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Biomedical subjects

A Fauconnier

Publications and source records attributed to A Fauconnier.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Construction and sequencing of new derivatives of the pIN-III-ompA secretion vector.

The growing interest in proteins exported by bacteria led to the development of cloning vectors designed for targeting recombinant proteins to extracytoplasmic compartments. The pIN-III-ompA vector family fulfils such a function. Here we report the construction and sequencing of new pIN-III-ompA derivatives with alternate polylinker sites, increasing the cloning flexibility of these vectors.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗
PubMed1998

Analysis of CD44 expression in serous and mucinous borderline tumours of the ovary: comparison with cystadenomas and overt carcinomas.

AIMS: To determine the diagnostic and prognostic value of the immunohistochemical analysis of CD44 variants in benign borderline and malignant tumours of the ovary. METHODS AND RESULTS: The reactivity of tumour cells with three monoclonal antibodies, respectively, directed to all CD44 variants, CD44-v3 isoform and CD44-v6 isoform, was assessed by using an indirect immunoperoxidase technique applied to formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples of 36 cases of borderline, as compared to 20 cases of benign tumours and 20 cases of carcinomas. CD44 variants were detected in 97% of borderline tumours, as compared to 60% of benign tumours and 100% of carcinomas. CD44-v3 was detected in 25% of borderline tumours, as compared to 0% of benign tumours (P = 0.003) and 55% of carcinomas (P = 0.065). The expression of CD44-v6 was detected in 28% of borderline tumours, as compared to 20% of benign tumours and 30% of carcinomas. In borderline tumours, as in carcinomas, CD44-v6, but not CD44-v3, expression was correlated with an increased proliferative index and with a higher incidence of p53 expression. CONCLUSION: Borderline tumours of the ovary present frequent quantitative and qualitative alterations in the pattern of expression of CD44 proteins. However, these alterations are unlikely to represent useful diagnostic or prognostic markers.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Second look after laparoscopic myomectomy.

The goal of this study was to assess the risk of adhesions after laparoscopic myomectomy. To this end our enquiry was based on observations with a prospective collection of data. Between October 26, 1990 and October 1, 1996, 45 patients underwent a second look after laparoscopic myomectomy. Seventy-two myomectomy sites were checked. The overall rate of postoperative adhesion was 35.6% per patient. The rate of adhesions per myomectomy site was 16.7%. The factors which influenced the occurrence of an adhesion on the myomectomy site were posterior location of the myoma and the existence of sutures. The rate of adhesions on the adnexa after laparoscopic myomectomy was 24.4%. The factors which influenced the occurrence of adnexal adhesions were another surgical procedure carried out at the same time, the existence of adhesions prior to the operation and posterior location of the myoma. The rate of adhesions after laparoscopic myomectomy is low and the adhesions rarely involved the adnexa. We recommend that a second-look laparoscopy be carried out systematically after laparoscopic myomectomy in patients desiring pregnancy.

Adnexal Diseases↗
PubMed1998

Identification of an elicitin gene cluster in Phytophthora cinnamomi.

Elicitins are a group of highly conserved proteins secreted by species of Phytophthora and a species of the related genus Pythium, Pythium vexans. Some of these proteins act as inducers of the necrotic hypersensitive-like response and the associated systemic acquired resistance phenomenon, in some species. We cloned and characterised the cinnamomin-beta and -alpha genes and two related elicitin genes from Phytophthora cinnamomi. These four open reading frames (ORFs) are clustered in tandem pairs. Two out of these four genes present homologies with the basic and acidic elicitin groups; but the two others encode, if expressed, elicitin isoforms exhibiting homologies with the class II of highly acidic elicitins.

