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Biomedical subjects

E Escudier

Publications and source records attributed to E Escudier.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Alveolar hemorrhage. Diagnostic criteria and results in 194 immunocompromised hosts.

To establish the diagnosis of alveolar hemorrhage (AH) in cells recovered by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), Golde and colleagues created a score based on the hemosiderin content of alveolar macrophages stained with Prussian blue. We used an easier method, calculating the percentage of siderophages among the total alveolar macrophages recovered by BAL. We have retrospectively studied this method in 240 BALs performed in 194 immunocompromised patients. Prussian blue staining was performed on each BAL sample, and the Golde score was calculated for 47 samples chosen at random. The methods were compared for diagnosing AH. The percentage of siderophages correlated well with the Golde score. AH was defined by at least 20% siderophages. This definition was validated by comparison with the method of Kahn and coworkers. AH was present in 87 (36%) of the samples and was significantly associated with four parameters: thrombocytopenia (< 50,000/mm3), other abnormal coagulation parameters, renal failure (creatinine > or = 2.5 mg/dl), and a history of heavy smoking. The diagnosis of AH did not correlate with either the cause or the outcome of pneumonia. AH was seen more frequently in cardiac transplant patients (75%). In our experience, (1) a percentage of siderophages > or = 20% is sufficient and is an easier determinant of the diagnosis of AH than the Golde score; and (2) AH is rarely the sole cause of lung injury and is usually associated with other causes of pneumonia. AH may be considered more as a sign than as a distinct disease in this population.

Adolescent↗

Ciliary abnormalities in bronchial epithelium of smokers, ex-smokers, and nonsmokers.

Although respiratory changes induced by tobacco smoke have been extensively described, no study has focused on ciliary abnormalities associated with chronic smoking. Ciliary ultrastructure was studied in 37 adults with chronic sputum production (CSP) consisting of 13 current smokers (Group 1), 5 ex-smokers (Group 2), and 19 nonsmokers (Group 3). Five healthy nonsmokers constituted the control group (Group 4). Clinical and radiologic data and respiratory function tests were recorded. Acute respiratory infection was diagnosed by culture of tracheobronchial secretions obtained during bronchoscopy. Bronchial ciliated cells were obtained and processed for transmission electron microscopy. Within each group, the percentages of abnormal cilia were similar in patients with either chronic bronchitis or bronchiectasis and in patients with or without acute infection. The percentage of axonemal ultrastructural abnormalities (AUA) was higher in smokers (16.5% +/- 2.7%) and ex-smokers (17.5% +/- 7%) than in nonsmokers (5.2% +/- 1%) or control subjects (0.7% +/- 0.2%) (p < 0.0002). The AUA were polymorphic, characteristic of acquired ultrastructural changes. These results suggest that chronic smoking may induce an increased number of abnormal cilia which could participate in impairment of tracheobronchial clearance and which appears to be independent of the etiology of CSP.

Adult↗

Secondary alveolar proteinosis is a reversible cause of respiratory failure in leukemic patients.

We report here our experience of secondary pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) in patients with hematologic malignancies. The diagnosis of PAP was made by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and based on the identification of periodic acid-Schiff-positive proteinaceous material with the characteristic ultrastructural pattern. Ten patients with leukemia and secondary PAP are described. Three patients had received bone marrow transplants. Data obtained from sequential BAL have shown that at least four of them--all of them achieving complete remission or recovery from neutropenia after bone marrow transplantation--had reversible PAP, and we emphasize this potential reversibility. Furthermore, in order to estimate the frequency of PAP in hematologic patients, we retrospectively studied 113 episodes of pneumonia occurring in our department over a 2-yr period. The incidence of secondary PAP in patients with pulmonary symptoms was so estimated at 5.3% among all the hematologic population, and to 10% in patients with myeloid disorders. This report (1) confirms that BAL is an accurate way to diagnose PAP in immunocompromised hosts, (2) emphasizes that PAP is not an unusual cause of respiratory failure in this population and that it is strongly associated with myeloid disorders, and (3) shows that secondary PAP is potentially reversible, especially if complete remission of the underlying disease is achieved.

Adolescent↗

Bronchoalveolar lavage during neutropenic episodes: diagnostic yield and cellular pattern.

