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Biomedical subjects

H Levy

Publications and source records attributed to H Levy.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis is a disease caused by a virus in the Papovaviridae family. It tends to recur in the laryngotracheal tree, and treatment is surgical removal with a CO2 laser and suspension microlaryngoscopy. Some patients may require these procedures every few weeks, and a systemic agent to control disease would be ideal for them. Care must be taken in the selection of an agent, as these lesions, similar to other papova virus-induced lesions, are most susceptible to malignant degeneration in the presence of a carcinogen. Eight patients were given 10 courses of polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid [poly(I,C)-LC] in an attempt to control their disease. The three who were tested were able to produce good titers of interferon. The rate of disease progression was probably slowed in four patients, as reflected by a decrease in the requirement for surgery; however, the medication appeared to be relatively toxic in effective doses. Four of 10 courses were held for hepatotoxicity, and mild hepatotoxicity occurred in four more. One course was held for thrombocytopenia associated with bleeding at the tracheostomy site. We conclude that in its presently available form, poly(I,C)-LC is too toxic to be administered long term for control of this disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Immunomodulatory effects of poly(I,C)-LC in cancer patients.

Poly(I,C)-LC was administered in low (1 mg/m2) and intermediate (4 mg/m2) doses to cancer patients by intramuscular injection or intravenous infusion to evaluate the immunomodulatory effects. Natural killer cell (NK) activity was elevated slightly at the low dose and remained unchanged overall, but some depression was observed at the 4 mg/m2 intravenous dose. Monocyte function was elevated in all groups of patients, as was the interferon-induced enzyme 2'5'-oligo-A synthetase. These increases were observed at the 1 mg/m2 intramuscular dose, despite a lack of detectable circulating serum interferon (IFN). In regard to cell surface markers, poly(I,C)-LC induced an increase in OKT10-positive cells and a small but consistent trend toward increases in the ratio of Leu-3/Leu-2-positive cells. Lymphocyte proliferation in response to concanavalin A was depressed by poly(I,C)-LC administration. Although an optimum immunomodulatory dose and schedule was not determined, the data indicate that low doses produce significant changes in immune function and that induction of detectable levels of circulating interferon is not required for poly(I,C)-LC to have biological effects.

2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase↗
PubMed1984

Isolation of Mycobacterium chelonei from a patient with recurrent aspiration pneumonia.

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria are rarely isolated in South African laboratories. Mycobacterium chelonei has previously been shown to cause pulmonary disease, especially in the clinical setting of aspiration and lipoid pneumonia. Isolation of non-tuberculous mycobacteria is not proof of pathogenicity; casual cultures may occur from contamination and colonization of the upper airways. We report a patient with recurrent aspiration and lipoid pneumonia in whom a confluent culture of Myco. chelonei was obtained from bronchial washings. Although the clinical setting for true pathogenicity was present, subsequent investigations led us to conclude that the organism was a casual mycobacterium.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Umbilical cord prolapse.

Umbilical cord prolapse complicated one of 385 pregnancies occurring at the University of Colorado Health Science Center between 1969 and 1982. Whereas malpresentation of the fetus is frequently associated with prolapse of the funis, nearly 50% of all cases occurred in vertex presentations. Obstetric intervention is associated with nearly one in five cases of cord prolapse and represents a readily preventable cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity.

Breech Presentation↗
PubMed1983

Mitochondrial cytochrome deficiency presenting as a myopathy with hypotonia, external ophthalmoplegia, and lactic acidosis in an infant and as fatal hepatopathy in a second cousin.

