Biomedical subjects

H Berard

Publications and source records attributed to H Berard.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1996

Treatment of refractory diarrhoea in AIDS with acetorphan and octreotide: a randomized crossover study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and tolerance of acetorphan, an orally active enkephalinase inhibitor whose antidiarrhoeal properties derive from a purely antisecretory activity, to that of octreotide, a subcutaneously administered somatostatin analogue, in the treatment of refractory diarrhoea in AIDS patients. DESIGN: An open randomized crossover trial. SETTING: The inpatient medical units of three hospitals. PATIENTS: Thirteen adult inpatients with AIDS and refractory diarrhoea that lasted for 35 +/- 8 weeks despite use of traditional antidiarrhoeal agents and was characterized by 7.0 +/- 1.2 stools/day, weighing 1033 +/- 174 g/day with a lipid output of 18.8 +/- 3.5 g/day. INTERVENTIONS: Acetorphan (100-300 mg thrice daily) and octreotide (50-150 micrograms thrice daily) were given in random order during two 1-week periods. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Response was defined as a reduction by at least one-third of both daily stool number and weight. RESULTS: The mean daily stool number was reduced to 4.6 +/- 1.1 with acetorphan (P < or = 0.05) but was 5.6 +/- 1.2 with octreotide (NS). Whereas two patients responded to both treatments, two responded to acetorphan alone and one to octreotide alone. Daily lipid output in faeces was reduced non-significantly with acetorphan (11.5 +/- 2.3 g) but was nearly doubled with octreotide (33.7 +/- 12.0 g). Acetorphan was very well tolerated. CONCLUSION: Enkephalinase inhibitors may be a useful alternative to somatostatin analogues in the management of refractory diarrhoea in AIDS.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Action of enkephalinase (EC 3.4.24.11) inhibition on the pre- and post-prandial electromyographic patterns of colon in rats.

Endogenous opioids are an important regulatory factor for the digestive tract and specially for its motility pattern. Enkephalin degradation includes an enkephalinase (EC 3.4.24. 11) and the effects on the colic electromyographic profile of its inhibition by acetorphan has been investigated in the unrestrained rat. Electromyogram consisted of Long Spike Bursts (LSB). In fasted state, they propagated indifferently in both aboral or oral directions from any point of the colon. Feeding privileges LSB which start near the cecal junction and propagated aborally to the distal colon. The acetorphan treatment (A) increases the percentage of LSB propagating aborally on the entire colon in fasted state and (B) reinforces the increased percentage of LSB which propagated down on the entire colon induced by feeding. All the actions of acetorphan on colic motility pattern disappear after inhibition of opioid receptors by naloxone. That may account for involvement of enkephalins in acetorphan properties on the pattern of the colic electrical activity.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

The enkephalinase inhibitor, acetorphan, in acute diarrhoea. A double-blind, controlled clinical trial versus loperamide.

The antidiarrhoeal properties of acetorphan, an inhibitor of enkephalinase (EC 3.4.24.11) that prevents endogenous enkephalin degradation, and loperamide, a mu opiate receptor agonist, were compared. The double-blind study included 69 patients with acute diarrhoea of presumed infectious origin, allocated at random to two parallel groups. Acetorphan and loperamide were both rapidly and similarly effective, diarrhoea resolving in both cases in nearly 2 days. With acetorphan, however, abdominal distension vanished significantly more rapidly, and reactive constipation was less frequent (8% versus 31% with loperamide). These differences can be accounted for by the distinct mechanisms of antidiarrhoeal activity of the two drugs--that is, primary antitransit effect for loperamide and antisecretory activity for acetorphan.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1983

Hepatic angiosarcoma.

The computed tomographic findings of a case of hepatic angiosarcoma are presented. Although many findings are similar to hemangioma, some features can suggest the diagnosis of angiosarcoma.

Angiography↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[40 cases of dengue (serotype 3) occurring in a military camp during an epidemic in New Caledonia (1989). The value of vector control].

An epidemic of dengue occurred at the beginning of 1989 in New Caledonia. About 18 p.c. of the population was stricken (25,000 to 30,000 estimated clinical cases). The military camp of Plum was stricken too, but a prompt vector control was established. 8.6 p.c. of the strength was affected by classical dengue without severe hemorrhagic manifestations. Such prevalence is lower than the one rated in the civil population, demonstrating the major importance of vector control to limit spreading of such an epidemic as a tetravalent vaccine is not yet available.

Aedes↗