Induction of Orthotopic Rat Adrenomedullary Neoplasia by Intraadrenal Pheochromocytoma Cell Transplantation

We aimed to establish a technically feasible, easily reproducible model of orthotopic adrenomedullary neoplasia. Male rats received adrenal injection of rat pheochromocytoma cells infected with the Escherichia coli gene for beta-galactosidase (lac Z). Each of 10 animals was perfused 7 or 24 days after tumor cell injection; 5 animals of each group were injected with cyclosporin. Animals without tumor cell injection served as controls. Tumor cells were identified and characterized in frozen sections by histochemical and immunohistochemical methods. Immunosuppressed animals had enlarged adrenals 7 days after tumor cell injection. In the rats without immunosuppression the adrenals seemed unaltered despite microscopic demonstration of tumor cells. After 24 days tumors had developed in all animals, weighing 50 times more than normal adrenals in animals with immunosuppression, and 9 times more in animals without immunosuppression. Intraadrenal catecholaminergic tumor cells could be identified by beta-galactosidase expression. No animal showed systemic spread. Generation of adrenomedullary neoplasia by intraadrenal pheochromocytoma cell transplantation is easily reproducible and technically feasible. This model allows simultaneous study of neoplastic and normal adrenal tissues (e.g., regarding their response to drugs intended for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes). The decreased tumor growth in animals without immunosuppression is presumably due to the high number of intraadrenal immunocompetent cells.     

Asymptomatic intracardiac thrombus in steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome

Arterial and venous thrombotic events can lead to severe complications in the nephrotic syndrome, but may remain clinically silent in a substantial proportion of patients. Intracardiac thrombi associated with multiorgan thrombosis have been described in autopsy cases of the earlier literature, but have never been documented in vivo. We here report an asymptomatic intracardiac thrombus in a child with frequently relapsing steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome and a ventricular septal defect. Received: 7 May 2001 / Revised: 19 November 2001 / Accepted: 24 November 2001     

Microdialysis: an in vivo approach for measuring drug delivery in oncology

Microdialysis (MD) is a catheter-based sampling method that provides the opportunity to directly study tumor drug exposure and metabolism in a minimally invasive way. Tumor drug exposure, which is directly linked to clinical outcome, may be substantially reduced due to diffusion barriers in solid tumors. Therefore plasma drug profiles are frequently inappropriate for predicting outcome in oncology. This contribution focuses on the application of MD in preclinical and clinical oncological research and presents an overview of the current literature. It is concluded that MD, in combination with pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling, has the potential to contribute to the design of optimal treatment schedules and to select appropriate drug candidates, doses, and dosing intervals for established and new anticancer drugs.     

Lack of efficacy of naltrexone in the prevention of alcohol relapse: results from a German multicenter study

In a placebo-controlled, double-blind German multicenter study (seven sites) the efficacy of naltrexone as an adjunctive treatment in alcoholism to maintain abstinence was assessed for 12 weeks. A total of 171 detoxified patients (97.7% met the DSM-III-R criteria for alcohol dependence) were included. Patients had been abstinent for a mean of 19.5 +/- 9.4 days at study entry. Eighty-four and 87 patients were randomized to receive naltrexone (50 mg/day) and placebo, respectively. Each site was instructed to provide its usual psychosocial alcohol treatment program. The primary effectiveness measure was the time to first heavy drinking as derived from self-reports of drinking (timeline-follow-back method). Secondary effectiveness measures included time to first drink, amount of alcohol consumption, intensity of craving, severity of alcoholism problems, and liver enzymes. Thirty-three (38%) placebo patients and 28 (33%) naltrexone patients discontinued the study. At endpoint, 62% of the patients in each group did not have an episode of heavy drinking. Also, there were no significant differences between the study groups concerning secondary effectiveness measures as well as compliance and adverse clinical events--with the exception of the gamma-GT, which was significantly greater reduced in the naltrexone group throughout the study. Based upon an intention-to-treat population, this study confirms the safety but not the efficacy of naltrexone in prevention of alcohol relapse. Nevertheless, the question arises whether self-reports of drinking are more reliable than gamma-GT as a measure of recent alcohol consumption.     

Comparative investigation of airborne culturable microorganisms in sewage treatment plants

The present study investigated emissions and emmissions of airborne microorganisms (mesophilic bacteria, Escherichia coli, molds, Aspergillus fumigatus, thermophilic actinomycetes/bacilli) in sewage treatment plants. For the aerobiological investigations three sewage treatment facilities with an activated-sludge process, capacities between 2000 and 28,000 PE and different cleaning steps were selected. The measurements of microorganism emission were conducted in the area of the intake (screen), in the area of biological treatment (activated sludge tank) and at a distance of 10 m from the activated sludge tanks. In order to determine the emmission, additional measurements were conducted leeward of the plant at a distance of 200 m. Samples were taken using four parallel six-stage Andersen 1 AFCM volumetric samplers. In the area of the intake counts for bacteria were 7.4 x 10(2) CFU/m3 (median), for thermophilic actinomycetes 1.8 x 10(1) CFU/m3, for thermophilic bacilli 7.1 x 10(1) CFU/m3, for molds 2.4 x 10(3) CFU/m3 and for Aspergillus fumigatus 1.8 x 10(1) CFU/m3. Only isolated airborne coliform recoveries, i.e. E. coli, were detected. In the area of the activated sludge tank, in the adjoining area (10 m) and in the vicinity of the plants (200 m), the counts for all microorganism groups investigated corresponded to natural conditions. The results show that the counts of culturable aerogenic microorganisms in and in the immediate surrounding of the sewage plants investigated are low. Although the possibility of an infection through inhalation cannot be ruled out, the direct contact with sewage is much more critical.     

Genome research in Austria--a program of the future

Genome research is a central area both for progress in scientific findings in life sciences and for the innovative capacity in medical science, and the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. The research findings obtained by interdisciplinary cooperation are of paramount epistemological importance. They will establish a new understanding of biology. In this context, there will be revolutionary opportunities for new medical therapies, for instance, or for keeping plants and animals healthy. Austria will participate in this science and innovation field and will use the resulting opportunities for scientific and economic development as well as for overall social prosperity. For this purpose, [corrected] Austria has developed the 'Austrian Genome Research Programme', a 'programme of the future' for Austria. This program will be based on the good foundations that genome research has already established in Austria.     

Evaluation of glucoiberin reference material from Iberis amara by spectroscopic fingerprinting

Increasing worldwide regulations require increased efforts toward validation of analytical and pharmacological reference materials. A detailed survey of glucoiberin, a prototype lead constituent of therapeutic value, using 1D/2D NMR, MS, and X-ray spectroscopy provided precise phytochemical data for structure assignment. Quantitative reference validation was achieved by the recently proposed qNMR method.