Weight Loss, Pathological Changes, and Inflammatory Effects from a Short-Term Ketogenic Diet in Overweight and Obese Men with Untreated Prostate Cancer on Active Surveillance.

Background And Aims: Active Surveillance (AS) is a favored strategy for the management of indolent prostate cancers (PCs). Overweight and obese men harbor an increased risk of cancer progression during AS. We aim to prospectively evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of a ketogenic diet (KD) weight-loss intervention in overweight men with PC.

Evaluation of a Military Global Health Engagement Mission for Critical Wartime Surgical Specialty Readiness.

Introduction: Surgical volume at Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs) has been gradually decreasing for roughly the past 2 decades. The Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) Clinical Readiness Program linked surgical volume and readiness using a tool known as the KSA metric. However, the extent to which military medical missions contribute to the readiness of critical wartime specialties has not been evaluated using this metric.

Radiotherapy Cooperates with IL15 to Induce Antitumor Immune Responses.

Focal radiotherapy can promote cross-presentation of tumor antigens to T cells, but by itself, it is insufficient to induce therapeutically effective T-cell responses. The common gamma-chain cytokine IL15 promotes and sustains the proliferation and effector function of CD8 T cells but has limited activity against poorly immunogenic tumors that do not elicit significant spontaneous T-cell responses. Here, we show that radiotherapy and subcutaneous IL15 had complementary effects and induced CD8 T-cell-mediated tumor regression and long-term protective memory responses in two mouse carcinoma models unresponsive to IL15 alone.

Invariant natural killer T cells regulate anti-tumor immunity by controlling the population of dendritic cells in tumor and draining lymph nodes.

Background: Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are CD1d-restricted T cells, which respond rapidly to antigen recognition and promote development of anti-tumor immunity in many tumor models. Surprisingly, we previously found that mice deficient in iNKT cells developed spontaneous CD8(+) T cells responses partially effective at inhibiting metastases in mice bearing the 4T1 mammary carcinoma, and showed a markedly improved response to treatment with local radiotherapy and anti-CTLA-4 antibody compared to wild type (WT) mice.

Methods: To understand the mechanisms of the immunosuppressive function of iNKT cells, dendritic cells (DCs) were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry in WT and iNKT-deficient (iNKT(-/-)) mice.

Invariant NKT cells as novel targets for immunotherapy in solid tumors.

Natural killer T (NKT) cells are a small population of lymphocytes that possess characteristics of both innate and adaptive immune cells. They are uniquely poised to respond rapidly to infection and inflammation and produce cytokines that critically shape the ensuing adaptive cellular response. Therefore, they represent promising therapeutic targets.