Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E Schiff

Publications and source records attributed to E Schiff.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Pregnancy and live birth after focused ultrasound surgery for symptomatic focal adenomyosis: a case report.

Adenomyosis is a benign disease whose symptoms mimic those of uterine leiomyoma. Hysterectomy is the treatment of choice; conservative surgery is difficult to perform and can damage the uterine structural integrity. We report the case of a 36-year-old woman who had difficulty conceiving because of profuse menometrorrhagia. An 84 cm3 uterine tumour was diagnosed on ultrasonography as leiomyoma, and conservative myomectomy was planned. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) corrected the diagnosis to focal adenomyosis. Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) destroyed a significant part of the tumour. Following an uncomplicated MRgFUS treatment, a non-perfused volume of 33 cm3 was measured. At 6 weeks, the patient experienced a significant reduction in menometrorrhagia and a marked decrease in tumour size (about 50%). She conceived spontaneously and, after an uneventful pregnancy, gave birth at term to a healthy infant via normal vaginal delivery. No structural uterine abnormality was detected after her delivery. This report highlights the difficult diagnosis and new therapeutic considerations of adenomyosis. MRgFUS seems to have the potential to precisely and effectively treat focal adenomyosis without damage to surrounding healthy myometrium, allowing for normal reproduction. Further studies are needed to assess the overall safety and long-term effectiveness of MRgFUS for the non-invasive treatment of adenomyosis.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Prenatal diagnosis and outcome of congenital cytomegalovirus infection in twin pregnancies.

OBJECTIVE: To study the outcome of 20 twin pregnancies with evidence of primary or recurrent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during pregnancy. DESIGN: Observational study. SETTING: Two tertiary perinatal departments in Israel. POPULATION: Twenty women with twin pregnancies who were referred because of serologic investigation indicating CMV infection. Seventeen women had evidence of primary CMV infection, and three women appeared to have recurrent CMV infection. METHODS: Prenatal diagnosis was made by amniocentesis of both sacs after 21 weeks of gestation. CMV isolation was performed by culture on fibroblasts, shell vial technique and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of CMV DNA. After birth, the neonatal urine and saliva were cultured for CMV. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Intrauterine CMV infection defined as positive PCR at amniotic fluid analysis and congenital CMV infection defined as positive CMV cultures after birth. RESULTS: Except for one, all women underwent amniocentesis of both gestational sacs. In 14 (70%) women, no evidence of vertical transmission to any of the 28 fetuses was found and none of the newborns had evidence of congenital CMV infection. Intrauterine infection was detected by amniocentesis in five women and by ultrasound findings with positive maternal serology in one. In three women, CMV was detected in only one amniotic sac. In five of our six total cases, both twins were found to have congenital CMV infection at birth, all of whom had dichorionic-diamniotic placentation, three fused and two separate. CONCLUSIONS: In twin gestations, as in singletons, intrauterine and congenital CMV infection occurs in about 30% of women with primary or recurrent infection. The placenta type did not predict if one or both twins would be infected. Our data do not exclude the possibility that intrauterine transmission of the virus from one fetus to the other can occur.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Steroid-free induction and preemptive antiviral therapy for liver transplant recipients with hepatitis C: a preliminary report from a prospective randomized study.

