Hydatid cyst of the right atrium diagnosed by echocardiography.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Rey.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Dopamine exerts an inhibitory or stimulant action on some of the hormones produced by the anterior pituitary gland. The dopamine content of the hypothalamus is considerably reduced in patients with Parkinson's disease. We have tested the anterior pituitary endocrine function in such patients to evaluate the repercussions on this function of the dopaminergic deficiency: the secretion of pituitary stimulins was found to be unaltered both at baseline level and after pharmacological stimulation.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
In this review we analyzed the pharmacokinetic basis for high dose treatment with antibiotics of patients with cystic fibrosis. Both our results and those from other well designed pharmacokinetic studies do not support the view that low blood levels of antibacterials are a common feature of CF. We were unable to detect a decrease in absorption, nor could we find evidence for enhanced elimination of antibacterials in CF. Both these factors have been considered responsible for reducing the plasma (and tissue) levels of antibiotics. Most recent studies on kidney function are in agreement with these findings, since neither inulin nor creatinine clearance differ between CF-patients and healthy volunteers. In contrast to previous discussion, the volume of distribution (Vdss) was not elevated for any compound. The rational of weight correction of volume terms like Vdss or total clearance has never been clearly demonstrated and should therefore not be used without prior proof of relevance. Since the variability of pharmacokinetic parameters of antibiotics in CF-patients may be considerable, we suggest that a dose increase of 20-30% may be justified, but cannot agree with two to fourfold increases in dosage as previously proposed and applied in many CF-centers. Until more findings become available for non-adult CF-patients, these conclusions are only valid for adult CF-patients.
A gene encoding the mature form of human growth hormone (hGH) was fused to the secretion signal coding sequence of the Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin II (STII). This hybrid gene was preceded by two Shine-Dalgarno sequences derived from the trp and STII-coding genes and was expressed in E. coli under the transcriptional control of the E. coli alkaline phosphatase (phoA) promoter. In low-phosphate growth media, cells synthesized about 15 to 25 micrograms of hGH/ml/1 A550 unit of cells. This represents 6 to 10% of total cellular protein. The majority of the hGH produced (more than 90%) was processed precisely and secreted into the periplasmic space. These results demonstrate that E. coli cells are able to synthesize and secrete high levels of this human protein using a prokaryotic signal sequence.
The authors discuss the case of four patients aged over 75 years who presented non-convulsive, but confusional status epilepticus. The EEG recordings during clinical status showed bilateral spikes of slow wave discharges in the frontal region. Following slow intravenous infusion of 10 mg of diazepam, EEG and clinical status returned quickly to normal. CT scans were always unremarkable. The ictal confusion in later life seems to be an entity, actually frequently reported in literature, which needs better description.
In a patient with a large pericardial effusion without any clinical signs of cardiac tamponade, echocardiography revealed collapse of the right ventricle and prolonged (greater than 34%) inversion of the free wall of both atria, maximal in early systole. The presence of such findings in the absence of clinical signs of haemodynamic compromise is discussed.
Modulation of CA1 electrophysiological properties (amplitude, latency, paired-pulse facilitation) by different concentrations of corticosterone (CT) was studied in hippocampal slice preparations from normal (sham) and adrenalectomized (ADX) BALB/c mice. In the sham group, CT effects on the population spike (PS) amplitude were biphasic: at a low dose (200 pM) CT induced a delayed increase; at a moderate dose (2,000 pM), a rapid and partially reversible decrease was observed, and at higher doses (5,000 and 10,000 pM) this decrease was more pronounced after 30 min of washout. Diminution of latency and paired-pulse facilitation were obtained for the CT concentration inducing an increase of the PS amplitude. In the ADX group, similar CT effects were observed for lower doses: a decrease of the PS amplitude was observed for 40 and 100 pM and an increase for 5 pM, but variations of the PS amplitude were weaker than in the sham group. The role of the different CT receptor systems in this neuromodulatory effect is discussed.
The physiological properties of hippocampal slices from intact or adrenalectomized (ADX) BALB/c mice were studied in vitro. Mouse hippocampal slices displayed features similar to those observed in other species in terms of postsynaptic characteristics of response to stratum radiatum stimulation. In adrenalectomized mouse, the amplitude of population spike was reduced whereas the latency of population spike and cell responses to paired stimuli volleys were unchanged. The role of the endocrine status in this modification is discussed.
