Ghrelin, leptin and IGF-I levels in breast-fed and formula-fed infants in the first years of life

AIM: To establish ghrelin, leptin and IGF-I serum levels in breastfed (BF) and formula-fed (FF) infants during the first period of life. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on fasting blood venous samples obtained from exclusively BF (n=106) and FF (n=100) infants to measure total ghrelin (RIA test), leptin (RIA test) and IGF-I (chemiluminescence). Anthropometrical measurements of weight, length and cranial circumference were performed. RESULTS: During the first 4 mo of life, FF infants compared to BF ones showed higher ghrelin levels (2654.86 vs 2132.96 pg/ml; p<0.032), higher IGF-I levels (3.73 vs 3.15 ng/ml; p=0.00) and lower leptin levels (0.68 vs 1.16 ng/ml; p<0.04). Leptin values were higher in females than in males (0.80 vs 0.47 ng/ml; p<0.03), while no gender-related difference was found for ghrelin and IGF-I. No differences were found in anthropometrical measurements comparing the two groups of infants. A multiple regression analysis showed an inverse correlation between ghrelin and leptin values (p<0.04) and between IGF-I and leptin levels (p=0.00). CONCLUSION: Our finding suggests that breastfeeding influences hormones such as ghrelin, leptin and IGF-I in infancy, mainly during the first 4 mo of life. Further evidence is needed to confirm and clarify the role of a protective link from mother to infants as seen in our observations.     

Rituximab in patients with mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue-type lymphoma of the ocular adnexa

Eight patients with ocular adnexal mucosal-associated lymphpid tissue (MALT) lymphoma were treated with rituximab, at diagnosis (n=5) or relapse (n=3). All untreated patients achieved lymphoma regression, while relapsing patients had no benefit. Four responding patients experienced early relapse. The median time to progression was 5 months. The efficacy of rituximab in ocular adnexal lymphoma is lower than that reported for gastric MALT lymphomas.     

Does an asthma education program improve quality of life? A two-year randomized trial.

Asthma education programs result in clinical improvement. However, most studies involved programs of up to 1 year of follow-up, and their efficacy in improving quality of life (QoL) is still controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a program of patient education in asthmatics over 2 years. Thirty-seven asthmatic patients were randomly allocated to group A (usual treatment) and 32 to group B (usual treatment plus patient education program). The effectiveness of the education program was evaluated by comparing morbidity outcomes at baseline and 12 and 24 months afterwards. At baseline, no intergroup difference emerged in age, sex, smoking, asthma severity, atopy, FEV1, symptom-free days, use of rescue salbutamol, and QoL. One year later, group B subjects had an improvement in the overall QoL (from 5.8 +/- 0.8 to 6.1 +/- 0.7, p < 0.005), and in "Activities" (from 5.3 +/- 0.9 to 5.7 +/- 0.8, p < 0.05) and "Environment" (from 6.4 +/- 1.0 to 6.8 +/- 0.4, p < 0.05) domains. Two years later the "Activities" domain score increased in group B (from 5.3 +/- 0.9 to 5.7 +/- 1.1, p < 0.05). QoL did not vary in group A. The education program was ineffective in all other parameters at both follow-up time-points. In group A, a significant increase in medication expenses and a significant decrease in rescue salbutamol use was found 1 and 2 years after baseline, respectively. In conclusion, this education program improved QoL for 1 year, but the improvement was not sustained in the 2nd year.     

Immunohistochemical evidence of vanilloid receptor 1 in normal human urinary bladder

PURPOSE: Experimental and clinical evidences have shown the importance of the vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1) in the lower urinary tract. In humans, this receptor has been detected in nerve endings of primary sensory neurons, smooth muscle and connective tissue cells and in the rat also in the urothelium. The aim of this study is to identify, by immunohistochemistry, the cell types expressing TRPV1 in the human urinary bladder. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Specimens, obtained from normal urinary bladder by multiple biopsy and from ureter at the time of radical nefrectomy for renal cell carcinoma, were fixed and frozen. Full-thickness sections were processed for light and fluorescence microscopes. To label the TRPV1, three polyclonal antibodies were used: the anti-capsaicin receptor, the anti-VR1 (N-15) and the anti-VR1 (C-15). RESULTS: Urothelium, smooth muscle cells, mast cells and endothelium were labelled and the labelling was intracytoplasmatic. In the urothelial cells, the labelling was slightly granular. In the bladder urothelium, the superficial cells were more intensely stained than the basal and club-shaped cells. VR1-positive nerve fibers were seen running single and/or in groups in the sub-urothelium and as single varicose fibers in the muscle coat, and VR1-positive nerve endings in the urothelium. CONCLUSION: The present findings provide the evidence of the presence of TRPV1 on normal human urothelium where it could have important implications in the mechanism of action of intravesical vanilloids (capsaicin and resiniferatoxin).     

