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Biomedical subjects

J Fourcade

Publications and source records attributed to J Fourcade.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

[Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis treated by apheresis. A major economic challenge].

Since 1983, 28 patients with a rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis were treated with apheresis. Seventeen patients had a primary glomerulonephritis, while 11 had a secondary form. Pathological pattern showed crescentic glomerulonephritis in all cases but one. In 23 cases of 28, renal survival was compromised within a few months. Apheresis were performed with the filtration technique, using a single needle device and central venous catheter. Plasmafilters were reused since 1984. In 1987, cascade filtration was introduced. The procedure was under permanent medical control. Mean reuse rate was 6 time. Renal actuarial survival curve showed a 60%, 42% and 21% survival rate at respectively 1, 2 and 5 years. Five deaths were noted. No death occurred during the apheresis procedure. The mean cost of filters and blood lines was 490 French francs (FF) per session; the mean cost of an haemodialysis session was 1900 FF. When the real survival time was compared to the expected renal failure without apheresis (assuming a linear progression of the disease), patients with a positive response to apheresis saved 488 dialysis months. The amount saved was 12 MFF. The additive cost of inefficient apheresis was 0.06 MFF. These data have to be considered on a 0.5 M inhabitants population basis during a 10 year survey.

Adolescent↗

[Tunneled jugular catheters in chronic hemodialysis: report from a Center apropos of 101 cases].

Since 1984, internal jugular vein cannulation (I.J.V.C.) was performed in our Center for ESRD patients. 202 catheters were implanted in 79 patients. Our population was divided in 2 groups: group I corresponding to a rescue procedure for the chronic vascular access failure, group II corresponding to chronic implantation. Outcome analysis indicate the follows results: in both groups, the first I.J.V.C. withdrawal cause was a functional AV fistula. Infections were observed only in group II. Thrombosis is not infrequent requiring fibrinolytic drugs with a 54 FF per patient year additive cost. A special nurse training protocol is also required to reduce the thrombosis incidence. Accidental withdrawal occurred in 11% cases of group II. This observation underlines the need of better fixation devices.

Adult↗

Wegener's granulomatosis with antiproteinase-3 antibodies occurring after Hodgkin's disease.

We describe the first association between Hodgkin's lymphoma and Wegener's granulomatosis, heralded by renal involvement. A 43-year-old man developed rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis requiring chronic hemodialysis 8 months after remission of Hodgkin's lymphoma. At that moment, no extrarenal involvement was found, despite extensive investigation. Antineutrophil cytoplasm antibodies were positive, without specificity for proteinase-3 or myeloperoxydase. Six months after beginning hemodialysis, multiple pulmonary nodules appeared, along with rapid clinical worsening. A surgical biopsy was performed which disclosed a giant cell granuloma. Antimyeloperoxydase antibodies remained negative, whereas proteinase-3 antibodies became positive. Wegener's granulomatosis was diagnosed and treatment with cyclophosphamide and steroids was started. Clinical and radiological improvement occurred promptly. Eleven months after treatment, both Wegener's disease and Hodgkin's lymphoma remained in remission.

Adult↗

Autoantibody to plasma fibrinopeptide A in a patient with a severe acquired haemorrhagic syndrome.

We describe a 50-year-old man with a severe acquired haemorrhagic syndrome. He had slightly prolonged clotting times using bovine thrombin, human thrombin and reptilase. His plasma contained a polyclonal IgG which interfered with the generation of fibrin monomers without inhibiting the aggregation of preformed monomers. The inhibitor delayed thrombin-induced fibrinopeptide A release. The IgG bound to insolubilized synthetic fibrinopeptide A (one binding site per molecule) and, with higher affinity, to fibrinogen (two binding sites per molecule). It did not bind to insolubilized fibrin monomers. The IgG did not impair the catalytic activity of thrombin toward a small synthetic substrate but inhibited the binding of thrombin to fibrinogen without binding to thrombin. The binding of the anti-fibrinopeptide A autoantibody to fibrinogen might have impaired thrombin-induced fibrinogen to fibrin conversion in vivo. This may have favoured the reported haemorrhagic syndrome which was associated with severe chronic renal insufficiency.

