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Biomedical subjects

J Antoine

Publications and source records attributed to J Antoine.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Cerebellar ataxia with anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies: study of 14 patients.

BACKGROUND: Antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD-Ab) are described in patients with insulin-dependent (type 1) diabetes mellitus (IDDM), in stiff-man syndrome, and, recently, in a few patients with cerebellar ataxia. OBJECTIVES: To show a link between GAD-Ab and some patients with cerebellar ataxia and to clarify their clinical and immunologic profiles. METHODS: Serum samples were selected from 9000 samples of 4 laboratories. The selection criterion was an immunohistochemical pattern compatible with GAD-Ab that was confirmed by radioimmunoassay. We identified 22 patients with stiff-man syndrome and 14 with cerebellar ataxia and GAD-Ab. RESULTS: Thirteen of the 14 patients with cerebellar ataxia and GAD-Ab were women, and 11 had late-onset IDDM. Patients did not have clinical or radiologic evidence of brainstem involvement. Ten patients had oligoclonal IgG bands in the cerebrospinal fluid, and intrathecal GAD-Ab synthesis was observed in 5 of the 6 patients studied. The level of GAD-Ab of these patients was similar to those with stiff-man syndrome and significantly higher than those with IDDM or with polyendocrine autoimmunity (P<.001). However, the GAD-Ab levels of 6 of the 9 patients with polyendocrine autoimmunity overlapped with those of patients with cerebellar ataxia. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a link between high level of GAD-Ab and some cases of cerebellar ataxia, particularly women with IDDM. If high serum levels of GAD-Ab are detected, the cerebrospinal fluid should be evaluated for the presence of oligoclonal IgG bands and intrathecal synthesis of GAD-Ab to further prove an autoimmune origin of the syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Lactose (mal)digestion evaluated by the 13C-lactose digestion test.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of genetically determined lactase nonpersistence is based on the results of the lactose H2 breath test. This test, however, is an indirect test, which might lead to misinterpretation. DESIGN: We determined lactase activity in healthy Chinese and Dutch students using a novel 13C-lactose digestion test. The cut-off value of this test was established in a Chinese population with a homogenous genetic background of lactase nonpersistence and was compared with the results obtained in a Caucasian population. Twenty-five grams of a 13C-lactose solution was consumed by 12 known H2-positive and 5 H2-negative Chinese students and 48 Dutch students and, subsequently, 13C-glucose concentration in plasma and H2 excretion in breath were measured. RESULTS: A similar 13C-glucose response curve was found in all Chinese students. The mean response curve in the Dutch students was more pronounced (P < 0.01). The 1 h (peak) plasma 13C-glucose concentration was the best discriminator between lactose digesting and maldigesting subjects. The cut-off level of 2 mmol L-1 13C-glucose in plasma was defined in the H2-positive Chinese students group. Based on the 13C-glucose response the prevalence of lactose maldigestion in the Dutch subjects was 25%; based on the lactose H2 breath test 17%. CONCLUSIONS: Using the 13C-lactose digestion test the results demonstrate a higher prevalence of lactose maldigestion in a Caucasian population than indicated by the results of the H2 breath test. A moderate increase in the plasma 13C-glucose concentration after consumption of 13C-lactose in the young adult Chinese subjects indicates a residual lactase activity in that age group, even when a positive H2 breath test result is obtained. These results indicate that the 13C-glucose concentration in plasma more accurately reflects the small intestinal lactose digestion capacity than the lactose H2 breath test.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Effect of two types of fish oil supplementation on plasma and erythrocyte phospholipids in formula-fed term infants.

We studied the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation of infant formulas on fatty acid composition of blood phospholipids in term infants. Two fish oil supplemented formulas containing 0.45 wt% DHA and high (0.35%) or low (0.10%) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were fed for 42 days and compared with a standard formula and breast milk. Infants fed supplemented formulas and breast milk had similar time-dependent changes for DHA from birth to day 42, i.e., slight decreases in plasma phospholipids and erythrocyte phosphatidylcholine and no change in erythrocyte phosphatidylethanolamine. Low-EPA formula prevented EPA accumulation but did not limit the significant decrease in arachidonic acid (AA) noted in infants fed high-EPA formula. These results suggest that term infant formulas should be supplemented with DHA-rich EPA, low fish oil and AA to achieve a fatty acid status in formula-fed infants similar to that of breast-fed infants.

Arachidonic Acid↗
PubMed1990

[Some analytical aspects of mescaline].

Mescaline was extracted from a vegetal powder, seazed on the "Côte d'Azur", then analyzed by several techniques (thin layer chromatography, infra-red spectrometry, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) and determined by high performance liquid chromatography with methyl-amphetamine as internal standard. The powder contained 0.76% of mescaline. The presence of a possible isomer was noted in the powder as well as in a "old" sample of mescaline.

