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Biomedical subjects

M Alcalay

Publications and source records attributed to M Alcalay.

158 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Ocular injury by mustard gas.

Sulfur mustard is a chemical warfare agent which was widely used during World War I and more recently in conflicts in the Middle East. This highly toxic compound causes severe dermal, gastrointestinal, respiratory and ocular injuries. It acts as an alkylating agent that induces structural changes and, hence, destruction of nucleic acids and proteins, impairing the cell's normal homeostasis and eventually causing its death. Sulfur mustard reacts rapidly with ocular tissues, and after a latent period of a few hours the patient starts suffering from severe eye pain, photophobia, excessive lacrimation and blindness. The injury, which is restricted to the anterior segment of the eye, may cause long-lasting incapacity in large numbers of casualties. Approximately 0.5% of the severely wounded victims may develop late complications which require prolonged ophthalmologic observation and therapy. In light of the ever-present threat of mustard chemical warfare against military and civilians, physicians worldwide should be aware of its grave effects and know how to care for its victims.

Chemical Warfare↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Is rheumatoid arthritis connected with a digestive tract parasitosis? (author's transl)].

The comparison of blood eosinophil counts and stool parasites in two groups of patients--twenty one suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and twenty one from other various diseases--did not show any significant difference in favour of a parasitological etiology in rheumatoid arthritis, an hypothesis which had to be considered because of the efficacy of levamisole in the treatment of this disease.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Myoclonus during a treatment with diclofenac (author's transl)].

Diclofenac is a non steroïdal anti-inflammatory drug. In 1978, the case of a myoclonic encephalopathy appearing three days after starting a treatment with this drug in a patients with renal insufficiency was published. A few months later, we observed a case of myoclonus of the lower limbs in a young man in good general status, without renal insufficiency, after four full months of this treatment. Myoclonus vanished 48 hours after withdrawal of the drug.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Chemonucleolysis in the treatment of disk lumbo-radiculalgia. Cooperative study of 333 cases].

A retrospective study was carried out of 333 patients who had been treated by chemonucleolysis with chymopapain. The efficacy and safety of this treatment were evaluated and factors exerting a statistically significant effect on the quality of the results were selected from clinical and radiological data and the conditions of chemonucleolysis. Results were satisfactory in 70.5% of cases. Complications were seen in 2.8% of cases, all of which developed favorably; three of four started work again within four months, without change of job in 84% of cases. 11% of patients underwent surgery after failure of nucleolysis. There was no statistically significant evidence that results were influenced by age, sex, duration of painful episode justifying nucleolysis, the duration of the first lumbar pains or radiculalgia, the radiographic condition of the treated disc before nucleolysis or the radiographic condition of the lumbar section of the spine. There was also no significant effect of the extent of discoradicular interaction (as seen by radiography), the number of levels treated or the site of nucleolysis. In contrast, the frequency of satisfactory results was significantly higher when nucleolysis was carried out for mono-radicular sciatica, when Lasègue's sign was noted and when marked discal degeneration was seen by discography.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Detection of anti-double stranded DNA antibodies of IgG, IgA and IgM classes by ELISA. Comparison with the Farr test and indirect immunofluorescence].

Anti-double stranded DNA antibodies were measured by an immunoglobulin class-specific immunoenzymatic assay (ELISA), in 450 sera from 265 patients as well as by indirect immunofluorescence using Crithidia luciliae as a substrate and, for 124 sera, by the Farr test. ELISA proved specific and reproducible and it yielded results that were well correlated with the Farr assay, with a slightly higher sensitivity of ELISA. Correlation with immunofluorescence was not as good because of the lower sensitivity of the latter method. ELISA enables the levels and isotypes of anti-DNA antibodies to be determined. Both appear to be critical parameters for a clinical interpretation of results, especially with respect to the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Spinal cord compression related to vertebral osteonecrosis.

The authors report 3 cases of spinal cord compression by vertebral collapse related to osteonecrosis. Two patients needed surgical decompression permitting pathological diagnosis. In the third case, osteonecrosis was ascertained by radiological evidence of an intravertebral vacuum phenomenon. Three etiologic factors were noticed: osteoporosis, corticotherapy, and radiotherapy. The relative frequency of neurologic complications in vertebral collapse related to osteonecrosis compared to those observed in osteoporosis is discussed.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Supraventricular arrhythmia in Yersinia enterocolitica infection].

The authors report a case of Yersinia enterocolitica rheumatism which presented atrial arrhythmias similar to those seen in atrial disease, but which resolved after 3 weeks and have not recurred over the subsequent 38 months. This case adds to the list of the cardiac manifestations of yersiniosis and raises the problem of acute forms of auricular disease.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Hereditary deficiency in complement C7 and platelet aggregation disorders associated with rheumatoid arthritis. One case (author's transl)].

In a patient suffering from rheumatoid arthritis thorough investigations led to the discovery of complete deficiency in the 7th component of the complement. A study of the patient's family tree confirmed the hereditary, codominant autosomal character of the deficiency, unrelated to the HLA system. The complement-dependent serum functions were investigated: the opsonizing and chemotactic activities were preserved, but bactericidal properties were lacking. Coagulation studies showed disorders in platelet aggregation in the presence of thrombin, and these were corrected by the addition of C7. The association of a dysimmune disease with C7 deficiency is probably not fortuitous; it might result from a common gene abnormality or, in some cases, from repeated infections.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Is fetal growth affected by cord entanglement?

Cord entanglement is a common occurrence during delivery. We examined the association of cord complications observed at delivery and birth weight. A retrospective survey of 12,241 births was performed, supplemented with a prospective study of an additional 456 deliveries. No adverse association was found in the retrospective data between cord coiled twice or more around the newborns' neck (8.3% of cases) and birth weight. Moreover, the incidence of cord around neck was significantly lower (p < 0.0006) in infants weighing less than 2000 gm at birth. A multiple regression analysis of the prospective data did not reveal any significant influence of cord complications on birth weight. We conclude that cord entanglement was not found to be a major cause of intrauterine disadvantage in pregnancies with a viable infant at term, as reflected by birth weight.

Adult↗