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Biomedical subjects

J Raymond

Publications and source records attributed to J Raymond.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Comparison of high-resolution computed tomography with discography in the evaluation of lumbar disc herniations.

After failure of conservative treatment, 100 patients with symptoms suggestive of lumbar herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP) but without objective deficits were investigated both by high-resolution CT (without intravenous or intrathecal contrast) and by discography. The L4-L5 and L5-S1 discs were investigated by both techniques in all patients. In addition, the L3-L4 disc was investigated in 20 patients. The 220 investigated discs were sorted out into 6 CT categories according to morphologic and technical criteria. They were also classified into 3 discographic groups according to morphologic and clinical criteria. Based on morphologic considerations alone, the false-negative CT rates varied from 0 to 64% and the false-positive rates varied from 0 to 19%, depending on the category under consideration. Based on both morphologic and clinical consideration, the false-negative CT rates varied from 34 to 57% and the false-positive CT rates varied from 23 to 50%. Thus, high-resolution CT does not constitute an adequate means of investigation for this category of patients and discography appears justified before considering any form of radical therapy.

Adult↗

Presence of gamma interferon in human acute and congenital toxoplasmosis.

The production of gamma interferon in acute acquired and congenital toxoplasmosis was studied. Gamma interferon was produced at significant titers (P less than 0.001) in the course of both congenital toxoplasmosis and acquired toxoplasmosis at an early stage of infection, when Toxoplasma gondii was multiplying. Its presence in fetal blood was correlated with the positive inoculation of fetal blood or amniotic fluid into mice (95%). The data suggest that the fetus is able to synthesize gamma interferon as early as week 21 of pregnancy. This test, easily and rapidly performed, could be included among those useful for diagnosing fetal toxoplasmic disease.

Acute Disease↗

Stimulation of radiation-impaired plasminogen activator release by phorbol ester in aortic endothelial cells.

Ionizing radiation has been reported to affect the fibrinolytic activity of exposed tissue. With cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells, radiation suppresses the release of plasminogen activator to the conditioned media, with a concomitant increase in intracellular plasminogen activator. Thus study was undertaken to determine whether radiation-impaired plasminogen activator release can be modified by phorbol ester. We exposed cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells to a sterilizing dose of 10 Gy of gamma-rays and found the treatment led to cell injury, as evidenced by an increased release of prelabeled chromium, and to a reduction of plasminogen activator in the conditioned media with elevated intracellular plasminogen activator in irradiated cells. Phorbol ester enhanced plasminogen activator activity in both sham-irradiated and irradiated endothelial cells. It was interesting to note that the increased plasminogen activator in phorbol ester-stimulated sham-irradiated cells was largely retained inside the cell, while it was released to the conditioned media in irradiated cells. Apparently, altered plasminogen activator activity of radiation-sterilized endothelial cells can be modified by exogenous stimuli.

Animals↗

State and federal reimbursement for home nutrition support.

Dietitians offer valuable services to home care agencies and their clients. In order to begin or continue providing such services agencies must be assured of adequate coverage. Since dietary and nutrition services are not covered, as such, under Medicare, agencies should consult with fiscal intermediaries, carriers, and home care accountants on billing and cost-allocation methods.

Humans↗

Quantitative autoradiographic characterization of L-[3H] glutamate binding sites in rat vestibular nuclei.

Quantitative autoradiography has been used to characterize L-[3H] glutamate binding sites and to describe their distribution in frozen sections of rat vestibular nuclei. Scatchard plots and Hill coefficients of glutamate binding suggest that glutamate interacts with a single population of sites having a KD of about 126 nM and a capacity of 2.5 pmol/mg of protein. Although the level of glutamate binding was not very high compared to the highest levels described for some other brain regions, it was nonetheless substantial. The sites were distributed unevenly in the four vestibular nuclei and their distribution correlated well with the projection areas of the vestibular nerve, which has been described as a glutamate-mediated pathway. The highest numbers of glutamate binding sites were observed in the medial vestibular nuclei. This technique provides a very sensitive assay for characterizing the pharmacological subtypes of glutamate binding in the vestibular nuclei and for analyzing changes in these sites during development or after deafferentation of the vestibular nuclei.

Animals↗

Stratification of patients with metastatic prostate cancer based on extent of disease on initial bone scan.

Most patients with metastatic prostate cancer will have metastasis to bone. Such patients are best monitored by serial radionuclide bone scans. One hundred sixty six men with bone metastasis from prostate cancer who received androgen deprivation therapy had their pretreatment bone scans reviewed using a semiquantitative grading system based upon the extent of disease (EOD) observed on the scan. The EOD on the scan correlated with survival. The 2-year survival rates for EOD I to IV were 94%, 74%, 68%, and 40%, respectively. The survival of patients in categories EOD I and IV significantly differed from the other categories. Men with metastatic prostate cancer entered into trials designed to evaluate the impact of treatment on survival should be stratified based upon the EOD on the bone scan. This analysis also indicates that patients in the EOD IV category have a particularly poor prognosis and may be candidates for alternative treatments.

Bone Neoplasms↗

Superselective cerebral arterial infusion of BCNU in high-grade glioma: the radiologist's point of view.

