Ki67 as a biologic marker of basal cell carcinoma: a retrospective study.

Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common malignancy in humans. Several factors have been associated with the biological behavior of these tumors, including histopathologic type, depth of tumor invasion, perineural invasion, and the expression of several biological markers including Ki67, a proliferative marker. Previous studies assessing the relationship between the proliferative fraction, as expressed by Ki67, and the histological variants of BCC as well as its association with the tendency to recur, failed to illustrate significant statistical correlation.

Novel rat model of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-infected silicone breast implants: a study of biofilm pathogenesis.

Background: Clinical infection of breast implants occurs in 7 to 24 percent of breast reconstructions. It may persist over time in the form of biofilm without overt manifestation and is extremely difficult to eradicate. The authors' aim was to establish a novel model for biofilm infection of silicone breast implants in rats.

Protective effect of human recombinant copper-zinc superoxide dismutase on zone of stasis survival in burns in rats.

Superoxide dismutase, acting as a scavenger of oxygen free radicals, has shown mixed results in increasing burn wound survival. Originally, we demonstrated that human recombinant copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (Hr-CuZnSOD) could increase the survival of failing ischemic flaps in a rat model. Because of the possible similar pathophysiology of tissue ischemia in flaps and the zone of stasis in burns, we conducted a later study using 2 groups of rats with standardized intermediate burns, to ascertain whether Hr-CuZnSOD could increase zone of stasis survival in rats.

Lack of complications in skin surgery of patients receiving clopidogrel as compared with patients taking aspirin, warfarin, and controls.

Clopidogrel, a new antiplatelet agent that irreversibly inhibits platelet aggregation, is widely used today. This prospective work was conducted to evaluate the safety of performing skin surgery on patients taking clopidogrel. Patients undergoing surgery for excision of skin or subcutaneous lesions under local anesthesia taking clopidogrel were the study group.

Pemphigus variant associated with penicillin use: a case-cohort study of 363 patients from Israel.

Objective: To determine whether medication use is associated with the development of a pemphigus variant.

Design: Population-based case-cohort study.

Setting: Health maintenance organization in Israel.

Reduced hospitalizations and death associated with influenza vaccination among patients with and without diabetes.

Objective: To assess whether the influenza vaccination of community-dwelling, diabetic, elderly individuals is associated with reduced rates of hospitalization and death.

Research Design And Methods: In this outcome-research study, we compared mortality and hospitalization rates of 15,556 patients aged >or=65 years followed using a diabetes registry in a large health maintenance organization to that of 69,097 members not suffering from chronic disease who were considered as a reference group. The study outcomes included all-cause death and hospitalization in internal medicine or geriatric wards for any reason over winter and summer (control) periods.