STUDY OF THE PARTNERS OF WOMEN WITH HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS INFECTION

Background. Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, and it has been identified as a significant risk factor for the development of dysplasia and cancer of the uterine cervix. The possible influence of male HPV lesions on female cervix oncogenesis has not been elucidated so far. In the present study we evaluate the male partners of women with clinical or subclinical HPV infection with particular interest in the clinical features of this infection in both partners. Methods. We examined 81 male partners of women affected with human papillomavirus infections. Condylomata acuminata were searched for by visual inspection. Subclinical lesions were searched by 5 power optical magnification lens after application of 5% acetic acid. Results. In men we observed the following percentage of infection: 67% of the partners of women affected with condylomata acuminata, 46% of the partners of women affected with subclinical lesions (acetic acid positive), and 40% of the partners of women with association of HPV and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Conclusions. Our data stress that very often the partners of women with HPV subclinical infection, especially when associated with CIN, do not present lesions, and consequently primary prevention may be very difficult.     

All-trans retinoic acid shows multiple effects on the survival, proliferation and differentiation of human fetal CD34+ haemopoietic progenitor cells

Summary. To evaluate the effect of all-trans retinoic acid (RA) on fetal haemopoiesis, we performed serum-free liquid and semisolid cultures using CD34⁺ cells purified from mid-trimester human fetal blood samples. RA, at both physiological (10^-n and 10^-12M) and pharmacological (10^-6 and l(r⁷M) concentrations, significantly (P<0.01) promoted the survival of fetal CD34⁺ cells in liquid cultures from day 3 onwards, by suppressing apoptosis induced by serum and growth factor deprivation. On the other hand, RA alone had no significant effect on the proliferation and differentiation of fetal haemopoietic progenitors. In the presence of optimal concentrations of recombinant interleukin-3 (IL-3), stem cell factor (SCF), granulocyte/ macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and erythropoietin (Epo), low and high doses of RA induced striking differential effects on CD34⁺ cell proliferation in liquid cultures and colony formation in semisolid assays. In fact, 1CT^U M and 1CT¹²M RA were able to: (i) significantly (P<0.05) increase ³H-thymidine uptake by fetal CD34⁺ cells in liquid cultures, and (ii) variably promote the growth of pluripotent (CFU-GEMM, P<0.05), early (BFU-meg) and late (CFU-meg, P<0.01) megakaryocyte, granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM. P<001) and erythroid (BFU-E) progenitors in semisolid cultures. On the contrary, 10^-6 and 10^-7 M RA induced: (i) an overall inhibition (P<0.01) of CD34⁺ cell growth in liquid cultures; (ii) a marked suppression of BFU-E colony formation (P<0.01) at all Epo concentrations examined (0-002-4IU/ml); and (iii) a significant (P<0.()1) stimulation of CFU-GM with a shift from mixed granulocyte/ macrophage to pure granulocyte colonies, whereas it had little effect on the growth of CFU-GEMM, BFU-meg and CFU-meg. Our data, as a whole, demonstrate that RA has direct complex effects on the survival, growth and clonal expansion of fetal haemopoietic progenitor cells, mainly depending on the presence of recombinant cytokines, the type of progenitor and the concentrations of RA.     

Brief Report: Graft-Versus-Host Reaction in F1 Hybrid Mice Injected with Pre-Immunized Parental Thymus Cells

Dissociated thymus cells are capable of initiating graft-versus-host reactionin (C3Hf/Gs x DBA/2)F₁ hybrids only when derived from parental donorspreviously sensitized against the antigens of the other parental strain. Thelower immunologic activity of thymus cells as compared with other lymphoidcells is presumably due to quantitative rather than qualitative differences inimmunologically competent cells.

Submitted on May 6, 1964 Accepted on July 14, 1964     

Effects of bromocriptine on adenylate cyclase and phosphodiesterase activities of rat striatum

The activity of 2-bromo-α-ergokryptine (bromocriptine) (5 mg kg^?1, i.p.) on adenylate cyclase and on phosphodiesterase (PDE I-PDE II) of rat striatum, has been examined both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro and in vivo bromocriptine stimulated adenylate cyclase activity, but reduced the stimulating effect of dopamine on adenylate cyclase activity. Bromocriptine showed a dose-dependent biphasic action on phosphodiesterases in vitro while in vivo it stimulated them. The results obtained proved bromocriptine to have an agonist-antagonist action at striatal dopamine receptor level, with a relevant effect on the cAMP system.     

Distribution of β-endorphin in normal and schizophrenic human brains

beta-Endorphin was measured by radioimmunoassay in post-mortem human brains. Samples of brain were taken from five discrete areas, both from control brains and brains of schizophrenic patients. No difference in beta-endorphin levels was found in these two groups of brains. beta-Endorphin was confirmed to be widely distributed in the brain, but there were considerable differences in the concentrations in different areas.