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Biomedical subjects

E Cassuto-Viguier

Publications and source records attributed to E Cassuto-Viguier.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Impact of cyclosporine reduction with MMF: a randomized trial in chronic allograft dysfunction. The 'reference' study.

Long-term use of calcineurine inhibitors (CNIs) may contribute to the development of chronic allograft dysfunction (CAD). We investigate the impact of the introduction of MMF combined with cyclosporine (CsA) 50% dose reduction. An open, randomized, controlled, multicenter, prospective study was conducted in 103 patients, receiving a CsA-based therapy with a serum creatinine between 1.7-3.4 mg/dL, more than 1 year after transplantation. They were randomized to receive MMF with half dose of CsA (MMF group) or to continue their maintenance CsA dose (control group). A total of 96 weeks after randomization, the evolution of renal function assessed by regression line analysis of 1/SeCr improved in the MMF group (positive slope) vs. the control group (negative slope), 4.2 x 10(-4) vs. -3.0 x 10(-4), respectively (p < 0.001). Concurrently, the absolute renal function improved significantly in the MMF group. No episode of biopsy-proven acute rejection occurred. One patient in each group lost his graft because of biopsy-proven chronic allograft nephropathy. There was a significant decrease of triglycerides level in the MMF group. Anemia and diarrhea were statistically more frequent in the MMF group. In CAD, the reduction of CsA in the presence of MMF results in significant improvement in renal function during a 2-year follow-up.

Adult↗

[Kidney transplant and Candida albicans arteritis. The importance of analysing the transplant conservation liquid].

INTRODUCTION: Candida arteritis can compromise the functional prognosis of the graft or even the life of the transplant recipient. The infection can be transmitted by the graft. OBSERVATION: A 46 year-old woman contracted a Candida albicans ateritis of the graft following a kidney transplant that led to a detransplantation. The yeast was probably transmitted by the graft from the donor, source of an unknown candida infection: it was found in the conservation liquid of the graft itself, and in the renal artery and vascular pedicle. Analysis of of these three elements by enzymatic electrophoresis showed that they were identical. COMMENTARIES: This case report underlines the need to establish guidelines and sanitary safety measures, notably that of systematically placing in culture the concervation solutions and alerting the transplant team if any fungi are isolated.

Arteritis↗

Aortoiliac reconstruction and kidney transplantation: a multicenter study.

The occurrence of aortoiliac lesions with renal transplantation is an increasingly common combination that causes problems regarding operative strategy and indications for aortoiliac reconstruction and renal transplantation. To gain greater insight into these problems we undertook a retrospective multicenter study based on data from 24 kidney transplantation centers in France. A total of 83 patients who underwent both aortoiliac reconstruction and kidney transplantation were enrolled. Patients were divided into two groups according to the order in which the two procedures were performed. Group I included 36 patients in whom aortoiliac reconstruction was performed before kidney transplantation-either during the same procedure (6 patients) or as separate procedures (30 patients). Group II included 47 patients in whom aortoiliac reconstruction was performed after kidney transplantation. The mean age was 49.9 years. There were 43 abdominal aortic aneurysms (51.8%), 36 occlusive aortoiliac lesions (43.4%), and 4 aortoiliac dissections (4.8%). Prosthetic bypass grafting was performed in 72 cases (86.8%), transluminal angioplasty in 6 cases (7.2%), endarterectomy in 3 cases (3.6%), and arterial autograft bypass in 1 case. Renal transplant protection was used during aortoiliac clamping in only 3 patients in group II (7.3%). One month after the second procedure (i.e., kidney transplantation in group I and aortoiliac reconstruction in group II), creatinemia was <200 micromol/L in 27 patients (87.1%) in group I and in 37 patients (88.1%) in group II. The graft survival rate was 86.1% in group I and 89.3% in group II. The overall postoperative morbidity rate was 36.1% (13 cases) in group I and 36.1% (17 cases) in group II. One year after the second procedure creatinemia was <200 micromol/L in 29 patients (93.5%) in group I and 36 patients (93%) in group II. The graft survival rate was 86.1% in group I and 85.1% in group II. The outcome of kidney transplantation is comparable regardless of whether the procedure is performed alone or in association with aortoiliac reconstruction. This finding indicates that kidney transplantation should be performed in patients presenting indications for prior aortoiliac reconstruction. The outcome of aortoiliac reconstruction without graft protection in kidney transplant patients is comparable to the outcome of conventional aortoiliac reconstruction in patients with native kidneys.

