A MESSAGE FROM AL LEVIN

[Guest guest]

Thanks Lea! - Good info!

A MESSAGE FROM AL LEVIN

Dear People,

These may be harsh words but they must be said. I

reiterate as a Board Certified Allergist/Immunologist,

Board Certified Pathologist, and a multiply licensed

Attorney at Law that there is no easier case for legal

causation of systemic disease than the Silicone Gel

Breast Implant cases. The only, repeat only reason we

have a controversy in this area is that the defence

bar is brilliant, the plaintiffs' bar is parochial and

the judges are beholding to large corporations. You,

the victims of Silicone Gel induced disease feel

abandoned and disenfranchised. From a Vietnam Veteran

to another person who was injured by defence

contractor fraud I can say, I'm sorry but no one will

help you. You must help your self. How, you ask, can I

who am so sick help myself? The answer is simple.

Those of you that voted yes on the Dow Corning

Bankruptcy Plan can change your vote to no. You may

not get your BMW down payment next year, but you will

get the satisfaction that you have thrown one more

hurdle in the path of the Nazi War Machine. You will

have protected the rights of your children who did not

voluntarily choose to be exposed to silicone gel.

Please do not feel that this is just idle blowing into

the wind. Believe me, this is just the beginning. We

are changing the economic paradigm of this country. In

my opinion 99.5% of American corporations are

honourable, conscientious, and good. Ninety nine point

five percent of American corporations are ethical,

moral, and accountable. Only a few, less than ½ of one

percent of corporations, Dow Chemical/Corning included

are corporations who have adopted the Nazi attitude

that honesty, morality and accountability be damned,

results are all that counts in this world. We are

opposed only to this small minority of corporations,

these rogue corporations. We are dedicated to stopping

these rogue corporations in their goal of dominating

world commerce through fraud and deception. This time

the Nazis (these rogue corporations) have been stopped

at French border. We, the combined forces of Vietnam

and Gulf War Vets, have already deployed expeditionary

forces which, as we speak, are probing the enemy's

very own home defences. We will soon mount an

insurmountable frontal offensive on these people. We

will force these rogue corporations to accountability.

You want to know how you can help? Just ask your

attorney how to change your vote on the DCC bankruptcy

plan from yes to no. S/he is ethically obligated to

tell you about the accommodations in the DCC

bankruptcy amended plan that offers you this

opportunity. If S/he does not give you a positive

response, please obtain a legal analysis in writing

from him/her. Send a copy of this analysis to me and I

can help you. This is a big fight. It is much bigger

than Silicone Gel Breast Implants. The outcome of this

fight will determine the nature of the world in which

your children and their children will live. Please

help me in this quest.

Al Levin, MD, JD

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

ARE YOUR IMPLANTS LEAKING?

Dr. Holly Atkinson

I have had silicone breast implants since 1991. I'm in

my forties and undergo mammograms and ultrasound exams

yearly. What symptoms should I watch for to show a

possible leak? Any other further advice on this

subject?

Anonymous

You're taking the right steps by getting a yearly

mammogram and ultrasound, so keep up the good work.

The mammogram is to detect early breast cancer, and

the ultrasound can help identify a leakage. In case

you're unsure, breast implants neither increase nor

decrease the risk of breast cancer, but because of

your age, an annual mammogram is a good idea. It is

usually very difficult to diagnose a leaking or

ruptured implant in a physical exam. And symptoms are

even less reliable. Because silicone gel is thick, it

does not travel very rapidly, even upon a tear in the

implant. Rather, it may slowly ooze over an extended

period. Typically, leakages don't cause any

precipitous symptoms. Nevertheless, sometimes a lump

will form, the result of a small pool of silicone

having been walled off by scar tissue. If you feel any

lump -- or notice any changes in the shape or size of

your breasts -- you need to be evaluated. The best way

to detect leakages is to do what you're doing: Undergo

routine ultrasound. MRI scans are very good too, but

ultrasound tends to be cheaper and faster. Realize

that the reliability of these tests depend on the

experience of the individual conducting them, so make

sure you're being evaluated at a place that routinely

screens women with implants. In other words, be sure

the people examining you know what they're doing.

