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Biomedical subjects

C Leport

Publications and source records attributed to C Leport.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

[Primary prevention of cerebral toxoplasmosis in patients with HIV infection: results of a double-blind randomized trial, pyrimethamine versus placebo].

To assess the efficacy of pyrimethamine (Pyr) for primary prophylaxis of cerebral toxoplasmosis (CT) in HIV patients (pts), 554 pts were randomized in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (mean follow-up: 14 months). The intent-to-treat analysis found no significant difference in the incidence of ct at 1 year: 12% (Pyr) versus 13% (Pcb) nor in survival. Side-effects leading to stop the study drug were more frequent in Pyr group, especially cutaneous rashes: 8% (Pyr) versus 2% (Pcb).

Double-Blind Method↗

[Infectious endocarditis, risk factors, prevention. Research group for infectious endocarditis and jury of the consensus conference].

Infective endocarditis, resulting from deposition of circulating microorganisms during a period of bacteremia on damaged endothelial heart valves, remains a serious disease. Its overall incidence did not decline in recent years, 24 cases/year/million inhabitants, in France. This can be explained by a modification of the type of underlying cardiac conditions with regression of rheumatic fever and increase of degenerative heart diseases, prosthetic valves and mitral valve prolapse. The risk of bacterial seeding on a damaged valve remains difficult to evaluate, the highest risk being for patients with prosthetic valve, previous infective endocarditis and cyanotic congenital heart disease. A case-control study, done in 1991, confirmed that procedures are risk factors for infective endocarditis and that the multiplicity of procedures increases the risk. A French consensus conference on the prophylaxis of infective endocarditis has updated the recommendations for antibiotic prophylaxis. Two groups of cardiac patients were identified, based on the incidence and the severity of endocarditis occurring in patients with these conditions, 1) patients considered at risk which require specific prophylaxis, and 2) patients considered non at risk which do not require antibiotic prophylaxis. Procedures which require antibiotic prophylaxis are dental procedures and specific gastrointestinal and urologic procedures. As complex protocols are associated with poor compliance by practitioners and patients, the jury has aimed for simplicity and feasibility.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Sustained bacteremia in 26 patients with a permanent endocardial pacemaker: assessment of wire removal.

We reviewed the data on 26 patients with permanent endocardial pacemakers who had 28 episodes of bacteremia to determine whether removal of the wire is required. Patients recovered completely from the first episode in seven of 20 cases of staphylococcal bacteremia and in six of six cases of nonstaphylococcal bacteremia (P = .015). Definitive cure was not achieved during the first episode in seven cases of staphylococcal bacteremia related to the pacing system when the wire was not withdrawn; however, cure was achieved in five of six cases when the whole pacemaker was removed (P < .01). The duration of treatment was longer for the patients from whom the wire was not removed during the first episode (P < .01). Whether cases of staphylococcal bacteremia were related to the pacing system or not, the rate of recovery of the responsible microorganism from the wires was similar for both groups of patients (six [82%] of seven and three [75%] of four, respectively). Nonstaphylococcal bacteremia was unrelated to the pacing system in five of six cases; these patients were all cured without removal of the wire.

Aged↗

[Epidemiology of bacterial endocarditis in France in 1991].

In order to update our information about the incidence and demographic, microbiological and clinical characteristics of infective endocarditis (IE) in France, a 12 month long study was carried out in three regions: Ile de France, Rhône-Alpes and Lorraine. Four hundred and fifteen cases of IE were recensed: certain (32%), probable (53%) or possible (15%). The annual incidence was 24.3 per million. The average age was 56 +/- 19 years. There was no past history of cardiac disease in 34% of cases; 33% had native valvular heart disease and 22% had one or more valvular prostheses. The site of IE was mitral in 39%, aortic in 36%, tricuspid in 6% and other or multivalvular in 19% of cases. The causal microorganism was isolated in 92% of cases. It was a streptococcus in 58% of cases (S. viridans in 27%; group D streptococcus + enterococcus in 23%); a staphylococcus was isolated in 23% of cases (Staphylococcus Aureus in 18%) and another microorganism in 11% of cases. The presumed portal of entry was dental in 24%, gastro-intestinal in 13%, cutaneous in 6% and urinary in 4% of cases. Twenty patients were intravenous drug addicts. Forty-five patients had medical or surgical procedure. Twenty-four per cent of patients were operated during the first two months, 17% died during this period (15% of operated and 18% of non-operated patients). Despite the advances in antibiotic therapy and in cardiac surgical techniques, IE seems to be as common and as severe as ten years ago.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Ocular toxoplasmosis in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients.

