Faculty Bibliography

It has been claimed that the level of amputation is rendered higher by unsuccessful limb salvage bypass procedures. To evaluate this premise, we analyzed 242 major amputations performed for atherosclerotic vascular disease. One hundred and sixty-one amputations were performed as primary operations--50 per cent being below knee and 50 per cent, above knee amputations. Eighty-one amputations followed failure of an arterial revascularization. Twenty-three amputations, 13 below knee and ten above knee, followed late closure of such bypass procedures. Early failure of the bypass in 58 patients resulted in 46 below knee and 12 above knee amputations. After failure of 45 bypasses to arteries distal to the popliteal, 14 of the patients required above knee amputation. Following 28 unsuccessful femoropopliteal bypasses, only two patients needed above knee amputation. Thus, the risk of jeopardizing the knee joint should not be considered a major contraindication to limb salvage procedures, especially if a femoropopliteal bypass is contemplated

Cyclosporin A (Cy A) has been used in combination with low-dose azathioprine (2 mg/kg/day for 14 days) or other immunosuppressives to treat 13 canine lung allograft recipients. Two of five dogs treated with Cy A and azathioprine survive at 13 and 6 months, respectively, with normal lung function and no evident rejection. The other three dogs in this group survived for over 5 months despite evidence of rejection which was reversed with methylprednisolone (50 mg/kg/day for 3 to 5 days). The addition of prophylactic corticosteroids or their substitution for azathioprine resulted in decreased survival without preventing rejection better. The lung allograft rejection that occurred with Cy A was usually later in onset and more easily reversed by corticosteroids than the lung rejection that occurred with standard immunosuppression. Cy A rejection was also sometimes qualitatively different. Perivascular mononuclear cell cuffs and a proportionally greater decrease in allograft perfusion with respect to ventilation were often more prominent than in rejection with standard immunosuppression. In some instances, decreased allograft perfusion evidenced rejection while the plain chest roentgenogram and ventilation remained normal. Except for infection, which only occurred in animals receiving prophylactic corticosteroids, there was no toxicity from Cy A. These findings indicate that this drug is the safest, most effective immunosuppressive agent yet available for use in lung transplantation

In a series of limb salvage bypass to the popliteal and infrapopliteal arteries, the superficial femoral and popliteal arteries were used preferentially to provide inflow if these vessels were no more than minimally diseased proximal to the site of bypass origin. Cumulative life-table patency rate at 6 years for popliteal bypasses was 66% for 290 cases originating from the common femoral and 81% for 60 cases originating from the superficial femoral and popliteal arteries (P greater than 0.1). Infrapopliteal bypass patency rate at 5 years was 50% for 129 cases originating from the common femoral artery and 58% for 79 cases originating more distally (P greater than 0.25). When vein grafts alone were considered, patency rates were still not influenced by the site of origin of popliteal and infrapopliteal bypasses. Only 1 of 32 failures of a bypass with a distal origin could have been caused by proximal progression of disease. Because of these findings and multiple advantages that result from using arteries distal to the common femoral for bypass inflow, preferential use of the superficial femoral and popliteal arteries for this purpose is recommended in appropriately selected patients

In the past nine years, 1196 patients whose lower extremity was threatened because of infrainguinal arteriosclerosis have been treated at Montefiore Hospital. In the last six years, limb salvage was attempted in 679 or 90% of 755 patients. Femoropopliteal (318), small vessel (204) and axillopopliteal (29) bypasses were used along with transluminal angioplasty (128) and aggressive local operations to obtain a healed foot. Immediate (one month) limb salvage was achieved in 583 or 86% of the 679 patients in whom revascularization was possible. The 30-day mortality rate was 3%. The cumulative life table (LT) survival rate of all the patients undergoing reconstructive arterial operations was 48% at five years. The cumulative LT limb salvage rate after all reconstructive arterial operations was 66% at five years. The cumulative LT patency rate of femoropopliteal bypasses was not influenced by angiographic outflow characteristics of the popliteal artery but was increased 15% by appropriate reoperations to 67% at five years. Cumulative LT patency and limb salvage rates of small vessel and axillopopliteal bypasses were more than 50% at two years. Of patients undergoing arterial reconstruction, 88% of those who died within five years did so without losing their limbs. Of all the patients in whom limb salvage was attempted, 68% lived more than one year with a viable, useable extremity, and 54% lived over two years with an intact limb. We believe this aggressive approach to limb salvage is justified, and can be undertaken with a low cost in mortality, knee loss and morbidity

The hormone dependence and the prognosis of human breast cancers are currently based on assays of the estrogen receptor (RE) and progesterone receptor (RP) in the tumor. However, such prediction can not be fully accurate: RE may be non functional in some tumors and the estrogenic regulation of RP is not directly correlated with the effects of estrogens on cell growth. Here we described other estrogen induced intracellular, secreted or membrane proteins. Investigations of these proteins should allow a better understanding of the mechanisms by which estrogens stimulate the growth and spreading of breast cancer. Some secreted proteins could even be useful as circulatory markers of hormone dependence