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Biomedical subjects

M Desnos

Publications and source records attributed to M Desnos.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

[Value of type B natriuretic peptide in the emergency management of patients with suspected cardiac failure. Report of 125 cases].

Shortness of breath is a common cause of consultation in the emergency unit. Therefore, it is essential to diagnose cases of cardiac failure. This may be difficult in some cases. The authors set out to assess the value of measuring brain natiuretic peptide in this context. Brain natiuretic peptide (BNP) was measured by an ultrafast method (Biosite/BMD) on arrival of 125 patients to the emergency unit. The results were then compared with the diagnoses made in the emergency unit and those of the hospital discharge summary. Nearly 18% of patients were wrongly classified in the emergency room; 1/3 were falsely diagnosed as cardiac failure and 2/3 were not recognised initially as having cardiac failure. In 90% of patients, in particular in the group wrongly considered as not having cardiac failure, BNP measurement could have helped correct the mistake. The optimal threshold value of BNP for diagnosis of cardiac failure in this study was 300 pg/mL, with positive and negative predictive values of 92.4 and 90.2%, respectively.

Aged↗

[Biochemical markers of myocardial ischemia and necrosis].

The biochemical markers of myocardial ischaemia have to be interpreted according to their kinetics; their interests depend on the clinical presentation. They are helpful to orient to a myocardial ischaemia in front of undefined chest pain, to stratify the outcome of acute coronary syndrome without ST segment elevation, to evaluate the amount of myocardial damage following infarction, to detect the failure of thrombolysis therapy and probably to stratify the post percutaneous coronary intervention outcome.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗

Circulating nonesterified fatty acid level as a predictive risk factor for sudden death in the population.

BACKGROUND: In ischemic conditions, concentration of circulating nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) is increased and has a proarrhythmic effect that is responsible for ventricular tachyarrhythmias. In nonischemic patients, high NEFA plasma concentration has been shown to be associated with frequent premature ventricular complexes and increased familial risk of cardiovascular disease, but its relation to sudden death has not been studied. We assessed the role of circulating NEFA in sudden death in asymptomatic men in a long-term cohort study. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 5250 men employed by the city of Paris, aged 42 to 53 in 1967 to 1972, free of known ischemic cardiac disease, and included in the Paris Prospective Study I, completed a second annual examination and had fasting plasma circulating NEFA measured. Each subject underwent a physical examination and ECG, provided blood for laboratory tests, and answered questionnaires administered by trained interviewers. Vital status was obtained for each subject from specific inquiries until he retired; after retirement, it was obtained from death certificates. Body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, tobacco consumption, parental history of sudden death, fasting cholesterol level, and circulating NEFA concentration were independent factors associated with sudden death during follow up (average, 22 years). When adjusted for confounding factors, circulating NEFA concentration remained an independent risk factor for sudden death (relative risk, 1.70; 95% confidence interval, 1.21 to 2.13) but not for fatal myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Circulating NEFA concentration is an independent risk factor for sudden death in middle-aged men. Some form of primary prevention could be envisaged in subjects at high risk of sudden death.

Adult↗

Myoblast transplantation for heart failure.

Intramyocardial skeletal muscle transplantation has been shown experimentally to improve heart function after infarction. We report success with this procedure in a patient with severe ischaemic heart failure. We implanted autologous skeletal myoblasts into the postinfarction scar during coronary artery bypass grafting of remote myocardial areas. 5 months later, there was evidence of contraction and viability in the grafted scar on echocardiography and positron emission tomography. Although this result is encouraging, it requires validation by additional studies.

Aged↗

Resting heart rate as a predictive risk factor for sudden death in middle-aged men.

