Curcumin dietary supplementation ameliorates disease phenotype in an animal model of Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease (HD) has traditionally been described as a disorder purely of the brain; however, evidence indicates that peripheral abnormalities are also commonly seen. Among others, severe unintended body weight loss represents a prevalent and often debilitating feature of HD pathology, with no therapies available. It correlates with disease progression and significantly affects the quality of life of HD patients. Curcumin, a naturally occurring polyphenol with multiple therapeutic properties, has been validated to exert important beneficial effects under health conditions as well as in different pathological settings, including neurodegenerative and gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Here, we investigated the potential therapeutic action that curcumin-supplemented diet may exert on central and peripheral dysfunctions in R6/2 mice, a well-characterized HD animal model which recapitulates some features of human pathology. Maintenance of normal motor function, protection from neuropathology and from GI dysfunction and preservation of GI emptying and conserved intestinal contractility, proved the beneficial role of life-long dietary curcumin in HD and corroborated the potential of the compound to be exploited to alleviate very debilitating symptoms associated with the disease.

[Myocardial contrast echography. History, methodology and clinical applications]

Recent studies have demonstrated the usefulness of myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) in studying myocardial perfusion. Several first and second generation contrast agent such as Levovist, Sonovue, Optison, Definity and Imagent are commercially available or close to be introduced into the market. Use of MCE allowed the clinical demonstration of no-reflow phenomenon in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) after recanalization of the infarct related artery (IRA). Coronary angiography is unable to assess the microvascular damage as showed by the poor correlation between TIMI grading and perfusion score evaluated by MCE. Furthermore, the use of MCE is important to determine coronary stenosis, to identify microvascular damage during ischaemia-reperfusion and to evaluate the presence of collateral circulation in the area at risk. MCE seems to be the most effective technique for assessing microvascular integrity after reperfusion as compared to TIMI myocardial perfusion grade, nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging and magnetic resonance imaging. These techniques are expensive, invasive and not available in most of the hospitals. Furthermore, as compared to nuclear medicine and echo-dobutamine, MCE has greater specificity and higher accuracy in detecting coronary artery disease. Recent studies showed that not only primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) but also rescue and delayed PCI reduced microvascular damage and that MCE play a key role in assessing myocardial salvage after reperfusion. The most exciting aspect of MCE is the independent role in predicting left ventricular (LV) remodelling and functional recovery. The extent on no-reflow is an important predictor of LV dysfunction and remodelling at follow-up. Several studies have demonstrated that the extent of infarct-zone viability is a powerful independent predictor of LV dilation. There is a close relationship between the extent of microvascular damage, the extension of necrosis, the site of AMI and LV remodelling. We demonstrated that MCE performed 24 hours after reperfusion, at 1 week and 6 months appears to provide important prognostic information. These data support the daily use of MCE in coronary care unit and could establish a strategy for clinical decision making in patients with AMI.

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy mitochondrial DNA mutations at nucleotides 11778 and 3460 in multiple sclerosis

OBJECTIVES

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) can be difficult to distinguish from optic neuritis seen in multiple sclerosis (MS). About half of the LHON patients harbor a mutation at nucleotide (nt) 11778 in the mitochondrial (mt) DNA. In addition, mutations at nt-3460 and nt-14484 have been associated with LHON. An association of LHON and MS has been suspected for decades, and, recently, the LHON nt-11778 and nt-3460 mtDNA mutations have been found in several patients with MS or MS-like disease. We attempted to determine which MS patients should be evaluated further for LHON mutations.

METHODS

We screened 103 clinically definite MS patients (age range from 18 to 72 years, 27 men and 76 women) for the LHON nt-11778 and nt-3460 mtDNA mutations.

RESULTS

Neither mutation was identified in the patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings confirm previous reports which found that both LHON mutations are rare in unselected MS patients. The reports to date suggest that MS patients with peripapillary teleangiectasia typical of LHON, with relatives harboring LHON or with early severe bilateral optic neuropathy, particularly if female, should be further evaluated for LHON mutations.

In vitro effects of tachykinins on the smooth musculature of horse gut

The contractile effects of the tachykinins eledoisin, substance P and neurokinin A and B were investigated in vitro on circular and longitudinal muscle strips from horse duodenum, ileum and colon. Circular smooth muscle of the small intestine was highly responsive, large intestine circular smooth muscle less so, while longitudinal muscle from all gut segments was much less sensitive. pD2 values and intrinsic activities on small intestine circular muscle indicated differences in receptor distribution between the duodenum and ileum: NK3 and a smaller number of NK2 receptors being present in the duodenum, and NK2 receptors predominating in the ileum. Notwithstanding this, eledoisin and neurokinin B were the most active substances on duodenum and ileum, respectively. These findings suggest that tachykinins may play a role in equine gastrointestinal pathophysiology.

Pharmacokinetics of N-methylglucamine antimoniate after intravenous, intramuscular and subcutaneous administration in the dog

The pharmacokinetic profile of antimony in dogs was defined by administering it intravenously, intramuscularly and subcutaneously as N-methylglucamine antimoniate at a dose of about 25.65 mg of antimony kg-1 bodyweight. The results showed a different half-life for the three routes of administration: 20.5, 42.1 and 121.6 minutes for the intravenous, intramuscular and subcutaneous routes, respectively; peak time values (Tmax) were also different for the intramuscular (90 to 120 minutes) and subcutaneous (210 to 240 minutes) injection. The apparent bioavailability of antimony was > 100 per cent for the intramuscular and 100 per cent for the subcutaneous routes. The data obtained showed a relevant difference in the behaviour of the drug in the dog in comparison to that in humans.

