Biomedical subjects

C Vasseur

Publications and source records attributed to C Vasseur.

57 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Validation of a new method for stereotactic localization using MR imaging.

Magnetic resonance is recognized as potentially the best imaging procedure for localization in stereotactic neurosurgery. However, special difficulties necessitate specific adaptation to localize targets in the stereotactic frame. We developed a new method for stereotactic localization. The MR studies were performed using a 0.5 T imager. Four small boxes filled with CuSO4 solution were inserted into the intracranial holders of a Talairach frame. Using fast sequences, thirty 7-mm thick contiguous sagittal slices and twenty 5-mm thick axial slices enabled us to image the entire brain. The image data were transferred for analysis to an image processing station, including special software to handle stereotactic calculations. The accuracy of the origin of the trihedron and systematic geometrical errors were carefully evaluated using a cubic phantom, and corrective algorithms were applied when needed. Moreover, checks have been designed to detect geometrical distortion due to ferromagnetic artifacts, alterations in gradient calibration, or movements made by the patient. This localization method does not necessitate the use of stereotactic frames and appears to be precise enough for clinical use. Duration of MR examination is not a restricting factor, mainly because the patient can be positioned easily.

Calibration↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship between an arrhythmogenic action of lidocaine and its effects on excitation patterns in acutely ischemic porcine myocardium.

To investigate the relationship between the effects of lidocaine on excitation patterns and its effects on the incidence of arrhythmias, the left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded for 6-min periods separated by 30 min of reperfusion, under control conditions and after injection of lidocaine, at a dose of either 2.5, 5.0, or 10.0 mg/kg i.v., in 29 open-chest anesthetized pigs. Sixty-three unipolar electrograms and a surface lead electrocardiogram were continuously recorded during atrial pacing and spontaneous ventricular arrhythmias. Ventricular fibrillation (VF) occurred only in four of a total of 45 control occlusions. VF occurred in two of five pigs following injection of lidocaine 2.5 mg/kg, in 15 or 17 pigs following injection of a 5 mg/kg dose, and in all three preparations following injection of a 10 mg/kg dose. Just prior to VF during occlusions preceded by injections of lidocaine 5 mg/kg, activation time of ischemic myocardium in atrial-paced beats was delayed by only 30 +/- 17 ms beyond preocclusion values, compared with 18 +/- 11 ms at a similar time during control occlusions and 33 +/- 18 ms at the end of control occlusions (mean +/- SD; n = 8). As ventricular tachycardia (VT) developed in the presence of lidocaine, conduction was further slowed or blocked in ischemic areas, and slowed in nonischemic regions; at the transition from VT to VF, excitation patterns displayed circus movement involving nonischemic regions.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hereditary spherocytosis (HS) due to loss of anion exchange transporter.

BACKGROUND: Hereditary spherocytosis encompasses a heterogenous group of inherited disorders due to alteration of r.b.c. surface/volume ratio. Spectrin deficiency is the most common observed defect. We analyzed a case of HS associated with band 3 deficiency without spectrin reduction. METHODS: In the study of a family originating from southern Italy, we show that a 20% deficiency of band 3 with normal spectrin content may be responsible for dominantly inherited hereditary spherocytosis (HS). The proband is a 12 years old girl consulting for jaundice, chronic anaemia and splenomegaly. Her mother had a similar haematologic phenotype. RESULTS: Electrophoretic analysis of erythrocyte membrane proteins showed a deficiency in band 3 protein. Band 3 protein chymotryptic fragments, deglycosylated band 3, and its isolated cytoplasmic domain, all displayed normal electrophoretic migrations. Furthermore, the tryptic peptides profile of the cytoplasmic domain of the protein did not demonstrate any abnormality, nor did the amino acid composition of the peptides. Analysis of the membrane proteins during erythrocyte ageing, evaluated in density-fractionated red cells, showed that band 3 content was normal in the lighter fraction, whereas in the denser fraction band 3 deficiency was more pronounced than in membranes from non fractionated red blood cells. CONCLUSIONS: This case describes HS due to anion exchange transporter deficiency. Our results on fractioned red cells support the hypothesis that the defect was probably due to a band 3 protein loss during cell ageing and not to a primitive quantitative defect.

Adult↗