Ex vivo HR-MAS Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of human gastric adenocarcinomas: a comparison with healthy gastric mucosa.

The present study reports the characteristics of the biochemical profile of human gastric adenocarcinoma in comparison with that of healthy gastric mucosa, using ex vivo HR-MAS Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Healthy human mucosa is mainly characterized by the presence of small metabolites (more than 50 identified) and macromolecules, whereas the adenocarcinoma spectra are dominated by the presence of signals due to triglycerides, whose content on the contrary is very low in healthy gastric mucosa. The use of spin-echo experiments enable us to detect some metabolites in the unhealthy tissues and to determine their variation with respect to the healthy ones. We have observed that the Cho:ChoCC ratio changes from 20:80 in the healthy tissues to 80:20 in the neoplastic gastric mucosa.

A comparison between in vivo and ex vivo HR-MAS 1H MR spectra of a pediatric posterior fossa lesion.

The present case report was aimed at identifying the molecular profile characteristic of a primitive neuro-ectodermal tumor (PNET) in a 3-year-old child affected by a lesion localized in the cerebellar region. The histological diagnosis was medulloblastoma. In vivo single voxel 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) shows high specificity in detecting the main metabolic alterations in the primitive cerebellar lesion; a very high amount of the choline-containing compounds and very low level of creatine derivatives and N-acetylaspartate. Ex vivo high resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy, performed at 9.4 Tesla on the neoplastic specimen collected during surgery, allows for the unambiguous identification of several metabolites giving a more in-depth evaluation of the metabolic pattern of the lesion. The ex vivo HR-MAS MR spectra show that the spectral detail is much higher than that obtained in vivo and that, for example, myo-inositol, taurine and phosphorylethanolamine contribute to the in vivo signal at 3.2 ppm, usually attributed to choline-containing compounds. In addition, the spectroscopic data appear to correlate with some morphological features of the medulloblastoma. Consequently, the present study shows that ex vivo HR-MAS 1H MRS is able to strongly improve the clinical possibility of in vivo MRS and can be used in conjunction with in vivo spectroscopy for clinical purposes.

Micronuclei and 3AB-index in patients receiving iodine-131 therapy.

In 28 blood samples from 21 patients undergoing 131I treatment after surgical thyroidectomy for cancer, the micronucleus (MN) frequency observed in peripheral blood lymphocytes (MN-test on binucleated cells) had a weighted mean of 0.044 +/- 0.006 (SEM), which was significantly different (p < 0.001) from that observed in 93 healthy individuals (0.025 +/- 0.001). The MN frequency (F(MN)) of the patients correlated fairly well (R = 0.736) with the modified activity (Amod) calculated by the following equation: [formula: see text] where Ai is the 131I activity on a determined day, e the logarithm base, di the number of days that have passed between the determined day and the day when the blood was drawn, and k is a day coefficient, defined in this context as the "daily attenuation factor". The use of the value of 0.0003 for k allowed the following equation to be obtained: F(MN) = 7.9 x 10(-5) (+/- 1.4 x 10(-5)).Amod + 0.014 (R = 0.736) The MN frequency was used to estimate, by our DOSIME program, the dose (Gy) received at the individual level in the 131I treatment. In these subjects the calculated dose was well correlated with Amod by the relationship: DBio = 0.0009 (+/- 0.0002).Amod + 0.0675 (R = 0.755) 3-aminobenzamide (3AB), an inhibitor of the poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase enzyme involved in DNA repair, induced and increase in X-ray cytogenetic damage (MN yields), evaluated at the individual level using the 3AB-index (I-3AB). The index was obtained from the MN-yield count after x-irradiation with (MN + 3AB) and without (MN - 3AB) 3AB, using the following formula: I = 1-(MN - 3AB/MN + 3AB).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Organotherapy treatment in the course of normofunctional goiter. Long-term results in 104 patients]. / Trattamento opoterapico nell'evoluzione del gozzo normofunzionante. Risultati a distanza di tempo in 104 pazienti.

Results of therapy with thyroid hormones (LT4 and/or LT3) were evaluated in 104 patients (95 females and 9 males) with simple diffuse or nodular goiter. The mean interval of observation was 7.2 years. The reported results were analysed in relation to patient's age at the onset of the pathology, time elapsed since its appearance, place of origin and sex of the patient, results of laboratory studies, and clinical signs.