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A Jardin

Publications and source records attributed to A Jardin.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Abnormal restriction pattern of PIP gene associated with human primary prostate cancers.

The PIP gene, localized in the 7q34 region that contains a number of fragile sites such as FRA 7H and FRA TI, codes for gp17/PIP, a protein secreted by breast apocrine tumors. We analyzed the integrity of this gene in 20 tumors of the urogenital tract. We found rearranged EcoRI fragments in 5 of 15 primary prostate carcinomas. No rearrangement was found in normal prostates derived from five patients undergoing prostatocystectomy during treatment of bladder cancers. By Southern blot hybridization with PIP gene exon-specific probes, the rearrangements were mapped at or near the 3' end of the gene. These abnormalities were found, not only in the neoplastic cells invading the prostatic tissues, but also in seminal vesicles without histologic tumoral features. These data suggest a critical role of the PIP gene or neighboring genes in prostate cancer.

Apolipoproteins↗
PubMed1999

Cavernospongious shunts: anatomical study of intrapenile vascular pathways.

OBJECTIVES: The reality of cavernospongious shunts has never been confirmed and their role in penile erection remains undetermined. We aim to describe the intrapenile vascular anatomy as the precise nature of the connections between the corpus spongiosum, the glans and the corpora cavernosa remains unknown. METHODS: Ten human penises were removed from adult male cadavers 8 days after arterial casting with latex. In four specimens coloured latex was injected into the corpus spongiosum. Ex situ microdissection was performed to analyse the origin and distribution of the penile arteries. The anastomotic arterial pathways were dissected. RESULTS: In all the specimens, 6-10 anastomoses were found between the cavernous arteries (a. profundae penis) and the spongious arterial network. These arteries arose at regular intervals from the cavernous arteries and perforated the tunica albuginea vertically to anastomose with urethral arteries (a. urethralis). No arteriovenous shunts were found between the corpus spongiosum and the corpora cavernosa, nor was there any venous drainage from the corpus spongiosum entering the corpora cavernosa. CONCLUSION: These shunts are arteries connecting the urethral and cavernous arteries. Cavernospongious arterial anastomoses were found in all the cadavers dissected. Further studies are needed to determine their role in penile erection.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

CD44 is an independent prognostic factor in conventional renal cell carcinomas.

PURPOSE: CD44 is a transmembrane glycoprotein involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. De novo expression of CD44 and its variant isoforms has been associated with aggressive behavior in various tumors. Since few data are available concerning the role of CD44 in the biological behavior of locally confined renal tumors, we analyzed the expression of CD44 in a large set of conventional renal cell carcinomas to determine its prognostic value in association with other clinicopathologic variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-one patients with locally confined conventional renal cell carcinomas were studied. CD44 standard form (CD44H) and v6 isoform expressions were semiquantitatively evaluated on paraffin-embedded tumor tissue by immunohistochemistry. The prognostic value of the usual clinicopathological variables and CD44 expression was tested using Kaplan-Meier plots by the log rank test and Cox multiple hazard regression analysis. RESULTS: No immunostaining was observed in normal renal tissue. Thirty-two of the 66 conventional renal cell carcinomas (48%) showed CD44H membranous staining of the tumor cells. Only 2 cancers displayed CD44v6 immunostaining. Among the different clinicopathological variables analyzed, tumor stage (p = 0.001), nuclear grade (p = 0.01), size (p = 0.02), vascular (p = 0.05) and perirenal adipose tissue invasion (p = 0.005), and CD44H expression (p = 0.01) were found to be significant prognostic parameters for survival using univariate analysis. Moreover, multivariate analysis indicated stage, nuclear grade and CD44 expression as independent prognostic factors both for overall and disease-free survival. CONCLUSION: CD44 can be considered as a useful prognostic parameter in conventional renal cell carcinoma and may be used in evaluation of the outcome of these tumors.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

In situ detection of lipid peroxidation by-products as markers of renal ischemia injuries in rat kidneys.

PURPOSE: Lipid peroxidation is an autocatalytic mechanism leading to oxidative destruction of cellular membranes. In renal transplantation, this mechanism is triggered by ischemia/reperfusion and may be of relevance in graft failure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using specific antibodies directed against malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) adducts, major aldehydic metabolites of lipid peroxidation, we investigated, in situ, by means of an immunohistochemical procedure, the occurrence of lipid peroxidation during different warm ischemic periods of 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes in rat kidneys prior to reperfusion. The same experiments included followup of the rats after nephrectomy and reperfusion for 10 days. RESULTS: We observed superficial and deep cortex immunostaining with both antibodies against MDA and HNE after 30 minutes of warm ischemia. This immunostaining was observed in the absence of any histological lesions, as assessed by routine staining. After 45 and 60 minutes of warm ischemia, lipid peroxidation byproducts were detected both in the cortex and in the medulla, which is associated with 33% and 66% of rat deaths respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the involvement of the lipid peroxidation process in kidney damage during anoxia before reperfusion, and its extension to the whole organ. Lipid peroxidation byproducts were detectable in warm ischemic kidney, and the presence of medulla immunostaining was associated with the animals' death. Lipid peroxidation immunostaining might thus be useful as a sensitive tool to detect ischemic damage after warm ischemia prior to reperfusion, as well as in the decision to carry out kidney transplantation in humans.