Algal Proteins↗
PubMed1998

Management and outcome of borderline ovarian tumors incidentally discovered at or after laparoscopy.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate in a series of patients with borderline ovarian tumors the clinical findings and the outcome after laparoscopic management. METHODS: Retrospective study of 25 patients with borderline ovarian tumors first treated by laparoscopic approach. RESULTS: Thirteen patients had mucinous tumors and 12 had serous tumors. Twenty-one patients had ultrasound examination which detected 24 ovarian cysts including multilocular cysts in 50% of cases and unilocular sonolucent cysts in 25% of cases. The serum CA 125 and CA 199 levels were elevated in 30.7% and 23% respectively. Among the 25 patients first treated by laparoscopic approach, 24 had stage I disease: six of them had cystectomy, seven unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, two bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and two laparoscopic hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Seven patients had laparoconversion for presumption of ovarian cancer (5) and failure of laparoscopic procedure (2). One patient with stage III disease had laparoscopic biopsies and subsequent laparotomy. Among the 25 patients, 15 had conservative treatment and 10 had radical treatment. Three recurrences occurred after cystectomy. The mean follow-up was 41 months. Twenty-three patients were alive without evidence of disease, one died of intercurrent disease and one patient was lost to follow-up. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the laparoscopic approach to borderline ovarian tumors is possible in early stage disease but associated with a high risk of recurrence after cystectomy.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Laparoscopy-assisted hysterectomy and laparoscopic preparation. Apropos of a series of 177 cases].

Our objective was to determine the limits of laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) and the value of a preoperative scoring system to determine the operative approach to hysterectomy. Between January 1991 and December 1996, 152 out of 177 patients had LAVH and 25 had laparoconversion. The mean operating time was 163 min. The overall postoperative complication rate was 8.4%. The hospital stay was 4.8 days for LAVH versus 6.2 days for laparoconversion (p < 0.01). For each patient, a preoperative scoring system was established according to uterine size, previous laparotomy, uterine mobility, pelvic adhesions and endometriosis stage. The laparoconversion rate increased according to the score, as it was 7.8% for a score < or = 7 and 80% for a score > 7. LAVH offers a technique to convert some abdominal hysterectomies into vaginal hysterectomies. The use of the preoperative scoring system may help to determine patients who may benefit from the laparoscopic route and those with a high risk of laparoconversion.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Laparoscopic myomectomy and myolysis.

The indications for operative laparoscopy have expanded greatly over the past decade as its many advantages over laparotomy have become recognized. Laparoscopic myomectomy as a technique is now clearly described. A monopolar hook is used for the uterine incision. After atraumatic enucleation of the myoma, the myometrium and serosa are usually sutured, especially if the incision is deep or more than 2 cm long. Myomas can be removed by posterior colpotomy. However, the development of an electrical cutting device permits easier and quicker removal of the myoma through the suprapubic puncture site. Only complicated myomas or those which give rise to persistent symptoms despite properly prescribed medical treatment, together with those which grow rapidly, require surgery. These satisfactory preliminary results must not mask the fact that laparoscopic myomectomy is lengthy and difficult, reserved for experienced surgeons with a thorough familiarity with endoscopic sutures. Under these conditions, laparoscopic myomectomy is possible, even for large myomas (5 cm and over) located purely intramurally. However, there are limits, and it is preferable to schedule myomas measuring over 8 cm and multiple myomectomy (over two) for laparotomy. Although the preliminary results are encouraging, the risk of adhesiogenesis on the uterine scar, the quality of the uterine suture and the fertility results need to be assessed in the near future.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Surgical treatment of genitourinary prolapse by the abdominal approach. Apropos of a series of 232 cases].

Two hundred and thirty two patients with genitourinary prolapse were operated via an abdominal incision between 1981 and 1994. The technique consisted of retroperitoneal promontofixation, systematically associated with a retropubic colposuspension, levator myorrhaphy, Douglassectomy and uterosacral ligamentoplasty. The mean age of operated patients was 52.57 years (30-85 years), the mean follow-up was 17.8 months (1-105). 65 patients (27.7%) had a history of foetal macrosomy, 125 women (53.4%) were delivered without forceps or expression, and 2 patients (0.8%) had never procreated. The main presenting complaint was prolapse in 197 patients (84.4%), while 140 patients complained of urinary incontinence (60.3%). A urodynamic assessment was systematically performed before the operation and revealed defective transmission in 160 cases (71%); sphincter incompetence in 62 cases (62/228 cases, i.e. 27%); a combination of sphincter incompetence and defective transmission in 40 cases (17.7%). The results were assessed in terms of anatomical and functional parameters. The anatomical results revealed 21 recurrences, the majority of which were posterior recurrences, and the functional results were marked by urinary functional disorders such as urinary incontinence (30%), urgent micturition (14%) and dyspareunia (21%).

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Borderline ovarian tumors: a series of 43 patients].

