Altered urinary excretion of pteridines in neoplastic disease. Determination of biopterin, neopterin, xanthopterin, and pterin.

Urinary pteridine concentrations in healthy control subjects and patients with cancer and non-malignant diseases were determined by HPLC and TLC after partial purification by ion exchange and Sephadex chromatography. Elevated concentrations of neopterin were found in 70% of the 50 cancer patients investigated. In patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (seven cases) or with liver metastases (12 cases) neopterin concentrations were significantly higher than in control subjects (p < 0.01). Biopterin was less frequently increased (22%). Xanthopterin was generally raised when neopterin and/or biopterin excretion was high. Neopterin/biopterin ratios were higher in some patients with cancer or with severe renal insufficiency than in controls. These findings suggest that alterations in pteridine metabolism are common in malignant disease. The pathogenic, diagnostic and therapeutic significance of these changes remains to be established.

Physiological aspects of the role of human albumin in the treatment of chronic and acute blood loss.

Human albumin is the most important oncotic-active protein (1 g albumin attaches 18 g water). It is essential for the water exchange between intra- and extracellular space and for homeostasis. The physiological distribution of albumin, its daily exchange and degradation are being discussed. At the example of normo- and hypovolaemic patients and acute blood-loss the stabilising effect on the blood-volume and the hemodynamic efficacy of human albumin are shown. Human albumin was infused into patients with hypoproteinemia and hypovolaemia as well as to surgical patients with normovolaemia. Volunteers received albumin after an acute blood-loss. Under and after the albumin-infusion the albumin disappeared partly from the blood-stream. The loss to the extravascular compartments was greatest among patients with hypoproteinemia. Among volunteers with experimental blood-loss the infused volume disappeared in an amount of 45 to 106 ml per hour. When human albumin is given over a longer period the synthesis of endogenous albumin and of globulins may be inhibited or at least depressed. Albumin has a positive effect on the hemodynamic. The cardiac-output and the stroke volume increased. The peripheral resistance fell in the same time. Renal filtration rate and the urine volume increased, in contrast renal resistance was lowered.

[Coincidence of two carcinomata with excessive high level of serumestrogen (author's transl)]. / Koinzidenz zweier Karzinome mit ungewöhnlich hohem Serumöstrogenspiegel

A case of an unusual combination of a metastasing bronchus cancer, a non-metastasing cancer of prostata and an excessive high level of serum-estrogen is described. This casuistic gives rise to some more general discussion of the pathogenesis and differential diagnosis of paraneoplastic endocrinopathies.

PIP: Breast cancer was discovered in a 78-year-old man, which came from a metastasizing bronchus cancer. Investigation showed a level of serum estrogen 20 times higher than normal. This was probably due to a nonmetastasizing prostate cancer, spironalactone therapy for heart trouble, paraneoplactic endocrinopathy, and the Pierre-Marie-Bamberger syndrome.

[Decrease of disaccharidase activity following application of bencyclan-hydrogenfumarate (author's transl)]. / Depression der Disaccharidaseaktivitäten unter Bencyclan-Hydrogenfumarat

The disaccharidase activity of the small bowel mucosa of the rat is decreased by intraperitoneal application of Bencyclan-hydrogenfumarate. The doses applied were 10, 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight. The decrease rate after 100 mg/kg attained up to 50% of the control values. Furthermore, a reduction of villous height and an increase of the crypt depth has been observed in correlation with the enzyme activity decrease. Though functional and morphological alterations show a correlation, they cannot be explained by an antimetabolic-like effect because of the fact that the enzyme function recovers 72 h after application of the drug. Whilst our results do not sustain a cytostatic effect of Bencyclan-hydrogenfumarate, there is no doubt that the intraperitoneally applied drug influences the disaccharidase activity. These facts have to be considered in clinical therapy.