Chromatography, Thin Layer↗
PubMed1989

Fast neutron therapy clinical trials in the United States.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) began supporting clinical fast neutron clinical studies in the United States beginning in the early 1970s using physics-based cyclotrons and linear accelerators at a number of locations and facilities. The early work pointed out the handicaps imposed by the limitations of horizontal beams and low energy neutrons. This, combined with some encouraging, clinical results using neutrons and photons in a mixed mode of therapy, prompted the NCI in 1979 to initiate a 10-year contract program to design, develop, and build hospital-based neutron therapy machines and to conduct phase III clinical trials. As we approach the end of the 10-year effort, three hospital-based neutron facilities are currently operational-at the University of Washington, Seattle; University of California at Los Angeles: and M. D. Anderson Hospital at University of Texas System Cancer Center, Houston. Phase III trials are in progress in four sites: head and neck, prostate, and lung tumors, and cancers of radioresistant histologies, such as melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, and sarcomas of the soft tissue and bone. The contractors will continue to receive limited NCI support to complete the clinical studies.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed1976

Elastic compression in the prevention of venous stasis. A critical reevaluation.

The effect of elastic compression on venous flow in the legs provided by carefully fitted stockings has been measured by a venographic technic. The stocking used provides a gradually decreasing compression from ankle to groin. Clearance of stagnant blood from behind venous valves is clearly improved and the differences observed are statistically highly significant. These data suggest that the routine use of carefully fitted compression stockings will result in a decreased incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and provide a singularly safe, convenient, and noninvasive method of prophylaxis. Evidence presented suggests that at least two investigators have failed to show a decreased incidence of DVT in limbs subjected to elastic compression because the method of compression was inadequate .

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of treatment for colorectal cancer on long-term health-related quality of life.

BACKGROUND: Little information is available on the impact that therapies used in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) have on long-term, health-related quality of life (HRQL). Knowledge of how HRQL is affected by these therapies is essential in properly selecting patients for treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the long-term impact that surgical and adjuvant therapy for resectable CRC has on patient-reported HRQL in a male veteran population through a case-control design. METHODS: All participating patients had completed therapy at least 6 months before enrollment. One hundred fifty-eight patients were accrued over a 3-year period (January 1, 1997 to December 31, 1999) at a single institution. The impact of CRC surgery on HRQL was measured by comparing a cohort of 61 patients undergoing surgery alone for the treatment of CRC (CRC-S group) with 44 patients undergoing surgery for benign colonic disease (BCD group). To study the effect of adjuvant therapy for CRC on HRQL, a third cohort of 53 patients undergoing both surgical and adjuvant treatment (CRC-S/A group) was compared with the CRC-S group. For each group, health status was measured by a health survey questionnaire, SHORT FORM 36 (SF36). For patients treated for CRC, an additional disease-specific supplemental questionnaire also was used. RESULTS: Self-reported health status, as measured by mean SF36 score, was significantly reduced for the BCD group compared with CRC-S patients on general health perception (41.9 +/- 3.9 vs. 52.2 +/- 3.0, P = .04) and the standardized physical component score (31.2 +/- 1.7 vs. 37.5 +/- 1.5, P < .005). Despite an increased number of distally located tumors, later stage cancers, and an increased number of recurrences in the CRC-S/A group compared with the CRC-S cohort, no significant differences were identified between these groups on any of the subscales or standardized scores of SF36. Using the supplemental questions, no differences were identified between the CRC groups with respect to appetite, weight, or gastrointestinal or urinary functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical therapy for CRC probably has minimal impact on long-term HRQL when compared with surgery for benign colonic processes. Similarly, there does not appear to be a measurable, lasting impact of CRC adjuvant therapy on HRQL when compared with surgery alone. Although overall impact of therapies for CRC on HRQL appears to be limited, measurement of therapeutic influence on an individual level and identification of selection criteria based on estimated impact on HRQL for these therapies requires prospective validation.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Value of fat-suppression gradient-echo MR imaging in the diagnosis of ovarian cystic teratomas.

Gradient-echo MR imaging (MRI) was evaluated for the diagnosis of ovarian mature cystic teratomas (MCTs). The FLASH technique was applied to T1-weighted images with and without fat suppression in 18 surgical operated patients with 19 MCTs, and findings were compared to those of conventional spin-echo (SE) T1-weighted-SE. Seventeen out of 19 MCTs were correctly diagnosed using FLASH and SE T1-weighted MR images with and without fat saturation. This study suggests that gradient-echo MRI can replace conventional SE T1-weighted MRI for the diagnosis of ovarian MCTs.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Quantitation and ultraviolet spectrum identification of buflomedil in whole blood and plasma by HPLC.

Buflomedil, a vasodilating agent, was determined in whole blood or plasma by HPLC with papaverine as internal standard after absorption of the alkaline sample on an Extrelut column and elution with diethylether-methylene chloride (70:30, v/v). The eluate was evaporated and the residue was dissolved in 100 microL of the mobile phase; 20 microL of this solution were injected into a mu Bondapak C18 column (10 microns) using acetonitrile-0.125M potassium dihydrogen phosphate (40:60, v/v) as mobile phase and UV detection at 280 nm, followed by UV spectrum identification (between 200 and 350 nm) with a photodiode array detector. The method is rapid (giving response within 20 min), reproducible, selective, and sensitive. It can be applied for pharmacokinetic studies and for both clinical pharmacology and forensic toxicology.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