Our objective was to evaluate the sonographic features, serum tumor markers in a series of 43 patients with borderline ovarian tumors. At sonographic examination, the majority of borderline tumors were multilocular. Serum CA-125 levels were elevated in 32.1%, CA-19-9 in 17.4%. In contrast, ACE levels were constantly normal. Twenty-four out of 43 patients (55.8%) had serous tumors, 18 (41.9%) had mucinous tumors and 1 (2.3%) had endometrioid tumor. Among, the 43 patients, 9 (20.9%) had first laparotomic approach and 34 had first laparoscopic treatment. Seven out of 34 patients treated by first laparoscopic approach had a laparoconversion (2 for presumption of invasive carcinoma and 5 for failure of laparoscopic procedure). Therefore, 27 had exclusive laparoscopic management. Among the 43 patients, 22 had conservative treatment and 21 radical surgery. The mean follow-up of patients was 41 months. Thirty-seven patients (86.1%) were alive without recurrence, 4 had a recurrence (9.3%), 1 patient (2.3%) was lost to follow-up and the last died of intercurrent disease. The mean delay of recurrence was 22 months (range 6 to 36). Three out of 4 recurrences occurred after cystectomy (2 ipsilateral and 1 controlateral). The fourth recurrence occurred after unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. All 10 second look procedures were negative. Our results point out about the feasibility of laparoscopic management of borderline tumors. However, cystectomy is associated with a high risk of recurrence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Ventral tethering of the vagina and its role in the kinetics of urethra and bladder-neck straining.

Based on the principle that the urethra forms an integral part of the ventral wall of the vagina, the aim of this study was to determine the elements of fixation of this wall and their role in the maintenance of urethral statics during strain exertion. Eight dissections of the female pelvis were performed by a simultaneous high and low approach. The anatomic data were compared with a study of the kinetics of the urethra by dynamic MRI. The lower part of the ventral vaginal wall is tethered to the pubis and the ischiopubic rami by a complex mixed system containing elements of both suspension and support. These elements simultaneously allow a complex and asymmetric movement around the inferior border of the pubic symphysis and maintain urinary continence during straining.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Rapid colorimetric hybridization assay for detecting amplified Helicobacter pylori DNA in gastric biopsy specimens.

A very simple, practical, sensitive, and specific colorimetric hybridization assay for detecting amplified Helicobacter pylori DNA is described. This assay, which combines a sensitive sandwich DNA hybridization reaction and a colorimetric protocol similar to those used in conventional enzyme immunoassays, was shown to be suitable for detecting H. pylori-infected gastric biopsy specimens and for monitoring the eradication of the pathogen after treatment. The specificity and sensitivity of the colorimetric hybridization assay were tested by assaying 27 H. pylori strains (4 reference and 23 clinical isolates), 9 strains of other Helicobacter spp. or Campylobacter spp., and 11 clinical isolates of other urease-positive bacteria. The likelihood of H. pylori detection in gastric biopsy specimens by the colorimetric hybridization assay was evaluated with 23 H. pylori-positive and 41 H. pylori-negative biopsy specimens on the basis of positive and negative results, respectively, of culture, rapid urease test, histological examination, and PCR. Biopsy specimens from 33 treated patients, endoscopied 4 to 8 weeks after the end of treatment, were also tested. All H. pylori strains showed positive results in the colorimetric hybridization assay, presenting optical densities at 450 nm (OD450S) of > or = 3.0. None of the other Helicobacter spp., Campylobacter spp., or the clinical isolates of other urease-positive bacteria showed OD450S equal to or greater than the cutoff (mean OD450 cutoff, 0.208). The colorimetric hybridization assay detected all 23 H. pylori-positive biopsy specimens (mean OD450, 2.910 +/- 0.295), while none of the H. pylori-negative biopsy specimens was shown to be positive in the assay (mean OD450, 0.108 +/- 0.025). H. pylori was considered to be not eradicated from three of the posttreatment biopsy specimens by culture, rapid urease test, histological examination, and PCR. They were all positive by the colorimetric hybridization assay, and their OD450S were > or = 3.0. The colorimetric hybridization assay also detected two other H. pylori-positive patients. Specimens from these two patients had negative culture, rapid urease test, and histology results, and a specimen from one of them also tested negative by PCR. These results indicate that the colorimetric hybridization assay is a suitable method both for the diagnosis of H. pylori in biopsy specimens and for the follow-up of patients after the end of treatment.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection by PCR: comparison with other invasive techniques and detection of cagA gene in gastric biopsy specimens.

