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Biomedical subjects

A Lussier

Publications and source records attributed to A Lussier.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Phagocytosis of sodium urate and calcium pyrophosphate crystals by leukocytes of gouty, pseudogouty and health donors.

The initial rates of oxygen consumption and of glucose oxidation via the hexose monophosphate shunt were measured during the phagocytosis of sodium urate and calcium pyrophosphate microcrystals. By applying the kinetics of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction, the affinity of the polymorphonuclear leukocytes for crystals, Km, and the maximum rate, Vmax, were determined. When the comparisons are made between the two kinds of crystals, the differences in Vmax are always significant (p less than 0.02). The lesser phlogistic properties of pyrophosphate crystals stem probably in part from different crystal-protein interactions. The influence of the donor is less marked. Part of the weakly depressed phagocytic activity observed with pseudogouty PMN may be attributed to antiinflammatory drugs.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Correlation between ossification and inflammation using a rat experimental model.

In seronegative spondylarthropathies both inflammation and ossification can be demonstrated. Inflammation is a hallmark of diseases associated with antigen HLA-B27 in ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome, and acute uveitis. Ossification is traditionally considered the end product of inflammation, but clinical examination does not show that this is always the case in man. The relationship between inflammation and ossification is not demonstrated in experiments on spinal involvement in adjuvant arthritis in the rat. Using that experimental model, we tested the efficacy of 3 nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (indomethacin, naproxen, and phenylbutazone) given at dosages comparable to those employed in clinical practice, but at a lower level than those used by drug companies in animals. Results show that the drug exhibiting almost no antiinflammatory activity in the rat at the dosage used, phenylbutazone, was the most powerful inhibitor of ossification. Another mechanism of local osteogenesis must be sought to explain such a phenomenon.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Gastrointestinal blood loss of oxaprozin and aspirin with placebo control.

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of oxaprozin (4,5-diphenyl-2-oxazolepropionic acid), a nonsteroidal, antiinflammatory compound, and aspirin in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study to estimate gastrointestinal bleeding. The determination of fecal blood loss was made quantitatively by the use of the radioactive (51Cr) technique. During the first week, subjects were controlled with and without placebo. At the end of the second week, the subjects were divided and randomly assigned to one of three groups; 10 received 1200 mg oxaprozin (600 mg twice daily), 11 received 3900 mg aspirin (975 mg four times a day), and the remaining 8 subjects received placebo for two weeks. During the last two weeks, all received placebo again. A statistical analysis of variance showed that there were no statistical differences between the groups during the first and last two weeks of placebo therapy. During the active treatment period, weeks 3 and 4, there were statistically significant differences among the three groups. The mean blood loss during week 3 was significantly greater for the aspirin group, 8.8 ml/day, than the oxaprozin group, 3.3 ml/day (P less than 0.05), and the placebo group, 1.4 ml/day (P less than 0.001). The smaller difference between oxaprozin and placebo was also significant (P less than 0.05). During the fourth week, the mean daily blood loss among oxaprozin patients had decreased to 2.3 ml/day, and no statistically significant difference from placebo (1.1 ml/day) was found.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗
PubMed1981

Adjuvant arthritis: influence of the adjuvant volume and composition on the non-specific inflammation.

Adjuvant-induced arthritis is an animal model of chronic inflammatory disease widely used in anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs testing. When the development and the inhibition of the induced arthritis are measured by the injected paw oedema, it is difficult to delineate the immunological contribution from the persistent non-specific primary section. To study the influence of volume and composition of the injected adjuvant upon the primary non-specific inflammation, we devised a 3X4 factorial experiment on a strain of inbred rats with a low susceptibility to adjuvant-induced arthritis. The injection of mineral oil alone produces a persistent oedema. The injection of mycobacteriae in suspension in saline induces a rapid inflammatory response followed by a fast decrease of the oedema. When complete adjuvant is used, there is always a very strong interaction between the effects of the two components of the adjuvant, i.e. the measured oedemas are much greater than the calculated values, For a given injected volume, the inflammation is maximum when the concentration of mycobacteriae is 2.5 mg/ml. All the rats injected with complete adjuvant present a transient oedema of the non-injected hind paw. This oedema is very small and proportional to the amount of mycobacteria injected.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1980

A placebo-controlled trial of floctafenine (idarac) against enteric-coated acetylsalicylic acid in osteoarthritic patients.

A double-blind placebo-controlled trial was carried out in 30 out-patients with osteoarthritis of knee and hip. The therapeutic value of flactafenine 1.2 g daily, a new oral non-narcotic analgesic agent, was compared with that of enteric-coated acetylsalicylic acid (ACSA) (Rougier Inc.--enteric-coated acetylsalicylic acid, tablets of 650 mg) 2.6 g daily. Every patient successively received the three medications for six weeks according to a Latin-square design. An objective index of improvement of hips and knees was developed and applied to this study. In both objective and subjective assessments of the disease, floctafenine was found to be approximately equivalent to or superior to ACSA and superior to placebo. Both drugs were clinically well tolerated. A consistant but slight decrease in both haemoglobin and red-blood-cell count under floctafenine and ASA was found to be statistically but not clinically significant.

Aspirin↗
PubMed1980

The physical handicap and the body ego.

