Uterotrophic and in vitro screening for (anti)estrogenic activity of dipyrone.

Dipyrone is a commonly used analgesic in many countries and there is limited data on its possible endocrine disrupting effects. We performed a screening for in vivo and in vitro anti(estrogenic) activity of dipyrone. For the in vivo uterotrophic assay, immature female rats (22-days-old) were treated daily by oral gavage for three days with different doses of dipyrone alone (50, 100, 200 mg/kg/day) and associated with three ethynylestradiol (EE) doses (1, 3 and 10 µg/kg/day), which were based on a dose-response curve experiment. The uterine weight was used as a biomarker for estrogenicity. In a parallel in vitro approach, we used a yeast-based transcriptional activation reporter gene assay (Yeast Estrogen Screening - YES) for assessment of estrogenic agonistic and antagonistic effects of dipyrone and its main metabolites 4-methylaminoantipyrine (MAA) and 4-aminoantipyrine (AA). In the uterotrophic assay, animals that received EE at 1, 3 and 10 µg/kg/day showed an increase in relative uterine weight compared with vehicle-only rats (canola oil). Dipyrone did not increase uterine weight at any dose tested (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg/day) in relation to vehicle control, indicating absence of estrogenic activity. Furthermore, co-administration of dipyrone (50 and 200 mg/kg/day) and EE (1, 3 or 10 µg/kg/day) was unable to block EE estrogenic action in comparison to the groups treated with EE alone, indicating absence of antiestrogenic activity. In the YES assay dipyrone and its metabolites did not demonstrate estrogen agonistic or antagonistic properties in the yeast cells. These results suggest that dipyrone and its metabolites do not produce (anti)estrogenic effects in vivo or in vitro.

Could Fahr's Syndrome Have More Than One Simultaneous Etiology?

Fahr's syndrome is a rare, genetically dominant, inherited, neurological disorder characterized by abnormal deposits of calcium in the basal ganglia and the cerebral cortex. Symptoms include motor dysfunction, dementia, headache, spastic paralysis, abnormal ocular findings and seizures. Hypoparathyroidism is the most common endocrine disorder related to this syndrome, however, there are other metabolic, infectious and genetic causes. This is a case report of a Fahr's syndrome patient presenting a three-month history of self-limited partial epileptic seizures. His cranial CT had bilateral symmetrical calcifications of the basal ganglia, subcortical tissue and dentate nucleus whereas his laboratory findings were compatible with hypoparathyroidism.

Mycoplasma genitalium, a stealth female reproductive tract.

Mycoplasma genitalium was first isolated from the urethral swabs of two symptomatic men with urethritis in 1980. It is a sexually transmitted bacterium associated with a number of urogenital conditions in women like cervicitis, endometritis, pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and susceptibility to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, M. genitalium may also act like a stealth pathogen at female reproductive tract, giving no symptoms. Its prevalence varies between different groups, with the average being 0.5-10% in the general population and 20-40% in women with sexually transmitted infections. The recommended treatment of this infection is azithromycin as a single 1-g dose. However, in recent years, macrolide resistance has increased which is significantly lowering the cure rate, being less than 50% in some studies. New treatment regimens need to be investigated due to increasing drug resistance. The discussion and suggestion of an algorithm for management of this infection is the highlight of this paper.