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Biomedical subjects

A Lifshitz

Publications and source records attributed to A Lifshitz.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Genetic counseling in adult polycystic kidney disease in Israel.

45 patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (APKD) were interviewed with regard to their knowledge about the familial nature of their disease. 22 patients (mean age up to 57 years) were treated with chronic dialysis, and 23 (mean age up to 49 years) had either normal serum creatinine or chronic renal failure without dialysis (serum creatinine range 1-7 mg/dl). Most of the patients knew the name and prognosis of their disease, but only 9% of them knew that half of their children might be at risk. Only 38% of the patients wanted to know that they had APKD before they had children and only 18% would not have had children if they had known beforehand that they were ill. 45% of the patients on dialysis and 78% of the patients not on dialysis would have had children in spite of their disease. The difference between the two groups is significant (p = 0.006). There was a correlation between the duration of follow-up of the patients and their children's knowledge (r = 0.38; p = 0.017). Genetic counseling in Israel is similar to that in other countries, but there is a large difference between the patients in Israel and others regarding their attitude towards childbearing. The finding of a linkage between a polymorphic region on chromosome 16 (3' HVR) to the locus of APKD makes a prenatal diagnosis of the disease possible. This could be a valuable tool for efficient counseling in the future.

Female↗
PubMed1990

Persistent fever as the only symptom of familial Mediterranean fever.

We describe a 54-year-old man who suffered from familial Mediterranean fever, but the fever has been the only symptom during a 10-year period. During this period, results of laboratory tests and roentgenographic studies were negative. On the basis of these findings we propose that familial Mediterranean fever can be included in the causes of persistent fever in patients with long periods of fever.

Familial Mediterranean Fever↗
PubMed1987

The electroencephalogram in adult patients with fever.

In order to determine if adult patients have reversible EEG abnormalities concurrent with fever, EEGs were recorded during fever in patients without neurologic disease or systemic disease capable of involving the central nervous system, and these were compared blindly with EEGs from the same patients taken at least 30 days after the febrile illness had disappeared. Fourteen patients completed the study, 10 men and 4 women, between the ages of 24 and 56 years, with fever secondary to localized infection. The global frequency of abnormal EEGs was high compared with the general population, since only 6 patients had both records completely normal; in 4 of these 6 cases during fever there were sleep patterns, mainly the first phase of slow wave sleep. Patients with localized abnormalities during fever showed the same abnormality in the EEG taken without fever, with two exceptions, one in which the abnormal finding disappeared and one in which another abnormality replaced the first one. Two patients had normal EEGs during fever and paroxysmal theta waves with predominance in their EEGs taken one month later. Fever in adults seems not to provoke rapidly reversible EEG changes. The high proportion of abnormal EEGs in these patients, and the appearance of new abnormalities in two cases after fever, deserves further research concerning the long-term effects of febrile illness on the EEG in adult patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Analysis of morphology and receptor metabolism in clonal variant A431 cells with differing growth responses to epidermal growth factor.

Human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cell clones have been obtained whose growth is inhibited, stimulated, or unaffected by epidermal growth factor (EGF). In clones exhibiting each type of growth response, EGF induced similar morphologic changes consisting of aggregation of cells into dense clusters with baring of large areas of the culture dish. The similarity of the clones' morphologic responses, despite their differing growth responses, indicates that the effects of EGF on morphology are distinct from effects on growth. Cells whose growth was inhibited by EGF contained high numbers of EGF receptors, whereas the concentration of EGF receptors was reduced in cells whose growth was stimulated or unaffected by EGF. There were, however, no consistent differences in EGF receptor concentrations between stimulated or null clones. Cells that exhibited each type of growth response displayed similar rates of EGF binding to receptors, rates of internalization of EGF, and rates and extent of EGF-induced receptor down-regulation. Changes in EGF-stimulated tyrosine-specific protein kinase activity paralleled changes in EGF receptors, both between clones and upon down-regulation. These studies indicate that a reduction in the concentration of EGF receptors in A431 cells allows escape from the growth inhibitory effects of EGF, but suggest that the pattern of growth response depends on biochemical events subsequent to EGF-receptor metabolism and activation of tyrosine-specific protein kinase.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
PubMed1982