Evolution of both clinical and EEG abnormalities was analyzed in 20 (16 pathologically confirmed) patients suffering from subacute spongiform encephalopathy with periodic paroxysmal activities (PPA) on the EEG. Illness duration was less than 4 and greater than 17 months in 65% and 10% of cases, respectively. All data but EEG were utilized to assess 3 conventional clinical stages in 20 patients. The early clinical stage was characterized by gradual presentation of gait disturbances, mental deterioration, sensory or autonomic disorders. In contrast with other reports, no PPA were observed in 10 EEG recordings from 7 patients examined at the early clinical stage. Both clinical and EEG findings were not in contrast with a hypothetic subcortical onset of disease. Similar to recent data in the literature, early PPA appeared within 12 weeks of disease evolution in 88% of patients who underwent EEG recordings in the first 3 months of disease. Nonetheless, these early PPA always occurred at an intermediary stage, when our patients showed a marked worsening of the clinical picture. Focal, segmental and/or generalized myoclonic jerks were observed in 15%, 53% and 100% of cases at prodromal, intermediary and terminal stages respectively. Different kinds of PPA were observed: bi-tri-phasic periodic complexes (PC), periodic complexes with multiphasic configuration (PPC) and periodic polyspiking discharges (PPD). Abnormal "pacing" of PC by slowly repeated flashes was found in 4 patients presenting visual hallucinations or cortical blindness. Burst-suppression activity was frequently found at the terminal stage in decorticate patients.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
This retrospective hospital study concerns 159 infectious episodes observed in 60 patients with chronic lymphoid leukaemia (CLL) staged A, B or C on first admission. The most frequent site of infection was pulmonary (33%), followed by ENT and stomatological infections (15%), septicaemia (9%), urinary and genital tracts infections (9%), herpes virus infections (9%), skin and soft tissue purulent sepsis (8%), digestive tract (3%) and meningeal (1%) infections and isolated fever (8%). Seventy nine bacteria were isolated, including 35 Gram-positive cocci (Staphylococcus spp. 12, Streptococcus spp. 13, D. pneumoniae 5, Enterococcus spp. 5), 43 Gram-negative bacilli (Enterobacteriaceae 36, Pseudomonas spp. 5, Haemophilus influenzae 2) and 1 M. tuberculosis. The other documented infections were: candidiasis 11, viral infections 19 (including 17 of the herpes group) and 2 parasitoses (1 pneumocystosis, 1 toxoplasmosis). Sixteen patients died of toxic -infectious shock (9 cases, including 1 meningitis) or pneumonia (7 cases, including one chicken-pox). Stage C leukaemia and granulopenia (less than 1 X 10(9) PN/l) were associated with significantly more frequent and severe infections.
In order to confirm, or to deny, the diagnosis of epilepsy a sleep EEG recording as a supplement to the routine EEG investigation has been performed in 229 subjects in 1980 at Saint Paul Center. In 93% of the cases, spontaneous afternoon napping, and in 7% spontaneous nocturnal sleep was studied. Sleep EEG was analysed and correlated to the clinically suspected type of epilepsy. The occurrence of focal or generalized EEG abnormalities, clearly related to the type of epilepsy, confirmed anamnestic and clinical findings in 54% of the cases and gave a more accurate diagnosis in 20% of the cases. Sleep recordings were necessary for the diagnosis of the type of epilepsy in 2% of the cases.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
A second retrovirus, named LAV-II, has been isolated from two West-African patients with AIDS. By its genomic sequences and its proteins, this virus is different from the LAV-I/HTLV-III, isolated from U.S.A., Europe and Central Africa. It differs also from STLV-III, isolated from Rhesus Macaques with AIDS, but displays an antigenic relationship with the latter virus, at the level of its external envelope protein. The tropism of LAV-II for T4 lymphocytes and the induction of cytopathic effect in infected cells are similar to those of LAV-I.
Intussusception is an usual pediatric problem in the first two years of life. Nevertheless, it may occur in older children as well, but then often with an uncharacteristic history and atypical x-ray findings. Even symptoms lasting over weeks or months do not exclude intussusception. Ultrasonography is a useful diagnostic approach. In difficult cases endoscopy is indicated.
The search for a neurohormone specifically controlling ACTH secretion resulted in the discovery of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). This factor, located mainly in a paraventricular-infundibular hypothalamic tract, stimulates ACTH synthesis and secretion through a cAMP-dependent mechanism. The corticotropin-releasing factor is the predominant component of a complex control system of adrenal cortex secretion, which also includes catecholamines and the antidiuretic hormone. Its specificity as stimulant of the corticotropic function makes it an extremely useful tool for physiological and physiopathological studies of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal cortex axis regulation.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.