The files of 45 human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with ocular toxoplasmosis were reviewed, with a median follow-up of eight months. The condition was unilateral in 37 of the 45 patients (82%) and was bilateral in eight (18%). Inflammation of the anterior chamber and the vitreous was present in 32 of 53 eyes (60%) and 38 of 53 eyes (72%), respectively. Cytomegalovirus retinitis developed during the follow-up period in nine patients (20%). Cerebral toxoplasmosis was concurrently diagnosed with the ocular toxoplasmosis in 13 patients (29%). The efficacy of the combination of pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine or clindamycin was assessed in 42 patients for the induction therapy and in 38 patients for the maintenance therapy. Induction therapy was always effective within a median period of six weeks. During maintenance treatment, the 24-month relapse rates were 0.20 and 0.18 for the 50-mg/day and 25-mg/day dosage of pyrimethamine, respectively. The overall 12-month survival rate was 0.72. Our results suggested that ocular toxoplasmosis has a better ocular prognosis than cytomegalovirus retinitis, but that it requires appropriate treatment because life-threatening cerebral involvement is often associated.

Adult↗

[Non-typhic Salmonella bacteremias in HIV infections. Clinical and therapeutic data, and course in 68 patients].

Between 1982 and 1989, a retrospective study on non typhi Salmonella bacteremias was performed among patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus hospitalized in 4 departments of Infectious and Tropical Diseases in Paris. The population included 59 men and 9 women; 26.4 percent had been contamined with HIV by heterosexual contact; 17.6 percent originated from Africa or Haiti. Clinical symptoms were fever (100 percent of the cases), present since less than 5 days (65 percent of the cases), and gastrointestinal symptoms, present in 53 percent of the patients. Blood cultures were positive in all cases; Salmonella was less frequently found in other sites: stools (n = 13, 19 percent), urine (n = 5), lymph nodes (n = 1), sputum (n = 1). Mean CD4 cell count was 118 +/- 145/mm3. The serotypes were mainly S. typhimurium (n = 26), S. enteritidis (n = 23), and S. dublin (n = 15). Under antibiotic therapy, the course of the disease was initially favorable in 98.5 percent of the cases. One patient died of septic shock. At least one relapse occurred in 17 percent of the patients, 2.1 +/- 1.6 months after the end of the initial therapy. No relapse was observed in patients taking zidovudine or antibioprophylaxis, but 53 percent of the patients without antibioprophylaxis relapsed (P less than 0.001). The overall survival of the cohort was 25 percent after 18 months. These results show the poor prognosis of a first episode of Salmonella bacteremia in HIV infected patients, making the diagnosis of AIDS highly probable if cellular immunity is markedly impaired.

4-Quinolones↗

Treatment of toxoplasmic encephalitis in patients with AIDS. A randomized trial comparing pyrimethamine plus clindamycin to pyrimethamine plus sulfadiazine. The California Collaborative Treatment Group.

OBJECTIVE: To compare pyrimethamine plus clindamycin (PC) to pyrimethamine plus sulfadiazine (PS) as a treatment for toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). DESIGN: Randomized, unblinded phase II, multicenter trial with provision for crossover for failure or intolerance of the assigned regimen. SETTING: University hospitals. PATIENTS: Eighty-four patients with presumptive TE were entered. Thirteen were excluded when they were found to have another diagnosis, and 12 were excluded because they did not meet entry criteria. The baseline characteristics in the remaining 26 patients randomized to PC and 33 randomized to PS were comparable. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were treated for 6 weeks with pyrimethamine and folinic acid plus either sulfadiazine or clindamycin. Clindamycin was given intravenously during the first 3 weeks. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: There was a trend toward greater survival in patients randomized to PS (hazard ratio, 3.25; 95% CI, 0.63 to 16.8; P = 0.13), but most study deaths were not directly related to TE. In contrast, patients randomized to PC appeared more likely to achieve complete clinical (odds ratio, 0.67; CI, 0.2 to 1.97; P greater than 0.2) and radiologic responses (odds ratio, 0.28; CI, 0.08 to 0.96; P = 0.02). Multivariate analysis revealed drug effects to be largely independent of other variables. Similar efficacy of the treatments was also suggested by a hazard analysis of resolution of abnormal mental status, fever, and headache. Skin rash was the most common adverse event in both treatment arms. Because of toxicity, six patients randomized to PC and 11 patients randomized to PS had to switch to the alternate treatment, but only three were unable to complete therapy after crossover. CONCLUSIONS: The results of several end points of efficacy, taken together, suggest that the relative efficacy of PC approximately equals that of PS. PC appears to be an acceptable alternative in patients unable to tolerate PS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Should pulmonary tuberculosis be an AIDS-defining diagnosis in patients infected with HIV?