Angioplasty↗

Tumoral calcinosis in hemodialysis patients. A review of three cases.

Soft tissue calcification are common in chronic hemodialysis patients and often affect the periarticular tissues, where they occasionally form tumoral masses. In a retrospective study of 254 hemodialysis patients we identified three such cases. Affected sites were the wrist, shoulder, and chest wall. None of the patients had secondary hyperparathyroidism. A discussion is provided of the roentgenographic and clinical features of tumoral calcinosis, of current pathogenic hypotheses, and of available treatments.

Adult↗

Aspergillus arthritis of the shoulder in a renal transplant recipient. Failure of itraconazole therapy.

We report a case of Aspergillus arthritis of the shoulder in a renal transplant recipient. Cultures of three joint fluid specimens grew Aspergillus fumigatus. Itraconazole as sole treatment resulted in initial clinical and roentgenographic improvements but failed to prevent deterioration in joint function. A relapse with fatal neurologic involvement occurred. Immune deficiency-inducing risk factors for aspergillosis include neutropenia and corticosteroid therapy. Previously published cases of Aspergillus arthritis of limb joints are reviewed. The advantages and limitations of itraconazole as single drug therapy are outlined.

Arthritis, Infectious↗

Cytotoxic effects of long-term circulating ultrafiltrable platinum species and limited efficacy of haemodialysis in clearing them.

We applied haemodialysis to clear platinum (Pt) circulating species following renal insufficiency due to an accidental cisplatin overdosage (205 mg/m2 instead of 100 mg/m2). Serum samples were repeatedly obtained during this clinical episode from day 5 up to day 30 after cisplatin dosing. A serum aliquot taken at day 22 after cisplatin administration was tested to assess the possible cytotoxicity exhibited by the circulating Pt species on a head and neck tumour cell line. The profile of ultrafiltrable (UF) Pt during successive haemodialysis cycles was striking. After each haemodialysis cycle, a marked decrease in UF Pt, occurred but was followed by more or less pronounced rebounds. Cisplatin concentration-cytotoxic effect curves obtained in vitro from patient serum before cisplatin administration and healthy control serum exhibited very similar concentration effect profiles. In contrast, the patient serum taken at day 22 after cisplatin administration resulted in marked cytotoxic effects, which were much greater than those which could have been anticipated considering the Pt concentration of this serum sample. The present report underlines the limited usefulness of haemodialysis for rescuing cisplatin treated patients, exhibiting unanticipated postinfusion renal failure with overexposure to the drug. The in vitro investigations suggest that pharmacological effects of Pt derivatives may not only be attributable to short-term effects of the drug diffusion into tissues, but also to more delayed effects from Pt circulating species.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Doxorubicin weekly low dose administration: in vitro cytotoxicity generated by the typical pharmacokinetic profile.

The cytotoxic effects of prolonged exposure to low concentrations of doxorubicin or a doxorubicin bolus were examined in vitro on four human breast cancer cell lines to simulate the plasma concentration profile of weekly low-dose (WLD) doxorubicin in breast cancer patients. Cells were exposed to doxorubicin for various prolonged times (24, 72, 120 and 192 h) and with different drug concentrations (5, 10, 20, 50 and 80 nmol/l). In a series of parallel experiments, cell lines were placed in contact with the drug for short periods (1 h) before prolonged exposure to doxorubicin; the concentrations of these pulses were 150, 250 and 350 nmol/l. A constant decrease in tritiated thymidine incorporation was noted as a function of the drug concentration and the duration of the cell contact with the drug. Interestingly the lowest concentrations (5-10 nmol/l) produced marked cytotoxic effects. For equivalent concentration x time values, experiments including doxorubicin pulses resulted in greater cytotoxicity than continuous exposure alone, in a dose-related manner. This finding was related to differences in intracellular doxorubicin concentrations. Results suggest that the rather empirically designed WLD doxorubicin schedule can generate greater cytotoxic effects than continuous doxorubicin administration alone.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Long-term stability of 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid admixtures.

