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Biomedical subjects

B Chabner

Publications and source records attributed to B Chabner.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1978

Role of pineal gland in aetiology and treatment of breast cancer.

The hypothesis that diminished function of the pineal gland may promote the development of breast cancer in human beings is suggested by the relation between breast cancer and prolonged oestrogen excess, and by the observation that the pineal secretion, melatonin, inhibits ovarian oestrogen production, pituitary gonadotrophin production, and sexual development and maturation. The hypothesis is supported by the following points. (1) Pineal calcification is commonest in countries with high rates of breast cancer and lowest in areas with a low incidence; the incidences of pineal calcification and of breast cancer are moderate among the black population in the United States. (2) Chlorpromazine raises serum-melatonin; there are reports that psychiatric patients taking chlorpromazine have a lower incidence of breast cancer. (3) Although information is lacking on breast cancer, the pineal and melatonin may influence tumour induction and growth in experimental animals. (4) The demonstration of a melatonin receptor in human ovary suggests a direct influence of this hormone on the ovarian function, and possibly oestrogen production. (5) Impaired pineal secretion is believed to be an important factor triggering puberty (early menarche is a risk factor for breast cancer).

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1978

Allopurinol kinetics.

A spectrophotometric assay for measuring allopurinol and oxipurinol has been developed which can detect as little as 5 X 10(-8) M of each in serum and urine. With this assay, serum disappearance characteristics of intravenous and orally administered allopurinol have been investigated in man. Serum concentrations of both allopurinol and oxipurinol reach levels above 1 X 10(-5) M within minutes of intravenous administration and within 1 or 2 hr of oral administration of 300 mg allopurinol. Patients receiving 300 mg allopurinol daily show a mean serum concentration of 3 X 10(-5) M oxipurinol (range, 0.9 to 9 X 10(-5) M). Serum half-lives of allopurinol and oxipurinol were 39 +/- 11 min and 13.6 +/- 2.8 hr, respectively. Estimates of renal clearance were 13.6 and 18.9 ml/min for allopurinol and 23.2 and 30.6 ml/min for oxipurinol in 2 patients studied. The metabolic conversion of allopurinol to oxipurinol in man does not appear to be altered by long-term therapy with allopurinol, which suggests that this conversion takes place by way of an enzymatic reaction not strongly inhibited by either substrate or product. These results suggest the possibility of a nonxanthine oxidase enzymatic pathway for this conversion.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1978

Disseminated cryptococcosis presenting as palpable purpura.

Disseminated cryptococcosis with palpable purpura as the initial clinical manifestation developed in a patient with diffuse histiocytic lymphoma. Cryptococcal vascular injury in a thrombocytopenic cancer patient best explains this previously unreported presentation of cryptococcosis. Purpuric presentations of disseminated fungal infection are likely to increase in frequency as cancer therapy becomes more aggressive.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1976

Pathological staging of 100 consecutive untreated patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphomas: extramedullary sites of disease.

One hundred consecutive untreated cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas were reviewed according to Rappaport's classification. There were 49 males and 51 females, almost evenly distributed between nodular (49) and diffuse (51) patterns. Only diffuse lymphomas were seen in patients under age 20 and they were twice as common as nodular lymphomas in patients over 60. Nodular lymphomas were predominantly lymphocytic (61%) or mixed (35%) while diffuse lymphomas were commonly histiocytic (43%). Standardized pathological staging was based upon the serial performance of bone marrow needle biopsy, percutaneous hepatic biopsy, peritoneoscopic hepatic biopsies and exploratory laparotomy. For all patients this sequence terminated with the first positive biopsy. Hepatic involvement was documented in 40 patients by either percutaneous biopsies,18 peritoneoscopic biopsies,9 or wedge biopsy at laparotomy.13 Thirty-seven of 49 patients who underwent laparotomy had biopsy-proven abdominal involvement. Overall incidence of biopsy-proven abdominal disease was 64%. Positive spleens varied widely in weight but all negative spleens weighed less than 270 g. Constancy of histologic type in multiple sites was observed in 90% of cases.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1975

Advanced diffuse histiocytic lymphoma, a potentially curable disease.

Twenty-seven patients with advanced diffuse histiocytic lymphoma (reticulum-cell sarcoma) were treated with combination chemotherapy utilising nitrogen mustard (or cyclophosphamide), procarbazine, vincristine, and prednisone. Elven (41%) achieved a complete remission and only one of these has had a recurrence of tumour. The remaining ten complete responders were free of all evidence of tumour when last seen 26-105 months from the end of treatment. In contrast, all non-responders or partial responders have died. An interpretation of published survival data suggests that this virulent disease evolves quickly and is usally rapidly fatal if treatment is unsuccessful. Survival free of disease beyond 2 years from the end of treatment may be considered tantamount to cure. This definition of cure, previously applied only to patients treated with radiotherapy, seems applicable to patients who acheive complete remissions with modern drug treatment.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1975

Peritoneoscopy: a valuable staging tool in ovarian carcinoma.

Peritoneoscopy was done within 1 month of exploratory laparotomy in 30 consecutive patients, with ovarian carcinoma as part of their pretreatment evaluation. Six of the 7 patients who were thought to have ovarian carcinoma localized to the pelvis (stages I and II) were found to have advanced disease (stage III) at peritoneoscopy and thus required a change in therapy. Metastatic diaphragmatic involvement in ovarian carcinoma is common and was found in 77 percent of all patients studied. The routine shielding if the liver area ordinarily used with total abdominal radiotherapy would select these patients for therapeutic failure. Peritoneoscopy supplied reevaluable finding in 2 of 7 patients having normal physical, roentgenologic, and laboratory examinations, as well as in 93 percent of all patients stuided. "Second look" peritoneoscopy precluded the need the laparotomy in 5 to 13 patients achieving as apparent clinical remission.

Carcinoma↗
PubMed1975

Use of peritoneoscopy for initial staging and posttherapy evaluation of patients with ovarian carcinoma.

Forty patients with ovarian adenocarcinoma had peritoneoscopy within 1 month of their exploratory laparotomy as part of their pretreatment evaluation. Of 12 patients (58%) believed to have disease localized to the pelvis (stage 1 or II) at laparotomy staging 7 were found to have more advanced disease (stage III) at peritoneoscopy and thus required a change in therapy. Involvement of the diaphragm with metastatic ovarian carcinoma was found in 63% of all patients. This finding again necessitated a change in therapy, since the right hemidiaphragm is shielded along with the liver when abdominal radiotherapy is used. Peritoneoscopy supplied the only followable findings with which to gauge response to therapy in 40% of the patients and also supplied followable findings in 78% of all patients studied. Second-look peritoneoscopy was performed in all patients achieving an apparent clinical remission with chemotherapy. Active disease was found in 43% of these patients, which thus precluded the need for laparotomy.

Adenocarcinoma↗