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Biomedical subjects

M Modan

Publications and source records attributed to M Modan.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Increased risk of lung cancer in patients with chondromatous hamartoma.

Fifty-two patients with chondromatous hamartoma of the lung (CHL) operated upon in one medical center in Israel during the years 1960 to 1975 were followed through the end of 1976 for occurrence of malignancy. In 51 patients, the operation followed the finding of a coin lesion in a routine chest x-ray film (32 cases) or an x-ray film taken due to symptoms related to the chest (19 cases). In one case, it followed a cytologic diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma. Four cases of carcinoma of the lung were observed in this group, three of them 2 to 10 years after the CHL was first observed; in the fourth the CHL was found during an operation for lung cancer. All four lung cancers were located in the same lobe as and in proximity to the CHL. Since hamartomas were randomly distributed among the lobes, this spatial association is highly significant (p = 0.0016). The risk of lung cancer in CHL patients was estimated to be 6.3 times higher than the age-sex-ethnic adjusted rate expected for the general Israeli population. No increased risk for malignancies of other sites was found.

Adult↗

Possible role of mumps virus in the etiology of ovarian cancer.

Eighty-four ovarian cancer (OCa) patients and 84 controls with nonmalignant conditions matched by age and ethnic origin were interviewed with regard to clinical mumps history and their sera were tested for complement fixation (CF) mumps antibodies. OCa patients differed from the controls in the response to past mumps infection in two respects: 1) They appeared to be more likely to have developed subclinical mumps as evidenced by a lower rate of clinical mumps history in the presence of serological evidence of similar infection rates among those with positive and those with negative clinical mumps history. 2) They tended to present lower persistent mumps CF antibody titers. These results may be interpreted to indicate that an immunological incompetence enables the development of OCa possibly through a direct etiologic role of mumps virus.

Adult↗

Detection of Haemophilia A carriers by replicate factor VIII activity and factor VIII antigenicity determinations.

Factor VIII (fVIII) activity and antigenicity were determined on replicate fresh blood samples drawn on three separate occasions in 48 normal females and 37 obligatory haemophilia A carriers, in an attempt to improve the detection rate. fVIII activity was assayed by a one-stage method and fVIII antigenicity by the Laurell's technique employing an anti-fVIII antiserum prepared in rabbits. The mean results for the individual subjects were analysed after establishing a discriminant function. The probability of being a carrier was determined on the basis of laboratory data and family history. The probability data were translated into more simple terms applicable for genetic counselling by defining three categories: Definite carriers, doubtful carriers and definite normals. Of the obligatory carriers, 83.8% were classified definite carriers, 13.5% doubtful carriers and 2.7% as definite normals. Of the normal females, 4.2% were classified as definite carriers, 18.7% doubtful carriers and 77.1% as definite normals. Adjustment of the results according to age was found unnecessary. The precision of the determinations of fVIII antigenicity and fVIII activity in individual subjects was calculated for different numbers of replicate tests performed in the same individual. It was found that if only one test is performed, a substantial error might occur. Three replicate tests considerably diminish this error, although it is still in the range of +/- 16--29%. For suspected carriers who fall in the doubtful category it is suggested that six or even more tests are performed.

Adolescent↗

Clinical and laboratory aspects of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC): a study of 118 cases.

The medical records of 118 cases who met laboratory criteria of DIC were studied. The most frequent etiologies were: Generalized infection (39.8%), trauma (16.9%), malignancy (6.8%) and surgical cases (6.8%). The main clinical manifestations which appeared to be related solely to DIC were (in a decreasing order of frequency): Bleeding (64.4%), renal dysfunction (24.6%), liver dysfunction (18.6%), respiratory dysfunction (16.1%), shock (14.4%), thromboembolic phenonmena (6.8%) and central nervous system involvement (1.7%). In 26 patients none of these manifestations were observed. In patients with infection, liver and renal dysfunction were frequent and respiratory dysfunction rare, whereas in trauma cases, liver and renal dysfunctions were rare and respiratory dysfunction frequent. This variability indicates that the clinical manifestations are affected not only by the process of intravascular coagulation but also by the underlying clinical disorders. The most impaired coagulation tests were prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, platelet count and thrombin time. The degree of abnormality of these coagulation tests was found to be related to the extensiveness of organ involvement. The mortality (overall 54.7%) increased independently with age, with the number of clinical manifestations and with the degree of abnormality of the above-mentioned four most impaired coagulation tests. In addition, older patients were more likely to have an increased number of clinical manifestations and more impaired coagulation tests. Mortality was similar in the various etiologies except for trauma patients in whom it was lower (30%).

