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Biomedical subjects

D Sandron

Publications and source records attributed to D Sandron.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Occupational asthma to metabisulfites . Three cases].

Sulfites are compounds which are mainly used in the agricultural, food and pharmaceutical industry as preservatives. The possibility of manifestations of acute hypersensitivity appearing after the ingestion or inhalation of sulfites has already been described several times, over the past twenty years. Amongst these manifestations and indeed the one that is most often present is bronchospasm, which can sometimes be severe. A few cases of occupational intolerance through contact eczema to sulfites have also been published. The idea of occupational asthma to metabisulphates is, on the other hand, extremely recent; its legal recognition only dates back to 1989. The authors present three new cases of occupational asthma to metabisulphites stressing the value of a specific provocation test and the different hypotheses for the pathogenesis of the disorder are reviewed. Preventative measures are always preferable to avoid the development of severe occupational asthma. In all cases, notification of occupational asthma is necessary.

Adult↗

[Ultrasonographic aspect of asbestos infracostal pleural plates].

The echographic study of the sub-costal pleura of 20 patients with occupational exposure to asbestos fibers and exhibiting pleural calcifications and thickenings on the chest X-Ray, allowed us to define the main semeiologic aspects of this pleural disease: horizontal striation and echo-poor thickenings of the sub-pleural region and irregularities of the pulmonary surface generating Ring-Downs. Comparison of this group with 20 normal subjects quantified this pleural thickening (pleural plaques: 5.5 +/- 2.09 mm, limit values: 3 to 12 mm). Our results are similar to those of the recent literature on this subject. The interest of the echographic study of the pleura in patients submitted to asbestos fibers is enhanced by the easy use of the echographic procedure.

Aged↗

[Takayasu's disease localized exclusively in the pulmonary artery].

A 35 year-old woman exhibited a stenotic lesion of the right pulmonary artery with a severe inflammatory syndrome. A diagnosis of Takayasu arteritis was made, although no aortographic abnormality was present. Involvement of pulmonary arteries during the course of Takayasu arteritis is frequent, but a localisation of the disease to the pulmonary arterial tree alone is a very rare condition.

Adult↗

Tuberculous pseudo-aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta.

A tuberculous pseudo-aneurysm of the thoracic descending aorta was found in a 57 year-old female with haemoptysis three months after successful chemotherapy for a miliary tuberculosis. After aortic angiography, the aneurysm was resected and the aorta was repaired with a Dacron prosthetic graft. The patient is doing well one year after the operation.

Aneurysm, Infected↗

Pulmonary complications of intravesical Bacille Calmette-Guérin immunotherapy.

Lungs have rarely been reported to be affected by any side effects of BCG therapy. Interstitial pneumonitis, though, is known to occur under such circumstances, but its pathogenesis is still debated between an infectious and a hypersensitivity mechanism. We report here 3 cases of pulmonary complications of BCG therapy evaluated by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Cellular data obtained from all 3 patients were characterized by a markedly increased alveolar lymphocytosis. The T4/T8 ratio was elevated compared with that in normal subjects and with the T4/T8 ratio of circulating lymphocytes. Furthermore, alveolar lymphocytes were highly sensitized to PPD, as evaluated by their proliferation and their production of interleukin 2 in the presence of PPD. Mycobacteria were not found in the 3 patients. We conclude that interstitial pneumonitis occurring during BCG therapy could be explained by a hypersensitivity phenomenon, leading to an intense immune and lymphocyte-mediated response within involved organs.

Adult↗

Human alveolar macrophage subpopulations isolated on discontinuous albumin gradients. Cytological data in normals and sarcoid patients.

Cells recovered by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from ten subjects (five normals and five sarcoid patients) were centrifuged on discontinuous albumin gradients to study alveolar macrophage (AM) heterogeneity. The gradient was made with nine bovine albumin concentrations (from 8 to 30%). After centrifugation (4000 X g) cells were recovered from the interfaces. The majority of AM was recovered in upper and medium layers with AM purity reaching 90-100% in upper layers, while lymphocytes and granulocytes were found in lower layers. Alveolar macrophage morphology was different along the gradient. Large cytoplasmic vacuoles were found in AM from upper layers. Alveolar macrophage cytoplasmic diameters decreased from the top to the bottom of the gradient, but AM from sarcoid patients appeared larger than AM from normals. Alveolar macrophage nucleo-cytoplasmic ratios increased from top to bottom, but were lower in sarcoid patients than in normals. Alveolar macrophage peroxidase activity was rare (0.5-2% of AM) but reached a higher proportion in upper and lower layers.

Adult↗

Human alveolar macrophage subpopulations isolated on discontinuous albumin gradients: functional data in normals and sarcoid patients.

Cells recovered by bronchoalveolar lavage from seven normals and seven sarcoid patients were centrifuged on discontinuous bovine albumin (BSA) gradients to study alveolar macrophage (AM) heterogeneity. The gradient was made with nine BSA concentrations from 8 to 30%. After centrifugation, the cells were recovered from the nine interfaces, named a to i. The majority of the AM was recovered from layers b to g. Regulatory activity of AM subpopulations was tested on mitogen-induced blood mononuclear cells (BMC) proliferation: autologous BMC were cocultured with AM from the different layers; 16-h culture supernatants of AM subfractions were added to allogeneic BMC cultures from normal donors. In the autologous assay, AM from the middle layers exhibited a stimulatory activity in normals and even more in sarcoid patients, while AM from the upper layers showed an inhibitory activity in normals but a stimulatory activity in sarcoid patients. In the allogeneic assay, a suppressive effect was found in culture supernatants from normal AM. On the other hand, in sarcoid patients, culture supernatants were less inhibiting, but the inhibitory activity was in both cases maximal in b. These results confirm functional heterogeneity of human AM, and demonstrate that the AM subpopulations differ between normals and sarcoid patients.

