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Biomedical subjects

G Pelletier

Publications and source records attributed to G Pelletier.

At least 397 records · Page 22Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Relationships of weight gain and behavior to digestive organ weight and enzyme activities in piglets.

Organ weights and digestive enzyme contents of the pancreas, stomach and duodenum were measured in 75 nursing piglets at 21 d of age. Piglets were given creep feed from 10 d of age. Creep feed intake was less than 1.5 g.d-1.piglet-1 up to d 18; on d 19 and 20 it averaged 15 g.d-1.piglet-1. On d 10, piglets went to the feeder more frequently than on the following days. Feeding bouts were longer on d 16, 17 and 18 just prior to the increase in creep feed consumption. Means and SE for the parameters studied at 21 d of age were 7.01 +/- .18 mg for pancreas weight; 61,499 +/- 4,091 units of amylase (UA) and 1,510 +/- 110 UA/mg DNA; 2,962 +/- 189 units of chymotrypsin (UC) and 68.94 +/- 3.92 UC/mg DNA; 8.76 +/- .35 g for fundic mucosa weight; 558,875 +/- 49,287 units of pepsin (UP) and 12,338 +/- 1,175 UP/mg DNA; 1.75 +/- .06 g for duodenum weight; 1.39 +/- .07 units of maltase (UM) and .14 +/- .006 UM/mg DNA. Day-0 weight was not correlated with 21-d gain. Feeding behaviors were correlated positively with 21-d gains. Feeding behaviors and behaviors were correlated positively to pancreas total and specific enzyme contents as well as to stomach and duodenum weights, RNA/DNA ratios of the pancreas and the stomach and protein/DNA of the pancreas but were correlated negatively with specific and total pepsin and maltase activities. Variation was large in enzyme activities (cv = 35 to 82%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amylases↗
PubMed1989

Effect of human somatotropin-releasing factor and photoperiods on carcass parameters and mammary gland development of dairy heifers.

Forty-eight heifers (3 mo old) were subjected for 35 wk to twice daily s.c. injections of saline or human somatotropin-releasing factor (5 microgram.kg-1 BW) and photoperiod of 8 h (short day) or 16 h (long day) of light daily according to a 2 X 2 factorial design. There was no treatment effect on slaughter weight, withers height, and carcass length. Somatotropin-releasing factor increased thymus weight, metacarpal length, and protein content of the carcass but decreased carcass fat content. Long day photoperiod increased chest girth, pituitary weight, and carcass yield. Effects of somatotropin-releasing factor and photoperiod were not additive on volume of mammary parenchymal tissue; there was also a treatment interaction on liver and lung weights. However, extraparenchymal mammary tissue was decreased by human somatotropin-releasing factor and short day photoperiod. In conclusion, use of somatotropin-releasing factor and photoperiod treatments affected carcass parameters and composition and mammary growth.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Effects of photoperiod and pair-feeding on lactation of cows fed corn or barley grain in total mixed rations.

Effects of photoperiod and type of grain were assessed using 47 cows (wk 1; 59.5 d of lactation) exposed daily to 16 h of light (long day) and fed randomly one of two diets containing an equal amount of cracked corn or rolled barley. During wk 5, cows were assigned within each diet to long day and ad libitum feeding, short day (8 h of light: 2 h of dark: 2 h of light: 12 h of dark) and ad libitum feeding, or long day and ad libitum feeding (wk 5 to 8) followed by pair feeding with short day cows between wk 9 and 16. Milk composition was not affected by treatments. Between wk 9 and 16, long day cows fed for ad libitum consumption or pair fed produced 5 to 11% more milk than cows exposed to short day; feed intake of long day cows fed for ad libitum consumption was greater than short short day and long day cows pair fed cows. Milk yield and total feed intake were not affected by type of grain in the diet. In conclusion, long day photoperiod increased milk yield and feed intake.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1989

[Colonic endoscopic screening and familial antecedent of sporadic rectocolonic cancer. Controlled prospective study].