OBJECTIVE: A relative hyperadrenergic tone related to abnormalities of the autonomic nervous system is suspected in the mechanisms of sudden death. Therefore, we assessed the role of an elevated basal heart rate in the occurrence of sudden death in a long-term cohort study. METHODS: 7746 subjects aged 42--53 years, underwent ECG and physical examination conducted by a physician under standardized conditions, provided blood samples for laboratory tests, and answered questionnaires administered by trained interviewers. The vital status was obtained from specific inquiries up to the time of retirement and then by death certificates. Men with known ischemic heart disease were further excluded from analysis which was conducted on the 7079 remaining subjects. RESULTS: After an average follow-up period of 23 years, there were 2083 deaths, among which were 603 cardiovascular deaths including 118 sudden deaths and 192 following myocardial infarction. The crude risk of sudden death increased linearly with the level of resting heart rate and the risk in men in the highest quintile of heart rate was 3.8 fold than in those in the lowest quintile, whereas rates were approximatively twice higher for fatal myocardial infarction, cardiovascular and total mortality (all P<0.01). When age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, tobacco consumption, parental history of myocardial infarction and parental history of sudden death, cholesterol level, diabetic status, and sport activity were simultaneously entered into the survival model, resting heart rate remained an independent risk factor for sudden death (P=0.03) but not for fatal myocardial infarction. CONCLUSION: An elevated heart rate at rest was confirmed as an independent risk factor for sudden death in middle-aged men.

Adult↗

[Brain natriuretic peptide and heart failure].

Brain natiuretic peptide (BNP) is a hormone secreted specifically by the left ventricular myocytes. Its concentration is correlated with the severity of symptomatic or asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction. The measurement of BNP has several applications from the screening of populations to the monitoring of the effects of treatment and the evaluation of the prognosis of cardiac failure. The emergence of new methods of rapid measurement will enable its usage as a routine investigation in the near future. Large scale clinical trials are, however, required to confirm the hopes raised by this new marker of left ventricular dysfunction.

Animals↗

[Mechanical and functional predictive factors for restenosis and arterial remodeling after experimental angioplasty].

Arterial remodelling plays an important part in post-angioplasty restenosis but the physiopathology of this process is not fully understood. Abundant collagen synthesis and endothelial dysfunction have been demonstrated after angioplasty, but their role in restenosis and remodelling has not been studied. The aim of this study was therefore to assess endothelial function and collagen with respect to the severity of restenosis and the type of arterial remodelling. Atherosclerosis was induced by an association of endothelial abrasion and a high cholesterol diet in the femoral arteries of 22 white New Zealand rabbits. Four weeks later, angioplasty was performed. The acetylcholine endothelium-dependant vasomotricity (expressed as % inhibition of contraction to phenylephrine), collagen and morphology were assessed 28 days after angioplasty. The change in acetylcholine endothelium-dependant vasomotricity was greater in severe restenosis (r = 0.61, p = 0.02). Endothelium-dependant relaxation was not significantly altered when remodelling was expansive and very abnormal when it was constrictive (35.5 +/- 13.0 vs 3.7 +/- 7.9%; p = 0.04). Restenosis was associated with an increase in collagen (r = 0.69, p = 0.004). The density of collagen was significantly higher in constrictive remodelling than in expansive remodelling (34.5 +/- 4.5 vs 18.2 +/- 4.7%; p = 0.03). Endothelial dysfunction and collagen accumulation are correlated with the severity of restenosis and with constrictive remodelling after angioplasty in an experimental model.

Angioplasty↗

[Myocardial bridge: description, significance, treatment].

The myocardial bridge is a well known anomalous trajectory of the coronary arteries, the significance of which has been discussed for a long time. It now appears that some myocardial bridges may cause myocardial ischaemia with clinical electrocardiographic, scintigraphic or metabolic signs--even myocardial infarction or sudden death. In these symptomatic cases, treatment is usually medical and rarely surgical. In the last few years, angioplasty and stenting have been used more frequently in cases resistant to medical therapy and appear to be an effective alternative to surgery.

Coronary Vessel Anomalies↗

[Transplantation of autologous skeletal myoblasts in ischemic cardiac insufficiency].

Despite medical therapeutic advances, congestive heart failure (CHF), which is the common ultimate consequence of many primary cardiovascular diseases, remains a major and growing public health problem. Although orthotopic heart transplantation is the gold standard, there is now growing evidence that one therapeutic option could be cellular cardiomyoplasty. Autologous adult skeletal myoblast transplantation seems to be the most clinically relevant, compared with other cell types, in that it avoids immunosuppression therapy, availability and ethical issues. Previous experimental studies have documented the efficacy of myoblast transplantation in improving function of infarcted myocardium. Although the mechanisms involved in this improvement are not elucidated, it has been demonstrated convincingly enough to consider ripping to clinical trials.

