Herpes simplex virus type-2 in Egyptian patients with bladder cancer or cystitis

Etiological factors of voiding disorders in females

Background. Voiding disorders in females are a serious medical and social problem. Various urological, gynecological, and neurological factors contribute to the development of these disorders. Aim. To study etiological factors of voiding disorders in females. Materials and methods. A total of 52 women 19 to 81 years of age with various voiding disorders were inspected. Examination algorithm included collection of a comprehensive medical history, filling in voiding diaries, gynecological exam, various laboratory tests (including PCR-diagnostics of urethral scrapings; ELISA tests for IgM and IgG to herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, Varicella Zoster virus, EpsteinBarr virus, cytomegalovirus; vaginal discharge culture for flora and sensitivity to antibiotics, with mandatory determination of the lactobacilli count) and diagnostic methods, as well as consultations by related specialists. Results. Chronic herpesvirus infection contributed to urinary dysfunction in 28 (53.8%) women, bacterial urinary tract infection in 15 (28.8%), bacterial vaginosis in 15 (28.8%), papillomavirus infection in 12 (23.1%), and interstitial cystitis in 10 (19.2%) patients. Thirty-five (76.9%) women had several simultaneous factors that contributed to the development of voiding disorders. Conclusion. The combination of disorders of the vaginal microflora with viral and/or bacterial infections most often contributes to the development of voiding disorders.

Bladder Herpes Infection in a Patient With Low-grade Non-Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer

Bladder herpes is a very uncommon event related to herpes simplex virus infection. We report a 69-year-old man with 4-year history of bladder cancer who presented with dysuria and urinary frequency. Cystoscopy showed erythematous lesion of the bladder mucosa that was biopsied and revealed multilobed nuclei with eosinophilic intranuclear inclusions, and presence of intracytoplasmic vacuoles that were suggestive of bladder involvement by herpes simplex virus. Different bladder disorders have been associated with herpes virus, but spontaneous resolution generally occurs in 1-2 months.

Latent Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection in bladder cancer cells promotes drug resistance by reducing reactive oxygen species

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the major etiologic agent of Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and multicentric Castleman's disease. Recent studies have indicated that KSHV can be detected at high frequency in patient-derived bladder cancer tissue and might be associated with the pathogenesis of bladder cancer. Bladder cancer is the second most common cancer of the genitourinary tract, and it has a high rate of recurrence. Because drug resistance is closely related to chemotherapy failure and cancer recurrence, we investigated whether KSHV infection is associated with drug resistance of bladder cancer cells. Some KSHV-infected bladder cancer cell lines showed resistance to an anti-cancer drug, cisplatin, possibly as a result of down-regulation of reactive oxygen species. Additionally, drug resistance acquired from KSHV infection could partly be overcome by HDAC1 inhibitors. Taken together, the data suggest the possible role of KSHV in chemo-resistant bladder cancer, and indicate the therapeutic potential of HDAC1 inhibitors in drug-resistant bladder cancers associated with KSHV infection.

The role of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection in the proliferation of human bladder cancer cells

Existing evidence suggests a possible role of viruses in human bladder cancer development. Recently, Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) was reported to be the most frequently detected virus in bladder cancer tissue from Croatian patients on screening with the Lawrence Livermore Microbial Detection Array. In the current study, to investigate the functional roles of KSHV in bladder cancer, five bladder cancer cell lines were infected with KSHV and their tumour progression-associated changes investigated. Four KSHV-infected bladder cancer cell lines were established; two invasive bladder cancer cell lines showed higher proliferation rates than uninfected cells. Additionally, these KSHV-infected invasive bladder cancer cells showed a greater number of colonies, which were also significantly larger than those of uninfected cells, in a soft agar colony formation assay. cDNA microarray analysis showed that various genes associated with cell proliferation and cancer development were upregulated in these KSHV-infected bladder cancer cells. Taken together, we suggest that KSHV infection affects the proliferation of a subset of invasive bladder cancer cells and may therefore play a role in their oncogenic progression. Further studies are required to elucidate the exact mechanism used by KSHV to promote bladder cancer progression.

Joint infectious causation of human cancers

Joint infectious causation of cancer has been accepted in a few well-studied instances, including Burkitt's lymphoma and liver cancer. In general, evidence for the involvement of parasitic agents in oncogenesis has expanded, and recent advances in the application of molecular techniques have revealed specific mechanisms by which host cells are transformed. Many parasites evolve to circumvent immune-mediated detection and destruction and to control critical aspects of host cell reproduction and survival: cell proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion, and immortalization. The host has evolved tight regulation of these cellular processes-the control of each represents a barrier to cancer. These barriers need to be compromised for oncogenesis to occur. The abrogation of a barrier is therefore referred to as an essential cause of cancer. Alternatively, some aspects of cellular regulation restrain but do not block oncogenesis. Relaxation of a restraint is therefore referred to as an exacerbating cause of cancer. In this chapter, we explore past and current evidence for joint infectious causation of cancer in the context of essential and exacerbating causes. We stress that discovery of joint infectious causation may provide great improvements in controlling cancer, particularly through the identification of many additional nonhuman targets for synergistic interventions for prevention and treatment.

Association of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) with bladder cancer in Croatian patients

As the seventh most common human malignancy, bladder cancer represents a global health problem. In addition to well-recognized risk factors such as smoking and exposure to chemicals, various infectious agents have been implicated as cofactors in the pathogenesis of urothelial malignancies. The aim of the present study was to assess the possible association of viral infection and bladder cancer in Croatian patients. Biopsy specimens were collected from a total of 55 patients diagnosed with different stages of bladder cancer. Initial screening of DNA extracts for the presence of viruses on Lawrence Livermore Microbial Detection Array revealed Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) in each of three randomly chosen biopsy specimens. The prevalence of infection with KSHV among study population was then examined by KSHV-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunoblotting. By nested PCR, KSHV DNA was detected in 55% of patients. KSHV, also known as human herpesvirus 8, is an infectious agent known to cause cancer. Its oncogenic potential is primarily recognized from its role in Kaposi’s sarcoma, but it has also been involved in pathogenesis of two lymphoproliferative disorders. A high prevalence of KSHV infection in our study indicates that KSHV may play a role in tumorigenesis of bladder cancer and warrants further studies.