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Biomedical subjects

D Mathieu

Publications and source records attributed to D Mathieu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Liver transplantation associated with combined adjuvant treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma. Feasibility and preliminary results].

Combined adjuvant therapy was prospectively assessed in 7 patients receiving orthotopic liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma complicating cirrhosis. The protocol included hepatic arterial chemotherapy while waiting for transplant, immediate preoperative liver irradiation, and early postoperative chemotherapy. There were no postoperative deaths, and morbidity included mainly hematologic toxicity of chemotherapy. Two patients died of tumor recurrence 6 and 14 months after transplant. The remaining 5 patients are alive and free of disease with a follow-up of 7 to 26 months. These results show the feasibility of aggressive adjuvant therapy in patients transplanted for hepatocellular carcinoma and suggest a possible effect of such a protocol on the prevention of tumor recurrence.

Adult

[Clinical symptomatology and radiological aspects of primary cancers of the liver].

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a malignant tumor derived from hepatocytes. It is the most frequent of primary liver cancers. In 90% of the cases, it occurs in a cirrhotic liver and is now more and more detected by ultrasonographic screening of cirrhotic patients. Hepatocellular carcinoma can also be diagnosed at a more advanced stage, when complications, such as ascites, jaundice or digestive hemorrhage, occur. CT scan and magnetic resonance imaging are useful to confirm ultrasonographic findings, but angiography with infusion of Lipiodol in hepatic artery followed by CT scan remains the most sensitive method for diagnosis. Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is derived from intrahepatic bile duct cells and does not occur in a preexisting cirrhotic liver. Diagnosis is usually late. Clinical features are those of hepatic malignancy with jaundice and abdominal pain. Morphological examination of the liver shows an intrahepatic tumor, sometimes associated with a dilatation of the surrounding bile ducts. Other primary malignancies are very rare. Fibrolamellar carcinoma presents as an abdominal mass occurring in a young adult with a non cirrhotic liver. Prognosis is better than that of hepatocellular carcinoma. Cystadenocarcinoma is a cystic tumor of bile ducts that can develop in a preexisting cystadenoma. Angiosarcoma is a highly malignant tumor derived from sinusoidal endothelial cells. Exposure to various carcinogens is found in 30% of the cases. Epithelioid hemangio-endothelioma differs from angiosarcoma by its occurrence in young adults and a more favorable prognosis.

Angiography

Massive arsenic poisoning--effect of hemodialysis and dimercaprol on arsenic kinetics.

In massive arsenic poisoning, the use of hemodialysis and dimercaprol (BAL) therapy is still controversial. Hemodialysis is thought of value only for supportive care. BAL therapy has been criticized because of its delayed action, its own toxicity and its possible influence on arsenic clearance during hemodialysis. We studied arsenic kinetics during an acute suicidal intoxication (10 g of sodium arsenate). Treatment included gastric lavage, oral charcoal and supportive measures. Hemodialysis was performed immediately and repeated the next day. BAL therapy was prescribed only on the second day. Cardiovascular collapse, anuria and hepatic disturbance recovered in a few days and the patient could be discharged on the 15th day. Instantaneous serum arsenic hemodialysis clearance was 85 +/- 75 ml/min without previous BAL injection and 87.5 +/- 75 ml/min with a previous 250 mg BAL injection (difference not significant) indicating that BAL did not impede arsenic dialysis. The calculated total hemodialysis clearance of arsenic was higher than mean serum hemodialysis clearance indicating that erythrocyte bound arsenic is also eliminated during dialysis. We propose to consider early hemodialysis as an elimination measure in massive arsenic poisoning and to choose BAL as a chelator when dialysis is required.

Adult

Value of CT and sonography in the conservative management of acute splenoportal and superior mesenteric venous thrombosis.

Acute splenoportal and superior mesenteric venous thrombosis were diagnosed on sonography and computed tomography (CT) in six patients. Sonography demonstrated the presence of echoic material filling the involved vessels in all patients. Precontrast CT scans demonstrated an increased, intra luminal density of the clots in four patients with splenoportal thrombosis. However, in two cases of superior mesenteric venous thrombosis, no hyperdensity was observed within the lumens. Nevertheless, the clots were always visualized as low-density regions in the vessel lumens after bolus injection. Intravenous anticoagulant therapy was started immediately after the diagnosis. All patients were evaluated twice a week with sonography and/or CT until recanalization occurred. The patency of the previously involved vessels was assessed from 6 days to 4 weeks after the acute episode (average time of recanalization: 17 days) without development of collateral pathways. It is concluded that, in the absence of clinical signs of a life-threatening process, a conservative management of acute splanchnic thrombosis can be successfully achieved by (1) early diagnosis, (2) efficacious intravenous anticoagulant therapy, (3) careful imaging follow-up of these patients by sonography and/or CT during the acute phase and, finally, (4) by an extensive search for a hypercoagulable state.

