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Biomedical subjects

J Raymond

Publications and source records attributed to J Raymond.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Distribution of calretinin mRNA in the vestibular nuclei of rat and guinea pig and the effects of unilateral labyrinthectomy: a non-radioactive in situ hybridization study.

We examined the localization of neurons expressing mRNA for calretinin, a cytosolic EF hand calcium-binding protein, throughout the vestibular nuclei of rat and guinea pig by non-radioactive in situ hybridization, using an alkaline phosphatase labeled oligonucleotide probe. Labeled cells were particularly numerous in the medial vestibular nucleus (mVN) and their distribution was similar in rat and guinea pig, and presented a characteristic rostrocaudal and mediolateral pattern. The effects of hemilabyrinthectomy were assessed at various times post lesion from 10 h to 30 days by comparison of the pattern of labeling in the ipsi- and contra-lateral vestibular nuclei of guinea pig. After up to 48 h no modification in the calretinin mRNA distribution was detected. After 3 to 30 days of survival, there was a decrease (about 30%) of the calretinin expressing neurons in the nucleus on the side of the lesion. The unilateral sensory deprivation seemed to induce a permanent asymmetry in the expression of calretinin which was not abolished after vestibular compensation. These results suggested that the calretinin expression in these neurons depends upon the integrity and activity of sensorineuronal peripheral vestibular influences.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1995

[Failure of the treatment with antibiotics in severe Salmonella infections in children and use of quinolones].

BACKGROUND: Quinolone antibiotics are effective in the treatment of Salmonella infections in adults. Their use in children is limited by their side-effects. POPULATION AND METHODS: Forty-two patients (21 girls and 21 boys), aged 1 month to 12 years (mean 3.3 yrs) were admitted from September 1991 to June 1993 for severe Salmonella infections. Criteria of severity were persistent diarrhea and fever for more than 3 days. Thirty-one of these patients were less than 5 years of age. Blood culture was positive in 7 out of 35 patients: culture of the stools was positive in all patients. Five of the 42 patients had presented an acute episode of Salmonella infection a few weeks earlier and had remained asymptomatic carriers until the new acute and severe episode of diarrhea. All patients were given usual antibiotics, mainly ampicillin, amoxicillin, trimethoprime-sulfamethoxazole. Twenty-five of these patients were then given pefloxacin, 12 mg/kg/day, since the 5th day, for 7 days, because persistence of diarrhea and fever. RESULTS: Diarrhea and fever disappeared within less than 2 days in the group of patients given pefloxacin, even though in 6 patients the infecting Salmonella was in vitro resistant to beta-lactamins. Twenty % of patients remained asymptomatic carriers of Salmonella in the group treated by pefloxacin vs 47% in the group without it. There was no difference in species of Salmonella between both groups. None of the patients treated by pefloxacin developed side-effects during the six months following its administration. CONCLUSIONS: Short treatment by pefloxacin may be an alternative choice for treating severe Salmonella infections in children.

Amoxicillin↗
PubMed1995

[Eradication of asymptomatic carrier state of non-typhoid Salmonella with two doses of pefloxacin].

BACKGROUND: The carrier state of Salmonella may represent a source of contamination for other people. Its treatment is unsatisfactory so that a carrier may shed organisms for numerous months. POPULATION AND METHODS: From 1990 to 1993, 17 children aged 1.5 months to 8 years were seen because they were asymptomatic carriers of non-typhoid Salmonella, confirmed by three successive stool cultures. All had presented earlier acute severe infection having required treatment with amoxicillin (13 cases) and ceftriaxone or cefotaxime (four cases). They were given one dose of pefloxacin, 12 mg/kg, 4 to 8 weeks after the initial episode. This unique dose was administered again 4 days later. Stool cultures were performed before the first administration and 10, 30, 45 and 60 days after, with a last control 3 to 4 months later. RESULTS: Eradication of the Salmonella was obtained by the 10th day in 13 patients and within the 3 following weeks in 2 others. Those children who excreted a few number of organisms were early eradicated while the 2 patients who did not respond to pefloxacin shed larger number of bacteria. There was no side-effects of treatment. CONCLUSION: A short treatment with pefloxacin appears to be effective and safe in eradicating the carrier state when stool excretion of Salmonella is moderate.

Carrier State↗
PubMed1995

Clinical indicators associated with unintentional weight loss and pressure ulcers in elderly residents of nursing facilities.

