Current functions of Italian ethics committees: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The rapid pace of progress in medical research, the consequent need for the timely transfer of new knowledge into practice, and the increasing need for ethics support, is making the work of Ethics Committees (ECs) ever more complex and demanding. As a response, ECs in many countries exhibit large variation in number, mandate, organization and member competences. This cross-sectional study aims to give an overview of the different types of activities of Italian ECs and favour discussion at a European level. METHODS: A questionnaire was emailed to all Italian Ethics Committees contained in the national Registry of the Ministry of Health, enquiring whether the EC was conducting, or planning to conduct, 4 specific activities. A telephone interview was conducted to determine reasons for failure to respond. RESULTS: Response rate was 53% (101 respondents out of 191). 20% of ECs restrict their responsibilities to research protocol review, 25% also offer ethical consultation to institutions, support on individual health care decisions and promotes educational initiatives, while the remaining 50% conduct a few of the examined activities to varying degrees. Large variation was observed across different types of hosting institutions and geographical locations. CONCLUSIONS: A common European model should be developed, defining EC functions, member selection modalities, necessary member competences, decision-making criteria and measures for work verification. In the absence of sound empirical evidence, it would be interesting to study the effectiveness and efficiency of the different existing models.

Effects of anti-malarial drugs on MCF-7 and Vero cell replication.

BACKGROUND: Previous in vivo studies performed in our laboratories demonstrated that anti-malarial drugs may or enhance or slow down Ehrlich's ascites tumour progression in infected mice. In the light of these observations, an in vitro study was undertaken to assess the response of human tumour cells to various anti-malarial drugs and consequently the safety of the anti-malarial therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MCF-7 cells and Vero cells (control line) were cultured in Eagle's minimum Essential medium (EMEM) and then subjected to graded concentrations of different anti-malarial drugs. Trypan-blue exclusion, MTT and Western blotting tests were performed. RESULTS: The findings showed that pyrimethamine (12.5 mg/L), chloroquine (12.5 mg/L) and primaquine (1.56 mg/L) stimulated MCF-7 cell growth. The proliferative effect was inhibited by doxorubicin only in cultures treated with chloroquine and primaquine. These results might indicate that some anti-malarial drugs have a worrying tumour-promoting effect which should not be underestimated when undertaking anti-malarial prophylactic measures.

Selectivity of action of glycyrrhizin derivatives on the growth of MCF-7 and HEP-2 cells.

Since 1986, there have been reports in the literature that glycyrrhizin (GL), 18 alpha-glycyrrhetinic acid (18 alpha-GA) and 18 beta-glycyrrhetinic acid (18 beta-GA) can inhibit the growth of some murine tumours. Recently, testing the activity of GL and 18 alpha-GA on human tumour cells, we observed that both substances are good anti-proliferative agents, especially on those cells whose replication rate is slow. In the present study, the MTT test was performed on MCF-7, Hep-2 and VERO cells treated with increasing concentrations of GL and of its derivatives. Results showed that the substances do not have a toxic effect on VERO cells and that their anti-proliferative effect is evident only on the cell line (MCF-7) that evolves slowly. Finally, the TUNEL test revealed the presence of apoptosis in MCF-7 cells treated with dosages of GL and 18 alpha-GA, thereby confirming that these natural phytoestrogens could be considered as interesting new agents for cancer therapy.