PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Clement

Publications and source records attributed to M Clement.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

A typical case of pemphigoid gestationis with a unique pattern of intercellular immunofluorescence.

Pemphigoid gestationis is an autoimmune bullous disorder affecting pregnant women which typically presents in the second and third trimester of pregnancy with an itchy bullous eruption on the abdomen and limbs. The diagnosis is confirmed by the presence of complement-binding IgG antibasement membrane zone (BMZ) antibodies, which bind to the roof of salt-split skin. We describe a case of clinically typical pemphigoid gestationis with the combination of intercellular IgG and BMZ IgG and C3 staining on immunofluorescence, a pattern which is unique for this condition.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Effect of dietary alpha-linolenic acid deficiency on habituation.

Three weeks before mating, two groups of SWISS OF1 mice were fed a diet that was similar but contained either peanut oil poor in alpha-linolenic acid [18:3(n-3)] (n-3 deficient = deficient mice = (n-3)-) or peanut + rapeseed oil rich in alpha-linolenic acid (n-3 nondeficient = controls = (n-3)+). Pups, fed the same diet as their dams, aged 45 to 62 days were used for brain lipid analysis and for behavioral experiments, aimed at determining whether there is a relation between the dietary intake of alpha-linolenate and a simple form of learning: habituation. The behavior of mice was compared using four models: exploration recorded in a photocell actimeter, activity in an open-field, duration of immobility in the forced swimming test and number of escape attempts from a small closed space. Habituation was measured by testing the mice in the same situation after some time had elapsed since the first test. Exploration in the photocell actimeter was significantly reduced between day 1 and 4 in nondeficient mice, but, not in deficient mice. The number of square crossings in the open-field was significantly reduced on the second test neither in the control nor in the deficient mice. In the forced swimming test, the habituation (increase in duration of immobility) was significantly greater (255%) in nondeficient than in deficient mice (163%). In the escape attempt experiment, the habituation showed a trend to be greater in controls than in deficient mice (p = 0.061) and was significantly greater in females than in males (p = 0.028). These results suggest that a simple form of learning, habituation, occurs more slowly in mice fed a diet deficient in alpha-linolenic acid.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Clinical and pathological associations with p53 tumour-suppressor gene mutations and expression of p21WAF1/Cip1 in colorectal carcinoma.

Inactivation of the p53 tumour-suppressor gene is common in a wide variety of human neoplasms. In the majority of cases, single point mutations in the protein-encoding sequence of p53 lead to positive immunohistochemistry (IHC) for the p53 protein, and are accompanied by loss of the wild-type allele. Recently, the WAF1/Cip1 gene was identified as one of the genes induced by wild-type p53, and increased expression of p21WAF1/Cip1 has been found to reflect the status of the p53 tumour-suppressor pathway. We investigated the inactivation of p53 in a relatively small, but well-characterised, group of 46 colorectal carcinomas that were previously studied for allelic alterations, ras oncogene mutations and DNA aneuploidy. Alterations in p53 were identified by IHC, loss of 17p and DNA sequence analysis of exons 5-8, whereas p21WAF1/Cip1 protein expression was determined by IHC. p53 mutations were identified in 19 of the 46 tumours (41%), whereas positive IHC for p53 was found in 21 of the 46 tumours (46%). Positive IHC for p21WAF1/Cip1 was detected in 16 of 42 cases (38%). We found no relationship between p21WAF1/Cip1 staining and p53 protein expression or p53 mutational status. Inactivating mutations in the p53 gene correlated with LOH at 17p but not with LOH at 5q or 18q, Dukes' stage, tumour grade or DNA ploidy. There was a higher survival rate independent of Dukes' stage in the group with no alterations in p53 compared with those with evidence of dysfunction of p53, but the difference was not statistically significant. We conclude that inactivation of p53 and altered expression of p21WAF1/Cip1 are common in colorectal carcinoma but do not correlate with each other or with the clinical or pathological parameters investigated.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1996

A new method of intralesional bleomycin therapy in the treatment of recalcitrant warts.

We have used a new technique of bleomycin injection to treat intractable palmar, plantar and periungual warts. Following local anaesthesia with topical EMLA (lignocaine and prilocaine) cream, 1 mg/ml bleomycin solution was dropped on to the wart and 'pricked' into the wart using a Monolet needle. We achieved 92% success rate which compares well with other authors whose success rates with intralesional bleomycin vary between 33 and 92%. We conclude that this technique of intralesional bleomycin therapy is an effective, safe and generally well tolerated treatment for recalcitrant warts.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

The characteristics of women who stay married to bipolar men.

