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Biomedical subjects

M Allard

Publications and source records attributed to M Allard.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Angiotensin II in the central nervous system in the rat.

Characteristics and functional activity of Angiotensin II (AII) neuronal receptors were studied using binding and intracellular recording methods. Characteristics of AII binding allowed definition of two distinct classes of high and low affinity binding sites. The effects of AII on the electrophysiological membrane properties of neurones were investigated using cultured mouse spinal cord (SC). AII induced changes in membrane potential and input resistance which varied according to the applied concentration of peptide. These data agreed with binding results suggesting two classes of AII neuronal receptors. Although angiotensin II-like material is found in the rat brain by RIA and immunochemistry, the presence of authentic angiotensin II (AII) is a point for discussion. Using RIA and radio-receptor assay (RRA), we found AII like peptides. However, chromatographic separation by gel filtration has revealed that this material is not authentic AII but consists of compounds of higher molecular weight. The recognition of the same material, both by AII antibodies (RIA) and AII binding sites (RRA) suggests that precursors containing AII sequences exist in the rat brain. We incubated rat brain with 3H-angiotensin I (AI) at 37 degrees C and analysed the resulting 3H-peptides (HPLC). Authentic 3H-AII was not detected, but two smaller peptides appeared (peak alpha et beta). The same peaks appeared when rat brain was incubated with 3H-AII. We have only been able to reveal 3H-AII formation from 3H-AI by inhibiting AII angiotensinases with excess of AII or low temperature (22 degrees C or 12 degrees C).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed1984

[Seat belt syndrome: a new abdominal pathology].

Between January 1976 and December 1980, 43 patients involved in automobile accidents while wearing passive restraints were treated at l'Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur in Montreal. Thirty-seven showed signs of abdominal trauma and were operated upon. There was a strikingly high incidence of gastrointestinal injury. Thirty-two of the 37 had injury to the bowel or its mesentery. This spectrum of injury is most likely related to the rapid deceleration caused by the restraint with the three-point harness.

Abdominal Injuries↗
PubMed1983

Changing trends with abdominal injury in seatbelt wearers.

Seatbelts were incorporated as standard equipment for automobiles constructed in North America in 1964. The first seatbelt law was made mandatory in Canada as of 1 January 1971. Between January 1976 and January 1980 38 patients involved in automobile accidents while wearing passive restraints were treated at l'Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur: 32 of these 38 patients had signs and symptoms of abdominal injury. These patients wearing passive restraints had an unusually high incidence of gastrointestinal injury in comparison to previously reported patients not wearing restraints. Twenty-seven of the 32 patients had injury to the bowel or the bowel mesentery. This different spectrum of injuries is most likely related to the altered physics of rapid deceleration caused by restraint with the lap belt and shoulder harness.

Abdominal Injuries↗
PubMed1982

Importance of the serum amylase level in patients with blunt abdominal trauma.

Possible intra-abdominal injuries were sought in 101 patients admitted with blunt abdominal trauma. The serum amylase level was measured in the first 12 hours after the accident. Twenty-five patients had hyperamylasemia; 18 underwent laparotomy and 7 were treated conservatively. At laparotomy all 18 patients exhibited at least one serious intra-abdominal lesion, and there was a total of 28 lesions in the who group (including only four pancreatic injuries). The mean value of the serum amylase for those who had laparotomy was 1190 IU, while it was only 363 IU for those not operated upon. The authors conclude that hyperamylasemia in blunt abdominal trauma is not specific to pancreatic injury, but may suggest the presence of a serious intra-abdominal lesion.

Abdominal Injuries↗
PubMed1982

Benign solid teratoma of the ovary with rupture into the rectum.

The authors present an unusual case of benign, solid, complex teratoma of the ovary with rupture into the rectum. A young woman, investigated for bowel problems, was found to have a prolapsing tumour in the upper rectum. A diagnosis of benign solid teratoma of the ovary was made by histologic examination of the surgical specimen; the tumour had perforated the rectal wall and protruded into the bowel lumen, a most unusual complication for this type of tumour. Pararectal teratomas can arise from either the ovaries or the soft tissues of the sacrococcygeal region. The latter do, on rare occasions, perforate the rectum. The possible mechanisms of rectal perforation by these teratomas are briefly discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Resection and primary anastomosis for diverticulitis with perforation and peritonitis.

