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Biomedical subjects

C Levy

Publications and source records attributed to C Levy.

144 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Bacillus cereus panophthalmitis: source of the organism.

Serious infections with the "nonpathogenic" Bacillus species are increasingly being recognized, especially in drug abusers. Cases of panophthalmitis secondary to infection with Bacillus cereus, with and without associated bacteremia, have been reported. Three drug abusers with panophthalmitis seen in our hospitals during a three-year period are described, and the similar cases reported in the literature are reviewed. The syndrome is characterized by an acute onset with a rapid fulminating course that eventually leads to enucleation or evisceration of the eye. The pathogenic mechanism is unknown, but is probably related to the production of toxin (lecithinase) by B. cereus. Clindamycin appears to be the antibiotic of choice in the treatment of this infection. In order to identify a possible source of the organism, 59 samples of heroin and injection paraphernalia were cultured. Twenty cultures yielded organisms; Bacillus species were the predominant isolates. Thirty-eight percent of the isolates were identified as B. cereus. Thus, infections caused by Bacillus species in drug abusers can probably be associated with intravenous heroin abuse because heroin mixtures and injection paraphernalia are frequently contaminated with this organism.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cognitive alterations in non-demented CADASIL patients.

CADASIL is an inherited small-artery disease of the brain due to mutations of the Notch3 gene on chromosome 19. It is characterized by strokes, migraine with aura, and severe mood disturbances during mid adulthood and leads progressively to subcortical dementia. The precise onset of the cognitive decline in CADASIL remains unknown. We report here the cognitive evaluation of 8 non-demented symptomatic patients with CADASIL from 35 to 66 years of age. Altered performances were found in all subjects with the Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test (WCST), in 5/8 with the Trail-Making Test, and in 3/8 with copying of Rey's figure. Altered performances with codes and similarities of the WAIS-R, the Wechsler Memory Scale, Raven's Progressive Matrices, and the category and letter fluency task were observed less frequently (n < or = 2). The score obtained with the WCST was not significantly correlated with the severity of the white-matter or basal ganglia signal abnormalities at MRI examination. Our data show that: (1) symptomatic CADASIL patients, although non-demented, can present with a subtle cognitive impairment; (2) tasks involving the frontal lobes are found most frequently altered, and (3) this subtle cognitive deficit can develop in the absence of major vascular events and does not appear to be correlated with the severity of brain lesions as seen at MRI examination.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship between cathepsin-D and other prognostic factors in human breast cancer.

Cathepsin-D (CATH-D) is a lysosomal protease induced by estrogens in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer call lines and constitutively produced by estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer cells. The concentration of CATH-D in the cytosol of 97 human breast tumor tissues was correlated with other well-known prognostic factors for human breast cancer. CATH-D was significantly higher in node-positive than in node-negative tumors (P = 0.042, Kruskal-Wallis test). However, no correlation was found between enzyme levels and the number of positive nodes. CATH-D concentration did not correlate with age, menopausal status, clinical stage of the disease, size of the primary tumor, steroid receptors, thymidine labeling index, histological grade, nuclear grade or cellularity. CATH-D did not show any association with the known prognostic factors evaluated in this study and its association with lymph nodes was only weak.

Breast↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Inter-regional differences in dysthyroidism due to amiodarone: comparison of spontaneous notifications in Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrenees and Languedoc-Roussillon].