Few data are available concerning the relationship between alveolar and blood cell populations during neutropenia. We wanted to compare the value of pulmonary endoscopic procedures with lavage in neutropenic (polymorphonuclear (PMN) count < or = 1,000.mm-3) and non-neutropenic settings. We therefore, retrospectively, reviewed the results of 118 investigations for pneumonia in patients with malignant haematological diseases. All had bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and some had additional studies with protected bacteriological samples. Each BAL specimen was studied after cytocentrifugation by cytological examination for opportunistic infections, haemorrhage, virus, legionellae, and bacteriological cultures. The diagnostic yield of all endoscopic procedures (BAL, telescoping plugged catheter and protected specimen brush) was 53% in neutropenic (Group 1) and 61% in non-neutropenic (Group 2) patients. The aetiological pattern of pneumonia was nearly the same in the two groups, except for more alveolar proteinosis in Group 1 and more cytomegalovirus (CMV) in Group 2. The absolute number of alveolar cells recovered through BAL (total number, macrophages, lymphocytes and PMNs) was significantly lower in neutropenic patients. We conclude that: 1) neutropenic patients with pneumonia require the same investigative approach as non-neutropenic patients; 2) profound neutropenia may be concomitant with a decreased cellularity of alveoli, which may reflect the consequences of marrow aplasia on the pulmonary cell population and/or direct effect of chemotherapy on the lung.

Adolescent↗

[Evaluation of the brushing technique in nasal cytology].

Analysis of nasal cytology provides useful information for the diagnosis of rhinitis. This analysis represents an interesting tool for objective assessment of nasal pathology. The purpose of this study was to describe the brushing method for obtaining nasal cytologic specimen. Samples were carried out from nine adult patients with chronic nasal obstruction. In all cases, the cytologic specimen had a good amount of well-preserved cells, easy to identify on morphological criteria. A differential cell count was performed on the different epithelial cell types present in the specimen and the results are reported in the present study. In conclusion, brushing method is non invasive and allows to precisely evaluate both epithelial and inflammatory cells present in the nasal mucosa.

Adult↗

Do nasal ciliary changes reflect bronchial changes? An ultrastructural study.

Ciliary dyskinesia is characterized by recurrent respiratory tract infections secondary to abnormal ciliary structure and function. The diagnosis of ciliary dyskinesia is based on the detection of axonemal ultrastructural abnormalities (AUA) is respiratory mucosa samples. In most cases, the diagnosis of AUA is made on samples obtained from nasal ciliated cells with little discomfort to the patient. However, no studies have been performed in the same patient to confirm whether nasal samples reflect bronchial ciliary changes. To answer this question and to determine whether it is necessary to sample bronchial cells for the diagnosis of ciliary dyskinesia, we investigated 12 patients (between the age of 5 and 63 yr) with chronic sputum production. The presence of situs inversus, bronchiectasis, chronic sinusitis, and sterility was investigated to determine an inherited disorder. Two groups were established: Group 1 = six patients with an inherited disorder and Group 2 = six patients without evidence of an inherited disorder. Samples were obtained by brushing or biopsy of nasal and bronchial mucosa and were processed for transmission electron microscopy. In Group 1, the mean AUA was 65.2 +/- 11.4%. The following predominant axonemal defects were found: absence of dynein arms (DA) (four patients), central complex abnormalities (CC) (one patient), and various AUA (one patient). Nasal and bronchial samples correlated significantly for total AUA (r' = 1, p < 0.01) and for outer DA defects (r' = 0.96, p < 0.05). A good but not significant correlation was found for inner DA (r' = 0.83) and peripheral microtubule (PM) defects (r' = 0.71). In Group 2, the mean AUA was 9.6 +/- 2.3%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

[Brush technique in cytological analysis of the nasal mucosa. A critical and comparative analysis].

The cytological study of the nasal mucosa is one the essential steps toward a better understanding of the physicopathological mechanisms involved in chronic affections of the nose. The development of a reliable, reproducible noninvasive technique to obtain cells in the prerequisite for this analysis. The brush technique is based on the use of a small cylindric nylon brush which is rotated as it is moved back and forth across the nasal mucosa to harvest the various cell types present on the surface of the mucosa. The specimen obtained is centrifuged and examined under an optical microscope. A semi-quantitative analysis is carried out to determine the relative richness of the specimen in epithelial cells (ciliated, qoblet and basal cells) and in inflammatory cells (neutrophils, basophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes). A precise differential cell count is then performed. According to the results obtained, an immunologic marker study of lymphocyte subsets may also be done using the same specimen. This technique may be used in both children and adults and permits cell harvest from various sites within the nasal fossa. Already tested in the study of the activity of cilia, this method is promising for the cytological study of the nasal mucosa. The brush method and other techniques of cell harvest are described and compared.

