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Biomedical subjects

J Declercq

Publications and source records attributed to J Declercq.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Surgical repair of a tibial fracture in a Belgian Landrace pig.

This paper reports the surgical treatment of a tibial fracture in a castrated adult male Belgian Landrace pig of 180 kg. The fracture was repaired using an intramedullary Steinmann pin, combined with cerclage wire and external transfixation. In contrast to other animal species, the fracture repair in the pig was hindered by the short and curved bones, the thick subcutaneous fat layer and the pronounced musculature. Postoperatively, the pig developed an osteomyelitis of the tibia due to pin tract contamination. Despite this complication, the fracture healed acceptably when all fixation material was removed two months after surgery. The infection resolved quickly and a satisfactory clinical result was obtained.

Animals↗

Calcinosis involving multiple paws in a cat with chronic renal failure and in a cat with hyperthyroidism.

Calcinosis of multiple paws is described in two cats. A metastatic pathogenesis was supported by the laboratory findings of hyperphosphataemia and a calcium x phosphorus solubility product > 7 g/L. Hyperparathyroidism could not be confirmed because a valid feline parathyroid hormone assay was not available at the time. One cat was diagnosed with chronic renal failure and presented initially with an irregular nodular calcification on the chin. Dietary and medical management was unsuccessful and ultimately the animal was euthanased. Hyperthyroidism was diagnosed in another cat by laboratory findings and scintigraphic imaging. In addition, the cat had a hyperphosphataemia in the absence of azotaemia. Intravenous administration of radioactive iodine as (131)I was accompanied by reduction and normalization in serum total thyroxine and phosphorus concentrations and resulted in resolution of calcification in the paws.

Animals↗

Pustular calicivirus dermatitis on the abdomen of two cats following routine ovariectomy.

An unusual form of calicivirus dermatitis is described in two cats. Two fully vaccinated cats were re-admitted for anorexia and depression following routine ovariectomy. Signs of upper respiratory disease were not present. One cat subsequently showed painful necrosis of the incision wound, the other one developed dyspnoea with pleural effusion and discrete tongue ulcers. Intact pustular lesions confined to the surgically prepared abdomen appeared in both cats, respectively, on days 11 and 9. The histopathological diagnosis was panepidermal pustulosis and necrotizing dermatitis. Positive immunohistochemical staining consistent with feline calicivirus antigen was detected in epithelial cells within pustular lesions. The cats were treated with antibiotics and ketoprofen. The cat with progressive dyspnoea was euthanized. The clinical signs in the other cat rapidly and completely resolved following glucocorticoid therapy. It is hypothesized that the reported cases may represent a distinct calicivirus-induced pustular dermatitis following ovariectomy.

Animals↗

Sleeping sickness resurgence in the DRC: the past decade.

An overview of the evolution of sleeping sickness and control activities in the DRC during the period 1989-1998 is presented. A resurgence was already developing in the mid-1980s and, after a breakdown of active case-finding between 1990 and 1993, annual detection rates attained levels similar to those of the late 1920s. Although a staggering number of 150 591 new cases have been detected during the past decade, the problem is ignored by most of the international community. The major cause for the resurgence appears to be the interruption of active case-finding for a prolonged period of time. Control activities have improved considerably in recent years, but a lot remains to be done and supplementary resources are needed.

Animals↗

Salmonella typhi osteomyelitis.

Salmonella infections in man can be divided in five clinical groups: enteric fever, septicaemia without localization, focal disease, gastroenteritis and the carrier state. Salmonella typhi is mostly associated with enteric fever and the carrier state. Bone infections due to S. typhi have been reported relatively seldom. They usually occur as the result of metastatic spread during septicaemia or, more rarely, after direct inoculation. Two patients with S. typhi osteomyelitis of the forearm without evidence of a primary infection or direct inoculation are presented here.

Adult↗

Watering sites in Glossina fuscipes habitat as the major foci for the transmission of Gambiense sleeping sickness in an endemic area of southern Sudan.

In an area of endemic gambiense sleeping sickness in southern Sudan, the vegetation around 40 wells was categorised in terms of potential habitat for the vector, Glossina fuscipes, and the probability of repeated man/fly contact. These observations were related to the results of sleeping sickness surveys including the use of serodiagnostic (ICHA and CATT) tests which allowed the detection of the great majority of cases. Riverine woodland and gallery forest were the primary habitat of G. fuscipes and 1286 people using wells in this vegetation had an 11.1% infection rate including parasitological, clinical and serological cases. In contrast, 638 people using wells in open situations where the presence of G. fuscipes was unlikely, showed a significantly lower (4.5%) infection rate. These observations provide a basis for planning localised tsetse control, using, for example, insecticide impregnated targets, co-ordinated with mass survey and treatment of the human population.

Animals↗

Treatment of gambiense sleeping sickness in the Sudan with oral DFMO (DL-alpha-difluoromethylornithine), an inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase; first field trial.

Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), a specific, irreversible inhibitor of polyamine biosynthesis shown to be curative in animal models inoculated with various Trypanosoma spp., was evaluated in the Southern Sudan in a preliminary open clinical field trial in patients infected with Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. 20 patients were studied including 18 with late-stage disease involving the central nervous system, 16 of whom were refractory to arsenical treatment. In late-stage disease monotherapy with oral DFMO doses of about 400 mg/kg/day for five to six weeks was associated with disappearance of parasites from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), decreased CSF WBC counts and protein concentrations and reversal of clinical signs. Side effects associated with this dose regimen included diarrhoea, abdominal discomfort and anaemia, but were seldom sufficiently severe to prompt discontinuing therapy. In early-stage patients about 200 mg/kg/day for six weeks appears adequate to eliminate parasites and reverse clinical symptoms and is well tolerated. Three cases of late-stage sleeping sickness and two of early-stage disease followed up for approximately one and a half to two years after treatment indicated that DFMO monotherapy can be curative. Additional studies are needed to define optimal posology. Inhibition of polyamine biosynthesis is a promising new approach to therapy of trypanosomiasis.

Adolescent↗