Animals↗

Long-term outcome in asymptomatic men with exercise-induced premature ventricular depolarizations.

BACKGROUND: Exercise testing is widely used in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, but the long-term outcome for asymptomatic persons with exercise-induced premature ventricular depolarizations remains unclear. We used data from the Paris Prospective Study I to assess the long-term outcome for such persons. METHODS: A total of 6101 asymptomatic French men (42 to 53 years of age) who were free of clinically detectable cardiovascular disease underwent a standardized graded exercise test between 1967 and 1972. Subjects were prospectively classified as having or not having frequent premature ventricular depolarizations (a run of two or more consecutive premature ventricular depolarizations or premature ventricular depolarizations constituting more than 10 percent of all ventricular depolarizations during any of the 30-second electrocardiographic recordings). RESULTS: During exercise, 138 subjects had frequent premature ventricular depolarizations. After 23 years of follow-up, these subjects had a higher risk of death from cardiovascular causes than the men without frequent premature ventricular depolarizations during exercise (relative risk, 2.67; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.76 to 4.07). In a multivariate model, with adjustment for age, body-mass index, heart rate at rest, systolic blood pressure, tobacco use, level of physical activity, presence or absence of diabetes, total cholesterol level, and the presence or absence of premature ventricular depolarizations before exercise and during recovery from exercise, both an exercise test that was positive for ischemia and the occurrence of frequent premature ventricular depolarizations during exercise remained independently associated with an increased risk of death from cardiovascular causes, with similar relative risks (2.63 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.93 to 3.59] and 2.53 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.65 to 3.88], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of frequent premature ventricular depolarizations during exercise in asymptomatic middle-aged men is associated with a long-term increase in the risk of death from cardiovascular causes.

Adult↗

Homozygotes for a R869G mutation in the beta -myosin heavy chain gene have a severe form of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

UNLABELLED: Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (FHC) is an autosomal dominant disease characterised by ventricular hypertrophy, with predominant involvement of the interventricular septum. It is a monogenic disease with a high level of genetic heterogeneity (nine genes and more than 110 mutations reported so far). We describe a family with a new R869G mutation in the beta -myosin heavy chain gene (MYH7). This mutation was found in the heterozygous status in both parents and in the homozygous status in the two children. A haplotype analysis on the MYH7 locus with microsatellite markers showed that the same haplotype is transmitted within the family, suggesting a founder effect. Clinically, the father was asymptomatic with mild left ventricular hypertrophy on echocardiography. The mother had a mild form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and remained asymptomatic until 60 years old when an atrial fibrillation occurred. For the two children, clinical diagnosis was performed at 12 and 8 years and atrial fibrillation occurred at 17 years. For both children, the evolution was characterized by left ventricle (LV) systolic dysfunction and a severe dilatation of the left atrium before 40 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: In this family, a new R869G mutation in the MYH7 gene was found. Interestingly, a mutation was found at the homozygous status for the first time in FHC. This finding suggests that this particular mutation is compatible with life, but for homozygous subjects, age at onset of symptoms was earlier and the disease much more severe than in the heterozygous subjects, suggesting a gene-dose effect.

Adult↗

Lack of association between polymorphisms of eight candidate genes and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy: the CARDIGENE study.

OBJECTIVES: The study investigated the potential role of eight candidate genes in the susceptibility to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC). BACKGROUND: Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy has a familial origin in 20% to 25% of cases, and several genetic loci have been identified in rare monogenic forms of the disease. These findings led to the hypothesis that genetic factors might also be involved in sporadic forms of the disease. In complex diseases that do not exhibit a clear pattern of familial aggregation, the candidate gene approach is a strategy widely used to identify susceptibility genes. All genes coding for proteins involved in biochemical or physiological abnormalities of cardiac function are potential candidates for IDC. METHODS: We studied 433 patients with IDC and 401 gender- and age-matched controls. Polymorphisms investigated were the I/D polymorphism of the angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) gene, the T174M and M235T polymorphisms of the angiotensinogen (AGT) gene, the A-153G and A+39C polymorphisms of the angiotensin-II type 1 receptor (AGTR1) gene, the T-344C polymorphism of the aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) gene, the G-308A polymorphism of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) gene, the R25P polymorphism of the transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFB1) gene, the G+11/in23T polymorphism of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) gene and the C-1563T polymorphism of the brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) gene. RESULTS: None of the polymorphisms were significantly associated with the risk or the severity of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find evidence for an involvement of any of the 10 investigated polymorphisms in the susceptibility to IDC.

