Melanoma de vulva. Una localización poco frecuente / Vulvar melanoma. An unusual location

El melanoma es el segundo cáncer invasor más frecuente en la vulva, con mal pronóstico, tendencia a la recurrencia local y una sobrevida entre un 16 a 50%.Material y métodos: Presentamos 7 pacientes con melanoma de vulva asistidos en el Sector de Dermato-Oncología del Hospital Ramos Mejía en el transcurso de 17 años, evaluamos sus características y los comparamos con la bibliografía internacional. Resultados: La incidencia de nuestra población fue de 1,3% con una edad promedio de 61 años, similar a la bibliografía consultada. De éstos 7 melanomas, el 72% se originó sobre piel sana y el 28% sobre nevo previo, 61% y 39% respectivamente para la bibliografía mundial. Estos melanomas se localizaron principalmente en labio mayor (72%), mientras que los de la bibliografía lo hicieron en la zona periclitoidea (30%). En nuestras pacientes la forma clínica más frecuente fue el Melanoma Extensivo Superficial (57%) y en la bibliografía el Melanoma Léntigo Maligno (43-57%). El pronóstico es malo, con una sobrevida a 5 años del 28% en nuestras pacientes y de 27-59% en la bibliografía consultada. En cuanto al tratamiento, la tendencia actual es realizar procedimientos menos radicales y más individualizados. Comentarios: Las características del melanoma de vulva indican que su comportamiento no difiere significativamente del melanoma cutáneo, aunque su diagnóstico más tardío conlleva a un peor pronóstico (AU)

Melanoma is the second most common invasive cancer of the vulva, with a poor prognosis, a tendency for local recurrence and survival between 16 to 50%.Methods:We present 7 patients with vulvar melanoma seen at the Dermatology Sector of Oncology, Hospital Ramos Mejía in the course of 17 years, we evaluate and compare their characteristics with the international literature. Results: The incidence in our population was 1.3% with an average age of 61 years, similar to the literature. Of these 7 melanomas, 72% originated on normal skin and preexisting nevi 28%, 61% and 39% respectively for the world literature. These melanomas were located mainly on labia majora (72%), while those in the literature were in the periclitoidea area (30%). In our patients the most common were Superficial Spreading Melanoma(57%) and in literature Mucosal Lentiginous Melanoma (43-57%). The prognosis is poor in both reviews, with a 5-year survival of 28% in our patients and 27-59% in the literature. For treatment, the current trend is to perform a less radical and more individualized. Conclusions: The features of vulvar melanoma indicate that their behavior does not differ significantly from cutaneous melanoma, although its latediagnosis leads to a worse prognosis (AU)

Cinnabarinic acid, an endogenous metabolite of the kynurenine pathway, activates type 4 metabotropic glutamate receptors.

Cinnabarinic acid is an endogenous metabolite of the kynurenine pathway that meets the structural requirements to interact with glutamate receptors. We found that cinnabarinic acid acts as a partial agonist of type 4 metabotropic glutamate (mGlu4) receptors, with no activity at other mGlu receptor subtypes. We also tested the activity of cinnabarinic acid on native mGlu4 receptors by examining 1) the inhibition of cAMP formation in cultured cerebellar granule cells; 2) protection against excitotoxic neuronal death in mixed cultures of cortical cells; and 3) protection against 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine toxicity in mice after local infusion into the external globus pallidus. In all these models, cinnabarinic acid behaved similarly to conventional mGlu4 receptor agonists, and, at least in cultured neurons, the action of low concentrations of cinnabarinic acid was largely attenuated by genetic deletion of mGlu4 receptors. However, high concentrations of cinnabarinic acid were still active in the absence of mGlu4 receptors, suggesting that the compound may have off-target effects. Mutagenesis and molecular modeling experiments showed that cinnabarinic acid acts as an orthosteric agonist interacting with residues of the glutamate binding pocket of mGlu4. Accordingly, cinnabarinic acid did not activate truncated mGlu4 receptors lacking the N-terminal Venus-flytrap domain, as opposed to the mGlu4 receptor enhancer, N-phenyl-7-(hydroxyimino)cyclopropa[b]chromen-1a-carboxamide (PHCCC). Finally, we could detect endogenous cinnabarinic acid in brain tissue and peripheral organs by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Levels increased substantially during inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide. We conclude that cinnabarinic acid is a novel endogenous orthosteric agonist of mGlu4 receptors endowed with neuroprotective activity.

Synthesis of water-soluble multidentate aminoalcohol ß-cyclodextrin derivatives via epoxide opening.

New highly soluble ß-aminoalcohol ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) derivatives have been synthesized via nucleophilic epoxide opening reactions with mono-6-amino mono-6-deoxy-permethyl-ß-CD and mono-6-amino mono-6-deoxy-ß-CD. The binding properties of the ß-CD were enhanced by linking aminoalcohol subunits which caused its solubility to improve markedly. The reaction conditions were optimised using microwave irradiation giving moderate-to-good yields with a series of epoxides. A regioselective epoxide opening reaction was observed in the reaction with styrene oxide while the stereoselectivity was strictly dependent on substrate structure.

HPLC separation and NMR structural elucidation of sn-1,2-, 2,3-, and 1,3-diacylglycerols from olive oil as naphthylethylurethane derivatives.

In this study, sn-1,2-, sn-2,3-, and sn-1,3-diacylglycerols were isolated from olive oil, and their urethane derivatives (urethanes) were prepared. Normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (NP-HPLC) separation of the urethane isomers was performed and the separate classes were studied by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The use of 1H NMR and homo- and heteronuclear 2D techniques provided a great amount of information in a very short time, particularly when a high-field NMR instrument (700 MHz) was used. Particularly diagnostic for this kind of compound was the glyceridic moiety that presents typical chemical shifts both for carbon and hydrogen. These studies show the usefulness of NMR spectroscopy to recognize clearly the sn-1,3- and, moreover, sn-1,2- with respect to sn-2,3-diacylglycerols, although very minor differences occur between them.

Evaluation of 137Cs activity in plant drugs and in some phytoderivatives from Chernobyl accident up to present (1986-1994).

The accident to the nuclear power plant of Chernobyl (in April 1986) caused a radioactive contamination in large areas of the majority of European countries. During the first transient time the fall-out phenomenon was the most important method of contamination, particularly from 131I whose relative isotopic abundance with respect to other released radionuclides was very high. Thereafter, 137Cs, owing to its long half-time and its large presence in environmental matrixes and so in the food chain, became the element on which the attention was to be focused. Plant drugs and their derivatives are, at present, of very large alimentary consumption among people. This can cause some problems to human health, so the authors have studied (from 1986 to 1994) the activity of 137Cs in a large number of drugs (about 5000) and in some industrial and home-made officinal products. Some suggestions on the Cs+,K+ ions competition in soil can also be derived.