PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J P Schaal

Publications and source records attributed to J P Schaal.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Detection of cervical precancer and cancer in a hospital population; benefits of testing for human papillomavirus.

The aim was to determine the relevance of human papillomavirus (HPV) testing in identifying high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or worse (CIN2/3+) in a hospital population (n=3574) characterised by a high rate of cytological abnormalities and high-risk HPV infections. According to the results of the initial Papanicolaou and HPV test, women were directly referred for colposcopy/biopsy or recalled for a control visit. Sensitivity and specificity were corrected for verification bias. HPV-testing sensitivity was 94.3%, higher than that of cytological testing at any cut-off point (65.1%-86.8%), while specificity was greater for cytology than for HPV testing (99.3% or 91.8% versus 83.4%). The combination of both tests allowed 100% sensitivity and negative predictive value. We conclude that HPV testing is a relevant tool for the detection of cervical disease. The best way of combining cytology and HPV detection in screening programmes should be evaluated in large-scale studies.

Adolescent↗

High-risk papillomavirus infection is associated with altered antibody responses in genital tract: non-specific responses in HPV infection.

In order to gain more information about local humoral immune responses to HPV infection, we quantified IgG, IgM, secretory-IgA (S-IgA), and total-IgA by ELISA, and lysozyme and lactoferrin by TR-IFMA, in cervical and cervicovaginal secretions of 40 healthy women and 28 high-risk HPV infected patients (11 were HPV16+). IgG, total-IgA, and S-IgA concentrations in cervicovaginal secretions (p < 0.0001) and high IgG and total-IgA concentrations (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively) in endocervical secretions were significantly higher in HPV+ patients than in the healthy group. Since the S-IgA/total-IgA ratio was significantly lower in cervicovaginal (7.5%) and endocervical secretions (36.5%) in HPV+ women compared to the control group (p < 0.003 and p < 0.001, respectively), HPV could be responsible for an increase in local production of non-secretory IgA (monomeric and dimeric forms). IgG and total-IgA concentrations in cervicovaginal and endocervical secretions fell in the same general percentage range in both HPV16+ and HPV+ groups (80% and 15%, respectively). However, the S-IgA/total-IgA ratio was much lower in HPV16+ than in HPV+ women, in both cervicovaginal secretions (3.4%) (p < 0.003) and in endocervical secretions (23.3%) (p < 0.001). Innate immunity proteins and local S-IgA response could not stop the spread of HPV infection in spite of high lysozyme and lactoferrin concentrations. HPV16+ disturbed the local humoral immune system, which could partly explain its low clearance.

Adolescent↗

Improved TRAP-silver staining versus conventional radioactive TRAP assays: quantification of telomerase activity during immortalization and in pathological human endometrium.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a sensitive telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP)-silver staining assay for telomerase activity quantification. DESIGN AND METHODS: TRAP assays were performed by using a TRAPeze telomerase kit with or without [alpha-32P]-dCTP. Amplification products were electrophoresed in polyacrylamide gels and detected by autoradiography or a modified silver staining protocol. Telomerase activity was quantified from radioactive counts or optical density of telomerase products from test extracts and controls. RESULTS: TRAP-silver staining assay was at least as sensitive as radioactive TRAP assay and quantified telomerase activity within linearity from 10 to 3,000 cell equivalents. Both methods quantified a weak telomerase activity in normal endometrial glandular epithelial cells (GEC) and a strong increase in immortalized GEC. In human pathologic endometria (n=24), telomerase activity was correlated with lesion seriousness and distinguished simple hyperplasias from nonhyperplasic or cancerous lesions. CONCLUSIONS: TRAP-silver staining assay is suitable for cell and tissue telomerase activity routine quantification.

Adult↗

[Lactate measurements and acid-base balance in cord blood].

