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Biomedical subjects

G Muller

Publications and source records attributed to G Muller.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Construction and characterization of retroviral vectors expressing biologically active human interleukin-12.

Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a heterodimeric cytokine originally defined by its ability to induce the maturation of cytolytic lymphocytes and by its capacity to effectively synergize with IL-2 in the induction of cytolytic activity. Recent studies in mice have demonstrated the ability of IL-12 to cause tumor regression and stimulate long-term antitumor immunity in treated animals. To examine the antitumor effect of direct gene transfer of IL-12 into tumors, we have developed retroviral vectors that coordinately express both subunits of IL-12. An MFG-based retroviral vector was used to generate a recombinant retrovirus in which a long terminal repeat (LTR)-driven polycistronic transcript encodes both subunits of human IL-12: hp35 and hp40 cDNAs are linked and coexpressed using the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) from the encephalomyocarditis virus (DFG-hIL-12). In addition, two IRES sequences were used to express both subunits of IL-12 and a neomycin resistance (neoR) selectable marker gene from the same polycistronic message (TFG-hIL-12). The amphotropic DFG-hIL-12 and TFG-hIL-12 viruses were used to infect both human and murine cell lines as well as primary tumor cultures. The production of human IL-12 by the nonselected, infected cells was measured in both a PHA blast proliferation bioassay and an ELISA and ranged from 15 to 40 ng/10(6) cells per 24 hr. Following G418 selection of TFG-hIL-12-infected cells, the level of expression of IL-12 was significantly higher (up to 120 ng/10(6) cells per 24 hr). The IL-12 protein secreted by the infected cells exhibited all of the biologic activities of recombinant hIL-12: proliferation of activated natural killer (NK) and T cells, stimulation of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) induction by NK and T cells, and enhancement of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) activity. These retroviral vectors expressing human IL-12 should be useful in evaluating the biological properties of IL-12 as well as for use in clinical trials for gene therapy of patients with cancer.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

[Insulin dependent diabetes and pregnancy: evaluation of the insulin pump].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of continuous insulin infusion (insulin pump) on the materno-foetal morbidity during pregnancy in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A retrospective study from 1980 to 1991. SITE. Gynecology-Obstetrics Unit, University of Caen. POPULATION: Eighty-one patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus known to be affected before their pregnancy were followed in the unit from 1980 to 1991. This population was divided into two groups: in the first group, an insulin pump was installed before 15 weeks of amenorrhoea (n = 36) and in the second group, conventional treatment was given with three daily injections of insulin or with a pump installed after 15 weeks of amenorrhoea (n = 45). RESULTS: In the first group with the insulin pump before 15 weeks, there was a higher proportion of severe diabetes, the first consultation occurred earlier, there were half as many cases of neonatal jaundice and the length of hospitalization during the first trimester of pregnancy was longer. There was no difference in Apgar scores, cord pH, birth weight and the proportion of foetal macrosomia, length of the hospitalization in the neonatality ward, rate of malformation, infection, low blood glucose and calcium, transitive respiratory distress and neonatal polycythaemia, length of hospitalization of the mother during the second and third week postpartum, the rate of urinary infection, high blood pressure, hydramnios during pregnancy, delivery route, haemoglobin Alc or fructosamine during pregnancy. There was no perinatal death. CONCLUSION: Although there was no significant difference in the results, which may be explained by the higher number of severe cases of diabetes in the first group, the use of the insulin pump did not appear to improve control of blood glucose levels, and thus to improve the materno-foetal prognosis, except by the bias of earlier attentive management of the pregnancy which led to better outcome.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Cervical ripening with prostaglandin E2 in a scarred uterus during the third trimester of pregnancy. Report of 82 cases].

AIM: To study the feasibility, the results and the complications of cervical ripening using PG2 in scarred uterus in the third trimester of pregnancy. METHOD: A retrospective study of 82 cases of which 10 had ruptured membranes. The administration of 0.5 mgs of PG2 by the intracervical route after Beta-mimetic drugs by the intramuscular route. RESULTS: In 78% of the cases it was possible to improve the condition of the cervix so that labour could be induced or that it would start spontaneously. It was possible to deliver the baby vaginally in 67% of cases. There was no case of ruptured uterus. CONCLUSION: It seems possible that when there is a medical indication to induce labour to ripen the cervix using PG2 in a scarred uterus in the third trimester of pregnancy. The administration of beta-mimetic drugs for ripening and the use of tocometry to monitor labour seemed to be important precautions that have to be taken.

Albuterol↗
PubMed1993

Automatic display of RNA secondary structures.

