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J Collignon

Publications and source records attributed to J Collignon.

61 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
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Zfy gene expression patterns are not compatible with a primary role in mouse sex determination.

The Y chromosome determines maleness in mammals. A Y chromosome-linked gene diverts the indifferent embryonic gonad from the default ovarian pathway in favour of testis differentiation, initiating male development. Study of this basic developmental switch requires the isolation of the testis-determining gene, termed TDF in humans and Tdy in mice. ZFY, a candidate gene for TDF, potentially encodes a zinc-finger protein, and has two Y-linked homologues, Zfy-1 and Zfy-2, in mice. Although ZFY, Zfy-1 and Zfy-2 seem to map to the sex-determining regions of the human and mouse Y chromosomes, there is no direct evidence that these genes are involved in testis determination. We report here that Zfy-1 but not Zfy-2 is expressed in differentiating embryonic mouse testes. Neither gene, however, is expressed in We/We mutant embryonic testes which lack germ cells. These observations exclude both Zfy-1 and Zfy-2 as candidates for the mouse testis-determining gene.

Animals↗
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Screening for glaucoma in a general population with the non-mydriatic fundus camera and the frequency doubling perimeter.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of non-mydriatic fundus camera (NMFu-camera) and frequency doubling perimeter (FDP) for detecting glaucoma in a general population. METHODS: This prospective observational multicenter study consisted in screening for glaucoma in the populations of three Belgian cities. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured with non-contact pneumo-tonometer (NCT) and applanation tonometry (AT) if NCT IOP was > or = 17 mmHg. Visual field was screened with FDP (C-20-5) and digitized optic disc photographs (ODPs) were taken with NMFu-camera. FDP was considered abnormal if at least one defective point was found. ODPs were graded as normal or glaucomatous by consensus of three glaucoma specialists. Optic disc and visual field results were matched per eye. Subjects with known ocular hypertension and/or treated primary open angle glaucoma were excluded from the analysis. RESULTS: A total of 1620 subjects were included in the study. Their mean age was 63.2 years. AT IOP was > 21 mmHg in 8.2%. A total of 98.1% of ODPs could be interpreted. Glaucomatous optic discs were detected in 3.5% of the subjects. In this group only 24% had an AT IOP > or = 22 mmHg. FDP was abnormal in 44.5%. The sensitivity and specificity of FDP to identify patients with an optic disc graded as glaucomatous were 58.6% and 64.3% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The combined use of the NMFu-camera and the FDP is a feasible method for an initial glaucoma mass screening. NMFu-camera may be a useful and quick method to screen for glaucomatous damage in a community. FDP in screening strategy was revealed to be not sensitive enough when setting the cut-off value at one defective test location. IOP measurements were confirmed to be a poor tool to detect glaucomatous damage.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

High-dose cytotoxic therapy with autologous bone marrow or peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation in malignant lymphomas.

The present paper is an attempt to assess the efficiency of high-dose cytotoxic therapy followed by autologous bone marrow or peripheral progenitor cell rescue with hematopoietic growth factor support given in a group of 27 patients (16 men, 11 women) at the Department of Hematology of the Mont Godinne University Clinics, mainly in the same interval 1990-1994. The reasons for introducing such a therapy in these patients (6 with Hodgkin's disease, 14 with intermediate or high grade, aggressive non Hodgkin lymphomas and 7 with low grade follicular non Hodgkin lymphomas) were relapse of disease after conventional therapy (11 cases), resistance to initial therapy (5 patients) or because of histologically proven transformation to a more aggressive form (one case); in 10 patients with extended, poor prognosis forms, the procedure was used as part of the first line therapy. The conditioning high dose chemotherapy was given according to various regimens, most of them containing Cyclophosphamide, BCNU and Etoposide, with or without total body irradiation. In 14 patients, bone marrow (BM) graft was used, while peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) were infused in the remaining 13 patients. The number of infused granulocyte-macrophage colony forming units (CFU-GM) ranged between 7,650 and 3,900,000/kg, with a mean value of 461,000/kg. The median time intervals required to reach an absolute neutrophil count > 500/microliter, a platelet count > 50,000/microliter and a hematocrit > 30% were 13 days, 20 days and 23 days respectively. Growth factors (GM-CSF and G-CSF) and PBPC use shortened the time for neutrophil recovery as well as neutropenia-related complications. No procedure-related death was observed and complete remission was achieved in 22 cases (81.4%); after a mean follow-up of 32.6 months, 14 patients (55.5%) are alive and free of disease, while in 7 patients (31% of the complete responders) relapse occurred at an average time interval of 8.2 months since the procedure.

Adult↗