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J Charbonneau

Publications and source records attributed to J Charbonneau.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Impact of fatigue on the quality of life of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.

OBJECTIVE: Fatigue is a frustrating symptom frequently reported by patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), but it is still poorly understood and not well evaluated. Our aim was to determine its importance and its impact on the quality of life and mental health status of patients with PBC. METHODS: Patients with PBC (103 women and 13 men with a mean age of 52.6 yr) completed self-report questionnaires to evaluate the impact of fatigue on their quality of life (Fatigue Impact Scale, FIS), the perception of their own mental health (Symptom Check list-90-R, SCL), and depression (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI). A cohort of age-matched healthy blood donors served as controls. RESULTS: Fatigue was present in 99 patients (85.3%) and was the worst or one of the worst symptoms in about half of them. In PBC patients, the mean FIS and SCL indexes were significantly increased, compared to healthy controls (1.49 +/- 1.11 vs 0.6 +/- 0.6 and 0.72 +/- 0.55 vs 0.36 +/- 0.35, respectively). Unexpectedly, 52 patients (44.8%) could be classified as having depression (BDI score > 10). Significant correlations were found between the FIS and SCL indexes, between the FIS index and the BDI score, as well as between the BDI score and the SCL index. Finally, fatigue was not related to the disease severity parameters, that is, clinical, biochemical, metabolic, and pathological. CONCLUSIONS: Fatigue is a frequent and disabling complaint that impairs the quality of life of PBC patients and their perception of their own mental health, which may be associated with an unexpected depressive condition. In addition, the FIS questionnaire can be considered as a useful tool to assess fatigue in PBC patients and may be used in the evaluation of specific treatments aimed at reducing this complaint in such patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Role of carbohydrate structures in CEA-mediated intercellular adhesion.

Human carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a member of a family of cell surface glycoproteins representing a subset of the immunoglobulin superfamily and is a major tumor marker. CEA has been demonstrated to function in vitro, at least, as a homotypic intercellular adhesion molecule. CEA can also inhibit the differentiation of several different cell types and contribute to tumorigenesis, an activity that requires CEA-CEA interactions. Post-translational modifications that could modulate CEA-CEA binding are therefore of interest. CEA is heavily glycosylated with 28 consensus sites for the addition of asparagine-linked carbohydrate structures, leading to a molecule with a bottle brush-like structure. In order to modulate the glycosylation of CEA, we transfected the functional cDNA of CEA into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) mutant cells, Lec1, Lec2, and Lec8, which are deficient in enzymes responsible for various steps in the glycosylation processing pathway. Aggregation assays of cells in suspension were performed with stable CEA transfectants of these cell lines and showed that all of the aberrant CEA glycoforms could still mediate adhesion. In addition, the specificity of adhesion of these glycoforms was unchanged, as shown by homotypic and heterotypic adhesion assays between the transfectants. Lec1 and Lec2 transfectants did, however, show an increased speed and final extent of aggregation, which is consistent with models in which sugar structures interfere with binding through protein domains. Lec8 transfectants, on the other hand, with more truncated sugar structures than Lec2, showed less aggregation than wild type (WT) transfectants. We therefore conclude that carbohydrates do not determine the adhesion property of CEA or its specificity, in spite of the unusually high degree of glycosylation; they do, however, modulate the strength of adhesion.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Efficacy of oxonia active against selected spore formers.

Alternatives to hydrogen peroxide are being sought for use in aseptic packaging systems because this sterilant is efficacious at temperatures higher than some of the newer packaging materials can tolerate. Earlier in this century, peracetic acid was known to be bactericidal, sporicidal, and virucidal but was not widely used because of handling, toxicity, and stability problems. Sanitizer suppliers have capitalized on the efficacy of hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid, and peracetic acid stabilized with a sequestering agent. Formulations have been improved and marketed as Oxonia Active, and its use as an alternative sterilant to hydrogen peroxide merits evaluation. Oxonia was assessed at a concentration of 2% and a temperature of 40 degrees C against a number of spore-forming organisms, including foodborne pathogens. Spores tested in aqueous suspension showed an order of sensitivity (least to greatest) to Oxonia as follows: Bacillus cereus > B. subtilis A > B. stearothermophilus > B. subtilis var. globigii > B. coagulans > Clostridium sporogenes (PA3679) > C. butyricum > C. botulinum type B (nonproteolytic) > C. botulinum type B (proteolytic) = C. botulinum type A = C. botulinum type E. B. subtilis A and B. stearothermophilus spores tested in the dry state were less sensitive to Oxonia than when tested in aqueous suspension. B. cereus, a foodborne pathogen, proved to be markedly less sensitive to Oxonia under the described test conditions. The decreased sensitivity to Oxonia by the foodborne pathogen B. cereus raises concern about the efficacy of the sterilant for aseptic packaging of low-acid foods. Further work will be needed to determine if this decreased sensitivity is an inherent property of the organism that affords unusual protection against Oxonia or if the challenge parameters selected were at the minimum conditions for efficacy.

