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F Meunier

Publications and source records attributed to F Meunier.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

[Clinical research in Europe and its impact on cancerology--problems and opportunities].

Breakthroughs in molecular biology open new ways forward in therapeutics and subsequently unique opportunities for Europe. Clinical research in oncology is multidisciplinary and very complex. Two distinct objectives should be put forward: 1. To develop, register and market innovative molecules. 2. To develop standard therapeutic strategies. The harmonization of European legislations on clinical trials and financial support to studies conducted without commercial aim pose a major challenge for Europe. Europe should promote clinical research that fosters synergies between universities, healthcare centres and pharmaceutical industry on one hand and public authorities funding healthcare on the other hand, for the best benefit of all patients.

Europe↗
PubMed2002

Achievements and goals of the EORTC Invasive Fungal Infections Group. European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer.

Invasive fungal infections are an increasing complication for patients with cancer. These infections still are difficult to diagnose and to treat and thus still have a high fatality rate. New strategies should include evaluation of new diagnosis tools and large-scale assessment of these new methods will need multidisciplinary collaboration. High-quality clinical trials dedicated to establish 'state-of-the-art' prevention and treatment are also directly needed. Created in 1991, the EORTC Invasive Fungal Infection Group has faced several of these challenges and significantly improved the knowledge and management of these infections in Europe.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed2000

Genome screen for asthma and related phenotypes in the French EGEA study.

A genome-wide search was conducted in 107 nuclear families with at least two siblings with asthma, as part of the French EGEA study. A two-stage analysis strategy was applied to the 107 families divided into two independent subsets of 46 and 61 families, where all regions detected in the first set of families were tested for replication in the second set. In addition, all regions reported by published genome scans in different populations were examined in the total sample. A total of 254 markers were typed in the first set of families and 70% of them in the second set. Linkage was investigated by model-free methods for asthma and four asthma-related phenotypes: bronchial responsiveness (BR), skin test response, total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, and eosinophil count. The two-stage analysis led to the detection of three regions: 11p13 for IgE, 12q24 for eosinophils, and 17q12-21 for asthma and skin tests. Among the regions reported by published genome screens, seven were found in the 107 French EGEA families: three being already detected by the two-stage analysis, 11p13 (p = 0.005), 12q24 (p = 0.0008), and 17q12-21 (p = 0.001), and four additional ones, 1p31 (p = 0.005) for asthma, 11q13 (p = 0.006) for IgE, 13q31 (p = 0.001) for eosinophils, and 19q13 (p = 0.02) for BR.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Equinatoxin II increases intracellular Ca2+ in NG 108-15 cells.

Equinatoxin II (EqT II) is a basic 20 kD protein isolated from the sea anemone Actinia equina. Intravenous injection of 3 LD50 of EqT II causes cardiorespiratory arrest. The aim of our study was to check the effects of EqT II on neuronal cells to assess the role of neuronal mechanisms in respiratory arrest after intravenous injection of the toxin. Effects of EqT II on mouse neuroblastoma x rat glioma NG108-15 cell were studied using confocal laser scanning microscopy and by Fura-2 fluorescence measurements. The results show that EqT II applied in nanomolar range increases intracellular Ca2+ activity significantly, which is possibly responsible for the morphological changes of NG108-15 cells after the exposure to 10 nM EqT II. Intracellular increase in Ca2+ activity can not be prevented by use of the various pharmacological substances (e.g. Ca2+ channels blocker Verapamil and Bekanamycin). Swelling of the NG108-15 cells after the exposure to the EqT II also can not be blocked with the sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin. Increase in the intracellular Ca2+ activity is probably a result of Ca2+ entry through pores produced by the toxin, which has been shown by other authors on other cells and on phospholipid bilayer. Respiratory arrest after intravenous injection of the toxin can be caused by the action of the toxin on neuronal cells in medulla oblongata provided that EqT II can damage blood brain barrier thus enabling access to the neuronal cells. The results allow the conclusion that EqT II can affect normal calcium homeostasis and cell morphology of neuronal cells that can disturb cell physiology and its function thus affecting normal respiratory pattern.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Polymerase chain reaction analysis of immunoglobulin gene rearrangement in cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasias. French Study Group for Cutaneous Lymphomas.

