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Biomedical subjects

J C Vernant

Publications and source records attributed to J C Vernant.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

[Tropical spastic paraparesis in Martinique. High prevalence of anti-HTLV-I antibodies].

Owing to the frequent occurrence in tropical countries of subacute spinal cord diseases of unknown origin, a nosological entity called tropical spastic paraparesis has been individualized. Twenty-two cases have been observed in Martinique. The presence in the serum of antibodies directed against human T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma virus (HTLV-I) in 15 of these 22 patients suggests that this lymphotropic virus or a related one might also be neurovirulent.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Antibodies to human T-lymphotropic virus type-I in patients with tropical spastic paraparesis.

10 out of 17 (59%) patients with tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) had antibodies to human T-lymphotropic virus-I (HTLV-I), as did 5 out of 5 TSP patients with systemic symptoms. Only 13 out of 303 (4%) controls, made up of blood donors, medical personnel, and other neurological patients, had such antibodies. These findings suggest either that HTLV-I is neurotropic or that the virus or a related one contributes to the pathogenesis of TSP.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

[Involvement of the large vessels supplying the brain in sickle cell disease: a possible cause of Moya-moya (author's transl)].

In two children (1 girl and 1 boy aged 6 years) with an SS haemoglobinopathy, a neurological deficit affecting one half of the body led to arteriograms being performed. These revealed stenoses of the major vessels (above all anterior and middle cerebral with development of a collateral circulation giving an appearance suggestive of Moya-moya syndrome). Various aetiologies have been suggested for this syndrome: congenital disease, oral contraceptives, atheroma. Sickle cell disease is a new cause. The mechanism would appear to be fibrosis proliferating secondary to sub-endothelial anoxia caused by sludging in the vasa vasorum.

Anemia, Sickle Cell↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sicca syndrome and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to describe the clinical and immunological aspects observed in patients with both human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis and ocular dryness. METHODS: In 15 such patients, clinical and biological examinations completed with a biopsy of secondary salivary glands were performed to assess the etiology of the ocular dryness. RESULTS: Histological study of the biopsy specimens indicated that 80% of the patients had grade 3 or grade 4 lesions, according to the Chisholm scale. Polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia was found in 60% of patients and lymphocytic alveolitis in 80%. Three patients had past medical history of chronic uveitis. CONCLUSIONS: All findings in these patients were compatible with Sjögren's syndrome; however, no immunological disorders characteristic of the syndrome were found. Tests for antinuclear antibodies and rheumatoid factor proved negative in all cases.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Neurologic manifestations related to HTLV-1 viruses].

The human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1 was the first human retrovirus to be isolated in 1980 by R. Gallo and coworkers. As its name indicates, this virus is responsible for adult T-cell leukaemia. In 1985, the neurological manifestations associated with this disease were isolated from the tropical spastic paraplegia group in Martinique. Since that time, such manifestations have been reported in non-tropical countries in other foci of viral endemia and sporadically outside these regions. These neurological manifestations are totally independent of the haematological manifestations with which they are virtually never associated. Frequent in areas of viral endemia, they may be encountered in other countries open to human migrations, where they are too often overlooked.

HTLV-I Infections↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Tropical neuromyelopathies and retroviruses: a review.

Debilitating disorders of the nervous system have a relatively high prevalence in the tropics, a geographic region that is often deficient in specialists in the fields of neurology and epidemiology. During World War II, attention was called to a possible nutritional origin for most of these diseases. Recently, however, human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I), formerly linked only to a rare form of leukemia (adult T cell leukemia), has been associated with a spastic paraplegia observed mostly in tropical areas and referred to as tropical spastic paraparesis. This entity is also observed in nontropical areas endemic for HTLV-I, including Japan, South America, and the southern United States. Viruses of the HTLV family are being associated increasingly with pathology in humans. The pathogenesis of HTLV-I-associated tropical spastic paraparesis remains to be understood. However, future research is expected to favor a multidisciplinary approach, with exciting potential insights derived from the fields of neurology, immunology, and infectious diseases. The aim of this review is to summarize contemporary research related to the viral etiology of this clinical entity.

Acute Disease↗