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Biomedical subjects

A Hubert

Publications and source records attributed to A Hubert.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

[Young people's perceptions of tobacco-related cancer].

An anthropological study was conducted on the island of Reunion between March and September 2004 within the framework of a project called "The non-smoking generation" carried out by the Regional Committee for Health Education. The primary objective was to provide field workers with a basis for reflection which they could incorporate into their tobacco prevention activities aimed at young people. The perceptions of youth on tobacco-use related cancer were explored using a sample population group of 37 young people aged between 14 and 25 years old (girls and boys, smokers and non-smokers, those who attend school and those who don't) from across the island. Interviews were conducted using an anthropological analysis grid and completed through observational sessions in their homes, schools and neighborhoods. The results, set within the context of time and the places where tobacco is consumed, demonstrate that their relationship to cigarettes symbolises some of the inherent characteristics of adolescence, namely, the difficulty in finding and establishing one's own limits, in integrating oneself into society and in envisioning one's potential future. An interesting observation was also made regarding their views on the one hand of a paradoxical approach relating the development of cancer and tobacco consumption behaviour, and the real, concrete physical and psychological impact of the disease on the other. The young people often expressed a certain fatality and a feeling of control ("I can quit whenever I want to!"). The team also found within their remarks a sense of being unfortunate as opposed to that of being in control, coupled with fear as opposed to feeling invincible ("cancer only happens to other people"). Finally, the study has allowed for reflections on youth tobacco prevention interventions to be nurtured with respect to how individual young people position the consequences of tobacco use and smoking, mainly with regard to their own personal responsibility.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Dialysis of persistent organic pollutants and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from semipermeable membranes. A procedure using an accelerated solvent extraction device.

Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) is one of the most recent solid-phase extraction methods and has caught on all over the world in numerous laboratories. Until now it was not known that this device is also very suitable for performing dialysis. In this study, development of a rapid dialysis procedure (RDP) was described that is based on the dialysis of persistent organic xenobiotics from triolein-containing semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) using ASE. All the operating parameters were optimized within the framework of usage. The RDP procedure was compared with the conventional dialytic recovery of target analytes under atmospheric pressure using spiked analytes and real field samples of SPMDs exposed to urban air. The main advantages of the RDP in comparison to the conventional dialysis are the speed, with up to 70 times faster taking only 40 min, and the considerable reduction in solvent consumption (by two-thirds) when SPMDs with standard configuration are used. Moreover, the RDP is also suitable as an analytical cleanup procedure for the same analytes from various types of lipid samples and other difficult matrixes using semipermeable membranes.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

A single-nucleotide polymorphism in the RAD51 gene modifies breast cancer risk in BRCA2 carriers, but not in BRCA1 carriers or noncarriers.

Variation in the penetrance estimates for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers suggests that other genetic polymorphisms may modify the cancer risk in carriers. The RAD51 gene, which participates in homologous recombination double-strand breaks (DSB) repair in the same pathway as the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene products, is a candidate for such an effect. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), RAD51-135g-->c, in the 5' untranslated region of the gene has been found to elevate breast cancer (BC) risk among BRCA2 carriers. We genotyped 309 BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, of which 280 were of Ashkenazi origin, 166 noncarrier BC patients and 152 women unaffected with BC (a control group), for the RAD51-135g-->c SNP. Risk analyses were conducted using COX proportional hazard models for the BRCA1/2 carriers and simple logistic regression analysis for the noncarrier case-control population. BRCA2 carriers were also studied using logistic regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses. The estimated BC hazard ratio (HR) for RAD51-135c carriers adjusted for origin (Ashkenazi vs non-Ashkenazi) was 1.28 (95% CI 0.85-1.90, P=0.23) for BRCA1/2 carriers, and 2.09 (95% CI 1.04-4.18, P=0.04) when the analysis was restricted to BRCA2 carriers. The median BC age was younger in BCRA2-RAD51-135c carriers (45 (95% CI 36-54) vs 52 years (95% CI 48-56), P=0.05). In a logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio (OR) was 5.49 (95% CI 0.5-58.8, P=0.163). In noncarrier BC cases, carrying RAD51-135c was not associated with BC risk (0.97; 95% CI 0.47-2.00). These results indicate significantly elevated risk for BC in carriers of BRCA2 mutations who also carry a RAD51-135c allele. In BRCA1 carriers and noncarriers, no effect for this SNP was found.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Apocrine adenocarcinoma of the nipple: a case report.

