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Biomedical subjects

D Deleu

Publications and source records attributed to D Deleu.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Muscular fibrosis due to chronic intramuscular administration of narcotic analgesics.

Chronic intramuscular injections, particularly of narcotic analgesics, are an uncommon cause of myopathy. We report two patients with pentazocine- and meperidine-related myopathy. Narcotic-induced muscular fibrosis and contractures must be considered in patients with a pattern of muscle involvement that does not conform to any recognized myopathy, but allows for self-administration of injections. Trauma due to needle puncture, repetitive infections and a local myotoxic effect of the drugs probably contribute to these lesions.

Adult↗

Controlled-release carbidopa/levodopa (CR) in parkinsonian patients with response fluctuations on standard levodopa treatment: clinical and pharmacokinetic observations.

The efficacy of an oral controlled-release preparation of carbidopa/levodopa (Sinemet CR 50/200 mg) was compared with conventional carbidopa/levodopa (25/250 mg) in an open-label study. Twenty patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and severe response fluctuations participated. At the end of 6 months of CR treatment, the major clinical benefits included improvement of disability, reduction in number of "off" periods (predominantly end-of-dose hypokinesia), and increase in percentage of "on" time. Although dosages of CR required for an optimal therapeutic response were not significantly higher compared with conventional levodopa, bioavailability significantly increased. Delayed onset of antiparkinsonian effect of CR, resulting from an increase of Tmax for levodopa, was one of the major patient complaints and required additional small amounts of standard levodopa in some patients.

Aged↗

Recurrent forms of sporadic brachial plexus neuropathy. A report of two cases.

Two patients presenting a relapsing form of sporadic brachial plexus neuropathy, the so-called Parsonage Turner syndrome, are reported. The diagnosis is based on clinical and electromyographic features. Recurrent attacks, although infrequently encountered, have been well described in the past. Sporadic cases of this syndrome must be differentiated from the familial varieties of neuralgic amyotrophy in which, two main subgroups of patients are distinguished: those showing facial dysmorphic features and those with findings of a tomaculous neuropathy predisposing them to pressure palsies. Apart from the obvious difference as regards familial occurrence, the familial and non-familial varieties of neuralgic amyotrophy differ in a number of respects: associated congenital defects, early age of onset and high rate of recurrence in the former. Finally some possible pathogenetic mechanisms of the syndrome are briefly reviewed.

Adult↗

Simultaneous determination of levodopa, carbidopa, 3-O-methyldopa and dopamine in plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

An analytical method is described which allows a fast, reliable and precise determination of levodopa and its metabolises 3-O-methyldopa and dopamine, as well as the peripheral aromatic amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor carbidopa, in a single 1 ml plasma sample of Parkinsonian patients. The compounds are quantitatively isolated on small Sephadex G-10 columns and determined by HPLC with electrochemical detection. Dihydroxybenzylamine or alpha-methyldopa are used as the internal standard. An example of therapeutic drug monitoring in a patient with fluctuations in motor performances is given. It is confirmed that interference with absorption of levodopa from the stomach by food can be partly responsible for these observed fluctuations.

Journal Article↗

Fatal pulmonary toxicity by the association of radiotherapy and medroxyprogesterone acetate.

This report describes a fatal pneumonitis occurring in a breast cancer patient while on adjuvant treatment with radiotherapy and medroxyprogesterone acetate. The clinical and radiologic features, as well as the timing of this pneumonitis, make a radiation pneumonitis more than probable. A radiation pneumonitis was also observed in other patients treated in the same way. Medroxyprogesterone acetate thus seems to act as a radiosensitizer since no such effects were seen in patients treated with radiotherapy alone. The radioenhancing effect is not limited to the lungs, since radioesofagitis was also encountered in similarly treated patients.

Aged↗

The use of capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for the determination of acidic dopamine metabolites in human brain.

A capillary gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric method was developed for the determination of homovanillic acid and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid in discrete areas of human brain known to contain only small amounts of dopamine metabolites. The electron impact mass spectra of the trimethylsilyl derivatives of homovanillic acid and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and their deuterated isotopic variants were used for their identification and quantification.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗

Coma as presenting manifestation of Wernicke's encephalopathy.

A patient in whom coma was the presenting manifestation of Wernicke's encephalopathy is reported. Clinical reports on coma in Wernicke's encephalopathy are scarce, but postmortem studies have demonstrated that this form of presentation is often not recognized. The diagnosis of Wernicke's encephalopathy should be suspected in any patient presenting with coma of unclear etiology.

Coma↗

Diseases and parasites of cattle in Vanuatu.

A study of cattle diseases was carried out in Vanuatu from 1971 to 1981. Tuberculosis was discovered in 4 herds and eradication was completed by 1981. The number of farms with brucellosis reactors increased from 2 in 1976 to 7 in 1978 despite eradication measures. Antibodies to serovars Leptospira icterohaemorrhagiae, australis, sejroe and canicola were demonstrated by the microscopic agglutination test. Antibodies were demonstrated against infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/infectious pustular vulvovaginitis and bovine virus diarrhoea/mucosal disease complexes. Of the 18 parasites identified, Haemaphysalis longicornis, Haemonchus, sp, Oesophagostomum phlebotomum and Neoascaris vitulorum were the most prevalent. As brucelossis is the only serious disease present, Vanuatu is in a favourable situation with regard to cattle diseases.

Animals↗

Spinal osteomyelitis: an unusual complication in aortic graft surgery.

The case history of a patient with vertebral osteomyelitis due to a contiguous paraprosthetic aortic abscess is reported. This unusual complication may be associated with the indolent nature of paraprosthetic aortic infections. The diagnostic as well as therapeutic value of computerised tomography in this condition is emphasized.

Abscess↗