Biomedical subjects

M Bergeron

Publications and source records attributed to M Bergeron.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1995

[Tetanus vaccination. Evaluation of a program of health promotion in a family medicine unit].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a tetanus immunization poster at a medical clinic in encouraging patients to request immunization against tetanus with d2T5. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental study. SETTING: The Family Medicine Unit (F.M.U.) at the Centre hospitalier de l'Université Laval (C.H.U.L.), a tertiary hospital in the region of Quebec City. PARTICIPANTS: All patients over 7 years of age at CHUL's FMU between February 22 and March 19, 1993. INTERVENTIONS: Poster promoting tetanus immunization displayed in waiting room during test weeks 2 and 4 and withdrawn during control weeks 1 and 3. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Proportion of patients vaccinated with d2T5. RESULTS: The proportion of patients vaccinated during the test weeks was the same as the proportion vaccinated during the control weeks. Week 1: 1/507 (0.20); Week 2: 1/394 (0.25); Week 3: 1/441 (0.23); Week 4: 1/486 (0.21). CONCLUSION: The presence of the posters in the waiting room had no impact on tetanus immunization at CHUL's FMU.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Organization of the endoplasmic reticulum in renal cell lines MDCK and LLC-PK1.

The spatial organization of the endoplasmic reticulum has been studied in two renal cell lines, MDCK and LLC-PK1, which originate from the distal and proximal portions of the mammalian nephron, respectively, and which form a polarized epithelium when they reach confluence in tissue culture. The two renal cell lines, grown to confluence on either solid or permeable supports, were investigated by fluorescence microscopy, confocal microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Fluorescence labeling of the endoplasmic reticulum was achieved using the cationic fluorescent dye DIOC6 (3). In order to differentiate fluorescent labeling of the endoplasmic reticulum from that of the mitochondria, cells were also labeled with rhodamine 123. For electron microscopy, the spatial organization of the endoplasmic reticulum was examined in thick sections using the long-duration osmium impregnation technique or the ferrocyanide/osmium technique. In both cell lines, the endoplasmic reticulum formed an abundant tubular network of canaliculi that frequently abutted the basolateral domain of the plasma membrane and occasionally the apical membrane. Elements of the endoplasmic reticulum were also found in close proximity to mitochondria that, as in the nephron, formed branched structures. Canaliculi appeared circular or flattened and had an inner diameter of 10-70 nm for MDCK cells and 20-90 nm for LLC-PK1 cells. Such a three-dimensional organization might facilitate the translocation of defined lipid species between the endoplasmic reticulum and the plasma membrane, and between the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

[Factors associated with at-risk anal relations in homosexual HIV-seropositive men].

This pilot study proposes an index to quantify the intensity of high-risk anal sex and presents factors associated with this practice among 65 homosexual men with HIV infection. All of them answered a self-administered questionnaire. Using multiple logistic regression, we first compared those who had had safe sex in the past six months to those who had had unsafe sex. Variables significantly associated with unsafe sex are: drugs and/or alcohol use with sex, and less favorable attitude towards condom use. Finally, multiple linear regression analysis among respondents who had had unsafe sex indicated that the following factors are associated with higher levels of unsafe sex: men between the ages of 32 and 38, satisfied with their social life, non-smokers, with a less favorable attitude towards condom use, and with few social relationships. These results must be interpreted with caution because of the small number of respondents.

Attitude↗

PubMed1992

A simultaneous three-color T cell subsets analysis with single laser flow cytometers using T cell gating protocol. Comparison with conventional two-color immunophenotyping method.

We describe a method for simultaneous analysis of CD3, CD4, and CD8 positive cells from whole blood utilizing single laser flow cytometers. All three T cell values are attained from a single test tube. CD4 and CD8 positive cells are identified only if they are CD3 positive. Thus the values obtained by this method for T helper/inducer and T cytotoxic/suppressor cells can be reported directly as a percentage of T lymphocytes. Analysis for CD4 and CD8 positive cells is accomplished, by first gating on CD3 positive T lymphocytes, hence the approach is referred to as a T gating method. As the third dye, conjugated to anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), we utilized peridinin chlorophyll protein (PerCP), a new red fluorochrome. The proposed method may prove to be practical for monitoring disease progression in AIDS, where longitudinal T helper/inducer and T cytotoxic/suppressor cell enumeration must be performed unambiguously by a simple, reproducible, and fast method.

