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The effects of buprenorphine and methadone tested on the immune system were overlapping in our patients. The elevated cytokine levels observed may suggest that the two drugs stimulate immunologic hyperactivation of an immune system that was formerly inhibited by heroin. Furthermore, our data suggest that buprenorphine can be a valid alternative to methadone in maintenance treatment of chronic heroin abuse and referred a marked decline in depression.

To assess whether pathogenic endothelial dysfunction is involved in acute idiopathic tinnitus we enrolled 44 patients and 25 healthy volunteers. In blood from the internal jugular vein and brachial vein we determined malonaldehyde, 4-hydroxynonenal, myeloperoxidase, glutathione peroxidase, nitric oxide, L-arginine and L-ornitine, thrombomodulin (TM) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) activity during tinnitus and asymptomatic period. Higher plasma concentrations of oxidative markers and L-arginine, and lower nitric oxide and L-ornitine levels were observed in jugular blood of patients with tinnitus, there being a significant difference between brachial and jugular veins. TM and vWF activity were significantly higher in patients' jugular blood than in brachial blood. Our results suggest oxidant, TM, vWF activity production are increased and nitric oxide production reduced in brain circulation reflux blood of patients with acute tinnitus. These conditions are able to cause a general cerebro-vascular endothelial dysfunction, which in turn induce a dysfunction of microcirculation in the inner ear.

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