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Biomedical subjects

H Levesque

Publications and source records attributed to H Levesque.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

[Cryptococcus neoformans meningitis and cirrhosis. Value of fluconazole].

We report the case of a 80-old-year woman with cryptococcal meningitis and cirrhosis. The diagnosis of this rare infectious complication is probably underestimated in patients with cirrhosis. Of diagnostic value is the detection of cryptococcal antigen in cerebral fluid. Fluconazole could improve an otherwise poor prognostic.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Serum hyaluronate in rheumatoid arthritis: study by affino-immunoenzymatic assay.

Serum level of hyaluronate (HA) was assayed by an affino-immunoenzymatic method using hyaluronectin, in 25 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 24 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and 103 controls. The mean serum HA level was significantly higher (p less than 0.001) in RA (171 +/- 39 micrograms/l) than in controls (22.4 +/- 1.6 micrograms/l) and AS patients (30.3 +/- 3.0 micrograms/l). The mean HA level in RA on corticosteroids (98.2 +/- 25.9 micrograms/l) was significantly lower (p less than 0.05) than that of RA without steroids (220.1 +/- 60.5 micrograms/l). The serum HA levels were not correlated with clinical or serological indicators of inflammatory activity. This increase in serum HA probably reflected an excessive production by rheumatoid synovium and not a lowered catabolism, all patients having normal hepatic function. The origin of the increased synthesis is still unknown. These results suggest that serum hyaluronate is not a universal indicator of inflammation but is perhaps a characteristic of RA.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Hypoglycemia induced by cibenzoline in the elderly].

Hypoglycaemia induced by class IA antiarrhythmic agents has been described. A case of cibenzoline-induced hypoglycaemia with favourable outcome is reported. The patient's age (84 years), increased renal impairment and malnutrition acted as facilitating factors. Blood insulin levels were normal in both absolute and relative values. Therapeutic overdosage in relation to age and renal function has been found in 20 out of 24 cases published or recorded by the French pharmacovigilance system. The mechanism of this hypoglycaemia is uncertain; absolute or relative hyperinsulinism has been detected in only 5 out of 14 controlled cases.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of diabetes and insulin treatment of diabetic rats on hyaluronan and hyaluronectin production in injured aorta.

The present study was conducted to determine the effect of diabetes with and without insulin treatment on the production of hyaluronen (HA) and distribution of hyaluronectin (HN) in the rat aorta 14 days after injury with a catheter balloon. Injury increased intima-media wet weight (+11%) and DNA content (+37.5%). This increase was slightly enhanced in untreated diabetic rats (+14.7% for wet weight and +48.9% for DNA content) and was significantly greater in diabetic rats treated with insulin (+28.9% for wet weight and +54% for DNA content). HA content increase in the injured aorta of nondiabetic rats (+43.6%) was similar in untreated diabetic (+44.7%) and more pronounced in diabetic rats treated with insulin (+91.3%). HA was markedly expressed in the neointima of nondiabetic rats, particularly near the lumen of the aorta. In untreated diabetic rats, HA was present throughout the neointima and not mainly close to the lumen. HA staining in the neointima of diabetic rats treated with insulin was similar to that in nondiabetic rats. HN was strongly expressed throughout the neointima of all groups. Injury enhanced the production of a high molecular mass HN (>400 kDa); this was not observed either in untreated or in insulin-treated diabetic rats. In conclusion, insulin treatment promoted the proliferative response of aorta to injury and this was associated mainly with increased HA production. This finding suggests that HA, which has been shown to play a crucial role in smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration, may be involved in the promoting effect of insulin treatment on arterial wall reaction to injury.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An uncommon association: celiac disease and dermatomyositis in adults.

We describe the case of a patient with a two-year history of adult dermatomyositis (DM) who developed malabsorption revealing celiac disease. Our observation raises the question of an association between DM and celiac disease as part of a continuum, suggesting that celiac disease may be included within the spectrum of the gastrointestinal manifestations of DM and polymyositis (PM). From a practical point of view, our data indicate that the diagnosis of celiac disease should be suspected in PM/DM patients exhibiting malabsorption syndrome. Based on our findings, we further emphasize that an evaluation for celiac disease, including anti-gliadin antibodies, anti-endomysium antibody and tissue trans-glutaminase antibodies should be considered in PM/DM patients presenting with unusual and unexplained gastrointestinal features. This could lead to the early management of such patients, resulting in decreased morbidity (i.e., malnutrition and malignancy) related to misdiagnosed celiac disease.

Celiac Disease↗