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Biomedical subjects

C Toussaint

Publications and source records attributed to C Toussaint.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Hepatic vascular disease after kidney transplantation: report of two cases and review of the literature.

Severe hepatic vascular disease developed in two patients 4 and 8 years after kidney transplantation, while receiving combined immunosuppressive therapy with prednisone and azathioprine. Portal hypertension and marked liver failure were observed in both cases. The diagnosis was established by histological examination of liver biopsies showing typical veno-occlusive disease of the liver associated with peliosis in both cases. Azathioprine was discontinued. Two years later one patient was asymptomatic and liver function tests were normal. The second patient died 3 years later from liver failure. Early recognition of hepatic vascular disease arising in kidney transplant recipients would be of utmost importance, as substitution of another immunosuppressive agent for azathioprine could halt the process leading to portal hypertension.

Adult↗

Autoimmune disease after neonatal injection of semi-allogeneic spleen cells in mice: involvement of donor B and T cells and characterization of glomerular deposits.

Balb/c neonates injected with semi-allogeneic (A/J x Balb/c) F1 hybrid spleen cells develop an autoimmune disease associated with an immune-complex glomerulonephritis. The successful induction and maintenance of B cell chimerism is required for the occurrence of autoimmunity. The percentage of chimeric mice displaying autoimmune features increases in parallel with the number of cells injected at birth. T cell depleted inocula although readily inducing B cell chimerism were found unable to induce hypergammaglobulinaemia, circulating immune complexes and glomerulonephritis. IgG1 is the most and IgG3 the least represented IgG isotype among the immunoglobulins deposited in the glomeruli. Immunoglobulins bearing donor (A/J) allotype are detected in the glomeruli of six out of 11 chimeric mice. Rheumatoid factor activity is significantly concentrated within the immunoglobulins eluted from the kidneys, whereas anti-DNA activity is not.

Animals↗

[Magnetic resonance imaging, with surface coil, of a transplanted kidney].

MR appearance of the kidney transplant is evaluated on a series of 80 examinations performed on a supraconductive unit operating at 0.5 T. Normal function kidneys displayed a clearly delineated corticomedullary differentiation (CMD); the ratio between the thickness of cortex and medulla didn't exceed 0.6. The same appearance was observed in non complicated acute tubular necrosis. Complete loss of CMD was the major finding in acute rejection (74% of the cases), but it was not specific as it was also observed in chronic rejection and in acute glomerulonephritis. Cortex thickening was helpful for the detection of rejected transplants with visible CMD. The sensitivity of MR in the detection of acute rejection was 94%. Specificity of MR findings for acute rejection depended on the transplant age: it varied from 100% for examinations performed during the first 3 months after transplantation, to less than 50% for examinations of the second year.

Acute Disease↗

Markers of HTLV-III in patients with end stage renal failure treated by haemodialysis.

Patients and members of staff from a haemodialysis unit were tested for markers of infection with human T cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III), the virus associated with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay showed eight of 100 patients to have antibodies to HTLV-III. In five of these patients past or present infection with HTLV-III was confirmed by Western blot analysis or detection of HTLV-III antigens in lymphocyte cultures, or both. Investigation of other risk factors for AIDS showed that the putative source of HTLV-III was unrelated to dialysis in two patients whereas blood transfusion was the most likely cause of contamination in the others. No member of staff gave a positive result in the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Nosocomial transmission of HTLV-III seems unlikely if precautions similar to those recommended for the control of hepatitis B infection are applied.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Pneumococcal cellulitis.

A 42-year-old man with pneumonia was admitted for rhabdomyolysis. Streptococcus pneumoniae was isolated from the cellulitis surrounding the muscular necrosis. Subcutaneous localisation of S. pneumoniae in the course of a septicemia has never been described, although rhabdomyolysis may be associated with bacterial infections.

Adult↗

Erythromycin prophylaxis for Legionnaire's disease in immunosuppressed patients in a contaminated hospital environment.