OBJECTIVE: To monitor adults older than 65 years living in nursing facilities and who experience unintentional weight loss of more than 10% of actual body weight in 6 months or more than 5% in 1 month or who have stage II, III, or IV pressure ulcers. SUBJECTS: We reviewed 290 medical records for unintentional weight loss and 265 for pressure ulcers. DESIGN: Two data-collecting instruments were used: one for pressure ulcers and one for unintentional weight loss. Indicators for each instrument were selected to monitor clinical conditions that tend to be problem-prone areas for these two populations. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the frequency of each indicator for each population. RESULTS: Of the 24 indicators for unintentional weight loss, the 6 indicators present most often, in descending order, were reduced functional ability, intake of 50% or less of food served for the past 3 consecutive days, chewing problems, serum albumin level less than 35 g/l with normal hydration status, cholesterol level less than 4.1 mmol/L, and refusal of 50% or more of food replacement for the past 7 days. For the residents with pressure ulcers, the indicator present most often was serum albumin level less than 35 g/L with normal hydration status. The three highest intervention indicators were receives 1.2 g protein per kilogram of actual body weight, receives 120 mg or more of vitamin C daily, and receives 1 1/2 times the energy required based on goal body weight. When serum albumin level was documented in the medical record, it was a valid indicator for both diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: Inappropriate dietary intake, disease, and disability place residents in nursing facilities at risk for malnutrition. Thus, it is important to obtain laboratory values when assessing elderly residents and determining their nutritional status.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Childhood actinomycosis: report of two cases.

The authors report two cases of actinomycosis in children: one thoracic and the other retroperitoneal. They emphasize the difficulties of diagnosis before the stage of parietal extension with cutaneous fistula and characteristic yellow granular discharge. These difficulties are due to: The rarity of visceral actinomycosis, particularly in children. The lesion has a similar appearance to that of a tumor; an extensive pre-operative work-up is mandatory (ultrasound, computed tomogram scan, repeated ultrasound-guided needle biopsy), although this work-up may not necessarily lead to the correct diagnosis. A surgical biopsy will often confirm the diagnosis, provided the diagnosis has been previously considered. The necessity of using very specific tests for correct identification of the organism. Therefore, in a case of pseudo-inflammatory pseudotumor, visceral actinomycosis must be considered in order to guide microbiological and pathological studies, although this diagnosis is rare. Once the diagnosis has been made, prolonged treatment with penicillin is effective and complete recovery is generally obtained.

Abdominal Abscess↗
PubMed1995

Multicenter clinical laboratory evaluation of a beta-lactamase disk assay employing a novel chromogenic cephalosporin, S1.

S1, a new chromogenic cephalosporin (International BioClinical, Inc., Portland, Oreg.), was used to detect beta-lactamase production among a variety of commonly encountered bacteria in a four-center collaborative study. Results of an S1 disk assay were compared with those obtained by a nitrocefin-based disk procedure (Cefinase; Becton-Dickinson Microbiology Systems, Cockeysville, Md.), with repetitive testing of five quality control organisms and with individual tests of recent clinical isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (162 strains), Haemophilus influenzae (162 strains), Moraxella catarrhalis (155 strains), Staphylococcus aureus (161 strains), and Bacteroides fragilis (164 strains). The performances of the two beta-lactamase disk assays were comparable for the first three species cited above. However, the S1 assay appeared to be a more sensitive procedure than the Cefinase assay when applied to S. aureus and B. fragilis, with respect to both total numbers of positive results and length of time to a definitive positive endpoint.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1994

[Helicobacter pylori gastric infections in children].

OBJECTIVES: Numerous reports have established the association of Helicobacter pylori and recurrent abdominal pain in children. We investigated the clinical, bacteriological and therapeutic features of our patients seen over a 1 year period. METHODS: We investigated 121 children during 1992 in Hospital Saint Vincent-de-Paul, Paris. At endoscopy, biopsies were taken and sent for histology and bacteriology and urease testing. A decision regarding treatment by amoxicillin and metronidazol was made after positive results of bacteriology and/or histology. RESULTS: Heliobacter pylori was found in 47 antral biopsies after pathology examination with Giemsa staining alone 16 times, bacterial culture 9 times and both methods 22 times. Abdominal pain was the prominent symptom, occurring in 35.5% of Helicobacter pylori+patients. In 25 of the positive negative patients, a nodular gastritis was observed (53.1%) and in 27.6% of them a weight loss or a delay in weight gain. Few patients became after combined treatment with amoxicillin and metronidazol whereas eradication rates after triple therapy with amoxicillin-metronidazol and H2 antagonist or proton pump blocker were higher. CONCLUSION: Helicobacter pylori related gastritis is a common cause of abdominal complaints in children. The most common symptom is recurrent abdominal pain. Antral nodularity is a peculiar endoscopic finding in children. Two-drug therapy associating amoxicillin-metronidazol is often ineffective to eradicate the bacteria whereas eradication rates after triple therapy amoxicillin-metronidazol and H2 antagonist or proton pump blocker are higher.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Characterization of different neuron populations in mouse statoacoustic ganglion cultures.