CD3 Complex↗

PubMed1992

Monitoring of neurotransmitter amino acids by means of an indwelling cisterna magna catheter: a comparison of two rodent models of fulminant liver failure.

Alterations of brain and cerebrospinal fluid amino acids have consistently been described in human and experimental fulminant liver failure. To evaluate the significance of such changes in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy in fulminant liver failure, brain and cerebrospinal fluid amino acids (glutamate, aspartate, GABA, glycine, taurine) were measured at various stages during the development of neurological dysfunction in rats after hepatic devascularization or thioacetamide treatment to induce acute liver failure. To facilitate repetitive removal of cerebrospinal fluid, a technique employing long-term implantation of cisterna magna catheters in conscious, freely moving rats was developed. Brain but not cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of the excitatory amino acids glutamate and aspartate were reduced in both animal models of fulminant liver failure in parallel with deterioration of neurological status. Brain and cerebrospinal fluid GABA levels were not significantly altered. Cerebrospinal fluid glycine levels were increased two to three times in parallel with increasing brain glycine content in the devascularized rat but were unchanged in thioacetamide-induced liver failure, suggesting distinct pathophysiological mechanisms in these two experimental situations. On the other hand, onset of coma in both animal models of fulminant liver failure was accompanied by significantly increased cerebrospinal fluid taurine levels. We suggest that such changes result from taurine release from astrocytes in brain into the extracellular fluid; this is consistent with taurine's role in the regulation of intracellular osmolarity in brain. Sequential measurements of amino acids in the cerebrospinal fluid of small rodents with indwelling cisterna magna catheters adds a useful new approach for exploring the neurobiology of hepatic encephalopathy in fulminant liver failure.

Amino Acids↗

PubMed1991

Influence of calcium and amino acids on the osmium impregnation of the endoplasmic reticulum.

The aim of this study was to define further the interaction between osmium and organelle content in cells prefixed with glutaraldehyde. We have studied the reaction of osmium with divalent or trivalent cations (calcium, barium, zinc, aluminum, and iron) and various amino acids in the same conditions prevalent in histological techniques, in particular with Thiéry's technique of metal impregnation. Experiments were carried out in vitro in test tubes, on cellulose acetate discs, or with an immunodiffusion apparatus. Some experiments were also carried out with tissue extracts (kidney and intestine). Our studies suggest that calcium is in general essential for the formation of osmium black, but also that lysine is reactive even in the absence of calcium and that a few amino acids--such as tryptophan, ornithine, cysteine, and aspartic acid--are only slightly reactive in the absence of calcium. Other amino acids do not seem to participate in the endoplasmic reticulum osmium impregnation even in the presence of calcium ions. Our studies also suggest that osmium reactivity reflects calcium binding sites and not only calcium content.

Amino Acids↗

PubMed1990

Morphogenesis of endoplasmic reticulum in Xenopus oocytes after microinjection of rat liver smooth microsomes.

