (PE) usually occurs in the TBI-induced ALI patients, we investigated the effects of a thaliporphine derivative, TM-1, on the expression of AQPs and histological outcomes in the lung following TBI in rats. TM-1 administered (10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal injection) at 3 or 4 h after TBI significantly reduced the elevated mRNA expression and protein levels of AQP1 and AQP4 and diminished the wet/dry weight ratio, which reflects PE, in the lung at 8 and 24 h after TBI. Postinjury TM-1 administration also improved histopathological changes at 8 and 24 h after TBI. PE was accompanied with tissue pathological changes because a positive correlation between the lung injury score and the wet/dry weight ratio in the same animal was observed. Postinjury administration of TM-1 improved ALI and reduced PE at 8 and 24 h following TBI. The pulmonary-protective effect of TM-1 may be attributed to, at least in part, downregulation of AQP1 and AQP4 expression after TBI.