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Biomedical subjects

F al-Azzawi

Publications and source records attributed to F al-Azzawi.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Analysis of menstrual calendars and serum alpha 2-PEG in women on hormone replacement therapy for 12 months.

This study was conducted to assess endometrial protection in women on a cyclical combined hormone replacement regimen with 1 mg norethisterone BP, and to evaluate the use of the bleeding pattern and serum alpha 2-PEG in monitoring the endometrial response to exogenous hormone therapy. Fifty-one postmenopausal women attending the Menopause Research Unit at Leicester Royal Infirmary, UK, completed the study. All patients were at least 1 year after the menopause, with an average of 26 months since the last menstrual period. All women were prescribed a regimen of two tablets of Hormonin (oestriol 0.27 mg, oestrone 1.4 mg, and oestradiol 0.6 mg) continuously, with 1 mg of norethisterone added for 12 days out of each 28-day treatment cycle. Menstrual diaries were collected and analysed. The secretory changes were assessed by histology, menstrual bleeding pattern and a biological marker of secretory activity (alpha 2-PEG). Withdrawal bleeding occurred on average on days 11, 12, 11, 12 and 13 on months 2, 3, 6, 9 and 12, respectively. There was a poor degree of consistency in the bleeding pattern. The level of alpha 2-PEG increased from the average baseline measurement of 2.7 ng/ml (S.D., 4.12) to 8.5 ng/ml (S.D., 4.16) after progestogen treatment. This rise, although significant, did not correlate with the uterine bleeding pattern. There was no statistically significant correlation between the level of alpha 2-PEG and endometrial histology. The findings highlight the fact that cycle predictability on HRT, as exemplified in this regimen, is poor. The level of alpha 2-PEG is a poor predictor of the endometrial histology and has a poor correlation with the day of onset of bleeding.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Investigation of the bleeding patterns of postmenopausal women treated with Estrapak-50.

Diary cards of patients in two similar trials of Estrapak-50 hormone replacement therapy were analysed with regard to the characteristics of progestogen-associated bleeding (PAB) and breakthrough bleeding (BTB). Forty out of 52 patients in Study A and 74 out of 92 patients in Study B had diaries suitable for analysis. One patient in Study A and two patients in Study B who withdrew from treatment did so because of unacceptable bleeding problems. Similar results were obtained from both trials. After 6 months of treatment approximately 90% of patients in study A and approximately 70% of patients in study B had PAB on or before day 11. Twenty-seven percent and 49% in studies A and B, respectively, bled prior to day 8, which in the majority of instances affected one treatment cycle. Duration of PAB varied from 1 to 14 days (median 7 days) and the pattern of bleeding in the second cycle was predictive of bleeding in subsequent cycles. Although over 1/3 of women reported some heavy bleeding days, this usually only affected one treatment cycle, and the majority of bleeding was only spotting or light flow. BTB patterns did not raise suspicions of endometrial pathology. Bleeding patterns were both acceptable to patients and, in as much as the current literature indicates that bleeding patterns can be interpreted, were consistent with adequate progestogenic protection of the endometrium.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed1993

How well do perimenopausal patients accept outpatient hysteroscopy? Visual analogue scoring of acceptability and pain in 100 women.

There is growing interest in performing hysteroscopic examination of the uterine cavity as an outpatient procedure. Its sensitivity and specificity in detecting uterine abnormalities are well recognised. This study assessed how outpatient hysteroscopy was tolerated and accepted by 100 women attending a hospital-based menopause clinic. Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire following an outpatient hysteroscopy. Using visual analogue scoring (0 = no pain/completely acceptable, 10 = worst pain imaginable/completely unacceptable), the mean maximum pain experienced during the procedure was 3.25 (S.D. 2.08) and the degree of acceptability was 3.02 (S.D. 1.96). Three percent (N = 3) of patients stated they would prefer a repeat hysteroscopy to be performed under general anaesthetic and 3% (N = 3) of patients stated they would prefer an inpatient stay following a repeat hysteroscopy. These findings demonstrate that outpatient hysteroscopy is well tolerated by perimenopause patients. The advantages of outpatient hysteroscopy to the perimenopausal woman are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Endocrinological aspects of the menopause.

On average women live for about 30 years after the menopause. About 60-70% of consultations at the general practitioner and hospital specialist levels are for people over the age of 60, the majority of who are females. Therefore it is crucial to examine the effect of oestrogen prior to the menopause and how it interacts with other systems at cellular level. It is also important to examine why cells multiply and differentiate more efficiently in an oestrogenic milieu. This will give a better understanding of the degenerative processes of the menopause and will have profound implications on the design of effective hormone replacement therapy protocols.