We have determined the kinetics of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) reconstitution following insertion of rat-liver smooth microsomes (SM) into Xenopus oocyte cytoplasm using electron microscopy as well as cytochemistry and thick-section 3-dimensional reconstruction. Oocytes were fixed 0, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 120 min after microinjection with SM and processed for thin- and thick-section electron microscopy. At 0 min postinjection, rat liver SM were observed as small vesicles and were loosely dispersed amongst oocyte organelles. At 10 min, tubules were discerned among many elongate vesicles; and these structures comprised large cytoplasmic regions delimited by mitochondria and yolk platelets. By 20 min, segregation of transplanted organelles yielded yolk-platelet-free regions composed of few vesicles but increasingly numerous, long and anastomosing tubules. By 40 min, a network with numerous tubular branches and fenestrations was observed among the few remaining vesicles. By 80 min, transformation of rat liver SM into a complex network of branching and anastomosing tubules was complete. Three-dimensional reconstruction revealed the network to be composed of interconnecting elements consisting of anastomosing tubules. The reconstituted network of anastomosing tubules in Xenopus oocytes was compared to the network of anastomosing tubules in rat liver hepatocytes and was found to be essentially identical. Network formation occurred in oocytes pretreated with either vinblastine (40 microM) or nocodazole (0.166 microM), and network organization was maintained in oocytes treated with the same drugs after microinjection and reconstitution. We conclude that SM retain sufficient molecular information for rapid self-assembly into structures resembling those in the cells from which they were derived. Both the assembly and maintenance of ER structure in oocyte cytoplasm are microtubule-independent. The formation of such structures following microinjection of SM into living cells provides a unique assay for this type of membrane subfraction.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Fasting induces modifications of the endoplasmic reticulum in intestinal cells.

The polymorphism of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in epithelial cells with different transport functions such as the enterocyte suggests that the ER may be involved in some way in molecular transport. To further access this possibility, we examined the ER from the intestine of winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, a species which undergoes an annual fast of approximately 6 months' duration, a time during which previous work indicates nutrient carrier number does not change. Fish from June (feeding) and January (8-10 weeks fasted) were sampled. Tissues from the pyloric caeca, foregut, midgut, and hindgut were prepared for electron microscopy using two techniques of staining. Cell height was unaltered in any section, although microvillar length shortened variably. Cellular organization, including position of nuclei, number and distribution of mitochondria, and presence of basolateral membranes, did not change. The ER appeared equally abundant in June and January. However, use of the osmium impregnation technique, which is specific for ER cisternal contents, revealed a change in the impregnation of ER, from a heavily impregnated network in summer to little or no impregnation in winter. These results suggest that a shift in function of the ER had occurred when nutrient transport ceased, and supports a role of the ER in nutrient transport.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Protein phosphorylation in developing and regenerating rat kidney.

Renal cytosolic extracts from rats of different ages and mononephrectomized rats were incubated with gamma-[32P]ATP and analysed by high resolution two-dimensional electrophoresis and autoradiography. Extracts from new-born and young rats showed a great number of phosphorylated proteins migrating between the origin and Mr 52,000. Among these proteins, the group co-migrating with phosphorylase b (Mr 97,000) was particularly evident in new-born and days-old rats. In extracts from mature rats, other proteins of lower molecular weight, particularly those migrating between Mr 60,000 and 44,000, became intensely phosphorylated. The number and intensity of phosphorylated proteins from extracts of normal and nephrectomized rats, however, did not vary. Activity of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and [3H]cAMP binding was also modified during neonatal development but not in compensatory renal growth. Since cAMP-PK and protein phosphorylation are known to be regulated in response to hormonal stimulations, these results may provide good indications for the understanding of hormonal involvement in kidney growth.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Effect of ammonia on brain serotonin metabolism in relation to function in the portacaval shunted rat.

Four weeks following portacaval anastomosis (PCA) in the rat, severe liver atrophy, sustained hyperammonemia, and increased plasma and brain tryptophan are observed. Administration of ammonium acetate (NH4Ac) to rats with PCA precipitates severe signs of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) (loss of righting reflex progressing to loss of consciousness and ultimately deep coma). To evaluate the relationship between the deterioration of neurological status in HE and serotonin (5-HT) metabolism, the levels of 5-HT, its precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan, and its major metabolite 5-hydroxy-indole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA) were measured by HPLC with ion-pairing and electrochemical detection in three well-defined areas of the cerebral cortex: anterior cingulate, piriform and entorhinal, and frontoparietal; as well as in the caudate-putamen, the raphe nuclei, and the locus ceruleus in rats with PCA at different stages of HE, before and after injection of NH4Ac, as well as in sham-operated controls. The results demonstrate increased 5-HIAA/5-HT ratios after PCA and NH4Ac loading, suggesting increased 5-HT turnover in the brains of these animals. However, these changes do not appear to be related to the precipitation of coma as no significant difference in 5-HT turnover was observed between precoma and coma stages of HE. Increased 5-HT turnover in brain of shunted rats may be related to early symptoms of HE such as altered sleep patterns and disorders of motor coordination.

