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Biomedical subjects

M Henry-Amar

Publications and source records attributed to M Henry-Amar.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

[Treatment of arterial hypertension in the aged subject with a converting enzyme inhibitor: enalapril].

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and safety of enalapril in elderly people. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was carried out in 32 subjects aged from 75 to 97 years (mean: 86 years) with blood pressure values equal or superior to 160/90 mmHg. After 8 weeks of treatment with enalapril in doses of 20 to 40 mg/day, the systolic pressure was lowered from 190 +/- 16 to 151 +/- 19 mmHg (P less than 0.0001) and the diastolic pressure from 102 +/- 7 to 85 +/- 11 mmHg (P less than 0.0001). Systolic and diastolic pressures were also significantly reduced in subjects under placebo (from 183 +/- 16 to 165 +/- 21 mmHg, P less than 0.001; and from 101 +/- 9 to 91 +/- 13 mmHg, P less than 0.001, respectively), but the degree of reduction was significantly superior with enalapril (systolic: 39 +/- 25 vs 18 +/- 19 mmHg, P less than 0.005; diastolic: 17 +/- 13 vs 11 +/- 12, P less than 0.001); blood pressure was inferior to 160/90 mmHg in 67% of the subjects treated, as against 35% of those under placebo. Two patients under enalapril died: one on the 27th, the other on the 47th day of treatment. No relation could be established between these deaths and the drug, and this figure of 2 is not significantly different for the number of deaths expected over the same period in a population of that age-group. Among the patients under placebo, one had pulmonary embolism on the 34th day and another had a sudden increase in blood pressure on the 6th day, requiring discontinuation of treatment. It is concluded that enalapril administered alone is effective and well tolerated. Long-term studies are needed to find out whether this angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor is superior to a diuretic as initial treatment of arterial hypertension.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

A multivariate analysis of prognostic factors in early stage Hodgkin's disease.

A multivariate analysis of the prognostic factors was carried out with a Cox model on 1,139 patients with clinical Stage I + II Hodgkin's disease included in three controlled clinical trials. The following indicators had been prospectively registered: age, sex, systemic symptoms, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), number and sites of involved lymph node areas, histologic type, clinical stage, pattern of presentation, results of staging laparotomy when performed, as well as the date and type of treatment. A linear logistic analysis showed that most of the indicators are interrelated. This emphasizes the necessity of a multivariate analysis in order to assess the independent influence of each of them. The two main prognostic indicators for relapse-free survival are systemic symptoms and/or ESR and number of involved areas. The only significant factor for survival after relapse is age. Sex has a small but significant influence on relapse-free survival. The relative influence of each indicator varies with the type of treatment and these variations may help in understanding the biologic significance of the indicators.

Adult↗

An alternating chemotherapy and radiotherapy combination for non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of unfavourable histologies: feasibility and preliminary results.

In 1980, on the basis of fundamental and clinical data, a protocol was developed at the Institut Gustave-Roussy, alternating eight monthly courses of chemotherapy (CHVP) and two or three radiotherapy sequences (15 Gy in 6 fractions of 10 days, each), to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of unfavourable histologies, mainly stage II, presenting bulky tumours. Systemic, haematological and digestive tolerances were satisfactory. For 19 previously untreated stage II patients, overall survival and relapse-free survival after 30 months were 85 and 65%, respectively. Three of the relapses were observed in patients who did not receive the alternating schedule in an optimal way; this suggests that these results can be further improved.

Adolescent↗

[Cancer of the prostate: value of bone scintigraphy. Point of view].

Radionuclide bone scanning carried out with technetium radiopharmaceutics detects almost all prostatic carcinoma osseous metastases. It is easy to recognize focal areas of increased tracer uptake or a diffuse increased uptake, and the test provides a synthetic view of the entire skeleton. Complementary bone radiographs are necessary if the diagnosis remains doubtful, if mechanical complications are searched and if there is a post-radiotherapeutic decrease of the tracer uptake. A bone scan is necessary before the radical treatment of the primary tumour, in order to rule out the possibility of bone metastases. The initial bone scan has also a pronostic value. However, in the follow-up of initially non-metastatic patients, serial bone scans should not be realized when clinical symptoms or biological abnormalities lack. Bone scintigraphy is also useful to monitor the course of bone metastases under treatment, especially when the value of new therapeutic agents is investigated.

