Ultrastructural Aspects of the Dermatofibroma

The authors describe the ultrastructure of 2 dermatofibromas. Fibroblasts, the prevailing cellular component, showed different aspects related to a grading of their functional activity. No features of collagenogenesis were observed. Mast cells were also present, and nerve endings were found in subepidermal areas.

Age-Related Frequency of Viral Lesions and Their Association with Uterine Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia

Data collection forms of 50,165 routine smears were examined, and of these 47,577 were considered for this study. Viral cytological lesions (VL) were observed in 101 cases: of these, 19 were associated with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. The total frequency of VL was 0.21%, with the peak in the teenager group (0.49%). The frequency of CIN among VL showed an overall frequency of 18.8 %: this was null under 21 years of age and highest (50 %) between 51 and 60 years of age. The frequency of VL in relation to clinical provenance of patients and the season of the year did not attain significance.

Effects of mometasone furoate on the quality of life: a randomized placebo-controlled trial in persistent allergic rhinitis and intermittent asthma using the Rhinasthma questionnaire

BACKGROUND

Allergic rhinitis, especially when persistent (PER) and associated with asthma heavily impairs patients' quality of life (QoL).

OBJECTIVE

This study assessed the effect of mometasone furoate nasal spray (MFNS) on the QoL of patients with PER and asthma, using the Rhinasthma questionnaire (EUDRACT n. 2007-004683-45).

METHODS

Patients with moderate/severe PER and intermittent asthma were randomized to MFNS (alcohol-free) 200 μg/day or placebo for 28 days. Rhinasthma was completed at baseline and at weeks 2 and 4. The total five symptom score (T5SS) for rhinitis, the asthma symptom score and the sum of the two [global symptoms score (GSS)] were recorded daily. The primary outcome was the change in the Rhinasthma global summary (GS) at the end of treatment. Secondary end-points were (a) the change from baseline to end of treatment of each Rhinasthma factor: upper airways (UAs), lower airways (LAs) and respiratory allergy impact; (b) the change from baseline to end of treatment of the T5SS and of the GSS and (c) the use of rescue medication.

RESULTS

Fifty-two adults were randomized. Compared with placebo, MFNS produced a significant change in the Rhinasthma GS (-10.4 vs. 0.4; P<0.01). MFNS also achieved a significant improvement of the UA (-16.6 vs. 0.1; P<0.001), LA (-10.8 vs. 1.1; P<0.001) and GSS (-6.7 vs. -3.1; P=0.019). The change of the T5SS was greater in the MFNS group but did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSION

In patients with PER rhinitis and intermittent asthma, MFNS improves the QoL and the burden of respiratory symptoms. Treating rhinitis may affect the asthma-related QoL.

Cerebrospinal fluid S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) and glutathione concentrations in HIV infection: effect of parenteral treatment with SAMe

The methylation and transsulfuration pathways are intimately linked and have been implicated in the progression of neurologic damage and immune cell depletion caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We studied the following metabolites related to these pathways: S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), homocysteine, cysteine, cysteinyl-glycine, and glutathione (GSH) in blood and CSF of 16 HIV-infected patients with neurologic complications and 20 HIV-negative control patients undergoing lumbar punctures for other medical reasons. We confirmed recent studies of decreased CSF SAMe concentrations in HIV infection and demonstrated that diastereomers of SAMe are present in CSF but not in plasma or erythrocytes from both HIV-infected and HIV-negative patients. In HIV-infected patients, CSF GSH and cysteinyl-glycine, but not homocysteine or cysteine, were significantly reduced. This is the first report of decreased CSF GSH induced by HIV infection. GSH has a regulatory effect on the synthesis of SAMe in hepatic tissue, and the same mechanism may also apply in the CNS. Administration of SAMe-butanedisulphonate, 800 mg/d intravenously for 14 days, was associated with significant increases in CSF SAMe and GSH. These findings have potentially important therapeutic implications for the use of SAMe in protecting against SAMe and GSH deficiency in the CNS of HIV-infected patients.