Recurrence of hepatitis C (HepC) has been a most difficult dilemma in liver transplantation (OLT) because the effects of immunosuppression with steroid, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) calcineurin antagonists, and anti-interleukin-2 antibody as well as the role of preemptive antiviral therapy are uncertain. In this study, we randomized OLT recipients with HepC into two treatment arms: tacrolimus+daclizumab+MMF (study arm) versus tacrolimus+steroids+MMF (control arm). The study arm only received steroids for the treatment of biopsy-proven rejection episodes. Both arms received preemptive anti-viral therapy with Pegasys and ribavirin. The 39 enrolled patients (among 50 to be enrolled) have median follow-up of 458 days with 23 patients (8 in study arm, 15 in control arm) having reached 1 year. The incidences of rejection episodes within 0 to 3 months, 3 to 6 months, and 6 to 12 months were (study vs control): 0% vs 28%; 0% vs 6%; and 13% vs 20%; respectively (P = NS). The 1-year protocol biopsies showed advanced fibrosis (stage 3 or greater) in 20% (3 of 15) of the control arm, but none (0 of 7) of the study arm (P = NS). We compared anticipated side effects of steroids in the first 3 months (study vs control): hypertension (36% vs 58%, P = NS), PTDM (7% vs 43%, P = .02), and wound infections (14% vs 37%, P = NS). In conclusion, liver transplant recipients with HepC tolerate a steroid-free protocol. There was a trend toward reduced steroid side effects and a lower incidence of advanced fibrosis in 1-year biopsy samples among patients receiving the steroid-free protocol.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed2005

Liver enzymes elevation after HAART in HIV-HCV co-infection.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection is common among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients. The incidence and risk factors associated with hepatotoxicity in this population after high active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is initiated are still not well-understood. We argued to evaluate the incidence and risk factors associated with liver enzyme elevation (LEE) and their clinical significance. A retrospective chart review of patients who started HAART and had follow up at our centre for at least 1 year was undertaken. The frequency and severity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/aspartate aminotransferase (AST) elevation after treatment initiation were investigated and searched for clinical manifestations. Between January 1996 and March 2002, 85 HIV-HCV co-infected patients began HAART and continued follow up for at least 1 year. The incidence of severe toxicity [grades 3 + 4 LEE: >5 and >10 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) of ALT or AST] was calculated at 4% per person-years. There were no clinical manifestations of liver toxicity, and patients continued their treatment with a trend towards a decrease of their enzymes. No statistical differences in opportunistic infections or mortality were evident. The variables associated with severe hepatotoxicity were a higher baseline AST, higher international normalized ratio (INR) and lower albumin. A baseline AST < 2.1 ULN had a negative predictive value of 92% of leading to severe hepatotoxicity. In HIV-HCV co-infected patients therefore, the group at a higher risk of developing higher transaminase elevations is the one with a higher baseline AST, higher INR and lower albumin.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Outcome of pregnancies complicated by severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS): a follow-up beyond the second trimester.

UNLABELLED: The main aim of this study was to assess the obstetric complications for those pregnancies that are complicated by ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and continue beyond the first trimester. We checked also for other related serious events that occurred during the first trimester. METHODS: We included only patients whose pregnancies continued beyond the first trimester and compared them with IVF-treated patients displaying moderate ovarian response. RESULTS: We studied 165 patients with OHSS (101 singletons and 64 twins) and 156 IVF control patients (85 singletons and 71 twins). Two serious complications, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), were noted in both groups. However, the incidence of these two complications did not differ significantly between the groups. In the OHSS group, GDM presented with an incidence of 9.9% for singletons and 9.4% for twins, and 12.9% and 7.0%, respectively, for the control group. PIH presented as 6.9% for singletons and 10.9% for twins in the OHSS group, and 8.2% and 7.0%, respectively, for the control groups. During the first trimester laparoscopies for suspected ovarian torsion were performed in 13 patients, and in 10 patients the diagnosis were confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: Although patients with OHSS-complicated pregnancies previously reported a relatively high risk of GDM and PIH, the occurrence rates do not differ from a matched control group of normally responding patients who conceived after IVF.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Liver transplant for the septuagenarians: importance of patient selection.