1. Although a body of knowledge allows intervention of and effective therapy for bipolar affective behavior, only a few mental health professionals treating them have focused on the quality of their marriages, or the specific attitudes of the well spouses toward marital problems or divorce. 2. The present results showed that women married to men with bipolar affective disorder have more problems with separation-individuation than women married to men who are not bipolar. 3. Unresolved anxiety about separation from a loved object, anxiety that dates back to early childhood, may need to be discussed in detail before any progress can be made in resolving the marital difficulties.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Clinical validation of the new ELSA-CA 125 II assay: report of a European multicentre evaluation.

The ELSA-CA 125 II is a second-generation radioimmunoassay for the quantification of CA 125 in serum. In a multicentre study involving 49 follow-ups of patients with ovarian cancers, and 880 other patients, 2.8% of healthy persons, 25% of 149 patients with benign gynaecological diseases and 39% of 82 patients with benign non-gynaecological diseases had CA 125 levels above 35 U/ml. Using the 35 U/ml cut-off, sensitivities among epithelial ovarian cancers were found to be 85% in serous tumors, 41% in mucinous tumors and 83% in other types. During follow-up of patients with serous ovarian cancers, we observed an equivalent behaviour of both assays--first- and second-generation--with the clinical evolution. We also compared results obtained with other assays commercially available; these were significantly different when a polyclonal antibody was used in the sandwich assay.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Neutrophilic dermatosis in association with rheumatoid arthritis.

Extra-articular involvement of the skin in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is not uncommon. A patient with this condition is reported who developed an unusual cutaneous eruption associated with systemic upset. Skin biopsy showed a dense dermal neutrophilic infiltrate and after treatment with standard immunosuppressive agents had failed he responded to dapsone. The rash recurred on withdrawal of the dapsone but has responded to sulphamethoxypyridamine. It is proposed that this condition is a rare but specific entity of unknown cause associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

Anti-Infective Agents↗
PubMed1993

Alteration of brain and liver microsomal polyunsaturated fatty acids following dietary vitamin E deficiency.

The effects of dietary vitamin E deficiency on fatty acid composition of brain and liver microsomes were studied in rats fed a vitamin E-deficient diet for 9 weeks. In brain microsomes, vitamin E deficiency resulted in a significant decrease in palmitic acid and total saturated fatty acids. Cervonic acid was increased. In contrast, no marked changes were observed in the levels of (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). In liver microsomes, vitamin E deficiency resulted in significant alterations in fatty acid composition: higher amounts of stearic acid and total saturated fatty acids, lower amounts of mono-unsaturated fatty acids, linoleic and dihomo gamma linoleic acids. In contrast, arachidonic acid was not altered. The overall decrease in the amounts of (n-6) PUFA was compensated by an increase in the level of (n-3) PUFA. It is concluded that vitamin E may alter the enzymatic activities of chain elongation-desaturation and the relationship between vitamin E and PUFA in brain and liver microsomes.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Developmental changes in enzymatic systems involved in protection against peroxidation in isolated rat brain microvessels.

Activities of 3 enzymes involved in the major detoxification pathway for peroxides were assessed in rat brain microvessels. Between the 7th and 60th day after birth, glutathione peroxidase specific activity remained constant in microvessels, while glutathione reductase specific activity increased from day 14 to day 60. On the other hand, the specific activity of these two enzymes evolved similarly in total brain homogenate: they increased between day 7 and day 30, and then reached a plateau. In contrast, catalase specific activity in microvessels was markedly decreased from day 7 to day 60. A significant decrease in this enzyme specific activity was also observed in brain homogenate during development. However, in microvessels, catalase specific activity remained higher than that of brain homogenate throughout the time period studied. Our results support the idea that enzymatic mechanisms against peroxidative damage are required in early age, and could be potent at the level of the blood-brain barrier.

Aging↗
PubMed1991

HIV-1 V3 domain variation in brain and spleen of children with AIDS: tissue-specific evolution within host-determined quasispecies.

