Expression of endothelin-1 and endothelin receptor a in canine ovarian tumours.

Ovarian tumours have a low incidence in bitch. Endothelin (ET-1) and endothelin A receptor (ET-A) are overexpressed in human ovarian cancer. Twenty canine ovarian tumours and five normal samples were first evaluated by western blotting and then immunohistochemically for ET-1 and ET-A expression. Seventeen out of twenty tumours were ET-1 positive. Eight out of twenty tumours were ET-A immunohistochemically positive. At molecular level both proteins were proven to be expressed in normal as well as in tumour samples. Our results show that ET-1 and ET-A are overexpressed in canine ovarian tumours, suggesting a potential role of these two molecules in canine ovarian carcinogenesis.

Activated platelet-derived growth factor beta receptor expression, PI3K-AKT pathway molecular analysis, and transforming signals in equine sarcoids.

The equine sarcoid is the most common dermatologic neoplasm reported in horses. Bovine papillomavirus (BPV) types 1 and 2 are associated with sarcoids, in which the expression of the major transforming oncoprotein (E5) is often recorded. The transformation activity of the virus is due to the binding of the E5 to the platelet-derived growth factor beta receptor (PDGFbeta-r). In the present study, we show by Western blot in 4 sarcoid samples and 3 normal equine skin samples that the PDGFbeta-r is more phosphorylated in sarcoid tissue than in normal skin (P < .001). Furthermore, the physical interaction between the activated receptor and the 85-kDa regulatory subunit (p85) of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) is shown by coimmunoprecipitation. The PI3K-AKT-cyclin D3 molecular pathway downstream to the activation of the PDGFbeta-r is shown to be expressed, and the amount of the investigated molecules is higher than normal (P < .001), suggesting an activation of these effectors in sarcoids. Further, we demonstrate that phospho-JNK and phospho-JUN are more expressed in sarcoids than in normal skin. Our results provide new insights into the pathogenesis of equine sarcoids and support the validity of this in-vivo model to further characterize the molecular pathways underlying BPV E5-induced carcinogenesis.

Conjugation of benzoic acid with glycine in human liver and kidney: a study on the interindividual variability.

1. The rate of conjugation of benzoic acid with glycine was measured in the homogenates of 110 specimens of human liver and in 67 specimens of human renal cortex. 2. The assay for the formation of benzoyl glycine consisted of measuring the formation of benzoyl glycine from (14C) benzoic acid and glycine in the presence of coenzyme A and ATP. 3. In human liver, the mean (+/- SD) and coefficient of variation for the formation rate of benzoyl glycine were 254 +/- 90.5 nmol min-1 per g liver and 36%, respectively. There was a weak, but significant, negative correlation (r = -0.339, p < 0.001) between the rate of formation of benzoyl glycine and the liver donor's age. 4. In the human kidney, the rate of benzoyl glycine formation was normally distributed. The mean (+/- SD) and coefficient of variation were 321 +/- 99.3 nmol min-1 per g kidney and 31%, respectively. 5. These in vitro results are consistent with the view that the in vivo rate of conjugation of carboxylic acid with glycine varies among subjects and is normally distributed.

Conjugation of benzoic acid with glycine in the human fetal and adult liver and kidney.

The rate of hippuric acid formation was measured in the homogenates obtained from 26 specimens of human adult liver, 9 specimens of human mid-gestational fetal liver, 5 specimens of human adult kidney and 11 specimens of human mid-gestational fetal kidney. The average (pmol/min/mg tissue +/- SD) rate of hippuric acid formation was 322 +/- 99 (adult liver), 7.6 +/- 3.6 (fetal liver), 284 +/- 117 (adult kidney) and 6.4 +/- 6.7 (fetal kidney). One third of the fetal livers and kidneys studied were inactive in the formation of hippuric acid. These findings indicate that the conjugation of carboxylic acid with glycine is poorly developed in the mid-gestational human fetus. The kinetics of the formation of hippuric acid were studied in 3 fetal and adult livers and also in 3 fetal kidneys and in 3 specimens of the cortex and medulla of adult kidneys. The transformation of the data into Eadie-Hofstee plots generated straight lines in fetal and adult livers and kidneys. The Michaelis-Menten constant for the formation of hippuric acid (mean +/- SD, mM) was 43.4 +/- 6.6 (adult liver), 27.3 +/- 10.1 (fetal liver), 33.3 +/- 6.1 (adult renal cortex), 34.7 +/- 11.3 (adult renal medulla) and 15.3 +/- 3.5 (fetal kidney). The maximum velocity of the reaction (mean +/- SD, pmol/min/mg tissue) was 204 +/- 47.8 (adult liver), 6.0 +/- 1.3 (fetal liver), 199 +/- 40.7 (adult renal cortex), 24.2 +/- 16.9 (adult renal medulla) and 6.4 +/- 1.8 (fetal kidney). The inhibitory effect of 8 drugs containing a carboxylic acid group on the rate of hippuric acid formation was studied in 3 adult livers. Salicylic acid and diflunisal were the most powerful as inhibitors. Ibuprofen, furosemide and sodium valproate were weak inhibitors, whereas ketoprofen, naproxen and captopril did not inhibit the formation of hippuric acid. The IC50 values (mean +/- SD) of salicylic acid and diflunisal on the rate of hippuric acid formation were 0.19 +/- 0.05 and 1.18 +/- 0.19 mM, respectively.

[Palmar dermatoglyphics. Analysis carried out on 315 subjects of western Sicily]. / I dermatoglifi palmari. Analisi eseguita su 315 soggetti nella Sicilia occidentale.

The study of dermatoglyphics is one of particular diagnostic interest in many diseases, especially in the identification of some chromosomal aberration syndromes. The frequent occurrence for observation of this pathology and the need for comparison of the relevant dermatoglyphics with those of an adequate control group, caused us to carry a dermatoglyphic analysis of our population. We examined 315 normal subjects (147 males and 168 females) of Western Sicily.

[A case of transitory Fanconi syndrome associated with acute renal insufficiency and hypoplasia of the bone marrow]. / Su un caso di sindrome di Fanconi transitoria associata ad insufficienza renale acuta e ad ipoplasia del midollo osseo.

The authors report a case of an eight-years old child, who presented with transient Fanconi syndrome, mild renal failure and hypoplastic bone marrow. No recognized etiology of the Fanconi syndrome was demonstrated in the patient. Laboratory data and clinical course are consistent with the hypothesis of a tubulo-interstitial lesion caused, directly or through an abnormal immune response, by an unknown etiologic agent.

[Wiscott-Aldrich syndrome. Description of a case]. / Sindrome di Wiscott-Aldrich descrizione di un caso

The Wiscott-Aldrich syndrome with the classical symptomatology (eczema, thrombocytopenia and susceptibility to infections) has been described in a 3-month-old child. The family history, together with the evidence of an immunological deficiency involving both thymus-dependent lymphocyte and immunoglobulin-antibody systems have given important clues to diagnosis. Impairment of immunoglobulin homoeostasis and its relevance to the assessment of heterozygotes is discussed.