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Biomedical subjects

N Uri

Publications and source records attributed to N Uri.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

The prognostic value of the tumour marker Cyfra 21-1 in carcinoma of head and neck and its role in early detection of recurrent disease.

This study examines a new tumour marker, Cyfra 21-1, as a prognostic marker in predicting the survival of H&N cancer patients, and its correlation with clinical outcome during prolonged follow up of these patients. The study included 67 patients with primary detection of carcinoma of H&N. The survival of these patients was evaluated in correlation with the disease stage and Cyfra 21-1 levels at initial diagnosis. 38 patients were followed clinically and with serial assays for at least 12 months, or until recurrence was diagnosed. Cyfra 21-1 levels were determined periodically, using an Elisa kit. Patients with Cyfra 21-1 < 1.5 ng ml(-1)had a higher survival rate compared to patients with Cyfra 21-1 > or = 1.5 ng ml(-1)(63% vs. 20%, respectively). The risk ratio of Ln(Cyfra 21-1) is 1.62 (P = 0.028). In a Cox regression model that included the disease stage and Ln(Cyfra 21-1), Ln(Cyfra 21-1) was preferred as the main parameter for predicting patients survival. In 83% of the 12 patients with recurrent or residual disease, Cyfra 21-1 was elevated before or during clinical detection of the recurrence. Cyfra 21-1 was found to be a prognostic marker for carcinoma of H&N, unrelated to the stage of the disease. Elevated levels of Cyfra 21-1 without clinical evidence of disease can be attributed to the marker's mean lead-time as compared to the clinical appearance of the disease.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Acute mastoiditis in children: is surgical treatment necessary?

Acute mastoiditis in children remains an otological problem. Although the widespread use of antibiotics has reduced the need for surgical intervention, surgery is frequently used in the treatment of acute mastoiditis and its complications. The charts of 44 patients hospitalized with signs of acute mastoiditis were reviewed. In 43.2 per cent of all patients, acute mastoiditis was the presenting sign of acute middle-ear infection. Post-auricular erythema and protrusion of the auricle were the most frequent signs at presentation. All four signs (post-auricular erythema, oedema, tenderness, and protrusion of the auricle) were present in 40.9 per cent of patients. No bacterial pathogen was isolated in 45.5 per cent of ear cultures. Complicated acute mastoiditis was diagnosed in 13.7 per cent of the patients. Eighty-seven per cent of patients responded well to intravenous antibiotics and myringotomy, and in 11.4 per cent mastoidectomy or abscess drainage were performed. We conclude that nearly all patients with uncomplicated mastoiditis recover following intravenous antibiotics and myringotomy. Mastoidectomy should be performed in selected cases, such as cases of complicated acute mastoiditis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1995

[Flexible bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of foreign body aspiration].

Foreign body aspiration (FBA) should be suspected in every child with acute onset of cough or wheezing. Although a choking episode occurs in 80-90% of cases of FBA, it is not necessarily diagnostic. Furthermore, in many cases neither physical examination nor chest x-ray, including fluoroscopy, are diagnostic; their results may be completely normal in up to 17-25% of cases of FBA. Bronchoscopy is therefore mandatory when there is a convincing history of FBA, regardless of physical or radiologic findings. This can be done with either the flexible or rigid bronchoscope, or with both.

Bronchi↗
PubMed1995

Cyfra 21-1. A new potential tumor marker for squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of Cyfra 21-1 (cytokeratin fraction 21-1) in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. DESIGN: Prospective study. PATIENTS: Serum Cyfra 21-1 concentration was measured in 250 samples from patients with squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck, patients with benign tumors of head and neck, healthy control subjects, and patients in remission from squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck. RESULTS: Cyfra 21-1 concentration was elevated in 60% of the new patients with squamous cell carcinoma but only in 8% of patients with benign tumors and 3.5% of the healthy controls. At a cutoff of 1.3 ng/mL, the sensitivity of the test was 60%, the specificity was 94%, positive predictive value was 75%, and negative predictive value was 89%. The marker levels tended to follow the clinical course of the disease and were useful for therapy monitoring. Cyfra 21-1 levels were in good correlation with the tumor stage expressed by the local (T) and the lymphatic spread (N) and were inversely correlated with histologic grade, eg, higher in poorly differentiated carcinoma than in well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. CONCLUSION: Cyfra 21-1 evaluation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is worthwhile for performance of an ample study that will prove and establish its routine use.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Semiquantitative skull planar and SPECT bone scintigraphy in diabetic patients: differentiation of necrotizing (malignant) external otitis from severe external otitis.

UNLABELLED: Early diagnosis of necrotizing external otitis (NEO) includes the use of bone scintigraphy since clinical assessment alone cannot differentiate the necrotizing type of otitis from the severe type of external otitis in which there is no extension to the adjacent bone. Four-hour planar bone scintigraphy may reflect soft-tissue infection, and therefore may not be useful in distinguishing NEO from severe external otitis (SEO). Twenty-four-hour bone scintigraphy using planar or SPECT imaging may better reflect bone uptake and increase the accuracy of the test. METHODS: Twenty-six diabetic patients (12 diagnosed NEO; 14 SEO) and 10 nondiabetic (ND) patients were studied. Lesion-to-nonlesion (L/N) count ratios obtained from planar and SPECT imaging at 4 hr, 24 hr and 24 hr/4 hr (24/4) were assessed. RESULTS: Count ratios obtained from the 4- and 24-hr planar and SPECT images were significantly higher in the NEO patients compared to SEO patients for both planar and SPECT studies (p < 0.001, 0.005). The 24/4 count ratio was also significantly higher in the NEO patients on the planar (p < 0.01) and the SPECT studies (p < 0.001). The ND patients were not different from SEO patients on 4-hr planar, 4- and 24-hr SPECT as well as 24/4-hr planar and SPECT studies. The L/N count ratio threshold yielding the best sensitivity for detecting NEO was 1.05 for the 24/4 SPECT study. CONCLUSION: In diabetic patients, an early distinction between NEO and SEO patients can be reliably made by using L/N count ratios on 24/4 or 24-hr SPECT bone scintigraphy.

