PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G Willems

Publications and source records attributed to G Willems.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the gastric stump.

Patients with a history of gastroduodenal surgery for benign lesions are at increased risk of developing cancer of the gastric stump. The majority of malignant tumors arising in gastric remnants are adenocarcinomas, but a few of cases of malignant lymphoma have been reported as well. Some recent studies have suggested that Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis may play a role in the pathogenesis of primary gastric lymphoma. We report a case of primary high grade polymorphic B-cell lymphoma (high grade MALT lymphoma) occurring in the gastric stump of a 74-year-old man 17 years after Billroth-II gastrectomy. The non-tumorous gastric mucosa showed features of reflux gastritis with presence of deeply situated dense lymphoid aggregates in the lamina propria. However, no micro-organisms with the morphology of Helicobacter pylori could be found at the luminal surface. The literature concerning gastric stump lymphomas is reviewed.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Effect of the histamine-2 agonist impromidine on stem cell proliferation of rat oxyntic mucosa.

BACKGROUND: The trophic effect of gastrin on the histamine-containing enterochromaffin-like cell is pronounced but on the stem cell of the oxyntic mucosa it is only modest. In the rat, gastrin stimulates acid secretion mainly by releasing histamine from enterochromaffin-like cells. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that the trophic effect of gastrin on stem cells is also mediated by histamine released from the enterochromaffin-like cell. METHODS: We stimulated rats with the histamine-2 agonist impromidine. Impromidine, 0.2 mg/h, was given for 2 days by subcutaneously implanted osmotic minipumps, and the trophic effect on stem cells was assessed by incorporation of tritiated thymidine. RESULTS: The plasma gastrin concentrations were 33.9 (9.4) pM and 27.3 (6.0) pM, and the stem cell labelling index values were 5.92 (1.94) and 8.09 (3.78) in the controls and impromidine-stimulated animals, respectively (mean value (SD)). These differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The present study provides no evidence that histamine-2 receptors mediate a trophic effect on the stem cell of the rat oxyntic mucosa.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Inhibition of prothrombinase by antithrombin-heparin at a macroscopic surface.

The antithrombin-dependent inhibition of prothrombinase, assembled at a macroscopic surface, was studied under flow conditions utilizing a tubular flow reactor that consists of a phospholipid-coated glass capillary. Prothrombinase activity was determined from steady-state rates of thrombin production upon perfusion with prothrombin and from factor Va-associated factor Xa activity present in the flow reactor. The prothrombinase density was maintained at a low level (0.03 fmol/cm2) to assure that the rate of thrombin production reflected the amount of prothrombinase present in the capillary. Perfusion of the flow reactor with antithrombin resulted in an exponential decrease of prothrombinase activity in time. The second order rate constant (8.5 x 10(4) M-1min-1) is comparable with the rate of inactivation of free factor Xa. Inhibition was much faster when antithrombin was complexed with heparin. The second order rate constants of inhibition decreased with decreasing heparin chain length: 9.6 x 10(7), 4.5 x 10(7) and 0.39 x 10(7) M-1min-1 for unfractionated heparin, low molecular weight heparin and synthetic pentasaccharide heparin, respectively. In the presence of prothrombin (0.2 microM), however, the heparin-dependent rate of inhibition of prothrombinase was about 50-fold lower. The heparin-independent inhibition of prothrombinase by antithrombin (4 microM) in the presence of prothrombin (0.2 microM) was virtually negligible. At a 70-fold higher surface density of prothrombinase (2 fmol/cm2) prothrombinase activity was much faster inactivated. The rate of thrombin production, however, was not affected. In conclusion, at low prothrombinase densities, prothrombin efficiently protects prothrombinase from inhibition.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Antithrombin III↗
PubMed1994

Brain glucose utilisation in acquired childhood aphasia associated with a sylvian arachnoid cyst: recovery after shunting as demonstrated by PET.

Regional brain glucose utilisation was investigated with PET and fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in a case of epileptic aphasia (Landau-Kleffner syndrome) associated with a left sylvian arachnoid cyst. CT and MRI had failed to disclose any mass effect of the cyst on surrounding brain structures. Sequential metabolic measurements showed a comparable pronounced hypometabolism in cortical regions around the cyst, involving speech areas, and suggested mild but chronic compression of the developing brain. After placement of a cyst-peritoneal shunt system, significant metabolic improvement occurred in all cortical regions, especially the inferior frontal gyrus and the perisylvian area, with predominant residual deficit in the left superior temporal gyrus. These findings were correlated with a pronounced increase in word fluency and slower progress in verbal auditory comprehension. This report suggests that PET is able to evaluate the functional disturbances associated with expanding arachnoid cysts, and to follow the neurological improvement after drainage.

