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Biomedical subjects

E Pourcher

Publications and source records attributed to E Pourcher.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Neuroleptic associated tardive dyskinesias in young people with psychoses.

BACKGROUND: Apart from ageing, the factors associated with vulnerability to the emergence of tardive dyskinesia are poorly defined. METHOD: Risk factors associated with the presence of a chronic choreic or dystonic disorder were assessed in a cross-sectional comparison of anamnestic and clinical data in a homogeneous group of 64 young psychotic patients (under 40 years of age) on chronic low to moderate doses of neuroleptics. RESULTS: Dyskinetic subjects presented more indirect indicators of occult brain damage, such as a perinatal event or traumatic brain injuries in infancy and early childhood; neurological examination showed more anomalies in dyskinetic patients than in nondyskinetics, with a higher prevalence of facial release reflexes. CONCLUSION: These data may support the hypothesis that occult acquired brain damage is important in the genesis of this 'drug-induced' disorder.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Involvement of the basal ganglia in obsessive compulsive disorder: a review].

This article reviews the main clinical indicators linking the basal nuclei to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Various pathologies associated with lesions of the basal nuclei are examined, followed by a review of neuropharmacological, brain imaging and psychosurgical studies. Once the role of the neostriatum in ritualistic behaviours has been clarified, the symptoms of OCD are interpreted based on the hypothesis of a lesion of the striato-orbito-frontal loop.

Basal Ganglia↗
PubMed1993

Organic brain dysfunction and cognitive deficits in young schizophrenic patients with tardive dyskinesia.

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) has been associated with cognitive deficits, especially in older psychiatric patients on neuroleptic medication. This study investigated the relationship between presence of TD, organic brain dysfunction (OBD), and cognitive deficits in young psychiatric outpatients maintained on minimal doses of oral neuroleptics, with anticholinergics prescribed only on as-needed basis. Sixty-four patients, aged 20-39 years, were evaluated for the presence of abnormal movements, localizing and nonlocalizing physical signs, and deficits in memory, ability to shift, and sustained attention. Sixteen patients showed definite signs of TD. Significant associations were found between TD and OBD, and between cognitive deficits and OBD, but not between TD and cognitive deficits. Significant regression predictors of TD were the interaction between OBD and previous dystonia, as well as duration of neuroleptic treatment. These findings suggest that some potential risk factors for TD already identified in the literature also apply to younger patients with relatively shorter exposure to neuroleptics. However, the results indicate that the relationship between movement disorders and cognitive deficits may be more apparent in older patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Ethosuximide and tremor in Parkinson's disease: a pilot study.

Following the demonstration of an anti-tremor effect of ethosuximide in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) monkey model, we have tested the effect of this drug in 10 patients with typical parkinsonian tremor. Six patients suffered from Parkinson's disease with prominent, relatively drug-resistant rest tremor. The other four patients had a drug-induced parkinsonian tremor due to neuroleptic agents taken for a psychiatric condition. Five of the six parkinsonian patients and three of the four psychiatric patients reported within a few days a marked and intolerable exacerbation of their tremor. One patient in each group was improved, and this improvement was verified in repeated examinations. Thus, for unknown reasons, the effect of ethosuximide was not as predicted by the monkey model. Among possible explanations is the fact that we had chosen patients with drug-resistant tremor.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Dysmorphophobia (body dysmorphic disorder)].

This article reviews the historical and terminological origins of dysmorphophobia from Herodotus to today. It explains the differences pointed out by many authors, including the DSM-III-R, between body dismorphic disorder and delusional disorder somatic type, which are referred to as monosymptomatic hypochondriacal psychoses in Europe. Epidemiological data, clinical characteristics and outcome are discussed. Explicative theories and neurobiological, developmental and analytical aspects of body image are presented. The association between body dismorphic disorder and other disorders is analyzed, and treatment possibilities are discussed. The authors suggest that body dismorphic disorder be classified with obsessive compulsive disorder, whatever the intensity of symptomatology, rather than with somatoform or delusional disorder, and treated with serotonin uptake inhibitors or neureptics that have been proven to be effective for the treatment of this disorder, such as pimozide.