Autoantibodies↗

[Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and left ventricular hypertrophy: correlations and trial of predictive value].

The purpose of the study is to make a selection of patients with left ventricular hypertrophy from Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) values. We studied 39 patients, 23 men and 16 women, without treatment. These patients had systolic pressure > 140 mmHg and/or diastolic pressure > 90. With ABPM we measured mean systolic (MS) and diastolic (MD) pressure during the day (D) and the night (N), the percentages of systolic values (%S) > 160 mmHg and of diastolic values (%D) > 95 mmHg. With echocardiography we measured left ventricular mass index (LVMI: Devereux) and with pulsed Doppler peak of early (E) and late (A) ventricular filling and the ration A/E. We found the same amount of correlations between ABPM and echocardiographic parameters as other authors. [table: see text] The study of LVMI found a difference between groups when MD were > 140/90 (*) and A was significantly greater in patients with MSD > 140 (*). LVMI was greater in patients with MDD > 80 (*) and A was greater in patients with MSN > 120 (*). Predictive value of MSD > 140: 53% specificity: 79%. Predictive value of MSN > 120: 80% specificity: 45.8%. We concluded that the correlations between ABPM and echocardiographic disturbances are not very strong, but significant. If the predictive value of MSF is low, his specificity is rather high and conversely MSN has a good predictive value for selection of hypertrophic patients.

Adult↗

Experience of pain after subcutaneous administration of different preparations of recombinant human erythropoietin: a randomized, double-blind crossover study.

Subcutaneous erythropoietin (SCEPO) is considered to be more effective than intravenously administered erythropoietin. Patient compliance with SC injections will be important in long-term therapy as there have been reports of pain associated with SCEPO. A double-blind randomized study was performed upon 18 ESRD hemodialysis patients receiving regular subcutaneous erythropoietin replacement therapy for treatment of their anemia. The study involved pain assessment by a visual analogue scale VAS and a verbal descriptive scale VDS following 2 subcutaneous injections of preparation A: rhEPO 2000 IU in 1 ml (Cilag), preparation B: rhEPO 2000 IU in 1 ml (Boehringer Mannheim) and 0.9% saline 1 ml (placebo) over a two-week period. The injections were all administered by the same person and replaced the normal EPO injections for the patient during the study period. Results by VAS and VDS based upon 107 responses showed that preparation A was significantly more painful than preparation B (p less than 0.001) or saline (p less than 0.01). An unexpected finding was that preparation B was less painful than the placebo for VAS (p less than 0.05). It seems unlikely that the erythropoietin itself was responsible for the difference. Further work will be necessary to determine the pain causing factor in preparation A, and the possible local anaesthetic factor in preparation B.

Anemia↗

[In which type of hypertension should ventricular hyperexcitability be suspected?].

The aim of the present study was to determine when a search for ventricular arrhythmias, by ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring, is necessary in hypertensive patients. An electrocardiogram, an echocardiogram and a 24 hour Holter monitoring were recorded in 88 patients with essential hypertension. According to the results of electrocardiogram patients were subdivided into 4 groups: normal electrocardiogram, isolated left auricular hypertrophy (LAH), isolated left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and major ST-T wave changes. According to the degree of septal thickness (ST), patients were classed in 4 groups. [table; see text] For hypertensive patients with normal electrocardiogram, Holter monitoring is not necessary; in fact practically no complex arrhythmias is found in this group. On the contrary, for hypertensive subjects with ST-T waves changes, this investigation seems very interesting, nearly 75% of them present high-grade ventricular arrhythmias. For the patients with electrocardiographic isolated LAH or LVH, the realisation of an echocardiography permits to separate the subjects with mild LVH (ST less than 12 mm) where Holter monitoring is not necessary (81% Lown O-I) and the patients with mean or severe LVH (ST greater than or equal to 12 mm) where this investigation seems very interesting, nearly 65% of them present high-grade ventricular arrhythmias.

Adult↗

[Concentric left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with hypertension. When should ventricular hyperexcitability be searched for?].

