Background Psoriasis has a significant negative impact on patients’ quality of life. Psoriasis Disability Index (PDI) is a psoriasis-specific questionnaire that was developed by Finlay and Coles, which concerns the functional lifestyle disabilities caused by psoriasis. It has been used internationally for almost 20 years and has been translated into at least 26 languages. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Arabic version of the PDI questionnaire for Egyptian psoriasis patients. Patients and methods One hundred adult Egyptian patients with chronic plaque-type psoriasis aged 16 years or older with no other systemic disease were enrolled in this study. The patients were examined to determine the clinical type of psoriasis and to measure the severity of psoriasis by calculating Psoriasis Area Severity Index score. The impact of psoriasis on quality of life was assessed using the Arabic version of the PDI after translation and cultural adaptation according to WHO guidelines. Results The internal consistency for the 15 items of the Arabic version of the PDI questionnaire was significant; intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.853 and Cronbach’s a coefficient was 0.860, indicating reliability of the developed Arabic version. Conclusion The Arabic version of the PDI questionnaire was found to be a reliable and valid measure for evaluating the quality of life for Egyptian patients with psoriasis.

Background Psoriasis has a significant negative impact on patients’ quality of life. Psoriasis Disability Index (PDI) is a psoriasis-specific questionnaire that was developed by Finlay and Coles, which concerns the functional lifestyle disabilities caused by psoriasis. It has been used internationally for almost 20 years and has been translated into at least 26 languages. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Arabic version of the PDI questionnaire for Egyptian psoriasis patients. Patients and methods One hundred adult Egyptian patients with chronic plaque-type psoriasis aged 16 years or older with no other systemic disease were enrolled in this study. The patients were examined to determine the clinical type of psoriasis and to measure the severity of psoriasis by calculating Psoriasis Area Severity Index score. The impact of psoriasis on quality of life was assessed using the Arabic version of the PDI after translation and cultural adaptation according to WHO guidelines. Results The internal consistency for the 15 items of the Arabic version of the PDI questionnaire was significant; intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.853 and Cronbach’s a coefficient was 0.860, indicating reliability of the developed Arabic version. Conclusion The Arabic version of the PDI questionnaire was found to be a reliable and valid measure for evaluating the quality of life for Egyptian patients with psoriasis.

Background Psoriasis has a significant negative impact on patients’ quality of life. Psoriasis Disability Index (PDI) is a psoriasis-specific questionnaire that was developed by Finlay and Coles, which concerns the functional lifestyle disabilities caused by psoriasis. It has been used internationally for almost 20 years and has been translated into at least 26 languages. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Arabic version of the PDI questionnaire for Egyptian psoriasis patients. Patients and methods One hundred adult Egyptian patients with chronic plaque-type psoriasis aged 16 years or older with no other systemic disease were enrolled in this study. The patients were examined to determine the clinical type of psoriasis and to measure the severity of psoriasis by calculating Psoriasis Area Severity Index score. The impact of psoriasis on quality of life was assessed using the Arabic version of the PDI after translation and cultural adaptation according to WHO guidelines. Results The internal consistency for the 15 items of the Arabic version of the PDI questionnaire was significant; intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.853 and Cronbach’s a coefficient was 0.860, indicating reliability of the developed Arabic version. Conclusion The Arabic version of the PDI questionnaire was found to be a reliable and valid measure for evaluating the quality of life for Egyptian patients with psoriasis.

