The protective role of the immunomodulator AS101 against chemotherapy-induced alopecia studies on human and animal models.

The immunomodulator AS101 has been demonstrated to exhibit radioprotective and chemoprotective effects in mice. Following phase-I studies, preliminary results from phase-II clinical trials on non-small-cell-lung-cancer patients showed a reduction in the severity of alopecia in patients treated with AS101 in combination with chemotherapy. To further substantiate these findings, the present study was extended to include 58 patients treated either with the optimal dose of 3 mg/m2 AS101 combined with carboplatin and VP-16, or with chemotherapy alone.

A comprehensive 30-month preventive dental health program in a pre-adolescent population with Down's syndrome: a longitudinal study.

A comprehensive systematic preventive dental health program was implemented in a young population with Down's Syndrome during a 30-month period. Twenty children (nine boys and 11 girls), ages 8-13 (mean age, 11), participated in the study, which took place in three hostel-like apartments. The main goals of this program were to achieve good plaque control and subsequently prevent periodontal disease as well as to apply fissure sealants and fluorides in an attempt to prevent dental caries.

Common endometrial decidual reaction in postmenopausal breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen and progestogens.

In order to assess endometrial reaction to the combined treatment of tamoxifen and progestogens in asymptomatic postmenopausal breast cancer patients, we evaluated all such patients by vaginal ultrasonography and by histological examination of endometrial samplings. All patients were initially treated with tamoxifen, and progestogens were then added when metastases became evident. Of 12 patients included in the study, eight (66.

Intranasal midazolam better at effecting amnesia after sedation than oral hydroxyzine: a pilot study.

Providing amnesia about a surgery is a desired side effect of a medication. This study compares anterograde amnesic effects of midazolam with hydroxyzine in children undergoing dental treatment with those drugs plus nitrous oxide, using a recall test. Thirty ASAI children 24-28 months, were shown a Standard-Binet intelligence scale-memory for objects subtest before entering treatment room.

Teething and acute graft vs. host disease: a clinical observation.

A 5-month-old girl, treated with bone marrow transplantation for severe combined immunodeficiency, developed two episodes of severe acute graft vs. host disease (GVHD) while teething. A dramatic improvement in GVHD was noted after the completion of tooth eruption.

Ovarian tumors in postmenopausal breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen.

From September 1, 1989, to November 30, 1994, 175 menopausal breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen were followed at the authors' institutions. During this period. 16 (9.

Soluble C-erbb-2 (p185) in breast-cancer patients in relation to prognosis.

Serum levels of P185-HER-2 were measured in 137 breast cancer patients and in 40 controls. The patients were divided into 4 groups: group A - 40 newly diagnosed patients; group B - 57 patients on long-term follow-up without active disease; group C - 26 patients with metastatic disease and group D - 5 patients with locally advanced inoperable tumors. The median level in controls was 4.

Retrospective epidemiological study of Burkitt's lymphoma in Israel and diagnosis by a conservative incisional biopsy.

The clinical features of 74 patients with Burkitt's lymphoma diagnosed at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel, are described. The prompt diagnosis of a child with high grade malignant jaw involvement of non-Hodgkin's Burkitt's lymphoma is reported. The use of the open biopsy with special emphasis on the incisional biopsy is discussed in light of the incidental exfoliation of the two primary molar teeth and one permanent successor in this case.

Bone marrow-sparing and prevention of alopecia by AS101 in non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with carboplatin and etoposide.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of the immunomodulator AS101 to prevent chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and thrombocytopenia and thus allow patients to receive full-dose antineoplastic agents according to protocol design. We also aimed to determine the production level of various hematopoietic growth factors in treated patients.

Patients And Methods: This study of 44 unresectable or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients was an open-label prospective randomized study of standard chemotherapy alone versus chemotherapy plus AS101.

Adenomyosis in postmenopausal breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen: a new entity?

Between September 1, 1989 and October 31, 1994, 173 postmenopausal breast cancer women on tamoxifen treatment were followed up in the authors' institutions. During this period, 14 (8.1%) underwent total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for various indications.

The significance of soluble interleukin-2, soluble interleukin-2 receptors, soluble ICAM-1 and beta 2-microglobulin in breast cancer patients.

The serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 (sIL-2), sIL-2 receptors (sIL-2R), beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2M) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) were measured by the ELISA technique in 129 breast cancer patients and 40 controls. The median serum levels of sIL2-R, beta 2M and sICAM-1 were significantly higher and sIL-2 significantly lower than controls. sIL-2R, sICAM-1 and beta 2M levels were significantly higher in patients with metastatic disease compared to patients on long-term follow-up with no active disease.

Postmenopausal tamoxifen treatment and endometrial pathology.

Tamoxifen is widely used as adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal breast cancer patients with positive estrogen receptors. Data on a possible association of endometrial pathologies with tamoxifen treatment have been accumulating. In this review, we examine the current literature and include our own experience with this occurrence.

Delta-T-lymphocytosis in a patient with thymoma.

