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Biomedical subjects

J Etienne

Publications and source records attributed to J Etienne.

At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources

Infective endocarditis on stenotic aortic valves.

Charts were reviewed of 42 adult patients (27 men, 15 women, mean age 55 years, with 17 older than 60) hospitalized and/or autopsied between 1970 and 1986 with diagnosis of definite or highly probable infective endocarditis (IE) on pure aortic stenosis (AS). Ring and/or septal abscesses were found in 18/37 patients who were operated upon and/or autopsied. IE was recognized in 32 patients, undiagnosed in 10 (revealed at autopsy in seven, at operation in three). Infecting organisms were identified in 26 patients (Str. viridans, 16; Str. D, three; Staphylo., four; other, three). Twenty-seven patients were treated in our institution, 14 of them more than four weeks after the beginning of the symptoms. Echocardiograms were recorded in 17, with vegetations in only six. Severe cardiac failure was present in 17 cases. One patient was lost to follow-up. Fourteen patients died (mean delay between IE and death 22.4 months): eight of the 13 non-operated patients (cardiac failure, four; myocardial infarction, two; neurological complications, two) and six of the 14 operated patients (peri-operative death, four; late sudden death, two). Twelve patients are alive (mean follow-up 51.6 months), eight of them in NYHA class 1. IE on pure AS is rare, difficult to recognize echocardiographically, and of poor prognosis. It usually requires rapid aortic valve replacement.

Adult↗

Acute heart failure due to Q fever endocarditis.

We report a case of Q fever endocarditis in a patient who presented with a slight pyrexia and acute cardiac failure due to aortic incompetence. The diagnosis was made by detecting high titres of serum IgG and IgA antibody against Coxiella burnetii phase I antigens and confirmed by demonstrating C. burnetii on the excised aortic valve using immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. Aortic valve replacement was followed by initially successful antibiotic treatment for 15 months. Reappearance of IgA anti-phase I antibodies 5 months later suggested continued presence of bacteria, although the patient's condition remained satisfactory. In endemic areas, such as rural southern France, Q fever endocarditis should be considered when there is evidence of acute heart valve damage but are few other features of infection.

Acute Disease↗

Characterization of clinically significant isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis from patients with endocarditis.

Biotyping, slime production, bacteriophage typing, serotyping, antibiograms, and plasmid profiles were used to characterize 19 Staphylococcus epidermidis strains isolated from 12 patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis and from 7 patients with native valve endocarditis. With the API Staph battery, 12 different biocodes with, at the most, three differences were obtained. Slime production was found for 10 strains (53%). Agglutinogens investigated by agglutination with two specific sera were found for 12 strains (63.1%). Three strains were phage typable (15.2%). Against a panel of nine antimicrobial agents, 15 different profiles were found. Multiply antibiotic-resistant strains were isolated from patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis when disease onset occurred less than 18 months after heart surgery and from patients with native valve endocarditis who received antibiotics immediately prior to their illness. All of the strains were available for plasmid analysis, and all the DNA profiles were distinct. On gels run in Tris-borate buffer, 73.7% of the strains had large plasmids of more than 30 megadaltons. A small plasmid of 2.8 megadaltons was found in multiply resistant strains and in strains resistant only to tetracyclines. None of the isolates appeared to be the same strain, and the bacteriological differences between the strains were confirmed mainly by the antibiotic susceptibility profile and the plasmid pattern analysis. These bacteriological results were in agreement with the clinical data.

Bacteriophage Typing↗

Postoperative infant septicemia caused by Pseudomonas luteola (CDC group Ve-1) and Pseudomonas oryzihabitans (CDC group Ve-2).

Pseudomonas luteola (CDC group Ve-1) and Pseudomonas oryzihabitans (CDC group Ve-2) were both isolated from the same blood culture of a 5-month-old infant, 8 days after open-heart surgery. He quickly responded to appropriate antibiotics. Carbon substrate assimilation tests and fatty acid analysis clearly differentiated these two rarely pathogenic organisms.

Humans↗

Restriction endonuclease analysis of Staphylococcus epidermidis DNA may be a useful epidemiological marker.

We compared the epidemiological markers of 13 Staphylococcus epidermidis strains isolated from an adult inpatient during a febrile episode and 23 S. epidermidis strains isolated during a presumptive outbreak of nosocomial infection in a neonatal ward. The total DNA restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) was processed along with the following conventional markers: biotyping, serotyping, phage typing, antibiotic susceptibility profiles, and plasmid profiles. The REA method was reproducible, giving stable results both in vitro and in vivo. For the hospitalized adult patient, the conventional markers of the 13 strains were concordant and the restriction profiles were identical. Five restriction groups were demonstrated during the course of the outbreak. Within two of the groups, the identities of all of the markers were used to verify whether all of the isolates belonged to the same cell clone. In a third group, combined analysis of the conventional markers and REA had to be used to demonstrate isolate similarity. On the other hand, in another group, none of the markers were similar; interpretation was not easy. An epidemiological study of S. epidermidis infections in hospitals must take into account all of the epidemiological markers: biotypes, serotypes, phage types, antibiograms, plasmid profiles, and REA.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗

Susceptibilities of streptococcal strains associated with infective endocarditis to nine antibiotics.