We searched for colorectal tumors in asymptomatic patients older than 40 years with family history of sporadic colorectal cancer (only first degree relatives). One hundred and four patients at risk had a left-sided (n = 60) or a total colonoscopy (n = 44) and were compared to 104 control patients, matched for age, sex and type of colonic investigation. Three cancers were detected in the group at risk, 1 in the control group (NS). One or more adenomas without carcinoma were found in 10 percent of the patients at risk and in 9 percent of the controls (NS). There was no difference between groups in the number, size, histologic type, degree of dysplasia, or location of adenoma in the colon. These results do not exclude a family predisposition to sporadic colorectal cancer or adenoma. Because of the low rate of adenoma detection, relatives of patients with sporadic colorectal carcinoma but without personal risk factors cannot be considered as a high risk group for colorectal endoscopic screening.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Idiopathic granulomatous hepatitis and lymphoma of serous membranes].

We described the case of a woman with idiopathic granulomatous hepatitis who developed a type B lymphoma with serous effusion six years later. This association raised the hypothesis that sarcoidosis or lymphoma could present as idiopathic liver granuloma. We suggest that lymphoma developed in our patient as a consequence of the granulomatous hepatitis. This lymphoma was particular because only sera were involved.

Ascitic Fluid↗
PubMed1989

Effect of pre-enucleation radiotherapy on the viability of human choroidal melanoma cells.

Using standard tissue culture techniques we cultured cells from 12 large choroidal melanomas to assess the capacity of pre-enucleation radiotherapy to decrease the viability of melanoma cells. Specimens from the six melanomas that received 40 Gy given in 20 daily fractions did not grow in tissue culture. Specimens from the six nonirradiated tumours did grow, with a mean in-vitro doubling time of 39.6 hours. The results show that the applied regimen of pre-enucleation radiotherapy decreased the viability of choroidal melanoma cells. Further study is needed to determine the correlation between the in-vitro characteristics of irradiated and nonirradiated choroidal melanomas.

Cell Count↗
PubMed1989

[Prognosis of spontaneous ascitic infection in cirrhotic patients].

The aim of this retrospective study was to define prognostic factors for cure and survival after spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. In a 4-year period from 1982 to 1986, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis was diagnosed in 38 consecutive hospitalized cirrhotic patients (positive ascites culture and polymorphonuclear cell concentration greater than 250 cells per mm3). Twenty-five patients recovered from their infection (69 p. 100) in a mean time of 9 +/- 7 days. The cumulative survival was 68 p. 100 at one week, 50 p. 100 at one month, and 25 p. 100 at one year. The best independent prognostic factors for lack of cure from peritonitis were a low ascitic pH value (p less than 0.001), an elevated serum creatinine level (p = 0.01) and the presence of hepatocellular carcinoma (p less than 0.05). The best prognostic factors for death were low ascitic pH value (p = 0.001) and gastrointestinal hemorrhage (p = 0.005). A low ascitic pH value was correlated with other signs of severe infection (signs of generalized infection, ongoing infection during the first week after diagnosis), with signs of severe liver disease (encephalopathy, hepatocellular carcinoma) or severe renal dysfunction (high serum creatinine level, low arterial pH value). Because of the late high-death rate associated with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, liver transplantation should be considered in these patients.

Bacterial Infections↗
PubMed1988

Mapping of estrogen receptor-producing cells in the rat brain by in situ hybridization.

The localization of cells which produce estrogen receptors in the rat central nervous system was performed using an in situ hybridization technique. For this, we used a synthetic oligonucleotide probe labeled with 35S complementary to the mRNA coding for a fragment (1-24) of estradiol receptor which is not common to the other steroid receptors so far characterized. Radioautography revealed that labeling was present in discrete brain areas. The results obtained with the in situ hybridization agree well with previous results obtained with other techniques. This approach should be very useful to study the effects of different factors on estrogen receptor gene expression in specific brain nuclei and individual neurons.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Distribution and characterization of neuropeptide Y-like immunoreactivity in the brain of the crested newt.