Apocrine adenocarcinoma of the skin is a rare and, most of the time, clinically misdiagnosed malignant adnexal tumour. A 66-year-old female patient presented with an asymptomatic swelling of the left nipple that on pathological evaluation was confirmed as an apocrine adenocarcinoma. Surgery is to be considered as the mean treatment for such a lesion and the diagnosis is always difficult to establish. To our best knowledge, this is only the second reported apocrine adenocarcinoma arising from a nipple and the first presenting with Paget's phenomenon.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2003

One-step cleanup for PAH residue analysis in plant matrices using size-exclusion chromatography.

A new one-step cleanup procedure, based on size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), usable for the extracts from accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), Soxhlet extraction, or ultrasonic extraction (USE), is described. The method is suitable for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), especially from very complicated plant matrices (e.g. pine needles, deciduous leaves, mosses). The main improvement compared with previous conventional procedures is that analyte peaks barely overlap with matrix peaks in the chromatograms and that it is a very rapid and simple one-step procedure with clearly improved analytical performance. Essential advantages of this SEC procedure are the sharper GC-MS chromatograms for the PAH fraction at retention times between 9.2 and 12.0 min, distinctly separated substance peaks resulting in better analysis, shorter running times, and lower solvent consumption.

Acer↗
PubMed2002

Fate of POPs (DDX, HCHs, PCBs) in upper soil layers of pine forests.

Organochlorines (HCH isomers, DDX and individual PCBs) were determined in pine needle litter and upper soil layers of three forest test areas in central Germany. The contents accumulating over a number of years or even decades in the organic surface layer are compared with the levels of new inputs from needle fall as well as with the levels of older inputs in the upper mineral soil layer. Differences in behaviour between the soil horizons are discussed, especially concerning the DDX and HCH groups. With approximately comparable Corg values (approx. 21-24%) the pH value in the range of 4.24-2.90 in the O-horizon of the forest soils exerts a large influence. Hence the A-horizon represents--for p,p'-DDT and gamma-HCH in particular--at pH values of 2.90 a pollutant reservoir which should not be underestimated and which could endanger the rhizosphere and the groundwater. According to PCBs, in the more acidic soils with a pH value <4.0 the lipophilic higher polychlorinated biphenyls were found to be more highly enriched in the humus layer.

Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene↗
PubMed2002

["Standards, Options and Recommendations 2001" for radiotherapy in patients with non-metastatic infiltrating breast cancer. Update. National Federation of Cancer Campaign Centers (FNCLCC)].

CONTEXT: The "Standards, Options and Recommendations" (SOR) project, started in 1993, is a collaboration between the Federation of french cancer centers (FNCLCC), the 20 french cancer centers, and specialists from french public universities, general hospitals and private clinics. The main objective is the development of clinical practice guidelines to improve the quality of health care and the outcome of cancer patients. The methodology is based on a literature review and critical appraisal by a multidisciplinary group of experts, with feedback from specialists in cancer care delivery. OBJECTIVES: To develop clinical practice guidelines for non metastatic breast cancer patients according to the definitions of the Standards, Options and Recommendations project. METHODS: Data were identified by searching Medline, web sites, and using the personal reference lists of members of the expert groups. Once the guidelines were defined, the document was submitted for review to 148 independent reviewers. RESULTS: This article presents the chapter radiotherapy resulting from the 2001 update of the version first published in 1996. The modified 2001 version of the standards, options and recommendations takes into account new information published. The main recommendations are: (1) Breast irradiation after conservative surgery significantly decrease the risk of local recurrence (level of evidence A) and the decrease in the risk of local recidive after chest wall irradiation is greater as the number of risk factors for local recurrence increases (level of evidence A). (2) After conservative surgery, a whole breast irradiation should be performed at a minimum dose of 50 Gy in 25 fractions (standard, level of evidence A). (3) A boost in the tumour bed should be performed in women under 50 years, even if the surgical margins are free (standard, level of evidence B). (4) Internal mammary chain irradiation is indicated for internal or central tumours in the absence of axillary lymph node involvement (expert agreement) and in the presence of lymph node involvement (standard, level of evidence B1). (5) Sub- and supra-claviculr lymph node irradiation is indicated in patients with axillary node involvement (standard, level of evidence B1).