Statoacoustic ganglion (SAG) cells were grown in primary culture and the appearance of different neuronal phenotypes was investigated. Analysis criteria were shape, size and staining for the immunocytochemical markers: neurofilament proteins (NF-200 kDa), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), calretinin, a calcium-binding protein and substance P, a neurotransmitter. Cultures were prepared from dissociated SAG cells of 13 gestation-day-old mouse embryos. Neurons were identified and counted after 7 days in vitro. At this stage, neurons were organized in small clusters forming an extensive network of neurites grown on a layer of fibroblasts and glia. Most neurons identified by NF or NSE immunoreactivity showed a typical adult-like bipolar profile. The diameters of the neurons were between 5.62 and 17.00 microns and displayed a normal distribution (mean: 10.6 microns). Two distinct subpopulations were identified by the expression of calretinin and substance P. Calretinin-immunoreactive neurons were large and very rare and had a mean diameter of 11.3 microns; the distribution of substance P was more extensive than that of calretinin and identified a population of small neurons with a mean diameter of 8.9 microns. The distributions of these two markers in SAG cultures were consistent with in vivo results. In conclusion, dissociated SAG cell cultures appear to be a suitable model for analyzing the development of the immunocytochemical and functional characteristics of the neurons of this inner ear ganglion.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Eradication of convalescent-phase Salmonella carriage in children with two oral doses of pefloxacin.

Fifteen children (age range 1.5 months to 7.2 years), who were excluded from schools or nurseries due to asymptomatic convalescent-phase non-typhoidal Salmonella carriage, received two oral doses of pefloxacin (12 mg/kg on days 1 and 4) and were examined on days 10, 30, 45 and 60. Definitive eradication was observed in 13 patients, all of whom had initial low Salmonella counts in stools and were culture-negative by day 10. In the two patients who failed to respond, the same treatment was effective when repeated 4 and 6 months later respectively. No side-effects were observed. In six other children, considered as controls, eradication by day 10 was observed in only one case after administration of amoxicillin for eight days. Two oral doses of pefloxacin could be a useful and safe means for eliminating Salmonella carriage in young children.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1994

Altered stability of etoposide-induced topoisomerase II-DNA complexes in resistant human leukaemia K562 cells.

K562 leukaemia cells were selected for resistance using 0.5 microM etoposide (VP-16). Cloned K/VP.5 cells were 30-fold resistant to growth inhibition by VP-16 and 5- to 13-fold resistant to m-AMSA, adriamycin and mitoxantrone. K/VP.5 cells did not overexpress P-glycoprotein; VP-16 accumulation was similar to that in K562 cells. VP-16-induced DNA damage was reduced in cells and nuclei from K/VP.5 cells compared with K562 cells. Topoisomerase II protein was reduced 3- to 7-fold and topoisomerase II alpha and topoisomerase II beta mRNAs were each reduced 3-fold in resistant cells. After drug removal, VP-16-induced DNA damage disappeared 1.7 times more rapidly and VP-16-induced DNA-topoisomerase II adducts dissociated 1.5 times more rapidly in K/VP.5 cells than in K562 cells. ATP (1 mM) was more effective in enhancing VP-16-induced DNA damage in nuclei isolated from sensitive cells than in nuclei from resistant cells. In addition, ATP (0.3-5 mM) stimulated VP-16-induced DNA-topoisomerase II adducts to a greater extent in K562 nuclei than in K/VP.5 nuclei. Taken together, these results indicate that resistance to VP-16 in a K562 subline is associated with a quantitative reduction in topoisomerase II protein and, in addition, a distinct qualitative alteration in topoisomerase II affecting the stability of drug-induced DNA-topoisomerase II complexes.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1994

A 2-year study of Helicobacter pylori in children.

From September 1990 to October 1992, Helicobacter pylori was searched for in 426 children, 2 days to 16 years old, requiring upper fibroscopy for various symptoms. H. pylori was detected in 77 children (18.1%). Recurrent abdominal pain was present in 63.3% of the patients with H. pylori versus 48.6% of a control group of 74 age-matched children negative for H. pylori, weight loss was present in 6.5% of the patients versus 0% of the control subjects, and a family history of peptic ulcer was present in 14.2% of the patients versus 5.4% of the controls. Micronodular gastritis was observed in 31 children with H. pylori infection (40.2%). Among the 24 children (31.1%) with H. pylori infection and a normal mucosa at endoscopy, 18 (75%) complained of recurrent abdominal pain. H. pylori was also found in 21 of 38 children (55.2%) being examined because of short stature. These findings indicate that H. pylori should be looked for in children with recurrent abdominal pain with or without weight loss or a family history of peptic ulcer. Its relevance in short-stature syndrome requires further clarification.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed1994

Radiation doses to patients in neurointerventional procedures.

