Altered glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in a mouse line with activated polyamine catabolism.

Ubiquitous activation of polyamine catabolism has been demonstrated to have protective effects in mice on fat accumulation and insulin sensitivity/glucose tolerance in, both, normal conditions and after a high fat diet. We have analyzed the endocrine pancreas functionality in four months-old male mice overexpressing the rate limiting enzyme in the polyamine catabolism, spermidine/spermine N¹-acetyltransferase (SSAT). The pancreatic SSAT activity was 37-fold elevated in the transgenic mice, which reduced the total pancreatic and islet pools of spermidine (71%) and spermine (69%), and increased putrescine and N¹-acetyl spermidine. Reduction in the islet ATP levels (65%) was accompanied with increased transcription of 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) (1.5-fold) and Foxa2 (2.7-fold), and reduced HNF4α (67%) and HNF1α (92%), insulin 1 (47%), insulin 2 (50%), and Glut2 (57%). Moreover, the SSAT transgenic mice also presented increased beta cell area, decreased insulin production, and altered glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. It has been hypothesized that the acute activation of the polyamine catabolism produces a futile cycle that greatly decreases the energy reserves of the cell. The lower energy status would activate the energy expenditure regulator, AMPK, which would consequently repress the PI3K/Akt pathway, and activate the transcription factor Foxa2.

[Therapy of acute non-tubercular bronchopulmonary infections with josamycin]. / Terapia delle infezioni broncopolmonari acute non tubercolari con josamicina.

Thirty-five patients with acute pneumonia of bacterial etiology were treated with josamycin at the dose of 2 g/day (adults) or 50 mg/kg/day (children). Therapeutic results were completely satisfactory (100% recovery) and the incidence of side-effects was very low (one case of urticaria).

Severe reversible cardiac failure associated with methanol intoxication.

Methanol intoxication produces a well recognized clinical picture characterized by gastrointestinal, ocular and nervous system symptoms. The effect of poisoning on the cardiovascular system has not been well documented. We report the case of a 55 year old man whose acute methanol intoxication caused severe reversible cardiac failure. This represents the first description of an association between methanol toxicity and acute cardiac dysfunction in man.

[Calcified periarthritis. Disappearance of periarticular calcification after laser therapy]. / Periartrite calcifica. Scomparsa di calcificazioni periarticolari dopo laserterapia.

The authors report their results in the laser therapy of 30 calcific shoulder joint periarthritis. In two out of the ten radiographed cases, at the end of therapy, the complete disappearance of calcifications has been shown and in one case a decrease in calcification volume has been demonstrated. In the follow up after 6 months, 80% of clinically checked patients had no painful relapse.

Idiopathic recurrent sustained ventricular tachycardia responsive to verapamil.

The role of i.v. verapamil in the management of atrioventricular (AV) nodal reentrant tachycardias is well established (Schamroth et al., 1980). Generally however the drug is not very effective in recurrent ventricular tachycardia (VT) (Singh et al., 1983). Verapamil was recently demonstrated to be successful in terminating VT induced by programmed stimulation in only 1 out of 8 patients tested (Wellens et al., 1980). Conversely a few recent cases of verapamil responsive VT, mostly occurring in young people without obvious organic heart disease, have been reported (Belhassen, 1984; Klein, 1984; Delise, 1985; Ward, 1984; Lin 1983; German, 1983; Mason, 1983; Wu, 1981). We describe 3 clinical examples of idiopathic recurrent sustained VT responsive to verapamil. A careful analysis of our cases support the hypothesis of different pathophysiologic mechanism involved in the genesis of this unique arrhythmic entity.

Two false-negative responses to the ajmaline test in the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Anterograde block in the accessory pathway with a short effective refractory period was observed after intravenous (IV) injection of 1 mg/kg of ajmaline in two patients with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. The possibility of a false-negative response to this test is discussed. Ajmaline is proposed as an emergency drug in the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in the setting of atrial fibrillation with a very high ventricular rate.

Synthesis and metallochromic properties of some hydrazones of 2-, 3- and 8-hydrazinoquinoline.

Twenty-two new hydrazones were synthesized for evaluation as possible calorimetric reagents for trace determinations of iron, cobalt, nickel, copper and zinc. Spectrophotometric studies revealed that several show promise as sensitive reagents, with possible utility for simultaneous determinations of two or more of the metals. Conclusions regarding geometric structures of some of the hydrazones and chelates were deduced from mole-ratio studies.

Acute hypotensive and renin-stimulating actions of captopril before and during treatment with a beta-blocking drug.

There is no general agreement on the relation between the hypotensive effect of captopril and the pretreatment plasma renin levels of hypertensive patients. To determine whether the hypotensive effect of captopril was directly related to plasma renin, the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor was administered acutely to 10 essential hypertensive patients with normal or suppressed plasma renin activity before and after inhibition of renin secretion with propranolol. Captopril was equally effective in reducing blood pressure both when administered alone (25 mg: -29/-17; 50 mg: -37/-23 mm Hg) and after chronic treatment with propranolol (25 mg: -33/-20; 50 mg: -30/-20 mm Hg). The increase in renin induced by captopril was not decreased by propranolol therapy. The persistence of the hypotensive effect of captopril after renin suppression by propranolol suggests that this drug has some blood pressure decreasing properties independent of plasma renin.

Spectrophotometric determination of iron and reducing agents with PPTS, a new water-soluble ferroin-type chromogen of superior sensitivity.

A sulphonated derivative of 3-(4-phenyl-2-pyridyl)-5-phenyl-1,2,4-triazine has been prepared, its structure identified, and its chelation products with iron(II) and copper(I) identified and characterized. The water-soluble compound, referred to as PPTS, has been applied to the determination of iron in various types of samples and the spectrophotometric determination of trace quantities of certain reductants.