Antineuroblastoma activity of desferoxamine in human cell lines

That ferritin, an iron storage protein, can be produced by neuroblastoma cells raises the possibility that iron may have some role in promoting tumor cell growth. To explore this possibility, we studied the effects of desferoxamine, a compound which chelates iron, on viability of CHP 126 and CHP 100, two human neuroblastoma cell lines. Cells (5 X 10(4)) were incubated with graded amounts of desferoxamine or ferrioxamine, an iron-saturated analogue of desferoxamine. Within 5 days of exposure to 60 microM desferoxamine, approximately 90% of cells from each of these cell lines were dead. This effect was dose dependent, was not seen with ferrioxamine, and could be prevented by coincubation with greater than stoichiometric amounts of ferric citrate. As determined by binding of OK-T9, desferoxamine also resulted in increased expression of receptors for transferrin, an iron transport protein. Desferoxamine had only minimal effects on viability of several non-neuroblastoma cell lines. These results suggest that iron is required for growth of neuroblastoma and that desferoxamine has potent, specific, antineuroblastoma activity in vitro.     

Effect of different levels of oral pyridoxine supplementation on plasma pyridoxal-5'-phosphate and pyridoxal levels and urinary vitamin B-6 excretion

Plasma pyridoxal-5'-phosphate and pyridoxal levels increased significantly (p less than 0.05) when single, oral bolus doses of pyridoxine were increased from 10 to 25 and from 25 to 50 mg in nine female volunteers. However, when the dose was increased to 100 mg, plasma pyridoxal-5'-phosphate levels did not differ significantly from those recorded after the 50 mg dose. Within 3 h plasma pyridoxal levels rose with a factor of 3.85 compared with the 50 mg dose but high pyridoxal levels were eliminated from the circulation. Renal clearance of pyridoxal remained a constant, low percentage (less than 2.0%) of each pyridoxine supplement in spite of the observed very high circulating pyridoxal levels. Pyridoxine supplementation is discussed in relation to circulating pyridoxal-5'-phosphate and pyridoxal availability for cellular metabolism.     

The prevalence and intensity of intestinal parasites in two Somalian communities

About 85% of the population of two Somali communities harboured soil-transmitted intestinal nematodes and/or protozoa. The commonest parasite (75% in the Lafoole institution and 59% in the Afgoye institution) was Trichuris trichiura. Mixed infections were common. The source of infection is contaminated fields around dwelling quarters, because of indiscriminate defaecation. One of the factors responsible for the higher incidence of hookworm in Lafoole (45%) compared with Afgoye (1.5%) may be the different soil character of the surrounding fields.     

Curative local excision of rectal adenocarcinoma

The records of all 28 patients with rectal adenocarcinoma treated by potentially curative local excision by one surgeon (A.M.C.) between 1970 and 1984 were reviewed. Patient age, sex, tumour size, site, degree of differentiation and level of invasion are reported. The procedure was associated with no mortality and minimal morbidity. Twenty-two patients, followed for an average of 51 months, have either died of other causes or remain free of recurrent or disseminated malignancy. Six patients have required further surgery for local recurrence. Of these, one patient has had a repeat local excision while the remaining five patients have had an abdominoperineal excision of the rectum. All six patients, followed since the second operation for an average of 50 months, are free of further recurrent or disseminated disease. The results reported in this review suggest that in a selected group of patients with rectal adenocarcinoma curative local excision may offer a safe alternative to more radical forms of surgery.