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the expression patterns of cell cycle-associated proteins in newly diagnosed non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) to clarify the significance of these proteins as prognostic predictors in 161 consecutive patients undergoing transurethral resection (TUR). Expression levels of 7 cell cycle-associated proteins, including Aurora-A, c-erbB2, cyclin-D1, Ki-67, p21, p27, and p53, in TUR specimens were measured by immunohistochemical staining. Of the 7 proteins, weak expression of p21 was significantly associated with the incidence of intravesical recurrence (P = 0.012). Univariate analysis identified expression level of p21, tumor size, T stage, and concomitant carcinoma in situ (CIS) as significant predictors for intravesical recurrence (P = 0.0053, 0.0014, 0.024, and 0.035, respectively). Of these, p21 expression, tumor size, and concomitant CIS appeared to be independently related to intravesical recurrence (P = 0.029, 0.025, and 0.016, respectively). Furthermore, there were significant differences in intravesical recurrence-free survival according to positive patterns of these 3 independent factors; that is, intravesical recurrence occurred in 17 of 72 patients who were negative for risk factor (23.6%), 30 of 57 positive for a single risk factor (52.6%), and 24 of 32 positive for 2 or 3 risk factors (75.0%). These findings suggest that consideration of expression levels of cell cycle-associated proteins, in addition to conventional parameters, would contribute to accurate prediction of intravesical recurrence following TUR of NMIBC. Moreover, combined evaluation of p21 expression, tumor size, and concomitant CIS might be particularly useful for further refinement of the outcome in predicting intravesical recurrence following TUR of NMIBC.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the expression patterns of cell cycle-associated proteins in newly diagnosed non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) to clarify the significance of these proteins as prognostic predictors in 161 consecutive patients undergoing transurethral resection (TUR). Expression levels of 7 cell cycle-associated proteins, including Aurora-A, c-erbB2, cyclin-D1, Ki-67, p21, p27, and p53, in TUR specimens were measured by immunohistochemical staining. Of the 7 proteins, weak expression of p21 was significantly associated with the incidence of intravesical recurrence (P = 0.012). Univariate analysis identified expression level of p21, tumor size, T stage, and concomitant carcinoma in situ (CIS) as significant predictors for intravesical recurrence (P = 0.0053, 0.0014, 0.024, and 0.035, respectively). Of these, p21 expression, tumor size, and concomitant CIS appeared to be independently related to intravesical recurrence (P = 0.029, 0.025, and 0.016, respectively). Furthermore, there were significant differences in intravesical recurrence-free survival according to positive patterns of these 3 independent factors; that is, intravesical recurrence occurred in 17 of 72 patients who were negative for risk factor (23.6%), 30 of 57 positive for a single risk factor (52.6%), and 24 of 32 positive for 2 or 3 risk factors (75.0%). These findings suggest that consideration of expression levels of cell cycle-associated proteins, in addition to conventional parameters, would contribute to accurate prediction of intravesical recurrence following TUR of NMIBC. Moreover, combined evaluation of p21 expression, tumor size, and concomitant CIS might be particularly useful for further refinement of the outcome in predicting intravesical recurrence following TUR of NMIBC.

OBJECTIVES: • To evaluate the expression of integrin proteins, a family of transmembrane heterodimers, in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). • To assess the significance of these proteins as prognostic indicators in patients undergoing transurethral resection (TUR). PATIENTS AND METHODS: • The present study comprised 161 patients diagnosed as having NMIBC after TUR. • Expression levels of six subunits of integrin proteins, including α2, α3, α5, α6, β1 and β4, were measured in TUR specimens by immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: • Of the six proteins, expression levels of α2-, α3-, α6- and β4-subunits were significantly associated with the incidence of intravesical recurrence. Univariate analysis identified expression levels of α3-, α6- and β4-subunits as important predictors of intravesical recurrence, while tumour size, pathological T stage and concomitant carcinoma in situ (CIS) were also important. • Multivariate analysis showed that the expression level of the β4 subunit, pathological T stage and concomitant CIS are independently related to intravesical recurrence. • There were significant differences in intravesical recurrence-free survival for patients who were positive for the three independent risk factors; intravesical recurrence occurred in 10 of 49 (20.4%) patients who were negative for all risk factors, 31 of 68 who were positive for one risk factor (45.6%), and 30 of 44 who were positive for two or three risk factors (68.2%). CONCLUSIONS: • Consideration of the expression levels of integrins, particularly those of the β4 subunit, in TUR specimens, in addition to conventional variables, would contribute to accurate prediction of intravesical recurrence after TUR for NMIBC patients.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression levels of multiple molecular markers in radical nephrectomy specimens from patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treated with sorafenib in order to identify factors predicting susceptibility to this agent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 45 consecutive patients undergoing radical nephrectomy for clear cell RCC who were diagnosed as having metastatic diseases refractory to cytokine therapy and subsequently treated with sorafenib. Expression levels of 19 molecular markers involved in the regulation of apoptosis, cell cycle, signal transduction, and angiogenesis in primary RCC specimens were measured by immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: There was no molecular marker having significant impact on the prediction of response to sorafenib. However, progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly associated with the expression levels of Bcl-xL and platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)-α in addition to the presence of bone metastasis and C-reactive protein level on univariate analysis. Of these significant factors, PDGFR-α expression and the presence of bone metastasis appeared to be independently related to PFS by multivariate analysis. Furthermore, there were significant differences in PFS according to positive numbers of these 2 independent risk factors; that is, disease progression occurred in 2 of 7 patients who were negative for risk factor, 19 of 34 positive for a single risk factor, and 6 of 6 positive for both risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these findings suggest that it would be useful to consider expression levels of potential molecular markers, particularly PDGFR-α, as well as clinical parameters to select metastatic RCC patients likely to benefit from treatment with sorafenib.

