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Biomedical subjects

J Dequeker

Publications and source records attributed to J Dequeker.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Compliance and long-term effect of azathioprine in 65 rheumatoid arthritis cases.

Azathioprine has been used in our unit as a third line disease modifying drug (DMD) since 1969. In 65 patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA), [45 females and 20 males, mean age 55.2 years (32 to 76), mean duration of disease 14 years (1 to 41)], azathioprine was given in an average dose of 1.5 mg/kg body weight/day for a mean duration of 33.4 months (range 1 to 108). The mean follow-up was five years. One hundred and eighty-four patient years of treatment with azathioprine were observed. After three months' treatment, significant subjective and objective improvement was observed in 65% of the cases. This improvement remained in 29 cases who received continuous treatment for two years. In 12 of the 20 seropositive RA cases, a reduction of at least three dilutions in the rheumatoid factor titre was noted. In the 24 patients who were corticosteroid dependent, the dosage of steroids could be reduced by 35% and in four steroids could be stopped completely. Compliance after two years (n = 54) was still 67%. Azathioprine treatment had to be stopped in 23 patients because of ineffectiveness in nine and adverse effects in 14. In three cases (4.6%) a malignant tumour occurred: one lymphoma and two adenocarcinomata. Low dose azathioprine therapy was shown to be useful as a third line disease modifying drug in RA without an increase in oncogenic risk. Compliance for azathioprine was found to be very satisfactory compared to other drugs.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1982

Dynamics of growth hormone secretion in patients with osteoporosis and in patients with osteoarthrosis.

Basal plasma growth hormone levels as well as growth hormone levels during insulin -induced hypoglycemia have been studied in 19 cases with osteoporosis, in 34 patients with primary osteoarthrosis and in 19 control subjects. Women with primary osteoarthrosis had basal growth hormone levels significantly higher than control patients and patients with osteoporosis. The respective mean values and SE were: 4.9 +/- 0.8 vs. 1.9 +/- 0.8 and 1.3 +/- 0.2, p less than 0.025. During insulin-induced hypoglycemia the growth hormone levels rose to values which in osteoarthrotic women were significantly higher than in osteoporotics and in control subjects.

Aged↗
PubMed1982

Biochemical analyses of EDTA extracts and collagenase digests from bone and skin of Wistar rats.

Using EDTA extraction and collagenase digestion, rat bone and rat skin were compared in terms of their content of hydroxyproline, hexoses, uronic aicd, sialic acid and plasma proteins. The collagen content of the organic matrix from both tissues was similar. Greater differences were observed in the sialic acid and uronic acid content of the matrix, bone containing higher amounts; smaller differences were found in the levels of hexoses, albumin, IgG and alpha 1 acid-glycoprotein, which are higher in EDTA extracts from bone. The DEAE-cellulose chromatography of the EDTA extracts and soluble collagenase digests indicated the presence of a variety of glycoproteins and a proteoglycan fraction. An acidic glycoprotein, corresponding to sialoprotein, was present in bone but not in skin extracts.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

[Alpha 2 HS-glycoprotein in rheumatoid arthritis. Its plasma concentration and possible biological role].

Alpha 2-HS glycoprotein is one of the plasma proteins found in high concentrations in bone tissue. In order to study the relationship between this glycoprotein plasma concentration and bone damage in rheumatoid arthritis, plasma concentrations of this substance were measured in the serums of 32 patients with rheumatoid arthritis before and after treatment. Our results demonstrated that the concentration of alpha 2-HS glycoprotein, although slightly higher than normal values, did not vary in rheumatoid arthritis. Treatment of the disease did not seem to modify alpha 2-HS glycoprotein plasma levels, whereas other biological and clinical parameters of inflammation improved. The probable biological role of alpha 2-HS glycoprotein in rheumatoid arthritis is debated.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1981

Arteritis associated with hyperviscosity-like syndrome in rheumatoid arthritis, treated by intermittent plasma-exchange for 2.5 years.

A case is reported of a hyperviscosity-like syndrome in a 53-year-old male suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. The clinical presentation was an acute abdomen, peripheral neuritis, otovestibular areflexy, and central retinal vein thrombosis (papilloedema and retinopathy with venous engorgement, haemorrhages and exudates). Plasma viscosity was normal and whole blood viscosity, measured with an Oswald viscometer, was slightly elevated. The patient had markedly elevated rheumatoid factor tire and fibrinogen level. Histologically, there were no signs of arteritis in the mesentery. Intermittent plasma-exchange resulted in general improvement and no new vascular accidents after 2.5 years.

Arteritis↗
PubMed1981

Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with flurbiprofen: a comparison with enteric-coated aspirin.

Forty patients with definite or classical rheumatoid arthritis were entered for 3 months in a double-blind trial, 20 patients each on 200 mg flurbiprofen or 4.0 g enteric-coated aspirin daily. Statistically significant improvements (Page Test, p less than 0.05) on flurbiprofen were reported during the course of the study for 7 out of 20 parameters: degree of pain, duration of morning stiffness, grip strength, torquometer, Ritchie articular index, number of swollen joints and patient's overall assessment, while for aspirin a significant improvement was reported for 5 parameters: degree of pain, PIP joint size, Ritchie articular index and physician's overall assessment. The amount of improvement between flurbiprofen and enteric-coated aspirin differed significantly (Kruskal-Wallis H Test) only for 2 parameters: Ritchie articular index and number of swollen joints. In both cases the degree of improvement was greater on flurbiprofen than an aspirin. Side-effects were reported for 7 patients receiving aspirin (2 of which were severe enough that treatment had to be stopped) and for 3 patients receiving flurbiprofen. Except for 2 cases of tinnitus on aspirin, the side-effects were mostly gastro-intestinal in nature. A significant decrease was found for patients receiving aspirin. A significant increase in blood urea occurred on flurbiprofen. Most values, however, remained within normal limits. The results suggests that flurbiprofen is better tolerated and at least as effective as enteric-coated aspirin in the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

The effect of plasma exchange on synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis.

