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Biomedical subjects

X Duval

Publications and source records attributed to X Duval.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Use of corticosteroids in glomerulonephritis related to infective endocarditis: three cases and review.

We report the cases of three patients treated for infective endocarditis (IE) for whom corticosteroids were added to the antibiotic treatment. They all had clinical and biological evidence of immune-mediated glomerulonephritis. The microorganisms responsible for IE were Coxiella burnetii, Streptococcus bovis, and Cardiobacterium hominis. Median duration of IE before antimicrobial therapy was 7 months. In all patients, renal function deteriorated despite appropriate antimicrobial treatment for a mean duration of 16 days, but it improved after addition of corticosteroid therapy. All patients were cured of IE. A literature review revealed four additional cases of IE-related glomerulonephritis in which adjunctive immunosuppressive therapy was considered to be effective. Although corticosteroid therapy is generally not recommended for IE, it should be considered for patients whose renal dysfunction secondary to glomerulonephritis does not improve with appropriate antimicrobial treatment, especially if the duration of the illness is long.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Global improvement of systemic scleroderma under long-term administration of octreotide.

Octreotide has proven to be effective for the treatment of intestinal dysmotility in patients with scleroderma in short-term administration. We report a global improvement of scleroderma manifestations under long-term administration of octreotide. A 53-year-old black woman was diagnosed with a four-year history of progressive and severe systemic scleroderma, with diffuse skin sclerosis, myositic involvement, impaired carbon monoxide transfer factor (57% of the predicted normal value and severe digestive involvement with pseudo-obstruction and bacterial overgrowth into the intestinal lumen). After one month of octreotide (75 mug/d), oral feeding was restarted and weight gain of 6.5 kg was achieved. After 8 months of treatment, normal weight was obtained and skin induration was spectacularly reduced and pigmentation returned to a normal state. Dyspnea disappeared and physical activity was quite normal. Octreotide effects on intestinal transit are unclear and may be secondary to immunomodulation or neurotransmission effects. Extradigestive effects of octreotide in scleroderma have not been studied. This report suggests that long-term administration of octreotide may be beneficial in the treatment of patients with systemic scleroderma. Long-term trials are required to confirm these preliminary results.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1998

[Cutaneous signs of Rickettsia and related microorganisms].

INTRODUCTION: Rickettsiosis are emerging, life-threatening infectious diseases that are world-wide distributed and have various manifestations. Most of the time, skin involvement is the prominent feature of clinical manifestations. Clinicians must therefore be well aware of these various clinical pictures. CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND KEY POINTS: Knowledge about rickettsial infections has recently improved due to either the identification of new vectors and reservoirs, the description of new systemic and cutaneous signs and symptoms, or the amelioration of diagnosis methods. Cutaneous manifestations mainly depend on the type of microorganism and on the host characteristics. In some cases, they are so typical that their only identification would lead to the diagnosis. FUTURE PROSPECTS AND PROJECTS: As growing population movements may lead to an increase in the disease incidence, detailed knowledge of clinical, particularly cutaneous, manifestations of rickettsiosis is required in order to improve both diagnosis and treatment. When identified, cutaneous manifestations of rickettsiosis allow the clinician to confirm rapidly the diagnosis, using polymerase chain reaction or immunofluorescence and to institute prompt and specific treatment, thus reducing unfavorable disease outcome.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Pneumopathies caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae in 27 HIV infected patients].

OBJECTIVES: Determine the clinical features and outcome of acute pneumonia due to Streptococcus pneumoniae in HIV infected patients compared with non-HIV infected patients. METHODS: From January 1986 to February 1992, we observed 33 episodes of pneumococcal pneumonia in 27 HIV-infected patients. Most of the patients were drug addicts (16/27), and/or originated from Central Africa or Haiti (10/27). In 9/27 (33%) patients, HIV infection was previously unknown. Eleven of the 27 patients were at the CDC stages II-III and CD4 cell count was greater than 200/mm3 and CD8 cell count was greater than 1000/mm3 in 12/23 patients and 10/20 patients respectively. RESULTS: In 10/33 episodes, respiratory symptoms were severe: bilateral pneumonia (n = 2) and/or hypoxaemia (n = 9). In 22/33 episodes, hospitalization occurred less than 24 h after the onset of symptoms and in 9/33 episodes, the initial chest X-ray was normal. Streptococcus pneumoniae was isolated in 16/33 episodes, from blood (n = 10), bronchoalveolar lavage (n = 3) or sputum (n = 3). Penicillin G or amoxicillin was used and allowed a favorable and quick response in all episodes. Recurrence occurred in 5/18 (27%) followed patients. These recurrences were not favoured by a low CD4 cell count since it was more than 200/mm3 in these five patients. However, the mean count of CD8 cells was higher in patients with recurrence than in patients without recurrence, 1990/mm3 versus 995/mm3 (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: CD8 hyperlymphocytosis could increase the risk of recurrence and would help identify a subgroup with higher risk of pneumococcal pneumonia among HIV infected persons.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