Between January 1 and June 30, 1983, immunosuppressive drugs were administered in 20 renal transplant recipients undergoing 23 rejection episodes and in 3 patients with renal failure secondary to systemic disease. Legionella pneumophila, serogroup 1, pneumonia was diagnosed on 12/26 (47%) occasions. In an attempt to decrease this high rate, a program of erythromycin prophylaxis was instituted for every new patient who received immunosuppressive chemotherapy until eradication of the organism from the water supply could be realized. From July 1, 1983 to April 30, 1984, erythromycin prophylaxis (1.5-3 g/day by mouth) was administered during 39 episodes of high-dose immunosuppression (20 kidney graft recipients and 4 patients with systemic diseases); no cases of Legionnaire's disease were recorded. During the same period, erythromycin prophylaxis was withheld from 9 other high-dose immunosuppression episodes (7 kidney graft recipients and one patient with sarcoidosis); 5 cases of Legionnaire's disease occurred (56%) in this group. We conclude that erythromycin effectively protects immunocompromised patients in an environment contaminated with L pneumophila.

Adult↗

[Influence of calcic and magnesic sulphurous thermal water on the metabolism of lipoproteins in the rat].

We have studied in rats fed hypercholesterolemic diet the action of calcic and magnesic sulphurous water from Capvern on the modification of the lipoproteins metabolism caused by hypercholesterolemia. The rats subjected to a hypercholesterolemic diet with thermal water of Capvern was found to have a plasma level of cholesterol significantly less increased (P less than 0.01) compared to those subjected to the same diet with ordinary drinking water (25%). We demonstrated after 105 days of experimentation on tested rats that thermal water may affect the cholesterol catabolism by increased level of cholesterol HDL (52%) and stabilizing level of cholesterol LDL comparatively to the controls. These data suggest that the thermal water from Capvern enhanced the transformation of cholesterol to biliary acids and their biliary secretion. A possible relationship between the influence of the thermal water and the metabolism of lipoproteins would be explained by a possible increase of hepatic receptors which identify apolipoproteins B (LDL) and E (HDLc) on cholesterol fed rats, suggesting a great synthesis of nascent apolipoproteins HDL which are antiatherogenic.

Animals↗

Parathyroid adenoma causing persistent hypercalcaemia after rhabdomyolysis-induced acute renal failure.

Persistent hypercalcaemia developed in a 26-year-old man after rhabdomyolysis-induced acute renal failure. Although several serum parathyroid values were normal following recovery of renal function, primary hyperparathyroidism was suspected after 9 months of prolonged hypercalcaemia. A single parathyroid adenoma was removed and serum calcium as well as serum parathyroid hormone returned to normal values. The persistence of increased serum calcium concentrations after rhabdomyolysis-induced acute renal failure should lead one to consider other causes of hypercalcaemia, and particularly primary hyperparathyroidism.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

[Similar evolution, with cerebral metastases, of testicular cancers in 2 non-twin brothers].

The authors describe two cases of germinal carcinoma of the testis. The two patients were brothers, but not twins. The evolution of the disease was the same in both cases, with cerebral metastases. The etiology was not discovered but the localization of the metastases in the brain would seem due to the fact the antimitotic drugs used in therapy failed to cross the brain blood barrier.

Adult↗

Ureteral stenosis after kidney transplantation: true incidence and long-term followup after surgical correction.

Between March 1965 and December 31, 1982, 421 kidney transplantations were performed in our department. The over-all incidence of ureteral stenosis was 5.5 per cent. However, when the number of patients at risk at various times after transplantation was considered the probability for ureteral stenosis to develop was 4.6 per cent at 1 year, 7.7 per cent at 2 years and 9.7 per cent at 5 years. Preoperative and postoperative complications were frequent. The wound infection rate was 21.9 per cent and 2 of the 24 patients died of septic shock. Graft survival rate after definitive surgical correction of ureteral stenosis was 71 per cent at 1 and 2 years, and 65 per cent at 3 years. Late results justify the efforts to re-establish correct urinary drainage of the graft.

Follow-Up Studies↗