Acenocoumarol

Fast magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of tumoral obstructions of the inferior vena cava.

A prospective study was conducted on 9 patients with suspected obstruction of the inferior vena cava on ultrasonography, dynamic computerized tomography and/or inferior venacavography during the course of a retroperitonal tumor to assess the value of magnetic resonance imaging with gradient echo sequences. The findings on gradient echo magnetic resonance imaging were compared with the other imaging modalities and surgical or necropsy results. Our results suggest that gradient echo magnetic resonance imaging is the most appropriate imaging modality to diagnose and delineate the extent of inferior vena caval obstruction.

Adult

[Relapse prevention in liver transplant patients treated for liver involvement due to hepatitis B virus].

Controversy surrounds the indication of liver transplantation in patients with hepatitis B virus infection. The major problem is the very high risk of infection of the graft. Some investigators have suggested that the presence of HBsAg is a contraindication to liver transplantation. Between February 1975 and December 1990, 178 HBs positive patients were transplanted at Paul Brousse Hospital in Professor H. Bismuth's Department, 137 for post hepatitis cirrhosis and 41 for fulminant hepatitis. Since April 1984 we have decided long term immunoprophylactic therapy for all patients with HBs infection. But only from August 1987 our supply of purified anti HBs immunoglobulin has been adequate to treat all our patients according to the following protocol: 10.000 IU during the peroperative phase, 10.000 IU immediately after intervention, 10.000 IU every day for the first 6 days, 10.000 IU when the anti HBs levels were under 150 IU/l. One hundred thirty-nine patients were treated by this method. 110 cleared HBs antigen from their sera and their liver were biologically and histologically free of B virus infection. 29 patients showed reappearance of HBs antigen in their sera and nearly all of them developed objective, histologically confirmed, graft lesions. These lesions are those of classical infection: acute hepatitis, active chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis. So 79% of patients were successfully treated with a follow up of 45 months to 6 months. We also studied the prognostic factors under treatment. The study shows: in the case of fulminant hepatitis, 93% success versus 77% in post hepatitis cirrhosis; in the case of Delta superinfection, 94% success versus 66% with pure B infection; in the absence of HBVDNA in the patient's sera before transplantation, 92% success versus 20% in the presence of HBVDNA. For a better understanding of the overall results, the two following parameters have to be considered: some patients relapsed after stopping their treatment, some other patients, despite repositivation of HBs antigen in their sera showed a paradoxal good evolution. These considerations enable us to obtain HBVDNA positive patients: 10% success, HBVDNA negative patients: Fulminant hepatitis: 100% success B Delta post hepatitis cirrhosis: 100% success B post hepatitis cirrhosis: 92% success.

Hepatitis B

Asymptomatic renal-vein thrombosis in adult nephrotic syndrome ultrasonography and urinary fibrin-fibrinogen products: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: The diagnosis of renal vein thrombosis (RVT), a frequent complication of adult nephrotic syndrome (NS), is generally made by means of invasive methods, i.e. renal venography, venous time of renal arteriography and, more recently, computed tomography (CT). We undertook a prospective study to evaluate the use of Doppler ultrasonography (DUS) and urinary fibrin-fibrinogen degradation products (FDPU) for the diagnosis of asymptomatic RVT. METHODS: Thirty-one adult NS with non proliferative glomerulonephritis were studied. Reference procedures [(selective renal arteriography (n = 18) and renal vein CT (n = 13)] were performed blindly within a few days (48 hours in 17 patients) of renal vein DUS (search for a lack of venous flow) and measurement of FDPU (5 micrograms/min) (in 24 patients). RESULTS: DUS was not interpretable in one patient and positive in nine. Of these 9 patients, RVT was detected by reference methods in only two (sensitivity: 1, specificity: 0.75; positive predictive value: 0.22; negative predictive value: 1). Increased FDPU was observed in 4 patients, 2 of whom had an RVT (sensitivity: 1, specificity: 0.9; positive predictive value: 0.5; negative predictive value: 1). CONCLUSION: We conclude that DUS and FDPU are helpful for screening of RVT in asymptomatic NS patients; their negativity allow further radiological investigations to be avoided while positive results must be confirmed by reference methods.

Adolescent

[Role of hyperbaric oxygenation in the treatment of acute anaerobic infections].

Hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO), as an adjuvant treatment in necrotizing soft tissues infections and in gas gangrene is reviewed, including its specific effects, experimental studies and clinical reports. With a global therapeutic management, considered as an emergency state, including surgery, antibiotic regimens and HBO, we can obtained 50% mortality and morbidity decrease with a more conservative surgery. Finally, favorable outcome is associated with early therapeutics and localization of the initial necrotizing infection.