Adult↗
PubMed2001

CAG and GGC repeat polymorphisms in the androgen receptor gene and breast cancer susceptibility in BRCA1/2 carriers and non-carriers.

Variation in the penetrance estimates for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations carriers suggests that other genetic polymorphisms may modify the cancer risk in carriers. A previous study has suggested that BRCA1 carriers with longer lengths of the CAG repeat in the androgen receptor (AR) gene are at increased risk of breast cancer (BC). We genotyped 188 BRCA1/2 carriers (122 affected and 66 unaffected with breast cancer), 158 of them of Ashkenazi origin, 166 BC cases without BRCA1/2 mutations and 156 Ashkenazi control individuals aged over 56 for the AR CAG and GGC repeats. In carriers, risk analyses were conducted using a variant of the log-rank test, assuming two sets of risk estimates in carriers: penetrance estimates based on the Breast Cancer Linkage Consortium (BCLC) studies of multiple case families, and lower estimates as suggested by population-based studies. We found no association of the CAG and GGC repeats with BC risk in either BRCA1/2 carriers or in the general population. Assuming BRCA1/2 penetrance estimates appropriate to the Ashkenazi population, the estimated RR per repeat adjusted for ethnic group (Ashkenazi and non-Ashkenazi) was 1.05 (95%CI 0.97-1.17) for BC and 1.00 (95%CI 0.83-1.20) for ovarian cancer (OC) for CAG repeats and 0.96 (95%CI 0.80-1.15) and 0.90 (95%CI 0.60-1.22) respectively for GGC repeats. The corresponding RR estimates for the unselected case-control series were 1.00 (95%CI 0.91-1.10) for the CAG and 1.05 (95%CI 0.90-1.22) for the GGC repeats. The estimated relative risk of BC in carriers associated with > or =28 CAG repeats was 1.08 (95%CI 0.45-2.61). Furthermore, no significant association was found if attention was restricted to the Ashkenazi carriers, or only to BRCA1 or BRCA2 carriers. We conclude that, in contrast to previous observations, if there is any effect of the AR repeat length on BRCA1 penetrance, it is likely to be weak.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Phase I study of doxil-cisplatin combination chemotherapy in patients with advanced malignancies.

PURPOSE: Our first objective was to evaluate the feasibility of administering a combination of Doxil, a pegylated liposome formulation of doxorubicin, and cisplatin and to determine the maximum tolerated dose of the combination. A secondary objective was to examine Doxil peak and 7-day postinjection plasma levels at the various dose levels tested. METHODS: Patients with advanced solid tumors were treated every 4 weeks with cisplatin on day 1 and Doxil on day 2. In the first three dose levels, the dose of Doxil was fixed at 40 mg/m(2), whereas the dose of cisplatin was escalated from 40 to 50 and 60 mg/m(2). At the fourth and fifth dose levels, the dose of cisplatin was fixed at 60 mg/m(2), whereas the dose of Doxil was escalated to 50 and to 60 mg/m(2). Plasma Doxil (doxorubicin-equivalent) levels were measured by a high-performance liquid chromatography assay with fluorescence detection at 1 h and 7 days after infusion of Doxil. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients entered the study. Twenty-four patients completed a minimum of 2 courses and were fully assessable for toxicity and efficacy. Eighteen patients had received prior chemotherapy, 11 of them with anthracycline-containing regimens. A total of 177 courses were administered within the study. In 12 patients, cisplatin was discontinued after 1 to 13 courses, and Doxil was continued alone for 1-22 courses. All other patients received both drugs until discontinuation of therapy. The dose-limiting toxicities were neutropenia and mucositis. Grade 4 neutropenia was seen in 3 patients (one with neutropenic fever) at dose levels 4 and 5. Grade 3 mucositis was observed in 4 patients at dose levels 3, 4, and 5. In contrast, the most severe palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia manifestation was grade 2 seen in 1 patient only. Tumor responses included seven partial responses, of which three were in ovarian cancer patients. In four of seven responders, the time to disease progression exceeded 1 year. Doxil 1-h (C(max) equivalent) levels were assessed in 20 patients. The mean Doxil C(max) (mg/l plasma) increased gradually with dose escalation from 14.7 +/- 1.9 for 40 mg/m(2), to 17.3 +/- 3.0 for 50 mg/m(2), and 23.3 +/- 5.5 for 60 mg/m(2). The 60 mg/m(2) C(max) was similar to data obtained in parallel clinical studies at our institution with single-agent Doxil at 60 mg/m(2). However, the 7-day Doxil postinfusion levels were significantly lower in patients receiving the Doxil-cisplatin combination than in those receiving single-agent Doxil. CONCLUSION: Doxil can be administered at full maximum tolerated dose (50 mg/m(2) every 4 weeks) in combination with 60 mg/m(2) cisplatin, with no evidence of major overlapping toxicities. Palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia incidence and severity appears to be diminished, in comparison with data available for single-agent Doxil. Plasma concentration data point to an accelerated clearance of Doxil when administered after cisplatin.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

