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Biomedical subjects

M P Lecart

Publications and source records attributed to M P Lecart.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

[Chronic pain management: a multidisciplinary approach].

Assessment of chronic pain is one of medicine's most difficult challenges. A structured and flexible multidisciplinary approach allows full characterisation of the various components of the pain syndrome. This then allows the use of a rational combination of pharmacologic, physical, psychological, and surgical techniques. It is essential to gain the patient's confidence, collaboration, and compliance. Patients can better manage their situation when their needs are clarified and when care is oriented toward concrete therapeutic objectives.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed2004

[Indications for epidural steroids in back pain and in radiculopathy].

Back pain is very frequent in western countries and it represents a very high social cost. The treatment is based on five modalities: medication, physiotherapy, invasive technics, rehabilitation programs and psycho-social approaches. Several treatments may be proposed simultaneously and introduced gradually. Steroid administration by epidural injection is frequently used in Belgium, even though no prospective randomised studies have shown a real benefit over the long term. The indications for epidural injection must be carefully chosen. These include subacute pain (less than six months) in the lower limbs despite a well observed medical treatment. Patients are invited to give informed consent; the technic must be performed in an appropriate environment by an experienced physician. The initial treatment of back pain is medical. This pathology is multifactorial and the relief of symptoms is often incomplete. The patient should be urged to feel responsible for and involved in his treatment.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed2003

[Prevention of hip fractures in the elderly: where are we in 2003?].

Osteoporosis in very elderly subjects is now considered, in most developed and several developing countries as a major social, clinical and financial burden. While many compounds have been investigated in the prevention or treatment of spinal fractures, few of them have unequivocally demonstrated their ability to reduce the risk of non vertebral and more specifically hip fractures in the very elderly. This situation may seem highly paradoxical since hip fractures are unanimously considered to be the most dramatic and disabling consequence of osteoporosis. The present article reviews the current evidence available to justify anti-osteoporotic medications to be recommended to very elderly subjects, in the perspective of reducing their risk of appendicular fractures.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Alphacalcidol in prevention of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

One of the major drawbacks of glucocorticoids long-term therapy is the occurrence of a severe osteoporosis characterized by fractures occurring at different sites, mainly at the level of trabecular bone. One of the major determinants of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis is a decrease in the intestinal absorption of calcium (Ca) leading to a secondary hyperparathyroidism. D-hormones have been shown to significantly improve Ca absorption in the gut and subsequently to decrease parathyroid hormone circulating levels, hence normalizing bone turnover. In a recent study evaluating 145 patients suffering from diseases requiring long-term treatment with high doses of corticosteroids, we have demonstrated a significant benefit of alphacalcidol (1 microg/day) over placebo in terms of changes in bone mineral density of the lumbar spine. These results are in accordance with studies showing better prevention of bone loss and vertebral fractures in cardiac transplant patients treated with alphacalcidol than those treated with etidronate. There is now a convergent body of evidence to suggest that alphacalcidol is a reasonable, safe, and effective option for the prevention of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, provided that serum Ca is monitored on a regular basis.

Glucocorticoids↗
PubMed1995

Efficacy and safety of drugs for Paget's disease of bone.

Paget's disease of bone is characterized by an anarchic bone turnover starting with excessive resorption caused by structural and functional abnormalities involving osteoclasts. Calcitonin and bisphosphonates are now considered as the main therapeutic approaches for this disease. Daily parenteral administration of calcitonin to patients with Paget's disease of bone results in a significant fall in serum alkaline phosphatase and urinary hydroxyproline levels. This treatment has also been reported to be effective in relieving clinical symptoms of the disease, mainly bone pain. The drawbacks of injectable calcitonin have stimulated interest in alternative routes of delivery. Substantial evidence of calcitonin bioavailability and bioefficacy equivalent to those of parenteral administration is currently available for only two alternative routes: nasal spray and rectal suppository. Since many results have been published showing a dramatic effect of several bisphosphonates in Paget's disease of bone, nasal and rectal calcitonin are no longer considered as the treatments of choice in this condition. A major advantage of the use of bisphosphonates over calcitonin in Paget's disease is that biochemical and histologic suppression of disease activity may persist for many years after the cessation of treatment. Oral etidronate and intravenous pamidronate have been extensively used and have provided satisfactory benefits to the patient. Since the risk/benefit ratio of alendronate does not appear to be completely positive, it is likely that the future of treatment of Paget's disease of bone will be based on the oral formulation of the new bisphosphonates, including tiludronate, risedronate or dimethyl-pamidronate.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed1995

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-finding trial of intermittent nasal salmon calcitonin for prevention of postmenopausal lumbar spine bone loss.