Diabetes Complications↗
PubMed1993

[Botulinum toxin for palatal myoclonus and spastic dysphonia].

Botulinum toxin (B; Botox), produced by the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum, causes temporary paralysis by blocking the presynaptic release of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction. This action is clinically used to alleviate muscle spasm by injecting the toxin directly into the overactive muscle. We report our experience with B injections in 2 women, aged 20 and 21, respectively, 1 of whom had bilateral palatal myoclonus and the other adductor spastic dysphonia. Both showed remarkable improvement of conditions for which, until now, we had no effective treatment. These are the first cases in Israel treated with B for otorhinolaryngological conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Herpes zoster oticus: treatment with acyclovir.

Herpes zoster oticus produces facial paralysis with a low recovery rate. Acyclovir, a specific virostatic drug, was given intravenously in five herpes zoster oticus patients, and in three of them was followed by oral therapy. In follow-ups of 1 to 24 months, one patient had grade I recovery, three patients grade II, and one grade III. These good results encourage the use of acyclovir in herpes zoster oticus patients.

Acyclovir↗
PubMed1991

Quantitative bone and 67Ga scintigraphy in the differentiation of necrotizing external otitis from severe external otitis.

Qualitative technetium Tc 99m bone scintigraphy using phosphate compounds and gallium 67 scintigraphy were described as a helpful means in diagnosing necrotizing external otitis (NEO). They were, however, claimed to be nonspecific. Quantitative Tc 99m methylene diphosphonate bone scintigraphy and gallium 67 scintigraphy were performed in eight patients with NEO and in 20 patients with severe external otitis, in order to prove usefulness of scintigraphy in the diagnosis of NEO. Ratios of lesion to nonlesion for bone scintigraphy were 1.67 +/- 0.16 in patients with NEO and 1.08 +/- 0.09 in patients with severe external otitis, and for gallium 67 scintigraphy they were 1.35 +/- 0.24 in NEO patients and 1.05 +/- 0.03 in patients with severe external otitis. There was no difference in uptake between diabetic patients with severe external otitis and nondiabetic patients. The scintigraphic studies were also evaluated using a qualitative scoring method (scores 0 to +4), according to the intensity of the radiopharmaceutical uptake. This method was found to be inferior in the diagnosis of NEO compared with the quantitative method. We conclude that lesion-to-nonlesion ratios greater than 1.5 and 1.3 on bone and gallium 67 scintigraphy, respectively, are indicative of NEO. Quantitative bone scintigraphy, which is quicker to perform, may be used as a single imaging modality for the diagnosis of NEO.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[Laryngeal neuroendocrine carcinoma (carcinoid)].

Neuroendocrine carcinoma (carcinoid), is a rare laryngeal malignancy with aggressive behavior. The 5-year survival rate is only about 10%, mainly because of distant metastases. We describe a patient with neuroendocrine carcinoma of the larynx, large cell type, without evidence of regional or distant metastases. Treatment included total laryngectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy to the neck. There was no evidence of disease at 6-month follow-up.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Auditory brainstem evoked potentials in evaluating the central effects of middle ear effusion.

Auditory brainstem evoked potentials (ABEP) were recorded to determine whether children who suffered in the past, or suffered at time of examination from Secretory otitis media (S.O.M.), exhibited slowed conduction along their auditory brainstem. Five groups of subjects were examined: children with active S.O.M. during the examination, children with S.O.M. in the past who were treated non-surgically and recovered, children with S.O.M. in the past who were treated surgically and recovered, children who were treated by insertion of ventilating tubes (V.T.), and had S.O.M. during the examination (recurrent S.O.M.), and a control group of neurologically and audiologically normal, age-matched children with no history of S.O.M. 205 ears were tested in all. Each of the groups was subdivided according to the severity of hearing loss, duration and type of treatment. These parameters were evaluated within and between groups, and in relation to the control group. Significant increases of interpeak latency differences (IPLD) between peaks V and III as well as V to I were found in the S.O.M. groups compared to the control group. The duration of the disease was found to be the dominant factor slowing central conduction. These findings confirm the suggestion that attenuation in auditory stimulation at an early age affects central conduction.

Audiometry, Evoked Response↗
PubMed1986

The variability of fixation suppression of caloric-induced nystagmus.

Twelve normal adults were evaluated to determine their capacity to suppress caloric-induced nystagmus by visual fixation. Fixation suppression (FS) was assessed four times during the routine Fitzgerald-Hallpike caloric procedure. The results were characterized by large inter-subject as well as intra-subject variability. It is cautioned that diagnostic categories should not be inferred on the basis of absolute numeric values of FS.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Vestibular abnormalities in patients with Bell's palsy.

In order to assess the extent of the underlying pathology in Bell's palsy, the vestibular function of 24 patients was evaluated within the first week from the onset of facial paralysis. Seven patients had pathological findings by ENG and an additional three had subjective vestibular signs; four of these ten patients also showed abnormal auditory brain stem evoked potentials. There was no correlation between the severity of the paralysis or the prognosis for recovery and the presence of vestibular abnormalities.

Adolescent↗