Biomedical subjects
N Levine
Publications and source records attributed to N Levine.
Evaluation of melanotan-II, a superpotent cyclic melanotropic peptide in a pilot phase-I clinical study.
A pilot phase I study was conducted with a cyclic heptapeptide analog of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH). The lactam-bridged molecule, called Melanotan-II (MT-II), has the structure Ac-Nle4-Asp5-His6-D-Phe7-Arg8-Trp9-Lys10 alpha-MSH4-10-NH2 (MT-II) and has superpotent melanotropic activity in vitro. A single-blind, alternating day (saline or MT-II), placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 3 normal male volunteers at the starting dose of 0.01 mg/kg of MT-II. Subcutaneous injections of MT-II or saline were given daily (Monday-Friday) for 2 consecutive weeks. Two subjects were escalated by 0.005 mg/kg increments to 0.03 mg/kg and one to 0.025 mg/kg. The 0.03 mg/kg dose produced Grade II somnolence and fatigue in one of two subjects (WHO standards). Mild nausea, not requiring antiemetic treatment, was reported at most MT-II dose levels. A stretching and yawning complex appeared to correlate with the onset of spontaneous, penile erections which were intermittently experienced for 1-5 hours after MT-II dosing, depending on the MT-II dose. Two subjects had increased pigmentation in the face, upper body and buttock, as measured by quantitative reflectance and by visual perception 1 week after MT-II dosing ended. These results demonstrate that MT-II has tanning activity in humans given only 5 low doses every other day by subcutaneous injection. The recommended single MT-II dose for future Phase I studies is 0.025 mg/kg/day.
'Winter itch': what's causing this rash?
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Swollen lesion on the abdomen. Could this violaceous blister be related to patient's treatment for UTIs?
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Multiple pigmented spots on the face.
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Dark discoloration of the tongue.
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Which came first: the itch or the rash? Patient's scratching may be unrelated to a primary skin disease.
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Rhytides--new approaches to old wrinkles.
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Brown patches, skin tags on axilla. Are this patient's velvety plaques related to his obesity and diabetes?
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White macule on the tip of the nose. Hypopigmented spots may not be the result of a specific disease.
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Yellow lesions and blackheads. Patient's face shows signs of marked sun damage, with keratoses and wrinkling.
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Evaluation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen as a surrogate end point biomarker in actinic keratosis and adjacent, normal-appearing, and non-sun-exposed human skin samples.
The incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer, including both squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, is a significant health problem in the United States. Actinic keratosis (AK), the precursor of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, is a major risk factor for nonmelanoma skin cancer. In addition, AKs are tissue targets for the identification of biomarkers for use in chemopreventive studies. The biomarker addressed in this study is epidermal cell proliferation, as quantitated by proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Shave biopsies were obtained from AKs, tissue immediately adjacent to AKs, normal-appearing, upper-medial arm skin, and non-sun-exposed skin from 19 subjects. When any degree of PCNA staining was considered positive (semiquantitative 1-4 scale), there was a significant difference and a progressively increasing mean PCNA labeling index (LI) in the total epidermis (basal and suprabasal layers), beginning with non-sun-exposed buttock skin, with the lowest LI (2.5 + or - 1.6%), followed by upper-medial arm skin (12.3 + or - 7.4%; P = 0.0015), skin adjacent to AKs (19.2 + or - 12.2%; P = 0.0218), and finally, AKs with the highest LI (34.6 + or - 20.1%; P = 0.0017). This same pattern was observed when the epidermis was separated into basal and suprabasal layers, with the exception of a nonsignificant result for upper-medial arm skin compared with adjacent skin in the basal layer (P = 0.3981). PCNA LIs were also analyzed separately by staining intensity (i.e., scores of 1-4). The PCNA LI in skin with varying degrees of sun damage and/or histological atypia is a candidate surrogate end point biomarker for skin cancer chemoprevention studies.
Spatial analysis of Honolulu motor vehicle crashes: I. Spatial patterns.
This study describes spatial patterns in Honolulu motor vehicle accidents for 1990. A method for geo-coding accident locations is utilized with approximately 98% of the crash locations being identified. Spatial software tools are developed for describing the degree of spatial concentration. The spatial patterns of different types of accidents and accidents for every hour of the day, weekdays and weekends separately, are analyzed. Accidents spatially fluctuate dynamically, as a response to changing traffic patterns and volume. Generally, most accidents are closer to employment centers than to residential areas. In the suburban and rural areas, however, accidents are more likely to involve fatalities or serious injuries and be related to night-time driving and alcohol. It is shown that these conditions spatially correlate with single-vehicle crashes and crashes with opposite direction vehicles. The spatial patterns point to the limits of "blackspot" analysis.
Spatial analysis of Honolulu motor vehicle crashes: II. Zonal generators.
The spatial relationship between activities which generate trips and motor vehicle accidents is examined and applied to the City and County of Honolulu for 1990. A method is described for examining spatial variations in motor vehicle accidents, aggregated into small geographical areas. A spatial lag model is developed which examines the zonal relationship of motor vehicle accidents to population, employment and road characteristics. The resulting model is tested for each hour of the day, weekdays and weekends separately. The predictors of accidents fluctuate according to different trip generating activities and change considerably over the day. The method can generate expected accidents, allowing for an identification of areas which have higher than expected levels. It is argued that this method focuses attention on characteristics of neighborhoods and areas, and not just on the road system.
Daily fluctuations in honolulu motor vehicle accidents.
Changes in daily motor vehicle accidents during 1990 are examined for the City and County of Honolulu. Adjusting for changed reporting criteria, daily accidents fluctuate according to an interaction between traffic volume, weekday travel patterns, holidays and weather. Fridays, particularly, and Saturdays have more daily accidents. Minor holidays generate more daily accidents, but major holidays generate fewer daily accidents, primarily because of lower traffic volume. Rainfall increases the risk of accidents substantially. The interaction between afternoons and rainfall is particularly dangerous. Unemployment also appears to reduce daily accidents.