Prostate cancer is a major cause of cancer-related mortality in men in developed countries. The compound, 4-acetylantroquinonol B (4AAQB), is isolated from Antrodia cinnamomea (commonly known as Niu-Chang-Chih), which has been shown to inhibit cancer growth. However, the anticancer activity of 4AAQB has not previously been examined in prostate cancer. This study aimed to investigate the effect of 4AAQB on cancer and angiogenesis, as well as to explore its mechanism of action. Human prostate cancer cells (PC3) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were used in cell viability, cell migration, and cell cycle functional assays to evaluate the anticancer and antiangiogenic efficacy of 4AAQB in vitro. The effects of 4AAQB in vivo were determined using xenograft and angiogenesis models. The signaling events downstream of 4AAQB were also examined. The 4AAQB compound inhibited PC3 cell growth and migration, and reduced in vivo cancer growth, as shown in a subcutaneous xenograft model. Furthermore, 4AAQB inhibited HUVEC migration, tube formation, and aortic ring sprouting; it also reduced neovascularization in a Matrigel implant angiogenesis assay in vivo. The 4AAQB compound also decreased metastasis in the PC3 prostate cancer model in vivo. Serum or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Ak strain transforming (Akt), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase ½ (ERK ½) phosphorylation were attenuated by 4AAQB in both PC3 and HUVEC. In conclusion, 4AAQB is a potential candidate for prostate cancer therapy.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) can worsen the prognosis or survival in prostate cancer (PC) patients. We investigated whether glycemic control impacts mortality in PC patients with existing diabetes. Methods: All PC patients with or without preexisting DM were enrolled from 2006 to 2017. Mean hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values (<7%, 7%-9%, ≥9%) were used to represent glycemic control. Major outcomes included all-cause, PC-specific, and non-PC mortalities. Statistical analyses were performed using Cox regression models with adjusted mean HbA1c and other related confounders. Results: A total of 831 PC patients were enrolled (non-DM group, n = 690; DM group with a record of mean HbA1c values, n = 141). Results showed that the DM group with mean HbA1c level ≥ 9% (n = 14) had significantly increased risk for all-cause and non-PC mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 3.09; 95% CIs, 1.15-8.32; p=0.025 and HR, 5.49; 95% CIs, 1.66-18.16; p = 0.005, respectively), but not for PC-specific mortality (HR, 1.03; 95% CIs, 0.13-8.44; p = 0.975), compared with the non-DM group. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that PC patients with DM who had a mean HbA1c level ≥ 9% had higher risks of all-cause and non-PC mortality compared with non-DM subjects. Further large and long-term studies are needed to verify the effect of glycemic control in PC patients with DM.

IntroductionOur objective is to determine whether prolonged infusion (PI) of beta-lactam antibiotics yields superior outcomes compared to intermittent infusion (II) in patients with Gram-Negative Bacterial (GNB) infections.MethodsWe systematically searched papers from PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, and Clinicaltrials.gov, targeting mortality as the primary outcome and looking at the clinical cure rate, hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stay lengths, antibiotic treatment duration, and mechanical ventilation (MV) duration as secondary outcomes.ResultsOur meta-analysis of 18 studies, including 5 randomized control trials and 13 observational studies, with a total of 3,035 patients-1,510 in the PI group and 1,525 in the II group, revealed significant findings. PI was associated with reduced mortality (RR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.55-0.81; p = 0.001; I2 = 4.52%) and a shorter MV duration (SMD, -0.76; 95% CI, -1.37 to -0.16; p = 0.01; I2 = 87.81%) compared to II. However, no differences were found in clinical cure rates, antibiotic treatment duration, length of hospital stay, or length of ICU stay.ConclusionsThe PI approach for administering beta-lactam antibiotics in patients with suspected or confirmed GNB infections may be advantageous in reducing mortality rates and the duration of MV when compared to the II strategy.

Objective: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors are widely used in the management of diabetes mellitus and have demonstrated substantial cardiovascular and renal protective effects, particularly in patients with heart failure. However, their impact on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease remains insufficiently characterized. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The primary outcome was the composite cardiovascular outcome (defined as cardiovascular mortality and total hospitalization for heart failure). Secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality, cardiovascular death, hospitalization for heart failure, and adverse events. Results: Three randomized controlled trials involving 1986 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were included; in total, 1113 patients received sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors treatment and 873 received placebo. Compared with the placebo, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors significantly reduced the risk of the composite cardiovascular outcome (risk ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval: 0.65–0.87; p < 0.001) and hospitalization for heart failure (risk ratio, 0.69; 95% confidence interval: 0.58–0.83; p < 0.001). Although not statistically significant, trends toward reduced all-cause mortality (risk ratio, 0.89; 95% confidence interval: 0.73–1.08; p = 0.23) and cardiovascular death (risk ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval: 0.74–1.24; p = 0.73) were observed. The incidence of adverse events was comparable between the two groups. Conclusions: The use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors is associated with a reduced risk of composite cardiovascular outcomes and hospitalization for heart failure in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, without an increased risk of adverse events. However, given the limited number of available trials, these findings should be interpreted with caution, and further large-scale studies are warranted. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42024545310