Adult↗

Bronchoalveolar lavage in sarcoidosis.

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed in 1,188 patients suffering from sarcoidosis. After technical considerations, the authors analyze the results of BAL from a practical point of view concerning its value for the diagnosis of sarcoidosis and its prognostic value and its value for the selection of therapy, particularly for the decision as to steroid treatment. BAL helps in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, but is not specific enough to provide this diagnosis on its own. The persistence of high alveolar lymphocytosis within the first year of evolution is strongly correlated with nonrecovery from pulmonary sarcoidosis at 2 years and thus with the evolution towards a chronic phase of the disease. On the other hand, BAL can provide basic information for a better understanding of the disease and permits immunocompetent cells and soluble factors to be recovered from the lung, which is useful for immunological studies.

Adult↗

[Treatment of pleuropulmonary tuberculosis in 1985].

The treatment of pulmonary TB due to bacilli sensitive to antituberculous treatment should lead to 100 p. 100 therapeutic success. However, this result implies a good bacteriological knowledge of the Koch bacillus, of antituberculous drugs, of therapeutic strategy, of the duration of treatment and, finally, of the reasons for failure. The association of isoniazide (5 mg/kg/day), rifampicin (10 mg/kg/day) and ethambutol (20 mg/kg/day for the first two months) sterilizes tuberculous lesions in 9 months. The introduction of a fourth antituberculous drug, pyrazinamide (35 mg/kg/day for the first two months) enables the duration of treatment to be reduced to 6 months without any loss of efficiency. Tuberculous relapses, sometimes due to polyresistant bacilli, pose difficult problems requiring detailed bacteriological studies of antibiotic sensitivity. Specific measures have to be taken (adaptation of dosage, contra-indications of certain drugs) with respect to the individual patient (elderly patients, pregnant or lactating women). Surgery has a role to play, especially in the treatment of sequellae. Admission to a sanatorium is reserved for infectious cases at the beginning of treatment and for patients living in poor conditions. The cover of social security is essential for successful treatment. Tuberculous is a compulsory notifiable disease.

Aminoglycosides↗

[Diffuse familial interstitial pulmonary fibrosis. Study of a family].

A study of the genealogy of a 53 year old lady (A.M...) suffering from diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (FID) has revealed several cases of FID in her forbears and relations. Two brothers of A.M... died of histologically proven FID; FID was also discovered in one of their daughters. A sister died young of some unclassified respiratory problem. Two cousins died likewise at a young age of acute FID proven histologically. The level of spontaneous pneumothorax was particularly elevated in this family which represented a clinical peculiarity when compared to sporadic FID. The most probable mode of transmission of familial FID is autosomal dominant with variable penetrance. The HLA group seen in A.M... showed the A2 and B12 alleles. The B12 allele was also present in the niece of A.M...

Bronchi↗

Processing of lung lavage fluid causes variability in bronchoalveolar cell count.

To study the effects on cell counts of different ways of processing bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, we performed 77 BAL in 19 healthy control subjects and in 58 patients with sarcoidosis. We investigated the role of readers, hemocytometers, mode of identification of macrophages, cell washing, and speed of cytocentrifugation. No significant effect of reader or hemocytometer was observed. The percentage of macrophages, determined as large cells stained with neutral red in a Malassez hemocytometer (63.9 +/- 24.6%, mean +/- SD) was lower than the percentage of macrophages determined by May Grunwald Giemsa staining (76.3 +/- 19.2%, p less than 10(-9)). Cell counts decreased 34% after 2 washings (p less than 0.001), and more lymphocytes were counted after cytocentrifugation at 90 g (33.2 +/- 25.3%) than at 23 g (27.7 +/- 22.1%). We conclude that bronchoalveolar cell counts vary with changes in processing lung lavage fluid and that this variability should be considered when using BAL cell counts.

Bronchi↗

[Diagnostic, prognostic and developmental value of serum angiotensin converting enzyme in sarcoidosis].

Two hundred ninety three patients with mediastinal and pulmonary sarcoidosis were assayed one or more than one time for seric angiotensin converting enzyme (SACE) using the method of Cushman and Cheung (substrate hippuryl-histidyl-leucin). Seventy one normal subjects and 163 patients with various broncho-pulmonary diseases excluding sarcoidosis were used as control. SACE is elevated in 67.2 p. 100 of the patients with sarcoidosis and reflects the intra and extrathoracic extend of the granuloma. Elevated levels of SACE in pneumoconiosis diminishes the diagnostic value of this test (as well as the presence of a normal SACE level in some sarcoid patients). There is no correlation between SACE and the percentage of lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. SACE returns to normal in cases with spontaneous radiological improvement, and reaches more elevated levels in cases with worsening. An initial low level of SACE is usually a sign of a future good evolution. An initial high level is an argument for starting on steroid treatment. Repeated dosages of SACE are useful for monitoring the steroid posology at the end of the treatment and for deciding to stop it. Persistence of low levels allows to stop the treatment. Re-elevation of SACE may correspond to a radiological and clinical relapse or to an isolated and resolvent rebound.

Adolescent↗