Between 1983 and 1989, we cared for 56 patients with tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. In 37 patients (66%), tuberculosis occurred before any other AIDS-defining disease (group 1); in 10 (18%) it occurred during the same month as another AIDS-defining disease (group 2); and in 9 (16%), after the diagnosis of AIDS (group 3). Tuberculosis was entirely pulmonary in 14 patients (25%), entirely extrapulmonary in 9 (16%), and both pulmonary and extrapulmonary in 33 (59%). The frequency of extrapulmonary involvement was similar in patients from group 1 and from groups 2 and 3 (combined): 76% versus 74%. Needle biopsy of the liver revealed hepatic involvement in 18 patients (32%). The mean CD4 lymphocyte count was 232/mm3 when tuberculosis was entirely pulmonary, and 243/mm3 when extrapulmonary disease was present (difference not significant). In group 1, the onset of both pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis occurred at the same stage of HIV infection, 12 and 10 months, respectively, before any other AIDS-defining disease. Treatment, planned to last 1 year, was highly effective, despite frequent side-effects. Among the 32 patients who completed treatment, relapse of tuberculosis occurred in 2 (6%) with a mean follow-up of 16 months (0-53 months) after completion. Our results suggest that pulmonary tuberculosis should be included in the criteria for diagnosis of AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Serum carcinoembryonic antigen: a prognostic marker in HIV-related Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.

Serum concentrations of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were measured in 43 consecutive patients with HIV-related Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). The subjects were divided into 2 groups according to the severity of the PCP:PaO2 in ambient air (AA) less than or equal to 50 mmHg on admission (n = 22, group 1) and PaO2 greater than 50 mmHg (n = 21, group 2). In addition, 57 HIV patients with either non-PCP pulmonary diseases (n = 34, group 3) or extrapulmonary disease (n = 23, group 4) were studied. Mean CEA levels (ng/ml) were 13 +/- 10 in group 1 and 4.9 +/- 5.5 in group 2 (p less than 0.001). The corresponding values in groups 3 and 4 were much lower (2.7 +/- 1.8 and 2.4 +/- 1.8, respectively). In group 1, mean initial CEA levels were higher (p less than 0.001) in the patients who died (n = 6; 23.5 +/- 11) than in the survivors (n = 16; 8.9 +/- 7), although the initial mean PaO2 were identical (39 +/- 7 and 39 +/- 8 mmHg, respectively) and the initial mean LDH levels were not significantly different (1544 +/- 530 and 1200 +/- 457 IU/l). CEA levels fell during specific anti-PCP therapy associated with corticosteroids but returned to normal only in the survivors. We conclude that CEA levels are increased in patients with PCP and acute respiratory distress. Among the patients with PaO2 levels of less than or equal to 50 mmHg before treatment, only high levels of CEA (greater than 20 ng/ml) were associated with a fatal outcome, regardless of anti-PCP therapy associated with corticosteroids.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Unexplained fever and chronic fatigue: abnormal circadian temperature pattern.

OBJECTIVES: Standard clinical and biological investigations can be used to determine the origin of persistent and moderate fever in a large number of otherwise asymptomatic patients. However, in a small proportion of cases, isolated fever and fatigue persist despite the absence of detectable organic malfunction. This study was conducted to investigate the circadian thermic pattern in patients with apparently unexplainable fever and chronic fatigue and in those with fever of recognized origin. METHODS: We recorded central temperature continuously for 24 hours in patients with moderate fever of both unexplained and recognized origin, and in a control group of healthy volunteers. A Fourier series was used for harmonic analysis. RESULTS: Thermic patterns specific to the three groups were identified by statistical and factorial analysis. The patients with fever of unknown origin and chronic fatigue were clearly characterized in terms of the phase, amplitude of the first (fundamental) harmonic and minimum circadian temperature. CONCLUSION: The abnormal central temperature pattern in these patients may prove to be an important step in the management of febrile patients.

Adolescent↗