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Objective. This prospective open trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic acid) in patients with Cushing's disease (CD). Methods. Sixteen patients with CD and persistent or recurrent hypercortisolism after transsphenoidal surgery were given isotretinoin orally for 6-12 months. The drug was started on 20 mg daily and the dosage was increased up to 80 mg daily if needed and tolerated. Clinical, biochemical, and hormonal parameters were evaluated at baseline and monthly for 6-12 months. Results. Of the 16 subjects, 4% (25%) persisted with normal urinary free cortisol (UFC) levels at the end of the study. UFC reductions of up to 52.1% were found in the rest. Only patients with UFC levels below 2.5-fold of the upper limit of normal achieved sustained UFC normalization. Improvements of clinical and biochemical parameters were also noted mostly in responsive patients. Typical isotretinoin side-effects were experienced by 7 patients (43.7%), though they were mild and mostly transient. We also observed that the combination of isotretinoin with cabergoline, in relatively low doses, may occasionally be more effective than either drug alone. Conclusions. Isotretinoin may be an effective and safe therapy for some CD patients, particularly those with mild hypercortisolism.

Successful discontinuation of cabergoline (CAB) treatment has been reported in 31-75% of prolactinomas patients treated for at least 2 years. In contrast, it is not well established whether CAB therapy can be successfully withdrawn after a failed first attempt. This prospective open trial was designed to address this topic and to try to identify possible predictor factors. Among 180 patients with prolactinomas on CAB therapy, the authors selected those who fulfilled very strict criteria, particularly additional CAB therapy for at least 2 years, normalization of serum prolactin (PRL) levels following CAB restart, no tumor remnant >10 mm, no previous pituitary radiotherapy or surgery; and current CAB dose ≤1.0 mg/week. Recurrence was defined as an increase of PRL levels above the upper limit of normal. A total of 34 patients (70.6% female) treated with CAB for 24-30 months were recruited. Ten patients (29.4%) remained without evidence of recurrence after 24-26 months of follow-up. Twenty-four patients (70.6%) recurred within 15 months (75% within 12 months) after drug withdrawal and ~80% were restarted CAB. Median time to recurrence was 10.5 months (range, 3-15). Despite overlapping values, non-recurring patients had significantly lower mean PRL levels before withdrawal. Moreover, the recurrence rate was lower in subjects without visible tumor on pituitary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) than in those with small remnant tumor (60 vs. 79%), though the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.20). No other characteristic could be identified as a predictor of successful CAB discontinuation. In conclusion, a second attempt of CAB withdrawal after two additional years of therapy may be successful, particularly in patients with lower PRL levels and no visible tumor on pituitary MRI. Close monitoring of PRL level is mandatory, especially within the first year after withdrawal, where most recurrences are detected.

Outbreaks of an epidermic disease suggesting parapox virus infections have been observed in all major herds of sheep and goats from different geographical areas of Brazil. Clinical samples (dried scabs) were collected and orf virus was isolated and characterized by electron microscopy in previous work. In order to characterize these viruses at the molecular level, a modified methodology for genomic DNA extraction directly from scabs was used and such DNA was used to derive the restriction enzyme digestion patterns for clinical samples from three distinct geographic origins. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis was used to separate restriction enzyme DNA fragments and heterogeneity among isolates from different geographic areas could be observed on stained gels. The HindIII-G DNA fragment from orf-A virus genome was cloned and hybridized to DNA of other orf virus isolates. Further heterogeneity was confirmed by these hybridizations.

A new simplified method of DNA extraction of contagious pustular dermatitis virus directly from scab material of natural and experimental infections is described. Scabs are suspended in buffer solution and an enriched core suspension is obtained after treatment with detergent, quelants and centrifugation. DNA is isolated after proteinase digestion and phenolchloroform extraction. Viral DNA and fragments with sizes ranging from 23-25 kb were observed by agarose gel electrophoresis. This DNA was used for digestion with several restriction endonucleases which produced parapoxvirus-specific patterns. Southern blots with the TK gene of vaccinia virus as probe confirmed the virus as being poxvirus-related and allowed a preliminary TK gene location for our isolates. The method was developed in order to allow a quick epidemiological survey of contagious pustular dermatitis virus in Brazil, eliminating the need for time-consuming and expensive viral propagation in cell culture and purification.