PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

W Olszewski

Publications and source records attributed to W Olszewski.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Expression of HER2/neu in primary and metastatic breast cancer.

The study was performed for answering the question whether metastatic breast cancer has the same overexpression of HER2/neu as primary breast tumor. We assumed that study on this subject could give a valuable information for proper interpretation of HER2/neu overexpression in breast cancer patients designated for therapy with Herceptin. Our study was performed on 71 breast cancer patients qualified for clinical trial with Herceptin therapy. All patients selected for this trial have had surgery and two episodes of unsuccessful adjuvant therapy. Tissue samples were routinely fixed in 4% formalin and embedded in paraffin. Immunohistochemical assays were performed on 5 microns slides using DAKO HercepTest and semi-quantitative methods to determine HER2 protein overexpression were used. All study cases were subdivided into two groups. First group--49 cases in which expression of HER2 was examined in tissue from primary breast tumors, and second group--22 cases in which expression of HER2 was examined in tissue from metastatic lesions. In the whole study group (71 cases) overexpression was confirmed in 29 (40.8%) cases. In the group of primary breast tumors overexpression of HER2 was present in 20 (40.8%) of cases. In the group of metastatic breast tumors overexpression of HER2 was present in 9 (40.9%) of cases. The result suggests that overexpression which appears in primary breast carcinoma is also preserved in metastases. Direct prove of such a conclusion, would be a study on HER2/neu expression estimated in primary and metastases in the same patients. It requires a proper quantity and quality of material. Our results indicate that there is no difference between the estimation of HER2/neu overexpression in primary and metastatic breast cancer in patients with disseminated disease after double failure of chemotherapy. Evaluation of overexpression of HER2/neu in cases of planned Herceptin therapy can be done both in material from primary and from metastatic tumor.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Clinical efficacy of micronized purified flavonoid fraction (MPFF) in edema.

Swelling is one of the most frequent complaints of patients in daily clinical practice; leg edema is its objective confirmation. It can be associated with several diseases. Micronized purified flavonoid fraction (MPFF) is a phlebotropic drug commonly used to treat the signs and symptoms associated with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). It has confirmed its clinical efficacy in different groups of patients suffering from edema: idiopathic cyclic edema, CVI-associated edema, postmastectomy lymphedema and might be beneficial in some of drug-induced edema. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study including 30 outpatients suffering from idiopathic cyclic edema syndrome, MPFF 1000 mg/day for 6 weeks, normalized the capillary permeability, assessed by the Landis isotope test, in 3 out of 4 patients (p=0.01). The decrease in capillary hyperpermeability led to a clinically significant decrease in weight and edema. In 200 patients with functional or organic venous insufficiency of the lower limbs, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study with MPFF 1000 mg/day for 2 months provided strong evidence of a marked improvement in symptoms and signs. A significant reduction in supramalleolar edema (assessed by circumference measurement) was observed, whatever the origin of CVI: functional or organic. MPFF efficacy was also demonstrated in another randomized, multicenter controlled trial in 320 patients suffering from chronic venous insufficiency. In this study, a significant decrease in circumference of the most affected leg was observed after 2 months of treatment (p<0.001), whatever the schedule of administration of MPFF (1000 mg once daily or bid). The benefit of MPFF on edema has been further confirmed by the volometer technique (opto-electronic measuring system) which was performed in a population of 30 patients suffering from CVI and treated by MPFF 1000 mg/day over a 6-week period. The mean volume of the more affected lower leg decreased significantly after a 6-week period of treatment, correlating to a significant improvement in clinical symptoms. MPFF has been also tested on another type of edema, upper limb lymphedema secondary to mastectomy, during a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study in 104 patients. MPFF 1000 mg/day improved all lymphoscintigraphic parameters such as half-life and clearance of the labelled colloid. With regard to evolution of lymphedema volume, a tendency in favor of MPFF was observed in the subgroup of patients with more severe lymphedema. Based on its action on capillary hyperpermeability, MPFF has been used with attractive results when combined with classic treatment for a pilot study carried out in patients with advanced breast cancer (n=21) or ovarian carcinoma (n=3), treated with docetaxel, which causes severe edema as a side effect, even when associated with corticoids. Further trials are under way to assess the possible benefit of MPFF in such patients. These results in different types of edema confirm that, by acting on all parameters involved in edema, veins, lymphatics, and microcirculation, MPFF represents a drug of choice for treating CVI-associated edema.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1998

DNA ploidy as a prognostic factor in patients with ovarian carcinoma.

The aim of this work was to establish the dependence between survival and time to progression and the factor which is considered as risk factor i.e. type of DNA ploidy. The DNA ploidy was evaluated in 33 cases of ovary carcinoma selected from 314 cases. The statistically significant difference between the 5 years survivals in patients with DNA aneuploidy and patients with DNA diploidy was observed (13.6% vs 60.9%). What was also found out, was the statistically significant difference between the 5 years survivals without the progression of disease in patients with DNA aneuploidy and patients with DNA diploidy (13.6% vs 55.9%).

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Expression of cell adhesion molecules on liver-associated lymphocytes and their ligands on sinusoidal lining cells in patients with benign or malignant liver disease.

Liver sinusoids, in contrast with the capillaries of other tissues, contain large numbers of sequestered lymphocytes. These blood-borne cells preferentially home in the liver. The mechanism regulating the recruitment of these cells and molecular regulation of the recognition of endothelial cells is as yet unclear. The present study sought to evaluate the cell adhesion molecules on human liver-associated lymphocytes and their ligands on sinusoidal lining cells in 29 patients undergoing partial hepatectomy for liver tumors. Liver-associated lymphocytes and peripheral blood lymphocytes were analyzed by flow cytometry using monoclonal antibodies. Frozen sections of liver tissue were stained according to alkaline phosphatase anti-alkaline phosphatase method. Cytometric analysis showed that virtually all liver-associated lymphocytes expressed on their surface the cell adhesion molecules LFA-1 and VLA-4. This liver-associated lymphocyte population also presented a significantly higher percentage of Mac 1, ICAM-1, and LFA-3 and an increased surface expression of LFA-1, LFA-2, and NCAM in comparison with peripheral blood lymphocytes. It was likewise shown that sinusoidal cells express ICAM-1, ICAM-2, ICAM-3, VCAM-1 and LFA-3 ligands. Liver-associated lymphocytes thus strongly express a number of different adhesion molecules. The corresponding ligands were also detected on sinusoidal lining cells. LFA-1 and VLA-4 would seem to be important pathways of temporary lymphocyte-endothelial adhesion in liver sinusoids.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1993

The influence of local hyperthermia on lymphedema and lymphedematous skin of the human leg.

The influence of microwave and hot water immersion hyperthermia on lymphedema and lymphedematous skin of the leg in 12 patients was studied using circumference and volumetric measurements, immunohistochemistry and "quantitative" lymphoscintigraphy. Whereas heating was associated with a reduction in the girth and volume of the leg, lymph flow as assessed by lymphoscintigraphy was unchanged. Neither absorption of the radiolabeled nanocolloid from the injection site nor the rate of tracer accumulation in the inguinal lymph nodes was significantly altered by heat therapy. Histologically, the lymphedematous skin after heat treatment showed near resolution of perivascular cellular infiltration, disappearance of "lymph lakes" and dilatation of blood capillaries. Labeling of skin migrating immune cells with monoclonal antibodies confirmed subsidence of dermal cellular infiltration; nonetheless, there was nonspecific stimulation of resident epidermal immune cells, endothelial cells, macrophages, lymphocytes and keratinocytes by intense expression of class II and other antigens. There seemed to be a direct relationship between the subsidence of dermal inflammation and a decrease in leg edema. We suspect that subsidence of local inflammation in the lymphedematous limb with alteration in the extracellular protein matrix after regional heating accounts for the reduction in peripheral edema.

Humans↗
PubMed1992

Aspiration biopsy of the breast tumors. Analysis of diagnostically difficult cases.

In this paper the authors described those of the breast fine needle aspirates which were difficult for interpretation e.g. clear-cut differentiation between benign and malignant character of the lesion could not be made. There were 40 such cases (1.96%) out of 2332 breast tumors biopsied between 1987-1989. In the cases that proved to be malignant on histology the authors described cytological features which speak in favour of malignancy. In the group of smears which proved to be benign on histology the authors described the features that imitate atypia and should not be misdiagnosed as malignant. The described criteria may be of some help in cytological diagnosis of breast masses.

Adenofibroma↗
PubMed1992

Use of tonometry to assess lower extremity lymphedema.

Tissue tonometry was used to assess the outcome of microwave hyperthermia in treatment of 9 patients with lower extremity lymphedema. After microwave treatment, tissue tonicity of the lymphedematous leg returned toward normal. This improvement correlated with a reduction of leg volume and circumference, decrease in "inflammation" in the edematous subcutaneous tissue and clinical episodes of cellulitis. Possible factors involved in this shift in tissue tonicity toward normal include mobilization of excess fluid and plasma proteins from the interstitium, reduction in microvascular cellular infiltrate and changes in the elastic and viscoelastic properties of matrix collagen, elastin and ground substance following hyperthermia.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1992

Azithromycin pharmacokinetics and penetration to lymph.

The study of pharmacokinetics of azithromycin and penetration to peripheral human lymph was carried out in 14 healthy male volunteers taking 1 g orally after overnight fasting. Samples were analyzed by microbiological assay. The mean peak concentrations were 0.82 +/- 0.23 mg/l after 1.7 +/- 0.5 h in serum and 0.22 +/- 0.07 mg/l after 3.1 h in lymph. Nine of the 14 subjects showed a second and lower serum peak indicating the existence of enterohepatic circulation. The total areas under the serum concentrations curves (AUCs) till infinity were 7.9 +/- 3.1 mg. h/l compared to 4.4 +/- 1.2 mg.h/l in lymph. The mean lymph AUC was 68.1 +/- 20.7% of the serum AUC indicating a penetration ratio of 0.68. However, the actual amounts penetrating the tissues were much higher than this ratio suggests. Thus, after 6 h 81% of the drug was within the tissue compartment and after 120 h, 63% of the azithromycin was still present in the tissue compartment. The urinary recovery of azithromycin was 14.7 +/- 7.7% during the first 48 h. The serum curves and lymph curves displayed a distinctly slower phase of elimination after 12 h. The mean serum half-life was 5.4 +/- 3.4 h during the first 12 h (after the peak), whereas the value was 44.2 +/- 10.1 h during the interval 12-120 h. The corresponding half-life values for the peripheral lymph were 5.4 +/- 2.2 h and 50.8 +/- 11.6 h. Azithromycin possesses key pharmacokinetic properties that are prerequisites for a convenient once-daily dosage schedule which may improve patient compliance.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Mesenteric lymph node transplantation in syngeneic rats: changes in cellularity and architecture.

