Plasma beta-endorphin, free fatty acids and blood lipid changes in type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetic patients

A lipolytic activity for beta-endorphin (beta EP) has been recently suggested both in vitro and in vivo. In our study we evaluated the relationship between beta EP and blood lipid pattern in Type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetic patients. Plasma beta EP, together with plasma beta-lipotropin (beta LPH), ACTH, cortisol and plasma insulin (IRI), was measured by RIA after silicic acid plasma extraction and Sephedex G-75 column chromatography. Although reduced beta EP (7.12 +/- 3.8 fmol/ml) and increased beta LPH (9.3 +/- 3.7 fmol/ml) levels were found in diabetic patients, compared to controls (8.53 +/- 3.3 fmol/ml, p less than 0.05 and 8.34 +/- 2.6 fmol/ml, p less than 0.05, respectively), higher plasma beta EP concentrations were demonstrated in hyperlipidemic diabetic patients (10.3 +/- 3.9 fmol/ml) than in patients with normal blood lipid pattern (4.85 +/- 1.45 fmol/ml, p less than 0.001). Several positive correlations between beta EP, plasma free fatty acids (r = 0.75, p less than 0.001), triglycerides (r = 0.84, p less than 0.001) and VLDL (r = 0.80, p less than 0.001) were found in our patients independently of overweight, hypoglycemic treatment, plasma IRI levels and of the degree of metabolic control. A higher prevalence of micro- and macrovascular complications was demonstrated in hyperlipidemic than in normolipidemic patients. Blood lipid disorders might therefore be associated with increased plasma beta EP levels in Type 2 diabetes.     

Mediating effects of social support on firefighters' sense of community and perceptions of care

This study examined the relationship between psychological sense of community, social‐support networks, and care‐giver stress and satisfaction among firefighters. No significant gender differences were obtained, but zero‐order correlates demonstrated significant relationships among all four variables. In examining the mediating effects of social‐support satisfaction, partial mediation for psychological sense of community on care‐giver satisfaction was determined, as well as full mediation for psychological sense of community on care‐giver stress. Therefore, firefighters who are satisfied with the support they receive may experience less stress with their care giving than those who experience low levels of support satisfaction. Future studies should assess these relationships more extensively in other areas of civic responsibility among public‐service employees to delineate effective support avenues. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 32: 121–126, 2004.     

Effect of protein-restricted diet on serum lipids and atherosclerosis risk factors in patients with chronic renal failure

Early changes in lipid metabolism and appearance of atherosclerosis risk factors play a key role in the development of cardiovascular disease of chronic renal failure (CRF). In the effort to evaluate the effects of protein restricted diet on dyslipidemia, we studied 122 patients with CRF (S-creatinine 1.3-9 mg/dl); 58.2% of whom were on antihypertensive drugs treatment. Patients had been separated into 6 groups: group 1 was kept on a free diet; groups 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 were kept on a protein-restricted diet from 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 months, respectively. We found hypertriglyceridemia, pathologic levels of esterified cholesterol in high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) and pathologic apolipoprotein A1/B ratio in group 1; the comparison with other groups--whose values were normal range after 12, 24 months of treatment--showed significant differences. The lipidic parameters were independent of the duration of CRF and of patients' age. Serum creatinine showed a significant correlation with tryglicerides and HDL-C values only in group 1. Total cholesterol and apolipoprotein B were significantly greater in hypertensives than in normotensives. In our opinion, a moderate restriction in protein intake could be effective in preventing and in halting the early alterations of lipid metabolism in CRF.     

Osteosarcoma of the extremity metastatic at presentation: results achieved in 26 patients treated with combined therapy (primary chemotherapy followed by simultaneous resection of the primary and metastatic lesions).

From September 1986 to December 1989, 26 selected patients with high-grade osteosarcoma of the extremities metastatic at presentation were treated with primary chemotherapy (high doses of methotrexate, -cisplatinum and adriamycin) followed by surgery. Twenty-one cases underwent resections of the primary and metastatic tumor at the same time; owing to the disappearance of lung metastases after preoperative chemotherapy in 3 cases, only the primary tumor was operated on. Due to progression of the disease in 2 patients, no surgery was performed. Histologic examination of the resected specimen was performed to evaluate the percentage of necrosis produced by chemotherapy on the primary and metastatic tumor. After surgery, the patients received further chemotherapy with the same drugs used preoperatively plus ifosfamide and VP-16. The histologic response of the primary tumor was good (> 90% tumor necrosis) in 25% of the cases; in the resected metastatic nodules, 23% had good responses. A discrepancy between the histologic response of the primary and secondary tumor was observed in only 15% of the cases. These results seem to confirm the validity of the strategy (widely used today in the neoadjuvant treatment of non-metastatic osteosarcoma) of changing the postoperative treatment when the histologic response of the primary tumor is poor. At an average follow-up of 3.5 years, only 6 patients remained disease-free; 19 patients relapsed and 1 patient died for adriamycin cardiotoxicity. Of the 19 relapsed patients, 16 died and 3 are still alive but with uncontrolled disease. These results are much worse than those obtained in 144 cases of non-metastatic osteosarcoma of the extremities treated in the same period with the same preoperative chemotherapy (77% with good response in the primary tumor and 78% with continuous disease-free survival). The data suggest that a very effective neoadjuvant chemotherapy for nonmetastatic osteosarcoma of the extremities gives disappointing results in osteosarcoma of the extremities which is metastatic at presentation.     