A set of programs written in C language with the GL library and under UNIX has been developed for generating compact, pleasant and non-overlapping displays of secondary structures of ribonucleic acids. The first program, rnasearch, implements a new search procedure that dynamically rearranges overlapping portions of the two-dimensional drawing while preserving clear and readable displays of the two-dimensional structure. The algorithm is fast (the execution time for the command rnasearch is 38.6 s for the 16S rRNA of Escherichia coli with 1542 bases), accepts outputs from two-dimensional prediction programs and therefore allows for rapid comparison between the various two-dimensional folds generated. A second program, rnadisplay, allows the graphical display of the computed two-dimensional structures on a graphics workstation. Otherwise, it is possible to obtain a paper output of the two-dimensional structure by using the program print2D which builds a Postscript file. Moreover the two-dimensional drawing can be labelled for representing data coming from chemical modifications and/or enzymatic cleavages. Application to a few secondary structures such as RNaseP, 5S rRNA and 16S rRNA are given.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1992

Aluminum transfer through milk in female rats intoxicated by aluminum chloride.

Female rats received an ip injection of aluminum chloride (10 mg Al/kg/d) during the first 12 d after parturition; this treatment led to a reduction in food intake associated with a reduction in body wt. Pups of the intoxicated dams showed a growth retardation after postnatal day 7. One day after treatment, the female rats intoxicated with aluminum had a considerably higher level of aluminum in milk than controls. The aluminum levels of plasma, liver, spleen, and kidneys were also significantly higher in treated female rats than controls. On the contrary, in the same tissues of pups from treated or not treated dams, no differences in aluminum levels were observed. No effect of aluminum treatment was detected on plasma silicon levels in dams and pups.

Aluminum↗
PubMed1992

[Management of the scarred uterus].

On the basis of 899 cases of uterine scarring following cesarean section, the authors carried out a prophylactic cesarean in 42% of cases. Labor ended in childbirth by the genital tract in 44% of cases. The very low incidence of uterine rupture since segmental hysterotomy has become widespread and the improved fetal and maternal prognosis are all reasons to prefer delivery by the genital tract. One of the factors in choosing the method of childbirth is radiopelvimetry and estimation of the fetal weight; however, the suspicion of a threshold pelvis is not a contraindication to the labor test which was successful in 70% of the authors cases. On condition that strict obstetrical monitoring is possible, oxytocic drugs can be used to induce labor or correct hypokinesia and to administer a peridural analgesic. Routine extraction is no longer necessary during the expulsion phase but the authors remain faithful to uterine revision. In general, the labor test should be suggested as often as possible and should receive the same monitoring and treatment methods as for an intact uterus.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1991

Changing trends in preterm childbirth.

Progress in perinatal care has been accompanied recently by increasing numbers of induced premature deliveries because of fetal distress. This is confirmed by study of 26,796 consecutive births in the Caen Hospital Group between 1980 and 1987. Study of the fate of these children shows that this attitude has not led to any excess mortality when the share of the IPD before 32 weeks are regularly growing. This would imply that the prematurity rate is no longer a sufficiently accurate epidemiological index for the evaluation of prenatal care policies.

Female↗
PubMed1991

Oesophageal involvement in rheumatoid arthritis patients: a study with oesophageal radionuclide transit using 81Krm.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease affecting mainly the joints. In addition, signs of systemic disease are likely to be present although they are not always clinically evident. Oesophageal motility dysfunction, present in 75% of progressive systemic sclerosis patients, was also reported in various other connective tissue diseases. The present study involved 32 rheumatic patients devoid of any gastrointestinal complaints or diseases: 16 RA, nine Raynaud's syndrome and seven mild osteoarthritis as controls. Oesophageal transit was assessed by using 81Krm radionuclide scan, a sensitive and non-invasive technique. Diffusing lung capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) was performed as evidence of subclinical systemic involvement. Abnormal oesophageal transit was observed in 5/16 RA (31%). Two of them were subsequently discarded due to the presence of asymptomatic goiter and asymptomatic gastrointestinal reflux leaving 3/14 RA for analysis. They all had extra-articular features (EAF) (pericarditis, nodules) and two of them had diminished DLCO. Two with Raynaud's syndrome had abnormal oesophageal transit but none of the controls had abnormal oesophageal transit. Upper gastrointestinal dysfunction after exclusion of symptomatic patients appears thus to be not very frequent in RA, even when a sensitive technique is used. Radionuclide transit scanning of the oesophagus is not a more useful method than others in detecting early EAF in RA.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

The supramolecular organization of ovomucin. Biophysical and morphological studies.

Ovomucin participates in the ovomucin-gel-forming properties because of its shape and its ability to interact in a specific spatial organization. Purified from chicken egg-white by exclusion chromatography with Sephacryl S-300 and Sepharose CL-2B and analysed by light-scattering, it exhibited an Mr of about 40 x 10(6). This large Mr can be explained by the aggregation of polymers that can be degraded into 3 x 10(6)-Mr fragments by reduction with dithiothreitol. The values for hydrodynamic parameters such as Mr, radius of gyration, hydrodynamic radius, mass per unit length and combinations of them suggested that ovomucin is a linear and highly flexible molecule conferring upon it a random-coil-like structure in 0.2 M-NaCl solution. Analysis of the ovomucin molecules by electron microscopy revealed its linear character but also indicated a lower Mr than that obtained in the light-scattering experiments. By temperature-induced non-specific aggregation of an ovomucin solution containing other globular egg proteins, an attempt was made to find out what conditions are required for gel formation and to examine the quality of aggregation that is obtained under these conditions. Results show that the viscosity of the solution did not increase after heat treatment. Apparently, in the ovomucin gel, specific spatial organization of the ovomucin molecules is required for hydrogel formation.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Developmental alterations in offspring of female rats orally intoxicated by aluminum lactate at different gestation periods.