PURPOSE: To evaluate stochastic and deterministic risks associated with neurointerventional procedures for the patient. METHODS: Eight neurovascular interventional procedures were evaluated to determine the entrance skin dose and effective dose for the patient. Dosimetry was done with thermoluminescence dosimeters. The highest dose on the patient's head was recorded as the maximum entrance skin dose. The equivalent dose was obtained by conversion of the dose-area product using published conversion tables. RESULTS: The maximum entrance skin dose varied from 129 to 1335 mGy. The mean effective dose was 1.67 mSv with a range of 0.44 to 3.44 mSv. No deterministic effect has been encountered. Stochastic risk linked to the highest effective dose value was approximately one death by fatal cancer for every 6000 procedures, according to the new International Commission on Radiological Protection coefficient. CONCLUSIONS: Because no deterministic effect has been detected, and stochastic risks were very low, radiation hazard to the patient is a minor consideration in deciding whether to undertake a neurointerventional procedure.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Disulfide interchange reactions in 11S globulin subunits of Cruciferae seeds. Relationships to gene families.

Cruciferin, the main storage protein in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.), is a legumin-like 11S globulin. Using SDS/PAGE cruciferin was shown to be composed of different subunits consisting of alpha S and beta S polypeptides, which were disulfide linked, and also closely related free alpha f and beta f polypeptides which were not covalently linked. The origin of these latter free chains was found to be the result of disulfide interchange reactions occurring during SDS-induced dissociation of the hexameric 11S complex. These reactions involved the rupture of the alpha S-beta S interchain disulfide link and, as shown by specific thiol fluorescent labeling, the subsequent formation of an intra-beta-chain disulfide bond. N-terminal amino acid sequence determinations revealed that these reactions were related to particular cruciferin subunit beta chains having an additional cysteine residue (position 11) near the residue (position 7) implicated in the inter-chain disulfide bridges. Such a sequence could explain the origin of the free and linked polypeptides as also shown in SDS/PAGE analysis of radish (Raphanus sativum L.) and Arabidopsis thaliana H. cruciferins. These two polypeptide classes may be considered to represent phenotypic biochemical markers of two different Cruciferae globulin gene families.

Allergens↗
PubMed1993

A liver-specific nuclear protein represses transcription of the S14 gene in vitro and in vivo.

P1 is a nuclear protein found exclusively in rat liver and binds to a motif that spans nucleotides -310 to -288 of the thyroid hormone responsive gene, S14. We expect P1 to play an important role in regulating gene expression because the binding motif for this factor is contained within a DNase I-hypersensitive site of S14 chromatin. In this report, we have attempted to define the function of P1 by correlating its DNA binding activity with levels of mRNA-S14 in response to aging and obesity. Results of all studies revealed inverse relationships between the activity of P1 and levels of mRNA-S14, thus suggesting that P1 may function as a repressor of S14 gene expression. Accordingly, we tested the repressor hypothesis using cell-free transcription and transient transfection assays to measure the activity of reporter constructs with and without the P1 binding motif. In the presence of the P1 motif, S14 promoter activity was repressed and the negative effect on gene transcription was further enhanced by thyroid hormone. These observations are consistent with P1 being a repressor of S14 gene transcription.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

High serum procalcitonin concentrations in patients with sepsis and infection.

High concentrations of calcitonin-like immunoreactivity have been found in the blood of patients with various extrathyroid diseases. By means of a monoclonal immunoradiometric assay for calcitonin precursors, we have measured serum concentrations of procalcitonin in patients with various bacterial and viral infections. 79 children (newborn to age 12 years) in hospital with suspected infections were investigated prospectively. 19 patients with severe bacterial infections had very high serum concentrations of procalcitonin at diagnosis (range 6-53 ng/mL) in comparison with 21 children found to have no signs of infection (baseline concentrations < 0.1 ng/mL). Serum procalcitonin values decreased rapidly during antibiotic therapy. 11 patients with peripheral bacterial colonisation or local infections without invasive sepsis and 18 (86%) of 21 patients with viral infections had concentrations within or slightly above the normal range (0.1-1.5 ng/mL). Among 9 severely burned patients studied in an intensive care unit, the post-traumatic course of procalcitonin concentrations (range 0.1-120 ng/mL) was closely related to infectious complications and acute septic episodes. Concentrations of mature calcitonin were normal in all subjects, whatever procalcitonin concentrations were found. Concentrations of a substance immunologically identical to procalcitonin are raised during septic conditions. Serum concentrations seem to be correlated with the severity of microbial invasion.

Bacterial Infections↗