With the increasing success of liver transplantation (OLT), more patients above 70 years of age are being considered for OLT. There is not enough data about the predictors for survival in this patient population. We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 33 patients at least 70 years of age who received 34 OLT from July 1995 to July 2002. There were 16 women and 17 men of mean age 73.7 years. Etiologies of end-stage liver disease (ESLD) were: HCV (17/33, 52%), cryptogenic cirrhosis (8/33, 24%), PBC (3/33, 9%), Laennec's cirrhosis (2/33, 6%), and others (3/33, 9%). According to the UNOS classification, 15/34 (44%) were status 3, 16/34 (47%) status 2, and 3/34 (9%) status 1. Among 13/33 patients who died (39%), 1-year and 3-year survival rates were 78.79% and 71.43%, respectively. Based on UNOS criteria, 4/15 (26%) were status 3; 6/16 (37%), status 2; and 3/3 (100%), status 1 (P value = .04 for status 1 patients). There was no statistical differences between the scores using the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) among those who died (MELD (19) versus MELD (17.35) respectively (P = .50). There was a statistically significant difference in cold ischemia time (CIT) and warm ischemia time (WIT) between those who died (P = .024 and.010, respectively). These results suggest that in this group of patients UNOS status classification, CIT and WIT correlate with survival. The sample size was too small to derive a conclusion about the association with the MELD score.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

The long-term effects of immune suppression on liver transplant recipients with recurrent hepatitis C viral infection.

INTRODUCTION: Adequate immune suppression following liver transplantation in recipients with recurrence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is not standardized. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between immune suppression protocol and the clinical/histological parameters in HCV transplant recipients with an HCV recurrence. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on recipients of liver transplants from June 1998 to October 2003 who experienced HCV recurrence. Only patients with liver biopsies at 3 to 5 years following liver transplantation were included in the analysis. The data set included: patient demographics, immune suppression, antiviral therapies, as well as histology to evaluate ductopenia and chronic rejection. Patients divided into groups of high, medium, and low immune suppression were subdivided by treatment with versus without interferon. A control group with similar demographics suffering from cryptogenic cirrhosis was used for comparison. RESULTS: During this period 45 patients had liver biopsies at 3 to 5 years posttransplantation. Their mean age was 56.5 years and mean time from transplant to biopsy was 1543 days. Their average posttransplant survival was 1964 days. There was no difference among the three groups with respect to HCV RNA levels (log(10) IU/mL), age, gender, time from transplant, donor age, and UNOS status. Median HCV RNA levels within the three groups were comparable at various time periods pre- and posttransplant. CONCLUSION: The development of chronic allograft damage following transplantation in recipients with recurrent HCV tended to be worse among patients with low levels of immune suppression, suggesting the importance of therapy to maintain allograft function.

Antiviral Agents↗
PubMed2001

Management of a triplet pregnancy with two anencephalic fetuses and polyhydramnios.

The occurrence of a triplet pregnancy discordant for anencephaly is rare and its management presents a clinical dilemma. We report what appears to be the first case of a triplet pregnancy with two anencephalic fetuses complicated by premature contractions and severe polyhydramnios. Its management, which results a healthy newborn weighing 1385 g is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

A multicenter United States-Canadian trial to assess lamivudine monotherapy before and after liver transplantation for chronic hepatitis B.

Seventy-seven liver transplant candidates were enrolled in a multicenter study in which patients were treated with lamivudine (100 mg daily) without the adjunctive use of hepatitis B immune globulin. Treatment was begun while patients awaited liver transplantation and continued after transplantation. All were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive, and 61% had detectable hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and HBV DNA when treatment was begun. Forty-seven underwent liver transplantation and 30 did not. Median study participation was 38 months (range, 2.7-48.5) in the transplanted patients and 26 months (range, 0.1-37) in the nontransplanted group. Twenty-five of 42 (60%) transplanted patients with 12 or more weeks of posttransplantation follow-up were HBsAg negative at the last study visit. At treatment week 156, 13 of 22 (59%) remained HBsAg negative, and all 9 reinfected patients were HBV-DNA positive before treatment. In the nontransplanted patients, HBeAg was initially detectable in 20 of 27 (74%) but this decreased to 3 of 17 (18%) after 104 weeks of treatment, and significant improvement in biochemical parameters was observed. HBV-DNA polymerase mutants were detected in 15 (21%) and 6 (20%) of the transplanted and nontransplanted patients, respectively. When compared with historical cohorts, lamivudine-treated patients appeared to have improved survival, and transplanted patients had a decrease in the rate of recurrent HBV infection. Lamivudine therapy was partially effective in preventing recurrent HBV infection when given before and after transplantation. Thus, future trials using a combination of HBIg and lamivudine are needed to assess the optimal prophylactic therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Outcome of twin pregnancies with extreme weight discordancy.