You'll also need to keep this up for as long as you

have the implants in place. Unfortunately, time is

against you. A 1994 study published in the ls of

Plastic Surgery showed that the risk of leakage and

rupture increases as the implant ages. The authors

found, upon removing 102 implants in 56 patients who

wanted them out, that of 45 implants less than five

years old, 93 percent were intact. But of 29 implants

in place for six to 10 years, only 31 percent were

still intact (59 percent had ruptured and 10 percent

had leaked). The remaining implants were even older,

and had similarly high rates of rupture and leakage.

You may at some point have to have the implants

replaced. You may have heard of labs pushing a new

blood test that supposedly detects leaking or ruptured

implants. Watch out for these. The test measures human

anti- silicone antibodies, said to form if silicone

has escaped the implant and is circulating in the

blood. The FDA has not approved the blood test for

this purpose, and has sent warning letters to several

companies offering the test. It's not yet known

whether the antibodies have any real meaning, or what

exactly stimulates their formation. Most of all, it's

not known whether a positive test is predictive of a

leakage or rupture. So save your money. While the test

may be harmless, it's expensive -- $500 to $1,000.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

ABSTRACT

This abstract has been sent to us by Chris. Thank you

for sending this our way.

Quantitative detection of silicone in skin by means of

electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). J

Am Acad Dermatol 1999 May;40(5 Pt 1):719-25 (ISSN:

0190-9622) Haycox CL; Leach-Scampavia D; Olerud JE;

Ratner BD Department of Medicine (Dermatology),

University of Washington, Seattle 98195-6524, USA.

haycox@....

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of silicone-induced morbidity

in skin has been hampered by the difficulty of

detecting silicone in tissue because conventional

methods are nonquantitative and insensitive.

OBJECTIVE: We attempted to determine whether silicone

could be identified and quantitated in skin by means

of electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA).

METHODS: Skin biopsy specimens were obtained from the

nose, chin, malar region, and inner arm of a patient

who had received injections of silicone gel in his

nose and chin. Frozen sections were dried under vacuum

and examined by means of ESCA. Contiguous sections

were examined by light microscopy. RESULTS: The

surface concentrations of silicone were as follows:

chin, 20.6% +/- 3.6%; nose, 19.0%; malar region, 2.6%

+/- 1.6%; inner arm, 0.0% +/- 0.0%. Light microscopy

revealed homogeneous " globules " consistent with

silicone in the chin and nose sections only; the malar

region and inner arm sections showed no evidence of

silicone.

CONCLUSION:

ESCA can be used to detect silicone in skin in a

specific, highly sensitive, and quantitative manner.

This is the first report of quantification of silicone

in skin by means of ESCA.

Indexing Check Tags: Case Report; Human; Male;

Support, U.S. Gov't,

Non-P.H.S.; Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Language: English

Unique NLM Identifier: 99253517

MEDLINE Indexing Date: 199909

Publication Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE

Grant ID: RR-01296-RR-NCRR; T32ARO7019

Osseointegrated silicone implants. 18 patients with 57

MCP joints followed for 2 years [see comments] Acta

Orthop Scand 1999 Apr;70(2):109-15 (ISSN: 0001-6470)

Moller K; Sollerman C; Geijer M; Branemark PI

Department of Hand Surgery, Sahlgrenska University

Hospital, Goteborg,

Sweden.

karin.moller@....

20 patients were operated on consecutively with

osseointegrated MCP joint prostheses in 64 joints at

our department between September 1993 and February

1995. The one stage procedure included joint resection

and cancellous bone grafting from the iliac crest

before insertion of screw-shaped titanium fixtures,

connected with a flexible silicone spacer. 18 patients

(57 joints) were clinically and radiographically

examined at median 28 (18-37) months postoperatively.

Indications for surgery were joint destruction due to

chronic arthritis in 17 patients (56 joints), and

posttraumatic arthrosis in 1 patient (1 joint).

Postoperative median range of motion was 40 (15-85)

degrees, with an extension deficit of 30

(-20-70)degrees. 16 patients were satisfied, and had

good pain relief and substantially improved

postoperative hand function, evaluated with the

standardized Sollerman hand function test.

Radiographic osseointegration was obtained in 112 of

114 titanium fixtures (98%), but fracture of the

silicone spacer was observed in 14 implants (25%). We

conclude that osseointegration of longitudinal

titanium fixtures in the bone marrow canal is possible

in a one-stage procedure, but our findings show the

need for a new, more durable joint spacer. Comment in:

Acta Orthop Scand 1999 Apr; 70(2):107-8

Language: English

Unique NLM Identifier: 99294983

MEDLINE Indexing Date: 199909

Publication Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE