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Biomedical subjects

A Basdevant

Publications and source records attributed to A Basdevant.

125 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

[Effects of oral contraceptives on the vascular wall (author's transl)].

The vascular complications of oral contraceptive treatment affect both arteries and veins, and vessels of all calibres in the systemic, pulmonary and portal circulations may be involved. In most cases thrombophlebitis develops under the combined influence of drug-induced blood changes and alterations in the vascular wall. Thickening of the connective and muscular fibers of the intima is commonly found, either isolated or associated with proliferation of the endothelium and/or thickening of the tunica media. These lesions are unrelated to those of atherosclerosis. Systematic investigations being impossible, the true incidence and extent of vascular wall alterations are necessarily under-estimated. The physiopathology of these non-specific lesions is unknown, but synthetic oestrogens seem to be mainly responsible for their occurence. Oestrogens might act on the vascular wall either directly or through changes in blood composition. Such lesions unquestionably have clinical repercussions.

Blood Vessels↗

Absorption of percutaneous oestradiol in postmenopausal women.

Seven postmenopausal women have been treated daily with 3 mg oestradiol percutaneously applied upon the skin. Blood samples were drawn at 8-h intervals during a 4-day period and on days 5, 7 and 9 from the beginning of the treatment. Plasma Plasma oestradiol (E2), oestrone (E1), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) were determined by radioimmunoassay on these samples. The plasma E2 level was significantly increased in the 12th hour (73 +/- 17 pg/ml) but the maximal plasma concentration was obtained only at the third day of treatment (110 +/- 24 pg/ml). Thereafter the mean plasma concentration was more stable. Increments in E1 was smaller and the plasma E2/E1 ratio was 1.51. Plasma FSH and LH di not change significantly during the course of the treatment. Thus the percutaneous administration of E2 appears to be an effective and safe method of delivering E2 into the circulation, and mimicking the physiologic condition. The advantages of this method are discussed.

Estradiol↗

Hormonal and metabolic effects of somatostatin in diabetic patients submitted to an i.v. arginine infusion.

Hormonal and metabolic effects of a synthetic linear somatostatin were tested in insulin-dependent subjects submitted to an intravenous arginine infusion. Arginine alone induced a rise in plasma growth hormone (HGH) and glucagon (IRG) concentrations but did not affect the spontaneous diurnal decrease of plasma cortisol; blood glucose concentration rose while that of alanine decreased suggesting enhanced gluconeogenesis; concentrations of plasma free fatty acids (FFA) and 3-hydroxybutyrate decreased. Somatostatin, at three different dosages, markedly influenced these patterns: HGH response to arginine was suppressed by the lowest somatostatin dose; IRG response was progressively inhibited by increasing doses of somatostatin but never reached zero; cortisol level was not decreased but slightly increased by somatostatin. Substrate responses to arginine were also modified by somatostatin: alanine disappearance was impaired, this effect being dose-related; plasma FFA and 3-hydroxybutyrate concentrations showed a significant increase rather than decrease, consistent with somatostatin suppression of residual insulin secretion. Tolerance to somatostatin was good and no alteration of hemostasis was observed.

Adult↗

[Sex differences in the blood glucose fall induced by short fasts (author's transl)].

Overnight fasting venous plasma glucose concentration was lower in premenopausal women than in men. This difference increased during a low caloric and low carbohydrate diet and above all after a 48 h fasting period. Venous blood glucose variation during this period of fasting was the same in post-menopausal women as in men. These facts and the previous observation by our group of a fall in fasting and post absorptive venous blood glucose after intramuscular injection of oestradiol benzoate (10) indicate that sex variations in the blood glucose fall following a period of fasting are at least partly linked to the oestrogenic status of the premenopausal woman.

Blood Glucose↗

[Health foods: definitions, status, public health. Round table no. 4. XV].

'Alicaments' ('ali' for 'aliment' = 'food' in French, and 'cament' for medicament = drug), is an inappropriate term to designate a developing domain: functional foods, in other words health claims in nutrition. It is not easy to delineate the frontier between foods and drugs; this results in some regulatory problems. The key question is the evaluation of health claims. In this report, we synthesize the discussions of a workshop bringing together specialists from the food industry and nutritionists, scientists and representatives of public health departments.

Dietary Supplements↗

[Neurotransmitters, neuropeptides and eating behavior].

A number of monoamines and neuropeptides are involved in the control of eating behavior. In the central nervous system, the medial and lateral hypothalamus (connected with cortical and limbic systems as well as with the peripheral endocrine and autonomic nervous systems) integrates informations concerning the nutritional and biopsychological status and control feeding behavior and weight regulation. Modern neurobiological techniques have generated a great range of information on the role of monoamines and neuropeptides in controlling food intake. Substances such as norepinephrine, opioids, neuropeptide Y are potent stimulators of investive behavior. Serotonin, cholecystokinin, and corticotropin-releasing factor inhibit food intake. The physiological influence of these substances is undergoing evaluation.

Animals↗

Contraceptive practice in 209 diabetic women regularly attending a specialized diabetes clinic.

In order to determine their contraceptive practice, 209 diabetic women, aged 16-50 years, regularly attending the diabetic clinic of a University Hospital in Paris, France, were interviewed. 134 (64%) were current-users of contraception. Contraceptive use was significantly lower among patients with NIDDM compared to patients with IDDM (46% vs 70%, p less than 0.01). Methods used were: intra-uterine devices (IUD) (32% of users), hormonal compounds (27%, almost exclusively low-dose progestogen only pill), occlusive and natural methods (27%), and tubal ligation (14%). The major gynaecological side-effects were associated with the use of low-dose progestogens (39% with amenorrhoea vs 14% for other methods, p less than 0.01). A subsample (n = 165, age-range 20-44 years) of this diabetic population was compared with a representative sample of 8,899 French women of the same age. The proportion of current-users of contraception in this diabetic population was lower than in the French population (63.5% vs 72.2%, p less than 0.02). The diabetic patients tended to use more efficient methods of contraception (pill, IUD and tubal ligation), but 11% of them used no contraception without a stated reason, compared to 4% of the French population. It is suggested that contraceptive guidance should be reinforced in diabetic women, particularly with NIDDM, in order to promote family planning, since tight glycaemic control before and during pregnancy is now recommended.

Adolescent↗

[Mechanisms of diurnal hypercapnia in sleep apnea syndromes associated with morbid obesity].

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence and mechanisms of diurnal hypercapnia in subjects with sleep apnea syndrome are not well known, particularly in the morbidly obese. METHODS: We studied a group of 24 subjects with sleep apnea syndrome and morbid obesity defined as a body mass index greater than 40 kg/m2 and free of chronic respiratory disease. RESULTS: Hypercapnia (PaCO2 > 42 mmHg) was found in 50% of the subjects. Age, body mass index, waist/hip ratio, apnea index, ratio of maximum forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) to vital capacity and expiratory reserve volume were not significantly different between hypercapnic and normocapnic subjects. Total pulmonary capacity, vital capacity and FEV1 were significantly lower in hypercapnic subjects than in normocapnic subjects. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that ventilatory restriction plays an important role in the development of diurnal alveolar hypoventilation in subjects with sleep apnea syndrome and morbid obesity.

Adult↗