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Biomedical subjects

P B Levine

Publications and source records attributed to P B Levine.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Use of cis-bis-neodecanoato-trans-R,R-1,2-diaminocyclohexane platinum (II), a liposomal cisplatin analogue, in cats with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To determine clinical response and toxic effects of cis-bis-neodecanoato-trans-R,R-1,2-diaminocyclohexane platinum (II) (L-NDDP) administered i.v. at escalating doses to cats with oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). ANIMALS: 18 cats with oral SCC. PROCEDURE: Cats that failed to respond to conventional treatment or had nonresectable tumors were included. Data included a CBC, serum biochemical analyses, urinalysis, cytologic examination of a fine-needle aspirate of enlarged lymph nodes, and thoracic and oral radiographs for clinical staging. A starting dose (75 to 100 mg/m2 of L-NDDP) was administered i.v.. At 21-day intervals, subsequent doses increased by the rate of 5 or 10 mg/m2. Response was evaluated every 21 days by tumor measurement and thoracic radiography. Quality of life was assessed by owners, using a performance status questionnaire. RESULTS: On average, cats received 2 treatments. Toxicoses included an intermittent, acute anaphylactoid-parasympathomimetic reaction, lethargy or sedation (< or = 24 hours), inappetence or signs of depression (< or = 72 hours), mild to moderate increase in hepatic enzyme activity, and melena. Pulmonary, renal, or hematopoietic abnormalities were not evident. Performance status surveys indicated normal behavior and grooming or decreased activity and self-care (19/20 assessments), ate well with or without assistance (15/20), and did not lose weight (15/20). Median survival time was 59.8 days (mean, 54.1 days). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: L-NDDP was ineffective for treatment of cats with oral SCC. None of the cats had a complete or partial remission. Acute toxicoses and poor therapeutic response limit therapeutic usefulness of L-NDDP in cats, unless dosage, frequency, and administration procedures can be improved.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

A benefit of one's own: older women's entitlement to Social Security retirement.

This article explores differences in Social Security eligibility and benefit levels for older men and women using survey data from the Health and Retirement Study combined with administrative records on actual work histories and Social Security rules. We are able to determine the fully insured status of those persons, how close they are to meeting eligibility criteria when they are not fully insured, and their prospects for benefits. Around three-quarters of older women nearing retirement today will be fully insured for Social Security old-age benefits on the basis of their own accounts, but the rest would need substantial extra employment to rise above the eligibility threshold. Further, two-thirds of older married women who are fully insured have sufficient lifetime earnings to translate into an age-65 primary insurance amount worth at least half their husband's, but the other one-third can expect no additional retirement benefit from contributing to Social Security late in life. Finally, most wives will not be able to improve their benefits by working more under current rules. These results have mixed implications regarding the potential impact of women's rising labor force attachment on eventual retirement benefits. Working more years could increase women's chances of becoming eligible for Social Security benefits, but that effect is likely to be small. Furthermore, even when women do become fully insured according to the rules, not many wives will receive a higher benefit at the margin. The reason is that married women still receive higher Social Security benefits as a spouse than they do on the basis of their own work record. In fact, the net benefit from Social Security due to additional work is negative once one takes into account the Social Security contributions the women paid while employed. Benefits paid to widows are even more likely to be based on the spouse's work history rather than on the woman's. Hence, the rising labor market attachment of women in the future may increase their eligibility for benefits but will produce only modest (and often negative) impacts on their old-age Social Security benefits under current rules.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Roe v Wade and American fertility.

OBJECTIVES: This article examines the effect of abortion legalization on fertility rates in the United States. METHODS: Fertility rates were compared over time between states that varied in the timing of abortion legalization. RESULTS: States legalizing abortion experienced a 4% decline in fertility relative to states where the legal status of abortion was unchanged. The relative reductions in births to teens, women more than 35 years of age, non-White women, and unmarried women were considerably larger. If women did not travel between states to obtain an abortion, the estimated impact of abortion legalization on birth rates would be about 11%. CONCLUSIONS: A complete recriminalization of abortion nationwide could result in 440,000 additional births per year. A reversal of the Roe v Wade decision leaving abortion legal in some states would substantially limit this impact because of the extent of travel between states.

Abortion, Legal↗
PubMed1996

The effect of Medicaid abortion funding restrictions on abortions, pregnancies and births.

This paper considers whether state Medicaid abortion funding restrictions affect the likelihood of getting pregnant, having an abortion and bearing a child. We exploit a natural experiment afforded by Supreme Court decisions and employ more traditional multivariate models with alternative fixed effect specifications. An analysis of 12 years of state-level data indicate that restrictions are associated with a reduction in abortions and either no change or a reduction in births, implying fewer pregnancies. Subsequent analysis of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) is consistent with these findings and show the response is concentrated among the low-income population.

Abortion, Legal↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Esophagostomy tubes as a method of nutritional management in cats: a retrospective study.

The use of esophagostomy tubes in 60 feline patients was evaluated retrospectively. Indications for tube placement, complications associated with placement and management, duration of treatment, and change in patient body weight were evaluated. Hepatic disease was the most common indication for tube placement. A minor complication associated with the surgical technique for tube placement was observed in three cases. Inflammation or infection of the tube site, swelling of the head, or vomition of the tube were observed complications during management in 19 cases. Vomiting occurred and was a complicating factor in nine cases. The average duration of tube placement was 23 days, and most patients maintained or gained weight while being fed through their esophagostomy tubes.

Animals↗