Adolescent↗

Inherited factors in diffuse bronchiectasis in the adult: a prospective study.

To evaluate the prevalence of inherited respiratory ciliary structure and underlying mucus abnormalities in the diffuse bronchiectasis syndrome, we investigated 53 subjects comprising 38 patients with diffuse bronchiectasis confirmed by high-resolution thoracic computed tomography, ten with chronic bronchitis and no diffuse bronchiectasis and five healthy nonsmoking control subjects. The clinical history was determined by means of a standardized questionnaire. Axonemal abnormalities of respiratory cilia were evaluated on bronchial or nasal mucosa samples by transmission electron microscopy (structure) and stroboscopic observation (function). Cystic fibrosis (CF) and Young's syndrome were detected by means of the sweat test and semen analysis when male infertility was suspected. Among the 38 patients with diffuse bronchiectasis, a primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) was detected in five (13%) with a high proportion (range: 55-100%) of cilia showing axonemal ultrastructural abnormalities always involving the dynein arms. The prevalence of this inherited condition was higher in North African (36%) than in European patients (4%) (p less than 0.01). After exclusion of the five patients with PCD, the patients with diffuse bronchiectasis showed axonemal ultrastructural abnormalities similar to those with chronic bronchitis. The diagnosis of underlying mucus disorders was based on two types of criterion, i.e. for CF, sweat chloride levels greater than 80 mmol.l-1, or the combination of diagnostic criteria proposed by Stern et al. Respectively, five (three Young's syndrome and two CF) and seven (one Young's syndrome and six CF) cases of inherited mucus disorders were suspected. Our results showed that PCD was highly prevalent among the adult North African patients with diffuse bronchiectasis but relatively rare in the Europeans.

Adult↗

Effects of local anaesthetics (lidocaine) on the structure and function of ciliated respiratory epithelial cells.

Sampling for nasal or bronchial ciliated cells requires the use of anaesthetic agents, but such drugs may interfere with the morphological or functional results. Lidocaine is the most frequently used local anaesthetic. In order to study the morphological and functional effects of lidocaine hydrochloride, we designed an experimental study on ciliated cells from guinea pig and bovine trachea. On guinea pig tracheal specimens, different lidocaine concentrations (0.05, 0.25 and 1%) were tested. Tracheal rings were immersed in either culture medium alone (control) or in different lidocaine concentrations. Measurements of ciliary beat frequency (CBF) were performed by the stroboscopic method. Tracheal rings were consecutively incubated in culture medium alone and a second set of measurements was performed. Tracheal rings were studied by light microscopy after incubation in either 1% lidocaine or in culture medium alone. On bovine tracheal specimens, a cotton wool swab impregnated with different lidocaine concentrations (0, 0.25, 1, 2.5 and 5%) was placed in contact with the tracheal mucosa. Three different kinds of samples were collected: the first one was used to study CBF, the second one (0.1 and 5%) was studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the third (0.1 and 5%) by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results on guinea pig specimens show a significant but reversible CBF diminution for concentrations of 0.25 and 1% lidocaine and cellular lesions for the concentration of 1%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Dissimilar expression of axonemal anomalies in respiratory cilia and sperm flagella in infertile men.

Infertility by sperm immotility may be a consequence of axonemal defects, and it is sometimes associated with respiratory disease as in the primary ciliary dyskinesia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the respiratory epithelium of 13 infertile patients with flagellar ultrastructural anomalies whether they suffered or not from respiratory disease. Only one patient had severe respiratory disease. The beat frequency of nasal cilia (9 to 13 Hz) was considered normal in 11 of the 13 patients. All the cilia were found abnormal in one patient. In 12 of 13 infertile men (92.3%), significant ultrastructural cilia anomalies were found (greater than 7%) even though the men did not suffer from any respiratory disease. Axonemal anomalies were found at both levels either of the same type (four cases) or only partially similar (two cases) or totally different (six cases). The most frequently abnormal substructure of cilia was the central complex (10 of 12) even in cases exhibiting a different abnormal pattern at the flagellar level. Findings are discussed according to those found in animal mutants. Our results suggest that ciliary and flagellar axonemes should be controlled both by common and by different groups of genes.

