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Biomedical subjects

E H Epstein

Publications and source records attributed to E H Epstein.

86 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1975

Treatment of mycosis fungoides with topical nitrosourea compounds: Further studies.

Twenty-six patients with mycosis fungoides were treated topically with three nitrosourea compounds: carmustine (BCNU), lomustine (CCNU), and 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea. A high percentage experienced good to excellent results. Remissions following treatment of individual lesions varied from one month to at least three years. Remissions following total body surface treatment varied from two weeks to at least four months. Two of 13 patients treated over the entire body suffered temporary bone marrow depression, indluding one with severe pancytopenia. This toxic effect was attributed to lomustine and was not seen in patients treated with carmustine alone. Thirteen patients highly allergic to mechlorethamine hydrochloride showed no cross-sensitivity to nitrosourea compounds. A primary irritant dermatitis occurred in about one half of the patients and telangiectasia in two. Two patients developed hypersensitivity to nitrosourea compounds. Carmustine is the preferred nitrosourea compound for topical therapy of mycosis fungoides.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1972

Precursors of collagen secreted by cultured human fibroblasts.

Soluble precursors of collagen ("procollagens") in the culture medium of human diploid fibroblasts were characterized by molecular sieve chromatography on 6% agarose and by sodium dodecyl sulfate-acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Under the denaturing conditions for gels, the following molecular species were identified: a major species of three procollagen chains, a procollagen dimer, and free procollagen chains. Reduction with 2-mercaptoethanol completely dissociated the trimer and dimer, releasing procollagen alpha1 and procollagen alpha2 chains with molecular weights of about 120,000. Both pro alpha1 and pro alpha2 chains could be labeled with [(35)S]cystine. In addition, free procollagen chains with molecular weights of less than 120,000, but heavier than native alpha chains, were identified in gels. Radioactivity in all of the above molecules could be chased into native alpha chains extracted from extracellular fibers of the cell layers. The data indicate that: (i) collagen is secreted as a disulfidestabilized procollagen trimer with the composition, (pro alpha1)(2).pro alpha2; (ii) noncovalent interactions maintain the three-chain assembly during stepwise enzymatic excisions of N-terminal, cysteine-containing procellagen peptides; and (iii) after such excisions, native helical molecules, (alpha1)(2).alpha2, precipitate as fibers in the cell layers.

Carbon Isotopes↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Chemoprevention of basal cell carcinomas in the ptc1+/- mouse--green and black tea.

Skin cancers are a rising menace as their incidence increases, attributed in part to increasing ultraviolet radiation exposure. This increasing problem has stimulated efforts to devise useful preventive approaches. The uncertain efficacy of exhortations to avoid sun exposure and to use protective clothing and sunscreens to reduce damage when exposed argue for the development of an oral chemopreventive agent. Bickers and others have studied the effects and mechanisms of tea and of its putative active components on inhibition of skin cancer in experimental models. To continue this work, we have studied the effects of oral green tea and black tea on a new model of ultraviolet-induced skin carcinogenesis - the development of basal cell carcinomas in ptc1+/- mice. To our surprise, we have found that tea preparations which others have used to prevent squamous cell carcinoma formation in mice fail to inhibit basal cell carcinogenesis in our model, suggesting that prevention of this cancer may require special, tumor-specific approaches.

Alleles↗