Effect of tamoxifen on sexual functioning in patients with breast cancer.

Purpose: To define the incidence of sexual dysfunction in a population of women with breast cancer treated with tamoxifen.

Patients And Methods: Breast cancer patients with a performance status of 0 to 2 who had been treated with tamoxifen for 2 to 24 months completed the following measures: the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale, the Sexual History Form, and the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial Symptom Checklist. Forty-nine of the participants underwent gynecologic examinations with vaginal smears for determination of estrogen effect.

Genome-scale cloning and expression of individual open reading frames using topoisomerase I-mediated ligation.

The in vitro cloning of DNA molecules traditionally uses PCR amplification or site-specific restriction endonucleases to generate linear DNA inserts with defined termini and requires DNA ligase to covalently join those inserts to vectors with the corresponding ends. We have used the properties of Vaccinia DNA topoisomerase I to develop a ligase-free technology for the covalent joining of DNA fragments to suitable plasmid vectors. This system is much more efficient than cloning methods that require ligase because the rapid DNA rejoining activity of Vaccinia topoisomerase I allows ligation in only 5 min at room temperature, whereas the enzyme's high substrate specificity ensures a low rate of vector-alone transformants.

Quantification of microbial productivity via multi-angle light scattering and supervised learning.

This article describes the use of chemometric methods for prediction of biological parameters of cell suspensions on the basis of their light scattering profiles. Laser light is directed into a vial or flow cell containing media from the suspension. The intensity of the scattered light is recorded at 18 angles.

Living donor lobar lung transplantation: the pediatric experience.

Living donor (LD) lobar lung transplantation is now an accepted alternative to cadaveric lung transplantation in selected patients with end-stage lung disease. This study reviews the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles LD experience of 17 patients (mean 13.2 +/- 2.

Documentation of EWS gene rearrangements by fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) in frozen sections of Ewing's sarcoma-peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor.

Prompt and accurate diagnosis of small round cell tumors warrants ancillary studies. Recently, two-color fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) using probes for specific gene rearrangements has gained wide acceptance. EWS gene rearrangements, present in essentially 100% of Ewing's Sarcoma/peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor, were evaluated by FISH on frozen sections (FS) of tumor biopsies from 10 patients, plus a negative control, and in seven other malignant neoplasms of childhood.

Impact of different adjuvant therapy strategies on quality of life in breast cancer survivors.

Little is known about the long-term effects of adjuvant therapy on quality of life, sexual functioning and symptoms in breast cancer survivors. Between January 1996 and June 1997, we surveyed 1098 women who had been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer between 1 and 5 years earlier. The breast cancer survivors were recruited in two large metropolitan centers in the USA.

Sexual functioning and intimacy in African American and white breast cancer survivors: a descriptive study.

This study examines ethnic differences in sexual socialization and attitudes, sexual history and current practices, and the effects of treatment in 147 African American and White breast cancer survivors. Sex-related research in younger healthy populations has shown that cultural values associated with ethnicity influence sexual functioning, but small numbers of African American participants in previous research in breast cancer survivors has limited what we know about that population. In this study, there were few differences between the 2 ethnic groups in a predominantly well-educated, high-income, highly functional sample.

Gastric duplication-colonic fistula with colonic ulceration and bleeding.

An 11-month-old girl had massive rectal bleeding. A midabdominal mass was palpated. Ultrasound scan showed a large cystic mass with diffusely echogenic contents; Tc-99M radionuclide scan confirmed a duplication.

Systemic mast cell disease associated with primary ovarian mixed malignant germ cell tumor.

A 12-year-old girl with a mixed malignant germ cell tumor of the ovary, treated by surgery and chemotherapy, developed systemic mast cell disease (SMCD) approximately 3 months after chemotherapy. Hematologic malignancies have previously been noted in patients with mediastinal germ cell tumors but this is the first report of a primary ovarian germ cell neoplasm associated with SMCD.

Increased submucosal nerve trunk caliber in aganglionosis: a "positive" and objective finding in suction biopsies and segmental resections in Hirschsprung's disease.

Objective: To establish the diagnostic usefulness of submucosal hypertrophic nerve trunk morphology in Hirschsprung's disease as a quantifiable parameter supportive of aganglionosis on hematoxylin-eosin-stained sections.

Design: We retrospectively evaluated size and density of submucosal nerves on hematoxylin-eosin-stained sections and S100 protein-stained sections of resected segments from 13 patients with Hirschsprung's disease, and in sections of 20 aganglionic and 50 ganglionic rectal suction biopsies.

Setting: All patients were seen at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (Calif), a tertiary-care pediatric center; the age of patients at diagnosis or resection ranged between 2 days and 3 years.

Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder in women with breast cancer.

This study investigated whether diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer produced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adult women. One hundred sixty women with early stage node-negative breast cancer completed self-report questionnaires and underwent a full diagnostic assessment (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R). PTSD symptoms were common; however, only 3% of the women interviewed met stringent criteria for cancer-related PTSD in the 4-12 months following the completion of their medical treatment.

Isolation of seven unique biogenic amine receptor clones from the honey bee by library scanning.