Sulphur amino acid pattern in chronic liver disease

The metabolism of sulphur-containing amino acids is impaired in patients with advanced liver disease, but very few data are available in less severe chronic liver disease. We measured fasting plasma levels of methionine, cystine and taurine in 10 healthy subjects and 50 patients with biopsy proven liver disease: chronic persistent/active hepatitis (30 cases), compensated cirrhosis (10 cases) and decompensated cirrhosis (10 cases). Hypermethioninemia (up to 10 times control values) was present only in decompensated cirrhosis. Cystine was markedly reduced in patients with compensated chronic liver disease, while in advanced cirrhosis its concentration was within the normal range. No differences in taurine plasma levels were observed between the various groups. This study suggests that a derangement in sulphur amino acid metabolism, possibly located at various steps along the trans-sulphuration pathway, is also present in mild forms of chronic liver disease.

Oral 5'-methyltetrahydrofolic acid in senile organic mental disorders with depression: results of a double-blind multicenter study

5'-Methyltetrahydrofolic acid (5'-MTHF) in addition to standard psychotropic medication significantly improved clinical recovery in depressed patients with borderline or definite folate deficiency, and significantly reduced depressive symptoms in elderly normofolatemic patients after 3 weeks of treatment. In this equivalence study the effect of 5'-MTHF on depressive symptoms and cognitive status was compared to Trazodone (TRZ) in normofolatemic elderly patients with mild to moderate dementia and depression. Ninety-six patients with dementia, scoring 12-23 at the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and > or = 18 at the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) after a 2-week placebo run-in, were randomized to receive either 5'-MTHF (50 mg/day p.o.) (47 patients) or TRZ (100 mg/day p.o.) (49 patients) in a double-blind design for 8 weeks. HDRS was assessed before, after 4 weeks and at the end of treatment; Rey's Verbal Memory (RVM) test for immediate and delayed recall was evaluated before and after treatment. After 4 weeks of treatment HDRS score was reduced from 23 +/- 5 to 20 +/- 6 in the 5'-MTHF (p < 0.05 vs baseline), and from 23 +/- 3 to 21 +/- 4 in the TRZ group (p < 0.05 vs baseline). A further significant decrease to 18 +/- 6 and 19 +/- 5 respectively was obtained at the end of the treatment period (p < 0.05 vs week 4) with 5'-MTHF and TRZ.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Double-blind, placebo-controlled study of S-adenosyl-L-methionine in depressed postmenopausal women

S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) is a naturally occurring substance which is a major source of methyl groups in the brain and has been found in previous studies to be an effective antidepressant. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of oral SAMe in the treatment of depressed postmenopausal women in a 30-day double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial. During the course of the study, 80 women, between the ages of 45 and 59, who were diagnosed as having DSM-III-R major depressive disorder or dysthymia between 6 and 36 months following either natural menopause or hysterectomy, underwent 1 week of single-blind placebo washout, followed by 30 days of double-blind treatment with either SAMe 1,600 mg/day or placebo. There was a significantly greater improvement in depressive symptoms in the group treated with SAMe compared to the placebo group from day 10 of the study. Side effects were mild and transient.

Bile and biliary lipid secretion in rats with hexachlorobenzene-induced porphyria. Effect of S-adenosyl-L-methionine administration

We investigated liver morphology and biliary function in vivo in rats made porphyric by hexachlorobenzene (HCB). In one group of HCB rats we also evaluated whether S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe), administered during the last 15 days of HCB treatment, attenuated liver injury and the accumulation of porphyrins (HCB + SAMe group). In HCB rats we found: (a) a 100% increase in liver weight; (b) a 500-fold increase in total liver porphyrins (TLP); (c) significantly increased serum bilirubin and cholesterol levels; (d) unchanged total bile flow (TBF) but enhanced levels of the bile acid independent fraction (BAIF); and (e) decreased excretion in bile of bile acids (BA), phospholipids (PL) and cholesterol (CHO) (58, 65 and 47%, respectively, expressed as mmol/min per kg liver). SAMe was found to partially reverse HCB-related effects. TLP levels were about 65% lower in HCB + SAMe treated rats than in HCB rats. However, while SAMe restored bile CHO excretion to control values, it did not influence bile excretion of BA, PL, or BAIF. In conclusion, HCB-induced porphyria was characterized by a complex derangement of liver morphology and biliary function that was unrelated to the extent of porphyrin accumulation in the liver.

