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Gail Amir

Publications and source records attributed to Gail Amir.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Development and rapid dissemination of Merkel-cell carcinomatosis following therapy with fludarabine and rituximab for relapsing follicular lymphoma.

This report deals with an unusual case of a patient with follicular small cleaved lymphocytic lymphoma who developed Merkel-cell carcinoma soon after receiving chemoimmunotherapy with a fludarabine-containing regimen and rituximab. The presentation of the Merkel-cell carcinoma in this patient was atypical because of the absence of dermal involvement and the very rapid clinical progression. In the light of recent reports which suggest a possible link between the immunocompromised state and the development of Merkel-cell carcinoma, the atypical presentation seen in this patient may indeed imply a possible link between the therapy given and the development of Merkel-cell carcinoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documentation of Merkel-cell carcinoma appearing in a patient soon after treatment with fludarabine and/or rituximab.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed2002

Bone mineral metabolism and histomorphometry in rats with cholestatic liver disease.

BACKGROUND: The etiology of osteopenia in cholestatic liver disease is uncertain. An animal model is needed in order to study the efficacy of therapeutic agents. AIMS: In order to characterise the bone disease in rats with cholestatic liver disease. METHODS: Four-month old male Sprague-Dawley bile duct-ligated (BDL) and sham-operated (SO) rats were studied. Twenty-eight days after surgery serum osteocalcin, a bone-formation marker, urinary deoxypyridinoline (DPD) cross-links, a resorption marker, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 were determined. Static and dynamic (tetracycline-based) histomorphometric analysis was performed on femurs and tibiae. RESULTS: All BDL rats developed biliary cirrhosis. Bile duct-ligated rats had lower bone mass, reflected in statistically significantly 13.5% lower femoral dry-weight, 16% lower femoral ash-weight, 42.7% lower tibial cancellous bone area and 19% lower trabecular thickness, compared with SO rats. Bile duct-ligated rats exhibited decreased bone formation manifested by statistically significantly 70% lower tetracycline double-labelling, 40% lower mineralising surface, 51% lower bone-formation rate and 47% lower osteocalcin compared with SO rats. Deoxypyridinoline levels were 20% lower in BDL rats. Bile duct-ligated rats had 52% lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 level, but no significant increase in cortical osteoid area. CONCLUSIONS: Bile duct-ligated rats develop osteopenia characterised by low bone-formation rate, and can be used for studying therapeutic agents for patients with cholestatic liver disease displaying similar bone changes.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2002

Expression of p53 gene product and cell proliferation marker Ki-67 in Ewing's sarcoma: correlation with clinical outcome.

Overexpression of tumor suppressor gene p53, cell proliferation nuclear antigen Ki-67, and proto-oncogene HER-2/neu are associated with poor prognosis in some tumors. We studied p53, Ki-67, and HER-2/neu immunohistochemical expression in archival biopsies of 37 patients with Ewing's sarcoma (ES). Patients with ES were treated at four Israeli hospitals between 1982 and 2000. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections were stained by immunohistochemistry for p53, Ki-67, and HER-2/neu. More than 300 cells were counted on each slide, and the percentage of positively stained nuclei was computed. p53 overexpression was defined as nuclear staining of >2.3% of cells, Ki-67 overexpression as nuclear staining of >8.3% malignant cells. HER-2/neu staining was scored semiquantitatively on a scale of 0 to 4+. Twenty-two of 37 patients are alive and well, with mean follow-up time of 38 months. There was overexpression of p53 in 16 patients (43%) and of Ki-67 in 21 patients (57%). The correlation between p53 and Ki-67 overexpressions was 0.61. We found no overexpression of HER-2/neu. Median relapse-free survival (RFS) was statistically significantly shorter for patients with p53 overexpression (25 months) than for patients with negative staining (>92 months). The prognostic value of p53 overexpression was also significant after adjusting for tumor location and age. Median RFS was shorter for patients with positive Ki-67 staining (40 months) than for patients with negative staining (80 months) but did not reach statistical significance. Our study suggests that p53 is a predictor of RFS in patients with ES. More patients must be studied to assess the validity of this observation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Osteoporosis in the Cohen diabetic rat: correlation between histomorphometric changes in bone and microangiopathy.

Osteoporosis is well documented in type I diabetes, but its occurrence is controversial in type II diabetes. Microangiopathy is a major complication of type I and type II diabetes. We studied bone and microvascular changes in the Cohen diabetic rat, a unique nonobese model of noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to find whether there is a temporal correlation between the onset of these two complications. The diabetic rats were divided into three groups (A, B, and C) according to duration of diabetes (2 months, 3 months, and 7 to 8 months, respectively). Trabecular bone area was assessed by computerized image analysis and microangiopathy by means of renal function tests, histologic examination of the kidneys, and ultrastructural measurement of the width of capillary basement membranes. Bone density of the distal femur and vertebra was significantly reduced in the diabetic rats relative to the control rats in all three groups (Group A femur: 11.5 +/- 1.6% versus 21.8 +/- 3.0%, p < 0.02; Group A vertebra: 15.9 +/- 1.6% versus 28.5 +/- 2.0%, p < 0.02; Group C femur: 7.9 +/- 1.1% versus 29.6 +/- 3.5%, p < 0.001; Group C vertebra: 11.4 +/- 0.7% versus 37.1 +/- 1.9%, p < 0.002). Renal function tests were normal in the Group A diabetic rats and there was marked albuminuria in the Group C diabetic rats. Histologic changes in the kidneys were seen only in the Group C diabetic rats. Five of 15 Group C diabetic rats showed no albuminuria or histologic evidence of kidney damage. The bone density in this subgroup was reduced relative to controls to the same degree as that of the rats with renal damage. There was no evidence of capillary basement membrane thickening in the Group A diabetic rats. Our findings indicate that in the Cohen diabetic rat, osteoporosis precedes the onset of microangiopathy. Microangiopathy probably does not play an important role in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis in this animal model.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Image-guided cutting-edge-needle biopsy of peripheral lymph nodes and superficial masses for the diagnosis of lymphoma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of image-guided cutting-edge-needle biopsy of peripheral lymph nodes and superficial masses for the diagnosis of lymphoma, for which many still advocate open surgical resection. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed of the medical records of 114 lymphoma patients who presented with peripheral lymphadenopathy and superficial masses and who underwent diagnostic image-guided biopsy. There were 69 non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients, 38 Hodgkin lymphoma patients, and 7 patients who were evaluated for histologic transformation of CLL or high grade lymphoma. RESULTS: Image-guided needle biopsy was diagnostic in 96/114 (84.2%) patients. The procedure was diagnostic in 59/69 (85.5%) of NHL patients and in 30/38 of Hodgkin disease patients (79%). Diagnoses were achieved for all 7 cases where histologic transformation was suspected. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous image-guided needle biopsy is a safe and reliable procedure with a high diagnostic yield. It can be used as a first step in patients suspected of having lymphoma presenting with enlarged peripheral lymph nodes and superficial masses.

Adolescent↗