Aphasia↗
PubMed1992

Treatment of liver metastases of human colon cancers in nude mice with somatostatin analogue RC-160.

Hepatic metastases of colon 320 DM and WidR human colon cancers in nude mice were treated by s.c. injections of somatostatin analogue RC-160 for 4 weeks. Chronic administration of RC-160 significantly inhibited the incidence and growth of liver metastases of these 2 colon-cancer cell lines. After RC-160 treatment, the incidence of liver metastases decreased by 25% for colon 320 DM cells and by 37.5% for WidR cells. The mean number of metastatic tumors in each liver decreased by 47.9% for colon 320 DM and 42.6% for WidR. Survival times of mice with liver tumors of colon 320 DM and WidR cells were prolonged by 20 days and 7 days, respectively. The inhibitory effect of RC-160 on the growth of these 2 colon cancers implanted s.c. was also observed. After administration of RC-160 for 4 weeks, the mean tumor volume in the treated groups was only 39.8% of that of controls for the colon 320 DM line and 58% for the WidR line. Tumor-growth rate and final tumor weight were also significantly decreased, while tumor-volume doubling time and tumor-growth delay time were prolonged. The effect of RC-160 on cellular proliferation in the tumors was studied by in vivo labelling with bromodeoxyuridine and immunoperoxidase staining. The mean labelling index in the treatment group was reduced by 14.9% and 19.5%, respectively, for colon 320 DM and WidR tumors. The cytostatic effect of RC-160 was also evident from the apparent reduction in DNA and protein content in the tumor tissues of these cancer lines. Our findings suggest that somatostatin analogue RC-160 may be useful for the treatment of patients with hepatic metastases of colon cancer.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Inhibitory effect of somatostatin analogue RC-160 on the growth of hepatic metastases of colon cancer in rats: a study with magnetic resonance imaging.

The effect of somatostatin analogue RC-160 on the growth of hepatic metastases of colon cancer was investigated in rats using magnetic resonance imaging. Experimental liver metastatic tumors were established in syngeneic BDIX rats after intrasplenic injection of DHD/K12 colon adenocarcinoma cells. Each rat with implanted liver tumors received s.c. injections of somatostatin analogue RC-160 (50 micrograms/kg) or the vehicle (control) twice a day for 4 weeks, starting 3 weeks after tumor inoculation. During the treatment with RC-160, the growth of liver tumors was studied quantitatively by measuring liver tumor volumes in vivo with magnetic resonance imaging at intervals of 7 days. Chronic administration of RC-160 inhibited the growth of hepatic metastases of colon cancer in rats. Significant inhibition of liver tumor growth in RC-160-treated rats was observed throughout the treatment. The final liver tumor volume in the treated rats was decreased by 56.1% as compared to the controls. The treatment with RC-160 reduced the percentage increase in liver tumor volume from 1575 +/- 674% (mean +/- SEM) for the control to 1034 +/- 727% in the treated group. The tumor volume doubling time in treated rats was 3.7 days longer than the controls. The liver tumor growth delay time was 15.1 days. At the end of the treatment, the incidence of ascites and the weights of tumorous livers were also decreased by RC-160 treatment. Administration of RC-160 prolonged the median survival time by 13 days in treated rats. In cell cultures, significant inhibitory effects of somatostatin-14 and RC-160 on the growth of DHD/K12 colon cancer cells were determined by MTT assay and [3H]-thymidine incorporation assay, indicating direct effects of these peptides on the growth of colon cancer cells in vitro. These data suggest that administration of RC-160 could inhibit the growth of colon cancer and their hepatic metastases in rats. Somatostatin analogue RC-160 might be considered as a potential new agent for the treatment of patients with hepatic metastases of colorectal cancers.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Quantitative study of the growth of experimental hepatic tumors in rats by using magnetic resonance imaging.

