Branched-chain amino acids in chronic liver failure: good friends or hated enemies?
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Amino Acids, Branched-Chain↗
Biomedical subjects
F Rossi Fanelli
Publications and source records attributed to F Rossi Fanelli.
Alternating intravenous courses of melphalan and peptichemio in high-risk multiple myeloma (preliminary results).
Six patients with high-risk multiple myeloma and one patient with primary amyloidosis were treated with a melphalan-peptichemio-prednisone association (PMP). The response trend seems promising, also in view of the low regimen bone marrow toxicity, but further studies could better evaluate the optimal PMP scheduling and peptichemio side effects.
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
Plasma amino acid imbalance in patients with lung and breast cancer.
In order to evaluate whether different solid tumors may specifically influence plasma free amino acid (PFAA) profile, PFAA were analysed in seventy-four patients with lung (41 patients) and breast cancer (33 patients) and 28 healthy subjects. In lung cancer patients a significant reduction of gluconeogenic amino acids, threonine, serine, glycine and a significant increase of free tryptophan and glutamic acid was found. In breast cancer patients a significant increase of ornithine, glutamic acid and free tryptophan was found. The comparison of PFAA profiles between lung and breast cancer suggests that different tumors have a different influence on the host's PFAA pattern.
Adult↗
Cytokines, tryptophan and anorexia in cancer patients before and after surgical tumor ablation.
Serotoninergic system activity and cytokine production have been both implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer anorexia. To verify the existence of relationships between tryptophan, cytokines and anorexia, twenty cancer and six non-neoplastic patients were studied. Plasma amino acid concentration, including tryptophan, and spontaneous and LPS stimulated tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1 release from peripheral blood mononuclear cells were determined before and after surgery in both groups of patients. A close relationship between plasma free tryptophan concentration and anorexia was observed, whereas no relationship between cytokine production and either anorexia or plasma tryptophan was found in cancer patients.
Adult↗
Biochemical indices may not accurately reflect changes in nutritional status after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.
The validity of biochemical indices routinely used for nutritional assessment was evaluated in patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for hematologic malignancies. Sixteen patients received total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for 15 days (35 kcal kg.body wt-1.day-1; 1.4 g amino acid.kg body wt-1.day-1) starting 1 day after transplantation. Nutritional status was evaluated before and after the TPN period by determining anthropometric (body weight, triceps skinfold thickness, and midarm circumference) and biochemical (transferrin, prealbumin, ceruloplasmin, and C3c) indices. Anthropometric indices, which were within the normal range before TPN, were not changed on day 15; transferrin and prealbumin concentrations significantly (p = 0.03) decreased whereas ceruloplasmin and C3c significantly (p = 0.03) increased. The levels of acute-phase proteins (alpha-1-acid glycoprotein, alpha-1-antitrypsin, and C-reactive protein), determined in 8 of the 16 patients at the same time intervals, were increased after 15 days of TPN and were significantly inversely correlated with transferrin and prealbumin. On the basis of these data, it appears that biochemical indices are not sufficiently reliable in the nutritional assessment of bone marrow transplantation patients because the levels of these substances are markedly affected by the acute-phase response secondary to febrile episodes and graft-versus-host disease, which frequently complicate transplantation.
Acute-Phase Proteins↗
Tumor-induced changes in host metabolism: a possible marker of neoplastic disease.
A large number of "biologic markers" for cancer have been described, including tumor-associated antigens, ectopic hormones, enzymes, and effects of tumor on the host's metabolism. Although tumors may metabolically differ from each other, they may induce similar derangements in glucose, lipid, and protein metabolism in the host. In particular, changes in carbohydrate metabolism may induce glucose intolerance that may be early and easily detected using an oral glucose tolerance test. Hypertriglyceridemia and reduced exogenous lipid clearance may represent an early marker of deranged lipid metabolism. Changes in protein metabolism, as reflected by plasma amino acid profile, may also represent a new diagnostic tool for cancer. Among other amino acids, free tryptophan seems to be the best candidate as a new useful marker for monitoring neoplastic disease. It is conceivable that, based on the understanding of the differences in plasma amino acid profiles, more specific and rational antineoplastic strategies may arise.
Biomarkers, Tumor↗
Relationship between interleukin-1 and cancer anorexia.
Interleukin-1 (IL-1) induces anorexia via direct action in the brain, and its participation in the pathogenesis of cancer-associated anorexia has been hypothesized. Because the functional ablation of the ventromedial nucleus of hypothalamus (VMH), where IL-1 receptors have been detected, reverses cancer-associated anorexia in tumor-bearing (TB) rats, we hypothesize that cancer anorexia involves the direct effect of IL-1 on the VMH. To test this hypothesis, we investigated whether the intra-VMH injection of the IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) improves food intake in anorectic TB rats. Sixteen Fischer rats (approximately 300 g/BW) were injected s.c. with 10(6) trypan-blue viable methylcholanthrene sarcoma cells, and then individually caged. Chow and water were freely available, and food intake was recorded throughout the study. Normal food intake was measured in 8 more rats, injected s.c. with normal saline. Tumor developed in all rats. When TB rats became anorectic, they were randomly assigned to either treatment or control groups. Using stereotaxic techniques, 25 ng of IL-1ra dissolved in normal saline (TB-IL-1ra; n = 8), or an equal volume of normal saline (TB-NS; n = 8) was injected bilaterally into the VMH. After surgery, rats were caged and changes in food intake recorded. At study's end, rats were sacrificed and brains removed for histological confirmation of injection sites. In the TB-NS group, food intake decreased with the occurrence of anorexia. In contrast, the intra-VMH injection of IL-1ra reduced the severity of cancer anorexia, significantly improving food intake in TB-IL-1ra rats. Data indicate that centrally acting IL-1 plays a significant role in the development of cancer anorexia.
Animals↗