Adolescent↗

A national survey of heart failure in French hospitals. The Myocardiopathy and Heart Failure Working Group of the French Society of Cardiology, the National College of General Hospital Cardiologists and the French Geriatrics Society.

Rationale The epidemiology of heart failure and patient management procedures may vary from one country to another. This study was designed to analyse the spectrum of patients hospitalized in France for heart failure. Patients and Methods A registry involving 120 departments (cardiology, general medicine and geriatrics) and 1058 patients.Results The patients' median age was 76 years, and the male/female ratio was 55/45. Echocardiography was performed in 77% of the cases: the left ventricular ejection fraction was <30% in 22%, between 30 and 40% in 25% and greater than 40% in 53%. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors were prescribed to, respectively, 78% and 63% of patients with ejection fractions above and below 40%. Conclusion In France, patients hospitalized for heart failure tend to be old and are often women; about one in two have relatively preserved left ventricular systolic function. ACE inhibitor prescription seems to be more frequent than currently reported. This survey confirms the clear gap between the populations in clinical trials and those in routine clinical practice.

Aged↗

[The best of cardiac failure in 1999].

Cardiac failure has become a major but underestimated public health problem. The EPICAL study in France confirmed the severity of this condition. In addition to the neuro-hormones, the role played by inflammatory cytokines in the progression of the disease has been emphasized. The importance of the "genetic background" in the development and evolution of cardiac failure has been demonstrated (deletion or prospective polymorphism). From the therapeutic point of view, besides the hopes raised by multisite pacing, the betablockers and spironolactone have been shown to provide major functional improvement and prolonged survival, and they take their place with the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in our pharmacological arsenal. Cellular transplantation is associated with encouraging pre-clinical results which open up a new field of interest. Finally, global management, including physical rehabilitation and patient education by plury-disciplinary teams, provides medical and economic benefits. The year 1999 has been particularly rich in the field of cardiac failure from the basis of fundamental research to the organisation of health care.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

Endothelial dysfunction and collagen accumulation: two independent factors for restenosis and constrictive remodeling after experimental angioplasty.

BACKGROUND: Constrictive remodeling plays a prominent role in restenosis after balloon angioplasty, but its regulation remains unclear. Because endothelial dysfunction and changes in extracellular matrix have been reported after angioplasty, this study was designed to simultaneously evaluate endothelial function and collagen and elastin changes after restenosis and arterial remodeling. METHODS AND RESULTS: Atherosclerosis was induced in femoral arteries of 22 New Zealand White rabbits by air-desiccation and a high-cholesterol diet. One month later, angioplasty was performed. Histomorphometry and in vitro assessment of endothelial function were performed 4 weeks after angioplasty. Restenosis correlated with constrictive remodeling (r=0.60, P=0.01) but not with neointimal growth (r=-0.06, P=0.79). Restenosis correlated with an impaired relaxation to acetylcholine (ACh; r=0.61, P=0.02) but not with the response to the endothelium-independent vasodilator sodium nitroprusside (r=-0.25, P=0.40). Restenosis correlated positively with collagen accumulation (r=0.69, P=0.004) and inversely with elastin density (r=-0.48, P=0.05). Relaxations to ACh were significantly more decreased in arteries with constrictive remodeling than in those with enlargement remodeling (3.7+/-7.9% versus 35.5+/-15.0%, P=0.04). Neointimal collagen density was significantly higher in arteries with constrictive remodeling than in those with enlargement remodeling (34.5+/-4.5% versus 18.2+/-4.7%, P=0.03). Endothelial function and collagen and elastin density were independent predictors of restenosis in the study. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that the severity of restenosis after angioplasty correlated with both defective endothelium-dependent relaxation and increased collagen density.

Angioplasty, Balloon↗