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and d,1-folinic acid (FA) are used in association to treat a wide variety of malignancies. The stability and the compatibility of 5-FU and FA in combination in intravenous admixtures were studied under various storage conditions and with drug concentrations matching their clinical use (0.9% sodium chloride, 5% dextrose, protected from light or not). 5-FU and FA concentrations (mg/ml) were 6.5 or 50 and 4.0 or 30.8, respectively. Successive aliquots of the drugs mixtures were withdrawn during 60 h from 500 ml glass bottles and 500 ml polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bags (at room temperature) and during 120 h from cassettes (at 32 degrees C). Drug concentrations were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. For all conditions tested, the changes in 5-FU and FA relative to the initial concentrations remained within the assay reproducibility (10%). In complement, infrared Fourier transformation spectrophotometry has not shown a significant fixation of FA or 5-FU on the PVC bags, in all tested conditions. Under the conditions examined above 5-FU and FA can be mixed in the same container for their use in cancer chemotherapy. This can have practical consequences by simplifying the widely used treatment protocols associating 5-FU and FA.

Drug Combinations↗

Influence of sex and age on fluorouracil clearance.

PURPOSE: Currently, fluorouracil (5-FU) is one of the major drugs used in cancer chemotherapy. Several investigators, including ourselves, have demonstrated a link between abnormalities in 5-FU clearance (Cl) and the risk of developing more or less 5-FU-related toxicities. Age and sex are among the host factors that have been implicated in the pharmacokinetic variability of drugs. Presently, no data are available on the possible influence of sex and age on 5-FU Cl. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Three hundred eighty patients (mean age, 61.7 years; range, 25 to 91; 301 men and 79 women) with squamous cell carcinoma (sre) of the head and neck were treated in our institution between 1987 and 1991. 5-FU Cl was determined for a total of 1,092 chemotherapy cycles. Each cycle consisted of cisplatin and 5-day continuous intravenous infusion 5-FU (daily doses ranging between 365 and 1,224 mg/m2). RESULTS: 5-FU Cl values (L/h/m2) showed a wide dispersion for both men (median, 179; range, 29 to 739) and women (median, 155; range, 56 to 466). 5-FU Cl values were lower significantly for women compared with men (P = .0005). When adjusted for age and dose, the influence of sex on log Cl remained significant (P = .013). There was no evidence that age modified 5-FU Cl when adjusted for sex and dose. Interestingly, for both men and women, the oldest patients (greater than 70 years) maintained their ability to clear 5-FU with daily doses that ranged from 500 to 1,000 mg/m2. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that the capacities to clear 5-FU are lower in women compared with men and are not influenced by age. It would be of interest to know whether this sex-related difference in 5-FU Cl may be clinically relevant by considering both toxicity and tumor response to 5-FU treatment.

Adult↗

[Sharp syndrome in an infant: a case report].

We report on a case of Sharp syndrome which was diagnosed late in on 11-year old boy. After 5 years of corticosteroid treatment, he presented with myopericardic aggravation, glomerular disease, and seizures with delirium, which responded to high-dose steroid therapy with early switch using synthetic antimalarial drugs. Six years later the results are still satisfactory.

Child↗

[Useful investigations for the prevention of recurring lithiasis (in the absence of anomalies of the urinary tract)].

The prevalence of renal lithiasis and the rate of recurrences in affected patients raises the problem of the minimum number of investigations really needed to arrive at an accurate diagnosis and establish a potentially effective treatment. Stone recuperation is very important as it allows to carry out an accurate analysis of its constituent(s) (frequently heterogenous). Such analysis already brings forth accurate indications as to the etiology. Other biological investigations should be limited after a first episode of kidney stone disease, but recurring lithiasis will necessitate a much more thorough work-up. Recurrences in certain lithiases, such as those caused by urate calculi, are readily prevented by conventional therapy (uricosuric agents, alkalinization of urine). Withdrawal of certain medicines is paramount in iatrogenic lithiasis. Regarding calcium stones associated with hypercalciuria, results from dynamic tests and their pertinence for differentiating between hypercalciuria due to abnormally high digestive absorption and that due to excessive elimination are currently strongly contested. The role of alimentary factors seems extremely important and prescription of adapted diets appears to be quite effective in view of the present lack of crystal formation inhibitors.

Adenoma↗