Pregnant rats were treated orally with aluminum lactate (400 mg Al/kg/day) during three periods of gestation to determine the treatment's influence on mortality, weight gain, neuromotor maturation, and learning abilities of their pups. No effect of treatment on litter size, mortality rate, and weight gain of pups was detected. In the negative geotaxis test, the scores of pups from females treated during the second and third weeks of gestation were diminished. In the locomotor coordination and the operant conditioning tests, significant differences in the comparison of controls vs. the three treated groups were found, indicating long-term effects of early intoxication upon the central nervous system.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Regnauld procedure for hallux valgus.

Between 1975 and 1986, 75 female patients with painful hallux valgus deformity underwent 100 Regnauld procedures. Of these 75 patients, 50 patients underwent unilateral surgery and 25 patients had simultaneous bilateral surgery. The average age of our patient was 45 years. These operations were performed by two different orthopedic surgeons. Over 90% of our patients were satisfied with the operation. Eighty-five percent had no pain, had a satisfactory cosmetic result, and had no complaints about their footwear. Only one patient had severe problems with high heels. Mobility and radiographic evaluation did not correspond with the clinical results. This type of procedure can be performed as an alternative to the Keller-procedure in the middle-aged or elderly patient with no severe arthritis and no osteoporosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[Value of a velocimetric study of the uterine arteries in retroplacental hematoma. 3 case reports].

Retroplacental hematoma is a sudden event with a poor prognosis, the latter being aggravated by the very frequent lack of predictive clinical, laboratory or echographic signs. Does studying the velocity of blood flow in uterine arteries have a predictive value in this disease? The equipment used was a continuous Döppler with spectral analysis and probe of 4 MHz, without echographic identification. Each examination systematically included the study of the 2 uterine arteries and the umbilical flow. The technique for recording flow in the uterine arteries is described. A report is given of three cases of retroplacental haematoma. An increase in the resistance index in one of the uterine arteries was found in the three cases (twice on the right, and once on the left), with a protodiastolic notch on the curve, whereas the umbilical index itself was normal and there were no other sign that indicated the placental event. The Döppler is already known to be of value in numerous indications in obstetrics: it should be possible to extend these indications even further, particularly if this preliminary study is confirmed on a broader scale.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[A comparative study of pulsed Doppler versus continuous Doppler technic without spectral analysis in obstetrics].

We conducted a study in 48 parturients in order to: --assess the possibilities of continuous Doppler examination without preliminary ultrasonographic localization and without spectral analysis, to measure the traditional hemodynamic parameters of fetal development (in particular on the umbilical cord). --to compare these results with those obtained using pulsed Doppler-scan as reference. The protocol was very strict and neither of the two practitioners was aware of the other practitioner's results. With the continuous Doppler examination, the uterine arteries were systematically localized and recorded. The technique is simple in trained hands. The material included an ultrasonograph fitted with two probes (3.5 and 5 MHz, equipped with a pulsed Doppler) and a continuous Doppler (only the 4 MHz probe was used). Because the tests were sometimes repeated, 63 measurements were obtained in 48 parturients, mean age was 29.3 years and mean gestational age was 32.9 weeks. The reason for the examination varied: intrauterine growth retardation and/or maternal hypertension, diabetes, etc. The results obtained from the cord proved to be very encouraging: 42 of the 54 measurements were comparable (77.7%) showed an index difference less than or equal to 0.05. Only 4 (7.4% of the measurements) maximum deviations were observed (exceeding 0.10). The mean Pourcelot index on the Doppler scan was 0.677. With the continuous Doppler, it was 0.676. The 13 abnormal measurements with the pulsed Doppler were also abnormal with the continuous Doppler. The uterine arteries were recorded and measured with the continuous Doppler 42 times on the right (68.8% of the cases) and 34 times on the left (55.7%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Tubal adenocarcinoma. Apropos of 4 cases and review of the literature].

The authors describe 4 cases of tubal cancer reported in the gynaecology department of the University Hospital in Caen and review the international literature. If all authors are in agreement on the early symptoms (leukorrhea, haemorrhages, pelvic pain), the lack of diagnosis before the procedure, the lack of information regarding the staging and the grading, as well as the surgical and radiation treatment, there is, above all, controversy regarding the use of chemotherapy, since the low number of patients in the different series does not permit reaching a conclusion.

Adenocarcinoma↗