DNA coding for the principal neutralization epitope of HIV-1 (the V3 domain of the envelope glycoprotein gp120) was amplified by polymerase chain reaction from postmortem brain and spleen tissue of three perinatally infected children who died of AIDS with progressive encephalopathy. Sequences obtained directly (without cloning) from this DNA were compared with sequences of 52 molecular clones made from this DNA. Cluster analysis showed that V3 domain sequences from two of the three children were similar to sequences from the American MN/SC isolates, while those from one child were more closely similar to the Caribbean RF isolate. Comparison of sequences obtained directly with consensus sequences derived from cloned DNA showed that V3 sequences are characteristic for an individual host. In one child, the V3 sequence determined directly from brain DNA was very distant from the consensus brain clone sequence and from the spleen sequences, suggesting a diverging quasispecies distribution. Site-directed hybridization demonstrated that brain-specific sequences present in 33% of brain-derived clones were absent from clones derived from spleen. The evidence suggests that brain- and spleen-specific variants evolve independently within each host-delimited quasispecies.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1991

Kinetics of rat peripheral nerve, forebrain and cerebellum alpha-tocopherol depletion: comparison with different organs.

Forty-two 60-d-old rats were fed a vitamin E-deficient diet for up to 8 wk and the kinetics of alpha-tocopherol depletion were measured in nervous tissue and various organs. In most tissues examined, including the sciatic nerve but not the cerebellum, the disappearance was biphasic, suggesting the existence of two pools of vitamin E. In forebrain the disappearance was poorly biphasic. After an 8-wk period of vitamin E deprivation, forebrain, cerebellum, sciatic nerve endoneurium, liver, heart, muscle, testes and serum vitamin E concentrations were 51, 64, 65, 10, 20, 20, 40, and 19%, respectively, of initial values.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Rapid characterization of oral and nonoral pigmented Bacteroides species with the ATB Anaerobes ID system.

The ATB Anaerobes ID system (API SYSTEM, La Balme Les Grottes, France) was evaluated for its ability to differentiate between species of the pigmented Bacteroides group. This identification system is based on the degradation of chromogenic substrates in combination with sugar fermentation reactions. The results showed that the ATB system can be useful for differentiation between the 10 pigmented Bacteroides species. However, additional tests may be necessary.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1988

Brain alterations induced by vitamin E deficiency and intoxication with methyl ethyl ketone peroxide.

Rats fed a vitamin E-deficient diet from age 3-10 weeks were either maintained on a vitamin E-deficient diet or fed a vitamin E-enriched diet for 8 subsequent weeks. The content of vitamin E, endoperoxide-derived malonaldehyde, lipofluorescent material and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the activities of catalase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione peroxidase were then measured in cerebral tissues, with or without intoxication with methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP). For this purpose, one half of the animals in each vitamin E group received an ip injection of 5 mg MEKP per kg of body weight, which was followed 44 hours later, i.e., 4 hours before sample collection, by a second ip injection of 15 mg MEKP per kg of body weight. Despite the fact that the vitamin E concentration was 12-times lower in the brain of vitamin E-deficient rats, no significant change in other cerebral parameters was found between the two groups of animals. In contrast, the activity of selenium-glutathione peroxidase was markedly decreased in the liver of 10-week old vitamin E-deficient rats. Unexpectedly, acute systemic intoxication with MEKP caused only a small, albeit significant, decrease in glutathione reductase activity in the brain of vitamin E-sufficient rats, while no significant change in other cerebral parameters was observed in either group of animals. These results suggest that the central nervous system (CNS) is still substantially protected when its vitamin E content has been decreased to 3 micrograms/g fresh weight, and that systemic intoxication with MEKP may not cause lipid peroxidation in the CNS.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Alteration of the alpha-tocopherol content in the brain and peripheral nervous tissue of dysmyelinating mutants.

In the brain of quaking and shiverer mutants, vitamin E content was normal when related to both wet weight and dry weight. When related to lipid extract, phosphorus, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E was slightly increased only in the quaking mutant. In the sciatic nerve from trembler mutants, vitamin E was 134% of control values in the dry material, but normal in relation to wet weight. It was 260% in the lipid extract and 716% based on phosphorus. In relation to total fatty acids, there was a threefold increase in trembler mutants. Interestingly, it was increased approximately three times when related to 18:2 n-6, 20:4 n-6, and 20:5 n-3, and seven times when related to 22:6 n-3. The fact that the amount of vitamin E in fresh weight was normal, suggests that vitamin E plays a role in some nonmembrane material, such as the extracellular matrix or the basal lamina.

Animals↗