OBJECTIVE: To compare two techniques of lactate measurements in cord blood: either by electrochemical strip method with Lactate Pro of KDK in the umbilical artery alone (series 1) or by enzymatic method with Rapid lab Analyzer of Bayer in the two vessels (series 2) with acid base balance being also determined. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Series 1 included 353 neonates with a mean gestational age of 37 (+/- 3.6) weeks and series 2 included 410 newborns with a mean gestational age of 38 (+/- 3.1) weeks. RESULTS: Data was presented as mean and SD. In the first series mean umbilical artery lactate concentration was 3.71 (+/- 1.81) mmol/l. In the second series mean umbilical artery blood gas and lactate levels were as follows: pH = 7.25 (+/- 0.9), pCO2 = 6.55 (+/- 1.39) kPa; BD = 6.61 (+/- 3.33) mmol/l, lactate 3.92 (+/- 1.81) mmol/l. The 3rd percentile of pH was 7.05 whereas the 97th percentile of lactate was 7.54 mmol/l. There was a close correlation between lactate and pH, and lactate and BD. Lactate concentration was higher in case of instrumental delivery compared to spontaneous one: 4.65 versus 3.76 mmol/l (p = 0.0001, Student test). No perfect correlation was found between lactate level and neonatal outcome but there was not a significant number of neonates with immediate complication. CONCLUSION: Lactate measurements obtained with single use strip method are valuable and easy to perform.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗

[Epidemiology and natural history of genital infection by human papillomavirus].

Human papillomavirus genital infection is a very common sexual transmitted disease, probably the most common of them. On one hand, this infection is more often than not transient and asymptomatic and induces an effective immunity which allows the infection cure; on the other hand it can be responsible for an intraepithelial lesion which can progress to an invasive cancer. In spite of the decrease of cervical cancer incidence thanks to Pap smear screening, it remains a real preoccupation for clinicians. If HPV is not sufficient for cervical carcinogenesis, it represents however a necessary factor. Near 100% of cervical cancers are indeed positive in HPV DNA. HPV infection is very frequent in young people aged less than 25 years and viral clearance average is 8 months. This clearance is the consequence of host immunity intervention which leads to spontaneous regression of infection and of the overwhelming majority of low grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (more than 80% within a period of two years). The major factor which permits the progression to high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions is the persistent feature of HPV infection. Cervical cancer is clearly the first viral-induced solid tumor discovered in human species. Furthermore it represents a woman death cause that can be avoided.

Adult↗

[Epidemiology of cervical papillomavirus infections. Recent knowledge].

GENERAL DATA: There is now considerable evidence that high risk human papillomaviruses (HPV), such as HPV 16, are closely associated with cancer of the cervix. HPVs that are primarily transmitted through sexual contact, are found in over 99% of the cases of invasive cervical cancer. Although most women can be infected during their sexual life, a small minority is at risk for developing cancer. The long latency period between primary infection and cancer emergence suggests that additional factors are involved in the process of tumor development: sexual behavior, immune status, genetic predispositions, nutritional status, tobacco use, socio-economical level. NATURAL HISTORY: HPVs infect epithelial cells of the transformation zone of the cervix. As with other sexually transmitted diseases, the incidence of HPV infection is highest among young women. However, this viral infection is more often than not transient, because most individuals develop an effective type-specific immune response. Approximately 1% of the population has genital warts and 4% of women have cervical precancerous lesions: low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LGSIL) or high grade SIL. These last lesions preferentially observed in women aged 35-40 yrs are at high risk of progression towards an invasive cancer. ONCOGENIC POTENTIAL OF HPV: Pre-malignant and malignant cells arise as a result of HPV DNA integration in the host cellular genome, and overexpression of the viral E6 and E7 oncogenes. Cells acquire a proliferative advantage by escaping growth control exerted by p53 and p 105Rb. Both cellular proteins are indeed inactivated respectively by E6 and E7 proteins. Aneuploidy and karyotypic abnormalities are also key events in the tumor progression. A PREVENTABLE DISEASE: Cervical cancer is more than ever a preventable disease. While waiting for clinically applicable vaccination programs, strategies to prevent cervical cancer include 1) improved screening covering the widest possible population and using HPV testing, 2) close management and follow-up of women with precancerous lesions.

Adult↗

[Obstetrical vacuum: a modern instrument].

