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Biomedical subjects

A Moussa

Publications and source records attributed to A Moussa.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Evaluation of the Pastorex meningitis kit for the rapid identification of Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A and W135.

The recent emergence of Neisseria meningitidis W135 as a cause of epidemic bacterial meningitis and the availability of a trivalent ACW135 vaccine have created a need for accurate and timely meningococcal serogroup determination for organization of epidemic vaccine response. The sensitivity and specificity of the Pastorex meningitis kit (Bio-Rad) to identify serogroups A and W135 in the African meningitis belt was assessed using PCR testing as the gold standard. The sensitivity and specificity for serogroups A and W135 were 87 and 85%, respectively, while the specificities were 93 and 97%. The positive and negative likelihood ratios for A were 12 and 0.14 and for W135 were 33 and 0.16. The positive and negative predictive values, computed to simulate an epidemic of meningococcal meningitis with an estimated 70% prevalence of N. meningitidis among suspected cases, were 97% and 75% for A and 99% and 73% for W135. In remote locations of the African meningitis belt, latex agglutination is the only currently available test that can rapidly determine meningococcal serogroup. This study showed that latex agglutination performs well and could be used during the epidemic season to determine appropriate vaccine response.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed2005

[Eosinophilic granuloma revealed by torticollis: a case report].

UNLABELLED: Langerhans cell histiocytose is a rare condition in childhood. It presents in different ways ranging from a single bony disease to a multisystemic disease involving vital organs. CASE REPORT: We report a case of single bone involvement revealed by torticollis in an eight-year-old boy. The diagnosis was evocated on radiological findings and confirmed by histologic aspects. After a period of 2,5 years, this child is in total spontaneous remission. CONCLUSION: Torticollis must be explored and watched. Eosinophilic granuloma can be a rare aetiology in children. The outcome is often favorable.

Child↗
PubMed2005

Effect of hyperprotidic diet associated or not with hypercalcic diet on calcium oxalate stone formation in rat.

The aim of this study was to determine whether protein, administered alone or simultaneously with a hypercalcic diet, was able to aggravate calcium oxalate stone formation in rats. Thirty-two male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups of 8 rats each and assigned a calcium oxalate lithogenic diet added to their drinking water for 3 weeks. One group, used as reference, received a standard diet prepared in our laboratory. The second was assigned the same diet but supplemented with 7.5 g animal proteins/100 g diet. The third received a diet containing 500 mg calcium more than the standard group. The diet given to the last group was supplemented with calcium and protein at the same doses indicated previously. One day before the end of treatment, each animal was placed in a metabolic cage to collect 24-hour urine samples and determine urinary creatinine, urea, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, uric acid, citric acid and oxalate levels. Immediately thereafter, aortic blood was collected to determine the same parameters as in urine. The kidneys were also removed to determine calcium oxalate deposits. Our results showed an increased 24-hour urinary excretion of calcium, oxalate and uric acid and decreased urinary citric acid excretion only in groups that received protein supplementation. At the same time, calcium oxalate deposits were found significantly higher in hyperprotidic diets than reference or calcium-supplemented groups. According to these findings, glomerular filtration, fractional excretion of urea and reabsorption of water, calcium and magnesium were found significantly lower in hyperprotidic diets compared to other groups. These results demonstrate that proteins could seriously aggravate calcium oxalate stones and cause renal disturbances.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

[Omental lipoblastoma: a case report].

Lipoblastoma is a rare benign neoplasm of foetal fat tissue. To our knowledge, less than ten cases of omental lipoblastoma have been reported in the literature. We present a new case of omental lipoblastoma in a 3-month old girl. The role of CT in the diagnosis and surgery planning of this tumor will be discussed.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed2005

Nm 283, an efficient prodrug of the potent anti-HCV agent 2'-C-methylcytidine.

In order to improve the oral bioavailability of 2-C-methylcytidine, a potent anti-HCV agent, the corresponding 3'-O-L-valinyl ester derivative (NM 283) has been synthesized Based on its ease of synthesis and its physicochemical properties, NM 283 has emerged as a promising antiviral drug for treatment of chronic HCV infection.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Molecular epidemiology of meningococci isolated in Niger in 2003 shows serogroup A sequence type (ST)-7 and serogroup W135 ST-11 or ST-2881 strains.

In 2003, in the Zinder and Maradi regions (Niger), epidemics were due to serogroup A:4:P1.9 meningococci belonging to sequence type 7 (ST-7). In Niamey, only sporadic cases were reported: 55% of the meningococcus strains were in serogroup A, and 38% were in serogroup W135 and could be placed in ST-11, identical to the 2002 Burkina Faso epidemic clone, and in ST-2881, a new ST.

Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field↗
PubMed2004

[Desmoid cervical tumour following the placing of an internal jugular catheter].

