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Dominique Figarella-Branger

Publications and source records attributed to Dominique Figarella-Branger.

43 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

[Standards, Options and Recommendations 2002 for the management of adult patients with intracranial gliomas (summary report)].

CONTEXT: The "Standards, Options and Recommendations" (SOR) project, which started in 1993, is a collaboration between the Federation of French Cancer Centers (FNCLCC), the 20 French Regional 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. OBJECTIVE: To define clinical practice guidelines for the management of adult patients with intracranial glioma in collaboration with the Association of French-speaking Neuro-oncologists (Anocef) and the French society of neurosurgeons (SNCLF). These recommendations cover diagnosis, classification, treatment and follow-up of patients with these tumors. METHOD: The methodology is based on a literature review and critical appraisal by a multidisciplinary group of experts who define the CPGs according to the definitions of the Standards, Options and Recommendations project. Once the guidelines has been defined, the document is submitted for review by independent reviewers. RESULTS: This article is a summary version of the full document presenting the clinical practice guidelines with algorithms. The main recommendations concern the place of the surgery, radiotherapy, chemiotherapy, imagery and concomitant medical treatments in the specific treatment strategy of grade III and IV glioma, grade II glioma, gliomatosis cerebri, pilocytic astrocytoma, subependymoma, xanthoastrocytoma, intracranial ependymoma and brain stem glioma.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Massive inflammatory syndrome and lymphocytic immunodeficiency in KARAP/DAP12-transgenic mice.

KARAP/DAP12 is a broadly distributed transmembrane signaling polypeptide with an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif, and is non-covalently associated with a variety of activating surface receptors. We report here the characterization of transgenic mice that overexpress KARAP/DAP12 polypeptides in both myeloid and lymphoid compartments. KARAP/DAP12-transgenic mice present, in a transgene dose-dependent manner, a complex phenotype characterized by two independent and spontaneous hematological abnormalities: (i) a severe lymphopenia and (ii) a massive inflammatory syndrome associated with neutrophilia and lung infiltration by multinucleated macrophages. These myeloid abnormalities observed in KARAP/DAP12-transgenic mice indicate that KARAP/DAP12-driven signals are critically involved in inflammation, and constitute an essential target to control the resolution of inflammatory disorders based on monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗
PubMed2002

Histological and MR correlations in Gliomatosis cerebri.

The diagnosis of Gliomatosis cerebri (GC) is known to be difficult and is still a matter of debate. In order to better define this entity, we studied clinical, neuroradiological, pathological and follow-up data of 9 patients affected with GC. MRI were done with T1 before and after gadolinium injection, and with T2-weighted images and Flair in 3 cases. Histological confirmation of glial proliferation was obtained in all patients by craniotomy or stereotactic biopsies. Patients were treated and followed-up in our center. The histological analyses highlighted a heterogeneous glial proliferation with various degrees of anaplasia in all the cases including 2 cases of oligodendroglioma, 1 case of anaplastic oligodendroglioma, 2 cases of anaplastic mixed oligoastrocytoma, 1 case of anaplastic astrocytoma, 2 cases of glioblastoma and 1 case of astrocytic proliferation typical of GC. The topography of the tumoral infiltration was characteristic involving mainly the white matter, basal ganglia and thalamus, brainstem and less often hypothalamus. More than two cerebral lobes were involved. Contrast enhancement, mass effect and necrosis were minimal compared to the extent of tumoral infiltration. Patients were treated with various schemes of treatment all including nitrosourea. Survival from diagnosis was under one year except for 2 patients (17 and 14 months). This study shows that the diagnosis of GC needs to be based not on pathological data alone, but on pathological, clinical and, above all, on radiological criteria. Response to therapy could not clearly be observed in GC, despite oligodendroglial component in 6/9 cases. Prognosis of GC was constantly poor.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

CD44H is expressed by cells of the oligodendrocyte lineage and by oligodendrogliomas in humans.

CD44, a family of cell surface glycoproteins involved in cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix adhesion, is widely expressed in the white matter of the normal brain and in astrocytic gliomas under its standard form (CD44s also called CD44H). On the other hand, several variants have been found in brain metastases and rarely found in gliomas. We have investigated by immunohistochemistry CD44H and CD44v6 expression in 28 oligodendrogliomas. All tumors were CD44v6 negative whereas nearly all tumors were immunolabelled with anti-CD44H antibody. Immunostaining increased in parallel with grade and was particulary strong around vessels and in tumoral subpial nodules. Western blot analysis showed that oligodendrogliomas expressed the same 80-kDa CD44 isoform as normal brain. Since gliomas may arise from a dividing progenitor cell, we also studied CD44H expression during the oligodendrocyte lineage in vitro in parallel with specific markers of the O-2A cells. Precursor cells (PSA-NCAM positive), O-2A progenitor cells, as well as preoligodendrocytes (A2B5 positive cells) and immature oligodendrocytes (O4 positive cells), coexpressed CD44H. Our data showed that CD44H is expressed by cells of the oligodendrocyte lineage in vitro and by oligodendrogliomas in vivo especially in sites of dissemination such as subpial spaces. This suggests that CD44H could play a role in migration of tumor cells in oligodendrocytic tumors.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

[Pathology of myxoid bone tumors of the skull base].

Myxoid bone tumors of the skull encompass chordomas and chondrosarcomas. Their accurate diagnosis is usually a challenge and it is of utmost importance to identify chordomas because of the poorer prognosis. Even if the topography of the tumor is suggestive (median versus lateral), modern imaging is not specific enough and the diagnosis is based on histological features. We report nine cases of myxoid bone tumors of the skull including four chordomas, one chondroid chordoma and four chondrosarcomas. Smears are useful for rapid intraoperative diagnosis. Chondrosarcomas show cords of small round cells in a myxoid background while chordomas are made of multilayered sheets of larger, often vacuolated cells. Histology shows areas of cartilaginous matrix associated with myxoid areas in chondrosarcomas and in chondroid chordomas. Immunohistochemistry is determinant showing the expression of epithelial markers and Tau protein in chordomas only.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Electron microscopy in neuromuscular disorders.

Electron microscopy has a strategic position in the diagnosis of neuromuscular disorders. In muscular fibers, the main abnormalities include vacuoles, inclusion bodies, and myofibrillar disorganization with or without abnormal inclusion material. Vacuolar changes include lipidic and glycogenic storage vacuoles, rimmed vacuoles, and lysosomal and autophagic vacuoles. Accumulation of abnormal inclusion material is found in nemaline myopathy, actinopathies, and hyaline body myopathy. Myofibrillar disorganization involves cores, multiminicores, and myosin chain depletion. Myofibrillar myopathies associate a pathologic pattern of myofibrillar dissolution and ectopic protein expression. They can be divided into two groups: myofibrillar myopathies with multiple expression proteins and myofibrillar myopathies with desmin and alphaB-crystallin expression only. In these two conditions, electron microscopy shows accumulation of a granulofilamentous material immunoreactive for desmin. At least three genes are implicated: desmin, alphaB-crystallin, and myotilin. Lastly, electron microscopy serves to identify changes, pathogenic or not, which are not shown up by light microscopy. Moreover, electron microscopy gives insight on pathophysiological mechanisms and can guide molecular genetics analysis.

Humans↗