Hypolipedaemic activity of picroliv in albino rats

The hypolipidaemic action of picroliv, a standarized preparaton from Picrorhiza kurrooa, has been studied in normal as well as in triton- and cholesterol-fed rats. Serum lipids were found to be lowered by picroliv (25 mg/kg b.w.) in triton WR-1339-induced hyperlipaemia. Chronic feeding of this drug (6 mg/kg b.w.) in normal rats and in animals simultaneously treated with cholesterol (25 mg/kg b.w.) for 30 days caused lowering in the lipid and protein levels constituting β-lipoproteins followed by an increase in high density lipoprotein cholesterol in experimental animals. Picroliv alters lipolytic activities in plasma, liver, heart an adipose tissues and stimulated receptor mediated catabolism of low density lipoprotein. The lipid lowering action of the natural product is mediated through inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis in liver, increased faecal bile acid excretion and enhanced plasma lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase activity.     

Renal cell carcinoma and thiazide use: a historical,case-control study (California,USA)

Renal cell carcinoma has been linked to hypertension and antihypertensive medications. We investigated the association between renal cell carcinoma and the use of thiazide in a case-control study of 167 men and 90 women. Subjects were members of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in northern California (United States) who had taken a multiphasic health check-up from 1964 through 1988 and who were evaluated for cancer until the end of 1989. Control subjects received the same check-up, were matched by gender, year of check-up, and age at check-up, and had to be in the health plan until the date on which renal cell carcinoma was diagnosed. Data on known and potential risk factors, including hypertension, body mass index (BMI), and smoking status, were collected from the record of the check-up. Thiazide use was abstracted from the medical chart, which was reviewed from the date of the first entry until the date on which the cancer was diagnosed or the equivalent date for control subjects. The mean follow-back to check-up was 11.3 years. Among women, we found a significantly elevated risk of 4.0 (95 percent confidence interval [CI] 1.5–10.8) associated with ever having used thiazide after we adjusted for smoking, BMI, hypertension, and history of kidney infection at check-up. We did not find a statistically significantly elevated risk in men. Smoking was related to renal cell carcinoma in men (odds ratio [OR] 2.5, CI=1.1–5.4) for those who smoked at least one pack per day compared with those who had never smoked, but was not related in women. We found a statistically nonsignificant relation between BMI and renal cell carcinoma. After we adjusted for thiazide use, we did not find that hypertension was a statistically significant risk factor for renal cell carcinoma. Analysis of the dosage of thiazide measured by time since first use, duration of use, number of mentions of use in the chart, and an estimate of total grams of exposure did not result in any convincing dose-response relation. These findings are consistent with a growing body of data linking antihypertensive medication with renal cell carcinoma. We are unable to conclude whether thiazide use or some other characteristic of hypertensive persons taking these medications is responsible for the association.This study was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Epidemiologic Research, 16–18 June 1993, Keystone, Colorado, USA. The research was supported by US National Cancer Institute grant NCINO1-CP-95606.     

New agents in the treatment of primary brain tumors

Summary A review of single agent trials of cytotoxic agents in adults with high grade gliomas is presented. The rationale for testing these agents in patients with brain tumors was variable and is discussed. The criteria to evaluate responses were also variable ranging from subjective evaluation of clinical improvement with a stable radiographic assessment to the same objective response criteria utilized for solid tumors. Trials of agents specifically designed for brain tumors such as AZQ and spiromustine have been disappointing. There are encouraging results being seen in early trials of newer agents which await confirmation in larger trials but which hold promise for improving the disappointing results seen so far with chemotherapy in primary brain tumors.     

植物激素及生长调节剂对三七种子的效应

七种植物激素及生长调节剂对三七种子的处理结果,烯土、养植宝、三十烷醇等植物生长调节剂能明显提高三七出苗率,增加种苗产量。GA虽能打破三七种子休眠,使三七提前出苗,增加植株高度,但出苗率及产量均比对照明显下降。     

Anticancer chemosensitivity profile of freshly separated human pancreatic cancer cells assessed by DNA synthesis inhibition assay

The chemosensitivity of 49 freshly separated human pancreatic cancers to seven kinds of anticancer agents were assessed by a DNA synthesis (³H-thymidine incorporation) inhibition assay. DNA synthesis is higher in involved lymph nodes (n=7), malignant effusion (n=15), liver metastasis (n=7), primary cancer (n=15), and skin metastasis (n=5). Chemosensitivity assay demonstrates that etoposide, 4-epirubicin, carboquone, and 5-fluorouracil are more effective than cisplatin, mitomycin-C, and Adriamycin. In general, metastatic lesions of pancreatic cancer tend to show higher chemosensitivity than primary lesions. Pathological analysis demonstrates that small primary pancreatic cancers tend to be more responsive than large primary cancers, and primary pancreatic cancers with no regional lymph node involvement also tend to be more responsive than those with nodal involvement. No significant differences are seen in terms of tumor spread, vascular involvement, sex of patient, and histological type. When chemosensitivity assay is not available, the results of the present study may be beneficial to choose the regimens. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Recurrent ventricular tachycardia in asymptomatic young children with an apparently normal heart

Abstract Ventricular tachycardia without underlying heart disease is rare in infancy and childhood. Four young children (median age 8 months at initial presentation) with frequently recurrent episodes of asymptomatic and self-limiting ventricular tachycardia are reported. By noninvasive investigation no apparent heart disease has been found in all patients. Initially three of the four children had been treated with an anti-arrhythmic drug. Treatment was soon stopped in two patients for lack of symptoms and for lack of efficacy of therapy; one patient remained on beta-blocker therapy. One child did not receive anti-arrhythmic therapy. After a mean follow up of 32 months all patients continued to be asymptomatic despite frequently recurrent episodes of self-limiting ventricular tachycardia.Conclusion Ventricular tachycardia in asymptomatic children with an otherwise normal heart carries a good prognosis. Invasive investigation (cardiac catheterization with electrophysiological study and right ventricular biopsy) can be with-hold, as long as there are no symptoms. For lack of efficiency of antiarrhythmic drugs in suppressing ventricular tachycardia in asymptomatic children with apparently normal hearts, these patients may be left without therapy but have to be followed closely.     