The objective of this paper is to examine the outcome of pregnancies with extreme weight-discordant twins. Percentage of birth weight discordancy was defined as the birth weight difference between the twins divided by the larger twin's weight and multiplied by 100. Discordancy was calculated for all twin births in which both fetuses were live born. In 33 pairs, the discordancy was defined as extreme (>35%) and they constituted the study group. Thirty-three pairs of twin defined with mild weight discordancy (15-25%), and 33 pairs defined as concordant to birth weight (<15% difference) were matched to the study group patients based on gestational age at delivery (+/- 7 days) and on the mode of delivery, and constituted the control groups. The records of all the patients were reviewed for pregnancy complications and for major and minor neonatal outcome variables. Significantly more parturients in the study groups were primiparous undergoing in vitro fertilization treatments to conceive. Significantly more women in the study group had severe preeclampsia compared with women with mild discordancy or concordant twins (12.1 vs. 3.0% and 0%, respectively, p <0.025). No significant differences were encountered between the groups in neonatal mortality or morbidity factors except an increased rate of hyperbilirubinemia in the study group, p = 0.006. Using logistic regression analysis, discordancy was not defined as an efficient predictor for adverse neonatal outcome. Twin pregnancies with extreme discordancy have a favorable neonatal outcome in correlation with gestational age and not with the percentage of discordancy.

Apgar Score↗
PubMed2001

One or two hours postprandial glucose measurements: are they the same?

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to compare the rate of abnormal glucose levels measured after 1 hour (>140 mg%) with those measured after 2 hours (>120 mg%) postprandially in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). STUDY DESIGN: Sixty-eight women were included in this study. All had GDM based on the criteria of Carpenter-Coustan. Women with fasting glucose levels of 105 mg% or more were excluded from the study. All women were initially treated by diet. All women measured daily capillary blood glucose levels when fasting as well as 1 hour and 2 hours postprandially for 1 week, immediately after diagnosis of GDM. Glucose levels were obtained by memory-based glucometers. All women were followed in a specialized gestational-diabetes clinic throughout the pregnancy. Insulin therapy was started on an individual basis according to common clinical criteria. Epidemiologic and perinatal data were collected from medical charts. RESULTS: The average age of the women was 30.8 +/- 5.4 years. Thirty-five percent of participants were primipara. The mean gestational age at diagnosis was 28.8 +/- 5.4 weeks. Glucose measurements included 618 readings during fasting and 2730 either 1 hour or 2 hours postprandial. Rates of abnormal glucose (>95 mg% when fasting; >140 mg% 1 hour or >120 mg% 2 hours after each meal) per person were the following: fasting, 27.1% abnormal glucose measurements; postbreakfast, 22.4% abnormal levels after 1 and 8.5% after 2 hours (P < .01); postlunch, 16.4% abnormal levels after 1 hour and 18.2% after 2 hours (not significant); postdinner, 16.3% abnormal levels after 1 hour and 30.1% after 2 hours (P < .01). CONCLUSION: The rate of abnormal values was 2.5-fold greater 1 hour postbreakfast than 2 hours postbreakfast, in contrast to an opposite ratio of a 2-fold increase in the rate of abnormal values 2 hours postdinner versus 1 hour postdinner. Therefore, differential measurement (1 hour after breakfast and 2 hours after dinner) might impose stricter criteria for controlling blood glucose levels. Further clinical research should explore whether differential measurements might reduce the rate of diabetes-associated complications.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

A matched controlled study of Kielland's forceps for transverse arrest of the fetal vertex.