The susceptibilities of 121 streptococcal strains isolated from patients with infective endocarditis to mezlocillin, piperacillin, ceftizoxime, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, imipenem, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and pefloxacin were determined by the agar dilution technique. Viridans streptococci, Streptococcus bovis and Enterococcus faecalis were susceptible to imipenem, mezlocillin and piperacillin. All the strains, except E. faecalis were sensitive to ceftriaxone, ceftizoxime and ceftazidime and resistant to ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and pefloxacin. E. faecalis strains were moderately resistant to the new quinolons.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Regional adipocyte precursors in the female rat. Influence of ovarian factors.

A flow cytometric immunofluorescence procedure utilizing a specific antibody to rat adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase (LPL) was developed to quantify differentiated and undifferentiated preadipocytes present in the adipose tissue vascular stroma. This method is highly sensitive and specific for cells capable of synthesizing LPL in significant quantities. Pubescence in female rats was associated with an increase in differentiated preadipocytes and in fat cell number with enlargement of the fat depots in the perirenal, parametrial, and the subcutaneous dorsal and femoral regions. A concomitant decline in the percentage of undifferentiated preadipocytes occurred in all but the femoral depot. Ovariectomy reduced pubertal adipose growth in the femoral and parametrial but not the dorsal or perirenal regions. Furthermore, the femoral undifferentiated preadipocyte pool was not preserved in the ovariectomized animals. Thus, ovarian factors influence the pubescence-associated regional preadipocyte differentiation and conversion to adipocytes. The femoral depot contains an ovarian-dependent infinite pool of fat cell precursors. These features could account for the association between ovarian hormones and body fat topography.

Adipose Tissue↗

Diagnosis of endocarditis in acute Q-fever by immunofluorescence serology.

The authors compared two groups of 20 patients suffering from Q fever using microimmunofluorescence (micro IF) serology. One group had endocarditis and the other conventional symptoms of acute Q fever but no endocarditis. Determination of the levels of antibodies against the two phases of rickettsiae in each of the three immunoglobulin classes (IgG, IgM and IgA), allowed to determine the type of infection using a single serum sample. Patients having IgA class antiphase I antibodies at a level equal to/or higher than 1:25 as well as those whose antibody levels fulfilled the conditions for the equation (IgG anti-phase I greater than or equal to IgG anti-phase II) + (IgA anti-phase I greater than or equal to IgA anti-phase II) were suffering from endocarditis. The positive predictive value of these tests was 100% and 94.1%, respectively.

Adolescent↗

[Current perspectives in the treatment of infectious endocarditis of a natural heart valve].

In view of the severity of infective endocarditis, which is due to local and general infectious processes and the hemodynamic consequences of valvular destruction, a policy of earlier valve replacement has been adopted. Clinical, bacteriologic and pathologic data collected over two years suggest that early surgery can be recommended in the following cases: congestive heart failure, inadequate results of antimicrobial therapy, and multiple emboli. Further studies should validate this policy, but the necessity of general prophylaxis for infective endocarditis must always be borne in mind.

Aortic Valve Insufficiency↗

Antigenic relatedness between phospholipases A2 from Naja naja venom and from mammalian cells.

Polyclonal antiserum was prepared against phospholipase A2 from Naja naja and used to prepare a purified antibody. It cross-reacted with the antigen, and with intracellular mammalian PLA2. This antibody was immunoreactive and inhibited the PLA2 activity of Naja naja and of guinea pig alveolar macrophages or rat lymphocytes. By immunoblotting, this antiserum revealed one band of PLA2 from Naja naja (14 kDa) and 3 bands for guinea pig alveolar macrophages and rat lymphocytes (30, 45 kDa and a minor band of 14 kDa). These results show an antigenic relatedness between an extracellular PLA2 and membrane-bound PLA2 from two different mammalian species and cell types.

Animals↗

Arachidonic acid transfer from diacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine to ether phospholipids in rat peripheral blood lymphocytes.

