PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

P Dujardin

Publications and source records attributed to P Dujardin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Comparative profitability of hepatic biopsy and microbiological tests in patients with HIV infection].

OBJECTIVES: Diagnostic liver biopsy is proposed in HIV-positive patients who present unexplained fever. This invasive procedure is truly useful if it allows establishing a difficult diagnosis or improves survival rate. We conducted a retrospective study to determine the diagnostic and prognostic power of liver biopsy in HIV-positive patients with fever. METHODS: One hundred thirty-eight liver biopsies were performed in 129 patients. Utility was defined as demonstration of the pathogen or identification of a tumoral process. RESULTS: The liver biopsy met the utility criteria in 27 cases showing mycobacterial infections (n = 22) and herpes hepatitis, type 1 herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus and cryptococcosis infections (n = 1 each). These last 4 diagnoses were also possible with other tests. Comparing non-contributive liver biopsies (n = 111) with those demonstrating hepatic mycobacterial infection (n = 22) showed that the two groups were not different in terms of demographic data. Splenomegalia was more frequent in the non-contributive group (68% vs 37%, p = 0.007) as was superficial lymph node enlargement (45% vs 12%, p < 10(-3)). Laboratory tests were not discriminating. Mycobacterial infection was diagnosed in 22 patients in the non-contributive group. Bacteriological samples were positive for mycobacterium in 20 of the 22 patients in the contributive group. The mean delay to the first positive test for mycobacterium was 15 +/- 8 days compared with 30 +/- 10 days for liver tissue cultures. Mean survival after liver biopsy was 10 months: patients with a positive Ziehl-Neelson stain on the liver biopsy did not have a longer survival (9.7 +/- 7.6 vs 10.2 +/- 10.4 months). CONCLUSION: In most cases, liver biopsy in HIV-positive patients with fever provides a diagnosis which can be obtained with non-invasive techniques without improving prognosis.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections

Liver biopsy is not useful in the diagnosis of mycobacterial infections in patients who are infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

Liver biopsy (LB) has been advocated for the detection of mycobacterial infections in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). To determine the effect of the use of this procedure on survival, we compared it terms of yield with histological findings and noninvasive microbiological procedures. We reviewed the cases of 98 patients who underwent 106 LBs as part of the diagnostic screening for fever of unknown origin. LB revealed 17 cases of mycobacterial infection. For all but one patient, the results of at least one noninvasive procedure were positive. In 85 cases where infections were not diagnosed by LB, 17 had infections documented by other procedures. When all culture results are considered, the mean (+/- SD) incubation time to the first positive culture was 15 +/- 5 days, whereas the mean (+/- SD) incubation time to the first positive culture of an LB specimen was 28 +/- 9 days. The survival time was not significantly increased for patients who underwent LB and had positive Ziehl-Neelsen-stained smears; these patients survived a mean (+/- SD) of 12 +/- 11 months, whereas patients with negative smears survived a mean (+/- SD) of 9 +/- 10 months. Noninvasive studies are preferable to LB for the diagnosis of mycobacterial infections in HIV-infected patients.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections

Recurrent cytogenetic abnormalities observed in complete remission of acute myeloid leukemia do not necessarily mark preleukemic cells.

We have undertaken the cytogenetic monitoring of 39 adult patients treated for de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) by intensive chemotherapy. We describe this monitoring in seven patients in continuous complete clinical and morphologic remission (CR) of AML. Although in CR, these patients exhibit the emergence of cytogenetically abnormal clones. Abnormalities observed include monosomy 7, del(20)(q11), partial trisomy 1q, and 6p12-22 rearrangements. They correspond to well-known chromosomal rearrangements commonly found in myelodysplasia (MDS), and myeloproliferative syndromes (MPS), as well as AML. Present as the sole detected chromosomal change, they preceded by months the onset of overt leukemia or MDS. In some cases, the abnormal clone showed a proliferative advantage (some patients exhibited up to 100% of abnormal bone marrow metaphases in subsequent analyses). AML relapse, when it occurred, was associated with a different chromosomal modification. Altogether the question arises, whether the abnormalities pointed out in our study (monosomy 7, del(20)(q11), partial trisomy for the long arm of chromosome 1 (q21qter), 6p12-22 rearrangements), and seen after chemotherapy, mark preleukemic cells or not, and whether they participate indirectly, or not at all in the leukemic process.

Adult

[Cardiac toxicity of anthracyclines. Clinical forms, incidence, surveillance].

Anthracyclines have greatly contributed to improvement in the prognosis of certain cancers, but their beneficial effect is impaired by an unquestionable toxicity affecting notably the heart. Changes in blood pressure or electrocardiograms, benign pericardial reactions and rare but severe myocarditis may occur at an early stage of treatment. The cumulative toxicity of anthracyclines limits their use. With a cumulative dose of 550 mg/m2 the mean incidence of toxicity varies from 5 to 10 percent. The occurrence of toxicity largely depends on the total dose, but other factors such as patient's age and general condition, and previous treatments with chemo- or radiotherapy must be taken into account. The best methods to monitor the cardiotoxicity of anthracyclines are echocardiography, radionuclide study of ejection fraction and myocardial biopsy for histological study. The rational use of these three types of examination must be adjusted to each individual patient. It should reduce the incidence of severe myocarditis which sometimes cancels all the beneficial effects of the anticancer treatment.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic

Paraneoplastic Raynaud's phenomenon.

A testicular tumour could be diagnosed by the occurrence of a Raynaud's phenomenon complicated by severe digital arteritis. The arteritis rapidly regressed under prostacyclin therapy. Such vascular manifestations are frequent in testicular carcinoma, but they usually develop after chemotherapy. To our knowledge, this is the first case where they preceded the diagnosis and specific treatment of a tumour of the testis.

Adolescent