A possible role of BDNF in prostate cancer detection.

Many studies have demonstrated that both normal and malignant prostate cells respond to a variety of growth factors, while several significant differences were found between normal and tumoural cells. The aim of this study was to focus on the localization and distribution of the immuno-reactivity for neurotrophins (NTs) and neurotrophin receptors (NTRs) in normal, hyperplastic and prostate cancer cells, obtained from 40 subjects. We studied samples obtained from 16 prostate cancer (PC, retropubic radical prostatectomy), 20 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH, supra-pubic prostatectomy) and normal peripheral prostate tissue from four fresh male cadavers. Samples were examined via immunohistochemical techniques in order to detect the expression of nerve growth factor (NGF), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin 3 (NT3) and their own receptors TrkA, p75, TrkB and TrkC. We observed a high expression of BDNF and TrkB in PC and BPH, though no immuno-reactivity was found for p75. Low expression was reported by other NTs and NTRs in the normal peripheral prostate zone, BPH and PC. These data suggest a possible predictive role for NTs and NTRs, especially for BDNF and TrkB, in the diagnosis and/or management of prostate cancer. The absence of p75 expression confirms its supposed role in apoptotic phenomenon.

[Adenocarcinoma of the cecal appendix]. / L'adenocarcinoma dell'appendice cecale.

The authors report one rare case of primary adenocarcinoma of the vermiform appendix. The patient, an 83 year old female, presented with a non-pathognomonic symptomatology; diagnosis was made postoperatively. Surgery consisted of appendicectomy. The patient, due to her poor general condition, died three days after surgery for cardiocirculatory complications. In the light of the very rare case published in the literature, some diagnostic, anatomic-clinical, therapeutic and prognostic aspects of this rare tumor are discussed.

Crop-sac response after systemic and intraventricular administration of neuroleptic drugs.

Present experiments were aimed at studying in pigeons the effects of some neuroleptic agents given systemically or into the 3rd cerebral ventricle on PRL secretion and following morphological changes of the crop-sac mucosa both by classical histological methods and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, such changes were also evaluated on the basis of a semiquantitative method using a 1-4 rating scale. 3- or 5-day systemic treatment with reserpine, haloperidol and (l/-)-sulpiride produced an intense crop-sac response consisting of a marked epithelial hyperplasia and presence of milk-like material. Similarly, a much lower dose of haloperidol, clozapine, and the two enantiomers of sulpiride given into the 3rd cerebral ventricle for 3 consecutive days produced a marked crop-sac response. The l-sulpiride was more active in comparison to the d-enantiomer. In conclusion, present experiments show that, similarly to mammals, in pigeons neuroleptic drugs are able to stimulate prolactin secretion and suggest that these effects are mediated through an action at the hypothalamic and/or pituitary level by removing a tonic dopaminergic inhibition.