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Biomedical subjects

M Cloarec

Publications and source records attributed to M Cloarec.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Endoscopic study of reflux of the saphenous valve].

Saphenous venous endoscopy, invasive and non-physiological, enables the in vivo and in situ observation of the valve system. A saphenous vein has a preferential flattening axis parallel to the outside of the skin with two walls, internal and external, and two borders. A valve is inserted on one vein wall, with the valve horns being on the borders. The free borders of a bivalve are parallel with the surface of the skin. The valve system has an antireflux function. There are three main causes of reflux in the saphenous veins: 1. Transitory functional incompetence affecting valves of normal appearance. This incompetence results from valve inertia, flattening of the valve against the sinus wall and loss of co-adaptation. Do active factors producing closure of the valve cup exist against such transitory incompetence? 2. Incongruity between the vein wall and valves. The intercorneal or commissural space allows reflux on the border of the vein. This is the commonest cause of reflux in varicose disease of the vein wall. 3. Actual valve lesions. A distinction is drawn between lesions due to thinning, elongation, stretching, splitting or tearing and those due to thickening, retraction or adhesion. Endoscopy has enabled us to discover cases of varicose disease with predominantly valvular lesions in young individuales in whom early lesions of the valve cup cannot be explained by venous wall disease and has led us to complete the classification of varicose disorders.

Endoscopy

Effect of dietary treatment on the lipid, lipoprotein and fatty acid compositions in type IV familial hypertriglyceridemia.

The effects of a 2-month dietary treatment (1,625 +/- 177 kcal, 40 +/- 2.3% carbohydrate, 35 +/- 3.7% fat, 25 +/- 2% protein, polyunsaturated/saturated fat ratio = 1.02 +/- 0.06) on the overall composition of serum lipids, lipoproteins and the fatty acid composition of cholesterol esters and phospholipids in very low (VLDL), intermediate (IDL), low (LDL) and high (HDL) density lipoprotein in 5 patients with primary familial hypertriglyceridemia type IV were assessed. The data were compared with those for 9 normolipidemic subjects. Treatment decreased serum triglycerides (-52%) and total cholesterol (-12%) due to decrease in free cholesterol (-30%). It produced a significant decrease in all the constituents of VLDL (-58%), but the VLDL remained significantly higher after treatment than those of control subjects. The diet caused a decrease in triglycerides (-16%, -29% and -33%, respectively), and an increase in cholesterol in IDL, LDL and HDL. The IDL level in the treated patients remained significantly higher than in the controls. The LDL cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio was unchanged after treatment. The fatty acid compositions of the patients before treatment and the controls were not significantly different. The diet caused a decrease in palmitoleic and oleic acids in the cholesterol ester fraction and an increase in linoleic acid, but this was significant only in VLDL and HDL. The diet decreased the eicosapentaenoic acid but the drop was only significant in IDL and LDL. There was also a decrease in linolenic acid, only significant in IDL. The diet induced only minor changes in the phospholipid fractions. We concluded that a single nutritional regimen can effectively decrease the serum lipids and normalize the lipoprotein composition of type IV hypertriglyceridemic patients.

Adult

[Venous endoscopy].

The miniaturization of endoscopic equipment now allows exploring the superficial venous system and visualizing the endovein in situ and in vivo. This type of venous endoscopy is an ambulatory procedure, performed during a simple outpatient consultation of angiology, after which the patient is immediately discharged. Although this examination is invasive, non-physiological and expensive, it allows the video recording of the morphology, dynamics and kinetics of the values, of the endovein and of the liquid flows (blood, washing fluid and sclerosing products). The new examination has already enabled us to propose an functional classification of the parietal valves of the great saphenous vein. It makes an intraoperative three-dimensional mapping of the vessels possible, which is sometimes difficult in such particular anatomical regions as the popliteal fossa. It allows performing sclerosis with a visual control and following up the evolution of the immediate endoparietal lesions in situ.

Ambulatory Care

Treatment of stage II chronic arterial disease of the lower limbs with the serotonergic antagonist naftidrofuryl: results after 6 months of a controlled, multicenter study.

