Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J Etienne.
Three accidental overdoses of amikacin (6, 6.5 and 8 times the normal dose) are reported. Emergency haemodialysis therapy was given and the serum levels monitored. No toxic effects were encountered. The need for such emergency haemodialysis seems to be limited to patients with impaired renal function or to cases where little time has elapsed between intake and detection of overdose.
Rat blood platelets show phospholipase A2 activities twenty times higher than human platelets. The breakdown of PE at pH 7.2 is linear for 15 minutes. There is no degradation at pH less than 5; the maximal activity is in the pH range 5.5-7.5. The presence of Ca2+ increases the phospholipase activity; an excess is not inhibitory. The optimal activity is obtained with 16 microM substrate concentration. Substrate inhibition is observed when the concentration exceeds 25 microM.
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The serum of a patient diagnosed as a primary biliary cirrhosis was studied during the various evolutive stages of the disease. During the non-icteric period, the serum lipoprotein had the chemical composition (rich in cholesterol and phospholipids) of that found in cholestasis; however the bilirubinemia was normal, and no LPX was detected; there was a normal esterified to total cholesterol ratio and the alphaLP had not decreased, as expected, but increased and was divided into two fractions; immunoelectrophoretic studies of ultracentrifugal fractions showed some LP with HDL immunological properties, but with lower densities than that of normal HDL. We suggest that the phospholipid overloading of some of these HDL in the patient's serum could explain the changes in density. Some months after this study, the patient's serum exhibited the characteristics found in cholestasis, with disappearance of HDL and appearance of LPX. During the subsequent period, the serum again contained phospholipid rich HDL and LPX. In fact several LPX with different densities were found. It seems, therefore, that in cholestasis, LP undergo modification in which the HDL peptide chains play an important role.
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An unsuspected cryoglobulinaemia may be responsible for incorrect serum protein results and thus cause dysglobulinaemia to remain undetected. When cryoglobulins precipitate above laboratory temperature, they will be removed with the clot during centrifugation of the blood sample if they have not previously been suspected clinically or biologically. In the case of massive cryoglobulinaemia, one might find normal protein results but such results are incorrect and if only total protein estimation has been requested, dysglobulinaemia can remain undetected. However, if electrophoresis can also been carried out, a slight abnormality of the gamma globulin fraction might be observed and this ought to incite one to look for cryoglobulin by the usual method (i.e. at 37 degrees C), even in the absence of clinical evidence.
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Turnover of adult rat lung phospholipids implies intervention of phospholipases. This work clearly demonstrates: There is in fetal or adult rat lung an inactive form of phospholipase that is convertible to an active form by the action of lysed platelets. An increase of both active and inactive forms of the fetal enzyme with gestational age. The fact that an important part of these activities, at the time of birth, are in the inactive form implies a control mechanism affecting levels of each form of lung phospholipases. These data are discussed in relation to the possible role of the lung phospholipases in Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
Abnormalities in VLDL and LDL apolipoproteins have been observed in the serum of an 11 year old girl with a type V hyperlipoproteinemia (VLDL + chylomicrons). This was shown with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and also with two dimensional immunoelectrophoresis. The LDL contain peptides which are not found in normal apo LDL. In the VLDL, heterogeneity of the lipopeptides is more marked that in normal VLDL, and there is an abnormal distribution of the apolipoproteins C or D.
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There are difficulties in measuring red cell glycerides mainly because the amount found in erythrocytes is so differne from that of other lipids in blood cells. The red corpuscles contain only very small quantities of glycerides, about 5mg/1, while the amount of cholesterol and phospholipids is 200 to 500 times higher. The methods currently used for estimating glycerides in serum can be used here only after removing these other lipids. The distribution of glycerides in erythrocytes is ver different from that of serum: serum contains mainly triglycerides while there are diglycerides as well as triglycerides in erythrocytes (on average 3,4 micro mol/1 of triglycerides and 1,7 mumol/1 of diglycerides).
A simplified radioimmunoassay for the measurement of aldosterone in urine, requiring only an extraction without any further purification is described. The results obtained on 47 urine specimens were compared with those obtained by a gas-liquid chromatographic method. An excellent correlation was found (r = 0.932) and values obtained by both methods were similar so that this RIA has been satisfactorily adopted in our laboratory for one year. Some discrepancies, however, led us to consider the problem of preservation and storage of biological fluids.
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