cortisol-succinate--sodium-salt and Neoplasms

The hydrocortisone test has been performed on 20 patients with lymphoproliferative disease (MH, LNH, CLL, MM, BMG) and 12 patients with solid neoplasm to study the "recirculating" lymphocytic population (mainly T lymphocytes with "helper" function). Therefore, as proposed by Fauci and Dale, we counted the basal venous blood lymphocytes in the morning after fasting and then 4 h after the administration of hydrocortisone 400 mg. While the test did not appear to be statistically modified in patients with solid neoplasms as compared to normal controls, it appears particularly compromised in lymphoproliferative diseases, but with different values in each disease. The results are discussed on the basis of lymphocytic kinetic data.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Blood; Female; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Leukocyte Count; Lymphoproliferative Disorders; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; T-Lymphocytes; Veins

The identification of self-renewing and multipotent neural stem cells (NSCs) in the mammalian brain holds promise for the treatment of neurological diseases and has yielded new insight into brain cancer. However, the complete repertoire of signaling pathways that governs the proliferation and self-renewal of NSCs, which we refer to as the 'ground state', remains largely uncharacterized. Although the candidate gene approach has uncovered vital pathways in NSC biology, so far only a few highly studied pathways have been investigated. Based on the intimate relationship between NSC self-renewal and neurosphere proliferation, we undertook a chemical genetic screen for inhibitors of neurosphere proliferation in order to probe the operational circuitry of the NSC. The screen recovered small molecules known to affect neurotransmission pathways previously thought to operate primarily in the mature central nervous system; these compounds also had potent inhibitory effects on cultures enriched for brain cancer stem cells. These results suggest that clinically approved neuromodulators may remodel the mature central nervous system and find application in the treatment of brain cancer.

Topics: Animals; Cell Survival; Cells, Cultured; Mice; Molecular Structure; Neoplasms; Neurons; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Sensitivity and Specificity; Stem Cells

Corticoids are well known for their immunosuppressive properties. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an intrinsic antiinflammatory peptide in immune diseases, originally identified as cytokine synthesis inhibitory factor. We examined the effect of hydrocortisone sodium succinate (HSS) on the production of IL-10 by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). PBMCs from healthy volunteers and cancer-burden patients were preincubated separately with or without HSS for 1 h, then stimulated with 5 microg/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Production of IL-10 by human PBMCs was detected with LPS stimulation and its production was higher in cancer-burden patients than in normal volunteers, although this was not statistically significant. HSS suppressed production of IL-10 by LPS-stimulated PBMCs in a dose-dependent manner both in normal volunteers and in cancer-burden patients. These results indicate that, in addition to their antiinflammatory properties, corticoids act to restore the immunosuppressive states even in cancer-burden states.

Topics: Adult; Cells, Cultured; Female; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Interleukin-10; Male; Middle Aged; Monocytes; Neoplasms; Reference Values