Evidence for Hepatitis A virus endemic circulation in Israel despite universal toddlers' vaccination since 1999 and low clinical incidence in all age groups.

Background: Universal toddlers vaccination (UTV) introduced in 1999, reduced hepatitis A incidence in Israel from 50.4 to <1.0/100,000.

[Oral antibiotics for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients with low risk neutropenic fever--a comparative controlled study].

Background: Chemotherapy induced neutropenic fever can be safely treated with oral antibiotics. However, guidelines are based on studies that focused on patients with solid tumors.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of oral antibiotics in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) patients with low risk neutropenic fever.

Should bone marrow examination be routinely performed for the diagnosis of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance?

Background: Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance is defined by the presence of: low serum and/or urine monoclonal protein level; less than 10% plasma cells in bone marrow; normal serum calcium, creatinine and hemoglobinlevels; and no bone lesions on full skeletal X-ray survey.

Objectives: To study the necessity of bone marrow examination for the diagnosis and clinical course of MGUS.

Methods: We retrospectively screened the medical records of all patients in whom monoclonal protein was found in the serum during 2001-2002 in the medical laboratories of Meir Medical Center.

Oral poliovaccine: will it help eradicate polio or cause the next epidemic?

Background: Poliovirus rapidly evolves by nucleic acid substitutions and genetic recombination with other polioviruses and non-polio enteroviruses. Evolving oral poliovaccine can rapidly revert to neurovirulence and undergo antigenic alterations.

Objectives: To evaluate the threat of vaccine-derived poliovirus (1-15% divergence from the respective Sabin strain) for a poliomyelitis-free population in a country with a long-standing routine vaccination program.

Fertility status among women treated for aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

In young women treated for intermediate-high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with CHOP (cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, oncovine and prednisone), there is insufficient data concerning gonadotoxicity or the need for fertility-preserving measures. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the fertility status in the first complete remission of women who were treated for aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A cohort of 36 women with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in first remission, who were treated in five university-affiliated hospitals in Israel, was evaluated.

Association between alopecia and response to chemotherapy in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma.

Alopecia and bone marrow suppression are prominent effects of doxorubicin-containing chemotherapy. The aim of the study was to validate our preliminary clinical observation that the lack of alopecia in Hodgkin lymphoma patients may predict poor response to chemotherapy and low rate of bone marrow suppression. Sixty-six patients with Hodgkin lymphoma were reviewed.

SKY detection of chromosome rearrangements in two cases of tMDS with a complex karyotype.

In this study, we used spectral karyotyping (SKY) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) as complementary techniques for the analysis of two therapy-related secondary myelodysplastic syndrome (t-MDS) cases with complex karyotypes, previously analyzed by G-banding. Different types of SKY's cytogenetic contributions include confirmation of G-banding results, identification of partially characterized rearrangements, identification of marker chromosomes unidentified by G-banding, and detection of cryptic reciprocal translocations. In particular, the ability of SKY to clarify a number of markers led to the comprehension of clonal evolution.

Detection of relapse in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: role of routine follow-up studies.

Complete remission can be achieved in 60-80% of adults with diffuse aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, 20-40% of them will subsequently relapse. Nevertheless, formal follow-up guidelines for recurrence detection have never been advocated.