PURPOSE: Nasal administration of salmon calcitonin (SCT) has been suggested for preventing trabecular bone loss during the first years following the menopause, but no conclusive evidence has appeared about the minimal effective dose. Since nasal calcitonin is highly expensive, it makes sense to define this dose. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, single-center study with a 3-arm parallel-group design. The subjects were 251 healthy women who had experienced natural menopause within the past 6 to 72 months and were not affected by any diseases or treatments that interfere with calcium metabolism. They were randomly allocated in groups of 6 to receive intranasal SCT 50 IU (n = 84), SCT 200 IU (n = 84), or placebo (n = 83). All treatments were given on 5 consecutive days per week. Statistical analysis was based on two populations: intention-to-treat (IT) and valid completers (VC). The main assessments performed were bone mineral density of the lumbar spine (LSBMD) and biochemical parameters reflecting bone turnover (serum alkaline phosphatase, urinary calcium/creatinine, and hydroxyproline/creatinine ratios). RESULTS: Changes over the treatment period were comparable in the IT and VC populations. In the group receiving the placebo, LSBMD decreased from baseline to end point by a mean of 6.28% (95% confidence interval [CI] -7.69 to -4.89) in the IT population and 6.98% (95% CI -8.86 to -5.11) in the VC population (P = 0.0001, end LSBMD versus baseline LSBMD). LSBMD increased slightly with the 50-IU/d dose of SCT, by 0.82% (95% CI -0.26 to 1.89) in the IT population, and 0.51% (95% CI -0.69 to 1.72) in the VC (P = NS, versus baseline). Subjects who received SCT 200 IU/d experienced significant increases of 2.03% (95% CI 0.92 to 3.15) in the IT population and 2.26% (95% CI 1.01 to 3.51) in the VC (both P = 0.001). The difference between the evolution of the combined groups receiving nasal SCT and the group treated with the placebo was highly significant (P = 0.0001). No significant changes were recorded in biochemical parameters reflecting bone turnover. CONCLUSIONS: SCT 50 IU/d administered nasally and intermittently appears to prevent lumbar bone loss in nonobese early postmenopausal women.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed1994

Long-term (3 years) prevention of trabecular postmenopausal bone loss with low-dose intermittent nasal salmon calcitonin.

The long-term effect of intermittent low-dose nasal salmon calcitonin on trabecular early postmenopausal bone loss was assessed as follow-up to a previously published study. Randomized controlled group comparison was made of 287 healthy women with 6-36 months of natural menopause and no treatment interfering with calcium metabolism at an outpatient clinic for research in bone and cartilage metabolism. The 287 women were randomly allocated to 3 years of treatment with either 500 mg/day, 5 days/week of calcium or the same amount of calcium plus 50 IU/day, 5 days per week of nasal salmon calcitonin. A total of 186 women complied with the study protocol throughout. The main outcome measures were bone mineral density of the lumbar spine (DPA) and biochemical parameters reflecting bone turnover (serum alkaline phosphatases, urinary calcium/creatinine, and hydroxyproline/creatinine ratio). The average changes in bone mineral density after 36 months showed a positive (p < 0.05) outcome (1.8 +/- 5.7%; mean +/- SD) in the group treated with salmon calcitonin and calcium and a significant (p < 0.01) loss (-5.8 +/- 4.8%) in patients receiving calcium alone. The difference between the evolution of the two groups was significantly (p < 0.01) different after 6 months of treatment and remained so until the end of the study. No significant changes were recorded in biochemical parameters reflecting bone turnover. As previously shown during a 1 year follow-up, nasal salmon calcitonin given at low dose and intermittently, in association with calcium, can counteract trabecular postmenopausal bone loss.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed1993

Paget's disease of bone treated with a five day course of oral tiludronate.