This study attempted to determine whether delivery with Kielland's forceps for deep transverse arrest is less favourable than other instruments. One hundred and forty-six women who underwent rotation and delivery with Kielland's forceps between 1994 and 1997 were matched by parity and birth weight to one of two control groups: delivery by non-rotational forceps or the vacuum extractor. No significant differences were found in maternal or neonatal outcome (vaginal lacerations, 3rd- or 4th-degree perineal tears, postpartum haemorrhage, fever, blood transfusion, duration of hospitalisation, Apgar score, asphyxia, scalp trauma, admission to the intensive care unit or neonatal hospitalisation). The incidence of heart rate abnormalities prior to instrumental delivery was similar. The 'failure to deliver' rate (8.9% after Kielland's forceps) was not different to the 7.5% and 6.8% found in each control group. These data indicate that the outcome after Kielland's forceps delivery is similar to other instrumental deliveries if performed by experienced obstetricians.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Determination of fetal occiput position by ultrasound during the second stage of labor.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether ultrasonography is superior to vaginal examination for determination of fetal occiput position during the second stage of labor. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 44 parturients. During the second stage of labor, an attending obstetrician performed a vaginal examination to detect fetal occiput position. This was followed by combined abdominal and perineal ultrasound examination. The two methods were compared to the true position. Results were analyzed using Student's t test for quantitative parameters. McNemar's and Fisher's exact tests were applied in order to examine differences between the study groups. RESULTS: The error rate in detecting fetal occiput position was significantly lower using the ultrasound technique (6.8%) compared to vaginal examination (29.6%, p = 0.011). Parity, maternal body mass index or fetal weight had no influence on the error rate. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasonographic determination of the fetal position is an accurate technique and is superior to vaginal examination.

Cohort Studies↗
PubMed2001

Features of shoulder dystocia in a busy obstetric unit.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence and complications of shoulder dystocia and whether those complications could be avoided. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of shoulder dystocia between 1996 and 1999 to determine whether macrosomia, diabetes, height of head at full dilatation, length of second stage or instrumental delivery could predict shoulder dystocia. Fetal asphyxia, brachial plexus injury, maneuvers used to free the shoulders and experience of the attendant were also assessed. RESULTS: There were 56 cases of shoulder dystocia in 24,000 births, 59% after spontaneous delivery. McRoberts maneuver was used in 48 deliveries but sufficed as a solitary procedure in nine cases. The addition of suprapubic pressure was sufficient for 25 patients and 27 when bilateral episiotomy was also used. Corkscrew procedures were required in 12 patients. Midwives were involved in 35 cases and required assistance in 27. Macrosomia > 4,000 g was a feature in 20 infants and diabetes in 6. Neither the height of the head nor the length of the second stage was helpful. There were 13 cases of Erb's palsy, seven after vacuum delivery and six after spontaneous delivery. Eight of these cases were associated with McRoberts procedure and suprapubic pressure, two with no procedure and three with the corkscrew procedure. CONCLUSION: If all infants > 4,000 g had been delivered by cesarean section, there still would have been 36 cases of shoulder dystocia. If the ultrasonically estimated weight were used to select patients for cesarean section, seven cases would have been diagnosed. To lessen the degree and incidence of fetal injury, labor ward staff are urged to become as familiar as possible with the techniques of freeing the shoulders.

Asphyxia Neonatorum↗
PubMed2000

Adefovir dipivoxil for the treatment of lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B mutants.