Potentiation of cytotoxic therapies by TNP-470 and minocycline in mice bearing EMT-6 mammary carcinoma

Summary The ability of the antiangiogenic agents TNP-470 and minocycline, singly or in combination, to potentiate the antitumor effects of several cytotoxic therapies was assessed in the murine EMT-6 mammary carcinoma as well as in two drug resistant sublines of that tumor designated EMT-6/CTX and EMT-6/CDDP.The antiangiogenic agents alone or in combination did not alter the growth of the tumors. However, their administration along with cyclophosphamide, CDDP, or thiotepa substantially increased the tumor growth delay produced by these cytotoxic therapies in tumors responsive to the drugs — the increase was about 2-fold for TNP-470 and minocycline together. In drug resistant tumors, treatment with the antiangiogenic agents did not reverse drug resistance but did increase the effect of the cytotoxic drugs.Treatment with TNP-470/minocycline also increased the oxygenation of each of the three tumors. Thus, TNP-470/minocycline administration increased the efficacy of fractionated radiation therapy, especially when used along with a perflubron emulsion oxygen delivery agent/carbogen.These results indicate that treatment regimens including therapies directed toward the proliferating normal cells within a tumor mass as well as therapies directed toward the malignant cells can produce improved outcomes.     

Inhibition of Pulmonary Metastases and Tumor Cell Invasion in Experimental Tumors by Sodium d-Glucaro-δ-lactam (ND2001)

Sodium d -glucaro-δ-lactam (ND2001) inhibited spontaneous pulmonary metastases of the highly metastatic B16 melanoma variant with a maximal inhibition rate of 99.5%, and 6 of 7 animals remained metastasis-free. Likewise, ND2001 inhibited the spontaneous pulmonary metastases of both Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL) with a rate of 98.0% (3 of 5 animals remaining metastasis-free) and rat KDH-8 liver carcinoma with a rate of 82.5% (3 of 7 animals remaining metastasis-free), although it was unable to inhibit the metastases of mouse BMT-11 fibrosarcoma and rat SST-2 breast carcinoma. Pretreatment with ND2001 in vitro inhibited the pulmonary metastases of the B16 variant and 3LL cells, which indicates direct action upon the cancer cells. When the invasive activity of cancer cells was measured by the Boyden chamber method, the number of invading B16 variant or 3LL cells was reduced with maximal inhibition rates of 93.0% or 89.9%, respectively, but pretreatment with ND2001 failed to reduce the invasive activity of BMT-11 or SST-2 cells. ND2001 showed neither cytocidal nor antitumor activity. These results suggest that ND2001 inhibited pulmonary metastases at the invasive step into the basement membrane by directly changing some property of the tumor cells.     

FIRST STEP VIEW OF THE EFFICACY OF ANTINEOPLASTIC AGENTS

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Susceptibility of clinical isolates of Fusarium to antifungal drugs

Summary. The inhibitory activities of amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole, miconazole, ketoconazole and terbinafine against nine isolates from clinically apparent infections of Fusarium solani , four isolates of Fusarium moniliforme and 10 isolates of Fusarium oxysporum were determined with an agar diffusion method (Neo-sensitabs) and an agar dilution method. The inhibition zones obtained with antifungal Neo-sensitabs need very careful interpretation. We did not find a good correlation between the agar diffusion method using Neo-sensitabs preloaded with azoles and amphotericin B and the agar dilution method. Amphotericin B (12/23) and terbinafine (18/23) showed good activity. Miconazole (7/23) and ketoconazole (3/23) had poor inhibitory activity. Fluconazole and itraconazole (0/23) had no in vitro activity against any of the isolates tested.
Zusammenfassung. Die inhibitorische Aktivität von Amphotericin B, Fluconazol, Itraconazol, Miconazol, Ketoconazol und Terbinafin gegen 9 klinische Isolate von Fusarium solani , 4 von Fusarium moniliforme und 10 von Fusarium oxysporum wurde mit einer Agar-Diffusionstechnik (Neo-sensitabs) und einer Agar-Dilutionsmethode untersucht. Die Hemmhöfe mit Neo-sensitabs müssen mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden. Es wurde keine gute Korrelation zwischen der Agar-Diffusionstechnik mit Neo-sensitabs, beladen mit Azolen und Amphotericin B, und der Agar-Dilutionstechnik gefunden. Amphotericin B (12/23) und Terbinafin (18/23) zeigen eine gute Aktivität. Miconazol (7/23) und Ketoconazol (3/23) haben nur schwache inhibitorische Aktivität. Fluconazol und Itraconazol (0/23) zeigen in vitro keine Aktivität gegen die untersuchten Fusarium -Stämme.