Adolescent↗

Effect of weight loss without salt restriction on the reduction of blood pressure in overweight hypertensive patients.

Overweight patients with uncomplicated essential hypertension were followed up biweekly for six months: 24 not receiving antihypertensive-drug therapy (Group I) and 83 on regular but inadequate (despite drug manipulation) antihypertensive-drug therapy (Group II). All patients in Group I and 57 randomly selected patients from group II (IIa) participated in a weight-reduction program. The remaining 26 from Group II (IIb) did not receive a dietary program. Salt intake was in the normal range in all three groups. All patients on the dietary program lost at least 3 kg (mean, 10.5 kg), and all but two showed a meaningful reduction in blood pressure; 75 per cent of Group I and 61 per cent of Group IIa returned to normal blood pressure. The weight and blood-pressure reductions were highly significant (P less than 0.001), were present in both sexes and all ages, and were directly associated. In Group IIb, no significant change in blood pressure or weight occurred (P greater than 0.30).

Adult↗

Seroepidemiologic aspects of varicella zoster virus infections in an Israeli Jewish population.

Sera from 872 healthy subjects among the Jewish population of Israel were examined for antibodies to varicella zoster virus (VZV) by a simplified technique for the detection of immunofluorescent antibody to membrane antigen. The difference in the geometric mean titer of antibodies to the virus among the the different age groups was highly significant (P less than 0.0001). The highest titers were found in the five-to-seven-years and 21-to-30-years age groups. In 211 subjects, aged 17 to 40 years, the antibody titres were not influenced by sex or ethnic origin. The percentage of seronegative subjects (titer less than 2) was relatively high--between 18.7 and 32.9% in the 21-to-60-years age groups--and it was 19.5% in the population of childbearing age. The importance of screening for VZV immune status in pregnant women is emphasized.

Adolescent↗

A retrospective study of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia diagnosed and treated at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center during the years 1966-76.

Forty patients with chronic myeloid leukemia diagnosed and treated at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, during the period 1966-76 were reviewed. All the patients were treated initially with busulfan (MYLERAN). Asymptomatic patients or those whose blood counts were stable and remained below 50,000/microliter were not treated. Maintenance therapy was not prescribed as a routine. The median survival time of all the patients was over 60 months--longer than reported in the literature. Prognostic parameters for longer survival were found to be Hb level greater than 10 g/dl at the time of diagnosis (P = 0.04) and duration of first remission in the chronic stage more than six months (P = 0.03). A borderline trend for better survival was found in patients with initial platelet counts above 100,000/microliter (P = 0.07).

Busulfan↗

The relation between therapy and herpes zoster in Hodgkin's disease.

The rate of occurrence of herpes zoster (HZ) was analyzed by the life table method in 108 Hodgkin's disease (HD) patients, diagnosed and treated during the years 1969 to 1976. Three groups, divided according to the degree of severity of the disease, were compared. The cumulative rate of occurrence of HZ at the end of the third year after diagnosis was higher in the group with intermediately extensive disease than in that with the most extensive disease (35 vs. 23%), but the difference was not significant. At the end of the fifth year, the rate was almost identical in both groups (35.3 and 35.6%, respectively). The group with the least severe form of HD had a very low HZ rate (2.2%), which was significantly different from the other two groups and close to the rate reported for normal populations. The five-year mortality rate was 0.0, 20.3 and 40.6%, respectively, in the three groups. These findings were interpreted to mean that in more advanced stages of HD, therapy and not the severity of the disease is the main factor determining the incidence of HZ. Extended field irradiation followed by a few courses of combined chemotherapy appear to have an effect similar to that of prolonged chemotherapy.

Adolescent↗