Effects of long-term treatment with naltrexone on hepatic enzyme activity.

The influence of naltrexone on liver function in heroin addicts was studied, with respect to the metabolizing function by using the antipyrine clearance and to cellular damage by monitoring plasma levels of hepatic enzymes. The clearance of antipyrine was not affected by naltrexone treatment, and, during the study period, the use and withdrawal of benzodiazepines and alcohol did not change this parameter; moreover, there was no relationship between changes in plasma hepatic enzymes and antipyrine half-life. Mean plasma levels of hepatic enzymes did not show significant modification in the course of treatment with naltrexone.

Differential effects of indolepyruvic acid and 5-hydroxytryptophan on indole metabolism in the pineal gland of the rat during the light-dark cycle.

The effect of two serotonin precursors, 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-OH-TRP) and indolepyruvic acid (IPA), a tryptophan ketoanalogue, on rat pineal indole metabolism during the light-dark cycle was investigated. 5-OH-TRP drastically increased the production of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid at a dose of only 10 mg/kg, whereas 50-100 mg/kg was needed to reach higher serotonin levels. It had no effect on the pathway leading to the production of N-acetylserotonin and melatonin.

Walker-Warburg syndrome. Case report and literature review.

The Walker-Warburg syndrome (WWS) is a fatal dysmorphic disorder of unknown etiology, but strongly suggests an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. It is characterized by severe congenital oculo-cerebral malformations (lissencephaly, congenital hydrocephalus, and ocular lesions). The authors report a case of WWS that occurred in a consanguineous union, with a review of the literature.

Effects of acute hypoxia on the normal and diseased sinus node.

We have studied the effects of breathing 12% oxygen in three groups of patients with sinus bradycardia: 11 with intrinsic sick sinus syndrome, 11 with extrinsic sick sinus syndrome and 11 without any evidence of sinus dysfunction. During hypoxia, the heart rate increased by an average of 6.7 beats/min in the patients with intrinsic sick sinus syndrome, 15.

[Ventricular tachycardia induced by a bent catheter electrode migrated to the pulmonary artery].

The possibility of migration of a transvenous electrode bend in the infundibulum of the pulmonary artery is a very rare complication of permanent pacing. The Authors describe the case of a patient whose transvenous electrode, positioned in the pulmonary artery 5 years after implantation, was presumably the cause of a ventricular hyperkinetic arrhythmia (VT) and of cerebral disturbances (sublipothymia, syncope). The re-position of the electrode removed the arrhythmia thus considerably improving the symptoms of the patient.

Kabuki makeup syndrome (Niikawa-Kuroki syndrome) in a black child.

Kabuki makeup syndrome (KMS), also known as Niikawa-Kuroki syndrome, is a dysmorphic disorder of unknown etiology, characterized by unusual facies, large protruding ears, postnatal dwarfism, and mental retardation. The syndrome has been seen almost exclusively in Japanese children. We report a case of KMS that occurred in a child of mixed ethnicity.

Are the catecholestrogens involved in estrogen-induced striatal dopamine receptor supersensitivity?

The ability of tamoxifen, an antiestrogen agent, to antagonise the striatal dopamine receptor hyperactivity induced in rats by chronic treatment with 17 beta-estradiol and 2-hydroxyestradiol or with two receptor blockers (haloperidol and sulpiride) was compared. It was found that tamoxifen antagonised both the increase in [3H]spiperone binding sites and the stereotyped behaviour induced by apomorphine in animals treated with the two steroids but had no effect in animals receiving the two dopamine blockers. These results run counter to the view that introduction of a catechol group in a steroid molecule is of decisive importance in the induction of striatal dopamine receptor hypersensitivity.

Residual developmental disabilities in children with transient hypertonicity in infancy.

Developmental disabilities occurred in children who manifested transient neurologic abnormalities in early infancy. In an attempt to identify associated problems at an earlier age, the neuromotor and developmental progress of 33 children who had transient hypertonicity during early infancy was analyzed. At 2-3 years of age, various developmental abnormalities were identified in more than two-thirds of these children.

Tamoxifen counteracts estradiol induced effects on striatal and hypophyseal dopamine receptors.