Chloro-4-phenyl thiomethylene bisphosphonate (tiludronate) is a new drug which can be used as an inhibitor of bone resorption. As it remains in bone for a long time, and as mineralisation defects have only been seen at doses much higher than those required to decrease osteoclastic activity, it could be given at high doses over a short period of time. Eighteen patients with Paget's disease of bone were randomly allocated to three therapeutic groups receiving respectively 600, 800, and 1200 mg/day tiludronate for five days. Serum alkaline phosphatase activity and the urinary hydroxyproline/creatinine ratio were quickly and drastically reduced in all three groups. A significant reduction of serum alkaline phosphatases and the hydroxyproline/creatinine ratio was still present six months after the five day therapeutic course, reflecting a sustained activity of tiludronate even after stopping treatment. Dose dependent short and long term reductions of bone turnover rate were observed. Biochemical assessment of haematological, renal, or hepatic tolerance did not show any toxicity of tiludronate. Fifty per cent of patients treated by a dose of 1200 mg/day reported gastrointestinal disturbances, however, making this dosage unsuitable for clinical practice.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1990

Calcitonin and postmenopausal bone loss.

In order to establish the role of calcitonin (CT) in postmenopausal bone loss, we studied CT metabolism in 25 pre- and postmenopausal women. Postmenopausal women presented a highly significant reduction of CT basal levels compared to premenopausal females (p less than 0.01). Also, production rates of CT in osteoporotics were significantly lower than in either young premenopausal (18-25 years old), older premenopausal (35-40 years old), or postmenopausal healthy subjects. In a study in rabbits, we found that injection of CT, along with equimolar amounts of anti-SCT antibodies extracted from serum of pagetic patients, did not inhibit the hypocalcemic response to the hormone, thus demonstrating that resistance to CT treatment cannot be accounted for by antibody production. In a subsequent clinical study in patients with Paget's disease of bone, we found that 200 IU/day of salmon CT (SCT), given by nasal spray, improved both clinically and biochemically the activity of the disease, as demonstrated by 37 +/- 4% decrease of serum alkaline phosphatase and 35 +/- 5% fall of urinary excretion of hydroxyproline after six months of therapy. The effectiveness of CT as nasal spray was further tested in healthy women at an early stage of menopause. A 12-month course of intranasal SCT counteracted early postmenopausal bone loss, presumably by inhibiting bone resorption. In conclusion, intranasal CT seems to be a very attractive alternative to be considered for the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed1989

Relationship between whole plasma calcitonin levels, calcitonin secretory capacity, and plasma levels of estrone in healthy women and postmenopausal osteoporotics.

The exact role of calcitonin (CT) in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis remains unknown. Whole plasma calcitonin (iCT) basal levels, metabolic clearance rate (MCR), and production rate (PR) of CT were measured in 9 premenopausal and 16 postmenopausal women, including 11 osteoporotics (OP). Basal iCT levels were statistically lower in postmenopausal women than in the premenopausal group (P less than 0.01) and strongly correlated (r = 0.72; P less than 0.001) with estrone circulating levels (E1). MCR were similar in all groups. PR were similar in eugonadal women between 22 (mean +/- SD = 30.9 +/- 9.9 micrograms/d) and 37 yr (mean +/- SD = 25.5 +/- 11.1 micrograms/d) premenopausal women. In healthy postmenopausal women PR were reduced, but not significantly (mean +/- SD = 19.5 +/- 6.95 micrograms/d), whereas osteoporotic patients presented a highly significant reduction of CT PR (mean +/- SD = 9.8 +/- 4 micrograms/d) (P less than 0.01). Because there is a strong relationship between E1 and PR (r = 0.64; P less than 0.001), CT secretory capacity appears to be modulated by estrogen circulating levels. This modulation leads to a menopause-related decrease in iCT. In osteoporotics, an independent impairment of CT production drastically lowers PR and basal iCT levels. CT might be one of the determining factors in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Preliminary report of decreased serum magnesium in postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Serum, red cell, urinary and bone Mg levels have been measured in 10 post-menopausal osteoporotics. Osteoporosis was confirmed by clinical fracture, histological analysis and dual-photon absorptiometry quantification. When compared to a healthy population matched for age and sex, serum Mg levels were statistically significantly (p less than 0.05) lower in osteoporotics (0.82 +/- 0.06 mmol/l) compared to normal subjects (0.87 +/- 0.04 mmol/l). No difference appeared for red cell, urinary or bone Mg determination. If these results are confirmed in a long-term study, serum Mg might be added to a batch of tests used to discriminate a subset of patients with an increased risk of developing postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Aged↗