Bone Neoplasms↗

[Cancers of the rectum: predictive factors in locoregional recurrence. Multifactorial study].

Local recurrences (LR) after curative surgery have been analyzed in series of 173 rectal adenocarcinomas treated between 1973 and 1983. LR predictive factors were analyzed by univariate and multivariate (Cox model) studies. Five factors had no predictive value on LR: age, sex, tumor differentiation, tumor size, and number of metastatic nodes. Five factors had a predictive value on LR: severe clinical symptoms (fixation, obstruction and perforation) (p = 0.03), tumors localized within five cm of the anal verge (p less than 0.001), intramural infiltration (p = 0.09), localization of positive nodes (p = 0.02), and tumor emboli inside the vessels (p less than 0.01). The multivariate study underlined the two main predictive factors: the tumor site within 5 cm of the anal verge (p less than 0.001) and involvement of the serosa (p = 0.05). An equation of LR risk is presented and four subgroups of different LR risk patients are defined. This study might provide guidelines for indications and evaluation of major adjuvant treatments in the highest LR risk patients.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Prognostic significance of the number of involved areas in the early stages of Hodgkin's disease.

An analysis of 1059 patients with clinical stage (CS) I and II Hodgkin's disease was undertaken to determine the prognostic significance of the number of involved sites. In this group of patients the number of involved lymph node areas was highly correlated with the probability of dissemination of occult disease. In the subgroup of patients with involvement of two lymph node sites (CS II2) approximately 50% demonstrated occult dissemination on the other side of the diaphragm as evidenced by subsequent relapse in the untreated subdiaphragmatic region. However, only 15% to 20% of this group had unsuspected disease in regions other than the spleen or the paraaortic lymph nodes. In CS I and II2 supradiaphragmatic patients, who underwent a staging laparotomy, splenic involvement was a powerful prognostic indicator. When the spleen was not involved, less than 10% of patients had disease elsewhere below the diaphragm, whereas, when the spleen was involved as many as 40% of patients had additional subdiaphragmatic sites involved. In the subgroup with three or more lymph node areas involved (CS II3), the proportion of patients with extension of disease on the other side of the diaphragm, as evidenced by later relapse was also about 50%. But in these patients, unlike the CS II2 patients, analysis of relapse patterns showed that occult disease had already disseminated to the pelvic nodes or to extra nodal sites. Furthermore, splenic involvement was of much less prognostic significance because CS II3 patients who did not demonstrate splenic involvement at staging laparotomy had similar relapse incidence and similar relapse patterns as those with positive spleens.

Adult↗

The EORTC treatment of early stages of Hodgkin's disease: the role of radiotherapy.

Since 1964, the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer has conducted three subsequent clinical trials on clinical Stages (CS) I + II Hodgkin's disease (HD) in which 1059 patients have been entered. The first trial compared regional radiotherapy (RT) with mantle field or inverted Y, versus the same RT followed by a weekly injection of vinblastine for 2 years. The relapse free survival (RFS) and overall survival (S) were higher in patients treated by RT and chemotherapy (CT). This benefit, however, was significant only in patients with a mixed cellularity histologic type. The second trial compared the therapeutic efficacy of splenic irradiation versus splenectomy and found that in both arms, RFS and S were identical. Moreover, it was found that splenic involvement was correlated with an increased incidence of relapse in extranodal sites and in non irradiated lymphatic areas. In this trial, CT was given only to patients with poor histologic types, mixed cellularity or lymphocytic depletion. In the third trial, staging laparotomy was performed only to further delineate a good prognostic group which could be treated by RT alone. In this limited treatment group, there was no difference in RFS and S between mantle field and mantle field + para-aortic RT. In the extensive treatment group, total nodal irradiation (TNI) was compared with RT + MOPP. The RFS was slightly lower in the TNI arm, but there was no significant difference in S. The data of the 3 trials underline the importance of prognostic factors in the choice of optimal treatment and show that their significance depends upon the type of treatment. Multivariate statistical analyses showed that the main prognostic factors, which can help to identify the subsets of patients who can be treated by RT alone, are (1) systemic symptoms and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), (2) the number of involved lymphatic areas, and (3) staging laparotomy. Extended RT (mantle + para-aortic + spleen treatment) gives satisfactory results in patients without systemic symptoms and/or elevated ESR and one or two involved sites, whereas TNI or combined modality treatment becomes mandatory for patients with 3 or more involved sites or splenic involvement and/or systemic symptoms. With proper adjustment of the irradiated volume, a very large proportion of CS I + II patients can be best treated by RT alone.

