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Biomedical subjects

P Mennet

Publications and source records attributed to P Mennet.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Muscle damping measured with a modified pendulum test in patients with fibromyalgia, lumbago, and cervical syndrome.

STUDY DESIGN: Muscle tension with tenderness may be localized or generalized as in fibromyalgia. Wartenberg's pendulum test might be appropriate for quantitating muscle damping, at least in generalized cases. OBJECTIVE: Damping values provide a quantitative measure of muscle tension and of the response to various treatments. SUMMARY OF THE BACKGROUND DATA: According to recent anatomic and experimental works, intrafusal muscle fibers are double-innervated by gamma motoneurons and sympathetic fibers. With electromyograph recording, the activity of extrafusal fibers and gamma motoneurons (reflexes) can be assessed and separated from the action of the sympathetic system. METHODS: An electrogoniometer registers the movements of the freely swinging leg. On the oscilloscope, the patient's nodular curve is compared with an ideal calculated dampened curve to find the damping value. Electromyograph surface electrodes from the knee extensors and flexors detect the activity of extrafusal fibers and the occurrence of reflexes. RESULTS: In longstanding severe fibromyalgia, damping values are almost always elevated, at least in one leg. Half or more of patients with chronic lumbago and cervical syndrome present with increased damping. The surface electromyograph remains silent (in contrast to spastic patients). CONCLUSION: The findings support the hypothesis that muscle tension in rheumatic patients results from overactivity of the sympathetic system (or part of it). Even in clinically localized pain syndromes, muscle damping is often increased in the legs. The test is valuable for quantitating muscle tension and the effectiveness of therapeutic methods.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Microheterogeneity of acute-phase glycoproteins in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.

This study was designed to investigate qualitative changes in the carbohydrate side-chains of two acute-phase glycoproteins, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) and alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (ACT), in 37 patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis. The glycosylation profile of AGP and ACT was studied using affinity immunoelectrophoresis with the lectin concanavalin A (conA). Serum concentration of soluble receptor for interleukin-2 (sIL-2R) and activity of serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) were measured by specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and enzyme kinetic assay, respectively. Rocket immunoelectrophoresis and nephelometric assay were used to determine serum concentration of AGP, ACT and C-reactive protein (CRP). In 11 patients with active disease, a decreased reactivity of AGP with conA was found as compared with controls (n = 44) and patients with nonactive sarcoidosis (n = 26). A similar tendency was seen with ACT. In the same group, increased concentrations of serum AGP and higher levels of sIL-2R were detected compared with patients with nonactive sarcoidosis. In the entire sarcoidosis group, there was a negative correlation between ACE activity and AGP and ACT affinity for conA (r = -0.6358, and r = -0.5019, respectively) and a positive correlation with sIL-2R level (r = 0.8241). In nine patients with elevated concentrations of serum CRP, no differences were found in disease activity and glycosylation profile of AGP and ACT when compared to patients with normal serum CRP. The results suggest that in active pulmonary sarcoidosis changes in the glycosylation pattern of acute-phase glycoproteins exist, which are similar in trend and magnitude to those found in other chronic inflammatory diseases. The synthesis and glycosylation of acute-phase proteins in pulmonary sarcoidosis are probably regulated independently.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Pathogenetic aspects of responsiveness to ondansetron (5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 receptor antagonist) in patients with primary fibromyalgia syndrome--a preliminary study.

OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy of 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 receptor (5-HT-3R) antagonist (ondansetron) vs paracetamol in primary fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome. METHODS: A double blind, crossover, latin square study of 21 patients with FM. Visual analog scale (VAS) and body drawings were used to record pain intensity. Functional symptoms were determined for using a Likert-type self-developed protocol. Quantitative dolorimetry was applied to assess the number of painful tender points and the average pain threshold. Serum serotonin levels were measured by a commercial ELISA. RESULTS: A marked improvement in pain intensity measured by VAS (p < 0.005), pain score (p < 0.05), tender points (p < 0.05), and average pain threshold (p < 0.01) was obtained with ondansetron, whereas no improvement was seen with paracetamol. After ondansetron treatment, there was also significant reduction in both functional symptoms (p < 0.01) and headache intensity (p < 0.05). In patients who did not respond to ondansetron there was higher baseline pain intensity measured by VAS (p < 0.05) and pain score (p < 0.01), and a lower pain threshold (p < 0.05) compared to those who did respond well. In the responsive group, no significant differences were seen in the serotonin level before and after therapy. Whereas a significant increase in serum serotonin concentration (p < 0.01) was observed in nonresponders after ondansetron treatment. CONCLUSION: Ondansetron appears to be an effective drug in about 50% of patients with FM. There may be 2 subsets of patients with FM that differ clinically and pathogenetically with regard to the disturbance in the 5-HT-3R system.

Acetaminophen↗
PubMed1995

Microheterogeneity of acute phase proteins in patients with clinically active and clinically nonactive osteoarthritis.

Microheterogeneity of two acute phase glycoproteins, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) and alpha-1-antichymotrypsin (ACT), concentrations of AGP, ACT, and C-reactive protein (CRP), and levels of three cytokines: interleukin 1 beta (IL-1-beta), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) were determined in 61 serum samples and 7 synovial fluids (SFs) obtained from patients (n = 61) with osteoarthritis. Using affinity immunoelectrophoresis with concanavalin A (conA), a significant decrease in the reactivity of AGP and ACT with this lectin was found in patients with clinically active osteoarthritis when compared to those with clinically nonactive disease (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). There was no increase in the concentration of AGP, ACT, and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the sera examined. In particular, no increase in the serum level of these proteins was found in the patients with clinically active disease. Low concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-alpha were found in most sera and SFs examined. In 6 out of 7 SFs available, IL-6 concentrations were higher than in the respective serum samples but for TNF-alpha the same could be shown in one case only. Low concentrations of IL-1-beta were found in 4 serum samples obtained from patients with clinically active osteoarthritis and in no SF specimen studied. In the entire group, serum level of TNF-alpha correlated weakly with the AGP and ACT reactivity coefficients with conA (r = 0.3634, p < 0.005 and r = 0.3324, p < 0.02, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Antibodies to heat shock proteins in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.

Serum concentrations of IgG, IgA, and IgM antibodies to three heat shock proteins (HSPs)--ubiquitin, HSP70, and HSP90--were measured using ELISA in 37 patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis. When compared to healthy controls (n = 44), increased concentrations of IgA and IgG antibodies to ubiquitin were found in 13 (35.1%, p < 0.002) and 7 (18.9%, p < 0.05) patients, respectively. In 10 patients (27.0%) elevated concentrations of IgG antibodies to HSP70 were detected (p < 0.02), whereas IgA antibodies to this protein were found in 7 cases (18.9%, p < 0.05). IgM antibodies to ubiquitin and HSP70, and antibodies to HSP90 were not detected in patients' sera. The levels of antibodies to ubiquitin and HSP70 correlated well with each other within the given immunoglobulin class (r = 0.7391, p < 1E-5 and r = 0.9854, p < 1E-5 for IgG and IgA class, respectively). There was also a weak correlation between the level of IgG antibodies to HSP70 and both serum activity of angiotensin converting enzyme (SACE; r = 0.4668, p < 0.005) and serum level of soluble receptor for interleukin 2 (sIL-2-R; r = 0.4142), p < 0.02). A similar tendency was seen with IgG antibodies to ubiquitin. Furthermore, there was an association between the increased concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) and increased levels of IgG antibodies to ubiquitin and HSP70 (p < 0.005 and p < 0.05, respectively). Our results suggest that antibodies to various HSPs are present in a subset of patients with sarcoidosis. The humoral immune response to HSPs relates probably to the immune activation and/or infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Serotonin concentration in serum of patients with generalized tendomyopathy (fibromyalgia) and chronic polyarthritis].