Body Image↗
PubMed1992

The dimensional approach to clinical psychopharmacology: a polysemous concept.

The last decade has seen significant progress in the development and specific clinical application of selective psychotropes. The dimensional approach to clinical psychopharmacology views the behavioral targets of psychotropes as phenomena existing on a continuum and as components, in varying degrees, of most psychopathologies. The modern concept of dimension has been used in different contexts. In psychology it has a mathematical sense, whereas in biological psychiatry it is associated more with biological function. This paper reviews these two concepts and the recent models attempting to merge them into one. The heuristic value of the dimensional approach, as well as some of its pitfalls and new avenues of research, are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Corpus callosum agenesis and psychosis in Andermann syndrome.

Recent illustrations by cerebral magnetic resonance imaging of anomalies of the corpus callosum in schizophrenics have kindled renewed interest in this association. We studied 62 patients affected by the Andermann syndrome, a polymalformative familial syndrome combining frequent congenital corpus callosum agenesis, mental retardation, psychotic episodes, peripheral neuropathy, and some dysmorphic features. Twenty of 62 patients presenting with psychosis were compared with 20 nonpsychotic patients matched according to sex and age. The psychotic patients presented an atypical psychosis as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, beginning in postadolescence. No significant relationship was observed between corpus callosum agenesis and psychosis. However, a significant association between posterior fossa atrophy and psychosis was established in our study. Although there are limitations in using cross-sectional data for this purpose, the findings suggest an association between cerebellar anomalies and schizophrenialike syndrome and rule out an implication of developmental callosal defects in such psychiatric disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

European multicentre evaluation of the Du Pont Dimension 380 under the auspices of the European Group for the Evaluation of Analytical Systems in Laboratory Medicine (EGE-Lab).

The Clinical Chemistry Analyzer Dimension 380 manufactured by Du Pont de Nemours was tested in a multicentre evaluation according to the guide-lines of the European Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (ECCLS) and in part to the protocol of the Société Française de Biologie Clinique (SFBC). The instrument and the reagents were evaluated as a system, since both reagents and reagent cartridges are specifically designed for the instrument. Fourteen analytes including electrolytes, substrates and enzymes were tested. The evaluators summarized their experience as follows: 1. All parameters tested yield results comparable to established procedures. 2. Very good performance of the ion-selective-electrode unit. 3. The imprecision data of the system are, for most parameters, between 1 and 4% CV and thus equal to or better than those of the instruments compared. 4. No reagent or sample carry-over was detected after a minor modification of the instrument. 5. The linearity of Dimension test methods in general covers the range stated by the manufacturer. 6. Very good stability of the calibration curves (up to 2 months). 7. Good practicability of the whole system, including handling of reagents and a very user-friendly software.

Blood Chemical Analysis↗
PubMed1989

Effects of etybenzatropine and diazepam on levodopa-induced diphasic dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease.

Levodopa-induced onset and end-of-dose dyskinesia are rare but disabling disorders. Although they can be attenuated by increasing and dividing the daily dose of levodopa, this does not constitute a therapeutic approach. In this pilot study, etybenzatropine, an anticholinergic drug, and diazepam, a selective benzodiazepine, were administered in addition to a single dose of levodopa in nine patients with Parkinson's disease. Both drugs tended to decrease the severity and the duration of onset and end-of-dose dyskinesia and to increase the duration of action of levodopa on parkinsonian symptoms.

Diazepam↗
PubMed1989

Antiparkinsonian activity of CY 208-243, a partial D-1 dopamine receptor agonist, in MPTP-treated marmosets and patients with Parkinson's disease.

The effect of stimulation of cerebral dopamine D-1 receptors by CY 208-243 on motor disability was tested in MPTP-treated parkinsonian marmosets and patients with Parkinson's disease. CY 208-243 (0.5-1.25 mg/kg s.c.) produced a dose-related reversal of akinesia and rigidity in the marmosets, lasting some 2 h. Single morning doses of CY 208-243 (5-40 mg) were compared with the usual morning dose of levodopa in eight patients with Parkinson's disease on long-term levodopa therapy who had developed motor fluctuations from immobility with akinesia and rigidity (off) to mobility often with dyskinesias (on). CY 208-243 alone was capable of switching such patients from off to on; five of the eight patients responded to the highest dose (40 mg), sometimes with dyskinesias. The response to CY 208-243 was comparable to that produced by levodopa in these cases. Drugs designed to stimulate both dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in the brain may improve the therapy of Parkinson's disease.

