The unusual association of three autoimmune diseases in a patient with Noonan syndrome.

We report on a 26-year-old female affected by Noonan syndrome (NS), a congenital disorder characterized by various phenotypic features and congenital anomalies) associated with a variety of autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus, celiac disease, and Hashimoto thyroiditis. Autoimmunity is seldom described in NS and the association between this congenital disease and three autoimmune disorders has not been previously reported. Should the occurrence of autoimmune disorders in NS be confirmed, a relevant clinical and laboratory evaluation of NS patients should be performed in order to clarify whether the immune system involvement represents only an occasional event or is a feature of the disease.     

Telomerase activity in prognostic histopathologic features of melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Telomerase activity (TA) is believed to play a role in the regulation of senescence and to limit the number of cell divisions. The deregulation of telomerase appears to contribute to oncogenesis and the formation of immortal cell lines. As a result, it is believed that it could be used as a prognostic marker in melanoma. METHODS: TA was assayed by the polymerase chain reaction PCR-ELISA-based telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP assay). One hundred and eight samples were distributed in four histological groups: 30 samples from primary cutaneous melanomas, 24 from peritumoural skin sites, 28 from benign melanocytic lesions, and 26 from normal skin sites as a control. RESULTS: TA was different among the four tested groups (Kruskall-Wallis test p<0.001), and increasing values of TA were observed progressing from normal skin to benign and then to malignant lesions. Among melanoma samples, there was a significant association between TA and ulceration (p=0.025), TA and vascular invasion (p=0.018) and TA and mitotic rate (p=0.029) (Mann-Whitney test). A linear regression analysis showed significant associations between the increase of TA with Breslow thickness (p=0.004) and the presence of satellites (p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: We observed that TA had increased from control skin to peritumoural skin, and then to benign melanocytic lesions and finally to melanoma, suggesting tumour progression. TA showed higher values in the presence of some important histopathologic parameters related to poor prognosis in cutaneous melanoma such as ulceration, vascular invasion, satellites, high rates of mitosis, and in thicker tumours.     

Mercury from gold minings in the Pantanal of Pocone (Mato Grosso,Brazil)

The Pocone gold minings are situated in the Bento Gomes River Basin, at the border of the Pantanal of Mato Grosso. Gold-bearing quartz veins are removed from the subsoils, milled with water, centrifuged and the heavier fraction is subsequently mixed with mercury for gold separation. The gold mining activities caused a very intensive landscape change, threatening many environmental processes like sediment control and storage and recycling capacity of mercury. Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence System (CVAFS) was used to determinate total mercury in water, suspended material and sediments from Bento Gomes River, sampled monthly for 1 year. Apart from the fact that mercury concentrations are low in water and bottom sediments, they are slightly higher in relation to background levels measured in the area. The concentration in suspended material is also lower than other rivers with gold mining activities, but the floodplains of the Bento Gomes River act as mercury sinks. Therefore, the discharge of mercury into the Pantanal floodplain should be avoided, in spite of actual contamination of the system being very low.     

Interleukin-10 secreted by B-1 cells modulates the phagocytic activity of murine macrophages in vitro

As demonstrated previously in our laboratory, B-1 cells migrate from the peritoneal cavity of mice and home to a distant site of inflammation to become macrophage-like cells. However, the influence that these cells might have on the kinetics and fate of the inflammatory process is not known. Considering that macrophages are pivotal in the inflammatory reaction, we decided to investigate the possible influence B-1 cells could have on macrophage activities in vitro. Our results show that peritoneal macrophages from Xid mice, a mouse strain deprived of B-1 cells, have higher phagocytic indexes for zymozan particles when compared with macrophages from wild-type mice. Moreover, macrophages from wild-type mice have a lower ability to release nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide when compared with macrophages from Xid mice. Experiments using cocultures of B-1 cells and macrophages from Xid mice in transwell plates demonstrated that B-1 cells down-regulate macrophage activities. These observations also indicate that this phenomenon is not due to a physical interaction between these two cell populations. As B-1 cells are one of the main sources of interleukin (IL)-10, we demonstrate in this study that adherent peritoneal cells from Xid mice produce significantly less amounts of this cytokine in culture when compared with IL-10 production by cells from wild-type mice. When B-1 cells from IL-10 knock-out mice and macrophages from wild-type mice were cocultured in transwell plates, the phagocytic index of macrophages was not altered demonstrating that B-1 cells can influence the effector functions of macrophages in vitro via IL-10 secretion.     

Antidepressant response and well-being in pre-, peri- and postmenopausal women with major depressive disorder treated with fluoxetine

BACKGROUND: We assessed the impact of menopausal status on treatment response and well-being in a cohort of outpatient women with major depressive disorder (DSM-III-R criteria), who received treatment with fluoxetine (20 mg/day for 8 weeks). METHODS: Menopausal status was defined based on age, presence of menstrual irregularity or amenorrhea and vasomotor symptoms. Remission and response of depression were defined as a 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D-17) score or=50%, respectively. Well-being was assessed by self-rating with the Symptom Questionnaire. Remitters were followed up for 28 additional weeks. RESULTS: No differences in rates of response and remission as well as in levels of well-being were observed among pre- (n = 121), peri- (n = 28) and postmenopausal (n = 35) women at the endpoint of the acute phase, even after adjustment for baseline depression severity. Residual symptoms, however, were significantly more common in postmenopausal women, except for the continuation phase endpoint. Differences in residual symptoms during the acute phase subsided after adjustment for baseline depression severity. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, menopausal status did not significantly affect the response to fluoxetine treatment and the degree of posttreatment well-being among major depressive disorder patients.     

Serotonin-2A receptor gene is not associated with symptomatology of schizophrenia

The serotonin receptor type 2A (5-HT2A) is a primary candidate for involvement in major psychoses. Polymorphisms within the 5-HT2A gene have recently been reported to be associated with a variety of psychopathological conditions. In the present study, we investigated the potential influence of the T102C polymorphism on the psychopathology of schizophrenia. One hundred eighty-eight inpatients affected by schizophrenia (DSM-III-R) were assessed by the Operational Criteria checklist for psychotic illness (OPCRIT) and were typed for their 5-HT2A variants by PCR techniques. Mania, depression, delusion and disorganization were the four symptomatologic factors previously derived from our psychotic population that were used to define phenotype in our sample. Genetic variants of the polymorphism under study were not associated with these symptomatologic factors, and consideration of possible stratification effects such as sex and age of onset did not reveal any association either. Our results do not, therefore, support the hypothesis that the serotonin receptor 2A gene is a liability factor for the symptomatology of schizophrenia as defined by the OPCRIT checklist. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatr. Genet.) 96:84-87, 2000.