Biomedical subjects

A Oliff

Publications and source records attributed to A Oliff.

96 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

PubMed1979

Hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction following CNS prophylaxis in acute lymphocytic leukemia: correlation with CT scan abnormalities.

In an attempt to identify possible adverse effects of CNS prophylaxis (cranial radiation and intrathecal chemotherapy), we examined hypothalamic-pituitary function in 23 patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Of 18 patients who had received both cranial radiation and intrathecal chemotherapy, nine had abnormally low growth hormone responses to insulin-induced hypoglycemia (less than 7.0 ng/ml). Seven of the nine patients with abnormally low growth hormone responses also manifested ventricular dilatation on computed tomography (CT) brain scans, whereas only one of the nine patients with normal growth hormone responses demonstrated this CT scan finding (P = 0.015). The remaining patients, who had not received cranial radiation, had normal growth hormone responses and normal CT scans. There is significant correlation between ventricular dilatation on CT and abnormally low peak growth hormone responses following CNS prophylaxis in ALL.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1979

Methotrexate-induced oral mucositis and salivary methotrexate concentrations.

We examined the plasma and saliva levels of methotrexate (MTX) achieved during the treatment and rescue periods of ten patients receiving 42-h MTX infusions followed by citrovorum rescue. Saliva MTX levels were generally 1%--2% of the simultaneous plasma levels. Four patients developed severe oral mucositis; three patients developed mild to moderate oral toxicity, and three others had no evidence of mucositis. MTX levels in the patients with severe mucositis were not higher and did not persist longer than the levels achieved in patients with mild or absent toxicity. Attempts at reducing the severity of oral mucositis with topical citrovorum mouthwashes or with atropine to suppress salivation were unsuccessful. MTX-induced oral mucositis is not related to salivary MTX concentrations, and the use of topical citrovorum therapy or the suppression of salivation does not appear to ameliorate this toxicity.

Humans↗

PubMed1978

Acute encephalopathy after initiation of cranial irradiation for meningeal leukaemia.

Five patients experienced severe encephalopathy within hours of receiving their initial dose of cranial irradiation for the treatment of central-nervous-system leukaemia. Neurological findings included cranial-nerve palsies, seizures, ataxia, depressed consciousness, increased intracranial pressure, and signs of herniation. Symptoms developed within 3-30 hours of the first radiation treatment of 50-200 rad. Each patient had also received one or more injections of intrathecal chemotherapy before encephalopathy developed. The aetiology of this syndrome is uncertain but may involve transient cerebral oedema and/or an altered blood-brain barrier produced by the combination of intrathecal chemotherapy and cranial irradiation.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1978

Characteristics of long-term survivors in AML.

We examined the records of all patients with a diagnosis of acute myelogenous leukemia or acute myelo-monocytic leukemia seen between 1963--1975. Of 211 patients, 12 are alive and in complete remission from 179--48 months since diagnosis. Life table analysis reveals a survival plateau of 4--5% after five years. Three of the survivors have suffered relapses but still survive without evidence of disease. The clinical and laboratory characteristics of all the survivors are presented. The survivors have a significantly younger age at diagnosis than the nonsurvivors (P less than 0.005). However, no other factors could be identified as characteristic of the survivors' group.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1978

Leukemic relapse 5 1/2 years after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

A 13-yr-old male with acute myelogenous leukemia was treated with various chemotherapy regimens for 3 1/2 yr and then underwent an allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. The donor marrow was successfully engrafted, and the patient remained in remission free of all chemotherapy. Then, 5 1/2 yr later, he developed an extramedullary relapse with a chloroma of his maxillary sinus. This case illustrates the need for prolonged followup of transplant recipients and suggest that statements proposing cure as a result of this procedure may be premature.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Isolation of multiple biologically and chemically diverse species of epidermal growth factor.

We have analyzed several lots of epidermal growth factor (EGF) purified from murine submaxillary glands including "receptor grade" EGF from Collaborative Research and EGF from Boehringer Mannheim Biochemicals. New England Nuclear uses "receptor grade" EGF to produce 125I-labeled EGF. Though these reagents are reported to be homogeneous, we found them to be a mixture of six species. A method was developed to separate this mixture into its component parts. The individual components were chemically characterized and tested for biological potency. N-terminal sequence analysis of the unfractionated EGF-mixture reveals three different sequences starting with residues 1, 2, or 3 of the mature peptide. Each component exhibited different degrees of mitogenic and EGF receptor binding activity indicating that the N-terminal region contributes to the biological response. The species representing the complete EGF peptide is the most active species in all biological assays. A rapid method for purification of homogeneous complete EGF from commercial EGF preparations is described.

Amino Acids↗