1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine↗
PubMed1983

[Acute benzodiazepine poisoning. Apropos of a study of 162 cases hospitalized for attempted suicide].

From a retrospective series of 162 patients hospitalized for an acute intoxication including the taking of benzodiazepine, the different aspects of this intoxication are looked into. This intoxication is, at the present time, the most frequent among those due to drugs, and the benzodiazepine responsible in most cases are oxazepam, chlorazepate and diazepam. When benzodiazepine are taken alone, in most cases, these intoxications are without troubles or responsible for moderate consciousness troubles. Troubles are over all due to associated toxic drugs, without ethanol seeming to increase considerably the seriousness of troubles. Plasmatic dosages of its compounds are difficult to explain and the levels are discordant with the symptomatology. Particularly, some levels, among the highest, are found in patients having no troubles.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1982

New data on the genetics of Parkinson's disease.

We investigated the clinical and metabolic characteristics of Parkinsonian patients whose illness started before the age of 40. A pilot study of 32 of our own such cases revealed the existence of 3 subgroups: 1. Post-Encephalitic, 2. Onset and course with predominant tremor, 3. Onset and course with akinesia and rigidity. In this early onset group of patients, there was a 46% incidence of familial cases (as opposed to 10-15% in the general Parkinson populations). The cases with tremor onset had a high prevalence of essential tremor in their families, while those with an akineto-rigid onset had a high familial incidence of other cases of Parkinson's Disease. Familial grey hair, hypertension, diabetes and thyroidopathies appeared to be in higher than expected frequency.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Field testing of an ataxia scoring and staging system.

The authors present a simple system for disability scoring and functional staging of an ataxic patient, based on modifications of a previous scheme advocated by De Falco and collaborators (1979). This system was tested under field conditions in 47 ataxic subjects and found to be useful and functional.

Ataxia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Value of visual evoked potentials in multiple sclerosis (MS). Comparative study of results obtained by light flash and checkerboard reversal stimulation].

Evoked visual potentials were studied in 12 subjects diagnosed or suspected of having MS. A comparison was made between these subjects and results obtained with single eye stimulation using a flash of light (101 subjects) or by using a reversible checker-board pattern (58 subjects). Reversible checker-board pattern simulation showed pathological unilateral or bilateral increase in the latency of the main positive spike in the response of 80% of the verified MS cases and 50% of the probable or possible MS cases. These percentages were 25% lower when flashes of light were used as stimulation. 58% of those patients who have never presented ophtalmological symptoms have abnormal latency in responses invoked by the reversible checker-board pattern, as opposed to 20% using flashes of light for stimulation. Study of E.V.P. in normal subjects indicates that the better results obtained with reversible checker-board stimulation can be attributed to greater reproductibility of the response. Analysis of the overall morphology of the responses significantly increases E.V.P. examination efficiency when using flashes of light as stimulation. However, in our series, it does not change the results obtained by only calculating the latency of response to reversal of a checker-board pattern.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of the EMIT Tox enzyme immunoassay for toxicological analysis of benzodiazepines in serum.

Immunoenzymatic test, EMIT Tox, proposed for qualitative and semi quantitative determination of toxicological levels of benzodiazepines in serum is compared with gas chromatography. When used for qualitative purposes in 102 sera, the EMIT Tox test gave 5% error. In semi quantitative determinations, the EMIT Tox test was applied to 139 sera with one or more of the three benzodiazepines (oxazepam, desmethyldiazepam, diazepam), showing a significant correlation with levels measured by gas chromatography; but the EMIT Tox test frequently yields values too low for elevated oxazepam and desmethyldiazepam concentrations.

Benzodiazepines↗