Endometrial carcinoma in tamoxifen-treated breast cancer patients.

Tamoxifen is an important agent for the treatment of breast cancer. Occasionally the drug, which is an antiestrogen, has agonistic estrogenic activity. The authors describe three new cases of endometrial carcinoma developing in breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen and stress the necessity of carefully monitoring the uterine cavity under tamoxifen treatment.

[Levels of free and conjugated catecholamines in amniotic fluid and in umbilical and maternal blood in patients undergoing cesarean section]. / Livelli di catecolamine libere e coniugate nel liquido amniotico, nel sangue ombelicale ed in quello materno in soggetti sottoposti a taglio cesareo.

A new radioenzymatic assay was used to evaluate free and conjugate catecholamines in six pregnant women who underwent cesarean section at term, in their newborns and in the amniotic fluid. Free adrenaline in maternal plasma was higher while noradrenaline and dopamine were lower at the moment of surgery than 24 hours before the operation. In umbilical plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline are higher than in maternal plasma while only traces of free dopamine and salsolinol are present. In the amniotic fluid high levels of free and conjugated salsolinol are found. The high level of free and conjugated catecholamines found in the umbilical plasma demonstrates that fetal sympathetic nervous system is strongly activated at delivery. Furthermore the presence of sulfoconjugating activity similar to that of the adult is confirmed.