Acute Disease

Failure of percutaneous drainage of pancreatic abscesses complicating severe acute pancreatitis.

From 1981 to 1990, 14 of 70 patients hospitalized at our institution for severe acute pancreatitis were selected to undergo percutaneous drainage of pancreatic abscess, under computed tomographic (CT) scan guidance. Pancreatic abscess was defined, on contrast-enhanced CT scan, as an infected fluid collection without pancreatic necrosis. There were nine men and five women, ranging in age from 28 to 46 years. The main cause of pancreatitis was alcohol abuse (eight patients). Other causes were gallstones (two patients), hyperlipidemia (two patients), postoperative (one patient) and one unknown. Ranson criteria were available in ten patients and ranged from three to six. Percutaneous drainage was performed as the primary treatment in 13 patients and for removal of a residual collection postoperatively in one patient. In two critically ill patients, percutaneous drainage was performed as a temporizing measure. In 12 patients with well-limited hypodense collections, percutaneous drainage was expected to result in the definitive cure of the abscess. Pigtail drains (No. 14F), were inserted using local anesthesia and CT scan guidance. Two patients had two drains and 12 patients had only one drain. Two patients were definitively cured by percutaneous drainage and all other patients were operated upon for removal of infected necrosis. In this study, the lack of accuracy of contrast-enhanced CT scan in the diagnosis of peripancreatic necrosis is highlighted and that percutaneous drainage has a better efficiency in the treatment of residual collections postoperatively than as a primary treatment of infected fluid collections is illustrated.

Abscess

Passive immunoprophylaxis after liver transplantation in HBsAg-positive patients.

110 HBsAg-positive patients underwent orthotopic liver transplantation and received long-term anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) passive immunoprophylaxis with anti-HBs immunoglobulin. During a mean follow-up period of 20 months, all patients became HBsAg negative after transplantation but circulating HBsAg reappeared in 25 (22.7%). Overall 1-year survival was 83.6% and overall 2 year actuarial recurrence of HBsAg was 29% (59% after posthepatitis B cirrhosis, 13% after posthepatitis B-delta cirrhosis, and 0% after fulminant hepatitis B). Patients with HBV cirrhosis who were HBV-DNA positive had a much greater risk of HBsAg recurrence than patients who were HBV-DNA negative (96% vs 29% at 2 years). Reappearance of HBsAg was associated with evidence of HBV replication and abnormal histological findings in the graft. Long-term passive anti-HBV immunoprophylaxis significantly reduced HBV reinfection and improved survival in patients without evidence of active HBV replication before orthotopic liver transplantation.

Adolescent

Pneumococcal vaccination of elderly individuals.

Pneumococcal infections are still a cause of high morbidity and mortality in elderly populations. Since antibiotics are not wholly effective, vaccination should be performed. The response to pneumococcal vaccination of a limited group of elderly persons aged 60 to 90 years was studied. The sera of most individuals were found to contain antipneumococcal antibodies prior to vaccination. Vaccination resulted in antibody level increases in sera of all subjects except two. On the basis of antibody levels, 19 out of 20 vaccinees proved to be protected after vaccination. Combination of vaccination with a non-specific immunostimulation enhanced the antibody response.

Aged

Comparative evaluation of five agglutination techniques and a new miniaturized system for rapid identification of methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus.

The speciation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) poses a significant diagnostic problem when rapid identification methods such as slide agglutination tests, are used, because of the high proportion of false-negative reactions. 150 perfectly identified MRSA strains were tested on 5 commonly used agglutination reagents ("Bacto staph latex test", "Monostaph", "Pastorex staph", "Staphaurex", and "Staphyslide test") in comparison with a new micromethod ("RAPIDEC staph") which detects a type of staphylocoagulase within 2 hours by a fluorescence test. The "RAPIDEC staph" reagent enabled identification of all the MRSA while the agglutination tests gave poorer results: "Monostaph" correctly identified 64.6% of strains, "Staphyslide", 59.3%, "Bacto staph latex test", 44.6%, "Pastorex staph", 38.6% and "Staphaurex", 28.6%. These results show that agglutination slide tests are not reliable enough for the identification of MRSA which are more and more encountered in hospital wards. The authors recommend not to use slide agglutination methods. They suggest the tube test for coagulase which is the reference technique, although it is time-consuming and not well standardized. The results of this evaluation encourage the use of the "RAPIDEC staph" reagent since it is an easy-to-use, reliable technique for the rapid identification of Staphylococcus aureus.

