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Biomedical subjects

J Hugon

Publications and source records attributed to J Hugon.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Acute or subacute alcoholic neuropathy mimicking Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Over the last 10 years we have encountered 8 patients with chronic alcoholism who presented with severe symmetrical polyneuropathy, primarily proximal in 6, which evolved over a period of 24 h to 3 weeks. In 3 cases, artificial ventilation was required. Sensory symptoms were in all instances intense, and tendon reflexes absent. CSF protein levels were normal. The course was one of gradual improvement, often incomplete with residual motor and distal sensory deficits. Three patients died within 2 months to 2 years with multiple and severe pathologies attributable to chronic alcoholism. There was no evidence for disorders other than the alcoholism and malnutrition. Electrophysiological findings were consistent with predominantly axonal lesions and nerve biopsy specimens confirmed acute and severe axonal lesions. Several of these patients had been referred to us with a possible diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome due to the severity of the neuropathy and the rapidity of its onset (Landry syndrome). Acute alcoholic neuropathy is distinguishable, however, on clinical, electrophysiological and morphological grounds.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1990

Prevalence of HIV infection among patients with leprosy in African countries and Yemen.

Screening for human immunodeficiency viruses types 1 and 2 (HIV-1 and HIV-2) antibodies was carried out in the serum of 1,245 leprous patients and 5,731 controls selected in nine different centers from the Congo, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Yemen Arab Republic. In Yemen, all sera were negative. In the Congo, the seropositivity among patients and controls was, respectively, 3.8 and 5.2%; in Senegal, it was 1.3 and 0.6%; and in the Ivory Coast 4.8 and 3.9%. Differences were not statistically significant, even considering lepromatous or tuberculoid forms (3.6% and 3.7%, respectively). HIV-2 antibodies were only detected in subjects from the Ivory Coast and Senegal. Using appropriate criteria for seropositivity (confirmation by Western blot, reactivity to HIV envelope glycoproteins) and a large selection of patients (several countries with several centers), it appears that leprosy (and specially the lepromatous form) is not a factor for HIV infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[4 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome with axonal lesions].

We report the neurological features observed in 4 patients who developed a clinically typical Guillain-Barré syndrome. Electrophysiological and histological data displayed an unusual number of axonal lesions, although these were always associated with demyelination. These cases must be distinguished from the rare cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome with pure axonal lesions. Three patients had a poor functional recovery. This confirms the more severe prognosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome with major axonal degenerative changes.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Kainic acid induces early and delayed degenerative neuronal changes in rat spinal cord.

Intrathecal injections of kainic acid and sodium chloride were performed in rats to study the cellular modifications observed in spinal cord. Early neuronal changes (2 and 24 h) associated dark and shrunken or swollen and vacuolated cytoplasms. Delayed (3, 6, 14 days) changes, mainly consisted in degenerative aspect of motoneurons with eccentric and indented nucleus, swollen cytoplasms with proximal neurite enlargements, the presence of 'lipofuscin-like' pigments, disorganized intracytoplasmic organelles and filament accumulations.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Motor evoked responses after lumbar spinal stimulation in patients with L5 or S1 radicular involvement.

Motor evoked responses were recorded bilaterally in the tibialis anterior and soleus muscles after lumbar spinal stimulation in 45 patients suffering from L5 or S1 radiculopathies due to disc protrusion, and in 25 healthy controls. A significant prolongation (P less than 0.01) of motor evoked response latency was observed in 72% of the patients with L5 radiculopathy and in 66% of the patients with S1 radiculopathy. These anomalies were observed in patients with objective neurological signs as well as in patients free of objective signs. These findings indicate that subclinical compressive radiculopathy can be detected by this method which represents a useful adjunct in the assessment of radicular pain of discopathic origin.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Central motor conduction and glutamate deshydrogenase: activity in olivo-ponto-cerebellar atrophy.

Central motor conduction was investigated by way of magneto-electric cortico-spinal stimulation in 6 patients with sporadic olivo-ponto-cerebellar atrophy. Two patients were found to have reduced leucocyte GDH activity. Only the 3 patients with corticospinal deficits displayed increased central conduction rates, which were predominant in the lower limbs. The duration of the disease is statistically longer in patients with corticospinal deficit compared to patients with no corticospinal deficit. In OPCA, evoked motor potentials are useful in assessing the corticospinal deficit which does not appear to be linked to reduced leucocyte GDH activity.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Prevalence of antibody to human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) in populations of Ivory Coast, West Africa.

A large cross-sectional serologic survey for human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) antibody was conducted in 3,177 Ivory Coast residents to evaluate the prevalence of HTLV-1 and to determine possible risk factors and correlates of HTLV-1 infection. Of the 3,177 serum samples, 110 (3.5%) were positive for antibody to HTLV-1 by indirect immunofluorescence assay and Western blot. The prevalence of HTLV-1 antibody in the general adult population was 1.8% and increased significantly with age. No difference between males (1.5%) and females (2%) was found. The highest prevalences were observed in female prostitutes (7.4%), patients with neurologic syndromes (5.8%), and lepers (13.7%). The high prevalence of HTLV-1 infection in prostitutes suggests that heterosexual contact is involved in the transmission of HTLV-1 and that prostitutes could play an important role in the spread of the virus in Africa. The high prevalence of HTLV-1 in patients with neurologic syndromes confirms the association between HTLV-1 and some type of neuropathies, as has been observed in the West Indies and Japan. The high prevalence observed in lepers deserves further investigation to find the cause of the association. Twenty-five individuals, including prostitutes, were coinfected with HTLV-1 and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Prospective studies are necessary to evaluate the exact role of HTLV-1 alone or in combination with HIV in inducing specific diseases.