Eight patients with a severe exacerbation of rheumatoid arthritis were treated by twice weekly plasma-exchange for 3 weeks in order to evaluate the effect of plasma-exchange on synovitis. During the plasma-exchange period, patients remained on the drug regimen they were on at admission to the hospital. Plasma was replaced isovolemically with human, purified plasma protein fraction. Improvement in clinical parameters of synovitis and serological parameters of inflammation occurred in almost all patients. After 6 months the clinical remissions were sustained. Three patients experienced a rebound synovitis and one patient a rebound vasculitis at the end of or just after the plasma-exchange period. The rebound phenomena were moderate and of short duration. Plasma-exchange may exert its beneficial effects by depleting important mediators of injury such a complement fibrinogen and circulating immune complexes, by improving reticuloendothelial function, and by increasing the drug response of the inflammatory target tissue. The role of depletion of circulating immune complexes was not so clear in this study. It is concluded that limited plasma-exchange is an effective means to induce a symptomatic improvement in an acute exacerbation of polyarthritis, without changing the basic therapy and thus avoiding corticosteroid dependency.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Soft-tissue measurements at the index finger in postmenopausal women on long-term oestrogen treatment.

Measurements of the soft-tissue at the index finger on X-rays were made in 33 women after a natural menopause and who were on a long-term oestrogen replacement therapy for at least 5 yr. The data were compared with values obtained in an age-sex matched control group. The oestrogen treated women had a soft-tissue thickness (total finger width minus phalanx width) significantly smaller than the control group. The soft-tissue index (the ratio width of the phalanx to the total finger width) was significantly larger than expected. The soft-tissue values observed in the oestrogen treated subjects correspond to those observed in premenopausal women.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1980

A controlled trial of magnesium dithiosalicylate compared with aspirin in rheumatoid arthritis.

The anti-inflammamtory effectiveness and side-effects of magnesium dithiosalicylate were compared to aspirin in a 3-month, parallel, double-blind trial in 40 patients suffering from active rheumatoid arthritis. The results showed that 3 g magnesium dithiosalicylate daily had anti-inflammatory properties similar to those of 3 g aspirin daily in rheumatoid arthritis. A statistically significant change in morning stiffness, number of tender joints, pain score and erythrocyte sedimentation rate was observed in the magnesium dithiosalicylate group. In the magnesium dithiosalicylate group, 8 patients had to be withdrawn from the trial because of serious side-effects compared to 5 in the aspirin group. Gastro-intestinal intolerance occurred as frequently in both treatment groups. Hypersensitivity to magnesium dithiosalicylate was a serious problem and the reason for withdrawal in 4 cases. The high frequency of side-effects to magnesium dithiosalicylate makes this drug unacceptable for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis at the present time. Further pharmacological studies might reveal new derivatives which are as effective but with less side-effects. The anti-inflammatory activity of magnesium dithiosalicylate resembled that observed with gold and penicillamine. The fact that all these drugs have a sulphhydril group in common is stressed.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Short and longterm experience with plasmapheresis in connective tissue diseases.

Plasmapheresis has been performed in eleven cases with connective tissue diseases, three with systemic lupus erythematosus, three with mixed connective tissue disease and five with rheumatoid arthritis. Plasmapheresis was in all cases instituted as an additional therapy during disease activity which was not under control with conventional modes of therapy. The best results were obtained in systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis complicated with vasculitis. In mixed connective tissue disease with severe Raynaud's phenomenon, no striking and lasting results were obtained. Plasmapheresis seems to be a valuable adjunct in the management of acute exacerbation of connective tissue disease, especially when it is associated with drugs which can block antibody rebound.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1979

Osteopathia striata and focal dermal hypoplasia.

A 43-year old female, presenting with pain in the left knee, attributed to a stress fracture of the tibia, was found to have osteopathia striata and numerous other congenital anomalies, not only of the skeleton, but also of other tissue systems. Of the latter the most important was the presence of focal dermal hypoplasia, a disorder of the skin. Review of the radiological and dermatological literature has shown this to be the fourteenth case in which these excessively rare entities have been associated. Such an association is considered to be more than a coincidence. A radiological diagnosis of osteopathia striata, therefore, should be followed by a careful dermatological examination for focal dermal hypoplasia. Conversely, diagnosis of this rare dermatological disease should indicate the necessity for radiological survey of the skeleton.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1979

Soft-tissue measurements at the index finger: age and sex characteristics.

Measurements of the soft-tissue width and phalanx width of the index finger were made in 402 normal individuals (270 women and 132 men, age range 20--89 years) in order to establish age-sex characteristics. Men have a significantly larger total finger and phalanx width than women in all age groups. In both sexes a statistically significant increase with age in phalanx width and total finger width is found. The soft-tissue index and soft-tissue thickness is not influenced by age.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Radiogrammetry of the soft tissue at the index finger in acromegaly.

Measurements of the soft-tissue width and phalanx width at the index finger were made in 30 acromegalic patients and compared with values obtained in a large control population. The width of the phalanx, total finger width and soft-tissue thickness are significantly larger than expected and the soft-tissue index values are significantly lower than expected. An important overlap between normal and acromegalic values is found for the soft-tissue index and width of the proximal phalanx. The measurement which best discriminates acromegalics from normal is the total finger width. The soft-tissue thickness parameter is also very sensitive for the detection of acromegalic changes and has the advantage of not being sex and age dependent.

Acromegaly↗