Precise estimation of the volume and growth rate of hepatic metastases would represent an important step forward not only in clinical oncology but also for the evaluation of experimental treatments in animal models. In the present study, an original method of volumetry of hepatic metastatic tumors in vivo has been tested in rats using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Three different hepatic tumor models mimicking liver metastases were established in syngeneic BDIX rats by injection of DHD/K12 rat colon cancer cells either directly under the liver capsule or via the portal system. The liver tumor volumes were estimated in vivo by using MR imaging of the liver and summing the individual tumor volumes in the sequential MR liver sections. The values of the tumor volumes measured by MRI were compared with those determined by a classical method of water displacement in vitro after killing the animals and excising the tumors. At 3 weeks after tumor implantation, liver tumors as small as 1 mm in diameter could be detected by MRI. The difference between the tumor volumes estimated by MRI in vivo and those measured by water displacement in vitro was 9% for single liver tumors and 16% for multiple liver tumors. Close correlation between the values of the tumor volumes measured by MRI and those determined by water displacement was observed in solitary liver tumors (r = 0.985, p less than 0.01) as well as in multiple liver tumors (r = 0.985, p less than 0.01), indicating the high accuracy of MRI volumetry for liver tumors. Estimation of the liver tumor volumes by MRI in the same animals at successive time intervals made it possible to construct tumor growth curves and to calculate tumor growth parameters. These data suggest that MRI volumetry represents an effective means of evaluating the efficacy of experimental treatments in small animals and may have potentially important applications in clinical patients.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

In vitro vibrational wear under small displacements of dental materials opposed to annealed chromium-steel counterbodies.

In vitro vibrational wear tests were performed on 17 composites and one amalgam with human enamel as a reference. The specimens were fixed on a computer-controlled X-Y translation table that generated an oscillatory movement under small displacements. The dental material specimens were in permanent contact with an annealed chromium-steel counterbody. The tests were performed in ambient air of normal humidity at room temperature under non-lubricated sliding conditions. The friction between the counterbody and each of the various materials was measured on-line. After completion of the tests, the wear volumes were determined by contactless profilometry, and the wear pattern was studied with SEM. The simple vibrational test used in this study allowed a fast classification of different dental materials in terms of the relative wear on either the specimen or the counterbody material. The ratio of the wear volume of the counterbody versus the wear volume of the dental material specimen was used to accurately classify the materials according to their in vitro wear behavior, especially when this ratio was related to the total wear volume of the dental material specimen and the counterbody. From an analysis of the wear behavior of the both contacting materials, it became obvious that neither the wear of the dental materials nor of the chromium-steel counterbody appears to correlate with either the inorganic filler hardness, the intrinsic surface roughness, the surface hardness or the Young's modulus of the dental materials.

Chromium Alloys↗
PubMed1992

A classification of dental composites according to their morphological and mechanical characteristics.

The on-going search for a biologically acceptable restorative material has brought a confusing variety of composites on the dental market. In the present study, commercially available composites are categorized as a function of their mean particle size, filler distribution, filler content, Young's modulus, surface roughness, compressive strength, surface hardness, and filler morphology. Out of this information, it can be concluded that the materials of choice for restoring posterior cavities at present are the Ultrafine Compact-Filled Composites because their intrinsic surface roughness, Young's modulus and, indirectly, their filler content, compressive strength, and surface hardness are comparable to the same properties of enamel and dentin. The Ultrafine Midway-Filled Composites seem to be very satisfactory materials for anterior use.

Composite Resins↗
PubMed1992

Marginal adaptation of four tooth-coloured inlay systems in vivo.

This study investigates the margin quality of four different tooth-coloured inlay systems using computer-aided quantitative margin analysis under scanning electron microscopy. Three types of restorations involved chairside procedures using a commercial CAD-CAM apparatus: one type of inlay restoration was milled from preformed glass ceramic blocks, the other two inlay types were milled from preformed porcelain blocks. The fourth system was based on an experimental indirect composite inlay system. Each inlay type was luted with its respective dual-curing luting composite, which was supplied with the system. After 6 months of clinical service, all four systems revealed a significant percentage of submargination indicating occlusal wear of the luting composite. The porcelain inlays and the composite inlays luted with their respective experimental luting composite showed the best marginal adaptation. Luted glass ceramic inlays, in particular, suffered from a significantly higher percentage of inlay margin fractures (9 per cent) and marginal openings (4 per cent) than the other systems. A possible explanation is that the glass ceramic subsurface structure at the inlay-lute interface was weakened by etching with ammonium bifluoride.

Acid Etching, Dental↗
PubMed1992

Marginal accuracy of CAD/CAM inlays made with the original and the updated software.

The software driving the Cerec CAD/CAM system has recently been updated. In this study, the marginal accuracy of computer-machined porcelain inlays was determined using the original and the updated software. Two types of MOD cavities in Frasaco resin teeth were prepared with either sharp or rounded box corners. The distance of the occlusal and proximal marginal interface was determined using a measuring microscope. The mean occlusal interfacial distance was 52 microns for both programs. Only the box corners showed a significantly larger space, of which the mean value was approximately 200 microns. The updated version improved the marginal accuracy at the box corners. Further reduction of the interfacial distance was accomplished by rounding the sharp box corners.

Bicuspid↗
PubMed1992

Unilateral vagal denervation suppresses omeprazole-induced trophic effects on the denervated side of the rat stomach.

