Cytotoxicity of capsaicin and its analogs in vitro.

Capsaicin (CAP) is the main compound responsible for the spicy flavor of Capsicum plants. However, its application can be inhibited due to its pungency and toxicity. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the cytotoxic effect of CAP and its analogs N-benzylbutanamide (AN1), N-(3-methoxybenzyl) butanamide (AN2), N-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl) butanamide (AN3), N-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl) hexanamide (AN4) and N-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl) tetradecanamide (AN5) on the hepatoma cells of Rattus norvegicus using the MTT test. The results showed cytotoxicity of CAP at concentrations of 100, 150, 175, and 200 µM (24 hours), AN1 at 150 and 175 µM (48 hours), AN2 at 50 µM (24 hours) and 10, 25, 50, and 75 µM (48 hours), AN4 at 175 µM (24 hours), and AN5 at 50 µM (48 hours). Removing the hydroxyl radical from the vanillyl group of capsaicin, together with reducing the acyl chain to 3 carbons, which is the case of AN2, resulted in the best biological activity. Increasing the carbon chain in the acyl group of the capsaicin molecule, which is the case of AN5, also showed evident cytotoxic effects. The present study proves that the chemical modifications of capsaicin changed its biological activity.

The role of surgery in the treatment of primary gastric lymphoma.

The present retrospective study of 23 patients with primary gastric lymphoma had the objective of determining the role of surgical treatment on survival. All patients were submitted to gastric resection with regional lymph node removal. Nine patients (39.1%) received supplementary treatment (chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy). According to the Kiel classification, the most frequent histological type was the centroblastic (29.1%), and most patients (60.9%) had a low-grade lymphoma. According to the Ann Arbor classification, modified by Musshoff and Schmidt-Vollmer, stages were IE in 52.1%, II1E in 8.7%, II2E in 13.1%, and IV in 26.1% of the cases. Mean survival was 29.3 months. The variables that influenced survival rates were age, advanced stage tumor, and receiving postoperative adjuvant therapy. Analysis of our cases suggests that complete lesion resection along with adjacent lymph nodes, and supplementary postoperative treatment is the best approach for a resectable primary gastric lymphoma.

Primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the right colon: a retrospective clinical-pathological study.

The objective of this study was to analyze the results of surgical treatment of primary non-Hodgkin lymphomas of the right colon. Ten patients were operated on with curative intention. Dawson's criteria were used to characterize the colonic lymphoma as a primary lymphomas. In the staging of the tumor, the Ann Arbor classification for gastrointestinal lymphomas modified by Musshoff and Schmidt-Vollmer was used. The histological classification was made by using the International Working Formulation Group system. All patients were submitted to radical right colectomy and 6 of them received postoperative chemotherapy. The overall average survival was 39.2 months. Four of the patients are still alive, without active disease, with an average survival of 85.2 months. Six patients died due to relapse in the abdomen, with an average survival of 8.2 months. These results suggest that it is advantageous to patient survival to have them submitted for resection of their lesions at an initial stage of the disease (IE and IIE1). Chemotherapy must be used as a complementary treatment in locally advanced lesions, in an attempt to control the residual microscopic disease.

Apuntes sobre una representación social de la adolescencia en los editoriales del diario La Nación / Notes on a social representation of adolescence in the editorials of La Nación daily newspaper

El concepto de representación social, a pesar de los problemas a resolver, expresaría una perspectiva superadora de dicotomías clásicas dentro de la psicología social: individuo/sociedad; naturaleza/cultura y conocimiento por elaboración individual o imposición social. En el presente aporte se aborda la construcción de la representación social de adolescentes urbanos de principios de siglo XXI en un complejo entramado entre juventud-impulsividad-alcoholismo en expresiones periodísticas vertidas en las notas editoriales del matutino La Nación de Buenos Aires. Estas fuentes secundarias resultan apropiadas para rastrear estas y otras representaciones, pues los medios masivos de comunicación tienen una difusión y alcance indiscutido y también la capacidad de “instalar” una agenda pública que recoge inquietudes de una comunidad determinada y que las enfatiza en una retroalimentación permanente.

[Correlation between hypercholesterolemia and vitamin C deficient diet]. / Correlação entre hipercolesterolemia e dieta deficiente em vitamina C.

The deficiency of ascorbic acid in the diet affects the activity of lecithin cholesterol acyl-transferase enzyme and transformation of cholesterol to its main catabolic product the biliary acids. Fifteen patients with normal blood levels of cholesterol and fifteen patients with hypercholesterolemia were submitted to a comparative study as to the dietary ingestion of ascorbic acid. Besides this the presence of the varicosity of the sublingual vein--indicating hypovitaminosis C--was investigated in both groups of patients. The "t" Student test and Control-Case test of the results showed that regarding the cholesterol level there was a significant difference between the patients with hypercholesterolemia (422 +/- 116.2018 mg/100 ml) and those with normal cholesterolemia (160.73 +/- 29.5356 mg/100 ml). The ingestion of ascorbic acid in he diet of the normal cholesterolemia group was found to be significantly higher than that of patients with hypercholesterolemia. The ingestion of cholesterol was high in the group of patients with hypercholesterolemia but in comparison with other groups there was no significant difference. The varicosity of the sublingual vein was observed with significantly higher frequency (p < 0.0001) in the group of patients with hypercholesterolemia and lower ingestion of ascorbic acid.

Alteracoes estruturais da parede intestinal produzidas pela isquemia segmentar. / Structural changes of the intestinal wall caused by segmental ischemia

Os autores estudam as alteracoes histologicas de segmentos de intestino delgado (ileoterminal) de caes submetidos a isquemia obtida por meio de ligadura arterial. Os animais foram sacrificados aos 15, 30 e 60 dias. O exame da cavidade e o estudo histopatologico dos fragmentos retirados demonstraram, apos 15 dias de operacao, o aumento do calibre do segmento isquemiado. Nos caes sacrificados com 30 e 60 dias, observou-se reducao do diametro com retorno praticamente a normalidade. Os autores, alem das alteracoes macroscopicas, estudam as modificacoes histopatologicas, particularmente as ocorridas na estrutura dos plexos nervosos intramurais. Consideram o modelo experimental adotado util na investigacao de alteracoes estruturais e fisiologicas do intestino

Cancer gastrico - reavaliacao dos metodos de diagnostico. / Gastric cancer- reevaluation of the methods of diagnosis

Os autores fazem um estudo restrospectivo em 40 pacientes portadores de carcinoma gastrico internados em 1978 no Hospital do Servidor Publico Estadual "Francisco Morato de Oliveira". Sao todos casos de adenocarcinoma, dos quais 39 em estagio avancado e 1 precoce, tipo IIc. Mostram predominio do tipo I da classificacao de Borrmann, alem da predominancia das lesoes no antro. Analisam ainda comparacao entre o estudo radiologico, endoscopico e biopsia endoscopica. Comentam a importancia da biopsia, citologia e estudo endoscopico, que em conjunto, dao maior positividade ao diagnostico. Finalmente, relacionam o fato de que pacientes acima de 40 anos devem ser melhor estudados quando apresentarem sintomas dispepticos sem causa aparente