Comparative pharmacokinetics of amikacin sulphate in calves and sheep

The pharmacokinetics of amikacin sulphate were investigated in calves and sheep. Five animals of each species were given 7.5 mg kg-1 intravenously and intramuscularly. After intravenous administration the pharmacokinetic parameters significantly different (P less than 0.01) between calves (first value) and sheep (second value), were: the initial concentration (87.05, 146.6 micrograms ml-1), the apparent distribution volume (350, 200 ml kg-1), the area under curve (5512, 11,018 min micrograms ml-1) and the clearance (1.5, 0.7 ml min-1 kg-1). After dosing intramuscularly the peak concentration (23.5, 34.36 micrograms ml-1), the peak time (45, 75 min) and the area under curve (5458, 9191 min micrograms ml-1) were significantly different (P less than 0.01). No significant differences were observed in the terminal halflife values, suggesting that elimination rate was independent of both route of administration and animal species. The drug in aqueous solution showed a good bioavailability in both animal species (about 0.87 in sheep and greater than 0.99 in calves) despite the greater serum concentrations always attained in sheep.

Epidemiology of Ostertagia ostertagi in dairy cow from different breeding systems

The epidemiology of Trichostrongylidae infections in three dairy cow groups reared under different conditions and in different habitats was studied with particular emphasis on Ostertagia ostertagi. In cows bred intensively in swampy lowlands (Po River Valley) the prevalence of infection was 43% and the mean intensity 567. In cows bred traditionally (Friuli, Northern-Eastern Italy), the prevalence in permanently housed cows was 24% (mean intensity: 13). In grazing cows, it was 68% (mean intensity: 120). The distribution of parasite numbers (O. ostertagi) per host was studied with the negative binomial model. The observed data were also compared by the method of cumulative relative frequencies. The results suggest that parasitism is also important in cows reared intensively.

Morphological variations in nematode parasites after a radioactive fall out: preliminary results

Preliminary results from a survey of abomasal parasites of wild ruminant Rupicapra rupicapra are reported. The study was carried out after the fall out of radioactive contamination from the nuclear accident at Chernobyl (May 1986) and showed the high prevalence of teratologic forms in representatives of Ostertaginae (3.1% of the entire population of male worms).

Pharmacokinetic of sodium cefoperazone in calves

Na-CPZ was administered to ten calves i.v. and i.m. at the dosages of 15 and 30 mg/Kg b.w. in order to study its pharmacokinetic parameters. Plasma protein binding was evaluated in vitro by the ultracentrifugation technique. Short half-lives were obtained after i.v. (53.61 min) and i.m. (47.71 min) administration at the dosage of 15 mg/kg b.w., similar values were obtained after i.v. (55.19 min) and i.m. (64.21 min) administration of 30 mg/kg b.w. The mean value of bioavailability (F) following the injection of both dosages was about 45%. Plasma protein binding at therapeutical concentrations was evaluated about 44%. The Authors conclude that a daily i.m. administration of 30 mg/Kg b.w. of Na-CPZ produces serum therapeutical levels for about 8 hours against the most sensitive microorganisms and 5 hours against the less sensitive ones.

An approach using lecithin treatment for olivopontocerebellar atrophies

A therapeutic trial with two different lecithins, with 32 and 7% phosphatidylcholine respectively, was performed for 3 months on 11 patients with clinical diagnosis of dominant, recessive and sporadic olivopontocerebellar atrophies. The correlation between plasma choline levels and the clinical picture shows a clinical worsening with very high choline levels and a slight improvement with smaller increases of plasma choline levels. The possible role in these disorders of phosphatidylcholine and linoleic acid - both present in lecithin - is discussed, with relationship to these findings.

Pharmacokinetics of Defibrotide and of its profibrinolytic activity in the rabbit

An extensive study of the pharmacokinetics and the pharmacokinetics of the profibrinolytic activity of Defibrotide (D) in the rabbit has been made. a two compartment model was used to describe D's pharmacokinetics. The parameters of drug disposition and the rate constant of release from tissues to central compartment were closely dose-dependent. The dose-response curves for elimination parameters were powers with a negative exponent indicating considerable saturation of this process. As a consequence, the T1/2, Co and AUC were also dose-dependent, as were the parameters describing the decrease in profibrinolytic activity in the blood stream.

Influence of adriamycin on growth kinetics of Lewis lung carcinoma and its lung metastases

Using a Gompertzian pharmacodynamic model, we have studied the changes induced by graded doses of adriamycin (AM) on the growth of intramuscular Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL) and its lung metastases in C57Bl/6 mice. An interpretation of the drug's effects on free growth of the tumor cells is given in the Appendix. Unlike other tumors (1-6), in which AM treatment induces no long-term change in growth parameters, in the 3LL model after an initial phase of inhibited growth following treatment with AM, the theoretically attainable plateau value is lowered. This is dose dependent for the primary tumor and even more so for metastases. In order to investigate whether the drug effect was irreversible or whether the host's weakened condition was a factor in the altered growth conditions, the tumor and its metastases were removed from AM-treated mice and transplanted in healthy animals in which its growth was then observed over time. For transplants of the primary intramuscular tumor no differences could be seen between treated and nontreated mice, but for the metastases the growth was markedly slowed. However, after a 'lag' period, the tumors arising from metastases returned to a growth pattern whose kinetic parameters, analyzed statistically, were not different from controls.