Cochlear implants and drug delivery: In vitro evaluation of dexamethasone release.

Anti-inflammatory drugs can minimize the trauma and inflammation in the inner ear caused by cochlear implantation surgery. For this reason, much effort has recently been devoted to finding the best way to administer these anti-inflammatory drugs for a prolonged time and in a personalized dosage. One solution is constructing an electrode with a dispenser filled with anti-inflammatory drugs with a dosage adapted to suit each new cochlear implant user. The purpose of this study was to measure in vitro, by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry assay, the amount of dexamethasone released in 78 days in a physiological solution by a filled dispenser. The drug release continued for more than 2 months in three different phases: (1) during the first 1-5 days, (2) within about 2 weeks, and (3) from about 3 weeks until the end of experiment. This release trend is in accordance with the 3 main phases of damage caused by the cochlear implantation: (1) insertion trauma within the first 2 days, (2) inflammation within 2 weeks, and finally (3) an intracochlear chronic fibrosis reaction. Future animal model studies should consider using this dispenser in order to establish its effectiveness in preventing damage caused by cochlear implantation.

Association between idiopathic hearing loss and mitochondrial DNA mutations: a study on 169 hearing-impaired subjects.

Mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been shown to be an important cause of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). In this study, we performed a clinical and genetic analysis of 169 hearing-impaired patients and some of their relatives suffering from idiopathic SNHL, both familial and sporadic. The analysis of four fragments of their mtDNA identified several polymorphisms, the well known pathogenic mutation, A1555G, and some novel mutations in different genes, implying changes in the aminoacidic sequence. A novel sporadic mutation in 12S rRNA (MT-RNR1), not previously reported in the literature, was found in a case of possible aminoglycoside-induced progressive deafness.

Correlation of adverse effects of cisplatin administration in patients affected by solid tumours: a retrospective evaluation.

Cisplatin is the most common antineoplastic drug used for the therapy of solid tumours. To date, researchers have focused on the dosage to be administered for each specific tumour, mainly considering the local adverse effects. The aim of this study was to correlate the severity of the adverse effects with: i) the dosage of cisplatin; ii) the specific site of the tumour; iii) the association with other drugs; and iv) the symptoms. We analysed data from 123 patients with 11 different tumour classes undergoing therapy from 2007 to 2008 at St. Anna Hospital (Ferrara, Italy), using the Spearman non-parametric correlation index. Even though significant correlations were found among the variables, the overall results showed that the main factor influencing the severity of the adverse effects was the dosage of cisplatin administered.

Novel mutations in the SLC26A4 gene.

OBJECTIVES: Mutations in the SLC26A4 gene (7q22.3-7q31.1) are considered one of the most common causes of genetic hearing loss. There are two clinical forms related to these mutations: syndromic and non-syndromic deafness. The first one is named Pendred Syndrome (PS) when deafness is associated with thyroid goiter; the second is called DFNB4, when no other symptoms are present. Both are transmitted as an autosomal recessive trait, but simple heterozygotes can develop both forms of deafness. Actually it is thought that Pendred Syndrome occurs when both alleles of SLC26A4 gene are mutated; DFNB4 seems due to monoallelic mutations. PS and DFNB4 can be associated with inner ear malformations. In most of the cases (around 80%), these consist in Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct (EVA). EVA can also be present without SLC26A4 mutations. Understanding the role of new SLC26A4 variants should facilitate clinical assessment, as well as diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. This investigation aims to detect and report genetic causes of two unrelated Italian boys with hearing loss. METHODS: Patients and family members underwent clinical, audiological and genetic evaluations. To identify genetic mutations, DNA sequencing of SLC26A4 gene (including all 21 exons, exon-intron boundaries and promoter region) was carried out. RESULTS: Both probands were affected by congenital, progressive and fluctuating mixed hearing loss. Temporal bone imaging revealed a bilateral EVA with no other abnormalities in both cases. Probands were heterozygotes for previously undescribed mutations in the SLC26A4 gene: R409H/IVS2+1delG (proband 1) and L236P/K590X (proband 2). No other mutations were detected in GJB2, GJB6 genes or mitochondrial DNA (mit-DNA). CONCLUSIONS: The IVS2+1delG and K590X mutations have not yet been described in literature but there is some evidence to suggest that they have a pathological role. The results underlined the importance of considering the complete DNA sequencing of the SLC26A4 gene for differential molecular diagnosis of deafness, especially in those patients affected by congenital, progressive and fluctuating mixed hearing loss with bilateral EVA.

Cisplatin-induced apoptosis in human promyelocytic leukemia cells.

Cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II) cisplatin (CDDP) is an organometallic compound frequently used in anti-cancer therapy, in particular ovarian, testicular, and head and neck tumors. We found cisplatin was effective against human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60, inhibiting cell cycle progression and inducing time- and concentration- dependent cell death. Presence of nuclear fragmentation, caspase-3 cleavage and annexin V positivity suggests cell death occurred by apoptosis, although DNA internucleosomal fragmentation was not detected. In addition, analysis of malondialdehyde (MDA) production and protein carbonylation indicated that cisplatin increased lipid peroxidation and oxidation of cell proteins. This occurrence was prevented by antioxidants such as N-acetylcysteine (N-aC) and glutathione (GSH), which, consistently, were also able to prevent CDDP-induced cell death. Collectively, these findings indicate that, besides growth inhibition, an increase of oxygen radicals and lipid degradation can account for a significant part of CDDP-induced apoptosis.