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Biomedical subjects

M Baudin

Publications and source records attributed to M Baudin.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Central nervous system involvement in Sjögren's syndrome: evidence from neuropsychological testing and HMPAO-SPECT.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical, neuropsychological and imaging manifestations of Sjögren's syndrome (SS), a chronic auto-immune disease with peripheral and central nervous system (CNS) involvement. DESIGN/METHODS: Fourteen female patients suffering from confirmed SS underwent within 2 weeks: neurological examination, immunological staging, brain MRI, brain 99m Tc-HMPAO SPECT, psychological evaluation and in-depth neuropsychological testing. RESULTS: All patients showed neuropsychological abnormalities. The cognitive symptoms were of the same type in all patients, mostly frontal lobe syndrome and memory problems. The neuropsychological involvement was not associated with other kinds of CNS involvement or MRI abnormalities, but accurately reflected HMPAO imaging results. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that cognitive evaluation is the most sensitive clinical test to diagnose CNS involvement in patients with SS, and that CNS involvement in SS seems to be more frequent when systematically assessed by neuropsychological tests.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Inhibitor of the release of mast cell mediators does not improve the psoriatic plaque.

The number of mast cells is increased in psoriatic lesions and this is particularly prominent in their early phase. Mediators released by mast cells may interfere with various aspects of cutaneous inflammation and epidermal proliferation. Therefore, the aim of the present investigation was to find out whether a 4-week treatment period with Tiacrilast, a highly potent inhibitor of mast cell degranulation, might have antipsoriatic potential. A total of 31 patients with plaque-type psoriasis were evaluated after treatment with a 3% Tiacrilast hydrogel and hydrogel alone, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-patient comparative study. No statistically significant improvement of the Tiacrilast-treated plaques compared to the hydrogel-treated sites could be demonstrated. Therefore, the present study does not provide evidence of a potential role of mast cell degranulation in the treatment of psoriasis.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Psychological consequences in organ transplantations].

Organ transplantations constitute therapeutic advances for some fatal diseases. Their specificity are: severe prognosis, waiting for an alive donor (kidney or marrow transplantations) or a dead one, uncertainty of results or side effects. Identity troubles, debt towards the donor characterize also transplantations. They realize a traumatic situation difficult to communicate and demand a long working through psychic procedure. We shall describe these patients' defense mechanisms and those of their family and care takers--the psychologist's role in transplantation units.

Bone Marrow Transplantation↗
PubMed1994

Acitretin in the treatment of severe lichen sclerosus et atrophicus of the vulva: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Promising results have been reported from treatment with oral retinoids in patients with severe lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA) of the vulva. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to determine the efficacy of acitretin (20 to 30 mg/day) for 16 weeks in LSA. METHODS: Seventy-eight patients were enrolled into a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. The primary measure of efficacy was the "responder" rate based on the assessment of characteristic clinical features of LSA of the vulva (pruritus, burning, atrophy, hyperkeratosis, and secondary features such as erosions, ulcers, edema, or lichenification) and on the extent of the lesions. RESULTS: From the 46 patients eligible for efficacy analysis, a significantly higher number of responders was observed in the acitretin-treatment group (14 of 22 patients) as compared with the placebo-treatment group (6 of 24 patients). Typical retinoid adverse reactions were observed in all patients receiving active drug. CONCLUSION: Acitretin is effective in treating women with severe LSA of the vulva.

Acitretin↗
PubMed1994

Teratogenic risk with etretinate and acitretin treatment.

Etretinate (Tigason, Tegison) and its active metabolite acitretin (Neotigason, Soriatane) are known teratogens. Pregnancy should be avoided during treatment and until 2 years after treatment discontinuation. The question is discussed whether a dose or a blood concentration of the drug below which there is no teratogenic risk can be determined. Animal experimental and human pharmacokinetic data are reviewed. An evaluation of the outcomes of pregnancies which occurred in mothers exposed to etretinate or acitretin was performed. A threshold dose in human therapy below which there is no risk of congenital malformation cannot be determined based on animal experimental data. With regard to pharmacokinetics, there are currently no data suggesting that blood levels of the drug below the detection limit of 2 ng/ml are associated with a teratogenic risk. The most useful information is given by reports in women who were exposed to either retinoid before or during pregnancy. The data indicate that the risk of spontaneous abortion or congenital malformation is high when the drug is administered during the first trimester of pregnancy. After treatment discontinuation, the risk is low since the number of abnormalities seems not to exceed those observed in a general population. There are currently no available data which suggest that the pregnancy warnings are inappropriate in terms of duration of contraception.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed1993

Topical tiacrilast, a potent mast cell degranulation inhibitor, does not improve adult atopic eczema.

Tiacrilast is a potent mast cell degranulation inhibitor in vitro and in animal studies. Since mast cells and their mediators are possibly involved in atopic eczema, we have studied a topically applied 3% hydrogel formulation of tiacrilast against vehicle in a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Drug or vehicle were applied on involved skin for 28 days. Efficacy was assessed weekly using a 4-point scale for erythema, scaling, induration, exudation and pruritus. An overall assessment of the sites for efficacy and site preference was performed at the end of treatment. In the 32 patients evaluable for efficacy, > 33% improvement was noted on 78% of the drug- and 75% of the vehicle-treated sites, with no statistically significant differences for any of the parameters tested. Treatment was generally well tolerated by all patients. These data suggest that mast cells may not play a major role in the maintenance of atopic eczema lesions.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed1990

[Idiopathic and secondary Raynaud's phenomenon. A comparative psychosomatic approach].

Thirty subjects with Raynaud's phenomenon admitted for determination of its cause underwent psychological examination. Raynaud's phenomenon was regarded as primary in 14 cases, secondary (usually to scleroderma) in 13 cases and eluding classification in 3 cases. The mean age of patients with primary Raynaud's phenomenon was higher than in the other groups. Interviews and psychological tests were carried out with all but 2 patients and all investigators being totally unaware of the aetiological category. Patients with secondary Raynaud's phenomenon significantly differed from those with primary Raynaud's phenomenon in their personality patterns, attitudes towards interlocutors and way of coping with conflicts. Patients with primary Raynaud's phenomenon were characterized by a relatively frequent hysterical personality and by their dodging behaviour when faced with their own aggressiveness. Patients with secondary Raynaud's phenomenon were found to be more distant, more conformist, more able to control their emotions and seemed to be less inclined to seek help when in trouble. Such findings suggest that Raynaud's phenomenon has a "psychosomatic" component: a psychic vulnerability which might contribute to the progress of the disease, and more clearly so in patients with secondary Raynaud's phenomenon than in patients with primary Raynaud's phenomenon, as confirmed by the so-called psychic fragility" score used to quantify the efficiency of mental functioning. These psychological features were unrelated to age. The profile of patients with secondary Raynaud's phenomenon is close to pattern C described as possibly having a prognostic value in proliferative or autoimmune diseases.

Adult↗