Locally advanced breast cancer: comparison of mammography,sonography and MR imaging in evaluation of residual disease in women receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy

The accuracy of mammography, sonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in identifying residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is evaluated and imaging findings are correlated with pathologic findings. Fifteen patients enrolled in an experimental protocol of preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy underwent clinical examination, mammography, sonography and dynamic MRI, performed in this order, before and respectively after 2 and 4 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Four radiologists, two for mammography, one for sonography and one for MR, examined the images, blinded to the results of the other examinations. All patients underwent radical or conservative surgery, and imaging findings were compared with pathologic findings. MRI identified 2/15 (13.3.%) clinically complete response (CR), 9/15 (60%) partial response (PR), 3/15 (20%) stable disease (SD) and 1/15 (6.7%) progressive disease. Mammography identified 1/15 (6.7%) clinically CR, 8/15 (53.3%) PR and 4/15 (27%) SD, and was not able to evaluate the disease in 2/15 (13%) cases. Sonography presented the same results as MRI. Therefore, MRI and sonography compared to mammography correctly identified residual disease in 100 vs. 86%. MRI resulted in two false-negative results because of the presence of microfoci of in situ ductal carcinoma (DCIS) and invasive lobular carcinoma (LCI). MRI was superior to mammography in cases of multifocal or multicentric disease (83 vs. 33%). Sonography performed after MRI improves the accuracy in evaluation of uncertain foci of multifocal disease seen on MR images with an increase of diagnostic accuracy from 73 to 84.5%. MRI assesses response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy better than traditional methods of physical examination and mammography.     

Long-term outcome of vesicoureteral reflux associated chronic renal failure in children. Data from the ItalKid Project

PURPOSE: The nephropathy associated with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is one of the leading causes of chronic renal failure (CRF) in children. We describe the clinical course of the disease based on information available in the ItalKid Project database, and analyze the predictive value of baseline renal function, age at VUR diagnosis and urinary protein excretion in relation to the risk of progressive renal failure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: As of December 31, 2001 the registry included a total of 343 patients (261 males) with a diagnosis of primary VUR, which was the leading single cause of CRF, accounting for 25.4% of all patients with CRF. RESULTS: The estimated risk of end stage renal disease (ESRD) by age 20 years was 56%. The patients with a creatinine clearance (Ccr) of less than 40 ml per minute at baseline had an estimated 4-fold greater risk of ESRD developing in comparison with those whose Ccr was 40 to 75 ml per minute. No significant difference in probability of disease progression to ESRD was found between subjects diagnosed with VUR at age 6 months or less and those diagnosed later (older than 6 months). Furthermore, children with normal urinary protein excretion (a urinary protein [uPr]/urinary creatinine [uCr] ratio of less than 0.2 in 36 patients) and low grade proteinuria (uPr/uCr 0.2 to 0.8 in 34 patients) at baseline showed a significantly slower decrease in mean Ccr than those with moderate proteinuria (uPr/uCr greater than 0.8 in 34 patients). Hypertension and/or antihypertensive treatment (including antiprogressive drugs) were reported in 29.1% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study define the long-term risk of ESRD in a large population of children with CRF and VUR, and provide some critical information for identifying the prognosis.     

Blood pressure and cardiovascular involvement in children with neurofibromatosis type1

We evaluated blood pressure in a sample of patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), to determine whether ABPM, when compared with casual BP recordings, allowed the detection of a higher risk for hypertension. We also evaluated the correlation between BP and vascular abnormalities. We studied 69 NF1 patients (36 males and 33 females) with a mean age of 11±4 years, divided into group A, with 24-h mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) <95th percentile, and group B, with mean SBP or DBP >95th percentile. Standard electrocardiography and M-mode, two-dimensional echocardiography were performed and all patients were in sinus rhythm. ABPM identified 11 hypertensive patients (16%); 5 had a mean SBP >95th percentile, 3 mean SBP–DBP >95th percentile, and 3 a mean DBP >95th percentile. Laboratory and other investigations to exclude secondary hypertension were normal. Cardiac abnormalities were found in 13 of the 69 patients (18.8%) with NF1. There were no significant clinical and cardiac differences between the normotensive and hypertensive group. Our data emphasize the importance of periodic ABPM in NF1 patients to diagnose hypertension early and avoid target organ damage and increased mortality.