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Biomedical subjects

R Robert

Publications and source records attributed to R Robert.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Oculo-facio-skeletal myorhythmia as a cerebral complication of systemic Whipple's disease.

A fifth case of oculomasticatory myorhythmia associated with cerebral Whipple's disease is reported. This peculiar abnormal movement has never been described in association with cerebral dysfunction other than Whipple's disease. The present case exhibited rhythmic convergence of the eyes and synchronous (1-2 Hz) contractions of the masticatory muscles and of the proximal and distal skeletal muscles. These abnormal movements occurred 13 years after the beginning of the disease. They were persistent and unchanged until the death of the patient 3 months later. No treatment was effective to suppress the involuntary movements (clonazepam, baclofen, antibiotics). Associated neurological signs included global supranuclear ophthalmoplegia, facial weakness, bilateral ptosis, absent gag reflex, and intellectual deterioration.

Brain↗
PubMed1988

Ultrastructural localization of 'anixiopsin': a lectin of the fungus Anixiopsis stercoraria (Hansen) Hansen.

In order to localize the 'anixiopsin', a lectin of the keratinolytic fungus Anixiopsis stercoraria, the authors used a monospecific antiserum prepared by immunization of rabbits with their own erythrocytes coated in vitro with 'anixiopsin'. In light and scanning electron microscopies, lectinic sites were visualized by means of latex microspheres sensitized with anti-rabbit IgG antibodies. In transmission electron microscopy using the IgG fraction of the rabbit anti-anixiopsin immune sera and protein A-gold, 'anixiopsin' seemed mainly present on the outermost cell wall layer of the ascospores, in a pseudomembraneous structure dense to electrons. Implications of these results on physical and biological properties of the lectin are discussed.

Antibody Specificity↗
PubMed1988

The caudate lobe of the liver.

The caudate lobe of the liver is an independent segment straddling the right and left lobes of the liver. It is divided into 2 parts, right and left, indicated externally by the caudate and papillary processes. It is now possible to unvestigate it by ultrasonography and computed tomography, allowing its surgical excision for tumoral disease of the superior biliary confluence.

Humans↗
PubMed1988

Physiologic variations of the internal jugular vein surface, role of the omohyoid muscle, a preliminary echographic study.

The action of the omohyoid muscle on the hemodynamics of the internal jugular vein is controversial. For some authors, contraction of this muscle, by tightening the cervical fascia, promotes jugular venous return. For others, contraction of this muscle compresses the jugular vein in its cervical path. With this latter point in mind, the hemodynamics of the internal jugular vein have been studied in its cervical path by echography in 10 healthy volunteers. One hundred twenty measurements of the venous surface were made at rest, with the mouth open and during deep inspiration. In the last 2 situations, evidence of a significant increase in the venous surface was found above the omohyoid muscle. These data confirm the role of compression of the vein by the omohyoid muscle, leading to modifications in intracerebral venous hemodynamics, which can be affected in yawning.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Adherence of Candida albicans germ tubes to plastic: ultrastructural and molecular studies of fibrillar adhesins.

Germ tubes of Candida albicans produced an additional fibrillar surface layer responsible for enhanced adherence to plastic. The correlation between germination of C. albicans and adherence of germ tubes to a plastic matrix led us to consider the existence of germ tube-specific adhesive components involved in the attachment process. Using concanavalin A-sensitized latex microspheres, we first detected extracellular molecules on the plastic surface after removal of the adherent germ tubes. Electron microscopy confirmed that fibrils of the germ tube involved in cell-substratum interconnections were retained on the plastic surface. Cytochemistry with concanavalin A-gold labeling demonstrated that these fibrillar structures contained mannoproteins. Dithiothreitol and iodoacetamide treatment of washed plastic allowed us to further characterize these fibrillar adhesins. Through analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, two components with molecular weights (MWs) of 68,000 and 60,000 were detected on the plastic surface. The 68,000-MW component appeared to be one of the major constituents of the germ tube surface layers. Biosynthetic labeling experiments performed with L-[35S]methionine revealed two additional proteins: a high-MW component (greater than 200,000), and a 200,000-MW component. These four proteins, strongly labeled on the plastic surface and on the germ tube cell wall layers, were in contrast slightly labeled or even nonidentified in the culture supernatant, suggesting their involvement in germ tube adherence.

Adhesiveness↗
PubMed1988

Investigation of human immune response to Micropolyspora faeni antigens by enzyme-linked immunoelectrodiffusion assay and immunoblotting.

Immune response to Micropolyspora faeni was analyzed in 10 patients suffering from farmer's lung by two techniques: enzyme-linked immunoelectrodiffusion assay (ELIEDA) and immunoblotting. ELIEDA revealed the presence in all patients of various specific immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM, IgA, and IgE antibodies, with the number of arcs ranging from 4 to 19. M. faeni proteins were isolated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, transferred to nitrocellulose, and immunoblotted with human sera and specific immunoglobulin-peroxidase conjugates. In immunoblotting, the predominant immunoglobulin class was IgG for all patients. At least 20 bands ranging from 15,000 to 60,000 in molecular weight were observed in a highly positive serum, whereas IgM- and IgA-specific reactivity was directed mainly to the 28,000- and 49,000-molecular-weight bands; M. faeni-specific IgE antibodies appeared less often. The rheumatoid factor (IgM-RF), which also had high titers in these patients (greater than 1/512), interfered with ELIEDA, while only slightly interfering with the immunoblotting detection of specific IgM. This latter technique provided a better characterization of immune response in patients with farmer's lung than ELIEDA did and should also permit discrimination of recently exposed individuals from chronic patients. Moreover, this technique should make it possible to determine whether the response of one particular immunoglobulin class to an antigen fraction can be associated with a specific state of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Binding of fibrinogen to the pathogenic Aspergillus species.