UNLABELLED: The differential diagnosis of cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia and B-cell lymphoma may be difficult. Whether the detection of clonal immunoglobulin gene rearrangement in the cutaneous lesion is predictive of a malignant outcome remains controversial. We therefore studied cases of cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia by polymerase chain reaction analysis. DESIGN: Retrospective study of patients seen between 1988 and 1996. SETTING: Two dermatology university departments. PATIENTS: Twenty-four patients with cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasias were included according to clinical, histopathological, and immunophenotypic criteria. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical, histopathological, and laboratory findings. RESULTS: There were 13 men and 11 women (mean age, 49 years) who presented with erythematous or violaceous papules or nodules. The lesions were unique in 13 cases and multiple in 11 cases. All patients had immunochemical evidence of a mixed T- and B-cell infiltrate with polytypic B cells. Polyclonality was demonstrated in 23 patients, whereas a dominant B-cell clone was detected in 1 patient. No lymphoma developed during the follow-up (median, 4 years). In the same period, we studied 53 cases of B-cell lymphomas. Thirty-five (66%) of the 53 cases had a detectable clonal immunoglobulin gene rearrangement. CONCLUSIONS: In the majority of our cases, polyclonality demonstrated by polymerase chain reaction analysis was in accordance with the diagnosis of cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia. In 1 of the 24 patients, the presence of a B-cell clone could be evidenced. This fact did not modify the treatment as there were no histological or immunophenotypic signs suggestive of a lymphoma.

Female↗
PubMed1999

Detection of quantitative trait loci associated with alcohol-dependence: use of model-free sib-pair method and combined segregation-linkage analysis based on regressive models.

Two linkage methods were used to detect loci underlying neurophysiological measures associated with alcohol dependence 1) the Haseman-Elston (H-E) sib pair method for genome-wide search, and 2) the combined segregation-linkage (CSL), based on regressive models, to confirm positive linkages found by the genome screening. Among 14 linkage results that were significant at the 0.5% level using H-E, the CSL method leads to similar p-values in only three cases but to higher p-values in all others. Investigation of these discrepancies shows that assumptions (normality and homoscedasticity of the error term) of H-E least-squares regression method are not verified. A robust estimator of slope parameters without assuming any distribution function for the linear model error terms increases the p-values and reduces the difference between H-E and CSL results. Alternatively, the CSL approach may lack power when multiple genes with small effects are involved.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1999

Caring About Women and Cancer (CAWAC): a European survey of the perspectives and experiences of women with female cancers.

This paper reports on the findings of the largest ever European survey of female patients' perceptions of their cancer treatment. It has provided clarification of what women consider important in relation to their management and has identified several areas where more research is needed. It has shown that women's knowledge about cancer before diagnosis is poor and the number undergoing regular screening could be improved. Women are not being adequately prepared and educated about what to expect from treatment and steps should be taken as a matter of urgency to redress this shortcoming. It was revealed that whilst families were the primary source of support to female cancer patients, women also derive considerable support from healthcare professionals, particularly senior doctors; more attention should be paid by specialists and nurses to developing psychological skills to cope with this. In this context, further research is needed into how support groups may best meet patient needs.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1999

Candidemia in cancer patients: a prospective, multicenter surveillance study by the Invasive Fungal Infection Group (IFIG) of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC).

In a surveillance study of candidemia in cancer patients that was conducted by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, 249 episodes were noted; Candida albicans was isolated in 70% (63) of the 90 cases involving patients with solid tumors (tumor patients) and in 36% (58) of the 159 involving those with hematologic disease (hematology patients). Neutropenia in tumor patients and acute leukemia and antifungal prophylaxis in hematology patients were significantly associated with non-albicans candidemia in a multivariate analysis. Overall 30-day mortality was 39% (97 of 249). In a univariate analysis, Candida glabrata was associated with the highest mortality rate (odds ratio, 2.66). Two multivariate analyses showed that mortality was associated with older age and severity of the underlying disease. Among hematology patients, additional factors associated with mortality were allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, septic shock, and lack of antifungal prophylaxis.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

The challenge of invasive fungal infection.

Systemic fungal infections cause almost 25% of the infection-related deaths in leukaemic patients. Particularly those with prolonged neutropenia are at risk but mycoses also feature in critically ill intensive care patients and in individuals who are treated for solid tumours and AIDS, or who received an organ transplant. The spread of AIDS and the more aggressive cytotoxic chemotherapy in combination with an improved management of haemorrhages and bacterial infections in leukaemic and other cancer patients facilitated the occurrence of these invasive fungal infections. These life-threatening complications remain both difficult to diagnose and to treat and therefore carry a poor prognosis. For many years, the only realistic option to treat systemic infections was amphotericin B, whose administration was known to be associated with numerous adverse effects. Now less toxic formulations of amphotericin have become available for clinical use, as well as several new triazoles that appear to provide an effective and less toxic alternative for the treatment of certain fungal infections.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1999

Hydrophilic and cationic latex particles for the specific extraction of nucleic acids.

