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Biomedical subjects

P Bartsch

Publications and source records attributed to P Bartsch.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

[Stop smoking help: keys to long term success].

This review deals with the pharmacological and psychological means to help in smoking cessation and compares the efficacy of the different methods. Pharmacological support results in a smoking cessation rate reaching at best 20-25%. The efficacy of behavioural and cognitive therapy have been much less validated so far. Multidisciplinary specialized centres for helping smokers have been raised under the care of FARES in the French Community of Belgium.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy↗
PubMed2006

[Acute colitis in Wegener's disease: a case report].

We report the case of a 52 year old man who was hospitalized within a context of a persistent deterioration of his general condition. He was suspected of having a chronic inflammatory colitis. A pulmonary radiography revealed the presence of voluminous bilateral excavated masses with hydro-aerical levels. After having refuted among others a suspicion of tuberculosis, the results of a thoracic percutaneous transpleural lung aspiration by needle under tomodensitometric control steered our diagnosis towards a vascularitis of the Wegener disease type. A treatment with corticotherapy in large doses completed with cyclophosphamid allowed for clinical, biological and radiological improvement. Wegener's granulomatosis usually starts in an insidious manner with febrile episodes and an impairment of the general condition associated with inflammatory biological signs, as observed in our patient. After these warning symptoms, come ORL and/or pulmonary and/or renal impairment, which represent the classical triad of diffused GW. However a certain number of particularities unusual for that diagnosis characterized our patient and prompted the discussion of this case.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2005

Effect of treatments on the progression of COPD: report of a workshop held in Leuven, 11-12 March 2004.

During the last decade several long term studies of interventions in patients with COPD have been published. This review analyses the potential of these interventions to alter the progression of the condition. The only treatment that has unequivocally been shown to reduce the rate of decline in FEV(1) is smoking cessation. Active psychological intervention in combination with pharmacotherapy is required. Other treatments may have an effect on the rate of decline in FEV(1) but this appears to be very small, at most. Several treatments affect the exacerbation rate and therefore might affect the progression of the disease. Further studies are warranted to examine this effect.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed2005

[Rounded atelectasis: a follow up of 10 years by CT].

We report the case of a 69-year-old man who presented with a rounded atelectasis (RA). During a 10-year follow-up by Computed Tomography (CT), the lobe showed a progressive shrinkage, and a moderate increase in size of the lesion led to a percutaneous biopsy which confirmed the diagnosis. RA is an unusual form of lung consolidation. The major cause of RA is asbestosis. RA is usually asymptomatic and may simulate a pulmonary neoplasm on chest Xray. The diagnosis is made by CT, demonstrating the pathognomonic "comet tail sign". No treatment is required.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

[Stop smoking help: a need].

Today the smoker carries a risk of mortality 70% higher compared to the nonsmoker. In Belgium active smoking is indisputably the most important cause of avoidable death. In 2004 it appears that 27% of the belgian population was smoking. This review describes the comorbidity associated with active tobacco consumption and defines the concepts of dependence and smoking cessation. It also identifies the three factors which determine the success of smoking cessation, i.e. the degree of nicotinic dependence, the presence of anxio-depressive disorders and the importance of the motivation to the stop.

Belgium↗
PubMed2004

Measurement of the exclusive 3He(e,e'p) reaction below the quasielastic peak.

New, high-precision measurements of the 3He(e,e(')p) reaction using the A1 Collaboration spectrometers at the Mainz microtron MAMI are presented. These were performed in antiparallel kinematics at energy transfers below the quasielastic peak, and at a central momentum transfer of 685 MeV/c. Cross sections and distorted momentum distributions were extracted and compared to theoretical predictions and existing data. The longitudinal and transverse behavior of the cross section was also studied. Sizable differences in the cross-section behavior from theoretical predictions based on the plane wave impulse approximation were observed in both the two- and three-body breakup channels. Full Faddeev-type calculations account for some of the observed excess cross-section, but significant differences remain.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Nebulised salbutamol administered during sputum induction improves bronchoprotection in patients with asthma.