Primary resection is the treatment of choice for diverticulitis of the colon with perforation and generalized peritonitis. Although there has been controversy concerning the management of the bowel ends after resection, for the last 20 years immediate anastomosis has been gaining increasing support. Between 1970 and 1981, at the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur in Montreal, 15 patients having diverticulitis with perforation and diffuse spreading peritonitis who fulfilled specific criteria were treated by primary resection of the perforated segment of bowel and immediate anastomosis. The criteria for operation were : (a) the bowel must not be distended; (b) the bowel should be empty of feces; (c) edema of bowel wall at the resection site must be minimal; (d) the distal segment of colon should be above the peritoneal reflection; (e) there should be no fecal contamination; (f) the patient's general condition should be reasonably good. If these criteria were met, the procedure was safe and gave satisfactory results. In the authors' series, postoperative hospital stay was reduced considerably (it averaged 11 days). There was one anastomotic pulmonary edema.

Aged↗
PubMed1981

Primary adenoid cystic carcinoma of the esophagus.

Primary adenoid cystic carcinoma or cylindroma of the esophagus is rare, only 22 cases having been reported previously. The histogenesis of this tumour is disputed, but it is believed to arise from the submucosal glands. A 75-year-old man with a cylindroma of the esophagus underwent radical excision of the tumour and has been clinically disease-free and asymptomatic since his operation in February 1979. Despite the poor results of surgery in the small number of patients reported in the literature, this unusual type of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus should be treated like epidermoid carcinoma--by radical excision.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

One-leg standing balance and functional status in a population of 512 community-living elderly persons.

The objective of this cross-sectional study (whose baseline data were drawn from a longitudinal population study) was to determine if one-leg standing balance might be a useful marker of functional status in elderly persons independently living in an urban community (N = 512, mean age 73 +/- 7.0, 71.4% women). One-leg standing balance (ascertained by the Tinetti test) and functional status were obtained from a baseline gerontological assessment and follow-up questionnaires. Correlations were tested between one-leg balance and physical health and functional measurements. One-leg standing balance (OLSB) was abnormal in 24.7% of the population. At least one incapacity in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) was found in 60.6% of those with OLSB abnormality, vs 45.5% in those with OLSB "adaptive" (borderline abnormal), and 33.3% in those with normal one-leg standing balance (p < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed 3 independent factors related to one-leg balance abnormality: age > 71 years (OR = 5.11, CI = 1.99-13.10); IADL deficit requiring help with transportation (OR = 3.61; CI = 1.15-11.40); and "poor" health status on the Iowa Self-Assessment Inventory (OR = 2.67, CI = 1.35-5.27). We conclude that one-leg standing balance may be a simple, predictive and inexpensive marker helpful in screening for low functional level and frailty in clinical practice.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Solubilization and characterization of covalently labeled angiotensin II receptors in cultured mouse spinal cord cells.

To investigate the physicochemical characteristics of angiotensin II receptors in nervous tissue, [125I]-labeled AII was covalently linked to its binding sites in cultured mouse spinal cord cells, using the chemical crosslinking agent disuccinimidyl suberate. The liganded complexes were analyzed by SDS/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Autoradiograms revealed a single band which corresponding to a component with a calculated Mr value of 68,000 +/- 5,000. The same radioactive band was observed under reducing or non-reducing conditions, although in the presence of beta-mercaptoethanol the band was less intense. This suggests that the AII binding unit may contain essential disulfide bonds close to the AII binding site. After solubilization with 1% Triton X-100, extracts were analyzed by HPLC gel filtration. Three radioactive species were identified with apparent molecular weights of 65,000; 115,000 and 185,000. Results obtained in the presence or absence of 10 nM unlabeled AII showed that these three units were common to both the high and the low affinity binding sites. The results also demonstrate that AII receptors in nervous tissue have similar physicochemical properties to those from other tissues, and that the 68,000 subunit probably contains the AII binding site.