Contrary to the forceps, the vacuum extractor has clearly progressed in the last years. The use of the vacuum extractor increases in every developed countries, certainly because of an easier learning than forceps. Furthermore, maternal after-effects of the delivery like sphincters injuries and anal incontinence seem to be less frequent with vacuum extractor than with forceps. For these reasons the American College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (ACOG) recommend a large use and a priority teaching of this fetal extraction instrument. The technical aspects of use of the vacuum extractor are developed in this article, and personnel results are added as commentaries.

Atmospheric Pressure↗

[An appreciation of maternal smoking with high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of maternal and neonatal urinary cotinine].

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation of urinary cotinine levels in mothers and newborns with the number of cigarettes smoked at the end of pregnancy. Population and methods. We recorded the smoking habits of 123 mothers attending a university maternity clinic and measured urinary cotitine levels in mothers and their newborns. All mothers were Europeans and gave birth to a normal full-term (37 weeks gestation) infant. Cotinine levels were measured with high-performance liquid chromatography from urine samples taken during the 6-hour period prior to or after delivery for the mothers and 24-h after birth for the newborns. RESULTS: The average cotinine level for non-smoking mothers, for those who smoked one to nine cigarettes a day and heavy smokers (ten or more cigarettes per day) were 0.21, 2.17 and 4.28 mol/l respectively (p<0.001). The average levels in their newborns were 0.04, 0.39 and 1.36 mol/l respectively (p<0.001). Thirteen percent of the mothers who claimed they did not smoke had cotinine levels higher than the significance cut-off (0.3 mol/l). There was a significant correlation 1) between the number of cigarettes the mothers stated they smoked at the end of pregnancy and their urinary cotinine concentrations (cotinine level=0.213 + 0.349 cigarettes, r=0.78, p<0.001); 2) between the number of cigarettes smoked and newborn's urinary cotinine concentration (cotinine level=0.002 + 0.104 cigarettes/day, r=0.81, p<0.001); and 3) between the mother's and the newborn's urinary cotinine concentrations (newborn cotinine=0.027 + 0.219 maternal cotinine, r=0.77, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The number of cigarettes smoked at the end of pregnancy accounts for roughly 50% of the variance in the mother's urinary cotinine level and that in her newborn at birth. The urinary cotinine concentration in newborns is 3 to 5 times lower than that of their mothers. A woman smoking 3 cigarettes per day has a urinary cotinine concentration of 1 mol/l. The urinary cotinine level in newborns is 1 mol/l for mothers smoking 10 cigarettes per day.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

[Instrumental and manual maneuvers during delivery].

Delivery through the maternal genital tract can be assisted or performed using specific instruments. In France, these techniques are used in 15% of deliveries. The three instruments used are the forceps, the vacuum extractor and the spatula. Manual manoeuvres are essentially used in breech presentation. These are mainly partial and total breech extractions with their many variations. The version consisting of external manoeuvering precedes delivery. In cephalic presentations, the only possible manual manoeuvre is manual rotation of the foetal head.

Extraction, Obstetrical↗

Genital human papillomavirus infection among women recruited for routine cervical cancer screening or for colposcopy determined by Hybrid Capture II and polymerase chain reaction.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical use of the Hybrid Capture (HC)-II system for the detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA to identify women at risk of progression to high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HGSIL) and carcinomas by differentiating low risk (LR) HPV types (6, 11, 42, 43, 44) and high/intermediate risk (HR) HPV types (16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68). Five hundred and ninety-six women were enrolled in the study. Among them, 466 attended the hospital for routine cytologic screening and 130 were referred for colposcopy because of an abnormal Pap smear. The presence of HPV DNA was tested in cervical samples collected with the Digene Cervical Sampler in Digene Specimen Transport Medium (Digene Corporation, Silver Spring, MD, U.S.A.) using the HC-II assay. Results were compared with those obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the MY09-MY11 primers followed by several hybridizations with specific probes. The overall HPV positivity was 32.9% by HC-II and 37.8% by PCR. Among cytologically normal smears, 19.5% were positive by HC-II (14.3% HR) and 25.1% by PCR. Of the atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance samples, 52.9% were positive by HC-II (41.1% HR) and 55.9% by PCR. Of the low grade SIL, 64.5% were positive by HC-II (59.4% HR) and 68.7% by PCR. The HPV positivity rate was found identical by both techniques in high grade smears (81.6%) and squamous cervical carcinomas (100%). By using PCR as the reference method, the sensitivity of HC-II was higher among women with abnormal cytology than with normal cytology (87.3% vs. 70%). Specificity was 80.8% and 97.5%, respectively. In summary, these results indicate that the HC-II method and MY-PCR identified nearly equivalent prevalences of HPV in cervical smear specimens.