Fatal infantile mitochondrial myopathy with lactic acidosis, morphologically abnormal mitochondria, deficient cytochromes aa3 and b, and a Fanconi-like aminoaciduria has been described. We report two infants, second cousins, with a similar fatal mitochondrial disorder, the cytochrome deficiency limited to skeletal muscle in one child and to liver in the other. The first child at 3 months of age had weight loss, hypotonia, external ophthalmoplegia, and a severe lactic acidosis with a high lactate/pyruvate ratio. Electron microscopy of muscle showed marked proliferation of enlarged mitochondria, many containing concentric rings of cristae. In skeletal muscle mitochondria, cytochromes aa3 and b were not detectable but cytochrome cc was found to be normal by spectroscopy. Cytochrome c oxidase activity was less than 1% of normal. Mitochondria from kidney, liver, heart, lung, and brain examined postmortem had normal cytochromes and preserved cytochrome c oxidase activity. The second cousin at 5 months of age had weight loss and hepatomegaly but no systemic lactic acidosis. Liver biopsy showed hepatocytes packed with enlarged mitochondria. The liver mitochondria showed deficient cytochromes aa3 and b postmortem, and cytochrome c oxidase activity was less than 10% of normal. Kidney mitochondria had normal cytochromes. Muscles was not studied. The mitochondrial abnormality in the two cousins presumably is related. Unexplained are the mode of genetic transmission or environmental exposure and the apparent involvement of a single different organ in each child.

Acidosis↗
PubMed1981

Hepatic involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus. A case report.

The existence of hepatic involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is still contested in the literature. We report a patient with SLE and deranged liver function tests, especially marked elevation of alkaline phosphatase levels, an association not hitherto described. These changes have persisted for 3 1/2 years with no evidence of chronic active hepatitis (CAH) on liver biopsy or biliary obstruction. Current concepts of liver involvement in SLE, 'lupoid' hepatitis and aspirin hepatotoxicity are reviewed.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Ergot poisoning.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Nephrotic syndrome during captopril therapy.

Captopril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, is being evaluated as an antihypertensive agent. We report on a patient who developed the nephrotic syndrome while on captopril 450 mg/d. Her urinary protein excretion was 5-7 g/24 h, plasma albumin concentration was 25 g/l, plasma cholesterol was 16,2 mmol/l, and she had oedema. Renal biopsy showed subepithelial deposits on the basement membrane.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

Asymptomatic arsine nephrotoxicity. A case report.

A completely asymptomatic patient with arsine nephrotoxicity is described. The light and electron microscopic appearances of the kidney biopsy specimen are documented. The pathogenesis of the lesions, the usual manifestations of arsine exposure, and how these differed from those seen in our patient, are discussed.

Acute Kidney Injury↗
PubMed1979

The digestion of the oxidized B chain of insulin by human neutrophile proteases: elastase and chymotrypsin-like protease.

The specificities of human neutrophile elastase and chymotrypsin-like protease towards oxidized insulin B chain were studied. The neutrophile elastase was found to differ from porcine pancreatic elastase in its specificity towards insulin B chain. The neutrophile elastase preferred mostly valine near the cleaved bond in contrast to pancreatic elastase which preferred alanine as well as valine near the cleaved bond. Human neutrophile chymotrypsin-like protease was found to cleave mostly bonds involving leucine and phenylalanine.

Alanine↗
PubMed1978

Distribution of albumin variants Naskapi amd Mexico among Aleuts, Frobisher Bay Eskimos, and Micmac, Naskapi, Mohawk, Omaha, and Apache Indians.

In order to help define the boundaries of the distribution of the albumin variants Naskapi and Mexico which are polymorphic among several American Indian groups, we examined sera from Micmac, Mohawk, Northwest River Naskapi, Omaha and Apache Indians, and from Aleuts and Eskimos. Sera from a total of 1,524 individuals were examined. Using a cellulose acetate membrane electrophoretic system with Tris-Citric acid at pH 5.4 we were able to distinguish normal albumin and both variants in the same run. Naskapi and Mexico variants were absent from Aleut, Eskimo, Micmac, Mohawk and Omaha samples. The albumin Naskapi variant was present in an allele frequency of 0.03 in the Naskapi Indian sample. Albumin variants Naskapi and Mexico were found in the Apache sample at frequencies of 0.016 and 0.037, respectively. This report supersedes that previously published by Schell and Agarwal ('76). Generally, within an area there is a correspondence between changes in the frequency of albumin variants and changes in the ethnic background and history of the area's populations. At the same time, when viewing widely separated areas, relationships between distant groups based on linguistic and cultural similarities are paralleled on a biologic level by the distribution of normal albumin and variant albumins.

Alleles↗