The main phospholipid fractions of rat peripheral blood lymphocytes consisted of 30.8% diacylglycerophosphocholine and 20.3% diacylglycerophosphoethanolamine; the proportion of the ether phospholipids were small especially of alkyl- and alkenyl-glycerophosphoethanolamine (3.3 and 6.6% respectively). Other classes of phospholipids included glycerophosphoserine (10.5%), glycerophosphoinositol (6.5%) and sphingomyelin (13.6%). The incorporation of labeled arachidonic acid in the glycerophospholipids showed a rapid uptake into diacyl and ether classes of phospholipids and into triglycerides. When labeled cells were reincubated without arachidonic acid the diacylglycerophosphocholine rapidly lost its radioactivity, but a concomitant increase was observed in alkylacylglycerophosphocholine and more especially in alkenylacylglycerophosphoethanolamine and a smaller increase in alkyl- and diacyl-glycerophosphoethanolamine. The radioactivity was fairly constant in glycerophosphoserine and in glycerophosphoinositol, but decreased slightly in triglycerides. The arachidonic acid transfer reaction was completed after 2-3 hours reincubation. When labeled cells were reincubated in the presence of sodium cholate, the loss of radioactivity in the diacylglycerophosphocholine fraction increased. The transfer of arachidonic acid to ether phospholipids was the same with or without sodium cholate, but the later enhanced arachidonic acid transfer to diacylglycerophosphoethanolamine.

Animals↗

Enhanced release and synthesis of lipoprotein lipase in rat heart cell cultures exposed to high concentrations of Hepes.

While attempting to optimize conditions for synthesis of lipoprotein lipase by cultured heart cells, we encountered an unexpected rise in enzyme activity when media were supplemented inadvertently with 100 mM Hepes buffer (4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulphonic acid). This finding was further investigated and optimal results were obtained at pH 7.0-7.2. The increase in lipoprotein lipase activity was time dependent; after 3-6 h there was a rise in medium activity but cellular activity increased only after 24 h. The increased enzyme activity was defined as lipoprotein lipase by inhibition with antiserum to rat adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase. A 72-h exposure to Hepes resulted in a 30% increase in the incorporation of [35S]methionine into cellular proteins and a 2-fold increase into heparin-releasable proteins. Using heparin Sepharose chromatography and stepwise elution, a lipoprotein lipase enriched fraction was recovered with 2 M NaCl. The amount of [35S]methionine and [3H]galactose incorporated into protein of this fraction derived from Hepes-treated cells was 2-6-fold that of controls. A 4-fold increase in cellular lipoprotein lipase mass in Hepes-treated cells was shown by immunoblotting. Results obtained with Hepes-conditioned medium suggest the presence of cell-derived compounds that enhance release and subsequent synthesis of lipoprotein lipase. The effect of Hepes-conditioned medium on lipoprotein lipase resembled to some extent that of the addition of heparin. Therefore, it appears that when Hepes is first added to the culture medium, it might promote a release of heparan sulfate or related compounds, possibly by virtue of its negatively charged sulfonic acid residue. The accumulated heparan sulfate could then promote a sustained release of lipoprotein lipase into the culture medium which in turn leads to increased enzyme synthesis.

Animals↗

Antibody against human lipoprotein lipase.

A polyclonal antibody against human lipoprotein lipase (LPL) was prepared. LPL from post-heparin plasma was first purified by heparin Sepharose 4B affinity chromatography. Protein impurities co-eluted with LPL were then eliminated by electrophoresis in the presence of ampholytes. Antithrombin III was identified in this fraction of protein impurities by immunodiffusion against a human antithrombin antiserum, while no antithrombin III could be detected in the purified LPL fraction. Immunodiffusion revealed a single line of precipitation between this antibody and human post-heparin plasma LPL. When pre-incubated with a constant activity of highly purified post-heparin plasma LPL (2.7 mU/75 microliters), an equal volume of the anti-LPL antiserum, either pure or diluted to 1/32 caused complete inhibition of the enzyme activity. Half maximal inhibition was observed at a dilution of approximately 1/200. By using a secondary antibody, it was shown that antiserum inhibited LPL activity by means of its immunoglobulins. This antibody was able to inhibit LPL from human adipose tissue, indicating that human LPL released from endothelial cell membranes has common antigenic determinants with adipose tissue LPL.

Adipose Tissue↗

[Lipolytic and anticoagulant activities of heparin and one of its low molecular weight derivatives].

The plasma lipolytic and anticoagulant activities following i.v. injection of either standard heparin or low molecular weight heparin (PK 10169) were compared in a study involving 10 healthy volunteers. The total lipolytic activity (lipoprotein lipase + hepatic lipase) released by PK 10169 was similar to that released by standard heparin when low molecular weight heparin was administered in doses 3- to 5-fold higher (by weight) than standard heparin. There was a dose-response relationship between the amount of PK 10169 injected and the level of plasma lipolytic activity. With doses of PK 10169 lower than 20 mg or heparin lower than 6 mg, lipolytic but not anticoagulant activity was observed. With doses higher than 20 mg with PK 10169 and 6 mg with heparin, both lipolytic and anticoagulant activities appeared. In doses where the lipoprotein lipase activities released by the 2 heparins were similar, the hepatic lipase released with low molecular weight heparin was significantly higher than with standard heparin.

Adult↗