A study was carried out in patients with intermittent claudication (Fontaine's stage II). The atheromatous origin of the disease was confirmed and localized by angiography or Doppler. One hundred eight-three patients were selected initially (day -30) with a pain-free walking distance on a treadmill (at a speed of 3 km/h and a slope of 10%) ranging from 150 to 300 m. During the first month (washout period) all patients received two placebo tablets daily. At the end of this run-in period (day -30; day 0) and after checking walking distance stability (allowed variation: 20% between the two measurements), patients were included in the study. According to this criterion, 112 patients were selected and 94 remained during the whole study. The study was designed in double-blind, using two parallel, randomly selected groups. Fifty-two patients received naftidrofuryl (2 x 316.5 mg tablets daily with meals) for 6 months; 42 patients received placebo under the same conditions. During this period, clinical and paraclinical examinations were carried out every quarter (day 90 and day 180). After checking the initial homogeneity of the naftidrofuryl and placebo groups, the comparison between the two groups indicates a significant improvement in the naftidrofuryl group after 3 months and 6 months of treatment, for the pain-free walking distance. For the maximal walking distance, a significant improvement was found at day 180. Nonparametric analysis (chi 2 test) also indicated a significant improvement for the naftidrofuryl group. These results confirm that naftidrofuryl is beneficial in the treatment of patients with chronic arterial disease.

Adult

[Capillaroscopy and wound healing].

Capillaroscopy is a very simple examination which allows good evaluation of the superficial micro-circulation of the skin. The authors consider that this new examination constitute a method to evaluate the risks of skin necrosis after facelift and abdominoplasty and, may possibly change the strategy of operations.

Capillaries

[Treatment of Horton's disease].

716 cases collected from 9 recent studies published between 1981 and 1985 served as a basis for a general review of the current treatment of temporal arteritis. Steroid therapy was instituted as first intention in 652 cases, high dose treatment was continued for between 8 days and 3 months but the majority of authors started a reduction in the dosage from the 4th or 5th week. There was no overall agreement regarding the duration of maintenance therapy nor the criteria allowing its discontinuation, and withdrawal was not possible before the 25th month on average. The ideal initial dosage, in the absence of randomized studies, remains to be defined: generally around 0.5 mg/kg/d in milder forms, the dosage may be increased to 1 mg/kg/d in the presence of complicated temporal arteritis. Besides cortico steroid therapy, other treatments are successively envisaged: synthetic anti-malarials (SAM), non steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAI), dapsone... while these are generally used as back-up treatment, David-Chausse used SAM as first intention, combined in 17 cases with NSAI in 61 of his 66 patients, with very promising results which require confirmation in other studies. In this review the cure rate was around 25% and the relapse rate 38%; complications related to the disease occurred in 19%, while almost one patient in two--47%--developed iatrogenic complications. Blindness dominates the prognosis, and occurred in 15% of cases, most often as an inaugural event, it very rarely regressed on steroid treatment. Although death occurred in 18% of cases, the prognosis of temporal arteritis generally remains favorable, with a 5 year survival curve identical to a control population.

Giant Cell Arteritis

[Effect of coenzyme A (COA) on the 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha content of the aorta of rats made diabetic with streptozotocin. Potential mechanism of action of its favorable effect on microcirculatory disorders in man].

The production of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha, a stable metabolite of the vasodilator prostacyclin (PGI2), by fragments of the thoracic aorta of rats made diabetic by streptozotocin, was evaluated by radio-immunological assay. The level of production was found to be statistically higher (p less than or equal to 0.01) in the group treated with Coenzyme A (CoA) than in the placebo group. The authors suggest that the mode of action of CoA 1000 much greater than in microcirculatory pathology could involve an increased production of vasodilator prostacyclin.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha

Titrated extract of Centella asiatica (TECA) in the treatment of venous insufficiency of the lower limbs.

Ninety-four patients suffering from venous insufficiency of the lower limbs participated in a multicenter, double-blind versus placebo study. After randomization, they were allotted for a treatment period of two months to one of three groups: TECA 120 mg/day, TECA 60 mg/day, or placebo. A significant difference (p less than 0.05) in favor of TECA was shown for the symptoms of heaviness in the lower limbs and edema, as well as for the overall evaluation by the patient. The venous distensibility measured by a mercury strain gauge plethysmograph at three occlusion pressures was improved for the TECA groups but aggravated for the placebo group.

Adult

Glucose and erythrocyte ATP: distinctive effects of dipyridamole and of ticlopidine.

This experiment suggests the following points: 1. Erythrocytes in control patients and in atherosclerosis patients seem to have a variable grade of affinity for adenosine and for plasma glucose. This variable grade seems to fix the level of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) reserves and induces the erythrocytes' deformability. 2. The drop in the level of ATP reserves that induces the poor deformability of the erythrocytes in atherosclerosis patients would appear to be caused by two consecutive shortages: first a shortage that seems to be related to a deficiency of erythrocyte adenosine as the ATP shortage disappears with dipyridamole treatment and then a shortage induced by the lack of erythrocyte glucose and suppressed by the addition of ticlopidine to the dipyridamole treatment.

Adenosine

[Modification of the level of adenosine triphosphate in digital pulp capillary blood in patients with microcirculatory disorders following i.v. injection of coenzyme A (CoA 1000)].