The biogenic amine receptor genes constitute an ancient and highly divergent family within the larger superfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors. These receptors play a central role in modulating nerve cell activity and thus behaviour. Because the honey bee offers numerous advantages for behavioural studies we endeavoured to isolate as many members of this gene family as possible from the bee.

The deconvolution of pyrolysis mass spectra using genetic programming: application to the identification of some Eubacterium species.

Pyrolysis mass spectrometry was used to produce complex biochemical fingerprints of Eubacterium exiguum, E. infirmum, E. tardum and E.

Activation of chimeric and full-length growth hormone receptors by growth hormone receptor monoclonal antibodies. A specific conformational change may be required for full-length receptor signaling.

Signal transduction by the growth hormone receptor (GHR) occurs through growth hormone (GH)-induced dimerization of two GHRs to form a trimeric complex. It is thought that dimerization alone is sufficient for signaling, since monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the extracellular domain of the GHR elicit proliferation of FDC-P1 cells transfected with a chimeric receptor comprising the extracellular domain of the GHR and the fibronectin and cytoplasmic domains of the murine granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor. We have screened 14 GHR mAbs for proliferative activity against characterized FDC-P1 and BaF-B03 cell lines stably expressing the full-length human, rabbit, or rat GHR, or the chimeric human GHR/granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor, and for transactivation of the c-fos promoter and STAT activation.

Life after breast cancer: understanding women's health-related quality of life and sexual functioning.

Purpose: To describe the health-related quality of life (HRQL), partner relationships, sexual functioning, and body image concerns of breast cancer survivors (BCS) in relation to age, menopausal status, and type of cancer treatment.

Patients And Methods: A cross-sectional sample of BCS in two large metropolitan areas was invited to participate in a survey study that included the following standardized measures: the RAND 36-Item Health Survey; the Centers for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D); the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS); the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial (BCPT) Symptom Checklist; the Watts Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (WSFQ); and subscales from the Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System (CARES).

Results: Eight hundred sixty-four BCS completed the survey.

Aspartate 171 is the major primate-specific determinant of human growth hormone. Engineering porcine growth hormone to activate the human receptor.

It has been known for more than 4 decades that only primate growth hormones are effective in primate species, but it is only with the availability of the 2.8 A structure of the human growth hormone (hGH).hGH-binding protein (hGHBP)2 complex that Souza and co-workers (Souza, S.

Distinct pattern of ret oncogene rearrangements in morphological variants of radiation-induced and sporadic thyroid papillary carcinomas in children.

In this study, we compare the morphological and genetic characteristics of 38 post-Chernobyl thyroid papillary carcinomas from Belarussian children 5-18 years old with those of 23 sporadic papillary carcinomas from the same age children without history of radiation exposure from Los Angeles and Cincinnati. Among radiation-induced tumors, solid variant of papillary carcinoma was found in 37%, follicular in 29%, typical papillary in 18%, and mixed and diffuse sclerosing variants in 8% each. In the sporadic group, a typical papillary pattern was prevalent in 70%, follicular in 17%, diffuse sclerosing variant in 9%, and solid in 4%.

Influence of the level of dietary lipid intake and maximal exercise on the immune status in runners.

Chronic exercise and high fat diets are associated with immune suppression. This study compares cellular immune responses at rest and after maximal exercise in runners after eating diets comprised of 17% low fat (LF), 32% medium fat (MF), and 41% high fat (HF) (4 wk each). VO2max increased significantly from the 17% to 41% fat diet.

Effect of a high or a low fat diet on cardiovascular risk factors in male and female runners.

Dietary fat may be associated with coronary heart disease (CHD). Studies suggest that restricting fat intake may compromise endurance performance and that increasing fat intake may improve endurance performance. We studied the effects of varying dietary fat intake on CHD risk factors in runners.

Rapid identification of Streptococcus and Enterococcus species using diffuse reflectance-absorbance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and artificial neural networks.

Diffuse reflectance-absorbance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was used to analyse 19 hospital isolates which had been identified by conventional means to one Enterococcus faecalis, E. faecium, Streptococcus bovis, S. mitis, S.

Use of the Cam Walker in treating diabetic ulcers. A case report.

This case study shows how a Cam Walker when equipped with an arch filler can be another tool the physician may use to help heal diabetic ulcerations. Even after other methods of conservative care have failed, the Cam Walker with an arch filler has been shown to gradually decrease and heal diabetic ulcerations on the plantar aspect of the foot. It accomplishes this by decreasing the pressure on the ulcerative areas and by decreasing the velocity with which the foot strikes the ground.

Intensive outpatient adjuvant therapy for breast cancer: results of dose escalation and quality of life.

Purpose: A dose-escalation study was conducted to determine the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) and dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) of cyclophosphamide (CY) in combination with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF0 and doxorubicin (DOX) given every 2 weeks for eight cycles as outpatient adjuvant therapy for node-positive breast cancer. A pilot study to assess quality of life (QOL) was performed.

Patients And Methods: From March 1991 to April 1993, 19 patients were entered.