Adolescent↗

Radiation injuries of the gastrointestinal tract in Hodgkin's disease: the role of exploratory laparotomy and fractionation. A study of 19 cases observed in a series of 134 patients treated at the Institut Gustave Roussy from 1972 to 1982.

Out of 134 patients irradiated below the diaphragm to a dose of 40 Gy for Hodgkin's disease at the Institut Gustave-Roussy, 19 (14%) were subsequently found to present with radiation injuries of the gastrointestinal tract. Since five patients presented with two different injuries, 24 radiolesions were observed. Most of them (17 out of 24) were gastric or duodenal. Twelve (out of 24) were ulcers. Nine patients required surgery. A complete cure of the radiation injuries was obtained in 15 out of 19 patients. Sex, age, stage, histology or initial chemotherapy were not found to play a role in the occurrence of radiation damage. On the contrary, the role of a previous exploratory laparotomy appeared important; for the patients who underwent laparotomy and irradiation, the complication rate was 23%. For the patients treated by irradiation alone, the complication rate was 7% (p less than 0.01). Fractionation was found to be another important parameter: for 52 patients treated using 3 weekly fractions of 3.3 Gy, the complication rate was 25%, compared to 8% (p less than 0.01) for 76 patients treated using 4 weekly fractions of 2.5 Gy. Combining these two factors, we found a 42% complication rate for the group of patients who underwent laparotomy and who were treated by means of 3 fractions of 3.3 Gy per week, whereas patients irradiated using 4 weekly fractions of 2.5 Gy, without any previous laparotomy, had only a 5% complication risk (p less than 0.001).

Digestive System↗

Rotavirus carriage, asymptomatic infection, and disease in the first two years of life. I. Virus shedding.

From September 1979 to July 1980 inclusive, rotaviruses were prospectively detected by electron microscopy (EM) and ELISA in 82 (29%) of 283 children under two years of age who were admitted to a general pediatric ward in Paris. Rotavirus was found in 43 (36%) of 119 children with diarrhea and in 40 (24%) of 164 children without diarrhea; thus of 83 children shedding rotavirus, 40 (48%) were not diarrheic. Virus shedding that was not associated with diarrhea was observed in 71% of neonates, in 50% of one- to six-month-old children, and in 26% of 7-24-month-old children. Rotavirus shedding was statistically correlated (P less than .01) only with those cases of diarrhea with fever and vomiting ( DFV syndrome). Consequently, relative risk (RR) for the DFV syndrome in patients who were shedding virus was 2.07 (P less than .001) vs. 0.95 for other types of diarrhea. These observations show that asymptomatic rotaviral infection is not an infrequent occurrence; that the association between rotavirus and diarrhea is not necessarily an etiologic one; and that the DFV syndrome appears as a major clinical expression of rotaviral disease. Consequently, recovery of rotavirus from feces is of little diagnostic significance since it does not give a differentiation between rotavirus-induced and rotavirus-associated diarrhea.

Aging↗

Rotavirus carriage, asymptomatic infection, and disease in the first two years of life. II. Serological response.