The adsorption of BSA and RNA onto hydrophilic and thermosensitive poly(N-isopropyl-acrylamide) (NIPAM) latex particles was described as a function of pH, ionic strength and temperature. The hydrogel poly(NIPAM) latex was synthesized by precipitation polymerization in the presence of a cationic amino-containing monomer. The latex obtained was characterized in terms of particle size, and electrophoretic mobility as a function of pertinent variables: pH, temperature and ionic strength. The adsorption of BSA onto the latex was investigated to identify the conditions at which the adsorbed amount of BSA was negligible. The adsorption of RNA was studied to establish the conditions which give rise to maximal adsorption of RNA. In order to favor the desorption of RNA, desorption was investigated by changing the pH, ionic strength, and temperature. The adsorption of BSA was found to be lower at 20 than at 40 degrees C. However, the adsorption of RNA is drastically affected by the pH and the ionic strength of the medium. Maximal adsorbed amounts were obtained at acidic pH, 20 degrees C, and low ionic strength. The adsorption is shown to decrease when the pH, temperature and ionic strength increase, implying that the adsorption was mainly governed by electrostatic interactions. Maximal release of RNA molecules was obtained at high ionic strength and basic pH.

Adsorption↗
PubMed1998

Lexical representation of gender: a quasiregular domain.

The relationship between gender and word ending in French is a quasiregular one (e.g., most words ending in -ette are feminine, but not all). As such, the gender of low-frequency irregular forms (e.g., squelette, which is masculine) should take longer to classify than low-frequency regular forms according to neural network models. A regularity effect was found in Experiment 1, but it did not interact with word frequency. It was further revealed that there was difficulty in making gender decisions (Experiment 2) and gender verification responses (Experiment 3) to words whose endings were highly informative of gender, but whose associated article was not. These words were place names beginning with a vowel, like Australie, which do not take an indefinite article and whose definite article is ambiguous (1'). How a neural network might handle these results is discussed, and an alternative account is considered whereby there are two potential sources of gender information, lexical and nonlexical, with the latter being used to confirm the former.

Female↗
PubMed1998

An EORTC international multicenter randomized trial (EORTC number 19923) comparing two dosages of liposomal amphotericin B for treatment of invasive aspergillosis.

This is the first completed prospective randomized clinical efficacy trial of antifungals in the treatment of invasive aspergillosis (IA) and the first to compare the clinical efficacy of two dosages of liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB) for IA in neutropenic patients with cancer or those undergoing bone marrow transplantation. Eighty-seven of 120 patients were eligible and evaluable. Clinical responses were documented for 26 (64%) of 41 patients receiving 1 mg/(kg.d) (L-AmB-1) and 22 (48%) of 46 receiving 4 mg/(kg.d) (L-AmB-4). Radiologic response rates were similar: 24 (58%) of the L-AmB-1 recipients and 24(52%) of the L-AmB-4 recipients. The six-month survival rates were 43% (L-AmB-1) and 37% (L-AmB-4). These differences were not significant. The numbers of deaths directly due to IA at 6 months were similar: 9 (22%) of 41 L-AmB-1 recipients and 9 (20%) of 46 L-AmB-4 recipients. No other variable independently influenced survival, apart from central nervous system IA. L-AmB is effective in treating approximately 50%-60% of patients who have IA. A 1-mg/(kg.d) dosage is as effective as a 4-mg/(kg.d) dosage, and no advantages to use of the higher, more expensive, dosage has been observed.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Impact of previous aspergillosis on the outcome of bone marrow transplantation.

A retrospective analysis of 48 patients with documented or probable invasive aspergillosis (IA) prior to bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was conducted in 16 centers. Treatment of primary IA was medical in all 48 patients and surgical in 20; clinicoradiological resolution of IA occurred in 30 of 48 patients. Pretransplantation risk factors for relapse IA, total mortality, and IA-related mortality were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression with the following dichotomous risk factors: surgery as part of the initial treatment, resolution of IA by the time of BMT, donor type, conditioning regiment, total-body irradiation, T cell depletion, immunosuppressive therapy, type of antifungal prophylaxis, and growth factor prophylaxis. Conditioning with busulfan/cyclophosphamide was associated with a beneficial outcome for total survival and reduced IA-related mortality. Posttransplantation risk factors such as the development of graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD), therapy for GVHD, and the duration of neutropenia did not have a significant effect on relapse IA, IA-related mortality, or total mortality. The overall incidence of relapse IA was lower than expected (33% [16 of 48 patients]), but the mortality rate among relapsed patients was 88% (14 of 16). Patients receiving prophylaxis with absorbable or intravenous antifungals had less relapses of IA than did those not receiving prophylaxis (12 of 41 vs. four of seven, respectively). This finding reflects the need for better prophylaxis and new antifungal treatments for patients undergoing BMT who have a history of IA.

Amphotericin B↗