The present study aimed to characterize the cytotoxic activity of AexU, an effector-mediating type three secretion system (TTSS) of gram-negative bacteria, in human prostate cancer cells, focusing on the association with β4-integrin expression. The cytotoxic effects of AexU either alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic agents were evaluated using several human prostate cancer cell lines. Human prostate cancer PC3 cells, in which an expression vector containing siRNA targeting β4-integrin had been introduced, were established (PC3/sh-In), and the cytotoxic effects of AexU on the PC3/sh-In cells were compared with the PC3 cells that were transfected with a control vector (PC3/C). The expression levels of β4-integrin in the PC3 cells were markedly higher compared with those in the LNCaP or DU145 cells, and the cytotoxic effects of AexU in the PC3 cells were more pronounced compared with those in the LNCaP or DU145 cells. The sensitivity of the PC3 cells to docetaxel and cisplatin was significantly enhanced following treatment with AexU, resulting in a decrease in the IC50 of the two agents by ~90%. The cytotoxic effect of AexU in the PC3/C cells was more marked compared with that in the PC3/sh-In cells, and the phosphorylation of Akt in the PC3/C cells appeared to be significantly more inhibited by the treatment with AexU compared with the PC3/sh-In cells. In conclusion, treatment with AexU may be a useful therapeutic option for prostate cancer when β4-integrin is overexpressed. The treatment appears to exert its effects through growth inhibition and by enhancing the sensitivity of the cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents.

BACKGROUND:To investigate the changes in postoperative quality of life (QOL) in patients with prostate cancer who underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) or minimum incision endoscopic radical prostatectomy (MIE-RP). METHODS: This study included a total of 115 Japanese patients with clinically localized prostate cancer who underwent either LRP or MIE-RP and were subsequently followed for more than 12 months. Before and 12 months after surgery, health-related QOL and disease-specific QOL were assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study 8-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-8) and the Expanded Prostate Index Composite (EPIC), respectively. RESULTS: LRP and MIE-RP were performed in 57 and 58 patients, respectively, and there were no significant differences in major clinicopathological parameters between these two groups. There were no significant differences in perioperative outcomes between the two groups except for the estimated blood loss, which was lower in the LRP group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the preoperative and postoperative all-scale scores of the SF-8 survey. Of the fourteen scores evaluated by the EPIC survey, postoperative scores for urinary summary, sexual summary, urinary function, urinary incontinence and sexual function were significantly worse than these preoperative scores in both LRP and MIE-RP groups, while there were no significant differences between the two groups in the preoperative and postoperative all-scale scores of the EPIC survey. CONCLUSIONS: The postoperative QOL status in patients undergoing MIE-RP appeared to be equivalent to that in those undergoing LRP.