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Biomedical subjects

P Levine

Publications and source records attributed to P Levine.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Immune restoration with interleukin-2 in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma commonly have depressed cell-mediated immunity which is known to correlate with ultimate prognosis. Selective immune studies were conducted in 27 head and neck cancer patients to determine the potential of interleukin-2 as an immune restorative agent. Patients showed the expected depression of lymphocyte proliferation to phytohemagglutinin and had borderline depressed natural killer cell activity and relatively normal interleukin-2 production. Addition of interleukin-2 at 100 units/ml markedly enhanced natural killer cell activity to normal levels. Serum from head and neck patients was also immune-suppressive. Heat-inactivated serum depressed lymphocyte proliferation and natural killer cell activity of control leukocytes. Lymphocyte incubation with interleukin-2 significantly counteracted immune suppressive serum effects and restored depressed lymphocyte function to normal levels. The effective in vitro interleukin-2 dose is potentially achievable by infusion at approximate doses of 3 X 10(6) units/M2.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Juvenile diabetics' oral health and locus of control. A pilot study.

The purpose of this pilot study program was to evaluate the effects of a one-year dental health education program on the oral health status and locus of control of juvenile diabetic children. Thirty subjects with juvenile diabetes mellitus were allocated to control and experimental treatment groups so that group frequencies (age, sex, race, duration of diabetes) were similar. Both groups had a Silness and Loe Plaque Index (PLI) and a Ramfjord Periodontal Disease Index (PDI) performed, and received an oral prophylaxis three times over the one-year period. Locus of control was measured at baseline and one year using the Children's Health Locus of Control Scale. In addition, the experimental group received an extensive dental health education program which emphasized the effects of dental disease on diabetes control. Twenty-five subjects completed the study. Pre- and post-locus of control measures were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Matched Pairs Signed Rank test. The Mann Whitney U Test was used to analyze differences between the groups. Indexes were compared using nonparametric two-factor repeated measures analysis of variance. Analysis revealed no statistically significant differences between groups or in locus of control scores over time. However, PDI and PLI scores improved in both groups, particularly from baseline to six months (p less than .01). Although not statistically significant, both groups exhibited a high internal locus of control. While the dental health education program resulted in only minor improvements in mean group scores, the intervention of preventive treatment produced significant improvement in measured indexes.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1987

The differentiated form of nasopharyngeal carcinoma contains Epstein-Barr virus DNA.

Immunologic studies of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) have implicated EBV in undifferentiated and partially differentiated, non-keratinizing nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Patients with the well-differentiated, keratinizing form of NPC have EBV serologic patterns similar to those of control populations. In addition, viral DNA has not been detected in the differentiated tumors using viral cRNA probes to DNA immobilized on filters. In this study we have tested for EBV DNA using recombinant DNA probes to Southern blots of DNA from 33 NPC specimens. The 24 undifferentiated and 4 partially differentiated specimens generally contained a relatively high number of EBV genome equivalents, while the 5 well-differentiated NPC all contained detectable EBV, but at low copy number. The viral DNA from one of the well-differentiated specimens was cloned into a cosmid vector. Five recombinant clones representing the fused viral termini were obtained, indicating the presence of episomal, intracellular DNA in the tumor. These findings indicate that all histologic subsets of NPC contain EBV DNA.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1985

Iodine 125 suture implants in the management of advanced tumors in the neck attached to the carotid artery.

Between 1975 and 1982, 38 patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer attached to the carotid artery underwent surgical excision followed by iodine 125 vicryl suture implant in the neck. Most patients had neck masses that were greater than 6 cm and stage IV disease without clinically evident distant metastases. Twelve patients had received no previous therapy while 26 underwent an implant for recurrent disease. The local control rate in the implant volume was 79%. The local and regional control rate in all head and neck sites was 53%. The mean survival was 11 months. The overall complication rate was 26%. There was no significant correlation of local control or complications with the minimum total dose, volume implanted, individual 125I seed strength, or total seed strength. In patients with large masses attached to the carotid artery, surgical resection followed by a 125I implant for residual disease is a viable alternative to resection of the carotid artery.

Brachytherapy↗
PubMed1984

Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and disease course in North American patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a prospective study.

It has previously been reported that antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) levels determined at diagnosis against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific membrane antigens (MA) are predictive of disease course following therapy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In general, survival was significantly shorter following therapy in patients with low ADCC titers at diagnosis versus those with high titers. To examine this further, a prospective study on North Americans with different histopathological types of this disease was initiated approximately 5 years ago. The results to date tend to support the conclusions drawn from the retrospective study for patients with the more poorly differentiated types (WHO 2 and WHO 3) of this disease. Over the first 3 years of this study, approximately 75% of the patients in the "high" category have remained clinically disease-free for 3 years or longer as opposed to approximately 35% of the patients in the "low" group. Disease progression rates were calculated to be approximately four times higher in the low group. Similar trends were noted in actual survival rates over a 3-year period. ADCC titers were in general found to be relatively stable in sequential serum samples from the same patient, with some exceptions. With the exceptions, however, changes in ADCC titers also reflected disease course. These results indicate, therefore, that anti-EBV ADCC titers are predictive of disease course in patients with the poorly differentiated types of NPC.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1980

The self-nonself concept as a basis for immune complex to replace "autoimmune diseases".

The remarkable history of the 1951 pp 66 year old woman with gastric adenocarcinoma is reviewed. After subtotal gastrectomy she survived for 22 years without any metastases. Presumably the artificially induced high titer IgG, anti-P1 proved to be cytotoxic in two stages: (1) binding of anti-P1 to the terminal fifth sugar, galactose, and (2) the action of cellular immunity in the form of killer T derived lymphocytes containing receptors for IgG molecules. An identical mechanism may be operative in inducing abortions in the pp pregnant woman with a P1 fetus. P1 illegitimate glycolipid (GL) red cell antigen and Forssman (Fs) tissue in adenocarcinoma suggest the self-nonself concept because these are genetically foreign to the host. This concept applies also to numerous "autoimmune" diseases such as RA, lupus, glomerulonephritis, Coombs positive hemolytic anemia and other diseases with immune complexes (ICs) of 20--22 Svedberg units deposited as lesions with tissue damage. In the presence of the GL antigens (ABO, P, Fs), the normal serum contains antibodies for the missing antigen(s). The predicted anti-Fs was present in about 80% of normal employees of ages 18--70. In cancer sera the incidence was 35--40%. On testing normal sera by age in terms of decades anti-Fs was present in 93% in the youngest, and only 55% in the oldest group. This may be associated with the gradual loss of protein synthesis with aging and/or the accumulation of soluble ICs which bind the C1q portion of the C added to the test mixture of heat-inactivated serum (1 : 8) g.p. C (1 : 30) and srbc. In "autoimmune" diseases there is an active immune response to viral or bacterial infections or infestations or drugs which attach to rbc and/or tissue cell membranes. This results in the deposition in selected organs of ICs of 20--22 S units with lesions and tissue damage. For therapy plasma (from young donors) exchange has been recommended to compensate for the loss of IgG antibodies and C.

ABO Blood-Group System↗