AMP-activated protein kinase counteracted the inhibitory effect of glucose on the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene expression in rat hepatocytes.

The effect of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the regulation of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) gene expression was studied in isolated rat hepatocytes. Activation of AMPK by AICAR counteracted the inhibitory effect of glucose on the PEPCK gene expression, both at the mRNA and the transcriptional levels. It is proposed that a target for AMPK is involved in the inhibitory effect of glucose on PEPCK gene transcription.

AMP-Activated Protein Kinases↗
PubMed2000

High extraction efficiency for POPs in real contaminated soil samples using accelerated solvent extraction

Systematic investigations were performed to study the dependence of the extraction efficiency of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including chlorobenzenes, HCH isomers, DDX, PCB congeners, and PAHs, on the accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) operating variables solvent and temperature. Mixed soil samples from two locations with considerable differences in soil properties and contamination in the Leipzig-Halle region (Germany) were used. The objective was to optimize ASE for the extraction of POPs from real soil samples and to improve on the results achieved with Soxhlet extraction (SOX). Solvents with differing polarities were tested. Quadruple and triple determinations were performed on the two soils, respectively, between 20 and 180 degrees C in 20 degrees C steps. All the results were compared with those obtained by SOX, as well as, in some cases during preliminary studies, by ultrasonic extraction (USE). In ASE, the optimum conditions proved to be two extraction steps at 80 and 140 degrees C (average RSD 10.7%) with three static cycles (extraction time 35 min) using toluene as solvent and at a pressure of 15 MPa. Owing to the superior analyte/matrix separation by ASE, in many cases for real soil samples analytical values better by up to 1 order of magnitude or even more were obtained compared to SOX results.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Skin toxic effects of polyethylene glycol-coated liposomal doxorubicin.

OBJECTIVES: To record the profile of toxic effects of polyethylene glycol-coated liposomal doxorubicin hydrochloride (Doxil) to the skin, and to evaluate whether the long circulation pattern and enhanced accumulation of liposomes in specific skin sites will result in any unique presentations. DESIGN: Patients were accrued in the frame of dose-range-finding studies that examine the toxic effects and antitumor activity of Doxil therapy in metastatic breast and prostate cancers. All patients receiving Doxil were instructed to report any skin eruption or discomfort. Skin examination was performed on a regular basis at every cycle of Doxil therapy and after specific complaints. SETTING: Outpatient day care unit of the oncology institute of a secondary-referral medical center. PATIENTS: Sixty patients (45 women and 15 men). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A basic severity scale of I through IV was adopted for toxic effects to the skin, based on National Cancer Institute common toxicity criteria. RESULTS: The following 4 patterns of skin eruptions were encountered: hand-foot syndrome (n = 24), diffuse follicular rash (n = 6), intertrigolike eruption (n = 5), and new formation of melanotic macules (n = 3). Another major toxic effect of Doxil was stomatitis, which was found to be the dose-limiting factor for the maximal single dose. Alopecia and extravasation injuries did not occur. CONCLUSIONS: The profile of toxic effects of Doxil to the skin reflects its unique pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution. These skin reactions vary significantly from those associated with doxorubicin in non-liposome-encapsulated form.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2000

Prenatal diagnosis of Gaucher's disease type 2. Ultrasonographic, biochemical and histological aspects.

