3-Fluoromethcathinone, a structural analog of mephedrone, inhibits growth and induces cell cycle arrest in HT22 mouse hippocampal cells.

Recently, the abuse of recreational drugs has become an important problem in many countries. Among these psychoactive substances are synthetic cathinones, a group of compounds derived from the alkaloid cathinone, that have gained widespread popularity. Many cathinones have demonstrated neurotoxic effects. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of 3-fluoromethcathinone, a structural analog of mephedrone, on HT22 mouse hippocampal cells. Cell viability was assessed using the sulforhodamine B assay. Flow cytometry was used to study the cell cycle distribution. We found that 3-fluoromethcathinone inhibits growth of HT22 cells. Our results also revealed that it induces G0/G1-phase cell cycle arrest. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the cytotoxic action of 3-fluoromethcathinone. Our findings suggest that abuse of this cathinone derivative may not be without risk.

Expression of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin in ovarian cancer tissue.

The purpose of the present investigation was to determinate expression of human chorionic gonadotropin gene in ovarian cancer tissue. The study included 15 patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma. The expression of mRNA hCGbeta was determinated by the RT PCR method and the distribution of the hormone in study tissue was analyzed immunohistochemicaly. In all 15 study specimens of the ovarian carcinoma tissue the active hCGbeta gene was found, whereas noncancerous tissue demonstrated lack of the hormone expression. Thus, the study clearly shows that the expression of hCGbeta is the feature of ovarian cancer tissue.

Distribution of the DAZ gene transcripts in human testis.

Involvement of variety of genes, especially located on Y chromosome, is critical for the regulation of spermatogenesis. In particular, fertility candidate genes such as deleted in azoospermia (DAZ) are believed to have important function in sperm production, since DAZ is frequently deleted in azoospermic and severy oligozoospermic men. The role of the DAZ gene is supported by its exclusive expression in the testis and by its deletion in about 10% of azoospermic and severely oligozoospermic patients. The distribution of DAZ transcripts in seminiferous epithelium of human testis is reported in the present study. The use of Adobe Photoshop and Scion Image softwares allowed for semi-quantitative analysis of in situ RT-PCR (ISRT-PCR) results. The intensity of ISRT-PCR product's fluorescence was different within individual seminiferous tubules. It was clearly shown by using the pseudocolour scale and transforming the intensity of the fluorescence into levels of greyscale images. The more intense fluorescence characterised single spermatogonia and those organized in small groups inside separate tubules. The most intense accumulation of DAZ mRNA was observed in spermatogonia.

Human chorionic gonadotropin-beta in endometrium cancer tissue.

PURPOSE: Determination of the correlation between expression of human chorionic gonadotropin mRNA and serum free hCGb immunoreactivity in endometrial cancer tissue. METHODS: The study included 56 patients with endometrial carcinoma Stages IB-III. The expression of mRNA hCGbeta was determined by the RT PCR method in 18 cases of cancerous and precancerous tissues. The serum-free hCGbeta immunoreactivity was analyzed by sequential immunometric assay in all patients. RESULTS: In 15 study specimens of endometrial carcinoma tissue mRNA of hCGbeta was detected. Also in endometrial atypical hyperplasia, expression of hCGbeta was found. Noncancerous tissue demonstrated lack of the hCGbeta transcript. The serum immunoreactivity in the endometrial cancer group was detectable in 86% of cases. There were no significant differences between FIGO stages and grading. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study confirmed the presence of active genes of hCGbeta in endometrial cancer tissue, even in precancerous changes. The serum immunoreactivity of free hCGbeta is a less common feature and is not linked with tumor stage or grade in endometrial cancer patients.

Serum immunoglobulin E response to myocardial infarction.

Mast cells have been implicated in the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease. They can be activated by immunoglobulin (Ig) E-mediated mechanisms to release powerful mediators affecting local blood flow. We have determined systematically serum IgE concentrations in 100 patients with acute myocardial infarction. There was a consistent pattern of change in serum IgE, characterized by a significant increase on the third and fifth day, peak values on the seventh day, and a gradual decline to initial levels by the end of the third week after infarction. The increase in serum IgE shortly after myocardial infarction was similar to the increase in blood eosinophil count, but was in contrast to serum IgG levels. After infarction, patients with high initial IgE levels (greater than 200 IU/ml) had a greater increase in IgE and less frequent severe complications than those whose initial IgE levels were below 200 IU/ml. In 16 subjects with acute coronary insufficiency without infarction serum IgE levels remained unchanged. It is suggested that in myocardial infarction circulating IgE sensitizes both mast cells of coronary arteries and eosinophils, invading ischemic myocardium; this facilitates release of chemical mediators. Patients with high IgE levels might be protected against complications of infarction because of a favorable ratio of locally released mediators and because of decreased platelet function.