The newt brain represents a simplified model for the increasingly complex vertebrate neuronal organization. The localization of neuropeptide Y-like (NPY-like) containing neurons in the brain of Triturus cristatus was studied by means of indirect immunofluorescence, peroxidase-antiperoxidase, and avidin-biotin techniques using a highly specific antiserum. NPY-like positive cell bodies were observed in several areas, most notably in the telencephalon (primordium hippocampi and amygdaloid complex), the preoptic and suprachiasmatic areas, the hypothalamus, the dorsal thalamus, the tegmentum, and the rhombencephalon (laterolateral grey column and raphe area). Nerve fibres were particularly abundant in the pallium, striatum, septum, amygdaloid, preoptic neuropils, and pars intercalaris diencephali. Bundles of NPY-immunoreactive fibres also were visualized in the dorsal thalamus and in the posterior hypothalamus. The pars intermedia lacked any NPY-like positive fibres. Neuronal processes also were found in the tectum mesencephali and in the body of the cerebellum. A prominent NPY-like fibre network was observed in the octavolateralis. Concentrations of NPY measured by means of a specific radioimmunoassay were threefold higher in the hypothalamus (15.2 +/- 1.3 ng/mg proteins) than in the rhombencephalon (4.9 +/- 0.3) and the mesencephalon (4.3 +/- 0.2). The concentration found in the telencephalon was 2.1 +/- 0.3 ng/mg proteins. Sephadex G-50 gel chromatography of whole brain extracts indicated the presence of high molecular weight forms of NPY-like material in addition to the authentic peptide. Both amphibian and mammalian NPY peptides had an apparent molecular weight of 4,000 daltons, as evidenced by immunoblotting analysis. High-performance liquid chromatography demonstrated, however, that the newt peptide was slightly less hydrophobic than porcine NPY. The present findings indicate that NPY-immunoreactive neurons are widely distributed in the brain of urodeles. Our data indicate that the NPY molecule has been relatively well preserved during evolution.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Immunohistochemical and biochemical evidence for the presence of serotonin in amphibian adrenal chromaffin cells.

The presence of serotonin (5-HT) in chromaffin cells of the frog adrenal (inter-renal) gland has been demonstrated both by immunocytochemical and biochemical techniques. Using antisera against 5-HT and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) on consecutive sections, we found by means of the indirect immunofluorescence technique that a majority of chromaffin cells were also immunopositive for 5-HT. When antibodies to 5-HT and phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PNMT) were applied on consecutive sections, 5-HT-like immunoreactivity was observed in almost all epinephrine-producing cells which represented about 90% of the total chromaffin cells. No 5-HT-containing fibres could be detected. At the ultrastructural level, using a pre-embedding procedure associated with gold-silver intensification of the immunoperoxidase reaction, 5-HT-immunoreactivity was visualized in secretory vesicles essentially located in the periphery of epinephrine cells. Combination of high performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection showed the presence of both 5-HT and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA) in frog adrenal extracts. Transection of the splanchnic nerve enhanced 5-HT immunoreactivity and augmented the amount of 5-HT in adrenal extracts. Taken together, these results indicate that epinephrine-producing cells of the frog adrenal contain significant amounts of serotonin. The observation of the storage of 5-HT in secretory vesicles of epinephrine cells suggests that serotonin may be released with catecholamines under stress conditions.

Adrenal Medulla↗
PubMed1988

Binding and effect of atrial natriuretic factor on cyclic GMP formation and alpha-MSH secretion of intermediate pituitary cells.

The present study shows for the first time that in proopiomelanocortin cells of the rat intermediate pituitary gland ANF binds to two receptor forms, with apparent molecular weights of 150K and 70K. Scatchard plots revealed specific and high affinity non-interacting sites, with a KD value of about 3 nM and a density of 7,000 sites/cell. The presence of these binding sites was further confirmed by autoradiographic studies. Activation of these receptors led to an increase in cellular content of cGMP, with half-maximal effect being elicited with about 5 nM ANF, while cAMP formation was unaltered. Alpha-MSH secretion of intermediate pituitary cells was unaffected by ANF, whether the cells were incubated in the absence or presence of corticotropin-releasing factor or bromocryptine. These data thus indicate the presence of multiple ANF receptor sites in the intermediate pituitary which are coupled to cell production of cGMP, but independent of alpha-MSH secretion.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Neuropeptide Y-immunoreactive neurons receive synaptic inputs from dopaminergic axon terminals in the rat neostriatum.