The binding of human fibrinogen to the pathogenic aspergilli was investigated in vitro by different procedures using either fibrinogen in solution or fixed, insolubilized fibrinogen. Binding of fibrinogen was detected at the surface of hyphae and conidia by an immunofluorescence assay. Ultrastructural localization of the binding sites was visualized with fibrinogen-sensitized gold particles. The labelling was restricted to the outer cell wall layer of the 'smooth' walled conidia. Quantitative analysis of the binding carried out with 125I-labelled human fibrinogen on 33 species belonging to different groups (opportunistic fungi, strictly saprophytic or phytopathogenic fungi and dermatophytes or related species) clearly demonstrated that among all the fungi tested, only the pathogenic aspergilli significantly bound fibrinogen. The average amount of fibrinogen bound to individual conidia was also quantified. Binding was greater to Aspergillus niger (5-fold), Aspergillus fumigatus (2.5-fold) and Aspergillus flavus conidia (2.3-fold) than to Aspergillus terreus conidia. The results suggest that fibrinogen binding could contribute to the pathogenesis of aspergillosis.

Aspergillus↗
PubMed1988

[Cholinergic crisis in a patient with myasthenia treated by plasma exchange and anticholinesterase agents].

A patient with myasthenia receiving treatment with anticholinesterase agents and plasma exchanges for an acute episode, developed three successive periods of neurological deterioration during which plasma cholinesterase levels were determined. The risk of onset of a cholinergic crisis under these circumstances has been reported in the literature but not documented. The accidents in the present case were related to cumulative overdose effects of anticholinesterase agents and depletion of cholinesterase, suggesting caution in the use of anticholinesterase agents when frequent plasma exchanges are being carried out in a patient with myasthenia.

Ambenonium Chloride↗
PubMed1987

Characterization of binding of human fibrinogen to the surface of germ-tubes and mycelium of candida albicans.

The binding of human fibrinogen to germ-tubes and mycelium of Candida albicans, forms usually found in infected tissues, was studied in vitro by an immunofluorescence assay. Binding was quantified by using 125I-labelled fibrinogen. The degree of binding differed according to the morphological form of the fungus. Binding relative to that of the yeast form was greater for mycelium (12-fold) than for germ-tube (7.7-fold). Pretreatment of yeasts with fragments D and E (terminal degradation products of fibrinogen) before fibrinogen binding showed that fragment D possessed a higher affinity for C. albicans than fragment E. Binding of fibrinogen was diminished when C. albicans was pretreated with 2-mercaptoethanol alone or in combination with pronase, or pretreated with alpha-mannosidase or trypsin. Binding was not decreased by pretreatment with pronase alone or chitinase. Inhibition experiments using C. albicans dialysed culture filtrate, C. albicans mannan, chitin, sugars or amino sugars were done by preabsorbing the fibrinogen with each of the above mentioned compounds. C. albicans dialysed culture filtrate inhibited the binding more strongly than C. albicans mannan. However, fibrinogen binding to C. albicans was not significantly reduced by mannose, several other sugars or chitin. These studies demonstrate the existence of a fibrinogen-binding factor (FBF) strongly associated with the surface of germ-tube and filamentous forms of C. albicans, and indicate a possible role for FBF in the pathogenicity of C. albicans.

Candida albicans↗
PubMed1987

Lung epithelial permeability to aerosolized solutes: relation to position.

The lung epithelial permeability to inhaled solutes is primarily attributed to the degree of distension of the interepithelial junctions and thus of the alveolar volume. To assess this hypothesis, a submicronic aerosol of technetium-99m-labeled diethylenetriamine pentaacetate (99mTc-DTPA) was inhaled by eight normal subjects in left lateral decubitus (LLD). The regional lung clearance of 99mTc-DTPA was measured in LLD, then in right lateral decubitus (RLD) to reverse the relative distension of the alveoli. Although in LLD the deposition of the aerosol is the greatest in the gravity-dependent regions of the left lung, their 99mTc-DTPA clearances are significantly lower than those of the nondependent regions of the right lung (0.7 +/- 0.3 vs. 2 +/- 0.8%/min, P less than 0.001). In RLD, these regions placed in opposite positions significantly reversed their clearances (1.6 +/- 0.8 vs. 0.6 +/- 0.2%/min, P less than 0.001). Results indicate in lateral decubitus a gravity gradient of 99mTc-DTPA clearances independent of the aerosol deposition. This gradient of epithelial permeability to solutes appears to be influenced by the gradient of alveolar volume.

Adult↗