Adolescent↗

[Maternal and fetal prognosis of occipito-posterior presentation].

Occipito-posterior persistent presentation is a relatively rare obstetrical condition, occurring in 2 to 4.5% of deliveries. Failure of the occiput to spontaneously rotate has been associated with increased maternal and neonatal morbidity. We performed a retrospective study of 210 vaginal occiput posterior deliveries to investigate the influence of this position on maternal and fetal morbidity. Our results demonstrate that overall prognosis of occipito-posterior persistent presentation is good but less auspicious than occipito-anterior presentation on account of importance of perineal injuries and maternal and fetal infections. Forceps extraction in posterior presentation is criticized today. In our opinion, the vacuum extractor is the better instrument because it is less aggressive to maternal tissues and also because, in most cases, the fetal head rotates anteriorly after provoked flexion.

Adolescent↗

[Value of histologic examination of the interamniotic membrane in the twin placenta for confirmation of chorionicity diagnosis].

The interest of twin chorionocity and zygosity diagnosis is unquestioned. Indeed, in many medical situations, the knowledge of zygosity is an important fact for management of twins. Prenatal echographia is not a perfect tool to characterize chorionicity, and so postnatal examination of the placenta is always necessary. But macroscopic examination is also not relevant, and competent midwives can make many mistakes. Considering that biological postnatal diagnosis of twin zygosity is difficult and costly, we believe that microscopic chorionicity confirmation is required for identical twins.

Amnion↗

Use of energy color Doppler in visualizing fetal pulmonary vascularization to predict the absence of severe pulmonary hypoplasia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to determine if the assessment of pulmonary vascularization by energy color Doppler during ultrasound examination can predict the absence of pulmonary hypoplasia before birth in situations where it is a high risk. METHODS: In a prospective study of 12 pregnancies presenting a risk of pulmonary hypoplasia (5 early and prolonged premature ruptures of the membranes, 1 diaphragmatic hernia, 1 chylothorax, 1 pulmonary sequestration, 1 omphalocele, 1 anamnios and 2 Potter's syndromes) energy color Doppler was used to visualize pulmonary vascularization. RESULTS: In 10 cases where pulmonary vascularization could be visualized, none of the infants had pulmonary hypoplasia. In the 2 cases of Potter's syndrome where pulmonary vascularization was not visualized there was a pulmonary hypoplasia. CONCLUSION: The visualization of fetal pulmonary vascularization with energy color Doppler in situations with a high risk of pulmonary hypoplasia can predict the absence of severe pulmonary hypoplasia.

Adult↗

[A rare cause of postpartum hemorrhage: a genital thrombus].

Puerperal hematoma is a grave but fortunately rare hemorrhagic post-partum complication (occurring in less than 1:1000 deliveries). The hematoma arises due to detachment of para-vaginal conjunctive tissue. In this type of tissue, no natural hemostasis take place and the hematoma may spread into the retroperitoneal cavity. The different risk factors include primiparity, instrumental extraction of the foetus, pre-eclampsia, twin pregnancy and the presence of vulvo-vaginal varicose veins. External bleeding may not always be evident and other clinical symptoms may be delayed. Despite this, rapid course may still occur with drastic consequences. When a case is referred, an examination of the vulvo-vaginal region is mandatory, resuscitation and surgery performed immediately. If this fails angiographic embolization should be carried out. The prognostic outcome of this rare case of post-partum hemorrhagia is highly dependent on early diagnosis and rapid treatment involving close cooperation between obstetricians and anesthetists, and also of rapid embolization to prevent possible intractable hematomas.

Adult↗