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Biomedical subjects

B Duquesnoy

Publications and source records attributed to B Duquesnoy.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

[Value of the assay of protein SAA and urinary antitrypsin activity in osteoarticular infections].

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate is normal in 20% to 25% of patients with discitis due to common pathogens. We evaluated serum amyloid A (SAA) protein and urinary trypsin inhibitory activity in osteoarticular infections comparatively with erythrocyte sedimentation rate and serum C-reactive protein in 20 patients including 14 with discitis due to common pathogens and 6 with septic arthritis. Assays were performed on D0, D8, D15, D30, and D60 after initiation of antimicrobial therapy. On D0, all four markers were significantly higher in patients with septic arthritis than in patients with discitis. C-reactive protein levels exhibited the fastest kinetics with a return to normal values within 15 days in both conditions. Urinary trypsin inhibitory activity was only slightly elevated in patients with discitis and returned to normal within 30 days in both conditions. Serum amyloid A levels required 30 to 60 days to return to normal. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate exhibited the slowest kinetics, with normal values being achieved only after 60 days. Although simple, rapid, and inexpensive, urinary trypsin inhibitory activity determination exhibits poor sensitivity. Serum amyloid A assay is not routinely available but may be a valuable parameter for monitoring patients whose erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein level are normal (as in 2 of our patients with discitis).

Arthritis, Infectious↗

[Imaging of pigmented villonodular synovitis].

Pigmented villonodular synovitis is a rare disease which is usually benign but sometimes causes wide articular destruction. Since its clinical signs and symptoms are not specific, the disease may remain undiagnosed, sometimes for long periods. The diagnosis is generally confirmed at pathology, but it can now be strongly suggested by modern imaging methods. Standard radiography may be normal, with a variety of images. Arthrography with an opaque material points to the diagnosis in only two-third of the cases. Ultrasonography is non-specific. Computed tomography may be strongly suggestive of pigmented villonodular synovitis in cases with high density synovia; when coupled with arthrography, it provides detailed information on lesions of the cartilage and on extension of the synovial process. The most sensitive and specific method is magnetic resonance imaging, the most characteristic sign being low-intensity signal areas on T1- and T2-weighted sequences, corresponding to haemosiderin-loaded nodules. Performed after standard radiography, magnetic resonance imaging is the best examination method for the diagnosis and pretherapeutic evaluation of suspected villonodular synovitis.

Humans↗

Labial salivary gland biopsy is a reliable test for the diagnosis of primary and secondary amyloidosis. A prospective clinical and immunohistologic study in 59 patients.

OBJECTIVE: Reports of the detection of amyloidosis by labial salivary gland (LSG) biopsy have been mostly anecdotal. The aim of this study was to assess the value of this method in the diagnosis of amyloidosis. METHODS: LSG biopsy tissues were studied with a combination method using Congo red stain and immunohistologic characterization using an antibody directed against the serum amyloid P (SAP) component. Electron microscopy was performed in all cases. In a prospective study, we evaluated 30 patients with biopsy-proven AA or AL amyloidosis. We compared these patients with a control group of 29 age-matched patients without clinical or biologic evidence of amyloid disease (14 had rheumatoid arthritis and 15 had plasma cell dyscrasia). RESULTS: In 26 of the 30 patients with known systemic amyloidosis, amyloid deposits were identified on LSG biopsy (sensitivity of 86%). In 1 of the remaining patients, amyloid deposits were identified on LSG biopsy and systemic amyloidosis was confirmed by abdominal fat biopsy and 123I-labeled SAP scintigraphy. CONCLUSION: This study emphasizes the high sensitivity of LSG biopsy in the diagnosis of amyloidosis, even in the absence of oral symptoms.

Adult↗

Stimulation of the secretion of latent cysteine proteinase activity by tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-1.

OBJECTIVE: Cultured synovial fibroblast-like cells from 3 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 3 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) were evaluated for their potential to secrete cysteine proteinases spontaneously and after stimulation by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) or interleukin-1 (IL-1). METHODS: Culture media and cell lysates were analyzed before and after high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using the enzymatic substrate, Z-Phe-Arg-AMC, and by immunoblotting with anti-cathepsin B antiserum. Immunolocalization of cathepsin B was studied on cell monolayers. RESULTS: Latent cysteine proteinase activity was found to be secreted spontaneously by cultured synovial fibroblast-like cells. This activity was increased after treatment with either TNF alpha or IL-1. Stimulated protease activity was eluted by HPLC at a peak coincident with that of purified cathepsin B. By immunoblot, cell supernatants contained a 43-kd form of cathepsin B, while cell lysates contained a 30-kd form, consistent, respectively, with cathepsin B before and after cleavage of its propeptide. An intracellular increase in cathepsin B after treatment with TNF alpha was also seen with immunohistochemical studies. CONCLUSION: TNF alpha (in the 6 cases studied) and IL-1 (in 4 cases) stimulated the secretion of a latent cysteine proteinase activity from synovial fibroblast-like cells, which appears to represent primarily cathepsin B.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

Iodine-123-labelled serum amyloid P component scintigraphy in amyloidosis.

