Persistent chemopreventive effect of S-adenosyl-L-methionine on the development of liver puptative preneoplastic lesions induced by thiobenzamide in diethylnitrosamine-initiated rats

S-Adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) is a strong chemo-preventive agentof rat liver carcinogenesis. Examination was made to determinewhether inhibition by SAM of the development of preneoplasticliver lesions persists to SAM withdrawal in diethylnitrosamine-initiatedF344 rats promoted with thiobenzamide (TB). The rats were subjected,2 weeks after initiation, to 5 weeks feeding with a 0.1% TBdiet followed by a TB-free diet for 6 weeks and then by a secondTB treatment for 3 weeks. SAM (384 µmol/kg/day) was injectedi.m. during the first TB cycle (treatment A) or for 6 weeksafter the first TB cycle (treatment B). Many -glutamyltranspeptidase(GGT)-positive lesions developed in initiated rats after thefirst TB cycle. They decreased in number after TB withdrawal,while partial recovery of lesion number and a great increasein volume occurred after the second TB cycle. Liver ornithinedecarboxylase (ODC) activity and c-myc and c-Ha-ras mRNAs increasedduring the TB cycle. Liver ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activityand c-myc and c-Ha-ras mRNAs increased during the TB cyclesand returned to normal liver values after TB withdrawal. Numberand size of GGT-positive lesions, DNA synthesis of GGT-positivecells, liver ODC activity and c-myc and c-Ha-ras mRNA levelsdecreased as a consequence of SAM treatment A. The recoveryof these parameters, induced by a second TB cycle in rats nottreated with SAM, was prevented by SAM treatment B. These resultssuggest that SAM causes a persistent decrease in growth capacityof preneoplastic liver lesions in rats subjected to a diethylnitrosamine/TBprotocol.     

Clinical experience with psychological aspects in pediatric patients amputated for malignancies

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Amputation surgery in pediatric patients suffering from malignant tumors is less common than in the past, but has a great emotional impact on patients and their families as well as on the medical team. Studies addressing the psychological aspects of limb amputation in childhood cancer are still relatively limited, and the results have sometimes been contradictory. METHODS: At the Pediatric Oncology Unit of the Istituto Nazionale Tumori of Milan psychological support was provided to candidates for amputation and their families, involving medical oncologists, a clinical psychologist, and social assistants. Twenty-two patients were analyzed and 16 underwent mutilating surgery. RESULTS: Different emotional reactions were observed. Surgery proved to be easier to accept when the tumor caused pain and functional loss. Specialist medical psychological support was needed in case of defense mechanisms (eg, splitting and projection) and depressive reactions evolving into isolation or intolerance. CONCLUSIONS: The reported experience could be helpful in providing adequate support to children with tumors requiring mutilating surgery.     

Study of 12 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the testicle (author's transl)]

Twelve consecutive cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas with initial testicular involvement have been considered in this retrospective evaluation. In 801 cases with referred for treatment to the Istituto Nazionale Tumori of Milan from 1962 to 1974 evidence of initial testicular involvement was observed in 1,4% of cases. Of the whole group of testicular tumors treated in our Institute only 3% were classified as non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Six out of 12 patients with stage I (2 cases) and II (4 cases) diseases were treated with Cobalt therapy to the retroperitoneal nodes. Only one patient remained free of disease after radiotherapy. Three patients relapsed after primary irradiation and six patients classified as stage IV were treated with chemotherapy. Patients receiving combination chemotherapy had in general a better quality of response and a larger, but not significantly different, survival, compared to patients given simple agent sequential chemotherapy. Since the differential diagnosis between testicular lymphomas and seminomas may cause some difficulties and therapeutic implications are different, clinicians should be alert to this problem: in our case series testicular non-Hodgkin's lymphomas was the most frequent non-germinal tumor of the testicle.     

