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Biomedical subjects

C Jean

Publications and source records attributed to C Jean.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

[Aplasia of the umbilical artery].

A study was undertaken at St-François d'Assise Hospital, Quebec City, to determine the incidence of single umbilical artery. During a two-year period the umbilical cord was examined in 4138 consecutive deliveries. Thirty-three cases of aplasia of an umbilical artery were found, an incidence of 0.79%, which is almost identical to that reported in previous studies. Five of the 33 newborn infants with this vascular anomaly had other congenital malformations; this incidence of associated malformations is 10 times higher than that found in a control series. In studying the weight of the infants in relation to the period of gestation, it was found that many of the 33 infants with aplasia of the umbilical artery had a lower weight at birth than normal infants. The possibility that the absence of one umbilical artery might be responsible for intrauterine malnutrition is advanced by the authors.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Age-related changes in the concentration of cytosolic androgen receptors in the epididymis, vas deferens and seminal vesicle of maturing male mice.

In this study, changes in the number of androgen binding sites that occur in cytosols of epididymis, vas deferens and seminal vesicle of mice from 10 to 90 days of age are described. Specific saturable binding of [3H]R-1881 by cytosols of the three organs at all time points studied and age-related differences in the number of binding sites measured were observed. Cytosolic androgen receptor levels in all three organs studied were found to decrease with increasing age, regardless of whether the binding was expressed relative to weight of tissue, cytosolic protein or cellular DNA. The most pronounced change in androgen receptor levels (from 442 to 50 fmol/mg protein) was observed in the epididymis between 10 and 30 days of age. In these three organs there was no significant correlation between androgen (testosterone + dihydrotestosterone) levels and the concentration of androgen binding sites.

Aging↗

Condensation-decondensation of the gamma-tubulin containing material in the absence of a structurally visible organelle during the cell cycle of Physarum plasmodia.

Genetic evidence has shown the presence of a common spindle pole organiser in Physarum amoebae and plasmodia. But the typical centrosome and mitosis observed in amoebae are replaced in plasmodia by an intranuclear mitosis devoid of any structurally defined organelle. The fate of gamma-tubulin and of another component (TPH17) of the centrosome of Physarum amoebae was investigated in the nuclei of synchronous plasmodia. These two amoebal centrosomal elements were present in the nuclear compartment during the entire cell cycle and exhibited similar relocalisation from metaphase to telophase. Three preparation methods showed that gamma-tubulin containing material was dispersed in the nucleoplasm during interphase. It constituted an intranuclear thread-like structure. In contrast, the TPH17 epitope exhibited a localisation close to the nucleolus. In late G2-phase, the gamma-tubulin containing elements condensed in a single organelle which further divided. Intranuclear microtubules appeared before the condensation of the gamma-tubulin material and treatment with microtubule poisons suggested that microtubules were required in this process. The TPH17 epitope relocalised in the intranuclear spindle later than the gamma-tubulin containing material suggesting a maturation process of the mitotic poles. The decondensation of the gamma-tubulin material and of the material containing the TPH17 epitope occurred immediately after telophase. Hence in the absence of a structurally defined centrosome homologue, the microtubule nucleating material undergoes a cycle of condensation and decondensation during the cell cycle.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Acquisition of androgen-mediated expression of mouse vas deferens protein (MVDP) gene in cultured epithelial cells and in vas deferens during postnatal development.

We used cultured vas deferens epithelial cells (VDECs) as a model system to determine the conditions that allow mouse vas deferens protein (MVDP) gene expression and acquisition of androgen responsiveness. On the basis of Northern blot analysis, the mvdp gene is constitutively expressed at very low levels in prepubertal VDECs grown on collagen-coated plastic or on microporous membrane inserts. In the presence of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), mvdp messenger RNA levels dramatically increased in cells cultured on microporous membrane inserts and stayed unchanged in cells grown on matrix-coated plastic. Epithelial cells derived from fetal vas deferens were able to synthesize MVDP in response to DHT, and the presence of fetal mesenchymal cells did not influence MVDP production. Providing the cells with a culture procedure that permits access to the basolateral membranes and caters to the polarity requirements of the cell is a prerequisite for androgen induction of MVDP gene expression. The results also point to a role for epidermal growth factor, insulin, and tyrosine kinase activity in mediating the action of androgen on mvdp gene expression. In vivo studies show that the first expression of the mvdp gene between 5 and 7 days postpartum is not associated with major structural changes in the epithelium. The acquisition of a mature phenotype by epithelial and peritubular contractile cells, between 10 and 20 days, correlates with androgen dependency of the mvdp gene. We propose that cell differentiation and polarization on a matrix-coated microporous membrane reproduces some of the events that are necessary for acquisition of androgenic responsiveness of the mvdp gene during postnatal development.

3T3 Cells↗

Mouse seminal vesicle secretory protein of 99 amino acids (MSVSP99): characterization and hormonal and developmental regulation.

Polyclonal antibodies have been generated to investigate the localization, tissue and species distribution, androgen regulation, and ontogeny of a protein secreted by mouse seminal vesicle, designated as MSVSP99 (ie, mouse seminal vesicle secretory protein of 99 amino acids). MSVSP99 is a polymorphic compound with a molecular weight of around 14 kilodaltons and a positive immunoreactivity range of 5.23 to 5.70. Positive immunoreactivity was restricted to the epithelial cells of the seminal vesicle. Western blot analysis showed organ specificity for MSVSP99, which could not be detected in several organs in the mouse. Time course decrease of MSVSP99 after castration closely followed that of its mRNA. In contrast, the length of time required to restore control levels after testosterone treatment was higher for the protein than it was for its mRNA. Whereas the MSVSP99 gene is already active in 10-day-old males, MSVSP99 is first detected at 27 days. Then, we conclude that factors other than the accumulation of the mRNA regulate MSVSP99 expression.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

[The matter of computerized medical records in psychiatry].

To determine the choice of an adequate automatic data processing system in psychiatry, as in medicine, requires a serious set of specifications: one must take into account the aims, and distinguish between everyday applications of file processing, and other ones, more demanding, of research and statistical applications, often little compatible with each other. The financial means have to be compared with the expected benefits (output): often in psychiatry, the patient turn-over is too low to justify the purchase of an expensive hardware. The objectives of filing and classification have to break out, in order to supply the best answer (soft ware). However a computer system alone will not be sufficient to settle, anyway, the question of diagnosis in psychiatry.

Computer Systems↗