Aminoglutethimide and glutethimide: effects on 18-hydroxycorticosterone biosynthesis by human and sheep adrenals in vitro.

The conversion of [1,2-3H]corticosterone to 18-hydroxycorticosterone in vitro was studied on human and animal adrenal tissue homogenates. Human adrenals were surgically resected from a patient with Cushing's disease. Sheep adrenal homogenates were prepared from the pooled glands of 20 animals. Incubations supplemented with a NADPH generating system were performed in order to evaluate the effect of aminoglutethimide and its closely related compound glutethimide on corticosterone 18-hydroxylation in vitro. Increasing concentrations of the two drugs were assayed on both human and animal adrenal homogenates. Aminoglutethimide was clearly found to inhibit corticosterone 18-hydroxylation in sheep adrenal homogenates as a 72.6% inhibition occurred in the presence of only 0.2 mumole of the drug. Inhibition reached 91.1% in the presence of 0.5 mumole aminoglutethimide. When added to the human incubated adrenal, a 59.4% inhibition occurred in the presence of 0.5 mumole aminoglutethimide. Glutethimide, a sedative of wide clinical usage, was also found to inhibit corticosterone 18-hydroxylation but the inhibitory effect occurred only in the presence of much higher concentrations. In fact, 5.0 mumoles were necessary to obtain a 43.9% inhibition of 18-hydroxycorticosterone synthesis. This study clearly demonstrates the marked inhibitory effect of aminoglutethimide on corticosterone 18-hydroxylation. Glutethimide, to a lesser extent, also inhibits 18-hydroxycorticosterone synthesis.     

Constitutional thinness: unusual human phenotype of low bone quality

CONTEXT: Low fat mass and hormonal or nutritional deficiencies are often incriminated in bone loss related to thinness. Constitutional thinness has been described in young women with low body mass index (BMI) but close-to-normal body composition, physiological menstruation, no hormonal abnormalities, and no anorexia nervosa (AN) psychological profile. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine whether constitutional thinness is associated with impaired bone quality. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was an observational, cross-sectional study on 25 constitutionally thin and 44 AN young women with similar low BMI (<16.5 kg/m2) and 28 age-matched controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Femoral and lumbar spine bone mineral density by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, distal tibia and radius bone architecture and breaking strength by three-dimensional peripheral quantitative computed tomography, and bone turnover markers were determined. RESULTS: Constitutionally thin subjects displayed a higher percentage of fat mass than AN subjects but had similar lumbar and femoral bone mineral density, which were significantly lower than in controls (P < 0.001). Constitutionally thin subjects displayed more markedly impaired trabecular and cortical bone parameters in the distal tibia than in the radius. AN bone structure was impaired only in subjects with a long history of disease. Calculated breaking strength was decreased in constitutional thinness and long-standing AN in both the radius and the tibia. Bone markers in constitutionally thin subjects were similar to those of controls. Osteoprotegerin to receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand ratio was higher in constitutionally thin subjects than in controls or AN women. CONCLUSIONS: Young women with constitutional thinness present an unexpectedly high prevalence of low bone mass (44%) associated with small bone size, overall diminished breaking strength, but normal bone turnover. Mechanisms related to insufficient skeletal load and/or genetics are proposed to explain this new phenotype of impaired bone quality.     

Single-Dose Toxicity of Individual and Combined Sterigmatocystin and 5-Methoxysterigmatocistin in Rat Lungs

Sterigmatocystin (STC) and 5-methoxysterigmatocystin (5-M-STC) are mycotoxins produced by common damp indoor Aspergilli series Versicolores. Since both STC and 5-M-STC were found in the dust of indoor occupational and living areas, their occupants may be exposed to these mycotoxins, primarily by inhalation. Thus, STC and 5-M-STC were intratracheally instilled in male Wistar rats using doses (0.3 mg STC/kg of lung weight (l.w.); 3.6 mg 5-M-STC/kg l.w.; toxin combination 0.3 + 3.6 mg/kg l.w.) that corresponded to concentrations detected in the dust of damp indoor areas in order to explore cytotoxicity, vascular permeability, immunomodulation and genotoxicity. Single mycotoxins and their combinations insignificantly altered lactate-dehydrogenase activity, albumin, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein-1α concentrations, as measured by ELISA in bronchioalveolar lavage fluid upon 24 h of treatment. In an alkaline comet assay, both mycotoxins provoked a similar intensity of DNA damage in rat lungs, while in a neutral comet assay, only 5-M-STC evoked significant DNA damage. Hence, naturally occurring concentrations of individual STC may induce DNA damage in rat lungs, in which single DNA strand breaks prevail, while 5-M-STC was more responsible for double-strand breaks. In both versions of the comet assay treatment with STC + 5-M-STC, less DNA damage intensity occurred compared to single mycotoxin treatment, suggesting an antagonistic genotoxic action.     

Brain structure in asymptomatic FMR1 premutation carriers at risk for fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome

Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), a late-onset movement disorder affecting FMR1 premutation carriers, is associated with cerebral and cerebellar lesions. The aim of this study was to test whether computational anatomy can detect similar patterns in asymptomatic FMR1 premutation carriers (mean age 46.7 years) with qualitatively normal -appearing grey and white matter on brain MRI. We used a multimodal imaging protocol to characterize brain anatomy by automated assessment of gray matter volume and white matter properties. Structural changes in the hippocampus and in the cerebellar motor network with decreased gray matter volume in lobule VI and white matter alterations of the corresponding afferent projections through the middle cerebellar peduncles are demonstrated. Diffuse subcortical white matter changes in both hemispheres, without corresponding gray matter alterations, are only identified through age × group interactions. We interpret the hippocampal fimbria and cerebellar changes as early alterations with a possible neurodevelopmental origin. In contrast, progression of the diffuse cerebral hemispheric white matter changes suggests a neurodegenerative process, leading to late-onset lesions, which may mark the imminent onset of FXTAS.     

What is the role of motor simulation in action and object recognition? Evidence from apraxia

An important issue in contemporary cognitive neuroscience concerns the role of motor production processes in perceptual and conceptual analysis. To address this issue, we studied the performance of a large group of unilateral stroke patients across a range of tasks using the same set of common manipulable objects. All patients (n = 37) were tested for their ability to demonstrate the use of the objects, recognize the objects, recognize the corresponding object-associated pantomimes, and imitate those same pantomimes. At the group level we observed reliable correlations between object use and pantomime recognition, object use and object recognition, and pantomime imitation and pantomime recognition. At the single-case level, we document that the ability to recognize actions and objects dissociates from the ability to use those same objects. These data are problematic for the hypothesis that motor processes are constitutively involved in the recognition of actions and objects and frame new questions about the inferences that are merited by recent findings in cognitive neuroscience.     

Can non-selective beta-blockers prevent hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis?

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the main liver-related cause of death in patients with compensated cirrhosis. The early phases are asymptomatic and the prognosis is poor, which makes prevention essential. We propose that non-selective beta-blockers decrease the incidence and growth of hepatocellular carcinoma via a reduction of the inflammatory load from the gut to the liver and inhibition of angiogenesis.