Angiotensin II↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Electrophysiological effects of FLFQPQRF amide, an endogenous brain morphine modulating peptide, on cultured mouse spinal-cord neurons.

Intracellular recordings were made from dissociated fetal mouse spinal cord neurones in primary culture. Micropressure application of FLFQPQRFamide (10(-5) M in the delivery pipette), an endogenous mammalian brain morphine modulating peptide, onto the surface of spinal cord neurones induced, in a dose dependent manner, a transitory hyperpolarization followed by a long lasting depolarization of the membrane potential (n = 37). In contrast, no response was observed when the peptide was applied on dorsal root ganglia neurones (n = 30). The depolarizing phase of this response was underlied by an increase of the input resistance. Extrapolated reversal potential for the depolarizing phase was close to -80 mV while it was close to -40 mV for the hyperpolarizing phase. Increasing extracellular K+ concentration raised the reversal potential value of depolarizing phases to more positive values. The amplitude of the depolarizing phase was reduced by application of tetraethylammonium (50 mM) while it was enhanced by application of 4-aminopyridine (3 mM). CaCl2 application (3 mM) reversibly blocked the hyperpolarization and decreased the subsequent depolarization. In presence of Ba2+ the extrapollated reversal potential of the hyperpolarizing phase was dramatically shifted to a more positive value. Finally FLFQPQRFamide induced response can be partially mimicked by FMRFamide application. Our observations indicate that FLFQPQRFamide can have multiple effects on membrane conductance of mammalian spinal cord neurones by acting on a single class of receptor. These effects of FLFQPQRFamide were found to be mainly excitatory.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Arthroscopic release of the glenohumeral joint in shoulder stiffness: a review of 26 cases. French Society for Arthroscopy.

The purpose of this multicenter retrospective study of arthroscopic release of the glenohumeral joint was to evaluate the technical feasibility, the results, and the potential correlations between results and cause of the stiffness. Twenty-six shoulders in 25 patients (19 women and six men) were re-evaluated 3 to 72 months (mean, 21 months) after arthroscopic release of the glenohumeral joint. Diagnoses were primary frozen shoulder in 13 cases, bipolar stiffness (rotator cuff tear plus capsular contraction) in 3 cases, and postinjury or postsurgery stiffness in 10 cases. Results were evaluated on passive range of motion, Constant's score, and subjective assessment. Anterior or anterior inferior capsular release was done at the anterior rim of the glenoid fossa. Posterior capsule release was not performed in this series. There were no intraoperative complications. Mean range of motion gains were 86 degrees for forward elevation, 72 degrees for abduction, 34 degrees for external rotation, and 6 spinal processes for internal rotation. Constant's range of motion score increased from 12.9 out of 40 to 32 out of 40 points. Thirteen patients were very satisfied, 5 satisfied, 5 improved, and 3 unchanged. Range of motion gains were independent from the cause of shoulder stiffness, but global results were better in the primary frozen shoulder group in terms of pain and strength. Arthroscopic release of the glenohumeral joint is feasible and safe. For primary frozen shoulders, in case of failure of the functional treatment, arthroscopic release is a less traumatic alternative to manipulation under general anesthesia. For bipolar stiffness, arthroscopy provides the opportunity for treating concomitant lesions. For postsurgical stiffness, arthroscopic release improves range of motion, but the shoulder often remains painful.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychosocial distress and infertility: a review of controlled research.

Three hypotheses have been most often cited on the link between infertility and psychosocial distress: (1) psychosocial problems trigger infertility; (2) infertility triggers psychosocial distress; and (3) there is an interactive causal relationship between infertility and psychosocial distress. The controlled research on these three hypotheses was reviewed. The thirty publications that met inclusion criteria provide convincing evidence that, taken as a whole, patients diagnosed and treated in infertility clinics show significantly higher levels of psychosocial distress than do control groups. As well, in general, female patients score higher on psychosocial distress measures than males. However, the authors conclude that research designs to date have failed to control crucial variables that permit conclusive empirical tests of the three hypotheses. The paper closes with recommendations for future research that would accelerate the evaluation of scientific data available on the subject.

Adaptation, Psychological↗