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗

PubMed1990

Brief inhalation of asbestos compromises superoxide production in cells from bronchoalveolar lavage.

Production of superoxide (O-.2) was measured in alveolar macrophages (AM) exposed to asbestos in vitro and in cells obtained from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of rats inhaling asbestos. Steady state levels of O-.2 released by AM in vitro were dose and time dependent in response to crocidolite, chrysotile, and opsonized zymosan, a particulate used to trigger O-.2 generation. In contrast, an inhalation exposure for 1 h to crocidolite or for 6 days to either crocidolite or chrysotile asbestos resulted in a decreased production of O-.2 by BAL cells. Likewise, BAL cells from rats inhaling chrysotile for 1 h or crocidolite for 9 days exhibited a diminished capacity to secrete O-.2 when challenged with the particulate opsonized zymosan. Diminished generation of O-.2 by asbestos occurred in BAL cell populations containing either significantly increased numbers of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and lymphocytes (6- and 9-day exposures) or 99% AM (1-h exposure). Thus, these novel observations suggest that short-term inhalation of asbestos compromises the ability of BAL cells to produce O-.2 in the presence or absence of an additional phagocytic stimulus.

Administration, Inhalation↗

PubMed1990

A new method based on cobalt for histochemical and cytochemical demonstration of glucose-6-phosphatase activity.

We describe a novel technique for the histochemical and cytochemical demonstration of glucose-6-phosphatase activity. In this method, lead is replaced by cobalt. After activity of glucose-6-phosphatase, cobalt phosphate Co3(PO4)2 is formed, and in the presence of ammonium sulfide (NH4)2S, the precipitate is transformed into a sulfide that fixes osmium and provides good electron density. Glucose-6-phosphatase activity was determined mostly in rat kidney cells, but controls were also performed in liver cells. A strong reaction was seen in proximal tubule cells, but the reaction was weak in distal convoluted tubule cells. This technique showed the same endoplasmic reticulum (ER) organization in proximal and distal nephron as that seen with the osmium impregnation technique. In collecting tubules, intercalated cells had irregular reactivity, while principal cells had none. Our results indicate that the cobalt technique is valid, reliable, and sensitive enough to detect low glucose-6-phosphatase activity. Moreover, the technique can be used with 1-mm-thick specimens and obviates the need for use of frozen tissue sections.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Monoamines and metabolites in autopsied brain tissue from cirrhotic patients with hepatic encephalopathy.

Alterations in the metabolism of monoamine neurotransmitters have been proposed to be involved in the development of the hepatic encephalopathy (HE) associated with experimental and human liver failure. In order to evaluate this hypothesis, the monoamines and some of their metabolites were measured in homogenates of caudate nucleus (CAU), prefrontal (PFCo) and frontal cortex (FCo) dissected from brains obtained at autopsy from nine cirrhotic patients who had died in hepatic coma and an equal number of control subjects, free from neurological, psychiatric and hepatic disorders, matched for age and time interval from death to freezing of autopsied brain samples. Monoamine measurements were performed by high-performance liquid chromatography with ion-pairing and electrochemical detection after a simple extraction procedure. In all three regions investigated, concentrations of dopamine (DA) were unchanged in cirrhotic patients vs controls while its metabolites, 3-methoxytyramine (3-MT) and homovanillic acid (HVA) were selectively affected i.e. 3-MT was found to be increased in CAU, while HVA levels were increased in FCo and CAU. DOPAC was also found to be unchanged in CAU. Noradrenaline (NA) levels were greatly increased in PFCo and FCo of cirrhotic patients but remained unchanged in CAU. No significant differences in the concentrations of either serotonin (5-HT) or of its precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) were found in any of the three regions studied. However, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), the major metabolite of 5-HT, was increased in PFCo and CAU of cirrhotic patients. These findings show that selective alterations of catecholamine and 5-HT systems are involved in human HE and therefore, they may play an important role in the pathogenesis of certain neurological symptoms associated with this encephalopathy.

