Immunomodulating treatment with low dose interleukin-4, interleukin-10 and interleukin-11 in psoriasis vulgaris.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting approximately 2-3 percent of the world population; it is characterised by hyperproliferation and hyperplasia of the superficial layers of the epidermis. Inappropriate signals released by the immune system determine an altered keratinocyte differentiation, resulting in the formation of desquamating, thickened, inflamed and erythematous plaques. The aim of this investigation was to study the pharmacological activity and safety of three low dose cytokines, Guna-Interleukin 4, Guna-Interleukin 10 and Guna-Interleukin 11 at the concentration of 10 fg/ml in patients affected by moderate to slight psoriasis vulgaris. The multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial involved 48 patients who were enrolled and followed up according to a 8-month experimental project. All patients received, according to a cross-over model, either the experimental treatment or placebo, alternatively. Globally, in the 41 evaluated patients it was observed a PASI significant reduction (Friedman test: p=0.00960). The DLQI too decreased significantly in all subjects compared to baseline (Friedman test: p=0.00007). The safety of the treatment with three low dose cytokines administered simultaneously was proved; no adverse event was reported during the whole trial.

[Prognostic, clinical and anatomo-pathological aspects of gastric lymphoma]. / Aspetti prognostici, clinici ed anatomopatologici del linfoma gastrico.

The authors refer about the results of a study made on 15 cases of gastric lymphoma with a mean follow-up of 6 years. Among the examined features they underlie the clinical appearance of each case according to histologic cell-type, stage of disease and performed treatment with relation to the survival rate. According to the Rappaport classification, diffuse histiocytic lymphoma was the most frequent histologic type of disease: the prognosis turned out to be significantly favorable in case of stage I, while no correlation was observed between different surgical procedures and cell-type. The overall 5 years survival rate was 33.3% with a strong suggestion of better survival in case of early diagnosis.

Collagen in human breast cancer: morphological and biochemical study.

The authors studied the distribution and the composition of collagen in neoplastic tissue from mastectomy specimens of 15 patients treated for an infiltrating ductal carcinoma NOS, in comparison to normal tissue of the opposite quadrant. The study was performed by light microscopy, microspectrophotometry, and electrophoretic methods. The results demonstrate a characteristic stromal organization of breast cancer in relation to collagen type I content.