Treatment of experimental ovarian carcinoma with monthly injection of the agonist D-Trp-6-LH-RH: A preliminary report

Hormones, particularly gonadotropins, have been implicated in the development of ovarian cancer. Chronic administration of agonistic analogs of luteinizing-hormone releasing-hormone (LH-RH) induces an inhibition of the pituitary-gonadal axis. The blockade of the release of luteinizing-hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) may exert a possible therapeutic effect on ovarian cancer. We examined the results of prolonged administration of D-Trp-6-LH-RH, an agonistic analog of LH-RH in experimental ovarian cancer. We used the recently developed ovarian cancer model in rats, which is produced by treatment of pregnant rats with N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP), following which a high incidence of ovarian tumors are induced in the offspring. In morphologic aspects the induced tumor resembles human ovarian neoplasms. Once a month administration of a delayed release preparation of microcapsules of D-Trp-6-LH-RH prolonged the survival and decreased tumor growth and the incidence of metastases. Additional experimental and clinical studies are needed to determine the efficacy of the treatment with LH-RH analogs in ovarian cancer

Chronic gastritis associated with Helicobacter pylori. Correlation between histological and bacteriological findings

Biopsy specimens of gastric and duodenal mucosa from 326 patients were examined bacteriologically and histologically to determine the correlation between chronic gastritis and H. pylori colonization. H. pylori was identified in 111 (66.5%) patients with evidence of chronic gastritis and in 97 (82.2%) individuals who had gastritis associated with other pathology (gastric o duodenal ulcer, carcinoma o bulboduodenitis). The spiral bacteria was found more frequently in specimens with chronic superficial gastritis (881107) and no significant difference was observed between the grade of activity of gastritis and H. pylori colonization. Giemsa stain was the most suitable method for detecting H. pylori in histological sections. By electron microscopy the microorganism was seen on the surface of the gastric mucosa, beneath the mucous layer, and more occasionally in intercellular junctions and the gastric pit

Experimental thioacetamide-induced cirrhosis of the liver

Hepatic cirrhosis is a complex disease in which several biological, biochemical and chemical alterations are combined, none of these alone being sufficient for diagnosis. The morphological characteristics of the final stages of cirrhosis are well known, but the initial lesions and intermediate stages still have not been fully clarified. An experimental model of hepatic cirrhosis by chronic administration over 30 weeks of thioacetamide (50 mglkg twice weekly) to female Wistar rats has been produced. In a macroscopic, microscopic and ultrastructural study. The different lesions that appeared were evaluated according to the dose of the toxic agent administered up, until hepatic cirrhosis was finally installed; this was after 60 doses of the toxic agent (30 weeks). Discussion is made of the different types of administration and the doses employed to obtain a suitable survival rate for these cases; in our experiments this was 95%. It has been demonstrated in both human and experimental pathology that once the disease itself has been installed, currently there is no rational or useful treatment for it. A beneficial effect has been demonstrated for certain substances, improving the initial and intermediate lesions. so we conclude by stating that it is necessary to further study the hepatic lesions preceeding cirrhosis. Knowledge of these lesions could form the basis for establishing a useful and rational therapy for such cases