Steroid receptors in Brazilian patients with large bowel cancer.

1. Twenty-two colorectal carcinomas were examined for the presence of estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR), androgen (AR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR) by a charcoal dextran assay. 2. ER was detected in 4/13 (31%) and 5/9 (56%) of the rectum and colon carcinomas analyzed, and density values ranged from 10 to 14 and from 10 to 27 fm/mg protein, respectively. Normal distal or adjacent mucosa presented similar incidence and ER density values within the tumor ranges. 3. The incidence of PR-positive samples was also higher in colon than in rectal carcinomas (44% vs 23%). Normal mucosa displayed significantly higher PR titers than the corresponding tumor tissue. It seems reasonable to assume that normal colorectal mucosa may be one of the target tissues of progesterone activity. Most tumor biopsies and normal mucosa were completely AR negative, whilst GR was present in a larger fraction (63%) of tumoral specimens, occurring more commonly in colon than in rectum carcinomas. GR incidence tended to be higher in neoplasms than in normal mucosa (54% vs 38% in rectum and 78% vs 56% in colon), suggesting that glucocorticoids may be involved in the control of tumor-cell proliferation. 4. Our findings which indicate low densities of ER, PR, and absence of AR in some large bowel cancers, suggest sex hormone and endocrine independence for those cancers. The role of glucocorticoid receptors in those forms of cancer remains to be elucidated.

Steroid receptors in Brazilian patients with large bowel cancer

1. Twenty-two colorectal carcinomas were examined for the presence of estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR), androgen (AR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR) by a charcoal dextran assay. 2. ER was detected in 4/13 (31 per cent ) and 5/9 (56 per cent ) of the rectum and colon carcinomas analyzed, and density values ranged from 10 to 14 and from 10 to 27 fm/mg protein, respectively. Normal distal or adjacent mucosa presented similar incidence and ER density values within the tumor ranges. 3. The incidence of PR-positive samples was also higher in colon than in rectal carcinomas (44 per cent vs 23 per cent ). Normal mucosa displayed significantly higher PR titers than the corresponding tumor tissue. It seems reasonable to assume that normal colorectal mucosa may be one of the target tissues of progesterone activity. Most tumor biopsies and normal mucosa were completely AR negative, whilst GR was present in a larger fraction (63 per cent ) of tumoral specimens, occurring more commonly in colon than in rectum carcinomas. GR incidence tended to be higher in neoplasms than in normal mucosa (54 per cent vs 38 per cent in rectum and 78 per cent vs 56 per cent in colon), suggesting that glucocorticoids may be involved in the control of tumor-cell proliferation. 4. Our findings which indicate low densities of ER, PR, and absence of AR in some large bowel cancers, suggest sex hormone and endocrine independence for those cancers. The role of glucocorticoid receptors in those forms of cancer remains to be elucidated

Endoscopic sclerotherapy of bleeding esophageal varices. A comparative study of results in patients with schistosomiasis and cirrhosis.

Endoscopic sclerotherapy for bleeding esophageal varices was carried out in 78 patients with schistosomiasis (Group I) and 71 cirrhotic patients (Group II). All Group I patients had uniformly good liver function. According to Child's classification 25 patients (35%) of Group II were Child A, 16 (23%) Child B and 30 (42%) Child C. The sclerotherapy was performed by intravascular injections of 3% ethanolamine. Throughout a follow-up period of at least 24 months, hemorrhage recurred in 13% of the Group I patients, with one death (1%). The Child A category had a 24% recurrence with a 4% death rate, Child B a 38% recurrence with a 50% death rate, and Child C group a 73% recurrence with no survivals. A comparison of patients with schistosomiasis and cirrhosis type A revealed no differences with respect to rebleeding or survival (p greater than 0.05). Differences were significant for bleeding recurrence and survival in Child B patients as compared with schistosomiasis patients (p less than 0.025). This difference was highly remarkable when patients with schistosomiasis were compared with Child C cases, both for recurrence and survival (p less than 0.001). On the basis of these observations it is concluded that results of sclerotherapy depend fundamentally on liver function, and thus this procedure is justified in the early phases of liver cirrhosis.

The effect of the scorpion venom, tityustoxin, on high-affinity choline uptake in rat brain cortical slices.

Tityustoxin (TsTx) inhibited high affinity choline uptake (HAChU) in cortical slices of the rat brain. The effect was dependent on the concentration of tityustoxin, energy source, incubation time, temperature, and the pH of the incubation medium. The inhibitory effect was dependent upon the presence of sodium and calcium ions in the incubation medium; barium ions could not replace calcium. Both tetrodotoxin and ethyleneglycol-tetra-acetic acid (EGTA) blocked the inhibitory effect of tityustoxin on high affinity choline uptake. On this evidence, it is suggested that the effect of tityustoxin might be related to its action on cell depolarization, causing an increase in the release of acetylcholine (ACh).

Effects of tityustoxin (TsTX) from scorpion venom on the release and synthesis of acetylcholine in brain slices.

Tityustoxin (TsTX) increased the release and synthesis of acetylcholine (ACh) in slices of rat brain hippocampus, hypothalamus, thalamus, cortex and striatum. The effect was highest in slices of hippocampus and cortex and smallest in hypothalamus. These effects of TsTX were dependent on the presence of Na+ and Ca2+ in the incubation medium. EGTA, 0.1 mM, blocked the effect of TsTX in all areas, except for the hippocampus and frontal striatum, where a concentration of 10 mM was required. Tetrodotoxin blocked the increase in the release and synthesis of ACh induced by tityustoxin.