Adult↗

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis associated with Pneumocystis carinii. Ultrastructural identification in bronchoalveolar lavage in AIDS and immunocompromised non-AIDS patients.

Pneumocystis carinii (PC) has been recognized as frequently responsible for most opportunistic pulmonary infections occurring in immunocompromised AIDS and non-AIDS patients. Moreover, these patients can be considered at risk for secondary pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Therefore, we have investigated the occurrence of associated secondary alveolar proteinosis and PC pneumonitis in AIDS and non-AIDS immunocompromised patients. In a series of 26 bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) in patients with PC pneumonitis (19 AIDS and seven non-AIDS patients), we observed on light microscopy, in addition to the honeycombed material, areas of an extracellular material that had a different pattern which was suggestive of that described in alveolar proteinosis. A systematic ultrastructural study of these 26 BAL fluid samples demonstrated in each of them an accumulation of phospholipid surfactantlike extracellular material mixed or not with the PC cysts. In nine cases, the observation of lipoproteinaceous material on light microscopy and abundant phospholipid material with myelinlike and myelin tubular laminated structures on electron microscopy was highly suggestive of an associated pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP). Such an accumulation of extracellular material was not observed in the 11 BAL fluid samples collected in immunocompromised patients (seven AIDS and four non-AIDS patients) without PC pneumonitis. These findings demonstrated a particular frequency of associated PAP with PC pneumonitis. These results raise important questions concerning (1) the consequence of such an alveolar accumulation of lipoproteinaceous material on the clinical status and prognosis of the pneumonitis, and (2) the mechanisms responsible for this accumulation.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Bronchoalveolar lavage eosinophilia associated with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonitis in AIDS patients. Comparative study with non-AIDS patients.

Lower pulmonary tract cell populations collected by bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) were evaluated in three groups of immunocompromised patients: HIV infected patients with Pneumocystis carinii (PC) pneumonitis (n = 22), or pneumonitis not related to PC (n = 29), and non-HIV-infected, immunocompromised patients with a PC pneumonitis (n = 18). In AIDS patients with PC pneumonitis, the cell populations were 59.3 +/- 4.5 percent alveolar macrophages (AM), 19.6 +/- 2.5 percent lymphocytes, 14.6 +/- 4.4 percent polymorphonuclear cells (PMN), and 10.3 +/- 3.6 percent eosinophils. In HIV-infected patients without PC pneumonitis, they were 76.5 +/- 3.3 percent AM, 13 +/- 2.1 percent lymphocytes, 9.2 +/- 0.3 percent PMN, and 0.6 +/- 0.2 percent eosinophils, and in non-HIV-infected, immunocompromised patients with PC pneumonitis, they were 43.9 +/- 5.7 percent AM, 30.2 +/- 4.3 percent lymphocytes, 20.4 +/- 4.7 percent PMN, and 0.9 +/- 0.4 percent eosinophils. The most striking finding was a marked BAL eosinophilia in AIDS patients with PC pneumonitis. The significance of this particular cellular pulmonary response to PC is not clear, and its consequences on the lung structures and/or PC require evaluation.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

[Are ciliary abnormalities always present in Kartagener's syndrome? A study of 16 patients].

Kartagener's syndrome is defined as the combination of bronchiectasis, sinusitis and situs inversus. Assessment of characteristic ultrastructural changes and of their clinical expression was possible by examining the ciliated cells in the airways of 16 patients (12 children). Respiratory cilia of 11/13 patients were found to have abnormal motility. Quantitative ultrastructural data were obtained for 15 patients. Findings were absolutely normal in 2 cases. In 13 cases, ciliary abnormalities affected all the cilia, the majority of them (70-90%) or some of them (20-40%) (n = 7, n = 4, n = 2, respectively). The most frequently encountered aberration was a lacking external dynein arm. Summing it up: 1) ultrastructural ciliary abnormalities do not appear consistently in Kartagener's syndrome; 2) the lack of external dynein arms of cilia is the most frequent anomalous finding: 3) the clinical expression of ciliary dysfunction varies and the exact correlation between ultrastructural data and the intensity of the clinical manifestations remains to be established.

Adult↗

Evaluation of three assays on alveolar lavage fluid in the diagnosis of cytomegalovirus pneumonitis after bone marrow transplantation.