Capillary blood ATP assay was performed in 2 groups of patients (diabetic and non-diabetic) with disorders of microcirculation, before and several minutes after 2 mg I.V. of Coenzyme A (CoA 1000). Values obtained showed a significant increase in both groups. The hypothesis advanced, based on previous experimental data indicating an action of CoA on intracellular calcium movement, is that CoA 1000 acts by elevation of the membrane ATP/Ca+ ratio of red corpuscles, and possible activation of their deformability and flow rate in the microcirculation.

Adenosine Triphosphate

Platelet hyperaggregability, blood prostacyclin and dipyridamole.

This study demonstrates the presence of PGI2 in blood and its influence on platelet retention tests, possibly by the intermediate of a releasing system in the columns, which is followed by a proximate recuperation on the erythrocyte sites after the passage. The presence of prostacyclin on the erythrocyte sites seems to depend upon the red cell deformability in relation to the good condition of their erythrocyte ATP reserve. The load of the erythrocyte sites increases with the daily dose of dipyridamole. The maximum load of the sites appears to be reached with a daily dose of dipyridamole 450 mg. Approximately 10% of the atherosclerosis patients who have been treated by dipyridamole keep their platelet hyperaggregability and their abnormally lowered prostacyclin level.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha

[Carotid surgery, indications, results and perspectives].

A series of 215 patients who had undergone 250 carotid artery operations were followed up for a mean of 30 months. Perioperative mortality was 2%, neurologic morbidity was 7% but with permanent sequelae in 1.39% of cases. Recurrence of stenosis was detected in 0.8% of patients but there were no cases of postoperative thrombosis. Indications for surgery were based on the existence of hemispheric ischemic accidents corresponding to the territory supplied by the artery operated upon, and on anatomic and evolutive arguments drawn from results of non-invasive review examinations: ultrasonography and Doppler. Results obtained: 81.9% of patients were asymptomatic after 30 months, appear to be superior to those of the natural history of carotid artery lesions.

Adult

[Raynaud's syndrome: study of fingertip blood flow by plethysmography with venous occlusion (author's transl)].

The fingertip blood flow was measured by venous occlusion plethysmography in a room at 22 degrees C, in 52 patients with Raynaud's syndrome and 24 healthy controls. In severe Raynaud's syndroms (24 cases incuding: scleroderma: 7 cases, thromboangitis: 5 cases, disabling syndrom without known etiology: 12 cases), the flow was significantly lower than in moderate Raynaud's syndroms (19 cases including 10 primary and 9 secondary syndroms) i.d. 7.5 +/- 7.3 ml versus 25 +/- 15 ml (p < 0.001). Controls had significantly higher flow (35 +/- 12.3 ml) than moderate Raynaud's syndroms (p < 0.05). Raynaud's syndroms with permanent acrocyanosis had a low flow (8.7 +/- 5.3 ml) not different from severe syndroms.

Adolescent

[Merits of the assay of plasma catecholamines in a glucagon test to diagnosis of pheochromocytoma (author's transl)].

In one female patient suffering from an extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma, a stimulation test with glucagon was performed. In spite of the absence of an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, a pronounced increase in plasma catecholamines showed this test to be positive. The authors discuss the reliability criteria of this test, and confirm its good tolerance.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms

Abnormal lipoproteins in a case of primary biliary cirrhosis.

The serum of a patient diagnosed as a primary biliary cirrhosis was studied during the various evolutive stages of the disease. During the non-icteric period, the serum lipoprotein had the chemical composition (rich in cholesterol and phospholipids) of that found in cholestasis; however the bilirubinemia was normal, and no LPX was detected; there was a normal esterified to total cholesterol ratio and the alphaLP had not decreased, as expected, but increased and was divided into two fractions; immunoelectrophoretic studies of ultracentrifugal fractions showed some LP with HDL immunological properties, but with lower densities than that of normal HDL. We suggest that the phospholipid overloading of some of these HDL in the patient's serum could explain the changes in density. Some months after this study, the patient's serum exhibited the characteristics found in cholestasis, with disappearance of HDL and appearance of LPX. During the subsequent period, the serum again contained phospholipid rich HDL and LPX. In fact several LPX with different densities were found. It seems, therefore, that in cholestasis, LP undergo modification in which the HDL peptide chains play an important role.

Bilirubin

[Platelets fatty acid variation in patients with atherosclerosis (author's transl)].

Plasma linoleic acid levels were found to be low in the atherosclerosis patients investigated. In contrast, platelet arachidonic acid levels were decreased only when atherosclerosis was combined with diabetes or mixed hyperlipidemia. In acute vascular thrombosis, a marked decrease in platelet arachidonic levels occurrrd, irrespective of whether the patient had atherosclerosis or not.

Arachidonic Acids