Multimodal approach to assess tumour vasculature and potential treatment effect with DCE-US and DCE-MRI quantification in CWR22 prostate tumour xenografts

The aim of this study was to compare intratumoural heterogeneity and longitudinal changes assessed by dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US) and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) in prostate tumour xenografts. In vivo DCE-US and DCE-MRI were obtained 24 h pre- (day 0) and post- (day 2) radiation treatment with a single dose of 7.5 Gy. Characterization of the tumour vasculature was determined by Brix pharmacokinetic analysis of the time-intensity curves. Histogram analysis of voxels showed significant changes (p < 0.001) from day 0 to day 2 in both modalities for kep , the exchange rate constant from the extracellular extravascular space to the plasma, and kel , the elimination rate constant of the contrast. In addition, kep and kel values from DCE-US were significantly higher than those derived from DCE-MRI at day 0 (p < 0.0001) for both groups. At day 2, kel followed the same tendency for both groups, whereas kep showed this tendency only for the treated group in intermediate-enhancement regions. Regarding kep median values, longitudinal changes were not found for any modality. However, at day 2, kep linked to DCE-US was correlated to MVD in high-enhancement areas for the treated group (p = 0.05). In contrast, correlation to necrosis was detected for the control group in intermediate-enhancement areas (p < 0.1). Intratumoural heterogeneity and longitudinal changes in tumour vasculature were assessed for both modalities. Microvascular parameters derived from DCE-US seem to provide reliable biomarkers during radiotherapy as validated by histology. Furthermore, DCE-US could be a stand-alone or a complementary technique.

TLR- and CXCR1-dependent innate immunity: insights into the genetics of urinary tract infections

The susceptibility to urinary tract infection (UTI) is controlled by the innate immune response and Toll like receptors (TLRs) are the sentinels of this response. If productive, TLR4 signalling may initiate the symptomatic disease process. In the absence of TLR4 signalling the infected host instead develops an asymptomatic carrier state. The activation of mucosal TLR4 is also influenced by the properties of the infecting strain, and pathogens use their virulence factors to trigger 'pathogen-specific' TLR4 responses in the urinary tract but do not respond to the asymptomatic carrier strains in patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU). The TLR4 dependence has been demonstrated in mice and the relevance of low TLR4 function for protection for human disease was recently confirmed in children with asymptomatic bacteriuria, who expressed less TLR4 than age matched controls. Functional chemokines and functional chemokine receptors are crucial for neutrophil recruitment, and for the neutrophil dependent bacterial clearance. Interleukin (IL)-8 receptor deficient mice develop acute septic infections and chronic tissue damage, due to aberrant neutrophil function. This mechanism is relevant for human UTI as pyelonephritis prone children express low levels of the human CXCL8 (Il-8) receptor, CXC chemokine receptor 1 (CXCR1) and often have heterozygous CXCR1 polymorphisms. This review illustrates how intimately the innate response and the susceptibility to UTI are linked and sophisticated recognition mechanisms that rely on microbial virulence and on host TLR4 and CXCR1 signalling.