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Biomedical subjects

J Rutgers

Publications and source records attributed to J Rutgers.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

[Thalidomide once more in the spotlight].

Thalidomide was withdrawn from the market in the early sixties because of major teratogenic effects such as reduction defects of the limbs. Since, however, it has been found to be an effective drug in erythema nodosum leprosum. In the United States it was decided in September 1997 to admit thalidomide to the market for this indication, and in South America it has been available for this indication all the time. Thalidomide is also efficacious in other major disorders (e.g. aphtae and ulcers in aids) or its efficacy is being investigated in clinical trials (e.g. autoimmune diseases, other complications in aids). The American Food and Drug Administration has imposed conditions for the use of thalidomide. Users have to sign an informed consent and to take adequate contraceptive measures. Physicians should inform the patients and monitor side effects. Pharmacists should record and control the use.

Adult↗

Metastasis of an intracranial germinoma through a ventriculoperitoneal shunt: recurrence as a yolk-sac tumor.

Extraneural metastases of intracranial germinomas, although infrequent, are associated with a generally poor prognosis despite the high radiosensitivity of localized primary tumors. Ventriculoperitoneal shunts have been implicated in facilitating metastatic spread of primary intracranial germinomas. We present a case of a successfully irradiated suprasellar germinoma recurring after 13 months as an intra-abdominal yolk-sac tumor in a young man. The tumor was eradicated with a combination of systemic chemotherapy and local irradiation, with no residual viable tumor cells confirmed at final surgical extirpation. The role of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunts in metastases, mixed germ-cell tumor histology, and tumor markers in recurrences as well as radiation doses and volumes for treating primary tumors are discussed. Systemic chemotherapy may be utilized as prophylaxis against shunt metastases when CSF drainage is necessary.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗

Absence of a dose-response effect of leuprolide acetate on leiomyomata uteri size.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of two different doses (3.75 mg versus 7.5 mg) of leuprolide acetate (LA, Lupron; Tap Pharmaceuticals, Deerfield, IL) on myoma size, blood loss during myomectomy, on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal quality, and histopathologic changes in women requiring myomectomy. DESIGN: Prospective, nonrandomized, sequential study. SETTING: Urban center teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Twenty-eight women with uterine leiomyomata requiring myomectomy. INTERVENTIONS: Nine women were entered as controls (group 1), 10 women received 3.75 mg IM (group 2), and 9 women received 7.5 mg IM of LA (group 3) each for 3 months before myomectomy. RESULTS: The uterine size and hematocrit among the three groups of patients before treatment was not significantly different. A significant reduction of 34.5% and 34.6% in myomata size was seen in groups 2 and 3. The estimated average blood loss at myomectomy was 745 +/- 101 mL, 615 +/- 177 mL, and 722 +/- 192 mL in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The postoperative hematocrit was not different among the three groups (29.8% +/- 0.9%, 30.4% +/- 1.6%, and 29.8% +/- 1.2%). There was no evidence of cytologic atypia, increased mitosis, or change in fibrosis in LA-treated women. There were no characteristic MRI or histologic changes seen after LA treatment as compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study have demonstrated that both doses of LA (3.75 and 7.5 mg) can induce a significant and similar degree of size reduction in myomas and that neither dose of LA aided in the reduction of blood loss at myomectomy and therefore should not be used routinely.

Adult↗

Nonfluorescent erythrasma of the vulva.

BACKGROUND: Erythrasma is an uncommon vulvar infection, best diagnosed by its fluorescence under the Wood lamp. This report shows that despite a negative Wood lamp examination, the diagnosis can be made histologically. CASE: A 42-year-old woman was referred to our clinic with a persistent candidal infection. Evaluation included a Wood lamp examination, wet mount, and potassium hydroxide test of the affected skin, all of which were negative. A biopsy of the area demonstrated rods and filamentous organisms in the keratotic layer consistent with a Corynebacterium minutissimum infection. The patient was diagnosed as having erythrasma, and she responded to oral erythromycin. CONCLUSION: Persistent vulvar diseases may be caused by erythrasma despite a negative Wood lamp examination. The diagnosis can be made by biopsy of the lesion.

Adult↗

Immunohistochemical determination of the estrogen receptor content of gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas.

Recently there have been several reports documenting the presence of estrogen receptors (ERs) in human gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies, raising the possibility that these cancers may be hormonally manipulated. To test this hypothesis, 68 frozen GI tissue specimens were examined for the presence of ERs within the cell nuclei by immunohistochemical staining. There were 51 cancers (25 gastric, 26 colon) and 17 normal tissue specimens (six gastric, 11 colon). Tissue sections 4 to 6 microns thick were incubated with monoclonal antibody H222SP psi, then stained by the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique for visualization of the ER. The staining was semiquantitatively graded from 0 to 3+ depending on both the intensity of staining and the percentage of cell nuclei stained. A breast cancer specimen known to be strongly positive for the ER was used as a positive control. The 30 male and 21 female cancer patients had a median age of 59 years. All tumors were adenocarcinomas. Eight per cent of the gastric cancers were poorly differentiated, while 94 per cent of the colon cancers were moderately well to well differentiated. Using weak staining of at least 20 per cent of the cell nuclei as the minimum requirement for an ER positive tumor (1+, 0/51 tumors and 0/17) normal specimens were positive for ER. Only three out of 25 (12%) gastric tumors, and two out of 26 (8%) colon tumors demonstrated any staining; each exhibited weak staining of only five to ten per cent of the tumor nuclei.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenocarcinoma↗

A comparison of conjunctival and nonocular dendritic cells utilizing new monoclonal antibodies.

Langerhans cells belong to the dendritic cell family. Their presence in the conjunctiva and cornea has been demonstrated by means of various membrane and cytoplasmic markers. Utilizing OKT6, a monoclonal antibody that specifically binds to Langerhans cells in conjunction with la histocompatibility antigens (HLA-DR), and a new panel of monoclonal antibodies, we compared the population density and characteristic phenotypes of Langerhans cells in normal conjunctiva with those in normal epidermis. A greater density of Langerhans cells was noted in epidermis in comparison with conjunctiva. Various areas of the conjunctiva and cornea were mapped for Langerhans cell distribution. The T6/la ratio of Langerhans cells in conjunctiva was notably different from that in skin. Utilizing the Prolm2 marker, we identified non-Langerhans dendritic cells in the substantia propria and in the basilar epithelium of the conjunctiva, antigen-processing cells probably identical to the interdigitating dendritic cells of lymph nodes.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