Action on RRSPs remains at top of CMA's priority list in 1995, board decides

Potential changes to registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) regulations “continue to generate a huge amount of concern” among physicians, the Board of Directors was told at its December meeting. That anxiety explains why the RRSP issue and related lobbying will remain at the top of the CMA's priority list in 1995. The other major topic of concern during the 3-day meeting was the federal government's proposed gun-control legislation. If doctors are going to have a responsibility to report patients whose ownership of firearms may make them a danger to themselves or others, the CMA wants to ensure that physicians who make such reports are protected under the law.     

α-Bungarotoxin blocks the nicotinic receptor mediated increase in cell number in a neuroendocrine cell line

Exposure of H69 small cell lung carcinoma cells to nicotinic agonists resulted in a significant increase (up to 100%) in cell number after 6 to 12 days. The effect of nicotine (10⁻⁸ M to 10⁻⁴ M) was both dose and time dependent as was that of another nicotinic agonist cytisine (10⁻⁶ M to 10⁻⁴ M). Interstingly, both the nicotine and cytisine induced increases in H69 cell number were blocked by α-bungarotoxin, as well as d-tubocurarine a nicotinic blocker which appears to interact with most nicotinic receptors. These results suggest that the nicotine induced increase in cell number is mediated through an interaction at the nicotinic α-bungarotoxin receptor. This idea is further supported by experiments which show (1) that H69 cells possess high affinity α-bungarotoxin sites (K_d = 25 nM, B_max = 10.4 fmol/10⁶ cells) with the characteristics of a nicotinic α-bungarotoxin receptor and (2) that the potencies of nicotinic receptor ligands in the α-bungarotoxin binding assay were similar to those observed in the functional studies. Northern analysis showed that mRNA for α7, a putative nicotinic α-bungarotoxin binding subunit, and for α5 were present in H69 cells. The present data provide further evidence that nicotine increases cell number in small cell lung carcinoma and are the first to show that this effect is mediated through an interaction at the nicotinic α-bungarotoxin receptor population. These results suggest that the α-bungarotoxin site may be involved in modulating proliferative responses in neuroendocrine derived SCLC cells.     

13-cis-retinoic acid (NSC 122758) in the treatment of children with metastatic neuroblastoma unresponsive to conventional chemotherapy: Report from the childrens cancer study group

The Childrens Cancer Study Group evaluated daily oral 13-cis-retinoic acid to determine its therapeutic efficacy in 28 children with advanced neuroblastoma refractory to conventional therapy. Cheilitis and fissured lips were the most common side effects; however, fewer than 50% of the patients experienced any toxicity. Two of twenty-two evaluable children demonstrated positive response to therapy. In one case, a child received the drug for 11 months. Seventeen patients demonstrated progressive disease within 28 days of the start of treatment. Three other patients with stable disease, or removed from study at day 28, were considered nonresponsive. Our data demonstrate that, when given as a single daily oral dose of 100 mg/m², 13-cis-retinoic acid does not have significant activity in children with advanced neuroblastoma. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Growth hormone releasing activity by intranasal administration of a synthetic hexapeptide (hexarelin)

OBJECTIVE Hexarelin is a new synthetic growth hormone releasing peptide. We have tested the efficacy of intranasal (i.n.) administration of hexarelin to stimulate plasma GH and have compared this to the intravenous (i.v.) administration of the peptide. PATIENTS Ten children with familial short stature (FSS) aged 5·5-15·5 years and two known GH deficient patients aged 24 and 28 years without GH treatment. METHODS All 12 subjects were submitted to i.v. (1 μg/kg) and i.n. (20 μg/kg) hexarelin tests with a one-week interval between tests. Blood samples for GH, TSH, fT4 and T3 were obtained at 0, 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes. The hormone determinations were made by standard radio-immunoassays (RIA). RESULTS Both the i.n. and i.v. administration of hexarelin induced a large GH response, the mean (±SD) being 72·2± 35·5 mU/l for the i.n. test and 79·6 ± 53·0 mU/l for the i.v. test. The peak GH in the i.v. test occurred at 15–30 minutes and in the i.n. test between 30 and 60 minutes. The GH deficient patients showed no GH response In either test. Plasma TSH decreased in the FSS children from a mean (±SD) of 1.0 ± 0·26 to 0·64±0 2 mU/l (P<0 005) during the i.n. test and from 1·0±0·3 to 0·7±0·3mU/l (P> 0 05) during the I.v. test. In the isolated GH deficient patient, plasma TSH decreased from 1·06±0·38 mU/l to 0·86±0·17 during the i.v. test and from 1·60±0·01 to 1·11±0·06mU/l during the i.n. test. There were no significant changes in plasma fT4 or T3 in any of the tests. CONCLUSIONS The synthetic hexapeptide hexarelin is a potent pituitary GH stimulator when administered intra-nasally. The GH response was similar to that observed after intravenous hexarelin. Simultaneously, there was a significant decrease in plasma TSH but the concentrations remained in the normal range. These findings appear to be of theoretical and practical relevance to the investigation and management of short children.     