Aging↗
PubMed1991

Multiple epitopes of the human ovarian cancer antigen 14C1 recognised by human IgG antibodies: their potential in immunotherapy.

We have defined a novel ovarian cancer-associated membrane antigen, 14C1, using human monoclonal antibodies derived by EBV-transformation of in situ sensitised patients' B-cells. The pattern of recognition of this antigen by these antibodies suggests that at least three epitopes are discernable. These antibodies can be used to promote the in vitro killing of ovarian cancer cells by activated macrophages and cytokines, implying a role for this antigen in the immunotherapy of ovarian malignancies. Evidence is presented that the 14C1 antigen may have some transmembrane signalling function.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

14C1, an antigen associated with human ovarian cancer, defined using a human IgG monoclonal antibody.

We have selected a human EBV-transformed cell line from the involved lymph nodes of an ovarian cancer patient which secretes an IgG1 kappa antibody, able to recognize an antigen present on the surface of ovarian cancer cells. The antigen, termed '14Cl,' has previously been shown by immunohistological techniques to be present on the surface of the malignant cells within tumour specimens. Western blotting analysis has shown that the majority of primary ovarian cancer specimens and three continuous cell lines derived therefrom express 14Cl; other tissue types were negative. Preliminary biochemical characterization has been carried out, which shows that the 14Cl antigen has a molecular weight range of 25-32 kD and an isoelectric point from pI 6.3 to 6.8. We believe that the 14Cl antigen is immunologically relevant to ovarian cancer patients and may therefore represent a novel target for both active and passive immunotherapy.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1990

Interleukin-6 enhances the induction of human lymphokine-activated killer cells.

Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells develop a powerful lytic capacity when cultured in vitro with interleukin-2 (IL-2), becoming lymphokine-activated killer cells (LAK cells). As part of an investigation into means of influencing this process, the effect of other cytokines has been examined. In this study we describe the ability of interleukin-6 (IL-6) to regulate the induction and function of human LAK cells. The results show that substitution of IL-6 for IL-2 did not lead to the development of functional LAK cells, nor was IL-6 able to alter the lytic capacity of established LAK cells. However, when IL-6 was included with IL-2 during the induction phase of the LAK cells, the resulting cells displayed considerably greater lytic activity than those prepared with IL-2 alone. This effect was IL-6 dose-related. These results indicate that LAK cell development may be positively regulated in vitro; the implications of this observation for the clinical usage of LAK cells are discussed.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1988

Interleukin-3 and interleukin-4 each strongly inhibit the induction and function of human LAK cells.

We have examined some of the factors which may regulate the generation and function of human lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells. In particular we have studied the effect of cytokines other than interleukin-2 on the ability of human LAK cells to kill human tumour cells. By exposing human tumour cells to human LAK-cells in the presence and absence of interleukin-3 or interleukin-4, we were able to demonstrate that each of these cytokines was able to severely reduce the amount of tumour cell killing. Additionally, we examined the effect of interleukin-3 or interleukin-4 on the production in vitro of human LAK cells by including these materials with interleukin-2 while LAK-cells were being induced. These results showed that not only were these cytokines able to inhibit human LAK-cell function, but they were also able to strongly reduce the ability of interleukin-2 to generate human LAK-cells.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A randomised study to compare the efficacy and safety of new 17 beta-oestradiol transdermal matrix patch with Estraderm TTS 50 in hysterectomised postmenopausal women. The Lyrelle Study Group.

This study was designed to compare the efficacy and safety of two sizes of Lyrelle, a new matrix design transdermal oestrogen patch, with Estraderm TTS 50, a reservoir system. Three hundred and ninety-four (394) hysterectomised postmenopausal women between 30 and 65 years of age participated in this open-label, randomised, multicentre clinical trial. The main efficacy criterion was the reduction in the mean number of hot flushes per day at six months. Secondary efficacy end points included other climacteric symptoms as well as various psychofunctional and genitourinary disorders. A significant decrease from baseline in the mean number of hot flushes/day was observed in all three groups from the end of cycle 1, reaching 90% at the end of cycle 7. there was no statistically significant difference between Lyrelle 50 and Estraderm at any time point for any parameter; however, between-group differences between Lyrelle 80 and Estraderm for various parameters were seen in the first three cycles in favour of Lyrelle 80. A similar impact on blood lipid levels was observed in all three groups, without significant between-group differences. We conclude that the new Lyrelle patch is a highly effective system for transdermal oestrogen replacement therapy that may enhance long-term patient compliance.

Administration, Cutaneous↗