Emotions and BIS/BAS components affect brain activity (ERPs and fNIRS) in observing intra-species and inter-species interactions

Affective response to observation of intra-species and inter-species interactions was considered in the present research. The brain activity (optical imaging: functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, fNIRS; and event-related potentials, ERPs, N200) was monitored when subjects observed interactive situations (human-human, HH; human-animal, HA) with a positive (cooperative), negative (uncooperative) or neutral (no emotional) content. In addition, cortical lateralization (more left or right prefrontal activity) and personality component (Behavioral Activation System, BAS; Behavioral Inhibition System, BIS) effects were explored. Both ERP and fNIRS showed significant brain activity increasing in response to positive and negative compared with neutral interactions for HH and HA. However, some differences were found between HH (more “negative valence” effect) and HA (more “positive valence” effect). Finally BAS and BIS were related respectively to more left (positive conditions) or right (negative conditions) hemispheric activity. These results supported the significance of affective behavior differentiating the species-specific and species-aspecific relationships.     

Discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-esteem are linked to symptom severity in borderline personality disorder

The present study examined whether discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-esteem are associated with symptom severity in a sample of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). We hypothesized that implicit–explicit self-esteem discrepancies foster autoaggressive behavior and dysphoria, and impair self-perception. We found that the two forms of self-esteem discrepancies, damaged and fragile self-esteem were related to the severity of overall borderline symptoms, autoaggression, dysphoria, and deficits in self-perception. In contrast, more general psychopathological impairment, such as depression, was not related to self-esteem discrepancies. Taken together our results indicate that discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-esteem are associated with certain borderline symptoms that may be based on internal tension. The findings can be interpreted within the framework of self-discrepancies and dichotomous attitudes in patients with BPD.     

Neurological involvement associated with COVID-19 disease: a study on psychosocial factors

Neurological Sciences - Several people affected by COVID-19 experienced neurological manifestations, altered sleep quality, mood disorders, and disability following hospitalization for a long time....     

Cortical connections of the visuomotor parietooccipital area V6Ad of the macaque monkey

Area V6A, a functionally defined region in the anterior bank of the parietooccipital sulcus, has been subdivided into dorsal and ventral cytoarchitectonic fields (V6Ad and V6Av). The aim of this study was to define the cortical connections of the cytoarchitectonic field V6Ad. Retrograde and bidirectional neuronal tracers were injected into the dorsal part of the anterior bank of parietooccipital sulcus of seven macaque monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). The limits of injection sites were compared with those of cytoarchitectonic fields. The major connections of V6Ad were with areas of the superior parietal lobule. The densest labeling was observed in the medial intraparietal area (MIP). Areas PEc, PGm, and V6Av were also strongly connected. Labeled cells were found in medial parietal area 31; in cingulate area 23; in the anterior (AIP), ventral (VIP), and lateral (LIP) intraparietal areas; in the inferior parietal lobule (fields Opt and PG); and in the medial superior temporal area (MST). In the frontal lobe, the main projection originated from F2, although labeled cells were also found in F7 and area 46. Preliminary results obtained from injections in nearby areas PEc and V6Av revealed connections different from those of V6Ad. In agreement with functional data, the strong connections with areas where arm‐reaching activity is represented suggest that V6Ad is part of a parietofrontal circuit involved in the control of prehension, and connections with AIP specifically support an involvement in the control of grasping. Connections with areas LIP and Opt are likely related to the oculomotor activities observed in V6Ad. J. Comp. Neurol. 513:622–642, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Specific language disorders and season of birth: Underlying environmental factors or chance findings?

The medical records of 358 children and adolescents with specific language disorders (SLD; 122 girls and 236 boys) seen in rehabilitation centers from Northern and Central Italy were examined to compare season of birth in these cases to those of the Italian population. Exposure was calculated using univariate and multivariate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Compared to the Italian population, patients with SLD had a 1.67 (95% CI [1.35-2.07]) chance of birth in October-December. Independent predictors were younger age at inclusion and being firstborn. Different neurobiological hypotheses can be drawn to explain these findings.