Thirty-two patients suffering from high-grade glioma were candidates for superselective cerebral arterial infusion of 1,3-bis-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) after surgery and radiation therapy. There were 74 catheterizations using an 8-French guiding catheter through which a 2.5-French balloon catheter was placed into the main arterial trunk feeding the tumor. Eleven procedures were abandoned because of arterial spasm with a transient neurological deficit or because of prolonged catheterization time. Sixty-three infusions of BCNU were done, each lasting three hours. Eighty-one percent of patients showed stabilization or improvement on computed tomographic (CT) scans five weeks after treatment. We thus demonstrate the safety of supraophthalmic catheterization, the feasibility of prolonged catheterization, and the relative effectiveness of low doses of BCNU infused over a long period of time in the treatment of cerebral gliomas.

Brain Neoplasms↗

Appearance and development of neuron-specific enolase immunoreactivity in organotypic cultures of mouse embryo otocysts.

The appearance of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) immunoreactivity was studied in sensory and vestibular ganglion cells during the development of mouse embryo otocysts grown in vitro from the 13th gestation day. NSE appeared sequentially in the ganglion and sensory cell populations of the inner ear with a pattern that paralleled their successive maturation. Comparison with NSE immunoreactivity profile during in vivo development shows that NSE appears earlier during organotypic in vitro maturation.

Animals↗

In vitro differentiation of mouse embryo statoacoustic ganglion and sensory epithelium.

Interactions between the statoacoustic ganglion and sensory vestibular epithelia have been investigated using different methods of organ and tissue cultures taken from mouse embryos on gestation day 13. Ultrastructural and biochemical observations of the degree of maturation of vestibular sensory cells and ganglion neurons grown in co-culture showed that these structures are able to replicate their in vivo ontogenic maturation and form specific 'functional' links, although anomalies in development were noted. The completion of ultrastructural sensory hair cell development in isolated otocyst organotypic culture is in agreement with previous findings supporting the hypothesis that nerve fibers do not exert any direct trophic influences on the survival and maturation of sensory epithelia. Morphological and immunocytochemical observations of vestibular and cochlear ganglion neuron differentiation in isolated cultures showed that these neurons can differentiate without their peripheral and central target structure. Possible interactions at earlier stages cannot be excluded. Further studies are needed to determine whether interactions between hair cells and ganglion cells can modulate their in vitro maturation under different experimental conditions.

Animals↗

[Effects of Ginkgo biloba extract on the morphological preservation of vestibular sensory epithelia in mice].

Oral or parenteral Ginkgo biloba extract seems to uniformly improve the ultrastructural qualities of vestibular sensorial epithelia when fixed by vascular perfusions. The improvements observed may be consequential to the effects of Ginkgo biloba extract on capillary permeability and general microcirculation, which would accelerate penetration of the fixator into vestibular tissues, and/or to more complex processes associated with cellular metabolism and membrane protective systems.

Animals↗

Anti-interleukin 2 receptor monoclonal antibodies. Respective role of epitope mapping and monoclonal antibody-receptor interactions in their antagonist effects on interleukin 2-dependent T cell growth.

Functional studies, using mainly interleukin 2 (IL2)-dependent growth of human T cell lines or clones but also mixed lymphocyte cultures and mitogen T cell activation, allowed a collection of locally produced anti-IL2 receptor monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to be classified. They fell into two groups: one with strong to moderate inhibition of IL2, the other without any detectable functional activity in in vitro assays. Direct and sequential immunoprecipitation as well as peptide mapping confirm that all the mAb recognize the same surface molecule. The parameters responsible for such functional dichotomy were characterized: the main parameter was found to be linked to the epitopic cluster recognized on the molecule by the mAb. All functional mAb pertained to a given epitopic cluster and all the nonfunctional ones to an alternative cluster. Studies on mAb receptor and IL2 receptor interactions confirmed these findings and strongly suggest that functional mAb interact with a region on the IL2 receptor identical or very close to the site of ligand-receptor interaction. These data could facilitate the choice of mAb to be used in therapeutical approaches in vivo when ethical objections could be overcome by appropriate committees.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

In vitro electrophysiological study of spontaneous activity in neonatal mouse vestibular ganglion neurons during development.

Spontaneous discharges from vestibular ganglion neurons have been studied in mice between 0 and 10 days in freshly isolated in vitro preparations. The vestibular ganglion neurons were electrophysiologically active at birth with irregular activities. From the 3rd day. the activities could be divided into irregular and regular discharging units based on the coefficient of variation of their interspike intervals. This study provides two criteria for maturation of vestibular activities: a decreasing number of irregular units with age and an increase of the spontaneous discharge frequencies.

Action Potentials↗

Isolation of two strains of Kingella kingae associated with septic arthritis.

Two new cases of infection, a presternal abscess and a spondylodiscitis caused by the recently classified bacterium Kingella kingae, are reported. The main bacteriological characteristics and the susceptibility of the two isolates to antimicrobial agents are described. The pathology of K. kingae, particularly among children, is reviewed.

Abscess↗

Effects of arginine butyrate on bacterial growth.

The antibacterial activity of arginine butyrate was tested on 15 different strains. Its bacteriostatic action was detected, depending on the organisms, at concentrations between 55 and 250 mM, except for the Streptococcus B. The latter was not only resistant, but its growth was even stimulated at low concentrations (1.95 mM to 31.2 mM). It is possible that this characteristic is related to its persistence in the female genital tract where the anaerobes produce butyrate. It has previously been demonstrated that this cytostatic activity applies not only to the prokaryotes, but also to the eukaryotes, where it is seen in much lower concentrations (6 mM): since the arginine butyrate could be used in antitumor treatment, it is important to investigate its bacterial growth effects.

Arginine↗