The effects of the administration of tamoxifen, ethynyloestradiol, and prednisolone on the activities of certain enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in primary human breast carcinomas in vivo

Postmenopausal patients with primary breast cancer were treated with tamoxifen, ethynyloestradiol or prednisolone for up to 12 days before mastectomy and the effects of pretreatments with these drugs on the activities of phosphofructokinase (PFK), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH) and alpha-glycerolphosphate dehydrogenase (alpha-GPDH) in the carcinomas were compared with age, stage and menopausal status matched untreated controls. The administration of tamoxifen or prednisolone resulted in a significant increase in the activity of alpha-GPDH and the alpha-GPDH/6PGDH ratio, whereas ethynyl-oestradiol treatment produced a significant decrease in the activity of the enzyme and the ratio. When tamoxifen and ethynyl-oestradiol were administered together, it was found that tamoxifen failed to reverse the oestrogen-induced reduction in the activity of alpha-GPDH. Since increased activity of the enzyme or a higher alpha-GPDH/6PGDH ratio are associated with a lower risk of recurrence (Deshpande et al., 1981), it is postulated that the beneficial effects of tamoxifen or prednisolone in terms of prolongation of the relapse free interval might be mediated via alterations in the activity of alpha-GPDH in micrometastases. The activities of PFK and 6PGDH remained unaffected by these treatments.

[Peripheral schwannomas: a case report]

The Authors present 10 cases of peripheral schwannomas observed in the Ancona University Surgical Clinic in the five-year period 1976-1980. An examination is made of the frequency of the various symptoms in relation to the different localisations, the diagnostic techniques, among which particular importance is attributed to echo tomography, and the principles underlying surgical treatment.

[Orthotopic homograft of the rat stomach: microsurgical technic]

The principal aim of this study is to set up a new microsurgical technique that can be reproducible easily for the execution of orthotopic homograft of stomach in rat. The vascularization of homograft is given, for arterial district by a termino-terminal anastomosis between celiac artery of donor and right renal artery of receiving, and, for venous district, by a termino-lateral anastomosis between portal vein of donor and vena cava of receiving. The middle survival of rats that were had a graft, in this first stage of research, has been of 3 days, therefore it hasn't't been possible to look into the function of graft.