In several experimental animals treatment with large doses of the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole leads to hypergastrinemia and with time to trophic effects in the acid-producing part of the stomach, most notably an increased density of the histamine-producing enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells. The trophic effects are thought to reflect the increase in circulating gastrin. In the present study unilateral vagal denervation in the rat partly suppressed the tropic effects seen in the denervated side of the stomach but not those in the intact side after treatment with omeprazole for 10 weeks. Unilateral vagal denervation significantly reduced the proliferative stimulus of omeprazole on the ECL cells in the denervated part of the stomach. Thus, an intact vagal innervation appears to be essential for the capacity of the oxyntic mucosa, including the ECL cells, to respond to elevations in serum gastrin. We suggest that gastrin and the vagus interact to maintain trophic control of the oxyntic glands.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Reversibility of the cell kinetic changes induced by omeprazole in the rat oxyntic mucosa. An autoradiographic study using tritiated thymidine.

Both oxyntic mucosal progenitor cells and enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells are under the trophic control of gastrin. We studied the effect of discontinuing omeprazole-induced hypergastrinemia on cell proliferation and ECL cell function in the rat oxyntic mucosa. All rats had hypergastrinemia after 16 days' omeprazole administration, and the proliferation rate of both progenitor and ECL cells was increased, whereas it was decreased 5 days after withdrawal of omeprazole. Circulating gastrin had normalized by then. The proliferative activity of the progenitor cells returned to normal within 10 days, whereas that of the ECL cells remained suppressed for at least 20 days. The histidine decarboxylase activity of the ECL cells changed in parallel with their proliferative activity. These data suggest either a down-regulation of membrane receptors or the involvement of still unknown inhibitors of mitotic activity and ECL cell function in the oxyntic mucosa.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Somatostatin analogue RC-160 inhibits the growth of transplanted colon cancer in rats.

The effect of somatostatin analogue RC-160 on the growth of DHD/K12 rat colon cancer has been investigated in vivo as well as in vitro. Twenty syngeneic BDIX rats with s.c. implanted tumors were divided randomly into 2 groups. The rats from each group received a daily s.c. injection of either RC-160 (100 micrograms/kg/day) or injection vehicle as control for 37 days starting from the day of tumor inoculation. Tumor volumes were measured every 3-4 days. At the end of the treatment, the mean tumor volume was 504.5 +/- 97.0 mm3 in the control group and 177.8 +/- 60.5 mm3 in the RC-160 treated group (p less than 0.01). The tumor volume doubling time was calculated to be 11 days in the control group and 13.5 days in the RC-160 group, respectively. The tumor growth delay time was 18 days. Using bromodeoxyuridine labelling in vivo, the mean labelling index in the tumors was decreased by 35% (p less than 0.01) after RC-160 treatment. Total protein and total DNA contents in the tumors were decreased by 70.1% (p less than 0.05) and 68.7% (p less than 0.05), respectively. The data indicate that somatostatin analogue RC-160 inhibits the growth of DHD/K12 colon cancer in vivo. In 2 studies in vitro, DHD/K12 cells were cultured for 72 hr with RC-160 and natural somatostatin-14 (S-S-14) at concentrations ranging from 62.5 ng/ml to 2,000 ng/ml. Tumor-cell growth was measured spectrophotometrically by the crystal violet staining assay. No direct effect on tumor cell growth in vitro was observed with either RC-160 or S-S-14, possibly because of the loss of somatostatin receptors in previous passages of the DHD/K12 cell line.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1991

Radiopacity of composites compared with human enamel and dentine.

A 99.5 per cent pure aluminium step-wedge served as reference for evaluating the radiopacity of 55 anterior and posterior composites. The radiopacity of all materials evaluated was compared with the radiopacity of human enamel and human dentine of equivalent sample thickness. Seventeen composites exhibited a radiopacity significantly greater than that of enamel. Some composites intended for posterior use lack the radiopacity required for posterior composite restorations.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1991

The surface roughness of enamel-to-enamel contact areas compared with the intrinsic roughness of dental resin composites.

The purpose of this study was to determine the surface roughness of enamel-to-enamel contact areas in order to provide a standard for comparison with surface characteristics of commercially available composite restorative materials. In addition, the inherent surface roughness of resin composites was evaluated profilometrically after a toothbrush abrasion procedure. A one-sided t-test analysis was performed to outline significant differences between the surface roughness value of enamel facets and that of the respective composite samples. A surface roughness of 0.64 +/- 0.25 micron (mean +/- S.D.) was found for the enamel-to-enamel contact areas.

Bicuspid↗