Background: Malignant thymoma is composed of neoplastic epithelial cells and small lymphocytes. Rarely, patients also may have peripheral T-lymphocytosis. These lymphocytes have been considered nonneoplastic because of their microscopic appearance and immunophenotype, as well as gene rearrangement studies.

Continuous tamoxifen treatment in asymptomatic, postmenopausal breast cancer patients does not cause aggravation of endometrial pathologies.

Adjuvant tamoxifen therapy for breast cancer patients has been found to be associated with various endometrial pathologic conditions, including endometrial cancer. This preliminary case control study evaluated whether prolonged and continuous exposure to tamoxifen in the menopause may aggravate existing endometrial pathologies. Two vaginal ultrasound evaluations of endometrial thickness and histologic findings of two endometrial biopsies, performed 18 months apart, were evaluated for 25 asymptomatic, postmenopausal breast cancer patients who were continuously treated with tamoxifen.

Doppler flow evaluation of pathologic endometrial conditions in postmenopausal breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen.

A prospective pilot study was conducted to evaluate the usefulness of uterine artery blood flow in the detection of various pathologic endometrial conditions in 39 asymptomatic postmenopausal breast cancer patients who were treated with tamoxifen. No specific pattern was seen for the uterine artery pulsatility index values in the tamoxifen-treated patients that could be related to any specific endometrial lesions, nor were any specific changes observed in the pulsatility index value with increasing severity of the pathologic endometrial conditions. Similarly, no correlation was found between ultrasonographically measured endometrial widths and uterine artery pulsatility index values.

Assessment of two doses of intranasal midazolam for sedation of young pediatric dental patients.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of two doses of intranasal midazolam on sedation of young children for dental treatment. Thirty uncooperative children, mean age of 32 months, who needed at least two restorative visits, participated in this study. The patients were assigned randomly to receive either 0.

Clinical and microbiological effects of chlorhexidine and arginine sustained-release varnishes in the mentally retarded.

Local applications of sustained-released varnishes of chlorhexidine and arginine were used in a controlled pilot study of 34 mentally retarded patients, ages 18-45, assigned to one of these groups: chlorhexidine (C), arginine (A), or placebo (P). A professional scaling followed by four weeks of professional brushing to reach a Plaque Index (PII) and Gingival Index (GI) of 1.0 at baseline preceded eight weeks of daily varnish application to the buccal and labial surfaces of all teeth.

Research trends in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a tragic condition. The individual experiencing the loss of memory, difficulty with language, change in personality, and disturbance in behavior associated with AD is not alone; the number of people with AD is estimated at 4 million; by the year 2050, as many as 14 million Americans may be afflicted (National Institute of Aging, 1992). AD is the fourth leading cause of death for adults, taking more than 100,000 lives annually.

Conservative multidisciplinary treatment approach in an unusual odontodysplasia.

An unusual case of odontodysplasia is presented, involving both primary and permanent dentition, with oligodontia of permanent teeth and hypoplasia, taurodontism and incomplete eruption of a first permanent molar. In order to improve the patient's appearance, occlusion and function, his intra- and inter-arch relationships were altered. To accomplish this, a multidisciplinary treatment approach was adopted, involving restorative and prosthetic treatments by a pediatric dentist, accompanied by periodontal surgery, endodontics and orthodontics.

Elevated pretreatment levels of soluble CD8 and Beta-2-microglobulin as indicators of relapse in breast-cancer patients.

We measured soluble CD8 ((S)CD8) and microglobulin (beta-2M) in 128 breast cancer patients and in 200 controls by the ELISA method. Patient groups were: Group A-new patients; Group B-patients on follow-up; Group C-patients with metastases. The mean (S)CD8 and beta-2M were significantly higher in patients than in controls ((S)CD8 p<0.

Endometrial changes with tamoxifen: comparison between tamoxifen-treated and nontreated asymptomatic, postmenopausal breast cancer patients.

Endometrial thickness, as evaluated by vaginal ultrasonography, and endometrial histologic findings, as well as demographic characteristics, health habits, and risk factors for endometrial cancer, were compared between 93 asymptomatic postmenopausal breast cancer patients who had been on tamoxifen treatment and 20 patients who had not. The mean ultrasonographic endometrial thickness in the women on tamoxifen treatment was 13.1 +/- 10.

The expression of HLA class I antigen in prostate cancer in relation to tumor differentiation and patient survival.

The expression of HLA class I antigens was studied using the immunoperoxidase technique on 30 patients with prostate cancer and 29 patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Forty-three percent of the tumors stained positive, in contrast to 21% of the BPH. An inverse relationship was noted between class I expression and degree of tumor differentiation: 88% of the well-differentiated tumors (8/9) expressed class I antigen, compared with 33% (3/9) of the moderately differentiated and 16% (2/12) of the poorly differentiated tumors.

Endometrial changes in postmenopausal women treated with tamoxifen for breast cancer.

Objective: To evaluate whether risk factors, other than tamoxifen, can be identified for the development of endometrial pathologies in postmenopausal breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Oncology Clinic, Sapir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.