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J F Brechot

Publications and source records attributed to J F Brechot.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Specific pruritic diseases of pregnancy. A prospective study of 3192 pregnant women.

BACKGROUND AND DESIGN: For a period of 1 year, all pregnant women presenting with itching were investigated by clinical, histologic, immunopathologic, and laboratory studies. Fifty-one of 3192 pregnant women were studied. RESULTS: We identified (1) two typical cases of herpes gestationis, with an approximate incidence of one in 1700 pregnancies; (2) 22 cases of pruritus gravidarum, including five cases with a polymorphous skin eruption, with an incidence of one in 145 pregnancies; (3) 25 cases of polymorphic eruption of pregnancy, including diseases without maternal or fetal side effects and without criteria defining herpes gestationis or pruritus gravidarum, with an incidence of one in 130 pregnancies; and (4) two cases of intercurrent disease (one scabies and one exfoliative dermatitis). CONCLUSION: Our study is a prospective homogeneous account of pruritic dermatosis of pregnancy. Our results show that the incidence of herpes gestationis is higher than is usually reported in the literature and that pruritus gravidarum must be considered in the presence of itching occurring during pregnancy, with or without skin eruption.

Female

[Decrease of haptoglobin serum level in patients with chronic viral hepatitis C].

Serum levels of haptoglobin, an acute phase protein, in usually increased in patients with inflammation and decreased in patients with intravascular hemolysis. Changes in haptoglobin serum levels were also observed in patients with liver disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum level of haptoglobin in patients with chronic viral hepatitis C. Haptoglobin serum levels were measured by rate nephelometry in 34 patients with histologically proven chronic viral hepatitis C and in 30 controls. Haptoglobin serum levels were lower in patients than in controls (0.56 +/- 0.36 versus 0.90 +/- 0.35 g/L, P < 0.001). In patients with chronic hepatitis but without cirrhosis, haptoglobin serum levels were decreased as well. Haptoglobin serum levels were positively correlated to prothrombin index (P < 0.001) and negatively correlated to the histology activity index of Knodell (P < 0.001), and especially to scores of fibrosis (P < 0.001) and periportal necrosis (P < 0.05). Red cell count, indirect bilirubin level, and reticulocyte count, as markers of hemolysis, were similar in patients and controls. We conclude that determination of haptoglobin serum levels may be useful in the evaluation and the follow-up of patients with chronic viral hepatitis C.

Adult

[Short-duration fatty meal loading for the assessment of intestinal malabsorption syndromes in children: preliminary study].

The determination of fecal fat gives a reliable index for studying fat intestinal absorption in children, but requires the collection of whole day stools for 3 consecutive days. To avoid stool collection constraint, the authors implemented a 3-point short-duration fatty meal test with determination of subsequent increase in serum levels of triglycerides and chylomicrons which then were compared to fasting values. Normal values were determined among control healthy children. Five patients with diagnosed malabsorption syndromes showed markedly impaired results. This fatty meal test seemed simple, easy to perform during a full-day admission. Further studies are being implemented to confirm its good diagnostic value.

Administration, Oral