Aldehydes↗
PubMed1999

[Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in the management of azoospermia].

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to analyse all attempts of ICSI performed in our centre between 1995 and 1997 with surgically harvested sperm for the treatment of secretory and excretory azoospermia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 71 infertile couples, in which the man suffered from secretory (n = 8) or excretory azoospermia (n = 63), were managed with 94 attempts of ICSI. RESULTS: ICSI was able to be performed 85 times with 82 embryo transfers resulting in 29 clinical pregnancies. The clinical pregnancy rate per ICSI attempt was comparable with sperm obtained on the day of ICSI or previously harvested and frozen (30.5% and 31.4% respectively). The clinical pregnancy rate per ICSI attempt was 33.3% for testicular sperm (n = 18), and 30.3% for epididymal sperm (n = 76). Twenty-seven clinical pregnancies (32.1%) were obtained for men with excretory azoospermia (47.2% for vas deferens agenesis and 20.8% for acquired urinary tract obstruction, p = 0.01), and 2 (20%) for men with secretory azoospermia. CONCLUSION: ICSI can achieve pregnancy in infertile couples in whom no other solution can be considered. Cryopreservation allows surgical harvesting to be dissociated from ICSI without decreasing the pregnancy rate, justifying freezing of sperm during any surgical procedure on the seminal tract. The better results obtained in congenital excretory azoospermia compared to acquired obstructions, usually post-infectious, suggest a harmful effect of infection on the quality of sperm.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Is today's man really less fertile?].

In 1992, a statistical analysis of data from 61 studies of semen quality among normal men led to the conclusion that human sperm count fell of 40% from 1940 to 1990. This meta-analysis has since been invalidated for methodological reasons as well as for statistical reasons, but it caused enormous concern to both the scientific community and to the international media. A decline of human fertility was speculated. To date, the most popular hypothesis offered to explain this alleged decline has been increasing exposure to environmental estrogen mimicking chemicals. However, there is no evidence that male or mammal fertility is declining. Moreover, the sperm count of breeding mammals did not declined in the meanwhile. Since 1992, numerous papers reported on men investigated during the last 20 years have shown conflicting results, from sperm count improvement to sperm count decline. However, several publications included methodological and analytical biases. In fact, the techniques used for semen analysis have to be questioned. It is a subjective exam, lacking laboratory standards and quality control procedures. This induces very important variations between laboratories and between biologists. For the sperm count itself, numerous errors can occur, provoked by the technique, the equipment and the reader: for the same sperm, the coefficient of variation can exceed 40% between two technicians. Therefore, the current techniques of semen analysis cannot warrant epidemiological studies. It is indispensable to admit the limits of the semen analysis in order to improve as much as possible its quality and its reliability.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Clonal analysis of renal sporadic angiomyolipomas.

Renal angiomyolipomas are benign tumors composed of variable amounts of mature fat, smooth muscle, and thick-walled blood vessels. They occur either sporadically or in association with tuberous sclerosis. Such tumors are considered as hamartomas, but few data are available concerning their pathogenesis. Indeed, it is not known whether angiomyolipoma is a congenital malformation or a neoplastic process. To answer this question, we assessed the clonality of sporadic angiomyolipomas using molecular analysis. Seven women (mean age, 59 years) with renal angiomyolipomas were included. DNA of the tumor and the normal adjacent kidney was extracted from archival paraffin-embedded tissue. DNA methylation pattern at a polymorphic site on the HUMARA gene was studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification after methylation-sensitive enzyme digestion. This procedure enables the differentiation between polyclonal and monoclonal lesions according to their X-chromosome inactivation pattern. Five of the seven women included were informative for the HUMARA gene. The mean size of the angiomyolipomas was 53 mm (range, 18 to 110). In one case, a tumor thrombus was observed in the inferior vena cava. Clonal analysis showed that all of the angiomyolipomas and the tumor thrombus studied were monoclonal. This study shows that sporadic angiomyolipomas are monoclonal lesions consistent with neoplastic disorders. This result strongly supports the hypothesis that angiomyolipomas arise from the clonal proliferation of an uncommited cell, which will further evolve toward different cell types.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Expression of alpha 1 adrenoceptor subtypes in rat corpus cavernosum.