INTRODUCTION: A desmoid tumour is a rare fibroblastic tumour and generally located in the abdomen. However, it can also develop on surgical scars. OBSERVATION: A 36 year-old woman on chronic dialysis consulted for a cervical mass on the left side that was progressively increasing in volume, on the site of a scar of an internal jugular catheter placed 7 months earlier. Histological analysis of a sample of this mass concluded in a benign fibroblastic proliferation and led to the diagnosis of a desmoid tumour. Study of the patient's history revealed that a left jugular catheter had been placed on two occasions to be used for the hemodialysis approach, the lesion provoked by the latter would explain the development of the desmoid tumour. COMMENTS: The potential severity of this tumour is related to its proximity with the carotid, trachea and base of the skull. In general, desmoid tumours, rare benign tumours of the connective tissue, exhibit a complex multifactor etiopathogenesis. A surgical trauma can often trigger-off such tumours.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

[Oculomotor muscles involvement revealing dermatomyositis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis].

INTRODUCTION: Oculomotor muscles (OMM) involvement in dermatomyositis (DM) and in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is unusual. The DM always leads to OMM inflammation, whereas the RA particularly leads to tenosynovitis of the superior oblique muscle referred to as the Brown syndrome. OBSERVATION: The patient is a 43-year-old woman who gives a 17-year-history of severe seropositive RA with bilateral coxite. She was hospitalized for acute painful proptosis. The clinical examination revealed an orbital erythema and a muscular rhizomelic weakness. The muscular enzymes were increased. The orbital CT revealed in the right side, an enlargement of the superior rectus muscle that was enhanced after intravenous injection, which is compatible with myositis involvement. The muscular biopsy practiced at the level of the calf showed the specific histological signs of the DM. This orbital involvement was resolved with a high dose of corticosteroids. CONCLUSION: Our observation has the specificity of associating RA with DM with an involvement of the superior rectus muscle, which is due to the DM rather than the RA.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus genotype 1 can be separated into at least eleven genetic groups.

Seventy-eight bovine viral diarrhoea viruses (BVDV) recently collected in Austria, France, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Spain and UK were genetically typed in the 5'-untranslated (5'UTR) and autoprotease (Npro) regions of the pestivirus genome. Seventy-six of the isolates were BVDV-1 and two French isolates were of the BVDV-2 genotype. Phylogenetic analysis of the 5'UTR (245 nt), including additional BVDV-1 sequences from USA, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Mozambique and Sweden, taken from GenBank and from our previous works, indicated that these viruses were clustered not only into the two generally accepted groups (BVDV-1a-"NADL like" and BVDV-1b-"Osloss like"), but altogether into 11 phylogenetic groups. Similar clustering was observed with Npro region sequences (385 nt) and the highest bootstrap values (over 95%) were obtained by phylogeny combining 5'UTR and Npro sequences. Some associations between the genetic grouping and the origin of the isolates were apparent, probably reflecting historical trade contacts. Considering the variability of isolates it is recommended that diagnostic PCR primers should be re-examined to ensure coverage of all BVDV-1 groups. The genogroups were less clearly differentiated by monoclonal antibody typing, suggesting significant antigenic similarities within the BVDV-1 genotype.

5' Untranslated Regions↗
PubMed2001

Evaluation of postabortion IUD insertion in Egyptian women.

This study was carried out at Alhussein University Hospital and Elmonera General Hospital to assess the safety and efficacy of intrauterine device (IUD) insertion immediately after spontaneous abortion compared with insertion 2 weeks after abortion. One hundred women between ages 18 and 40 years were recruited from those admitted via the emergency room with first trimester spontaneous abortion. All women were counseled about a method of contraception, particularly copper T-380, and divided into two groups: Group I, which included 69 women who preferred immediate IUD insertion, and Group II, which included 31 women who asked for late IUD insertion 2 weeks after an abortion. All women were followed at 2, 6, and 10 weeks after insertion of IUDs. Bleeding patterns were comparable in both groups. Mild bleeding occurred in 9.2% and 16% in Groups I and II, respectively; moderate bleeding occurred in 80% and 64%, respectively, and severe bleeding was observed in 10.8% and 20%, respectively. This was not significant. Expulsion rate was 4.5% and 3.4% in Groups I and II, respectively, which was also not significant. There were no cases of perforation or pelvic infections. This study showed that insertion of an IUD immediately after a spontaneous abortion is safe and could be offered to those who have had an abortion and who ask for a method of contraception.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed2000

Slow-onset, long-duration 3-(3',4'-dichlorophenyl)-1-indanamine monoamine reuptake blockers as potential medications to treat cocaine abuse.