Acetates↗
PubMed1996

[Sexual abuse and negligence: same causes, same effects, same treatment?].

The issues surrounding sexual abuse and negligence are rarely examined in parallel by researchers and social workers. Based on a review of relevant literature and on a preliminary analysis of data collected during two surveys, the authors present in this article a comparison of these two subjects. In short, sexual abuse and negligence do not seem to differ fundamentally when it is a matter of establishing the state of health of victims once under the care of authorities and of choosing a type of psychosocial intervention. However, the researchers do look closely at very different risk factors when analyzing the family environment and the characteristics of the actors involved.

Child↗
PubMed1995

Ondansetron: perioperative use of a serotonin receptor antagonist for the prevention and treatment of nausea and vomiting.

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are common side effects after surgery and have numerous patient factors and etiologies. Although self-limiting, PONV is not without risks and complications. In the past numerous antiemetics have been used successfully in the management of PONV; however, these drugs are associated with adverse effects. Ondansetron is a serotonin receptor antagonist that is effective in preventing and treating PONV. It is believed that ondansetron binds at the serotonin receptor both in the vagal afferents of the gastrointestinal tract and in the chemoreceptor trigger zone. The reported side effects from ondansetron are minor compared with those of the more commonly used antiemetics such as droperidol and metoclopramide and include headache, dizziness, musculoskeletal pain, drowsiness and sedation, and shivers.

Antiemetics↗
PubMed1991

[Is chemotherapy with cisplatin useful in non small cell bronchial cancer at staging IV? Results of a randomized study].

The benefit of chemotherapy for patients with disseminated non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is controversial. The introduction of cisplatinum in the combination chemotherapy for NSCLC gave rise to higher response rates. To study the question of the usefulness of cisplatinum-based chemotherapy in disseminated NSCLC we conducted a prospective randomized trial comparing best supportive care to vindesine + cisplatin. Between December 1985 and March 1988, 49 patients with stage IV NSCLC were enrolled. Of the 46 eligible patients 24 were in the chemotherapy group and 22 in the best supportive care group. The treatment groups were not significantly different in terms of age, performance status, histology. Toxicity on the chemotherapy arm grade 3 or more was observed in 17.5% for neutropenia, in 8.75% for vomiting. There was one death related to treatment. The overall response rate in the chemotherapy group was 41.7%. Patients of the chemotherapy group had a median survival time of 199 days and the patients of the best supportive care group had a median survival time of 73 days. The difference in survival is highly significant (p less than 0.001).

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Adjunctive strategies to enhance peripheral warming: clinical techniques.

This study investigates common successful strategies to increase peripheral temperature with biofeedback. Eighteen BCIA-certified therapists (average years of practice, 7.5) were interviewed by telephone for 30 to 45 minutes regarding successful peripheral warming strategies. The practitioners reported using multiple teaching strategies, either concurrently or sequentially. These responses were organized into an interrelated four-category model that consists of the following: (1) Attentional Category--shifting from active to passive attention; (2) General Arousal Category--shifting from hyper- to hypoarousal; (3) Proprioceptive/Kinesthetic Awareness Category--shifting from decreased to increased body awareness; (4) Self-Image/Self-Esteem Category--shifting from negative to positive self-image/self-esteem. These four categories and their corresponding techniques can be used to facilitate peripheral warming.

Biofeedback, Psychology↗
PubMed1981

[Current deaths due to tuberculosis in France. Analysis of 126 deaths recorded in tuberculosis sufferers in 1975 and 1976 in the Bas-Rhin region (author's transl)].

The authors present a study involving 103 cases of death during active tuberculosis and 23 cases of death as a result of complications related to sequelae of tuberculosis recorded in the Bas-Rhin region in 1975 and 1976. Whilst amongst these 103 deaths, the majority concerned elderly individuals, there were nevertheless 20% of deaths due to tuberculosis below the age of 55. The majority of these tuberculosis sufferers had advanced pulmonary lesions where specific therapy had not had time to act. A certain number of deaths could have been avoided, even in the elderly subjects. Of the 23 cases of death due to sequelae, 2/3 died of respiratory failure and 1/5 of secondary aspergillus infection, illustrating the grave prognosis in certain sequelae of tuberculosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

[Hereditary antithrombin III deficiency causing recurrent thrombo-embolic problems (author's transl)].

A marked deficiency in antithrombin III (AT III) was demonstrated in a 39-year-old man suffering from recurrent thrombo-embolic problems. The patient's father had died following a thrombo-embolic disorder. A certain number of members of the family also showed evidence of a marked decrease in AT III levels. Although it was not possible to study the patient's parents, it would seem reasonable to conclude that the diagnosis was one of hereditary deficiency in AT III. The various aspects of this disorder discovered by Egeberg are reviewed: early onset, in several members of the same family, or recurrent thrombo-embolic problems, accompanied by a decrease in functional activity of one of the principal inhibitors of thrombin (AT III), with autosomal dominant transmission and treatment based upon anti-vitamin K agents.

Adult↗