Effects of 1,3-di-o-tolylguanidine (DTG), a sigma ligand, on local cerebral glucose utilization in rat brain.

The 2-deoxy-D-[1-14C]glucose ([14C]DG) method was used to examine the effects of the relatively selective sigma ligand 1,3-di-o-tolylguanidine (DTG) on cerebral metabolism in freely moving rats. Each animal received an i.p. injection of DTG (0.2, 1, or 5 mg/kg) or normal saline 20 min prior to the infusion of [14C]DG. DTG induced dose-dependent changes in local cerebral glucose utilization (LCGU) in several motor and limbic structures. Most structures showed increases in LCGU, with a maximum effect at 1 mg/kg. The most profound increases in LCGU were observed in brain regions that are rich in sigma receptors. These included cerebellar and related nuclei (interpositus, lateral and medial cerebellar n., vestibular n., olivary n.), ambiguus n., superior colliculus (superior layers), hippocampus (CA2, CA3, DG), n. basalis of Meynert interpeduncular n., and the substantia nigra pars compacta and pars reticulata. No significant decreases in glucose utilization were observed at any dose. Although the areas affected by DTG are similar to those previously reported for other sigma ligands, future studies employing a range of doses for additional selective sigma ligands must be carried out in order to confirm whether these changes in LCGU were sigma-mediated.     

Loss of endogenous androgen receptor protein accelerates motor neuron degeneration and accentuates androgen insensitivity in a mouse model of X-linked spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy

Human Molecular     

Effects of the putative dopamine autoreceptor antagonists (+)-AJ 76 and (+)-UH 232 on the discriminative stimulus properties of cocaine

Recent evidence suggests that the putative dopamine (DA) autoreceptor antagonists, (+)-AJ 76 and (+)-UH 232, share some neurochemical and behavioral effects with both psychostimulants and neuroleptics. The ability of (+)-AJ 76 and (+)-UH 232 to mimic or antagonize the stimulus effects of cocaine was investigated in rats trained to discriminate 5 mg/kg (N=8) or 10 mg/kg (N=8) of cocaine from saline in a two-lever, water-reinforced, drug discrimination task. In the cocaine (10 mg/kg) group, administration of (+)-AJ 76 (2.5–20 mg/kg) engendered only a partial substitution for cocaine (maximum 60% cocaine-lever responses). Given in combination with cocaine (10 mg/kg), (+)-AJ 76 (2.5–40 mg/kg) did not significantly attenuate the cocaine cue. A fixed dose of (+)-AJ 76 (2.5 or 10 mg/kg) plus various doses of cocaine (1.25–5 mg/kg) did not alter the cocaine dose-response curve. (+)-UH 232 (2–16 mg/kg) produced primarily saline-appropriate responding in rats trained to discriminate 5 mg/kg of cocaine and was unable to block the interoceptive cocaine state when given in combination with cocaine (5 mg/kg). (+)-UH 232 (2 or 8 mg/kg) also did not alter the cocaine dose-response curve. These results suggest that (+)-AJ 76 and (+)-UH 232 elicit only weak or no cocaine-like stimulus effects and, unlike neuroleptics, do not attenuate the cocaine cue.