Norepinephrine mediates the antierectile role of the sympathetic nervous system. It binds to postsynaptic alpha 1 adrenoceptors present on smooth muscle fibers of the corpus cavernosum. Receptor cloning studies have evidenced three alpha 1 adrenoceptor subtypes: alpha 1A, alpha 1B and alpha 1D. We searched for the presence of these three alpha 1 adrenoceptor subtypes in the rat corpus cavernosum using in situ hybridization with specific oligonucleotide probes. Brain tissue was used as the reference of probes specificity. Autoradiographic films were studied with light illumination and computer-assisted densitometry using an image analyser. We provide evidence that the three alpha 1 adrenoceptor subtypes are expressed in the rat corpus cavernosum. These three subtypes appear to be more expressed in the trabecular smooth muscle fibers than in vascular smooth muscle fibers. Further experiments are needed to determine whether the proportion of alpha 1 adrenoceptor subtypes changes according to the etiology of erectile dysfunction. This morphological approach provides a basis for future pharmacological research of specific alpha 1 adrenoceptor subtypes blocking agents designed to treat erectile dysfunction.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

De novo expression of CD44 in prostate carcinoma is correlated with systemic dissemination of prostate cancer.

AIMS: To evaluate the role of CD44 in early steps in the development of prostate cancer, and to assess the biological significance of preneoplastic lesions in prostate cancer. METHODS: 38 patients with clinically localised prostate cancer were studied. The standard form of CD44 (CD44H) and v6 isoform expressions were semiquantitatively evaluated on paraffin embedded tumour tissue by immunohistochemistry. Disseminated prostatic cells were detected by prostate specific membrane antigen reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in the blood of each patient before radical prostatectomy. RESULTS: In normal or benign prostate glands, only basal cells showed CD44H and v6 labelling. Fourteen of the 38 prostate cancers (37%) had CD44H membranous staining of prostatic tumour cells. In 18 patients (47%), circulating prostatic cells were detected in blood before surgery. Although no correlation between the expression of CD44 and the Gleason score or staging was observed, a significant correlation was found between the expression of CD44H by tumour cells and prostatic cell blood dissemination (p = 0.04). In 28 cases, foci of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia were observed, and nine had CD44H immunostaining. CONCLUSIONS: De novo expression of CD44 by prostatic tumour cells is associated with systemic dissemination of prostate cells independently of pathological criteria.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Sustained-release alfuzosin, finasteride and the combination of both in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. European ALFIN Study Group.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the additive benefit of combining an alpha1-blocker and a 5alpha-reductase inhibitor. METHODS: This European, randomized, double-blind, multicenter trial involved 1.051 patients with lower urinary tract symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia. Patients received sustained release (SR) alfuzosin (n = 358), a selective alpha1-blocker given at a dose of 5 mg twice daily without dose titration; finasteride (n = 344), 5 mg once daily, or both drugs (n = 349), for 6 months. Primary efficacy criteria were symptomatic improvement (International Prostate Symptom Score: I-PSS) and maximum flow rate (Qmax). Safety was assessed by monitoring adverse events. RESULTS: Symptomatic improvement was significantly higher from the 1st month of treatment with SR alfuzosin, alone or in combination; mean changes in I-PSS versus baseline at end-point were -6.3 and -6.1, respectively, compared with -5.2 with finasteride alone (SR alfuzosin vs. finasteride, p = 0.01; combination vs. finasteride, p = 0.03). The percentages of patients with a decrease in I-PSS of at least 50% were 43, 42 and 33% for SR alfuzosin, the combination and finasteride, respectively (SR alfuzosin vs. finasteride, p = 0.008; combination vs. finasteride, p = 0.009). In the overall population, increases in Qmax were greater with SR alfuzosin and the combination, compared with finasteride alone after 1 month of therapy, but changes at end-point were similar in the three treatment groups. In those 47% of patients likely to be obstructed (baseline Qmax <10 ml/s), however, mean increases in Qmax were significantly higher with SR alfuzosin, alone or in combination, whatever the visit. Finasteride, alone or in combination, significantly impaired sexual function. The incidence of postural symptoms was low and similar in the three treatment groups. CONCLUSION: In this 6-month trial, SR alfuzosin was more effective than finasteride, with no additional benefit in combining both drugs.

5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors↗
PubMed1998

[Treatment for impotence].

For the treatment of erectile dysfunction, the authors recommend that prostheses be reserved for cases refractory to all other treatments. Local treatments by injection of erectogenic substances consist of paraverine and prostaglandin E1. A new oral treatment is also available, not with yohimbine or apomorphine, but with sildenafil (viagra).

3',5'-Cyclic-GMP Phosphodiesterases↗
PubMed1997

[Risk of complications during endovesical treatment with BCG for superficial tumor of the bladder].

