Post-diagnosis serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in women treated for breast cancer participating in a lifestyle trial in Italy.

OBJECTIVE: To report cross-sectionally serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in women living in Italy within 12 months from breast cancer (BC) diagnosis. METHODS: Baseline data were obtained from 394 women diagnosed with primary BC, enrolled from 2016 to 2019 in a lifestyle trial conducted in Italy. Subjects' characteristics were compared between two 25(OH)D concentrations (hypovitaminosis D<20 and ≥20 ng/mL) with the Chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test for small-expected counts. Using multiple logistic regression-adjusted models, we estimated odds ratios (ORs) of hypovitaminosis D with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in the total sample and in the unsupplemented subgroup. RESULTS: Hypovitaminosis D was found in 39% of all subjects, 60% in unsupplemented subjects, and 10% in supplemented subjects. Increasing ORs of hypovitaminosis D were found with increasing body mass index, 25-30, >30, and ≥35 versus <25 kg/m2 (ORs: 2.50, 4.64, and 5.81, respectively, in the total cohort and ORs: 2.68, 5.38, and 7.08 in the unsupplemented); living in the most southern Italian region (OR 2.50, 95%CI 1.22-5.13); and with hypertriglyceridemia (OR 2.46; 95%CI 1.16-5.22), chemotherapy history (OR 1.86, 95%CI 1.03-3.38), and inversely with anti-estrogenic therapy (OR 0.43, 95%CI 0.24-0.75) in the total sample. CONCLUSIONS: Hypovitaminosis D in women recently diagnosed with BC and participating in a lifestyle trial in Italy was widespread and highest with obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and chemotherapy use. Considering that hypovitaminosis D is a risk factor for lower efficacy of bone density treatments and possibly BC mortality, our results suggest the need to promptly address and treat vitamin D deficiency.

Interaction of mistletoe lectin I with Kupffer cells and endothelial cells of mouse liver.

The in vitro-formation of blebs by endothelial and Kupffer cells of the mouse liver after treatment with the toxic lectin I from mistletoe are demonstrated by means of scanning electron microscopy. The interaction of toxic lectins with nonparenchymal liver cells can be of importance concerning the elimination of these lectins in vivo.

[Effect of a water-soluble derivative of silymarin on morphological and functional alterations of mouse hepatocytes induced by Frog Virus 3 (author's transl)]. / Wirkung eines wasserlöslichen Derivates von Silymarin auf die durch Frog-Virus 3 an Mäusehepatozyten hervorgerufenen morphologischen und funktionellen Veränderungen.

Pretreatment of mice with silymarin dihemisuccinate sodium salt (SHS-Na) 300 mg/kg 24 and 16 h before infection completely protected against the lethal effect of Frog Virus 3 (FV3). After the inoculation of 1 LD100 of virus it could be shown that: a) the same amount of radioactively labelled virus was found in the liver of control and SHS-Na treated animals, b) in SHS-Na pretreated animals the shut-off of macromolecular syntheses in the liver was considerably less extensive, c) the histological changes in the hepatocyte nuclei were attenuated in SHS-Na pretreated animals and the serum titer of the transaminases did no increase, d) in SHS-Na pretreated mice there were only limited functional alterations of the sinusoidal cells as studied by carbon phagocytosis and the serum titer of the lysosomal enzymes was only slightly modified, e) inhibition of protein synthesis during the period of pretreatment with SHS-Na did not decrease the level of protection. These results allow us to conclude that SHS-Na exerts its protective effect on the liver and that sinusoidal cells are most likely involved in this protection.