Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

P Franchimont

Publications and source records attributed to P Franchimont.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

High molecular weight vasopressin: detection of a large amount in the plasma of a patient.

Using a sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay for arginine-vasopressin, we have searched for the presence of high molecular weight (HMW) vasopressin in the plasma of a patient with the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) and an oat cell carcinoma of the lung. After incubation in 8 mol/l urea, one millilitre of the plasma from this patient was fractionated on a Sephadex G-50 column and the immunoreactive vasopressin content was evaluated before and after trypsin treatment of the eluted fractions. A wide peak of apparent mol. wt. 2500-6000 daltons was revealed only after tryptic digestion of each fraction. This peak contained the equivalent of 1900 pg of vasopressin. A tryptic digest of this peak, rechromatographed on Sephadex G-25, gave two small peptides the major one eluting at a position identical to vasopressin. These results demonstrate the presence of a large amount of HMW vasopressin in the plasma of a patient with SIADH and oat cell carcinoma of the lung.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Release of immunoreactive oxytocin and neurophysin I by cultured luteinizing bovine granulosa cells.

We investigated the production of oxytocin (OT) and oxytocin-neurophysin (bNpI) by bovine granulosa cells cultured in presence of 10% foetal calf serum, a condition known to induce spontaneous luteinization of these cells. The production of immunoreactive OT was significantly higher in the cultures of granulosa cells harvested from large follicles than in those derived from small follicles. Chromatography on Sephadex G-25 showed similar elution sites of ovarian and synthetic OT, while high performance liquid chromatography revealed two peaks of OT-immunoreactivity, one of which (+/- 65% of the total immunoreactivity) coincided with synthetic OT. In another experiment, we could observe a gradual increase of OT, bNp I and progesterone production by granulosa cells derived from large follicles, in relation with the incubation time. The mean molar ratio OT: bNp I was 2.2 +/- 0.5 (SEM), and we found a significant positive correlation between the production of OT and bNp I (r = 0.77; P less than 0.01) and between the production of OT and progesterone (r = 0.80; P less than 0.01). Furthermore, the cellular OT and bNp I content of large follicles-derived granulosa cells before culture was 4-5 times lower than the total amount of OT and bNp I produced during a 72-h incubation, suggesting an active synthesis of these peptides. These data show that bovine granulosa cells are able to produce OT and bNp I, probably by an active biosynthesis as observed in the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system and that the granulosa productions of OT, bNp I and progesterone are closely related.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

[Value of the measurement of SP1 protein in the early diagnosis of pregnancy induced with Pregnyl].

Successive dilutions of Pregnyl have been submitted to a radioimmunoassay of SP1. We have observed that Pregnyl cross-reacts with SP1. Chromatography of Pregnyl demonstrates that the contaminating substance is different from native SP1. As its concentration is low, it is however not detected in the serum of patients after the administration of exogenous Pregnyl. SP1 measurement can be helpful in detecting early pregnancies after hCG induction of ovulation.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Thymopentin in active rheumatoid arthritis. An open, monitored study in 16 patients.

The present paper reports on 16 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis who were treated with thymopentin administered as intravenous prolonged injections (one push of 5 mg every minute for 10 min) three times weekly for 3 consecutive weeks. Thirteen patients were evaluated, including a follow-up period of 2 months. Most patients improved clinically already after 5 injections. The overall data showed a statistically significant improvement (p less than 0.05) at the end of treatment; this favorable effect lasted for 6-7 weeks after thymopentin was discontinued. Standard laboratory tests and immunological parameters did not reveal any meaningful findings, hence, it can only be speculated about thymopentin's mechanism of action. It is suggested that the dose regimen is very critical as to therapeutic outcome when using an immunomodulating drug in clinical medicine.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1985

[Treatment of Paget's disease with low dose sodium etidronate (5mg/kg/day). Occurrence of reversible transient suspected leukopenia].

27 patients with Paget's disease, from 51 to 80 years of age, were treated with etidronate disodium at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day. 70 percent of patients had multiple bone involvement. Six patients had previously been treated with diphosphonates, and nine had previously received synthetic pork or salmon calcitonin. The following parameters were studied: the serum alkaline phosphatase, urinary hydroxyproline, a self-assessment scale to evaluate pain and a scale to assess improvement in functional capacity. From the first month of treatment, significant improvement in pain indices was noted and over the following two months there was an associated significant regression in parameters of bone resorption and formation. The clinical and laboratory improvement brought about with diphosphonates persisted three months after cessation of therapy in 88 percent of cases. Gastrointestinal tolerance of the drug was excellent, but three cases of transitory leukopenia occurred which resolved spontaneously, requiring in two cases cessation of therapy. Even though it is impossible to correlate with certainty this previously undescribed finding to therapy with etidronate disodium, we believe that at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day, the drug provides rapid, effective, long term treatment in Paget's disease, but that regular hematologic surveillance should be performed.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Human kininogens of low and high molecular mass: quantification by radioimmunoassay and determination of reference values.

Kininogens of low and high molecular mass, highly purified from human plasma, were used to raise antisera in rabbits. To obtain immunologically intact tracers, we labeled the kininogens by the lodogen method, followed by double chromatography, first on Sephadex G50 and then on Sephadex G200 for high-molecular-mass kininogen or on G100 for low-molecular-mass kininogen. Both assays are sensitive, accurate, and reproducible. On an equimolar basis, the high-molecular-mass kininogen cross reacted completely in the determination of low-molecular-mass analyte. Moreover, the radioimmunoassay for the former was highly specific. After optimizing the time and temperature of incubation to provide rapid and reliable results, we determined 95% reference intervals from a large sample of healthy subjects (250 men, 200 women): 109-272 and 69-116 mg/L for the low- and high-molecular-mass kininogens, respectively.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

In vivo studies on the mononuclear phagocyte system Fc receptor function in rheumatoid arthritis. Correlations with clinical and immunological variables.

The mononuclear phagocyte system Fc receptor function was assessed in 13 control subjects and 17 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by intravenous injection of IgG coated (IgG-RBC) or of heat-damaged (HD-RBC) 99mTc-labeled autologous erythrocytes. Although the clearance half-times of control and RA erythrocytes were not significantly different, the spleen to liver uptake ratios per surface area (S/Ls), determined by quantitative scintigraphic analysis, were significantly lower in RA patients than in controls. The S/Ls were significantly correlated with the Steinbrocker stages (r = 0.92; p less than 0.01), the disease duration (r = 0.73; p less than 0.01) and the total immunoglobulin levels (r = 0.73; p less than 0.01). The Clq binding activity of the sera was inversely correlated with the spleen (r = 0.90; p less than 0.01) and liver uptakes (r = 0.73; p less than 0.02). Our results therefore show an alteration of the Fc receptor function of splenic and hepatic mononuclear phagocytes in RA patients.

Adult↗