Data from an ongoing study designed to explore the biologic and clinical activity of cancer immunotherapy sipuleucel-T, or Provenge, in patients with early stage recurrent prostate cancer who have a rising serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) level, but who have not yet developed metastatic disease will be presented by Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers.

Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers have identified a protein that is a strong indicator of survival for men with advanced prostate cancer. The C-reactive protein, also known as CRP, is a special type of protein produced by the liver that is elevated in the presence of inflammation.

Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), which is due to the breakdown of pancreatic tissue by its own enzymes, is a common clinical problem. Activation of the signaling pathway involving NF-kappaB and the inhibitor of NF-kappaB (IKK), resulting in the expression of proinflammatory molecules, is a major event in acute pancreatitis.

Injecting botulinum toxin A, or Botox, into the prostate gland of men with enlarged prostate, eased symptoms and improved quality of life up to a year after the procedure, according to a study by researchers at the Chang Gung University Medical College, Taiwan, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

High uric acid levels in the blood are a precursor of gout, the most common inflammatory arthritis in adult men. It is believed that coffee and tea consumption may affect uric acid levels but only one study has been conducted to date.

Coffee is a habit for more than 50 percent of Americans, who drink, on average, 2 cups per day. This widely consumed beverage is regularly investigated and debated for its impact on health conditions from breast cancer to heart disease. Coffee or its components have been linked to lower insulin and uric acid levels on a short-term basis or cross-sectionally.These and other mechanisms suggest that coffee consumption may affect risk of gout, prevalent inflammatory arthritis in adult males.