Unlabelled: We investigated the ability of Tamoxifen (TAM), an antiestrogen drug, to counteract the modifications induced by estrogens on dopamine (DA) receptors on striatum and on adenohypophysis of ovex female rats. Subacute treatment with 17 beta-estradiol (E2) at both low (0.1 micrograms/kg) and high (20 micrograms/kg) doses confirmed its ability to increase the number of striatal 3H-Spiperone (3H-SPI) binding sites in a dose dependent manner.

Ophthalmologic findings in the fragile X syndrome.

The fragile X (Fra[X]) syndrome is a commonly encountered X-linked recessive chromosomal disorder associated with mental retardation that primarily affects males. The demonstration of a fragile site in the long arm of the X chromosome (Xq27-28) through special culture techniques confirms the diagnosis. Phenotypic features are often lacking, especially in early life.

Calmodulin antagonism and growth-inhibiting activity of triphenylethylene antiestrogens in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.

The triphenylethylene antiestrogen tamoxifen has been shown previously to inhibit both calmodulin and protein kinase C activities, which are involved in the control of cell proliferation. We have studied the effect of several derivatives of the triphenylethylene antiestrogen family on the inhibition of both calmodulin-dependent cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate-phosphodiesterase activity and proliferation of breast cancer cells cultured with 0.5 microM estradiol in order to prevent interaction of these drugs with the estrogen receptor.

The effects of a long term dihydroergotoxine treatment on agonist and antagonist striatal dopamine binding sites are dose and age related.

Chronic administration of dihydroergotoxine, at the two doses of 2.5 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg decreases the binding of dopamine 3H-agonists to striatal membranes. By contrast the binding of dopamine 3H-antagonists is decreased in the animals treated with the higher dose and increased in those treated with the lower one.

Effects of sustained hyperprolactinemia induced by chronic treatment with domperidone on central dopaminergic systems in the rat.

Chronic treatment with Domperidone (DOM) had no effect on basal prolactin (PRL) secretion or basal levels of Dopamine (DA) metabolites in basal hypothalamus and striatum as compared with the vehicle treated rats. Animals chronically treated with DOM did not present tolerance to a challenge dose of Haloperidol (HAL) and DOM either measuring PRL secretion or striatal DA metabolite levels. The PRL-induced increase in hypothalamic 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) was reduced.

Further studies on the effects of heroin addiction on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal function in man.

The effects of chronic heroin addiction on LH biological and immunological activity, as well as on total and free testosterone concentrations, were investigated in 8 active young male addicts. The results were compared with those obtained in 33 normal young men. In addition, the effects of naloxone (N) administration on LH bio- and immuno-potency were studied in 3 normal men.

[Effect of street noise on blood catecholamines, cyclic AMP and various cardiovascular and metabolic functions in a group of subjects with untreated essential hypertension].

The effect of road noise on blood catecholamines, cAMP and certain cardiovascular and metabolic parameters was studied in a group of young untreated essential hypertensives. It was found that the 10' stimulus increased both systolic and diastolic pressure values. Blood catecholamines rose only after 5'.

Idiopathic torsion dystonia associated with lesions of the basal ganglia.

We report two siblings who are suffering from a dystonic syndrome, clinically indistinguishable from idiopathic torsion dystonia (dystonia musculorum deformans) but with cranial computerized tomographic scan findings of basal ganglia lesions, similar to that reported in Wilson's disease. The occurrence of the disorder in the same sibship suggests an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance and may represent another variety of the syndrome of idiopathic torsion dystonia.

Biochemical effects of minaprine on striatal dopaminergic neurons in rats.

The biochemical effects of minaprine, a new psychotropic drug, were investigated on striatal dopaminergic neurons in the rat. Minaprine did not displace [3H]spiperone in-vitro binding from striatal membranes but had clear effects on dopamine (DA) metabolites. Homovanillic acid (HVA) and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) were significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner after intraperitoneal administration of minaprine 30 min before killing.

Effects of systemic and intracerebroventricular domperidone treatment on striatal and hypothalamic dopaminergic neurons.

In this study we compared the effects of systemic administration of haloperidol (HAL), a typical dopaminergic antagonist and of domperidone (DOM), a dopamine (DA) receptor blocker which does not cross the blood brain barrier but has a potency similar to HAL at DA receptors, on hypothalamic and striatal DA system turnover (evaluated by means of HVA and DOPAC levels) and prolactin (PRL) secretion in male rats. In accordance with previous data, we found that HAL (1 mg/kg, i.p.