5-HT(1)-like receptor agonists and the pathophysiology of migraine

Recently, AG-25086 and GR-43175 have been reported to be highly effective in aborting acute migraine attacks. These compounds seem selectively to stimulate a sub-population of 5-HT(1)-like receptors to inhibit noradrenaline release from certain sympathetic neurovascular terminals, to contract dog saphenous vein and dog, monkey and human basilar arteries, and to decrease the arteriovenous anastomotic component of carotid blood flow in the cat. GR-43175 neither has any antinociceptive effect nor crosses the blood-brain barrier. Pramod Saxena and Michel Ferrari review the clinical effectiveness of these 5-HT(1)-like receptor agonists and their selective pharmacology, both of which strongly suggest that excessive dilatation in the extracerebral cranial (scalp and/or dural) vasculature is an integral part of the pathophysiology of migraine.     

The non-immunosuppressive immunophilin ligand GPI-1046 potently stimulates regenerating axon growth from adult mouse dorsal root ganglia cultured in Matrigel

We used explant cultures of adult mouse dorsal root ganglia with spinal nerve attached growing in Matrigel to assess the effects of the non-immunosuppressive immunophilin ligand GPI-1046 [Snyder et al. (1998) TIPS 19, 21-26] on the growth rate of regenerating sensory axons and found a potent stimulation of axon growth. In these explant cultures, naked, unfasciculated axons emerge from the cut end of the spinal nerve and continue to grow in the Matrigel for up to eight days [Tonge et al. (1996) Neuroscience 73, 541-551]. Some axons are entirely smooth whilst others show prominent varicosities. Some of the former express the phosphorylated neurofilament epitope recognised by monoclonal antibody RT97, a marker for large calibre, myelinated axons, whilst the latter express calcitonin gene-related peptide, predominantly a marker for unmyelinated, and small diameter myelinated sensory axons. Many of the axons in these cultures also express the low-affinity neurotrophin receptor p75. GPI-1046 has been shown to have striking stimulatory effects on embryonic primary sensory axons growing in vitro and it was therefore of interest to see whether it could also enhance regenerating sensory axon growth from the adult ganglia in our cultures. GPI-1046 potently stimulated axon growth in our cultures in a dose-dependent manner. The stimulatory effect was not dependent on the class of sensory axon. These observations show that GPI-1046 is a potent stimulator of regenerating axons from adult, primary sensory neurones. The cellular site of action of GPI-1046 is unknown. To distinguish between a direct effect of the drug on neurones and an indirect effect we compared the effects of GPI-1046 on explant and dissociated cultures. In confirmation of previous results, we found that GPI-1046 potently stimulated axon outgrowth from explants of embryonic chick dorsal root ganglia. However, the drug was without effect on dissociated embryonic dorsal root ganglion neurones, suggesting that non-neuronal cells are important for axon growth stimulation.     

Meiotic recombination in the beta globin gene cluster causing an error in prenatal diagnosis of beta thalassaemia.

In the course of a prenatal diagnosis for beta thalassaemia by linkage analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms, a homozygous beta thalassaemia fetus was misdiagnosed as beta thalassaemia trait. Extensive studies of the polymorphic sites within the beta globin gene cluster in all the members of the family resulted in the conclusion that the paternal chromosome 11 of the newborn was different from that expected. Paternity was confirmed by HLA typing and blood group studies. The analysis of another polymorphic locus on chromosome 11 within the family was in agreement with the possibility of a crossing over between the two paternal chromosomes in a region 5' to the beta gene, previously indicated to contain a 'hot spot' area for recombination. This report underlines the risk of performing prenatal diagnosis using restriction polymorphisms 5' to the beta gene.     

Interactions between taste receptors in the frog tongue

Summary Receptors sensitive to stimulation with dilute CaCl₂ solutions and located in different fungiform papillae of the frog tongue are cross-connected via branches of the glossopharyngeal nerve fibers to form chemical sensory units comprising on average about 3 papillae; often one or more papillae were found to be common to different units.The receptor response observed when single papillae were individually stimulated increased, when the strength of the stimulus was raised, at a much lower rate than that obtained by stimulating the whole tongue surface. This proves that the antidromic impulses travelling in the cross-connections linking different papillae result in an evident depression of the receptor response to CaCl₂.The possible functional significance of mutual interaction between the receptors in the frog tongue is discussed.This study was supported by grants from the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Impresa di Elettrofisiologia) of Rome, Italy.