Serological response to rotavirus and virus shedding were prospectively studied in 179 children (neonatal to 24-month-old) upon admission to a hospital during an 11-month period. Analysis of the evolution of IgG and IgM ELISA titers revealed 24 cases of rotaviral disease (serological response and diarrhea), 13 cases of asymptomatic infection (serological response and no diarrhea), 36 cases of virus carriage (absence of a serological response), three cases of past infection, and six possible cases of nosocomial infection. Rotaviral disease was encountered two out of three times and was characterized by diarrhea associated with fever and vomiting. Asymptomatic rotaviral infection and disease, observed from the neonatal period onwards, affected 2% of neonates, 20% of one- to six-month-old children, and 37% of 7-24-month-old children. In contrast, virus carriage occurred in 27%, 19%, and 14% of those children respectively. Altogether these results indicate that during the period 1-24 months of age, when asymptomatic rotaviral infection and disease were prevalent, approximately two of 10 children had rotaviral disease, one of 10 had asymptomatic infection, two of 10 were virus carriers, and five of 10 were not infected with rotavirus.

Aging↗

Prognostic significance of erythrocyte sedimentation rate in clinical stages I-II of Hodgkin's disease.

A prospective study was undertaken in 1963 on the respective prognostic significances of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and presence or absence of systemic symptoms in Hodgkin's disease. Six hundred seventy-six patients with clinical stages I or II were included in this study; 376 from 1963 to 1971 who were included in the H1 trial of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and 300 who had been enrolled in the EORTC H2 trial from 1972 to 1976. All relevant data and long-term follow-up are available from 649 patients who were analyzed in this study. Multivariate analysis (Cox model) was carried out to assess the prognostic value of ESR independently of the other prognostic parameters and of the treatment. The results showed that of all the prognostic indicators studied, ESR is the one which has the highest correlation with relapse-free survival; however, initial ESR is not correlated with the probability of death after relapse. The presence or absence of systemic symptoms has less prognostic impact. Despite a close correlation between systemic symptoms and ESR, the two are not redundant and it is useful to combine both.

Blood Sedimentation↗

Pulmonary evaluation of patients with osteosarcoma: roles of standard radiography, tomography, CT, scintigraphy, and tomoscintigraphy.

Sixty-one radiologic evaluations were performed on 32 patients with possible pulmonary metastases from osteosarcoma. CT scanning was performed 61 times; standard chest radiography, 58; tomography, 36; scintigraphy, 40; and tomoscintigraphy, 33. Using CT as a reference (positive or negative results only), the sensitivities of the other examinations were 57% (32% of total metastases) for standard radiography, 88% (48%) for tomography, 21% (5%) for scintigraphy, and 41% (8%) for tomoscintigraphy. Of the 193 metastases, 98 were subpleural and 95 were parenchymatous. Five patients had surgery and the others had follow-up. One false-positive CT scan was thus detected. The authors' current evaluation of patients with metastases from osteosarcoma includes chest radiography and CT; the other three examinations are performed only before surgery.

Adolescent↗

Intensive systemic chemotherapy in localized Ewing's sarcoma in childhood. A historical trial.

To assess the value in Ewing's sarcoma of a new multiagent therapy (vincristine, cyclophosphamide, Adriamycin, (doxorubicin) procarbazine), 30 children with a localized tumor (eight distal, nine proximal, 13 central lesions) treated at the Institut Gustave-Roussy between 1973 and 1976 (E3), were pair-matched by site of primary with 30 control patients treated without intensive chemotherapy between 1967 and 1972 (E1) at the same institution, both groups having the same local radiotherapy. Actuarial survival and disease-free survival rates at six years were significantly higher in E3 at P less than 0.01, respectively, 58% and 49% versus 25% in E1. The prognostic value of the primary site was ascertained only in children under chemotherapy. In this group there were six early relapses with death within 14 months and nine late relapses at 21 to 38 months. Among these nine patients, six died, one is living with disease, and two are currently alive in second remission. Fifteen patients are continuously free of disease 50 to 90 months after first treatment (median, 69 months): functional sequelae are minimal in six, moderate in seven, and severe in two children with limb amputation. It is concluded that in future treatments chemotherapy must be intensified and begun prior to local treatment which has to be reevaluated for radiation modalities and for radical surgery indication.

