The role of vitamin D in the prevention and the additional therapy of cancers

The active metabolite of vitamin D apart from a crucial role in maintaining mineral homeostasis and skeletal functions, has antiproliferative, apoptosis and differentiation inducing as well as immunomodulatory effects in cancer. It is well known that with increasing sunshine exposure the incidence of breast, prostate and colorectal cancer is decreasing. A number of in vitro and in vivo experiments documented the effects of vitamin D in the inhibition of the tumorigenesis. In studying the role of vitamin D in cancer, it is imperative to examine the potential pathways that control local tissue levels of vitamin D. The enzyme 24-hydroxylase converts the active vitamin D to inactive metabolite. Extra-renal production of this enzyme is observed and has been increasingly recognized as present in cancer cells. This enzyme is rate limiting for the amount of local vitamin D in cancer tissues and elevated expression is associated with an adverse prognosis. 24-hydroxylase may be a predictive marker of vitamin D efficacy in patients with cancer as an adjunctive therapy. There are many vitamin D analogs with no pronounced hypercalcemizing effects. Some analogs are in phase 1 and 2 clinical test, and they might have a role in the therapy of several types of cancer. At present our main task is to make an effort to decrease the vitamin D deficiency in Hungary. Speer G. The D-day. The role of vitamin D in the prevention and the additional therapy of cancers.     

Gastrointestinal chemosensation: chemosensory cells in the alimentary tract

Sensing potentially beneficial or harmful constituents in the luminal content by specialized cells in the gastrointestinal mucosa is an essential prerequisite for governing digestive processes, initiating protective responses and regulating food intake. Until recently, it was poorly understood how the gastrointestinal tract senses and responds to nutrients and non-nutrients in the diet; however, the enormous progress in unraveling the molecular machinery underlying the responsiveness of gustatory cells in the lingual taste buds to these compounds has been an important starting point for studying intestinal chemosensation. Currently, the field of nutrient sensing in the gastrointestinal tract is evolving rapidly and is benefiting from the deorphanization of previously unliganded G-protein-coupled receptors which respond to important nutrients, such as protein degradation products and free fatty acids as well as from the FACS-assisted isolation of distinct cell populations. This review focuses on mechanisms and principles underlying the chemosensory responsiveness of the alimentary tract. It describes the cell types which might potentially contribute to chemosensation within the gut: cells that can operate as specialized sensors and transducers for luminal factors and which communicate information from the gut lumen by releasing paracrine or endocrine acting messenger molecules. Furthermore, it addresses the current knowledge regarding the expression and localization of molecular elements that may be part of the chemosensory machinery which render some of the mucosal cells responsive to constituents of the luminal content, concentrating on candidate receptors and transporters for sensing nutrients.     

Kinins and epithelial ion transport in the alimentary tract

Kinin effects on epithelial electrogenic ion transport are reviewed, with reference to the alimentary tract. The transported ion is usually chloride, but some epithelia also transport bicarbonate. The key components of the transport system are the sodium-potassium-chloride cotransporter, Na+-K+ ATPase (both located basolaterally) and the CFTR chloride channel (located apically). Activation of K+-channels in both membranes may secondarily affect the anion transport mechanism. The types of kinin receptors that cause chloride secretion, the second messengers involved and the possible functional responsibilities of the kinin-activated secretory mechanism are discussed.     

Growth of the alimentary tract with aging in chickens.

There is a mathematical model supporting that when growth rate of the chickens is maximized and not constrained by the food-availability, the optimal relationship between body mass and alimentary tract mass should conform to a two-segmented straightened line with different slopes. In the present work we have studied the model using the mass of the intestines as an indicator of growth of the alimentary tract of the Gallus gallus domesticus L. We have observed the slope change of the two segments around a body weight of 90 g that corresponded to two-week-old animals and, at this age it was supposed that the differentiation of the intestine reach the maximum.     

Neurochemical approaches to the prevention of ventricular fibrillation

Current evidence indicates that susceptibility to ventricular fibrillation (VF) can be reduced by decreasing cardiac sympathetic activity and by increasing vagal tone. Pharmacological agents that favor such a pattern of autonomic outflow protect the heart against fibrillation. These include morphine sulfate, clonidine, digitalis drugs, and bromocriptine. An intriguing new approach involves changing the serum concentration of amino acid precursors of the central neurotransmitters that modulate autonomic traffic. Considerable evidence indicates that accumulation of serotonin in the brain reduces sympathetic neural activity. When L-tryptophan or 5-hydroxytryptophan is administered with phenelzine (a monoamine oxidase inhibitor) and carbidopa (a selective peripheral L-amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor) to raise brain serotonin, a significant increase in myocardial electrical stability is observed. This effect results from a decrease in cardiac sympathetic tone as indicated by selective denervation and nerve recording studies. Enhancing serotoninergic neurotransmission can also significantly reduce vulnerability to VF during acute coronary artery occlusion. The effect of augmenting serotoninergic activity without the use of enzyme inhibitors has been investigated by administering agents such as melatonin, 5-methoxytryptophol, and 6-chloro-2-(1-piperazinyl) pyrazine (MK-212). Each of these substances increases cardiac electrical stability. The protective influence is unaffected by bilateral vagotomy but is blocked by the specific serotonin antagonist methergoline. Diminution of cardiac sympathetic drive appears to be the main mechanism of action. Thus, neurochemical interventions can exert a profound effect on cardiac electrical stability. Recent advances in neurochemistry and psychopharmacology promise new insights into the problem of sudden death and suggest a fresh approach for the management of life-threatening arrhythmias.     

Serotonin and neurotensin-containing cells in the mucosa of the alimentary tract

Localization of serotonin (5-OT)- and neurotensin (NT)-containing cells in the tunica mucosa of the gastric antral part and the duodenum of the rat and chick has been revealed by means of the immunofluorescent method and the method with application of the peroxidase-antiperoxidase complex. For immune-histochemical revealing of biologically active substances in endocrine cells Sovient antisera are used for the first time. Experiments are performed on injection of antiserotonin serum of various dosage into the rat blood bed. The reaction of serotonin-containing cells of the gastric antral part tunical mucosa and those of the duodenum to changes in serotonin concentration in blood serum is demonstrated.     

叶氏肛刺蛙消化道两种内分泌细胞的研究

应用免疫组织化学方法对叶氏肛刺蛙Yerana yei胃肠道2种内分泌细胞的形态和分布进行研究.5-羟色胺(5-hydroxytryptamine,5-HT)免疫活性细胞分布于消化道各段,胃幽门分布密度最高,然后向两端递减,整个分布曲线大致呈倒V字型;生长抑素(somatostain,SS)细胞在消化道各段均有分布,胃幽门最高,除胃贲门处稍高于胃体处外,从幽门向两端递减.5-HT和sS细胞都形态多样,有圆形、卵圆形、锲形、梭形和长柱状等.消化道内分泌细胞的分布差异可能与其食性和生活习性有关;两栖类各物种间内分泌细胞的分布存在差异.