Lamivudine has been shown to be an effective therapy for chronic hepatitis B, but resistance to this nucleoside agent is common after prolonged use. Five patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection developed resistance to lamivudine after 9 to 19 months of treatment. In 4 patients this occurred after liver transplantation and the remaining individual had stable cirrhosis. In each case, resistance was confirmed to be caused by one or more mutations in the HBV-DNA polymerase gene and was associated with active underlying liver disease. The patients were treated with adefovir dipivoxil in a dose of 5 to 30 mg daily. Two to 4 log(10) reductions in HBV-DNA levels were observed in 4 cases, and the fifth patient became negative by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) after retransplantation in conjunction with hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIg). Virologic improvement was associated with stable or declining serum alanine transaminase levels in 4 patients. HBV-DNA suppression has been sustained during a mean treatment period of 13 months (range 11 to 15 months), including 1 patient in whom lamivudine has been discontinued. Mild changes in renal function were observed during treatment in most cases but did not require early discontinuation of the drug. This study provides evidence that adefovir dipivoxil can be an effective treatment for lamivudine-resistant HBV mutants as well as wild-type HBV.

Adenine↗
PubMed2000

Neonatal outcome in growth-restricted versus appropriately grown preterm infants.

The objective of this paper is to examine whether growth-restricted preterm infants have a different neonatal outcome than appropriately grown preterm infants. All consecutive, singleton preterm deliveries between 27-35 weeks' gestation were included over a 4-year period. Infants with congenital anomalies and infants of diabetic mothers were excluded. Infants were categorized as small-for-gestational-age (SGA) when birth weight was at or below the 10th percentile, and appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) when between the 11th and 90th percentiles. Outcome variables included: neonatal death, respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), sepsis, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Neonatal morbidity and mortality were examined by univariate and stepwise multivariate logistic regression analyses. Factors controlled for during the analysis included: maternal age; gestational age; mode of delivery; presence of preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, prolonged premature rupture of membranes (PROM), placental abruption, placenta previa, prenatal steroid exposure, infant gender, and low Apgar score. Seventy-six infants were included in the SGA group and 209 in the AGA group. SGA infants had a higher mortality rate (p = 0.003). They also had more culture-proven sepsis episodes (p = 0.001). No differences were found with respect to the other outcomes. The results were similar when analyzed separately for the group of infants born at or below 32 weeks' gestation. Growth-restricted preterm infants were found to have both higher mortality and infection rates compared with AGA preterm infants. Growth restriction in the preterm neonate was not found to protect against other neonatal outcomes associated with prematurity. When considering elective preterm delivery for this high-risk group of pregnancies, the increased risks in the neonatal period should be taken into account.

Fetal Growth Retardation↗
PubMed2000

End-tidal carbon monoxide measurements in women with pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to compare the end-tidal carbon monoxide breath levels in pregnant women with and without pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia. STUDY DESIGN: We prospectively performed end-tidal carbon monoxide measurements corrected for ambient carbon monoxide in nonsmoking women during late gestation (>31 weeks). The study group included 22 women with pregnancy-induced hypertension or symptoms of preeclampsia and a control group of 20 normotensive pregnant women. RESULTS: The carbon monoxide measurements corrected for ambient carbon monoxide (mean +/- SD) were significantly lower (P <.01) in the hypertensive group than in the control group (1.17 +/- 0.35 vs 1.70 +/- 0.54 ppm). The study group had a significantly higher number of low (<1.2 ppm) end-tidal carbon monoxide measurements corrected for ambient carbon monoxide (13 [59.1%] vs 1 [5.0%]; P <.001). The end-tidal carbon monoxide measurements corrected for ambient carbon monoxide remained significantly lower in comparison with those found in the control group when the study group was divided into women with pregnancy-induced hypertension only (n = 11) and those with preeclampsia (n = 11) (1.19 +/- 0.37 ppm; P <.01; and 1.15 +/- 0.41 ppm; P <.01; respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that carbon monoxide formation may be significantly lower in women with pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia. These data suggest that carbon monoxide could have a contributory role in the apparent paradox of the seemingly protective effect of smoking to decrease the risk of preeclampsia.

Adult↗