This study describes the results of scintigraphy with iodine-123-labelled serum amyloid P component (SAP) as a means of establishing the distribution of organ involvement in amyloidosis. The significance of 123I-SAP scans obtained in 15 patients with biopsy-proven AA or AL amyloidosis is discussed. Biopsy-proven amyloidosis was typically confirmed by scintigraphy, though such confirmation was not obtained in the kidneys in six patients with histological proof of extensive renal amyloid deposition. This lack of uptake may have been due to the accumulation of a major part of the 123I-SAP in the spleen and/or liver. Twenty-four hour whole-body retention of 123I-SAP was higher in patients with amyloidosis than in controls. Twenty-four hour tracer accumulation of the radioactivity in the extravascular compartment was notably greater in patients than in controls and appeared to be a good diagnostic criterion. We conclude that 123I-SAP scintigraphy may be helpful for the evaluation of organ involvement not only in patients with biopsy-proven amyloidosis but also when a biopsy cannot be performed or when a strong suspicion of amyloidosis exists in spite of repeated negative biopsies.

Amyloidosis↗

[Rheumatoid polyarthritis in the elderly--rhizomelic pseudopolyarthritis: what differences?].

The authors have conducted a comparative retrospective study between polymyalgia rheumatic (N = 26) and rheumatoid arthritis in the elderly (N = 44), including HLA DRB1 genotype determination by PCR-RFLP analysis. No clinical nor biological differences were significant between the 2 groups of patients. However 70% of RA patients had one ore more susceptibility alleles (shared epitope hypothesis) and 50% in polymyalgia rheumatica.

Aged↗

[Systemic manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis: prognostic value of the HLA DRB1 0405 allele].

The aim of the present study was to determine HLA DRB1* genotype by PCR-RFLP analysis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (N = 122) associated with extra-articular manifestations (N = 24). A significant increased of DRB1* 0405 was found in RA patients with extra-cellular involvement (odd-ratio = 8.33, confidence interval = 1.44 - 56.7). In patients with RA, HLA DRB1*0405 allele might constitute a susceptibility marker of extra-articular involvement such as vasulitis or cardio-pulmonary manifestations.

Alleles↗

[Is the expression of TNF-alpha and cell adhesion molecules a marker of development of rheumatoid vasculitis?].

TNF-alpha, ICAM1, VCAM1, ELAM, CD44 and DR expression were studied (indirect immunoperoxydase methods) on labial salivary gland sections in 5 patients with proven rheumatoid vasculitis (before and after treatment), 5 patients with RA and 5 normal controls. TNF-alpha and cell adhesion molecules were particularly expressed in vasculitic areas of patients with systemic vasculitis and only before the onset of the treatment.

Biomarkers↗

[Neurologic paraosteoarthropathy of the hand. Apropos of 2 cases].

The frequency of heterotopic ossification in neurological conditions averages 20-25% with variations according to the type of neurological disease and presence or absence of coma. The most common sites are the hips, knees, shoulders, and elbows. Involvement of the hands is an exceedingly rare event of which two instances are reported herein. In both patients evidence of inflammation developed four months after a deep, prolonged coma. Swanneck deformity of the fingers occurred in one case. Juxta-articular ossifications were seen on roentgenograms two months after the onset of symptoms. Both patients had heterotopic ossifications around the shoulders. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate and serum alkaline levels were elevated. Local injections effectively relieved pain in one patient.

Adult↗

[Rheumatoid arthritis and multiple myeloma. Apropos of 22 cases. Results of a multicenter national survey].

Although studies of patients with rheumatoid arthritis have found no increases in overall cancer rates, significant elevations in rates of lymphoma and myeloma have been reported, suggesting a causal relationship between autoimmune disorders and lymphoid malignancies. Nevertheless, only 22 cases of concomitant rheumatoid arthritis and multiple myeloma were identified during a retrospective national multicenter study carried out in France. Neither disease exhibited unusual features. In every case, rheumatoid arthritis preceded multiple myeloma. Monoclonal gammopathy preceded multiple myeloma in two patients, by 3 and 7 years respectively. No patient had amyloid arthritis. Analysis of data from the cancer registry of the Somme district in northern France did not suggest a significantly increased risk of multiple myeloma in rheumatoid arthritis patients (relative risk 2.3). Use of interferon alpha to treat myeloma has been reported to exacerbate concomitant autoimmune disorders.

Adult↗

[Aspergillus spondylodiscitis. Apropos of 5 cases].

