AIM: To compare the effects, adverse reactions and emotion change of venlafaxine vs furazolidone for harmful alcoholics.　METHODS: Sixty-eight patients with harmful alcoholics were divided into two groups. Thirty-four patients (M34; age 37 a± s 6 a) were treated with venlafaxine, 25-50 mg, po, tid, for 8 wk. The other thirty-four patients (M34;age 38 a±6 a) with furzolidone, 0.1-0.2 g, po, tid, for 8 wk, with drinking alcohol at regular intervals during treating with furazolidone.　RESULTS: The total effective rate was 79% in venlafaxine group at 3 mo. There were no obvious adverse reactions, the anxiety disorder and depressive disorder during treating with venlafaxine. And the total effective rate was 65% in furazolidone group (P<0.05). There were obvious adverse reactions such as hypotension, myocardial ischemia, anxiety disorder and depressive disorder after treating with furazolidone.　CONCLUSION: Adverse reaction of venlafaxine on harmful alcoholics is smaller than furazolidone and the effect of venlafaxine on alcoholics is better than furazolidone.

PURPOSE: In our previous studies we showed that upregulating claudin-6 (CLDN6) expression may contribute to preventing breast cancer, and that 17beta-estradiol induces a concentration- and time-related effect on CLDN6 mRNA and protein expression in MCF-7 cells. However, the mechanisms of 17beta-estradiol regulation of CLDN6 are still unclear. We determined the role of estrogen receptors in the regulation of CLDN6 expression in human breast cancer tissues and a cell line. METHODS: CLDN6, estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) expression in breast cancer tissues were examined using immunohistochemistry. The human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7, which expresses ERalpha but not ERbeta was used. CLDN6 and ERalpha expression were measured by reverse transcriptase-PCR, Western blotting and immunofluorescent staining. Treatments with propyl pyrazole triol (PPT) and ICI 182, 780 (ICI) were performed. RESULTS: The results revealed that CLDN6 expression was related to ERalpha in breast cancer tissues (p=0.033). PPT, an ERalpha-selective ligand, upregulated CLDN6 expression at 10-5 mol/L after 24 hours. The effect of PPT on regulating CLDN6 expression in MCF-7 cells was blocked by ICI. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that Eralpha reulates CLDN6 expression in breast cancer tissues and that 17beta-estradiol induces CLDN6 expression through an ERalpha pathway in MCF-7 cells.
Blotting, Western ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Cell Line ; Claudins ; Estrogen Receptor alpha ; Estrogen Receptor beta ; Estrogens ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; MCF-7 Cells ; Pyrazoles ; Receptors, Estrogen ; RNA, Messenger ; Tight Junctions

PURPOSE: Microsatellite instability in patients with defects in the mismatch repair system resulting in RER has a high risk of accumulating mutations in oncogene and tumor suppressor gene. In this study, we evaluated the incidence of microsatellite instability in breast cancer by comparing PCR-amplified sequences from frozen samples of normal and tumor tissue fram affected patients. We also investigated whether RER was associated with TGF-beta RII mutation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty surgically resected breast cancer specimens from Jan. 1996 to June, 1997 were used for study. Microsatellite instability(referred to as replication error, RER) at three loci with BAT 26, BAT 40, TA10 was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction and the results were compared with clinicopathologic characteristics. RESULTS: Of the 50 breast cancer patients, 14(28%) were RER(+) at one or more microsatellite loci, and 4(8%) showed TGF-beta RII mutation. Microsatellite instability was significantly correlated with lymph node involvement(especially in case of 4 or more lymph nodes involvement). But we could not find any correlation between RER and other prognostic factors including tumor size, tumor grade, hormone receptor status and pathology. One of fourteen tumors with RER(+) showed TGF-beta RII mutstion. There was no signiticant correlation between RER(+) and TGF-beta type II receptor gene mutation. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that microsatellite instability would be useful prognostic factor in unilateral breast cancer patients, and the role of targeting to gene mutation will be explored in future studies.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; DNA Mismatch Repair ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lymph Nodes ; Microsatellite Instability* ; Microsatellite Repeats* ; Oncogenes ; Pathology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prognosis* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta