BMI and Metabolic Profile in Patients With Prolactinoma Before and After Treatment With Dopamine Agonists

Hyperprolactinemia might be related to weight gain, metabolic syndrome (MS), and insulin resistance (IR). Treatment with dopamine agonist (DA) has been shown to reduce body weight and improve metabolic parameters. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of obesity, overweight, MS, and IR in patients with prolactinoma before and after therapy with DA and to evaluate the relation between prolactin (PRL), body weight, fat distribution, leptin levels, IR, and lipid profile before treatment. In addition, we investigated the correlation of the reduction in PRL levels with weight loss and metabolic profile improvement. Twenty‐two patients with prolactinoma completed 6 months of treatment with DA. These patients were submitted to clinical (BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure (BP)), laboratory evaluation (leptin, glucose, low‐density lipoprotein (LDL)‐cholesterol, and triglyceride (TG) levels) and abdominal computed tomography (CT) before and after treatment. The statistical analyses were done by nonparametric tests. At the beginning of the study, the prevalence of obesity, overweight, MS, and IR was 45, 27, 27, and 18%, respectively. After 6 months of treatment with DA, PRL levels normalized, but no significant difference in BMI was observed. However, there was a significant decrease on homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA_IR) index, glucose, LDL‐cholesterol, and TG levels. This study suggests a possible involvement of prolactinoma on the prevalence of obesity. We should consider that DA may be effective on improving metabolic parameters, and we speculate that a period longer than 6 months of treatment is necessary to conclude whether this drug can interfere in the body weight of patients with prolactinoma.     

Presence in invertebrate genomes of sequences characterized by the repetition of the triplet CCPurine

In Drosophila melanogaster (Dm), polypeptidic domains have been found in different morphogenetic genes. Two types of them are characterized by the repetition of nucleotidic triplets: the M repeat (CAX) and the paired repeat (CAXCCX). In this paper we described a third type of repeat isolated from the genome of a Polychaete annelid: Owenia fusiformis. This repeat is characterized by the repetition of the triplet CCPurine. Phylogenetic studies showed the presence of this repeat in all the invertebrate genomes tested (eight copies in Dm genome) while we failed to detect it in vertebrate genomes.     

Hyperhydricity in pepper plants regenerated in vitro: involvement of BiP (Binding Protein) and ultrastructural aspects

 Hyperhydricity in regenerated pepper plants was monitored by the induction of the ER-luminal resident protein, as observed by immunoblotting. Immunoblotting of total protein using an anti-soybean BiP serum indicated that the induction and accumulation of an 80-kDa protein was related to BiP (Binding protein), a 78-kDa ER-resident molecular chaperone. The anti-BiP serum cross-reacted with an 80-kDa protein which was significantly induced by hyperhydricity. Based on similar molecular weight and immunological reactivity we concluded that the 80-kDa protein induced in hyperhydric plants is a BiP homologue. The ultrastructural organisation of leaves in non-hyperhydric and hyperhydric pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants was investigated with the aim of identifying the subcellular changes associated with this phenomenon. In non-hyperhydric leaves the chloroplasts of the palisade cells had normally developed thylakoids and grana and a low accumulation or absence of starch grains and plastoglobules. In the hyperhydric plants, however, the chloroplasts exhibited thylakoid disorganisation, low grana number, an accumulation of large starch grains and a low accumulation or absence of plastoglobules. Although the structure of mitochondria and peroxisomes did not change in hyperhydric plants, the number of peroxisomes did increase. Received: 23 July 1998 / Revision received: 26 February 1999 / Accepted: 17 March 1999     

Submicroscopic malaria parasite carriage: how reproducible are polymerase chain reaction-based methods?

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods for the diagnosis of malaria infection are expected to accurately identify submicroscopic parasite carriers. Although a significant number of PCR protocols have been described, few studies have addressed the performance of PCR amplification in cases of field samples with submicroscopic malaria infection. Here, the reproducibility of two well-established PCR protocols (nested-PCR and real-time PCR for the Plasmodium 18 small subunit rRNA gene) were evaluated in a panel of 34 blood field samples from individuals that are potential reservoirs of malaria infection, but were negative for malaria by optical microscopy. Regardless of the PCR protocol, a large variation between the PCR replicates was observed, leading to alternating positive and negative results in 38% (13 out of 34) of the samples. These findings were quite different from those obtained from the microscopy-positive patients or the unexposed individuals; the diagnosis of these individuals could be confirmed based on the high reproducibility and specificity of the PCR-based protocols. The limitation of PCR amplification was restricted to the field samples with very low levels of parasitaemia because titrations of the DNA templates were able to detect < 3 parasites/µL in the blood. In conclusion, conventional PCR protocols require careful interpretation in cases of submicroscopic malaria infection, as inconsistent and false-negative results can occur.     

Length–weight relationships of four fish species from the Curimatidae family,Patos‐Mirim system,southern Brazil

Determined were the length–weight relationships (LWRs) of four fish species of the Curimatidae family from the Patos‐Mirim lagoon system. Estimates for three of the species are reported here for the first time.     

Ouabain-Induced Alterations of the Apical Junctional Complex Involve α1 and β1 Na,K-ATPase Downregulation and ERK1/2 Activation Independent of Caveolae in Colorectal Cancer Cells

Studies have reported that Na,K-ATPase interacts with E-cadherin to stabilize (AJs) and regulate the expression of claudins, the main proteins present in the tight junction (TJ) in epithelial cells containing caveolae. However, the role of this ATPase in the regulation of the AJ and TJ proteins in colorectal cancer cells as well as the molecular events underlying this event in a caveolae-independent system remain undefined. In the present study, we used ouabain, a classic drug known to inhibit Na,K-ATPase, and Caco-2 cells, which are a well-established human colorectal cancer model that does not exhibit caveolae. We demonstrated that ouabain treatment resulted in a reduction of the β1 Na,K-ATPase protein and cell redistribution of the AJ proteins E-cadherin and β-catenin, as well as the α1 Na,K-ATPase subunit. Furthermore, ouabain increased claudin-3 protein levels, impaired the TJ barrier function and increased cell viability and proliferation during the early stages of treatment. Additionally, the observed ouabain-induced events were dependent on the activation of ERK1/2 signaling; but in contrast to previous studies, this signaling cascade was caveolae-independent. In conclusion, our findings strongly suggest that α1 and β1 Na,K-ATPase downregulation and ERK1/2 activation induced by ouabain are interlinked events that play an important role during cell–cell adhesion loss, which is an important step during the tumor progression of colorectal carcinomas.