This paper has three parts. First, I reconsider the previously published analysis of Peter, the boy born with a severe congenital handicap. This time I focus on the boy's own major wish, not for the growth of normal arms, but to be accepted with pride by his mother as he actually was. I mention some thoughts concerning the deep-seated problems between mother and child occurring during the fusional phase and the consequent limitations this imposed upon the primary identificatory processes. In the second part of this paper a comparison is established between the fantasy life of this handicapped boy with the unconscious fantasy life of some obsessive-depressive patients experiencing minor, acquired, or temporary handicaps. The main point here is that the fantasy life of Peter is oriented towards ego-building while the fantasy life of the others is ego-inhibiting. A final comparison is attempted between, on the one hand, the psychological effects on this child of his own congenital handicap contrasted with, on the other hand, the effects on a physically normal child of the permanent physical handicap of one of the parents. The child in the second situation (handicap of a parent) seems more psychologically threatened in his body integrity and identity.

Achievement↗
PubMed1980

Comparative evaluation of carprofen and indomethacin in rheumatoid patients.

Thirty-six patients with definite or classical rheumatoid arthritis were studied in a 6-week double-blind parallel trial. They were randomly divided into three groups and received either carprofen stepwise 150, 200, and 250 mg/day, carprofen 350, 400, and 450 mg/day or indomethacin 100 mg/day. Classical methods and parameters for evaluating the disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis were used. A large panel of laboratory tests were also involved in the assessment of toxicity. Although the incidence of adverse effects was similar for both drugs, cutaneous and gastrointestinal symptoms were more frequent with carprofen than with indomethacin, whereas central nervous system reactions were elicited more often with the latter drugs. For most of the efficacy variables studied, the carprofen high dosage regimen at weeks 5 and 6 was shown statistically superior or at least not different from the indomethacin group; both of these were superior to the carprofen low dosage regimen.

Anti-Arrhythmia Agents↗
PubMed1980

[Effect of a high serum uric acid diet and injections of urate crystals on adjuvant arthritis in the rat].

The difference between gout and rheumatoid arthritis was reproduced experimentally in the rat by combining adjuvant arthritis with an oxonate uric acid raising diet and injections of crystals of sodium urate. The factorial experiment using 3 factors confirms the inhibition or arthritis by a uric acid raising diet and shows that the injections of crystals, which preceed the injection of Freund's adjuvant, increase the arthritic lesions in normo-uricemic rats and reduces them slightly in hyperuricemic rats. This effect of the injection of crystals increases gradually with time.

Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena↗
PubMed1978

Gastrointestinal microbleeding after aspirin and naproxen.

Gastrointestinal bleeding is the most serious side effect encountered with the anti-inflammatory antirheumatic drugs. Using the 51Cr labeling technique, the comparative quantity of blood loss with aspirin or naproxen has been previously done on normal volunteers. With the present study, 12 rheumatoid arthritic patients were controlled in a double-blind crossover study with the same radioactive technique. There is a difference in favor of naproxen. The difference between the baseline period and naproxen administration was not statistically significant.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Inhibition of adjuvant-induced arthritis in the hyperuricemic rat.

In man, there is a strong negative correlation between gout and rheumatoid arthritis. To investigate this apparent mutual exclusion, we studied the influence of oxonate-induced hyperuricemia on the development of adjuvant arthritis in male Wistar rats. The results indicate that in the primary reaction (inflammation of the injected paw) the differences are weak (0.10 greater than p greater than 0.05) between normouricemic and hyperuricemic rats. In hyperuricemic rats the secondary reaction (induced polyarthritis) is delayed and significantly reduced (p less than 0.005). Non-immunologic carrageenin paw edema is not statistically different between the two groups (p greater than 0.25). Experimental hyperuricemia in rats seems to influence essentially the secondary, cell mediated, reaction without affecting the acute inflammatory phases.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Naproxen vs. aspirin in osteoarthritis of the hip and knee.

This 12-week double-blind trial compared the efficacy and tolerance of naproxen (750 mg/day) with that of aspirin (3.6 gm/day). There was no statistical difference in efficacy between the two trial drugs for any of the objective (e.g., 25-foot walking time) or subjective (e.g., overall severity of symptoms) variables measured. No side effects were experienced by 69% of the naproxen patients and 37.5% of the aspirin patients. There were a statistically greater number and more severe side effects during aspirin therapy than during naproxen therapy (p = 0.002). The results show naproxen to be a potentially useful drug for the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Inhibition of adjuvant arthritis in the rat by an oxonate diet: sequential studies.

To study the mechanism by which oxonate-induced hyperuricemia inhibits the development of adjuvant arthritis in the rat, we initiated blocking or releasing experiments by changing the oxonate diet of rats at selected times. We were able to define oxonate dietary effects on four specific periods in the development of this experimental arthritis. The inhibition of the primary inflammation at the site of the injection was weak. The inhibition of the secondary reaction was greater than the decrease of the primary inflammation and was more effective when the first two periods (sensitization to antigen and production of immunocompetent cells) were blocked. The reduction in the disease was more marked in the non-injected paw than in the injected paw. Thus, the effect of the oxonate diet is more immunosuppressive than anti-inflammatory. Release of the first period, which provoked an unexpected increase in the severity of the disease, suggests a possible influence of oxonate on pyrimidine metabolism.

Animals↗