Cytologic examination, immunofluorescence assays, and cultures for virus were compared prospectively in the detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in cells obtained by 41 bronchoalveolar lavages (BALs) from 30 bone marrow transplant recipients with pneumonia. No evidence of CMV was found in 21 BALs. Viral inclusions, positive immunologic assays, and positive cultures were found in 14, 15, and 18 BALs, respectively. Cytological and immunologic results were closely related except in one BAL. In five BALs, a positive culture for virus was the sole criterion noted for diagnosis of CMV. The patients with both cytologically and immunologically positive results were more likely to die with or from respiratory failure (P less than .05), diffuse interstitial patterns (P less than .01), and severe acute graft-vs.-host disease (P less than .02) than were the patients without any criterion for diagnosis of CMV. The discrepancies with the previously reported data, the interpretation of the three diagnostic procedures, and the ability of BAL to diagnose CMV pneumonia are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Unexpectedly normal cilia and spermatozoa in an infertile man with Kartagener's syndrome.

We investigated a 28-year-old, infertile male patient with the characteristic clinical signs of Kartagener's syndrome (i.e. bronchiectasis, recurrent sinusitis, situs inversus). The patient had tried unsuccessfully for 3 years to become a father, and no cause of infertility was detected in his wife. The functional capacities tested in vitro of nasal and tracheal ciliated cells, spermatozoa and neutrophils were found to be normal. The tracheo-bronchial clearance was not impaired. The ultrastructure of ciliary and flagellar axonemes was normal. This case of Kartagener's syndrome without axonemal abnormalities raises the questions of the factors responsible, on the one hand, for the patient's organ asymmetry and respiratory tract diseases and, on the other hand, for the couple's infertility.

Adult↗

[Comparative frequencies of the beats of nasal and bronchial ciliary cells. Study in 10 adults without respiratory pathology].

The frequencies of nasal and bronchial ciliated cell beats were compared in 10 adult subjects (mean age 56 years) with E.N.T. tumoral pathology but no recent respiratory disease. Ciliated cells were collected by simultaneous nasal curettage and bronchial brushing carried out under general anaesthesia during endoscopic evaluation of the tumors. The frequency of beats was measured by the stroboscopic method at room temperature (18 degrees-25 degrees C) at least 3 hours after cell collection. A significant (p less than 0.05) difference was found between nasal (8.89 +/- 0.84 Hz) and bronchial (9.6 +/- 1.03 Hz) beats. A study of nasal ciliated cell beats therefore provides a first assessment of ciliary function which is of interest in patients with recurrent respiratory diseases. It is a simple procedure that can easily be performed prior to more complex investigations, such as study of the bronchial ciliated cell beats or ultrastructural study of the cilia.

Aged↗

[Natural killer cells of the lung].

Natural killer cells are lymphocytes which spontaneously destroy tumoral or virus-infected cells in vitro. They are identified on morphological criteria (LGL) and/or on the presence of "surface markers". However, none of these criteria is specific, and they can only be defined by their spontaneous cytolytic activity. These cells, present in numerous organs, have been particularly studied in blood and lymphoid tissue. They intervene in defence mechanisms against virus-infected cells, in the graft-versus-host reaction and in immunosurveillance or tumours. Few studies have been devoted to natural killer cells of the lung. They are present in that organ in the same proportion of lymphocyte population as in blood, but their activity is inhibited by the local microenvironment.

Antigens, Surface↗

Large granular lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from immunocompromised patients with cytomegalovirus pneumonitis.

Natural killer (NK) cells activities had been demonstrated to be depressed in patients with fatal cytomegalovirus (CMV) pneumonitis. NK cells can be identified by morphologic features characteristic of large granular lymphocytes (LGLs). Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells from 16 immunocompromised patients with CMV pneumonitis were analyzed. Two different groups of patients could be distinguished depending on the course of the CMV pneumonitis: nine patients who recovered (Group A), seven patients with a fatal outcome (Group B). Except for the increase in polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) in Group B (12.4 +/- 11.6%), no significant difference in the macrophage or the total lymphocyte population was observed. A differential count excluding alveolar macrophages specified the percentage of LGLs from the total lymphocyte population. The LGLs in Group A (7.1 +/- 9.9%) were similar to those previously reported in normal lung. A significant increase in LGLs was observed in the BAL cells from patients of Group B (28.1 +/- 22%). The discrepancy between the high percentage of LGLs in patients with a fatal outcome and their expected protective effects is discussed.

Bronchi↗