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Biomedical subjects

L Kozma

Publications and source records attributed to L Kozma.

45 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Spectrofluorimetric determination of diethazine and promethazine in pharmaceutical preparations.

A simple, sensitive and accurate spectrofluorimetric method is described for the quantitative determination of diethazine and promethazine either in the pure form or in its pharmaceuticals. The method is based on the formation of red fluorescent product of these drugs with Au(III). A linear calibration graph is obtained over the range 0.05-100 p.p.m. of diethazine and promethazine.

Gold↗

Association of goitrous autoimmune thyroiditis with HLA-DR3 in eastern Hungary.

An association of HLA-DR5 and goitrous autoimmune thyroiditis has been reported elsewhere (Farid et al., 1981; Weissel et al., 1980). Recently, the disease was found to be associated with HLA-DR4 in Newfoundlanders (Farid & Thompson, 1986). In order to find out whether different HLA associations with the disease may be found in different ethnic groups, we have now typed 68 patients with autoimmune goitrous thyroiditis from Eastern Hungary for HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DR antigens; 66 of these patients were also typed for IgG heavy-chain markers (Gm). A significant increase in DR3 (OR = 3.30) and a non-significant increase in DR4 (OR = 1.67) were found in the patients when compared with controls. The Gm3 allele, g, interacted with DR3 to enhance the risk for goitrous autoimmune thyroiditis. Hashimoto's disease may show different associations in different ethnic groups, and indeed within the same ethnic group, when newly diagnosed patients are typed several years apart.

Goiter↗

C-myc amplification and cluster analysis in human gastric carcinoma.

The tumour samples ot 23 patients (9 male, 14 female, aged 28-85) were randomly selected for the study. DNA was isolated from paraffin embedded tissue for quantitative dot-blot hybridization, in order to determine the amplification values for the c-myc and K-ras oncogenes. The clinical and histological parameters studied were as follows: grade, TNM staging system, Lauren's histological type, localization and the severity of the disease. Amplified c-myc was found in 6 cases. Amplification was concomitant with c-myc overexpression detected with immunohistochemical staining. The amplification--9.1-fold on the average (ranging from 2.12 to 18.2) was significantly associated with the presence of distant metastasis (corr. coeff.: 0.5623, p < 0.01), but with none of the other parameters. No case with K-ras amplification was recorded. The result of the multivariate cluster analysis proved that age was the decisive factor in the segregation process. This age-related distribution (69 vs. 40, p < 0.001), however, did not coincide with either the incidence of distant metastasis or c-myc amplification.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Copy number of cancer genes predict tumor grade and survival of pancreatic cancer patients.

Pancreatic cancer is on the increase. While means of early diagnosis are being sought, it continues to present late. Prognostication is based on patient and tumor characteristics, including expression or mutation of cancer-related genes. Few studies have examined the impact of the amplification of these genes on the outcome of pancreatic cancer. We have now used a non-radioisotopic slot-blot technique to relate gene copy numbers of p53, c-myc and K-ras to tumor grade and survival. Outcomes were corrected for patient characteristics, tumor location and TNM staging. The Kaplan-Meier test for likelihood of survival showed that increase in copy number of the two oncogenes and loss of p53 were associated with non-significant reduction in survival. When these variations in cancer gene copy numbers were, however, examined by logistic regression analysis in the context of patient and tumor characteristics, survival was negatively related to K-ras amplification (p = 0.0291). Tumor grade, but not survival was positively related to loss of p53 gene copy (p = 0.0131) as well as c-myc amplification (p = 0.0248). Thus using a simple non-radioisotopic technique for the detection of cancer gene copy number in association with patients and disease characteristics, we could predict survival on the one hand and tumor behavior on the other. Such information could be used to plan initial and follow-up therapy.

Adult↗

LDL molecular size as risk factor in coronary artery disease.

Sera of 65 fasting human subjects--32 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) aged 42-80 years and 33 healthy individuals--were tested for determination of nine lipid-related laboratory parameters, including protein-enriched LDL (low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL apo B) which is proportional to the amount of cholesterol per LDL particle. Three of the investigated parameters: protein-enriched LDL, HDL cholesterol and apo B level differed significantly in the two groups (corrected P < 0.001, P < 0.009 and P < 0.009, respectively). Discriminant analysis revealed that protein-enriched LDL, LDL cholesterol, apo B and fasting triglyceride levels, but not HDL cholesterol, were the major discriminating factors for CAD in this study. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to describe the association between this size-related parameter and those which in both groups seem to be most strongly associated with it: apo B/A-I ratio (i), triglyceride (ii) and LDL/HDL ratio (iii). The analysis was done separately in the two groups. In the patients with CAD the influence of these three parameters were less decisive in the determination of the protein-enriched LDL than in the controls (corr. coeff.: (i) -0.155 vs -0.358; (ii) -0.624 vs -0.791; (iii) -0163 vs -0.471). In healthy volunteers the size-reducing effect of the same parameters was more profound, and at high values of LDL/HDL ratio, apo B/apo A-I ratio and triglyceride no distinction in LDL particle size can be made any longer between CAD patients and controls. Thus the improvement of the atherogenic profile does not seem to result in the reduction of risk for CAD in terms of LDL size and composition.

Adult↗

Calculation of disease susceptibility gene frequency in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

An analysis of HLA-linked genetical factors conferring susceptibility to IDDM is reported. On the basis of population and family studies a recessive mode of inheritance of disease susceptibility provided by an assumption of HLA-B8-linked DS gene was observed. The characteristic component of the immunogenetical background was the high frequency of HLA-B8 (0.208) and the HLA-A1, B8 haplotype (0.134) (linkage disequilibrium D = 0.1031), reminiscent of that found also in other disorders with autoimmune features, such as Graves disease, SLE, etc. Considering the HLA-B8 and IDDM association, the DS gene frequency (pD = 0.25) was estimated and the gametic association between HLA-B8 andu DS gene was calculated. The low value of penetrancy (4.8%) revealed the important role of non-HLA-linked genetical and environmental factors. The HLA-linked genetic factors in question might be responsible for an inclination to several kinds of autoimmune disorders.

Adolescent↗

[Discordance of ankylosing spondylitis in a monozygotic twin].

In the literature the authors found reports about 18 concordant and 1 undoubtedly discordant case of ankylosing spondylitis. We describe a 34 year old male pair of twins: one of them has suffered from this disease for 12 years, while the other has had no problems. The interesting point of this case is that at present the twins are living together. Genetic problems are also discussed.

Adult↗