Atypical case of Sjögren's syndrome with psychiatric and peripheral neurological disorder.

Sjögren's syndrome is a rare disorder of the immune system characterized by the chronic lymphocytic infiltration of the organs with exocrine secretion (lachrymal, salivary glands), but also of other tissues of the body, that can be primary or secondary and can appear alone or in association with other systemic diseases: rheumatic arthritis, systemic erythematous lupus, scleroderma or polymyositis÷dermatomyositis. The case that we are presenting is that of a 40-year-old man, who came to the Department of Rheumatology with articular, muscular, ocular, psychological and neurological symptoms. After multiple biological, immunological, histological, neurological, psychiatric, ophthalmological, digestive investigations, it was reached the conclusion that the patient presents a rare autoimmune disease (primary Sjögren's syndrome) involving mainly peripheral neuromuscular and psychological (small frequency) and the patient was given specific immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and anti-depressive treatment, to which he responded well. Thus, after 18 months of investigation, severe depressive episodes and difficult collaboration of the patient with the medical team, it was possible to reach the definitive diagnosis and to perform the appropriate treatment.

Epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate induces 67 kDa laminin receptor-mediated cell death accompanied by downregulation of ErbB proteins and altered lipid raft clustering in mammary and epidermoid carcinoma cells.

Since the administration of synthetic medicines is associated with drug resistance and undesired side effects, utilization of natural compounds could be an alternative and complementary modality to inhibit or prevent the development of tumors. Epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate (EGCG, 1), the major flavan component of green tea, and genistein (2), a soy isoflavonoid, are known to have chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic effects against cancer. This study demonstrated that both flavonoids inhibit cell proliferation, an effect enhanced under serum-free conditions. Compound 1, but not 2, induced downregulation of ErbB1 and ErbB2 in mammary and epidermoid carcinoma cells, and its inhibitory effect on cell viability was mediated by the 67 kDa laminin receptor (67LR). While 1 was superior in inducing cell death, 2 was more efficient in arresting the tumor cells in the G2/M phase. Furthermore, number and brightness analysis revealed that 1 decreased the homoclustering of a lipid raft marker, glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored GFP, and it also reduced the co-localization between lipid rafts and 67LR. The main conclusion made is that the primary target of 1 may be the lipid raft component of the plasma membrane followed by secondary changes in the expression of ErbB proteins. Compound 2, on the other hand, must have other unidentified targets.

Redefining the role of experiment in Bacon's natural history: how Baconian was Descartes before emerging from his cocoon?

In this article we argue that the views that Francis Bacon and René Descartes held about the role of experiments in the process of discovery are closer than previously accepted. Looking at the way experiments and the heuristics of experimentation are embedded in Bacon's posthumous History of Dense and Rare and Descartes' Discourses 8, 9, 10 of the Meteorology, we will show that experiments help the investigator both in solving specific problems that could not have otherwise been foreseen and in generating relevant information that advances the scope of the investigation.