PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C Moskowitz

Publications and source records attributed to C Moskowitz.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Association of thyroid disease with acute leukemia.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the possible clinical association of autoimmune thyroid disease and acute leukemia. This study is a retrospective review of all adult patients with acute leukemia treated at our institutions from 1978-1989. Those with both leukemia and thyroid disease were evaluated and are presented. Twenty-seven of eight hundred seventy patients with acute leukemia had evidence of thyroid disease. This is a 3-fold increase in overall incidence. Twenty-one patients had acute myeloid leukemia, five had acute lymphoid leukemia, and one had accelerated chronic myeloid leukemia. Thyroid disease entities included toxic multinodular goiter (four patients), idiopathic hypothyroidism (eight patients), Graves' disease (eight patients), and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (seven patients). Whereas the association may have had a negative effect on elderly patients, those with Graves' disease and Hashimoto's disease appeared to have an improved outcome of the leukemia. There is an increased association of autoimmune thyroid disease and acute leukemia. Since thyroid hormones are important regulators of hematopoiesis and utilize receptors similar to those of differentiating factors such as retinoids, the association may be important for further study of mechanisms of growth regulations in leukemia.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of botulinum toxin injections for the treatment of spasmodic torticollis.

We enrolled 55 patients in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel design study of the effectiveness of botulinum toxin (Botox) injections for the treatment of spasmodic torticollis. Patients received a standard series of injections, either placebo or Botox. We determined the sites of injection and dose per muscle by the nature of head deviation. Compared with placebo, Botox produced statistically significant improvement in the severity of torticollis, disability, pain, and degree of head turning. There were no serious side effects. During the double-blind phase, 61% of patients injected with Botox improved; 74% of patients subsequently improved during a later open phase at a higher dose of Botox. Direction of head turning, severity of torticollis, and presence or absence of jerky movements did not significantly influence the response rate. We conclude that Botox is a valuable treatment for spasmodic torticollis.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1987

Localized injections of botulinum toxin for the treatment of focal dystonia and hemifacial spasm.

Medical treatment of dystonia usually results in an incomplete response and is frequently unsuccessful. Peripheral surgical therapy is available for some focal dystonias, but may only offer temporary relief and may have unacceptable complications. We have used local injections of botulinum toxin into the appropriate muscles for treatment of disabling focal or segmental dystonia in 93 patients with torticollis, blepharospasm, oromandibular dystonia (OMD), limb dystonia, lingual dystonia, and dystonia adductor dysphonia, in addition to four patients with hemifacial spasm. Significant relief of motor symptoms was seen in 69% of the patients with blepharospasm and 64% of patients with torticollis; 74% of the latter group with pain experience relief. Relief of symptoms was noted in most patients with OMD and limb dystonia, and all with lingual dystonia, dystonic adductor spastic dysphonia, and those with hemifacial spasm. Benefit averaged 2 1/2-3 months initially; however some patients experienced longer relief with subsequent injections. Adverse effects were transient, although 2 patients developed antibodies against the toxin, and we documented evidence for distant effects in others. This approach of chemically weakening contracting muscles in focal dystonia offers many advantages over pharmacotherapy and surgical therapy. Additional experience is needed to explore the proper doses, and potential for long term adverse effects.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Analysis of the clinical course of non-Jewish, autosomal dominant torsion dystonia.

We have analyzed the clinical course of non-Jewish, autosomal dominant torsion dystonia in 41 patients among 15 families. The median age of onset was 8 years, with a range of 0.8-57 years. The body regions most frequently affected at the onset were the legs and arms. There was a relationship between age of onset and site of onset; at earlier ages the legs were more frequently affected, whereas at later ages, the arms and cranial structures were more frequently affected. Fifty-three percent of patients developed generalized dystonia within a median time of 1 year. Two factors strongly associated with the occurrence of generalized dystonia are: early age of onset, and onset in the legs. Our results are similar to those of prior studies of non-Jewish and Jewish patients with torsion dystonia. Whether there are clinical distinctions between the Jewish and non-Jewish forms of dystonia, as proposed in the past, must be reinvestigated in patients within the same referral base.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Linkage analysis in a family with dominantly inherited torsion dystonia: exclusion of the pro-opiomelanocortin and glutamic acid decarboxylase genes and other chromosomal regions using DNA polymorphisms.

A search for the defective gene causing torsion dystonia has been carried out in a family manifesting an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance of this movement disorder. Complete neurologic examination and establishment of lymphoblast lines have been carried out for over 50 members. Linkage analysis, using cloned DNA sequences and restriction fragment length polymorphisms, was evaluated by the LOD score method with requisite assumptions for mode of inheritance, age-of-onset and incomplete gene penetrance. Genes for pro-opiomelanocortin and glutamic acid decarboxylase, which have been implicated in the etiology of the disease in rat models, were excluded as being responsible for the disease state in this family. Other regions of the genome were also excluded using DNA probes for other genes and random "unique" sequences.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Validity and reliability of a rating scale for the primary torsion dystonias.

For quantitative assessment of the primary torsion dystonias, a rating scale is proposed that has two sections--a Movement Scale, based on examination, and a Disability Scale, based on the patient's statements about seven activities of daily living. We assessed the validity of the Movement Scale by comparing scores with a ranking of patients according to dystonia severity and with ratings of the patients on the Disability Scale. In addition, we assessed the inter-and intra-rater reliability of the scale by comparing independent scorings of patients by four examiners and by comparing scorings by the same examiners performed at different times. We found that the Movement Scale was a valid and reliable indicator of the severity of primary torsion dystonia.

Activities of Daily Living↗