OBJECTIVES: BCG therapy is the reference adjuvant treatment for multiple and voluminous or recurrent superficial bladder cancer and can cause specific complications. We assessed the frequency and therapeutic modalities involved associated with such complications in a personal retrospective series of patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: BCG therapy was given to 148 patients who were followed for a mean 40 months. RESULTS: Forty-six percent of the patients developed a follicular reaction in the bladder wall: 14 developed complications requiring anti-tuberculosis treatment. The frequency of BCG therapy complications was higher in patients who had had tuberculosis previously (50%) than those who did not (13.8%). Complications were more frequent after early treatment. In the patients who developed BCGitis with fever, a 3-month regimen of rifampicin and isoniazine appeared to be sufficient. DISCUSSION: The frequency of BCG therapy complications (bladder anomalies excluded) was 7.8% with only 2.8% major complications. The development of a follicular reaction of the bladder wall does not appear to have any prognostic value. Special surveillance is needed in patients with a past history of tuberculosis. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant BCG therapy requires careful follow-up because of the risk of BCGitis which can be effectively treated with a 3-month double-antibiotic regimen.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1997

Penile arteries in humans. Origin--distribution--variations.

The arterial supply to the penis remains unclear. The frequency of occurrence and functional significance of accessory pudendal arteries remains controversial and it has been suggested that the presence of variations is correlated with atheromatous disease involving internal pudendal arteries. We dissected pelvic and penile arteries in 20 adult fresh male cadavers. The results are expressed according to age and the presence of atherosclerosis. Three patterns of penile arterial supply can be described: type I arising exclusively from internal pudendal arteries (3/20), type II arising from both accessory and internal pudendal arteries (14/20) and type III arising exclusively from accessory pudendal arteries (3/20). This study emphasizes the findings previously reported by early anatomists. No correlation between the presence of accessory pudendal arteries and the extent of atheroclerosis was observed. Accordingly we postulate that these variations are usually congenital. Terminal branches of accessory pudendal arteries mainly supply the corpora cavernosa. As they are located very close to the prostate, the risk of injury is high during radical prostatectomy. The possibility of impotence from such injury after radical prostatectomy needs therefore to be reconsidered.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Absence of block to polyspermy at the human oolemma.

OBJECTIVE: To study the fusiogenic ability of human spermatozoa and oocytes. DESIGN: Retrospective study of 3,027 oocytes included in a program of subzonal insemination (SUZI). SETTING: Assisted fertilization program in an academic research environment. PATIENT(S): Couples with characterized male factor infertility or previous unexplained IVF failures. INTERVENTION(S): Subzonal insemination (SUZI) was performed after study of the sperm pathology. The number of microinjected spermatozoa was controlled. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Fertilization and polyspermia rates were analyzed according to the number of microinjected spermatozoa and to the indication of SUZI. RESULT(S): The fertilization rate increased linearly between one and three microinjected spermatozoa. Above this number, the rate plateaued around 25%. Polyspermia was correlated with the number of microinjected spermatozoa (r = 0.97). The fusiogenic ability of motile sperm cells was dependent on the semen characteristics and the sperm pathology. Observed diploid and polyspermia rates did not differ from the calculated probability of microinjecting only one or at least one fertilizing spermatozoon into the perivitelline space, respectively. CONCLUSION(S): Data support the hypothesis that a physiologic block at the human oolemma is absent. The post-SUZI fertilization rate also can be explained by the probability of finding one fertilizing spermatozoon among those that were microinjected and by the limited number of sperm heads allowed to decondense in the ooplasm.

Female↗
PubMed1997

[Physiology of erection].

The peripheral pharmacology of local mechanisms of penile erection is known today thanks to recent advance in the study of the regulation of erectile tissue smooth muscle tone. Smooth muscle fibers present in the corpus cavernosum and arteries destined to the penis relax in response to the release of non adrenergic non cholinergic neuromediators synthetized by postganglionic parasympathetic nerve fibers present in the cavernous nerves. Nitric oxide is the main proerectile neuromediator. Noradrenaline, released by sympathetic fibers, contracts penile smooth muscle fibers and is antierectile. Recent progress in the peripheral pharmacology of penile erection allows new perspectives in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. The spinal cord represents a major site for the neural regulation of penile erection. The latter occurs in response to stimuli from peripheral or supraspinal origin. Different neural structures in the brainstem (nucleus paragigantocellularis), pons and hypothalamus (nucleus paraventricularis) send projections to the thoracolumbar sympathetic and lumbosacral parasympathetic nuclei at the origin of proerectile peripheral pathways. Serotonin and oxytocin are candidates as neuromediators involved in the supraspinal control of penile erection. Studying the central command of penile erection allows an approach to the pathophysiology of psychogenic erectile dysfunction.

Animals↗