S-adenosylmethionine for the treatment of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Results of a controlled clinical trial

Previous studies have shown that S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) counteracts oestrogen-induced bile secretion failure. In order to confirm this anticholestatic activity, we conducted a single-blind clinical trial comparing SAMe with placebo in the treatment of women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). Thirty patients in the last trimester of pregnancy were randomly assigned to receive either SAMe (800 mg/day i.v.) or placebo until delivery for a mean period of 18 days. After SAMe, the women exhibited significantly (p less than 0.01) lower levels of total bile acids, serum conjugated bilirubin and aminotransferases with respect to pretreatment levels as well as to the corresponding values of the placebo group. In addition, SAMe significantly reduced pruritus whereas placebo was ineffective. No adverse reactions on mother or child were recorded during SAMe treatment, and the follow-up of these cases showed an incidence of premature labour (earlier than 37 weeks of gestation) in 2 out of 15 vs 5 out of 15 cases in the placebo group. In conclusion, these findings document that SAMe is more effective than placebo in ameliorating subjective and objective parameters of ICP.

Protective effect of S-adenosyl-L-methionine in hepatic uroporphyria. Evaluation in an experimental model

The potential use of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) as therapy for human porphyria cutanea tarda was investigated in an experimental model of hepatic porphyria--that is, chronic treatment of female rats with 0.2% hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in the diet. Administration of SAMe (25 mg/kg subcutaneously twice daily) during the last 15 days of HCB administration halved porphyrin accumulation in the liver but did not alter HCB-induced massive inhibition of uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase. Equally unaffected were inhibition of glutathione peroxidase and stimulation of lipid peroxide formation induced by HCB. Hypothetically, the beneficial effect of SAMe on hepatic porphyrin accumulation might be linked to modifications of the cellular availability of adenosine triphosphate.

Age-associated decline of hepatic handling of cholephilic anions in humans is reverted by S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe)

Decreased fluidity of hepatocyte plasma membrane may contribute to the age-associated changes of liver function. This study aimed at investigating whether the hepatic clearance of organic anions declines with age and whether S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), a substance proven to be effective in reversing the age-related decrease of membrane fluidity, might influence this process. Nicotinic acid (NA) half-life and serum bilirubin pharmacokinetics after NA load (5.9 mumol/kg body weight i.v.) were studied in 10 healthy young males (YM) aged 14-28 years and in 10 healthy elderly males (EM) aged 65-81 years, before and after SAMe administration (800 mg/day intravenously for 10 days). At baseline, EM showed serum total bilirubin (STB) levels significantly higher than YM. Similarly, the bilirubinaemic mean curves, STB peak and STB time curve concentration after NA load, expressed as area under the curve (AUC), were significantly higher in EM than in YM (p less than 0.01). NA half-life was also significantly prolonged in the aged group (p less than 0.001). SAMe treatment was followed by a significant decrease of basal STB, STB peak and AUC of STB after NA load in EM (p less than 0.01 vs pre-treatment values) while NA half-life was significantly shortened in both groups (p less than 0.001). As NA and bilirubin share a common carrier protein for hepatic uptake, bilitranslocase, the changes observed in EM may be attributed to the reduced lateral mobility of hepatocyte plasma membrane proteins occurring with age. SAMe, by improving membrane fluidity, may increase the diffusion coefficient of bilitranslocase restoring the hepatic handling of organic anions.