BACKGROUND: Inhalation of hypertonic or even isotonic saline during sputum induction may cause bronchospasm in susceptible patients with asthma, despite premedication with 400 microg inhaled salbutamol delivered by pressurised metered dose inhaler (pMDI). The bronchoprotection afforded by additional inhaled salbutamol administered through the ultrasonic nebuliser during sputum induction was investigated. METHODS: Twenty patients with moderate to severe asthma underwent sputum induction by inhaling saline 4.5% (or 0.9% if post-bronchodilation forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) <65% predicted) for 10 minutes according to two protocols given 1 week apart in random order. At visit A the patients received 400 microg salbutamol administered through a pMDI+spacer 20 minutes before induction while at visit B the premedication was supplemented by 1500 microg nebulised salbutamol inhaled throughout the induction procedure. Both the investigator and the patients were blind to the nebulised solution used. FEV1 was recorded during sputum induction at 1, 3, 5, and 10 minutes. Sputum cell counts and histamine, tryptase and albumin levels in the supernatants were determined. RESULTS: The mean (SE) maximal reduction in FEV1 over the 10 minute period of sputum induction was 11.7 (2.8)% at visit A, which was significantly greater than at visit B (2.6 (1.2)%; mean difference 9% (95% CI 2.7 to 15.4), p<0.01). Total and differential sputum cell counts as well as albumin, tryptase, and histamine levels did not differ between the two visits. CONCLUSION: The addition of inhaled salbutamol through an ultrasonic nebuliser markedly improves bronchoprotection against saline induced bronchoconstriction in patients with moderate to severe asthma undergoing sputum induction without affecting cell counts and inflammatory markers.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed2004

[Paroxysmal dyspnoea in a healthy individual: the spontaneous pneumothorax].

In a healthy individual, a dyspnoea of abrupt onset raises the suspicion of a spontaneous pneumothorax. The clinical examination and standard chest X-ray usually permit the correct diagnosis. The risk of reccurence can be assessed by the clinical history and examination. The functional consequences (which can be lethal) and the risk of recurrence will guide the short- and long-term therapy.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed2004

[Tracheobronchial stents: Chu of Liège experience].

During recent years the endobronchial prostheses has become an essential part of the therapeutic bronchoscopy in order to remove obstructions from the proximal airways, in malignant diseases, (principally lung cancer) are in benign disorders. In this article we report our last ten year experience in stenting of the tracheo-bronchial tree. We will retrospectively review the indications of the stents, the type of prostheses and their modes of insertion, their complications, the clinical and functional results.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

[Clinical case of the month. MacLeod syndrome].

MacLeod syndrome is a rare cause of localized hypertransradiancy of the lung. This syndrome is defined by radiological features: localized hypertransradiancy due to oligemia and presence of air-trapping on expiratory chest radiography. Involvement of one entire lung is called "unilateral hyperlucent lung". Whereas the etiology is different, the physiopathology is probably identical to that of the panacinar emphysema of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The syndrome is believed to be related to acute bronchiolitis during infancy. Clinical manifestations and prognosis depend mainly on the presence of other lesions due to the same infectious agent like bronchiectasis. Pulmonary function tests, chest CT-scan, ventilation and perfusion scintigraphy and, if necessary, bronchoscopy help the differential diagnosis and detect associated bronchiectasis.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

The myth of dorsal ribs in gnathostome vertebrates.

Traditionally, two types of rib are distinguished in gnathostomes: dorsal (upper) and ventral (lower, pleural) ribs. They are defined according to their position in the connective tissue system of the body: dorsal ribs develop at the intersection of the serially arranged myosepta with the horizontal septum that separates epaxial from hypaxial musculature, whereas ventral ribs develop at the intersection of myosepta with the peritoneum and usually encircle the body cavity. Distribution of rib types among gnathostomes has traditionally been reported as follows: elasmobranchs have dorsal ribs; all Actinopterygii have only ventral ribs with the exception of polypterids, and two subgroups of teleosts, which supposedly also have dorsal ribs; within Sarcopterygii tetrapods have dorsal ribs, whereas dipnoans have ventral ribs. Here, we report the development of ribs in polypterids, a taxon playing a crucial role in discussions on rib homology. We demonstrate that putative dorsal ribs of polypterids have a unique ontogeny and represent an autapomorphy of this taxon. We discuss previous hypotheses of rib homology and offer a more plausible (i.e. more parsimonious) alternative to the conventional interpretation. We conclude that dorsal ribs do not exist and that ribs of gnathostomes are ventral ribs.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

[Ozone exposure and asthma].

Ozone is a pollutant the production of which depends on weather conditions and car engine combustion. Numerous epidemiological studies have indicated that high ozone levels correlated with morbidity in asthma. Experimental studies have shown that exposure of healthy subjects and asthmatics to ozone levels comparable to those measured in ambient air during hot summer days can generate respiratory symptoms, neutrophilic airways inflammation and lung function impairment. Lung function changes following ozone exposure are more pronounced in asthmatics and are dependent on the duration and intensity of exposure, a previous exposure and the nutritional status of the subjects. The airway epithelial cell layer is likely to play a pivotal role in initiating the inflammatory process following ozone exposure. Control of ambient air ozone levels must be a target for public health authorities.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2003

[Value of induced sputum in the investigation of asthma].