Five cases of Aspergillus discitis in male patients are reported. Three patients had impaired immune responses as a result of immunosuppressive therapy following a heart transplant (two cases) or hairy cell leukemia (one case). Two patients had a recent history of mycobacterial infection. All five patients were hospitalized for severe spinal pain suggestive of an inflammatory disease with no neurological abnormalities. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate was elevated in every case. The diagnosis of discitis was suspected on spinal roentgenograms and established by computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging. In three patients the spine was the only site of Aspergillus infection (lumbar discitis in two cases and thoracic discitis in one case). One patient developed Aspergillus infection of several disks (L1-L2, L2-L3, and L4-L5) after Aspergillus endocarditis with embolization to the left lower limb. Another patient developed discitis after an Aspergillus lung infection. In every case, Aspergillus fumigatus was recovered in cultures of specimens harvested by a percutaneous needle biopsy of the intervertebral disk. All five patients were treated by itraconazole which was given as single drug therapy in one case and in combination with 5-flucytosine and amphotericin B in four cases. Recovery was achieved in every case after four to six months of this drug therapy. In contrast to most previously reported cases, none of the five patients reported herein required surgical treatment. Efficacy of conservative treatment in this study may be related to the use of itraconazole in every case.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

[Gold salt deposits in the conjunctiva in rheumatoid arthritis after gold therapy. A systematic study of 15 biopsies].

Ocular abnormalities have long been recognized as a potential adverse effect of gold therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Clinical symptoms and ocular tissue lesions possibly related to use of gold therapy were routinely evaluated in eleven patients. There were few clinical manifestations: only one patient had typical accumulation of gold in the anterior crystalloid. In contrast, routine ultrastructural and microprobe studies of conjunctival biopsy specimens disclosed accumulation of gold salts in every case. Gold was visible as aurosomes in the conjunctival macrophages. Aurosomes were seen in patients treated for as little as one month, occurred even with low doses (0.3 g), and were still visible after several years. Duration of accumulation can be roughly estimated on the basis of the morphologic appearance of aurosomes which are lamellar after a few weeks of gold therapy and rod-shaped beyond one month.

Adult↗

[Unsatisfactory results of intradiscal injection of triamcinolone hexacetonide in the treatment of sciatica caused by intervertebral disk herniation].

Sciatica caused by intervertebral disc herniation can be treated with intradiscal injection of chymopapain. A search for a cheaper and less allergizing product led to triamcinolone hexacetonide, this procedure being known as "nucleorthesis". The first results at 6 months were encouraging. In 3 centres where triamcinolone hexacetonide was tested with a more than 2 years' follow-up 92 patients could be evaluated. The results obtained were considered satisfactory in 34 patients (36.9 percent), but they were poor in 19 patients (20.6 percent), and 39 patients (42 percent) had to be operated upon within 2 years. Return to surgery took place within the 6 months following nucleorthesis in 18 patients (19.56 percent) and beyond this period in 17 patients (22.8 percent) with degradation of the results. Moreover, calcifications were found in 19 out of 38 patients; they were of varying size, sometimes detected only at computerized tomography, and some of them appeared to produce symptoms. All considered, the failure rates, the number of patients who required surgery and the occurrence of large and sometimes symptomatic calcifications make triamcinolone nucleorthesis unacceptable compared with the recognized percentages of success with papain nucleolysis and surgical operations. For these reasons, we consider that this treatment should be abandoned.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents↗

Antibodies in rheumatoid synovial fluids bind to a restricted series of protein antigens in rheumatoid synovial tissue.

OBJECTIVE: By searching the synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for antibodies that react to protein antigens in synovial tissue, we sought to identify putative antigens present in RA synovial tissue that might drive the pathologic immune response believed to be responsible for the joint inflammation. METHODS: Synovial tissue was homogenized in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel buffer, electrophoresed, and analyzed by immunoblotting. RESULTS: Antibodies from synovial fluids of patients with RA bound to several proteins in rheumatoid synovial tissues, including a series of low (27.5-, 29-, and 30-kd), middle (43- and 53-kd), and high (140-, 164-, and 182-kd) molecular weight proteins. Most of these antigens were also detected in normal synovial tissue, and the high molecular weight proteins were also present in normal dermal, muscle, and liver tissues. The low and middle molecular weight proteins were detected in some, but not all, of the other normal tissues and in Jurkat cell lysates. Antibodies to the low and high series of proteins were present in all rheumatoid synovial fluids tested, but were generally absent from synovial fluids from patients with other arthritic diseases. CONCLUSION: These results show that antibodies in synovial fluids consistently react to several proteins in RA and normal synovial tissues. These antigens are possibly the same antigens provoking the T cell response in RA; therefore, understanding the mechanism of the immune response against these proteins will likely lead to important insight into the etiology of RA.

Antibodies↗