A series of 3-(3',4'-dichlorophenyl)-1-indanamine monoamine reuptake blockers have been synthesized in an effort to develop a compound that could be used as a maintenance therapy to treat cocaine abuse. Since the effects of cocaine on dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5HT) transporters are important components of its pharmacological activity, the focus was on nonselective inhibitors of monoamine transport. To reduce or eliminate the abuse potential of a DA reuptake blocker, the compounds were designed to be slow-onset, long-duration prodrugs whose N-demethylated metabolites would have increased activity over the parent compound with the ideal being a parent compound that has little or no activity. To achieve this, pairs of compounds with different groups on the amine nitrogen and with and without an additional N-methyl group were synthesized. All of the synthesized compounds were screened for binding and reuptake at the cloned human DA, 5HT, and norepinephrine (NE) transporters. As previously found, trans isomers are nonselective blockers of DA, 5HT, and NE reuptake, cis isomers with small N-alkyl groups are selective blockers of 5HT reuptake, and tertiary amines of the trans compounds are less potent than the corresponding N-demethylated secondary amines as blockers of DA reuptake. Larger N-alkyl groups in both the trans and cis series were found to reduce activity for the 5HT and NE transporters with less effect at DA transporters. Selected trans compounds were also screened for locomotor activity in mice and generalization to a cocaine-like profile in rats. With intraperitoneal administration, all of the trans isomers showed a slow onset of at least 20 min and an extremely long duration of action in the locomotor assays. Several of the trans compounds also fully generalized to a cocaine-like pharmacological profile. An initial lead compound, the N,N-dimethyl analogue trans-1b, was resolved into chirally pure enantiomers. Surprisingly, both enantiomers were found to have significant affinity for the DA transporter and to cause locomotor activation. This is in contrast to the N-methyl compound in which only the (+)-enantiomer had significant activity. The absolute configuration of the more active enantiomer was determined by X-ray crystallography to be 3R,1S.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

The matrix protein gene sequence analysis reveals close relationship between peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) and dolphin morbillivirus.

The gene encoding the matrix protein of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) has been cloned and its nucleotide sequence determined. This gene is 1466 nucleotides long and contains an open reading frame (ORF) capable of encoding a basic protein of 335 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular weight of 38,057 Da. This ORF starts at position 33-35 and ends with the codon TAA at position 1038-1040 thus leaving a long untranslated region (426 nucleotides) at the 3' end of the messenger RNA. This fragment is very G/C rich (68.5%) and in contrast to the ORF region appears to be least conserved in the M gene sequence of the morbilliviruses. A comparison of the PPRV M protein with those of other viruses in the group confirms the previously noted high degree of conservation for this protein sequence. The percent of identity within the group ranges from 76.7 to 86.9%, the highest being with the dolphin morbillivirus matrix protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Serological and virological studies on the infectious bovine rhinotracheitis in Algeria.

Clinical cases of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and infectious pustular vulvovaginitis were observed within the cattle population in Algeria. The isolation and identification of six bovine herpes virus type 1 strains from diseased cattle and the serological surveys undertaken in the central region of the country on 2948 sera revealed a 20.5% incidence of IBR infections in Algeria. The DNA restriction profiles of the isolated strains showed the existence of only the BHV1-2a subtype associated with the endemic infections in Algerian cattle. These results emphasized also the lack of correlation between the observed clinical symptoms and the DNA restriction pattern of the isolated herpes virus strain. The plans for disease control are based mainly on the application of strict control measures at the borders for avoiding the introduction of other BHV1 subtypes.

Algeria↗
PubMed1994

Assembly of enveloped respiratory syncytial virus particles within the cytoplasm of infected Vero cells.

Electron microscopic examination of syncytia induced by a bovine respiratory syncytial virus strain in Vero cell cultures revealed the presence in the cytoplasm of assembled enveloped virus particles within inclusions of variable sizes. Moreover, budding virus particles were shown occasionally in the intracytoplasmic vesicles. These particles were filamentous in form, about 80-120 nm in diameter, variable in length, containing 12 nm diameter nucleocapsids, and looked like the extracellular particles budding at the plasma membranes. This is the first report on assembly of intracellular virus particles in cells infected by a member of the family Paramyxoviridae. Vero cell-dependent variations appear to be the factor leading to the defect in the late virus replication cycle.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Quality of care in general practice. A delphi study of indicators and methods.

OBJECTIVE: To identify methods for measuring quality of care in general practice, and to assess general practitioners' views about their acceptability, practicality and usefulness. DESIGN: A delphi design was used. Questionnaires consisting mainly of open-ended questions were sent to 50 general practice teachers in New South Wales. A second questionnaire derived from the responses from the first round was sent to the same GPs who were asked to rate each of the responses. RESULTS: The response rate by the general practitioners was 46 per cent for the first questionnaire and 64 per cent for the second one. A total of 29 indicators of quality of care and 20 strategies for assessing quality were suggested. The most favoured indicators were appropriate prescribing, communication skills, and participation in continuing medical education. A mixture of methods assessing both performance and competence was suggested. CONCLUSION: A good consensus was achieved by teaching general practitioners criteria for defining and measuring quality of care.

Delphi Technique↗