Role of epidermal growth factor-stimulated protein kinase in control of proliferation of A431 cells.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF), which stimulates tyrosine-specific protein kinase activity both in vivo and in vitro, inhibits proliferation of A431 human epidermoid carcinoma cells. After mutagenesis clonal cell lines that were resistant to the growth inhibitory effects of EGF were selected. All six variants examined contained decreased EGF-stimulated protein kinase. The number of EGF receptors in variant cells decreased in parallel with EGF-stimulated protein kinase activity so that the specific activity of EGF-stimulated protein kinase per EGF receptor remained constant in variant cell lines with up to tenfold reductions in both activities. This result suggests that both EGF binding and kinase activities reside in the same or closely coupled molecules. The effect of EGF on growth of two resistant variants was examined in detail. Clone 29 contains approximately 50% and clone 4 contains approximately 20% of the EGF-stimulated protein kinase activity of the parental A431 cell line. In serum-supplemented medium, EGF stimulated proliferation of clone 29 but did not affect growth of clone 4. In a 1:1 mixture of DME and F-12 medium without serum, EGF caused both clone 29 and clone 4 to grow as well as in 10% serum. These variants, which were selected for resistance to the growth inhibitory effects of EGF, thus exhibit a strong mitogenic response to EGF. This result suggests that resistance to the growth inhibitory effect of EGF may involve both a decrease in EGF-stimulated protein kinase and an alteration in the response pathway.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
PubMed1980

Advances in gastric emptying studies by means of computerized scintigraphy.

Gastric emptying studies were begun in 1833. However, as information on this phenomenon became more available it became more difficult to unify studies in order to make them more applicable for the study and treatment of functional disturbances and organic diseases. In this work an innocuous, objective and precise method is described, that consists of the study of gastric emptying in two stages in healthy individuals. In the first, basic substances of food were administered and in the second, usual 1,050 calorie meals all marked with Technetium-99 m macroaggregates, were given. Two scintillation cameras were used coupled to computerized data processing systems from where quantitative information and black and white Polaroid pictures were obtained. In the first stage, six healthy volunteers were studied who received basic food substances in different sessions. In the second stage, 10 healthy volunteers were studied who received a type of meal common in our environment. In all cases gastric emptying curves were obtained plotting radioactivity counts v.s. time. Weibull's distribution was the statistical method applied. According to the ingested substances, results showed different emptying curves of a complex exponential type. Although gastric emptying is immediate, it is parallel to the presence of plateaus in the initial part of the study; an apparently delayed phenomenon that had been overlooked and is explained in the discussion part of this paper. Results obtained have offered the possibility of an abundant volume of studies that should clarify existing doubts in the future with a wide field for clinical application.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1974

Isolation and antibacterial activity of acylphloroglucinols from Myrtus communis.

Isolation procedures of two new acylphloroglucinols, myrtucommulone-A and myrtucommulone-B, from Myrtus communis leaves are given. Myrtucommulone-A was highly antibacterial against gram-positive bacteria but was not active against gram negatives. The chemical relation to other acylphloroglucinols and the antibacterial activity of the compounds isolated are discussed.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1970

New antibacterial agent isolated from the avocado pear.

