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Biomedical subjects

P Bolduc

Publications and source records attributed to P Bolduc.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Clindamycin/primaquine versus trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole as primary therapy for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in AIDS: a randomized, double-blind pilot trial.

The aim of this double-blind pilot trial was to compare clindamycin/primaquine with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) as primary treatment for AIDS-related Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). The focus was on toxicity and tolerability since comparisons of efficacy were limited by the small sample size. Sixty-five individuals with a first episode of possible PCP were randomly assigned to receive clindamycin/primaquine (34 patients) or TMP-SMZ (31 patients). PCP was subsequently proven microbiologically in 27 and 22 of the patients in these respective groups. Half of the participants had an arterial partial oxygen pressure at enrollment of < or = torr. The incidence and severity of adverse reactions were lower--but not significantly lower (P = .07 and .08, respectively)--with clindamycin/primaquine. The markers of severity improved in a similar manner regardless of which regimen was administered. No significant differences were documented in outcome, duration of survival, length of the PCP-free interval, or rate of relapse. The results of this pilot study show a trend toward less toxicity with clindamycin/primaquine than with TMP-SMZ. This result must be confirmed by larger-scale clinical trials, which are also needed to better compare the efficacy of the two regimens.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections

PET imaging of cortical S2 serotonin receptors after stroke: lateralized changes and relationship to depression.

Patients with right-hemisphere strokes (N = 9) more than 1 year after injury had greater cortical binding of (3-N-[11C]methyl)spiperone than a similar group of patients with left-hemisphere strokes (N = 8) or normal control subjects (N = 17). The higher S2 serotonin receptor binding occurred in uninjured regions of the right parietal and temporal cortex. The ratio of binding in the ipsilateral to contralateral cortex showed a significant negative correlation with severity of depression scores in the left temporal cortex. These findings suggest that the biochemical response of the brain may be different depending on which hemisphere is injured and that some depressions may be a consequence of the failure to upregulate serotonin receptors after stroke.

Adult

Mitotic activity of airway epithelium after short exposure to tobacco smoke and the effect of the anti-inflammatory agent phenylmethyloxadiazole.

Mitotic activity of extra- and intra-pulmonary airway epithelium has been studied in male rats exposed to tobacco smoke for 1, 2, 3, 7 or 14 days, with and without addition of the anti-inflammatory agent phenylmethyloxadiazole (PMO) to the tobacco. In both control and exposed animals the mitotic index is greater in extrapulmonary regions than intrapulmonary ones. A single exposure to tobacco smoke significantly increases mitotic activity in both airway regions. This initial level of mitotic response is not maintained but is rapidly restored by 1 day free from tobacco exposure: the second peak is as high as the first. Exposure to tobacco + PMO modifies timing and amplitude of the mitotic response. The effect of PMO is somewhat paradoxical since the first peak occurs later, i.e. after 2 days of exposure, but the increase is almost twice that seen after tobacco alone. The timing of the second peak is the same as after tobacco alone, but its amplitude is only half. In each experimental group the mitogenic effect is exerted on an intact epithelium. In animals exposed to tobacco alone, or tobacco + PMO, in extrapulmonary airways mitoses are located mainly in the basal region of the epithelium, whereas in intrapulmonary airways they are located mainly at the mid or superficial level.

Animals

Lidocaine plasma concentrations during and after endoscopic procedures.

Plasma lidocaine concentrations were intermittently measured in 8 upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and 12 bronchoscopy patients. The highest individual concentration was 0.98 microgram/ml in the upper gastrointestinal endoscopy patients and 3.79 microgram/ml in the bronchoscopy patients. Highest concentrations were reached at 15 minutes in the gastrointestinal endoscopy patients and at 30 or 60 minutes in the bronchoscopy patients. Thus, since lidocaine does not produce toxic effects at concentrations inferior to 6 microgram/ml, doses of this topical anaesthetic up to 16 mg/kg can be safely given during endoscopic procedures to patients with normal hepatic and cardiovascular functions. However, patients with liver metastases should be considered at high risk even if their liver function tests are normal. Patients at high risk of developing lidocaine toxicity should receive lower doses and be closely watched for at least 60 minutes after the end of the procedure.

Anesthetics, Local

The effect of isoprenaline and pilocarpine on mitotic index and goblet cell number in rat respiratory epithelium.

The effect of both isoprenaline (IPN) and pilocarpine (PCP) on mitotic activity and goblet cell number has been studied at 5 levels of the bronchial tree in male and female animals. While both drugs increased mitotic index and goblet cell number at most of the airway levels studied, differences in their effect were detected. After both drugs, nuclei in division were more often superficial within the epithelium than basal but IPN caused a greater increase in mitotic index than PCP. IPN increased goblet cell number at all levels, PCP only in the trachea and larger intrapulmonary airways. The types of goblet cell increased by IPN were particularly those containing acid glycoprotein, whereas PCP increased all types of goblet cell, that is, both those containing neutral and acid glycoprotein. After the drugs, the concentration of cells per unit length of airway epithelium was higher than normal. This is the first study demonstrating the effect of these two drugs on both goblet cell number and cell division. While the two drugs differ in their pharmacological action, the result of their stimulation of airway epithelium is similar. The way in which each effect is produced is discussed.

Animals

Mitotic index of the bronchial and alveolar lining of the normal rat lung.

Cell turnover in the rat airway epithelium has been studied at 5 levels of the bronchial tree after administration of either colchicine or tritiated thymidine, and in male and female rats of 3 age groups. This is the first study to include all these features of the same species. In the young animals the Mitotic Index (number of cells in division per 1,000 nuclei) decreased progressively to the periphry and was higher in the male than in the female, although the rate of weight gain was the same for both. In the oldest animals no difference was observed between the various airway levels or between the sexes. In the intermediate group the proximal to distal decrease was apparent but the difference with sex was not. The concentration of cells per unit length of airway is higher in the trachea and main bronchus than in intrapulmonary airways. (In the intrapulmonary airways virtually no basal cells are present.) This means that a given Mitotic Index represents replacement of a larger area of epithelium in small airways than in large ones.

Age Factors

Protection of rat bronchial epithelium against tobacco smoke.

Addition to tobacco of phenylmethyloxadiazole (PMO) protects rats against some of the adverse effects of exposure to cigarette smoke. Two groups of 15 rats were exposed to 25 cigarettes a day for 24 days; the group whose cigarette included PMO showed less immediate distress after exposure, a smaller tracheal goblet cell count, less thickening of the tracheal epithelium, and less cells in mitosis than those exposed to ordinary tobacco.

Animals

[Sudden death in leukemic patients treated with doxorubicin].

Cardiotoxicity of the anthracycline antineoplastic drugs is well known, especially the chronic effects, manifested mainly as congestive heart failure. Fewer reports have been published about the acute cardiotoxicity of these medications, and risk factors associated with their use. Two cases of malignant arrhythmias leading to sudden death associated with severe hypokalemia are reported. These cases suggest a synergistic effect between anthracyclines and electrolyte disorders resulting in the acute cardiotoxicity of these drugs. The administration of these antineoplastic drugs should include regular and systematic control of serum electrolytes and correction of hypokalemia during treatment.

Daunorubicin