INTRODUCTION: The technique of induced expectoration generates sputum by the inhalation of hypertonic saline. On account of its non-invasive character, its simplicity, its relative harmlessness, its cost effectiveness and its reproducibility this technique, that appeared in the early 1990's, has rapidly established itself as the technique of choice in the investigation of bronchial inflammation in asthma. STATE OF THE ART: We present the results of our studies that have contributed to the validation of the technique at the methodological level and to the exploitation of the cellular contents as much as the fluid phase of the expectorations in characterising bronchial inflammation in asthmatics. Our results confirm an infiltration of the airways of asthmatics with eosinophils that appears to be proportional to the severity of the illness. We evaluate the effect of inhaled steroids and of theophylline on sputum eosinophilia and bronchial reactivity and discuss the role of eosinophils on bronchial hyperreactivity. Finally we discuss the use of induced expectoration in clinical practice in asthma. PERSPECTIVES: The analysis of induced sputum could well become a valuable tool in the clinical evaluation and monitoring of asthma in the same way as symptoms and abnormalities of lung function. CONCLUSIONS: Induced expectoration has certainly contributed to the understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of asthma as well as the role of bronchial inflammation in the clinical manifestations of the disease.

Asthma↗
PubMed2003

Pathogenic role of matrix metalloproteases and their inhibitors in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and therapeutic relevance of matrix metalloproteases inhibitors.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are an at least 23 member family of calcium and zinc dependent enzymes implicated in many physiological and pathological processes. Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema are diseases associated with an inflammation of the airways and lung parenchyma. In this review, we focus on the role played by MMPs in the pathogenesis of inflammation, airway remodelling and alveolar destruction, depicting the observational studies in humans and the experimental studies in animal models. During the course of asthma, MMP-2,-8,-9 and TIMP-1 are expressed at baseline and the allergen exposure or exacerbations of the disease lead to an increase of MMP-9 secretion being at this time much higher than that of TIMP-1, allowing temporarily a matrix damage, possibly followed by abnormal repair. Animal models suggest a predominant role for MMP-9 and MMP-12 in the pathogenesis of pulmonary inflammation and link an absence of MMP-2 to an increased parenchymal inflammation. In COPD and emphysema, human studies indicate an over-secretion of MMP-2,-8,-9 and animal models pointout MMP-1 and MMP-12 as being key players in the pathogenesis of emphysema. Taken together, these data identify specific MMP inhibition as appropriate target for therapeutic intervention in asthma or COPD/emphysema They also strongly argue against the widespread use of large spectrum non specific inhibitors that could be detrimental.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Measurement of the beam-helicity asymmetry in the p((-->)e,e'p)pi(0) reaction at the energy of the Delta(1232) resonance.

In a p((-->)e,e'p)pi(0) out-of-plane coincidence experiment at the three-spectrometer setup of the Mainz Microtron MAMI, the beam-helicity asymmetry has been precisely measured around the energy of the Delta(1232) resonance and Q(2) = 0.2(GeV/c)(2). The results are in disagreement with three up-to-date model calculations. This is interpreted as a lack of understanding of the nonresonant background, which in dynamical models is related to the pion cloud.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Cytokine production from sputum cells after allergenic challenge in IgE-mediated asthma.

BACKGROUND: Th2 cytokine production from airway cells is thought to govern the eosinophilic airways inflammation in allergic asthma. Induced sputum has become a widely used technique to assess airways inflammation. METHODS: By applying the technique of induced sputum to collect airways cells, we have assessed the spontaneous production of a set of cytokines, including interleukin-4, 6, 10, interferon-gamma and tumour necrosis factor-alpha, 6 h after a bronchial allergenic challenge with Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dpt) in 12 sensitized asthmatics and compared the results obtained after inhalation of saline as control. A group of eight healthy non-allergic subjects was enrolled to control for any non-specific effect of Dpt. Cytokines were measured by a dynamic immunoassay during a 24-h sputum cell culture. RESULTS: Allergen challenge in sensitized asthmatics caused an acute and a late bronchospasm together with a rise in sputum eosinophil counts. Afterwards allergen sputum cells from allergic asthmatics displayed a rise in their production of IL-4 (P < 0.01), IL-6 (P < 0.05) and IL-10 (P < 0.05) when compared to saline. By this time sputum generation of IL-4 in atopic asthmatics was greater than in healthy subjects (P < 0.001). Furthermore, in allergic asthmatics there was a strong correlation between the rise in interleukin-4 production from sputum cells and the rise in sputum eosinophils (r = 0.87, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Sputum cell culture is a useful model to assess cytokine production in allergic asthmatics who show a marked up-regulation of Th2 cytokines following acute allergen exposure. The rise in sputum eosinophil count following allergen challenge strongly correlates with the rise in IL-4 generation from sputum cells.

Adult↗