Volume 27, Issue 1-2

Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare tumor typically presenting with ascites and associated with occupational asbestos exposure with a latency period of 20–40 years. Intensive multi-modality approach combining cytoreductive surgery, intraperitoneal chemotherapy and possibly radiotherapy can be considered, but otherwise the prognosis is rather poor. Palliative chemotherapy may be an option in these rare cases. However, no approved systemic treatment exists for peritoneal mesothelioma. We present here a patient with peritoneal mesothelioma who was treated with the combination of pemetrexed with cisplatin shortly after the failure of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. The patient experienced durable partial response to the treatment, resolution of ascites, and returned to his normal daily life activities. With the exception of palliative chemotherapy in case of patients in good condition, therapeutic options in patients with peritoneal mesothelioma are currently very limited. The combination of pemetrexed and cisplatin can lead to long-term control in selected patients.

Statins, widely used antihyperlipidemic drugs, also have immunomodulatory properties independent from their lipid lowering effect. Even with slight modulations in the immune system, pteridine levels can display changes. The effect of statins on pteridines and related pathways has been demonstrated in a limited number of studies. The aim of the study was to evaluate the possible changes in neopterin and folate levels, and tryptophan (Trp) degradation in hyperlipidemic patients. Patients who were admitted to the cardiology clinic were randomly grouped if they were having statin treatment (n=69) or not (n=36). Serum Trp and kynurenine (Kyn), erythrocyte folate, and urinary neopterin levels were measured. It was found that urinary neopterin levels were significantly higher in patients on statin treatment (p<0.05) while levels of folate, Trp, Kyn, and Kyn-to-Trp ratios (Kyn/Trp) presented no significant changes (all, p>0.05). The correlation of the measured parameters was also evaluated and neopterin, folate and tryptophan degradation were found to be positively correlated. According to the results, neopterin levels, folate status and Trp degradation were altered in patients with statin treatment in comparison with the patients not receiving statin therapy. In order to point out the direct effect of statins on pteridines, further studies presenting both pre- and post-statin treatment of these parameters are needed.

The main goal of the present study was to detect neopterin concentrations in human tear samples and to evaluate its potential correlation with serum neopterin levels. For this purpose, 20 systemically healthy volunteers were recruited, and both tear and serum samples were synchronically collected from each individual. Enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) was carried out to detect the quantity of neopterin in the samples. Mean human tear neopterin levels were observed as 3±0.56 nM while mean serum neopterin was 9±1.25 nM. Additionally, a significant positive correlation between tear neopterin and serum neopterin concentrations was observed. This is the first report to show neopterin concentration in human tears as a biological sample. Collecting tears from the individuals is a non-invasive sampling method, and as an analytical aspect detection of neopterin by ELISA in tear samples construct a valuable, practical and cheap procedure for the diagnosis and monitoring of intraocular inflammation and systemic immune-mediated diseases.

Although cortisol is a powerful modulator of the immune system and inhibits production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels do not correspond to the chronically elevated concentrations of cortisol in cancer patients. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) has been shown to have an effect on immunological functions. Actually it is not known whether cortisol, TSH and IL-6 have an effect on tumor progression via modulation of cell mediated immunity in patients with gastrointestinal carcinoma. Sixty-seven gastrointestinal cancer patients and 42 cancer-free subjects with cholelithiasis as the control group, were included in the study. Serum ACTH, cortisol, TSH, thyroid hormones, IL-6, IL-10 and neopterin levels were measured. Diagnosis and pathological staging were confirmed by surgical intervention. Cortisol levels were correlated with IL-6 in cancer patients. In addition to elevated neopterin values, linear regression analysis revealed that serum neopterin was associated more strongly with the increase of cortisol rather than IL-6 levels in advanced stage carcinoma. Furthermore, neopterin also correlated with IL-6, IL-10, cortisol and TSH levels in advanced carcinoma cases. These data indicated that cortisol, IL-6 and neopterin values of cancer patients were influenced by the tumor presence and progression.

Dictyostelium discoideum cells contain auto-fluorescent vacuoles. To determine the identity of these vacuoles, the fluorescent dye 4-nitro-7-(1-piperazinyl)-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-PZ) was used to stain the lysosomes in D. discoideum cells. Neither the auto-fluorescent vacuoles nor lysosomes were observed in D. discoideum cells immediately after they arose from spores or in stationary phase cells. However, both the auto-fluorescent vacuoles and lysosomes were visible in cells that had entered growth phase. Auto-fluorescent vacuoles and lysosomes were also observed in stationary phase cells incubated with chloroquine. When the cells were allowed to phagocytose BioParticles Fluorescent Bacteria (orange fluorescence) for 1 h, orange phagosomes and blue auto-fluorescent vacuoles were observed as independent moieties. However, after an additional 2 h of incubation, we observed vacuoles with mixed fluorescence (orange and blue) in the cells, suggestive of secondary lysosomes. These results suggest that the auto-fluorescent vacuoles in D. discoideum cells are lysosomes.