Aged↗

PubMed1989

Aromatic and branched-chain amino acids in autopsied brain tissue from cirrhotic patients with hepatic encephalopathy.

Concentrations of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) valine, leucine, and isoleucine and the aromatic amino acids (AAAs) phenylalanine and tyrosine were measured in three areas of dissected brain tissue obtained at autopsy from nine cirrhotic patients who died in hepatic encephalopathy. The controls were an equal number of subjects free from neurological, psychiatric or hepatic diseases, matched for age and time interval from death to freezing of autopsied brain samples. Amino acids were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection. In brain tissue of cirrhotic patients, no changes in BCAA concentrations were observed compared with controls. On the other hand, phenylalanine levels were found to be increased 141% in prefrontal cortex, 86% in frontal cortex and 26% in caudate nucleus, and tyrosine content was increased by 71% in prefrontal cortex and 28% in frontal cortex with no significant increase in caudate nucleus. Alterations in the concentration of AAAs may lead to disturbances of monoamine neurotransmitters in brain. Such changes could play a role in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy resulting from chronic liver disease in man.

Aged↗

PubMed1989

Mechanisms of fibre-induced superoxide release from alveolar macrophages and induction of superoxide dismutase in the lungs of rats inhaling crocidolite.

Asbestos resembles the phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA), in its ability to elicit release of superoxide (O2-.) from rodent alveolar macrophages (AM) in vitro. In addition, superoxide dismutase (SOD), the antioxidant enzyme scavenging O2-, is increased in cultures of tracheobronchial epithelial cells and lung fibroblasts after exposure to either crocidolite or chrysotile asbestos. Our objectives here were to determine: (1) the chemical and physical properties of asbestos important in the generation of O2- from rat AM; and (2) the effects of O2- in comparison with asbestos on biosyntheses of collagen and non-collagen protein in rat lung fibroblasts in vitro. We were also interested in whether increased production of SOD occurred in the lungs of rats after inhalation of crocidolite asbestos. To determine whether O2- was elicited in response to a variety of asbestiform fibres, AM lavaged from Fischer 344 rat lungs were exposed in vitro to equivalent non-toxic amounts of crocidolite asbestos, erionite, Code 100 fibreglass, sepiolite, and their non-fibrous analogues, riebeckite, mordenite and glass particles. In addition, sized preparations of long (greater than 10 microns) and short (less than 2 microns) asbestos were introduced at identical concentrations to determine whether length of fibres is critical in O2- release. The amount of O2- released from AM in response to dusts was then determined by measuring SOD-inhibitable reduction of cytochrome C. All asbestiform fibres caused a significant (p less than 0.05) increase in generation of O2- from epithelial cells, whereas non-fibrous particles were less active at comparable concentrations. Experiments with long (greater than 10 microns) versus short (less than 2 microns) chrysotile showed that long fibres caused a more striking, dosage-dependent release of O2-. To determine whether O2- plays a role in the causation of fibrotic lung disease, rat lung fibroblasts were exposed to a biochemical generation system (xanthine-xanthine oxidase) for O2- before quantitation of cell-associated collagen and non-collagen protein at 24, 48 and 72 h thereafter. At the latter time periods, significant increases in total collagen per ng DNA were observed. In comparison with controls, the generation system for O2- also caused an initial decrease in synthesis of non-collagen protein followed by increases in synthesis of non-collagen protein at 48 and 72 h.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Radiation-inactivation studies on brush-border-membrane vesicles. General considerations, and application to the glucose and phosphate carriers.