The cellular architectural and functional changes of transplanted mesenteric lymph nodes in rats were studied. After lymph nodes were transplanted with interruption of both the afferent and efferent lymphatics, the nodal cellular content gradually became depleted. One month after operation, the recirculating lymphocyte count in the transplanted node was only 3.5% of that in control nodes, whereas the number of mononuclear cells per mg tissue of transplanted node was only 28% of normal. In the transplanted nodal paracortex, the cells of high endothelial venules (HEV) became less prominent and gradually flattened altogether. In the transplanted nodal cortex, germinal centers and follicles also sharply decreased and later disappeared. Three months after transplantation, the normal compartmentalization of the transplanted nodes were no longer distinguishable. Regeneration of afferent lymphatics was not detected in transplanted nodes and the lack of circulating antigen and stimulated lymphocytes was probably responsible for the histological and functional involution of grafted mesenteric lymph nodes.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

[Tetralogy of Fallot in children--management and results of treatment].

The authors present the results of surgical treatment obtained in 288 children with tetralogy of Fallot. In 127 children palliative procedures (pulmonary-systemic anastomoses) were employed, whereas 161 patients were subjected to total surgical corrections of the defect, performed in cardiopulmonary bypass. In 127 (79%) belonging to the latter group the correction was a single stage procedure, and in 34 (21%), it followed pulmonary-systemic anastomoses. Perioperative mortality rate in children subjected to single stage procedures was 12%, being lightly lower than the rate observed in patients subjected to two stage procedures. The analysis of operative results corrected for age revealed a higher mortality rate in children operated when less then two years of age (17%) in comparison to older patients (11%).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[Immunocytochemical evaluation of estrogen receptors in histological specimens of primary breast cancer].

Immunocytochemical methods (ER-ICA) by using monoclonal antibodies were applied to determine the presence of estrogen receptors (ER) in 44 primary breast cancers in women. Of this 48% of the tumours were classified as receptor positive. In these tumours the nuclei had a clearly positive heterogenous colouration. In three cases a positive reaction was also found in benign epithelial cells of the breast. ER determinations by ER-ICA method were compared with quantitative analysis carried out by using radioligand and immunoenzymatic methods. There was a strong correlation between immunocytochemical ER evaluations and quantitative methods. We also found a correlation of the menopause state and patients age and ER content.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

DNA in situ sensitivity to denaturation as a marker of human breast tumors.

DNA content and in situ sensitivity to denaturation were analyzed by flow cytometry of individual cell nuclei isolated from 40 breast carcinomas, nine fibroadenomas, and 14 samples of normal breast tissue. The extent of DNA denaturation induced by acid was expressed as alpha t, which represents the fraction of DNA staining metachromatically red with the fluorochrome acridine orange. In all cases of normal breast tissue DNA was very sensitive to denaturation and the frequency distribution of alpha t values was unimodal with over 90% of cells having alpha t above 0.6. All fibroadenomas were diploid; four had unimodal alpha t as in normal tissue and five had a bimodal distribution with an additional peak below 0.6. Twenty-seven adenocarcinomas (67%) had a DNA index above 1.0; of these 24 had bimodal alpha t distributions. Among 13 diploid carcinomas 10 had bimodal alpha t distributions. Statistically significant differences were observed in alpha t distributions of normal versus tumor breast tissue (P less than 0.005). In normal tissue and in all tumors a predominant proportion of cells with S and G2 + M DNA content were characterized by DNA resistant to denaturation (alpha t below 0.6). Of interest, the diploid cells from aneuploid tumors which may represent reactive host cells often displayed bimodal distributions of alpha t. These results may be interpreted in light of earlier studies demonstrating increased resistance of DNA to denaturation in diffuse chromatin of proliferating and/or transcriptionally active cells, and greater sensitivity to denaturation of DNA in condensed chromatin of quiescent cells. Thus, the presence of the second peaks representing cells with low alpha t values in breast tumors may indicate a high proportion of proliferating cells, whereas high alpha t populations may represent quiescent and differentiating (condensed chromatin) or dying (pycnotic nuclei) cells. It is likely that the low alpha t diploid cells detected in aneuploid tumors may represent the reactive (transcriptionally active and/or proliferating) infiltrating host cells (i.e., lymphocytes, monocytes) whose presence may also be of prognostic value. The data suggest that a DNA denaturability assay may be useful to characterize tumor and infiltrating host cell populations.

Acridine Orange↗