Double immunocytochemistry using peroxidase-antiperoxidase and protein A-gold was performed to determine whether neuropeptide Y (NPY) immunoreactive neurons receive synaptic inputs from catecholaminergic axon terminals in the rat neostriatum. Tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive axons were found to be in synaptic contact with the somas and proximal dendrites of NPY-immunoreactive neostriatal neurons. These latter neurons were medium-sized and had indented nuclei, and thus were thought to be medium aspiny interneurons. Thus nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons may monosynaptically influence striatal NPY neurons.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Distribution and characterization of neuropeptide Y in the brain of an elasmobranch fish.

Using a specific antiserum raised against synthetic neuropeptide Y (NPY), the distribution of immunoreactivity in the brain and pituitary of the elasmobranch fish Scyliorhinus canicula has been examined with the indirect fluorescence and the peroxidase-antiperoxidase methods. The highest density of NPY-immunoreactive neurons was found in the basal telencephalon and in the hypothalamus. Numerous NPY-containing perikarya were located in the entopeduncular and the preoptic nuclei, in the nucleus lobi lateralis and in the nucleus lateralis tuberis. NPY-immunopositive fibers were observed throughout the fish brain. In particular, dense networks of fibers were present in the entopeduncular and the habenular nuclei, in the nucleus tuberculi posterioris and in the lateral lobes. Scattered fibers were observed in all other parts of the brain except in the cerebellum where no NPY-immunoreactive material could be detected. A plexus of NPY-immunoreactive fibers arising from the preoptic neurosecretory complex appeared to run through the basal hypothalamus and the pituitary stalk. These fibers terminated in the intermediate lobe of the pituitary, suggesting that NPY may be involved in the control of melanotropin secretion. The NPY-immunoreactive material localized in the brain and pituitary was characterized by combining high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis and radioimmunological detection. Brain and pituitary extracts showed a good cross-reactivity to the NPY antiserum, but serial dilutions of tissue samples did not completely parallel the standard curve. HPLC analysis resolved two major forms of immunoreactive NPY in the hypothalamus while the pars intermedia contained only authentic NPY. The widespread distribution of NPY neurons in the fish brain and pituitary suggests the involvement of NPY in a variety of physiological functions, including the neuroendocrine control of the pituitary.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

[Prevention of hemorrhagic recurrence in cirrhotic patients. Is sclerotherapy better than propranolol?].

The effectiveness of oral propranolol and sclerotherapy in preventing recurrent bleeding after an endoscopically proven haemorrhage from oesophageal varices was compared in Pugh's grade B and C patients divided into two successive therapeutic groups. Group I patients (n = 32) were given oral propranolol, while sclerotherapy was performed in group II patients (n = 32), 23 of whom simultaneously received propranolol. There was no difference between groups I and II in the severity of the initial bleeding and liver failure (Groups I/II, B 19/18, C 13/14), in the withdrawal of alcohol (group I 25, group II 17) and in compliance with either treatment (group I 25, group II 27). Obliteration of the oesophageal varices was achieved in 69 p. 100 of group II patients within a median number of 4 courses and 46 days, and in 84 p. 100 of the patients of this group who survived for more than 3 months. One year after the beginning of treatment rebleeding had occurred in 43 p. 100 of either group I or group II patients. The 1-year survival rate was 72 p. 100 in group I and 62 p. 100 in group II (non significant). The causes of death were the same in both groups. Irrespective of the treatment assigned, death was 2.1 times more frequent (P = 0.02) and rebleeding was 1.2 time more frequent (P = 0.08) in grade C than in grade B patients.

Esophageal and Gastric Varices↗