The main objective is to determine when concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) increased ventricular ectopic activity in essential hypertension. Twenty-four hours Holter monitoring was recorded in 56 patients with essential hypertension: 20 without LVH and 36 with concentric LVH determined by echocardiography (left ventricular mass greater than 215 g). According the degree of septal thickness (ST), patients were classed in 4 groups: (formula; see text) This study allows to conclude that mean and severe concentric LVH (ST greater than or equal to 12) detected by echo are associated with a greater PVC and a higher Lown's class ventricular ectopy. The degree of ST was strong correlated with the Lown's classification (r = 0.6, p less than .0001).

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗

[Enoximone/dobutamine comparison in chronic congestive cardiac insufficiency with low cardiac output].

In severe chronic congestive cardiac failure the physician has the choice of two families of positive inotropic agents, the direct sympathomimetics and the phosphodiesterase inhibitors. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy and tolerance of enoximone and dobutamine in this indication. Twenty patients with severe chronic cardiac failure with a cardiac index of less than 2.2 l/min/m2 and pulmonary capillary pressure of over 20 mmHg were randomised into two groups in an open trial. One group received enoximone 50 micrograms/kg/min for 30 minutes then 10 micrograms/kg/min and the other received dobutamine 10 micrograms/kg/min. The two groups were comparable. Results were analysed 12 hours after starting therapy, well after the loading dose of enoximone and before the appearance of tolerance to dobutamine. Neither drug caused a significant change in heart rate or mean blood pressure. The pressure-rate product did not increase significantly with enoximone (+9.2% NS) in contrast with the dobutamine group in which a significant elevation was observed (+23.5%, p less than 0.05). The cardiac index increased with enoximone (+61.0%, p less than 0.01) and with dobutamine (+32.1%, p less than 0.02). This resulted mainly from an increase in the systolic index (+45.5%, p less than 0.05 with enoximone and +30.1%, p less than 0.05 with dobutamine). Pulmonary capillary pressure and total systemic resistance decreased with enoximone (-29.1%, p less than 0.001 and -36.7%, p less than 0.05 respectively) and with dobutamine (-23.4%, p less than 0.001 and -20.7%, p less than 0.05 respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Relationships between catecholamine or 3-methoxy 4-hydroxy phenylglycol changes and the mental performance under submaximal exercise in man.

Eleven young students were tested to determine the relationship between the improvement of mental performances observed under prolonged submaximal work and central or peripheral catecholamine changes. The subjects pedaled a bicycle ergometer for 1 h at a work load individually calculated to approximate 75% of maximal oxygen uptake. The mental test, consisting of 1-h sessions of time-limited word tests and arithmetical calculations, required a high degree of concentration (vigilance and short-term memory). Catecholamines [epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA)], metanephrine (MN), normetanephrine (NMN) and the glucuronide conjugate of 3-methoxy 4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) were assayed in urine to assess peripheral activity: E and MN as indexes of adrenomedullary secretion, NE, NMN and MHPG glucuronide as markers of NE metabolism in sympathetic nerves. Urinary MHPG sulfate was determined as a possible marker of central noradrenergic metabolism. When compared to the effect of single tests, the combination of prolonged submaximal work and mental task induced significant increases in MHPG sulfate and E + MN excretions. Both these increases were correlated each to one another and also correlated to the number of discriminated words. Altogether, the present data show that prolonged submaximal work under mental load activates catecholamine systems and suggest that a relationship exists between adrenomedullary activation and the improvement of mental performance. Based on literature data, the possible modulatory role of peripheral E on mental processes and central noradrenergic activity is discussed.

Adult↗

Mycobacterium haemophilum and mycobacterium xenopi associated infection in a renal transplant patient.

The case is presented of a renal-transplant patient in Europe with a Mycobacterium haemophilum infection in association with M. xenopi infection. Clinical signs suggested the diagnosis of mycobacteriosis, which was confirmed by a skin biopsy. Despite antitubercular treatment which rapidly eliminated M. xenopi, the patient's condition did not improve until M. haemophilum was identified. Minimal inhibitory concentrations of various antimicrobial compounds showed a lack of efficacy of isoniazid, and rifampin had no clinical effect. The patient recovered only after careful surgical drainage of the lesions and the administration of minocycline. The pathogenesis of such mycobacterioses is discussed, with focus on the immunodepressive status which in our patient may have been partially induced by a cytomegalovirus reinfection.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