[Serotonin syndrome associated to the use of paroxetine. Case report].

We report on a case of serotonin syndrome associated to the use of the paroxetine, a serotonin reuptake inhibitor drug. Serotonin syndrome related to this drug not combined with other drugs had not yet been described in literature.

[Primary orthostatic tremor: report of 4 cases].

We report on four cases of primary orthostatic tremor. The purpose of this study is the rarity of this type of tremor and the differential diagnosis with other tremors. The electrophysiological study showed a 15-20 Hz tremor frequency in our cases.

Inhibitors of protein kinases induce differentiation in human neuroblastoma cell lines.

We investigated the effect on differentiation of genistein, an inhibitor of tyrosine protein kinase, and 1-(-5 isoquinolinylsulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine (H7), an inhibitor of protein kinase C, in neuroblastoma cell lines. Growth inhibition and expression of morphological and biochemical properties were examined in the human neuroblastoma cell lines TS12 and SJNKP. Genistein and H7 induced neurite outgrowth, increased acetylcholinesterase activity and cell growth inhibition in both cell lines.

Plasma zinc level and thymic hormone activity in young cancer patients.

It has been reported that in many neoplastic diseases, including leukemia, alterations in plasma zinc levels may frequently occur, although the causes for such alterations have yet to be clearly defined. Since zinc is required to induce biological activity to thymulin (Zn-FTS), a biochemical defined thymic hormone, and marginal zinc deficiencies may prevent its peripheral biological activation, we investigated the plasma level of zinc and of both active thymulin (Zn-FTS) and total zinc saturable thymulin (Zn-FTS + FTS) in 91 young patients affected by acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at various stages of the disease. It was discovered that the plasma zinc level was reduced at the onset and relapse, whereas in complete remission and in off-therapy it was in the normal range.

[Toxoplasmosis of the central nervous system in a diabetic patient].

The author describes a case of a central nervous system toxoplasmosis in a diabetic patient. A review of the literature about toxoplasmosis and its predisposing causes was made, and diabetes has not been reported up till now among them.