A PCR assay for the detection of Helicobacter pylori in gastric biopsy specimens with specific primers for ureC gene amplification (herein referred to as ureC PCR) was compared with other routine invasive methods (culture, the rapid-urease test, and Giemsa staining of histological sections) with samples from a group of 104 consecutive dyspeptic patients. Bacteria were found in 40 (38.5%), 38 (36.5%), 36 (34.6%), and 35 (33.7%) of the patients by ureC PCR, culture, the rapid-urease test, and Giemsa stain, respectively. Sixty-three patients had negative cultures, negative histological examinations, and negative rapid-urease test results, and 61 of these patients were also negative by ureC PCR. ureC PCR detected H. pylori in two culture-negative patients. In parallel, a PCR-based assay to detect the H. pylori cytotoxin-associated antigen (cagA) gene, a putative virulence gene, was also developed. To assess the likelihood of detection of H. pylori genes directly from gastric biopsy samples and from the corresponding H. pylori isolates, specimens from 31 patients were subjected to PCR with ureC- and cagA-targeting primers. All 31 biopsy specimens and the corresponding H. pylori isolates were positive in the ureC PCR. H. pylori strains that were cagA positive also gave positive cagA PCR fragments with biopsy specimens from the same patients. All ureC PCR-positive patients were examined; biopsy specimens from 10 of 11 (91.7%) duodenal ulcer patients harbored H. pylori cagA-positive strains, whereas 19 of26 (73%) of those from patients with chronic gastritis only were found to be cagA positive. These findings indicate first that ureC PCR is at least as sensitive as culture for diagnosing H. pylori infection and second that the presence of the H. pylori cagA gene can also be detected directly in biopsy specimens by PCR amplification.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[Vaginal pressure trauma: a complication of jet-skis].

Vaginal trauma was caused by a jet-ski fall. The lesion occurred due to hyperpressure of the upper half of the vagina. A protocol for diagnosis and treatment are proposed with emphasis on laparoscopy which is not always used.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Molecular cloning, characterization and purification of ornithine carbamoyltransferase from Mycobacterium bovis BCG.

A genomic library of Mycobacterium bovis BCG has been constructed by cloning DNA partially digested with Sau3A into the Escherichia coli expression vector pAS1. The gene coding for ornithine carbamoyl-transferase (EC.2.1.3.3; OTCase), hereafter referred to as argF, was isolated from the library by complementation of a double argF-argI mutant of E. coli and its sequence was determined. The translation initiation codon used, GTG, was identified by comparing the amino acid sequence deduced from the gene with the N-terminal sequence of the corresponding purified protein. On this basis, the M. bovis BCG OTCase monomer consists of 307 amino acid residues and displays about 44% identity with other OTCases, the most closely related homologue being the anabolic enzyme of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The native enzyme has an estimated molecular mass of 110 kDa, suggesting a trimeric structure as is the case for most of the anabolic OTCases known from various organisms.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Cloning and sequencing of two actin genes from Taenia solium (Cestoda).

Genomic and cDNA actin clones were isolated from Taenia solium gene libraries. The actin genes are interrupted by intervening sequences. Protein coding regions of both genes predict the same amino acid sequence. cDNA sequence data indicate that at least one gene is expressed at the larval stage. Results from Northern and Western blots showed that T. solium expresses an actin transcript of about 1,400 bases and a protein of 45,000 Da.

Actins↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Laparoscopic myomectomy: a current view.

Since 1990 laparoscopic myomectomy (LM) has provided an alternative to laparotomy when intramural and subserous myomata are to be managed surgically. However, this technique is still the subject of debate. Based on their own experience together with data from the literature, the authors report on the situation today regarding the operative technique for LM and the risks and benefits of the technique as compared with myomectomy by laparotomy. The operative technique comprises four main phases: hysterotomy; enucleation; suture of the myomectomy site and extraction of the myoma. LM offers the possibility of a minimally invasive approach to treat medium-sized (<9 cm) subserous and intramural myomata by surgery when there are only two or three of them. When conducted by experienced surgeons, the risk of peri-operative complications is no higher using this technique. Use of the laparoscopic route could reduce the haemorrhagic risk associated with myomectomy. LM could reduce also the risk of post-operative adhesions as compared with laparotomy. Spontaneous uterine rupture seems to be rare after LM but further studies are needed before it can be said whether the strength of the hysterotomy scars after LM is equivalent to that obtained after laparotomy. The risk of recurrence seems to be higher after LM than after myomectomy performed by laparotomy.

Cicatrix↗