We studied the relation between sexual and health behaviors of women and first-time urinary tract infection (UTI). The study population was women using a university health service who were unmarried, had no UTI history, and who had engaged in sexual activity at least once. We found 86 cases of UTI, defined as one or more urinary symptoms and ^1,000colony-forming units per ml urine of a known pathogen. We randomly sampled 288 controls from the student body. Vaginal intercourse increased the risk of UTI; this risk was further increased with condom use. After adjusting for vaginal intercourse with other birth control methods and recentness of current sexual partnership, a single sex act with a condom in the past 2 weeks increased UTI risk by 43%. Having a sex partner for less than 1 year vs 1 year or more, after adjustment for frequency of vaginal intercourse and birth control method, was associated with about twice the risk of UTI [odds ratio (OR) = 1.97; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04-3.74].After adjusting for frequency of vaginal intercourse, regular drinking of cranberry juice was protective against UTI (OR =
0.48; 95% CI = 0.19-1.02), whereas drinking carbonated soft
drinks appeared to be associated with increased risk (OR =
2.37; 95% CI = 0.75-7.81). Using deodorant sanitary napkins
or tampons was associated with a slight increase in risk of UTI (OR = 1.51; 95% CI = 0.74-3.06). Blacks had five times
greater risk of UTI than whites after adjusting for frequency of vaginal intercourse (OR = 5.2; 95% CI = 1.89-24.63). We
observed only modest differences in health behavior between racial groups.

Cranberries have long been the focus of interest for their beneficial effects in preventing urinary tract infections (UTIs). The objective of this study was to determine in vitro activity of cranberry extract on common etiologic agents of urinary tract infections isolated from patients. Filter sterilized methanol extract of cranberry was prepared and used in the present study. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was evaluated for active crude extract. The MIC value of methanol extract were 0.391 mg/ml for
Enterobacter aerogenes and Staphylococcus aureus whereas the MIC of methanol extract of cranberry were 1.2500 and 0.0195 mg/ml for Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae respectively. The lower MIC value of cranberry extract against K. pneumoniae in comparison to other three organisms suggests that K. pneumoniae showed greater sensitivity towards the extracts of the cranberry extract.

Abstract:Proanthocyanidin-rich extracts were prepared by fractionation of the fruit of theNorthAmerican cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon). In vitro growth inhibition assays in eight tumor cell lines showed that selected fractions inhibited the growth of H460 lung tumors, HT-29 colon and K562 leukemia cells at GI50 values ranging from 20 to 80 μgml−1. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) of one of these fractions found it to be composed of polyflavan-3-ols, which are primarily tetramers through heptamers of epicatechin containing one or two A-type linkages. Whole cranberry extract and the proanthocyanidin fractions were screened for effect on the expression of matrix metalloproteinases in DU 145 prostate carcinoma cells. The expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 was inhibited in response to whole cranberry extract and to a lesser degree by the proanthocyanidin fractions

Although antioxidant systems help control the level of reactive oxygen species they may be overwhelmed during periods of oxidative stress. Evidence suggests that oxidative stress components as well as inflammatory mediators may be involved in the pathogenesis of vascular disorders, where localized markers of oxidative damage have been found. In this regard we investigated the putative antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of blueberry and cranberry anthocyanins and hydroxycinnamic acids against H2O2 and TNF induced damage to human microvascular endothelial cells. Polyphenols from both berries were able to localize into endothelial cells subsequently reducing
endothelial cells vulnerability to increased oxidative stress at both the membrane and cytosol level. Furthermore, berry polyphenols also reduced TNF induced up-regulation of various inflammatory mediators (IL-8, MCP-1 and ICAM-1) involved in the recruitment of leukocytes to sites of damage or inflammation along the endothelium. In conclusion, polyphenols isolated from both blueberry and cranberry were able to afford protection to endothelial cells against stressor induced up-regulation of oxidative and inflammatory insults. This may have beneficial actions against the initiation and development of vascular diseases and be a contributing factor in the reduction of age-related
deficits in neurological impairments previously reported by us

The treatment of chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) is based on antibiotic therapy, but many patients experience a relapse after treatment. Cranberry juice is known for its roles in both the treatment and prevention of urinary tract infections. This study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of cranberry juice in the prevention of a relapse after the treatment of CPPS.
Materials and Methods: Fifty patients, diagnosed as CPPS (National Institutes of Health; NIH-catagory IIIa), were included in this study. All the patients had initially been treated with levofloxacin and supportive treatment for 8-12 weeks. After completion of the initial treatment, 26 olunteer patients were recommended to drink 150ml of cranberry juice twice a day, 24 patients, as a control group, received no cranberry juice and all the patients re-evaluated after 3 months. Results: On initial diagnosis, the white blood cell (WBC) count in the high power field (HFP) of expressed prostatic secretions (EPS) and the NIHChronic
Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) in cranberry group were 18.2±3.4 and 23.1±4.4 and those of the control group 16.4±4.8 and 22.4±3.7, respectively. When the medical treatment was ended, the WBC of the EPS and NIH-CPSI in the cranberry group were 2.5±2.1 and 14.1±4.1, and those of the control group were 2.7±1.9 and 13.7±2.1, respectively. After the three month follow-up, the cranberry group showed a WBC of 2.2±2.5 in the EPS and a NIH-CPSI of 12.7±3.9, a slight decrease or similar result compared to the treatment completion period. No patient showed aggravation of symptoms after drinking cranberry juice, whereas five from the control group did. Conclusions: Cranberry juice showed an effect in the prevention of a relapse in CPPS patients, with no adverse effects.

Flavonoid-rich diets are associated with a lower mortality from cardiovascular disease. This has been linked to improvements in endothelial function. However, the specific flavonoids, or biologically active metabolites, conferring these beneficial effects have yet to be fully defined. In this experimental study of the effect of flavonoids on endothelial function cultured endothelial cells have been used as a bioassay with endothelin-1 (ET-1) synthesis being measured an index of the response.
Evaluation of the relative effects of extracts of cranberry juice compared to apple, cocoa, red wine, and green tea showed inhibition of ET-1 synthesis was dependent primarily on their oligomeric procyanidin content. Procyanidin-rich extracts of cranberry juice triggered morphological changes in endothelial cells with reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton and increased immunostaining for phosphotyrosine residues. These actions were independent of antioxidant activity. Comparison of the effects of apple procyanidin monomers through heptamer showed a clear structure-activity
relationship. Although monomer, dimer, and trimer had little effect on ET-1 synthesis, procyanidin tetramer, pentamer, hexamer, and heptamer produced concentration-dependent decreases with IC50 values of 5.4, 1.6, 0.9, and 0.7 μM, respectively. Levels of ET-1 mRNA showed a similar
pattern of decreases, which were inversely correlated with increased expression of Kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF2), a key endothelial transcription factor with a broad range of antiatherosclerotic actions including suppression of ET-1 synthesis. Future investigations of procyanidin-rich products should assess the role KLF2 induction plays in the beneficial vascular effects of high flavonoid consumption.

The present study investigated the effect of cranberries on development of colon tumors induced by azoxymethane in Fisher 344 male rats. Fifty five rats were divided into five groups and fed with control (AIN 93) or treatment diets: cranberry meal (5, 10%) cranberry juice (2.5, 5%). Two AOM (16 mg kg-1 b.wt.) injections were given weekly for 2 weeks for induction of colon tumors. At 45 weeks of age, all rats were killed and colons were evaluated for tumor incidence, size of tumor and tumor multiplicity. Selected hepatic phase 1 (CYP2E1), phase 11 (GST) and antioxidative enzyme (catalase and SOD) activities were determined. Tumor size and tumors/tumor bearing rat were higher (p<=0.05) in the control group. Number of tumors was lower in cranberry fed rats compared to control. Administration of cranberry to rats increased (p<0.05) hepatic enzyme activities by 1.2-3.7 fold compared to control fed rats. These results indicate that feeding cranberry (meal and juice) inhibited colon tumors induced by AOM and enhanced the activity of hepatic enzymes.

Abstract. Background: Traditional Botanical Supplement-
101 (TBS-101) is a newly developed proprietary botanical
agent containing seven standardized botanical extracts,
including: Panax ginseng, cranberry, green tea, grape skin,
grape seed, Ganoderma lucidum and chamomile. Each of the components has been consumed either in the regular diet or as natural supplement. When used as a single agent, each of these seven botanicals has been implicated in
chemoprevention and therapy in various types of cancer. The anticancer effect of TBS-101, with the specific combination of these anti-cancer botanicals for the treatment of prostate cancer (PCa), has not been tested. Materials and Methods: The IC50 and the effect of TBS-101 on the proliferation and apoptosis of PC-3 cells were determined. Tumor xenograft mice were generated by subcutaneously implanting PC-3 cells into mice and tumors were allowed to grow to different sizes before starting the treatment. The effects of TBS-101 on tumor growth were assessed by measuring tumor size and by histological, pathological and immunohistochemical analyses. A basic toxicity study was performed to test the tolerance of the mice to high doses of TBS-101. Results: Treatment of the PC-3 cells with TBS-101 resulted in a dosedependent
inhibition of cell growth, with an IC50 of 1.4 μg/ml. A concomitant induction of apoptosis in PC-3 cells
treated with TBS-101 was also observed. Upon the treatment with TBS-101, all three groups of mice bearing moderate or large tumors showed significant inhibition of tumor growth and invasion. In contrast, control mice treated with vehicle alone had significant tumor growth and lymph node metastasis. In the basic toxicity studies, high doses of TBS- 101 exerted no toxicity in healthy or tumor-bearing mice. Conclusion: The natural botanical agent TBS-101 has a good safety profile and significant anticancer activities in hormone-refractory PC-3 cells and large aggressive PC-3 tumors in a xenograft mouse model and has great potential for the treatment of aggressive prostate cancer

The potential risk of herb drug interactions is of particular focus today owing to the increasing and inadvertent use of herbs in recent times. It is a major safety concern for the drugs with narrow therapeutic index like warfarin, a most common anticoagulant with the maximum number of interactions reported. The objective of the present study was to conduct a systemic review of literature to consolidate the clinical case reports of warfarin–herb interactions and to assess the report reliabilities. We reviewed the published clinical literature to consolidate and
assess the interactions between various herbs and warfarin, based on reported adverse events, descriptions of the clinical case reports and case series using electronic databases as well as hand picked references from the year 1971 to year 2007 and ranked them on likely causality
using Naranjo’s algorithm. Out of 72 cases of documented case reports of warfarin with various herbs, 84.7% cases were evaluated as possible interactions (61/72) and 15.3% cases (11/72) as probable interactions. Cranberry juice was most commonly involved in interactions with warfarin with 34.7% of cases (25/72) of which 92% cases were possible interactions (23/25) and 8% cases (2/25) were probable
interactions. Hence, we conclude that combining anticoagulant medicines with herbs appears to be a risky proposition. The number of herbs reported to interact with warfarin continues to expand. Patients on warfarin are specifically advised to avoid taking herbal medicines or to
have their INR measured within two weeks of starting the drug, to be on a safer side. Further, more systematic studies pertaining to warfarin herb interactions are urgently warranted.

Ethyl acetate extracts of Sephadex LH20-purified proanthocyanidins of American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) exhibited potent biological activity by inhibiting adherence of uropathogenic isolates of P-fimbriated Escherichia coli bacteria to cellular surfaces containing a-Gal(1 4 4)b-Gal receptor sequences similar to those on epithelial cells in the urinary tract. The chemical structures of the proanthocyanidins were determined by 13C NMR, electrospray mass spectrometry, matrix-assisted
laser absorption time-of-flight mass spectrometry and by acid catalyzed degradation with phloroglucinol. The proanthocyanidin molecules consisted predominantly of epicatechin units with mainly DP of 4 and 5 containing at least one A-type linkage. The procyanidin A2 was the most common terminating unit occurring about four times as frequently as the epicatechin monomer