Amiodarone hydrochloride is used in the treatment of ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias. Because of its iodinated structure, thyroid dysfunction can occur during amiodarone therapy. The reported overall incidence is variable (2-24 per cent) and depends on several factors (past thyroid history, daily iodine intake,...). The present retrospective (1990-97) study was performed using the French pharmacovigilance database in order to compare the frequency of hypo- and hyperthyroidism in three areas in the South of France: Midi-Pyrénées, Aquitaine and Languedoc-Roussillon. For each case, the following data were recorded: age, sex, dysthyroidism history, dosage, duration and indication of amiodarone and delay to onset of dysthyroidism. We collected respectively 37, 50 and 9 cases of hypothyroidism in Midi-Pyrénées, Aquitaine and Languedoc-Roussillon and 20, 69 and 11 cases of hyperthyroidism respectively in the same areas. These data show the predominance of reported amiodarone-induced hyperthyroidism in Aquitaine and Languedoc-Roussillon. Hypothyroidism seems more frequent in Midi-Pyrénées, a non-maritime area. The sex ratio (male/female) was significantly different for the occurrence of hypothyroidism in Midi-Pyrénées (1.8 versus 0.5 in Aquitaine and 0.8 in Languedoc-Roussillon). The delay to onset of hypothyroidism was significantly shorter in Midi-Pyrénées (17.1 months +/- 24.5) when compared with Aquitaine (28.7 +/- 28.1) or Languedoc-Roussillon (43.4 +/- 45). Our results show an interregional difference in the occurrence of hypo/hyperthyroidism due to amiodarone.

Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Plasma levels of MHPG, HVA and total 5-HIAA in depression. Preliminary study].

This study was aimed at assessing monoamine catabolites plasma levels in depressed patients and healthy volunteers. Plasma levels of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), homovanillic acid (HVA), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) of 21 control subjects and 26 depressed patients (according to DSM III-R criteria) were measured at baseline (day 0) and day 4, day 7, day 30 of prescribed antidepressant treatment. The clinical assessment, at baseline as well as during treatment, used the Hamilton depression rating scale and the BPRS. Our data show the interest of these results in predicting response. The respondent patients showed a significant decrease in plasma MHPG level at J7, contrary to non-respondent patients. Moreover, a positive correlation between plasma levels of MHPG and HVA before any prescribed antidepressants was found only with respondent patients. The lack of correlation for non-respondent patients can suggest that the relationships between this monoamine systems should be disrupted in these patients. Significant relationships appear between clinical symptoms and plasma catabolites, allowing us to consider new physiopathological aspects of the depressive picture. The 3 monoamines seemed involved in sleep disorders. Perturbations of norepinephrine and serotonin metabolism could intervene in suicidal ideation and behaviour. Motor activity was associated with a modification in dopamine and serotonin metabolism. Moreover significant correlations were observed between items referring to thought content and monoamine plasma catabolites such as MHPG and blunted affect, 5-HIAA and obsessions, HVA and guilt feelings, devalorization and without hope items.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Plasma MHPG, peripheral noradrenergic marker and hormonal plasma levels of cortisol-T3-T4-TSH in depressive syndromes].

Based on the hypocatecholaminergic hypothesis in the depressive syndromes, this survey on 30 depressed patients compared to 21 control patients, attempts to state exactly the potential interactions between the noradrenergic system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid neuroendocrine axis. The biological indices used during this survey are: total plasmatic MHPG, the basic plasmatic cortisol, the thyroid hormones T3, T4, free T4, and the TSH. The results of this survey reveal a significative increase of the basic plasmatic cortisol among the depressed patients, including dysthymics, a decrease of the plasmatic MHPG during major depressions, and a significant fall of the total T3 among depressed men, as well as some correlations between the different axes, the interpretation of which remains "ticklish".

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Binding of tritiated imipramine to human platelets. 1 or several binding sites?].

Using Langers' method (10) under their laboratory conditions, the authors determined the characteristics of the high-affinity imipramine-binding site on human platelets in thirty-five normal subjects, equally divided between the sexes and distributed by decade from twenty to sixty years of age and above. Bmax was 440 +/- 121 fmol./mg. protein, Kd 0.96 +/- 0.62, 10(-9) M. Protein concentration was held within a range of 0.2 to 0.55 mg./ml. in order to avoid nonlinear bias with Bmax, expressed in fmol./ml. of incubate. The characteristics of the site did not co-vary with sex or age in this experimental series. However, subject to additional investigation, the curve of the Scatchard graph would seem to indicate the possible existence of a distinct, low-affinity imipramine-binding site.

Adult↗