A group of eight new long-chain aliphatic compounds recently isolated from the avocado and some derivatives thereof were tested for antibacterial activity on 13 different species of bacteria and a yeast. Some of these compounds inhibited the growth of microorganisms. 1,2,4-Trihydroxy-n-hepadeca-16-en was found to be the most active, inhibiting certain gram-positive bacteria at 4 mug/ml.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A rating system for prompt clinical diagnosis of ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: When a CT scan is not available, an early accurate clinical diagnosis of ischemic stroke is essential to initiate prompt therapy. Our objective was to construct a clinical index that is easy to use when stroke patients are first evaluated at the hospital, to identify those who probably are experiencing an acute ischemic episode. The study was conducted at a university-affiliated medical referral center and two community general hospitals in Mexico. METHODS: Clinical records were reviewed for 801 patients with sudden onset of a focal or global neurologic dysfunction, presumably of vascular origin lasting more than 24 h. Eligibility criteria for this study were admission to the hospital within the first 24 h after symptomatic onset, CT scan diagnosis between 24 and 72 h, and age >45 years. Ischemic stroke included cases of arterial brain infarction, while nonischemic stroke included subarachnoid or intraparenchymatous hemorrhage, mass lesion, venous infarction, and in cases without a CT scan evidence that could explain the clinical manifestations. Data excerpted for analysis were age, sex, history of diabetes mellitus or previous stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA), time of onset of symptoms, presence of headache, vomiting, neck stiffness, hemiplegia, leukocytosis or atrial fibrillation, diastolic blood pressure, and Glasgow coma scale (GCS) rating. Two multivariable analyses were used: 1) step-wise multiple logistic regression (SMLR), and 2) conjunctive consolidation (CC). RESULTS: After appropriate exclusions, the study proceeded with 83 ischemic and 42 nonischemic stroke patients. With SMLR, six variables were selected as predictive for ischemic stroke, including neck stiffness, diastolic blood pressure, previous history of stroke/TIA, hemiplegia, GCS, and atrial fibrillation. An appropriate sum of weighted ratings had a positive predictive value (PPV) of 100% for ischemic stroke. With consolidated categories, the PPV was 97% when patients had the following: no neck stiffness; no atrial fibrillation but history of stroke/TIA and GCS > or =12, or no neck stiffness but atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with acute stroke, clinical data can be used to identify a group with a high probability of ischemic stroke. There are slightly different results between both methods; while SMLR includes the four variables selected by CC, the latter included neither diastolic blood pressure nor hemiplegia/hemiparesia. However, CC results seem easier to understand and interpret than with SMLR.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The perception of teratogenic risk by women with nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.

This study determined the advice reported to be received by women suffering from nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) from their caregivers regarding management, the teratogenic risk perception of these women and their choice of antiemetic drug use in pregnancy. A secondary objective was to determine prospectively the effect of counseling on malformation risk perception in women with NVP. The women were prospectively followed-up and questioned about the use of pharmacotherapy or other management choices as well as their perception of teratogenic risk through structured telephone interviews. The results showed that at the initial call, around 6 weeks of gestation, over three quarters of the 260 participants reported that therapy of NVP increased their teratogenic risk. This risk perception was decreased significantly after counseling. Women who reported their physicians' advice to change their diet and/or lifestyle attributed an increased risk for major malformations with antiemetics for NVP (P = 0.001), whereas women who reported advice to take antiemetic medications known to be safe to the fetus attributed no change in risk for major malformations with drugs for NVP (P = 0.002). We came to the conclusion that women are commonly hesitant to treat NVP pharmacologically due to unfounded fears of teratogenic risk. Evidenced-based counseling resulted in reduced numbers of women who considered drug therapy for NVP to increase the risk of major malformations.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Taking advantage of information sources for clinical practice].

Information sources are the books, journals and electronic systems which support the academic work of physicians. Doctors have not taken enough advantage of these sources for their clinical decisions because they trend to rely on a routine undue confidence in experience, and because they do not have the skills for so-called health documentation. Many patients, consequently, have access to the best alternatives for solving their medical problems. The proper use of these sources implies some skills such as reflexive practice, the ability for recovering information, and critical reading and enough determination to apply the results of scientific research to individual patients, taking into consideration the patient's circumstances and the evaluation of outcomes. In this way, there is real integration of medical care, research, and continuing medical education.

Clinical Medicine↗