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T Swartz

Publications and source records attributed to T Swartz.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

The possible role of antiovary antibodies in repeated in vitro fertilization failures.

PROBLEM: The study was conducted to investigate the possible role of circulating ovarian autoantibodies (ov-ab) in patients with repeated in vitro fertilization embryo transfer (IVF-ET) failure and to evaluate the effectiveness of immunosuppression treatment in these patients. METHOD OF STUDY: The study group comprised 80 IVF patients who had five or more failed treatment cycles (mean 10.2; range 7-22). The presence of ov-ab was compared between these women and 1) 50 IVF patients who conceived during the first three treatment cycles; 2) 50 healthy nulligravidae. All participants were seronegative to nonorgan-specific and antithyroid autoantibodies. Patients in the study group who were positive for ov-ab were treated with 10 mg/day prednisone starting 1 month before ovulation induction. Embryo grading was compared in the IVF cycles before and after treatment. RESULTS: Ov-ab were found in ten patients (12.5%) in the study group, compared to none in the control groups (P = 0.01). Nine of the patients positive for ov-ab were treated with prednisone for their following cycle. A statistically significant improvement in embryo grading was noted. Three patients conceived after treatment (33%), with a take-home baby rate of 22%, compared to only six patients (8.6%) who conceived among the rest of the seronegative study group, with a take-home baby rate of 7.1% (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Ov-ab are a possible marker of an autoimmune disorder that may be one of the causes of repeated IVF failures. Immunosuppression treatment may prove efficient in ov-ab seropositive patients with repeated IVF failures by improving embryo grading and pregnancy rate.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Molecular epidemiology of type 1 polioviruses isolated in Israel and defined by restriction fragment length polymorphism assay.

The genomic variability of 27 type 1 polioviruses (PV-1) isolated in Israel during 1980-1991 was examined by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of a reverse-transcribed genomic fragment amplified by polymerase chain reaction. By using the restriction enzymes HaeIII, DdeI, and HpaII, strain-specific restriction profiles were generated for the PV-1/Mahoney and PV-1/Sabin strains and 27 wild-type isolates. The profile observed for PV-1 isolated during an outbreak in 1988 was also observed for PV-1 isolated from different places in Israel in 1982 and 1983, 1987, and 1991. This profile, characterized by the lack of the DdeI site, was different from the DdeI profile of PV-1 isolated in 1984 or in 1986 from sporadic cases of poliomyelitis. The diversity of circulating PV-1 in Israel was also confirmed by nucleotide sequence analysis. The epidemiologic information provided by the RFLP and sequence data establishes a clear epidemiologic link between epidemic and sporadic virus strains and demonstrates the power of this molecular approach to epidemiology.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Outbreak of pertussis in a closed population with a high vaccination rate.

An outbreak of pertussis encompassing 78 cases in a population of 964 persons living on kibbutz is described. The attack rate was 36.1% among children aged 4 to 11 years, although all had been fully vaccinated. Female predominance and seasonal incidence conformed with what has been reported in the literature. The age distribution, however, was markedly different from that usually observed, indicating that local factors may influence the epidemiology of whooping cough. Despite the seeming paradox of the disease breaking out in a population with a high immunization rate, our results suggest that the vaccine had a protective effect in all age-groups. The incidence of pertussis in Israel in 1987 was considerably higher than that in the United States for the same year, and raises the question of changing the recommendations for vaccination here.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

AIDS in Israel, 1987.

Between mid-1982 and 1 January 1988, 35 cases of AIDS among permanent residents of Israel were reported to the Israel Ministry of Health. In contrast to the experience in the United States and Europe, the semiannual incidence rates of AIDS are low and have increased slowly over the past 6 years (0.6 to 1.1 cases/million). Risk factors for AIDS were identified in 34 patients: homosexuality in 18, hemophilia in 14 and blood transfusions in 2. Seventeen of the 18 homosexuals were most likely infected abroad, and all hemophilia patients had received imported commercial clotting factors. The two patients associated with blood transfusion received blood donated in Israel. The spectrum of clinical presentations and opportunistic pathogens is similar to that reported in the Western world, except for one case of disseminated Mycobacterium simiae infection. Sexual relations abroad of local homosexuals and receipt of imported clotting factors by Israeli hemophiliacs are currently the most important risk factors for AIDS in Israel. However, the prevalence of HIV infection among Israeli homosexuals is still low and is probably indicative of the more conservative life-style, the later introduction of the virus, and the earlier application of safe sex, in comparison with other Western countries. Furthermore, since spread of the virus seems to be increasing among Israeli i.v. drug abusers, attention should be focused on this group as well, so as to prevent a major outbreak of AIDS in Israel.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1979

Antibody to poliovirus in older children and young adults in Israel and the use of poliovaccines for the immunization of the seronegatives.

This report represents preliminary results of a more extensive study which is presently being carried out in Israel. The main aims of this study were twofold: (1) to carry out a survey of the state of immunity of children of various ages and of teenagers to the three poliovirus types and (2) to compare the antibody response of the seronegatives to the two kinds of presently available poliovaccines, the oral poliovaccine (O. P. V., Savin Vaccine) and the inactivated poliovaccine (I. P. V., Salk Vaccine).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1968

A comparative study of four live measles vaccines in Israel.

While an earlier live measles vaccine induced a high degree of immunity it also caused clinical reactions of variable severity in some vaccinated children. A number of attenuated measles vaccine strains have been developed to avoid these problems, and this paper reports the results of small-scale trials with 3 attenuated measles vaccines and a new further-attenuated vaccine on children from 9 months to over 4 years old.All 4 vaccines produced a satisfactory serological response. The new further-attenuated vaccine (Moraten) produced less fever and fewer rashes in the vaccinated children than the other vaccines which had been extensively tested by other workers. The incidence of severe reactions and complications was low with all vaccines.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The Israeli experience in the control of poliomyelitis during a quarter of a century, 1957-1982.

Data are presented on the programs and the results of immunization against paralytic poliomyelitis in Israel during the 25-year period 1957-1982. To control severe outbreaks of the disease, Israel introduced Salk-type inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) on a large scale in 1957 and used it for a period of five years. Vaccination with IPV had a beneficial effect, demonstrably reducing the morbidity from poliomyelitis. In 1961, Sabin's oral poliovirus vaccine ( OPV ) was first used during an epidemic outbreak of the disease and has been in continuous use since. Vaccination with OPV has resulted in a highly significant decrease in the incidence of the disease, although sporadic cases continued to occur. This program was supplemented for the past four years with an annual mass vaccination campaign in "high-risk" areas of the country. These additional preventive measures have resulted in a further reduction in morbidity but not in the complete disappearance of the disease.

Child↗