Effects of oral S-adenosyl-L-methionine on hepatic glutathione in patients with liver disease

S-Adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) is a physiologic precursor of thiols and sulfurated compounds, which are known to be decreased in patients with liver disease. The effect of its administration on the hepatic glutathione content of liver patients was investigated. Four groups of subjects were selected: a) 9 patients with alcoholic liver disease treated with SAMe (1.2 g/day orally for 6 months); b) 7 patients with non-alcoholic liver disease treated as above; c) 8 placebo-treated patients with alcoholic liver disease; and d) 15 normal subjects as a control group. Total and oxidized glutathione were assayed by high-performance liquid chromatography of liver biopsy specimens before and after the treatment period. In all patients pre-treatment hepatic glutathione was significantly decreased as compared with controls. SAMe therapy resulted in a significant increase of hepatic glutathione levels both in patients with alcoholic and in those with non-alcoholic liver diseases as compared with placebo-treated patients. SAMe may therefore exert an important role in reversing hepatic glutathione depletion in patients with liver disease.

Effect of different doses of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) on nicotinic acid-induced hyperbilirubinaemia in Gilbert's syndrome

S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) has been shown to increase hepatocyte membrane fluidity thereby relieving signs of oestrogen-induced cholestasis. S-adenosyl-L-methionine might therefore prove effective in improving the efficiency of the transport of organic anions such as nicotinic acid (NA) and bilirubin which is impaired in Gilbert's syndrome (GS). In this study the effects on the metabolization rate of NA and bilirubin of two dosages of SAMe were evaluated in respect to placebo in ten male inpatients (mean age 24 years, range 16-31) with GS. Each patient received both SAMe (800 and 200 mg/day, respectively) and placebo treatment i.v. over a period of 10 days. The NA test (5.9 mumol/kg b.w. i.v.) was carried out in the same volunteers after each treatment. Unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) levels were significantly lower (p less than 0.01) after 800 mg/day SAMe than after placebo while the lower dosage of SAMe did not affect UCB values. The bilirubin time curve concentration, expressed as area under the curve (AUC), was significantly reduced (p less than 0.01) after 800 mg SAMe in comparison with the values obtained after placebo and 200 mg SAMe. Also plasma NA half-life was significantly reduced (p less than 0.01) by the higher dose of SAMe in respect to placebo and not by the lower dose.

Determination of T lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with lung cancer. A comparison between lung lavage and peripheral blood by monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry

In order to determine whether the alterations of immunoregulatory T cells described both in smokers and in patients with lung cancer occur in the deep lung as well as in peripheral blood, we analyzed T lymphocyte subpopulations in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and in the blood of 12 patients with untreated lung cancer and of 8 controls. The immunocompetent cellular population of BAL fluid analyzed by differential cell count of alveolar macrophages, lymphocytes and neutrophils did not show considerable differences in the two groups studied. By contrast, the analysis of BAL T lymphocytes and their subsets showed significant alterations in patients compared with controls: a percentage increase of OKT3+ and OKT8+ lymphocytes and a decrease of the OKT4+/OKT8+ ratio was found in both the involved and uninvolved lung of patients. The immunologic pattern of T lymphocytes in blood did not show significant differences between patients and controls. Our data indicate that alterations in immunoregulatory T cells in lung cancer are more pronounced in BAL fluid obtained from both lungs than in peripheral blood.

Cytofilaments and fibroblast junctions in the benign proliferation of connective tissue

Benign proliferative patterns of connective tissue in the dermatofibroma are investigated. Neoplastic fibroblasts are similar to so-called myofibroblasts. However, filaments are the prevalent filamentous component, while microfilaments and microtubules are present in limited amounts. In addition, no junctions are observed between adjacent cells. Typical mast cells and histiocytes are rarely observed. This report adds evidence of the similarity between the neoplastic and inflammatory patterns of fibroblastic proliferation, and suggests that the proliferation of the active fibroblast of the dermatofibroma (viewed as an intermediate cell between the common fibroblast and the myofibroblast) does not lead to the development of a homodynamic system. It also confirms that this tumor may exist in a stable condition.