Child↗
PubMed1989

Glutamate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase in leukocytes of patients with motor neuron disease.

We report the results of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and aspartate aminotransferase (AAT) activities in leukocytes of 24 patients with motor neuron disease (MND) and 20 matched control subjects. In 62.5% of patients suffering from MND, we detected a leukocyte GDH deficiency (+/- 2 SD) as compared with the mean value obtained in controls. By contrast, there was no difference in leukocyte AAT activities in affected and nonaffected subjects. Abnormal cellular glutamate metabolism might be involved in the pathogenesis of MND.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Epidemiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the Limousin area].

Several epidemiologic studies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have shown a uniform repartition over the world. We report the results of a retrospective study and the preliminary results of a prospective study carried out in the Limousin area. The mean incidence per/year is 0.97/100,000 in the retrospective study and 1.3/100,000 in the prospective study. Such data are similar to those previously reported. The two major findings are the high frequency of bulbar palsy and the high mean age of the patients. This can be associated with the high mean age of the population in the Limousin area as compared to other regions.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1989

[Study of central motor pathways using cortical magnetic stimulation and spinal electrical stimulation: results in 20 normal subjects].

Evoked motor potentials can be elicited by magnetic cortical or electric spinal stimulations. The central conduction time (CCT) corresponds to the difference in latencies between the total conduction time (from cortex to muscle) and the peripheral conduction time (from spinal cord to muscle). CCT is the sum of the conduction time in the cortico-spinal fibers, of the spinal synaptic delay, and of the conduction time in the proximal part of the motor roots. CCT values (mean + standard deviation) were determined in 20 healthy subjects ranging from 21 to 56 years of age (mean 31.2). Results of magnetic cortical stimulation were compared to the results of electrical stimulation of the cortex. CCTs after magnetic cortical stimulation were longer than CCTs after electric cortical stimulation. This could be explained by the fact that electrical stimulation elicits a direct response in the cortico-spinal tract whereas magnetic cortical stimulation has indirect effects on the pyramidal cells of the motor cortex through excitatory interneurons. Compared with electrical stimulation, the magnetic stimulation has the great advantage of being painless and allows a safe evaluation of the central motor pathways in man.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

A clinical neurophysiologic study of tropical spastic paraparesis.

During a field study in the Seychelles Islands, 19 patients with tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) were evaluated electrophysiologically. Methods of assessment included motor and sensory nerve conduction studies, electromyography, and analysis of the somatosensory evoked potentials after stimulation of the tibial and median nerves. The results showed that the most prominent feature of the disease, a spastic paraparesis, is accompanied by subclinical involvement of spinal sensory pathways and a comparatively minor peripheral sensorimotor polyneuropathy.

Electromyography↗
PubMed1988

Effects of glycerol injection into rat sciatic nerve.

In recent years, injection of pure glycerol into the trigeminal cistern has been used for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. The mechanism of action of this therapy remains unclear. Using both light and electron microscopy, we investigated the effects of microinjections of sterile, pure glycerol into the endoneurium of the sciatic nerve of the rat. We observed total destruction of both myelinated and unmyelinated fibers. In nearly all animals, signs of automutilation were observed in the paralyzed limb. Histological evidence of nerve degeneration appeared soon after injection, with intense proliferation of perineurial cells that eventually divided the endoneurium into numerous microcompartments.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Studies on the etiology and pathogenesis of motor neuron diseases. II. Clinical and electrophysiologic features of pyramidal dysfunction in macaques fed Lathyrus sativus and IDPN.

A primate model of lathyrism has been produced in well-nourished male cynomolgus monkeys chronically fed a fortified diet composed of Lathyrus sativus (chickling or grass pea) and given daily per os an alcoholic extract of this legume. Animals given a diet of non-neurotoxic Cicer arietinum (chick pea) cross-matched with the nutritional properties of the experimental diet served as controls. Another group of animals received the same diet and oral doses of beta, beta'-iminodipropionitrile (IDPN), a reference compound that has been termed an "experimental neurolathyrogen." Monkeys fed Lathyrus developed clinical and electrophysiologic evidence of corticospinal deficits after 3 to 10 months of feeding. Animals administered IDPN showed clinical and/or electrophysiologic changes in the PNS and CNS motor and sensory pathways, and signs of cerebellar dysfunction. Since the two primate disorders are separable on clinical and electrophysiologic grounds, further use of the term "experimental neurolathyrogen" to describe the neurotoxic properties of IDPN seems inappropriate. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of developing a model of early human lathyrism in adequately nourished nonhuman primates.

Animals↗