Adolescent↗

Second cancers after radiotherapy and chemotherapy for early stages of Hodgkin's disease.

In a population of 334 patients treated for Hodgkin's disease by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer between 1964 and 1971, 21 patients with second primary cancers (SC) were observed: 4 patients with acute leukemias, 3 with non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, and 14 with solid tumors. Time to SC ranged from 2 to 16 years after initial treatment. The relative risk (RR) of acute leukemia for the patients with Hodgkin's disease as compared to the general population was 40 (P less than .001). The RR of leukemia in patients treated by polychemotherapy--mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone--for relapse was 300 (P less than .001). However, the RR of leukemia for those patients who did not experience a relapse was 14 (not significant). The RR of other SC in the overall group was 3.76 (P less than .001). For patients whose relapses were treated by polychemotherapy the RR of SC, leukemia excepted, was 26 (P less than .001), whereas for patients not treated by polychemotherapy for relapse the RR was slightly increased (RR = 3.67; P = .027). The cumulative proportions of acute leukemia at 10 years were 0.7% in the "no-relapse" group and 2.7% in the polychemotherapy group. The cumulative proportions of other SC at 10 years was 1.3% in the no-relapse group, 7.2% in the group of patients not treated by polychemotherapy after relapse, and 8.4% in the polychemotherapy group. The first important risk factor for developing an SC was polychemotherapy, and the second was age over 40 years. These data suggest that combination chemotherapy may be responsible for both acute leukemias and other SC.

Adult↗

[Cross-sectional study of growth between 3 and 20 years of age in the population of Tunisia].

In the course of a study designed to estimate the prevalence of diabetes in the Gouvernorat of Tunis, 1449 households chosen at random were examined at home between October 1976 and June 1977. The following parameters : weight, height, tricipital and subscapular skinfold thickness were determined for each subject 3 years old or more. From the data observed on 1 889 males and 1 940 females aged from 3 to 20 years, estimates by age and sex are proposed as references for growth among the tunisian population in urban area. Then an approach of the secular trend is derived from the distributions of height according to the year of birth in the adult population.

Adolescent↗

Polyploid megakaryocytes develop randomly from a multicompartmental system of committed progenitors.

Cumulative distributions of the number of doublings undergone by mixed megakaryocytic/erythroblastic colonies and by pure megakaryocytic colonies were determined from plasma clot cultures of bone marrow (from C57BL/6 mice) supplemented with erythropoietin. Analysis of these distributions suggests that these colonies are produced by three distinct progenitors. At days 7-14, progenitors of mixed megakaryocytic/erythroblastic colonies (BFU-ME) generate tri-exponential distributions and the mean (+/- SD) fraction of this progenitor pool ceasing to proliferate per doubling (FCP) increases stepwise from 0.07 +/- 0.06 to 0.27 +/- 0.07 and 0.73 +/- 0.07. In this interval, progenitors of pure megakaryocytic colonies (CFU-M) generate bi-exponential slopes whose FCP values are compatible with the two last slopes above. Finally, CFU-M at day 3 express only the last slope. From days 5 to 9, megakaryocytes generated by BFU-ME reach lower ploidy levels than do those generated by CFU-M. It is concluded that, in the culture system used, (i) megakaryocyte progenitors that do not switch to polyploidization mature through the three consecutive compartments indicated, (ii) each progenitor population has a probability of becoming polyploid that reflects the fraction that ceases to proliferate, (iii) the exponentially distributed mitotic reserve of progenitors is determined by the combination of maturing into the next compartment and the probabilistic switch to the pathway of polyploidization, and (iv) the ploidy distribution of megakaryocytes probably depends on the progenitor from which they originate.

Acetylcholinesterase↗