Radiation-inactivation studies were performed on brush-border-membrane vesicles purified from rat kidney cortex. No alteration of the structural integrity of the vesicles was apparent in electron micrographs of irradiated and unirradiated vesicles. The size distributions of the vesicles were also similar for both populations. The molecular sizes of two-brush-border-membrane enzymes, alkaline phosphatase and 5'-nucleotidase, estimated by the radiation-inactivation technique, were 104800 +/- 3500 and 89,400 +/- 1800 Da respectively. Polyacrylamide-gel-electrophoresis patterns of membrane proteins remained unaltered by the radiation treatment, except in the region of higher-molecular-mass proteins, where destruction of the proteins was visible. The molecular size of two of these proteins was estimated from their mobilities in polyacrylamide gels and was similar to the target size, estimated from densitometric scanning of the gel. Intravesicular volume, estimated by the uptake of D-glucose at equilibrium, was unaffected by irradiation. Uptake of Na+, D-glucose and phosphate were measured in initial-rate conditions to avoid artifacts arising from a decrease in the driving force caused by a modification of membrane permeability. Na+-independent D-glucose and phosphate uptakes were totally unaffected in the dose range used (0-9 Mrad). The Na+-dependent uptake of D-glucose was studied in irradiated vesicles, and the molecular size of the transporter was found to be 288,000 Da. The size of the Na+-dependent phosphate carrier was also estimated, and a value of 234,000 Da was obtained.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Interrelationship between organelles in kidney cells of adult and developing rat.

The morphologic interrelationships between mitochondria, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and other organelles were examined in rat kidney cells by stereomicroscopy of thick sections (0.3-1.0 micron) using either standard transmission (80-100 kV) or high voltage (1 mEV) electron microscopy. Mitochondria fit into three different categories: (1) elongated cylinders observed in S1 and S2 segments; (2) irregular lamina in the cortical ascending limb or plates in the distal straight and convoluted segments; (3) small spheres or short rods mostly in intercalated and principal cells of the collecting tubule. The chondrioma occupies a large volume in all cells except in the thin limb and in principal cells of the collecting tubule. This volume occupied by the chondrioma is likely to be related to metabolic functions, but its polymorphic configuration could also be explained by a passive adaptation of the mitochondria to the space left by the basilar membrane infoldings and the ER network, which was found to have an extensive three-dimensional organization which varies, as for the mitochondria, with the cell type. In fact, in the proximal nephron, mitochondria surrounded by the ER and the plasma membranes appear to form a functional unit. Organelle interrelationship is extensively modified during ontogeny or under hormonal influence. Disruption in organelle relationships or in their motility could probably have far reaching consequences which would be more deleterious than the pathological lesions observed at the level of a single organelle. The extent of the disassembly can be fully explored only with thick sections and stereomicroscopy.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Vasopressin modifies osmium impregnation of the endoplasmic reticulum in cultured kidney collecting duct cells.

The ultrastructure of collecting duct epithelia was studied with the osmium impregnation technique in renal cortical explants grown in culture in the form of globular bodies. When this technique was applied to 7-day-old globular bodies, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of the superficial layer cells was faintly impregnated in the presence or absence of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) in the incubation medium; the ER of the cells located in the core of the globular bodies was densely impregnated with osmium. When these globular bodies were sectioned in 2 fragments and one was incubated in AVP for 30 min while the other was used as a control, a marked increase in osmium impregnation occurred: osmium black deposits were then noted in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum of two-thirds of the cells in the superficial layer. Various patterns of impregnation were observed. Cryptlike formations gave rise to mature epithelial cells showing the same pattern of osmium impregnation. When cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) was substituted for AVP in the incubation medium, the treated globular bodies revealed the same ultrastructural characteristics. Our data suggest that this primary culture of collecting duct epithelia is made up of heterogeneous cells with characteristics of principal and intercalated cells and that the AVP has a stimulatory effect on ER maturation, which is mediated by the adenylate cyclase system.

Animals↗