We report on the early prenatal diagnosis of fetal Gaucher disease type 2 by ultrasound examination and beta-glucosidase activity assay on amniocytes from a fetus of 15 weeks' gestation whose first sibling fetus had previously been affected with hydrops fetalis. These cases emphasize the importance of the pathological examination of all fetuses presenting with hydrops fetalis and also stress that minimal and precocious echographic signs can be suggestive of such a lysosomal storage disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Doxil (Caelyx): an exploratory study with pharmacokinetics in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

Doxil, a doxorubicin formulation of polyethylene glycol-coated liposomes, has anti-tumor activity against Kaposi's sarcoma and other solid tumors with mild myelosuppression, minimal hair loss and a low risk of cardiotoxicity. Non-liposomal doxorubicin has modest activity in hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) with considerable toxicity. A pilot study of Doxil was conducted in 15 patients with HRPC. Doxil was administered i.v. using two regimes of equal dose intensity, either 45 mg/m2 every 3 weeks or 60 mg/m2 every 4 weeks. Plasma levels of doxorubicin were analyzed in 10 patients. The most common side effect was stomatitis with a higher incidence at the 60 mg/m2 dose level. In contrast, hand-foot syndrome was more frequent and severe in patients treated with the 3 week schedule of 45 mg/m2. Three patients responded to treatment (based on objective response in one patient and reduction of PSA level greater than 50% in the other two) and two patients had stable disease, all of them receiving 60 mg/m2. Pharmacokinetic analysis shows a proportional increase of plasma drug levels with dose and the characteristic long circulation time of Doxil with half-lives in the range of 3 days, somewhat longer than previously reported. In conclusion, Doxil at 60 mg/m2 every 4 weeks appears to be active against HRPC, but severe mucocutaneous toxicities prevented further investigation of this regime.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

[Anthropological studies of the representations of menopause in a population of women invited to a mass screening for breast cancer in Bouches-du-Rhône and Charente].

This is an anthropological study of a target population (breast screening women) in the Bouches-du-Rhône and Charente regions of France. The occurrence of menopause is comparable in these two departments and depends on providing medical care which leads to breast screening. Menopause is natural for these women and is considered as a sign of ageing. Psychosomatic symptoms vary with sociocultural groups. Hormonal replacement therapy furthers breast screening. In the popular imagination, there is a deficit between nature (non-HRT) and culture (HRT). They take estrogen in the form of soy to offset this inadequacy, which creates a new cultural syncretism.

Anthropology, Cultural↗
PubMed1999

Genetic testing of breast and ovarian cancer patients: clinical characteristics and hormonal risk modifiers.

OBJECTIVES: Carriers of the mutations 185delAG and 5382insC in the BRCA1 gene and 6174delT in the BRCA2 gene have a substantial life-time risk for breast and ovarian cancers (BC and OC). The aim of the study was to identify the clinical features and the hormonal risk modifiers in mutation carriers and the implication in suggested guidelines for treatment decisions in BRCA1/2 carrier patients. STUDY DESIGN: Breast and/or ovarian cancer patients from the Oncology and Cancer Genetic clinics were tested for the three Ashkenazi founder mutations: 87 patients were identified as carriers of one of these mutations. Clinical presentation and age at onset were correlated with the mutations, in patients with bilateral BC or BC and OC, the length of time that elapsed between the diagnosis of the two cancers was recorded. We compared BC and OC patients with regard to ages at menarche, first pregnancy and menopause, number of pregnancies and deliveries, the use of oral contraceptives, hormonal replacement therapy and fertility treatments. RESULTS: The carriers of the three BRCA1/2 Ashkenazi founder mutations did not differ in clinical presentation nor age at onset. Forty-three patients (74.1%) of 58 BC patients were diagnosed between the ages 30 and 50, only four (6.9%) patients were diagnosed after age 60. Of BC patients diagnosed before age 35, 63.6% developed second BC as compared to 25.5% of those diagnosed after age 35. Ovarian cancer was diagnosed after age 45 in 89.7% of the patients, only one patient was diagnosed under the age of 40. Oral contraceptives use was documented in 61.3% of BC patients as compared to 11.8% of OC patients. Other hormonal factors did not differ between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The carriers of the three Ashkenazi founder mutations should be considered at the same risk for BC and for OC and treatment options should be the same. Mutation carriers diagnosed with BC before the age of 35 are at a very high risk for developing second breast cancer. Most ovarian cancers in carriers were diagnosed after age 45, and prophylactic oophorectomy should be postponed to the age of 45. Oral contraceptives might elevate the risk of BC in mutation carriers.

Adult↗