Agglutination Tests

Effects of bicarbonate therapy on hemodynamics and tissue oxygenation in patients with lactic acidosis: a prospective, controlled clinical study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether correction of acidemia using bicarbonate improves hemodynamic variables and tissue oxygenation in patients with lactic acidosis. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, blinded, cross over study. Each patient sequentially received sodium bicarbonate and sodium chloride. The order of the infusions was randomized. PATIENTS: Ten patients with metabolic acidosis, increased arterial plasma lactate concentrations (greater than 2.45 mmol/L), and no severe renal failure (creatinine less than 250 mumol/L [less than 2.3 mg/dL]). METHOD: Sodium bicarbonate (1 mmol/kg body weight) or equal volume of sodium chloride was injected iv at the beginning of two successive 1-hr study periods. Period order was randomized. Arterial and venous blood gas measurements, plasma electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride), osmolality and lactate, 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG), and oxygen hemoglobin affinity, hemodynamic variables, oxygen delivery, and oxygen consumption measurements were obtained before and repeatedly during the 1-hr period after the injection of bicarbonate or sodium chloride. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Sodium bicarbonate administration increased arterial and venous pH, serum bicarbonate, and the partial pressure of CO2 in arterial and venous blood. Hemodynamic responses to sodium bicarbonate and sodium chloride were similar. Tissue oxygenation (as estimated by oxygen delivery, oxygen consumption, oxygen extraction ratio, and transcutaneous oxygen pressure) was not modified. No changes in serum sodium concentration, osmolality, arterial and venous lactate, red cell 2,3-DPG levels, or hemoglobin affinity for oxygen were observed. CONCLUSION: Administration of sodium bicarbonate did not improve hemodynamic variables in patients with lactic acidosis, but did not worsen tissue oxygenation.

Acidosis, Lactic

Is the sperm bacterial ratio a determining factor in impairment of sperm motility: an in-vitro study in man with Escherichia coli.

The effects of urogenital infection on male fertility are controversial. The object of this study was to assess whether contact between E. coli, one of the bacteria encountered most frequently in semen cultures, and sperm was involved in decreasing motility of the sperm. Sperm from healthy donors were therefore incubated at two concentrations (1.10(7) and 4.10(7) ml-1) with bacteria (10(4) and 10(6) bacteria ml-1 respectively). Sperm motility was assessed as a function of time. The endotoxin effect was also evaluated. Aliquots of the sperm were used as controls. The motility of a population of 10(6) sperm ml-1 was reduced significantly more by the presence of 10(6) ml-1 E. coli than a sperm population four times more numerous. Since the endotoxin had no effect on sperm motility, it is possible this phenomenon is due to bacterial adherence to the sperm. From this study, it is therefore probable that the presence of E. coli in semen decreases sperm motility, but that this depends on the sperm:bacterial ratio ml semen-1.

Bacterial Adhesion

Value of MR imaging in evaluating focal fatty infiltration of the liver: preliminary study.

Focal fatty infiltration of the liver is a well-known entity that occasionally mimics metastatic disease on ultrasonographic (US) and computed tomographic (CT) scans and requires biopsy for diagnosis. To determine if high-field-strength magnetic resonance (MR) imaging might be useful in the differential diagnosis of the lesions, the authors compared US, CT, and MR findings in three patients with biopsy-proved fatty hepatic lesions. Areas of focal fatty infiltration were hyperechoic on US scans and had low attenuation on CT scans. No mass effect of the lesions on vascular structures or liver contours was observed, particularly on contrast material-enhanced CT scans. For all three patients, MR findings suggested the correct diagnosis by demonstrating focal high signal intensity on spin-echo T1- and T2-weighted images. On the basis of these preliminary findings, it appears that focal fatty infiltration of the liver may be differentiated from metastatic disease by means of high-field-strength MR imaging.

Aged

Focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver: assessment with contrast-enhanced TurboFLASH MR imaging.

Twenty-two patients with 25 cases of focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) proved with pathologic study were imaged with a TurboFLASH (fast low angle shot) sequence combined with bolus administration of gadolinium tetraazacyclododecanetetraacetic acid (DOTA), spin-echo (SE) T2-weighted sequences, and postcontrast T1-weighted sequences. FNH-liver signal-difference-to-noise ratios were quantified; the features of the central scar were qualitatively analyzed. On SE T2-weighted images, all FNHs were hyperintense; in two cases the central scar exhibited a high signal intensity associated with hypointense areas corresponding to fibrous tissue within the branches of the scar. Unenhanced TurboFLASH images always demonstrated the FNHs as hypointense and always depicted the central scar as a hypointense area within the lesion. After bolus injection, arterial enhancement of FNH was clearly seen, and in 10 of 25 lesions, enhancement within the scar was seen 40-80 seconds after injection. Both unenhanced and enhanced TurboFLASH sequences produced the best signal-difference-to-noise ratios in comparison with T2-weighted images.

Adolescent