The serum concentration of serotonin (S-5-HT) was measured in 31 patients with primary fibromyalgia, 21 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (15 of them with secondary fibromyalgia) and 20 healthy volunteers. Both patients with primary fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis had significantly lower S-5-HT levels when compared to healthy controls, and S-5-HT concentrations in patients with secondary fibromyalgia were even significantly lower than those of RA-patients. Unlike the patients with rheumatoid arthritis, a significant correlation between S-5-HT level and the number of "tender points" as well as mean pressure tenderness at 24 different points was found in patients with primary fibromyalgia. Conversely, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis the S-5-HT level correlated significantly with erythrocyte sedimentation rate. These results suggest different pathological mechanisms of S-5-HT decrease in patients with primary fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. On the other hand, they raise the question whether secondary fibromyalgia may be a pathogenetically different syndrome mimicking symptomatically primary fibromyalgia.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Recording muscle spasm in the musculus erector spinae using in vivo 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy in patients with chronic lumbalgia and generalized tendomyopathies].

Using 31P nuclear magnetic resonance, the following parameters were determined in the resting musculus erector spinae of five patients suffering from chronic low back pain, five patients with fibromyalgia, and five healthy controls: Inorganic phosphate (Pi), phosphocreatine (PCr), ATP gamma, ATP alpha, ATP beta. The intracellular pH was derived from the chemical shift of Pi referenced to the PCr resonance. In addition, the Pi-Index was calculated according to the formula: Pi/(Pi + PCr). We discovered a tendency towards a shift of the Pi resonance in the alcalic direction, which was the larger, the stronger muscle spasm was found on palpation. The pH showed the most reliable relationship to the clinical status of muscle spasm. The surprising finding that there is no acidification within the spasmed muscle indicates that generalized hypoxia does not exist in this tissue. This has already been shown with PO2 measurements. An intracellular acidification is only recorded during maximal isometric contraction. Thus, ischemia cannot be responsible for pain experienced during muscle spasm.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Determination of regional rate of glucose metabolism in lumbar muscles in patients with generalized tendomyopathy using dynamic 18F-FDG PET].

Generalized tendomyopathy (GTM), or fibromyalgia (FM), is a disease characterized by wide-spread pain in the musculoskeletal system which usually begins at a single site, e.g., as low-back pain or cervical syndrome, and develops into generalized pain over months or years. The disorder affects primarily women, beginning around the age of 35 and reaching its peak during or after the menopause. Its etiology is still unknown. Secondary forms are observed particularly in rheumatoid arthritis. In order to get more information on FM we determined the local metabolic rate of glucose in vivo in the skeletal muscle (lumbar region) with dynamic 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET). 2 healthy volunteers and 6 female patients with FM reaching in age from 31 to 53 years were scanned. As 18F-FDG PET scanning is a metabolic tool, it is crucial to observe standardized conditions of metabolic steady-state. We used, therefore, the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic insulin clamp technique to stimulate the myogenic glucose uptake under stable plasma-glucose levels. The local metabolic rates of glucose utilization were estimated with a non-linear least squares fit on the 3 compartment 18F-FDG-model. A lumped constant of 0.67 was assumed. Under glucose clamp conditions patients with FM showed a significantly (p < 0.001) lower metabolic rate of glucose (4.3 +/- 1.1) mumol/100 g tissue/min compared with normal volunteers (8.5 +/- 2.3 mumol/100 g/min). Due to a significantly (p < 0.005) increased glucose backflow from tissue into the vascular space (k2 in the kinetic model) the rate of phosphorylation was markedly reduced in patients with FM.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Intraindividual comparison of whole body cold therapy and warm treatment with hot packs in generalized tendomyopathy].

In a cross-over study, the short-term efficacy of whole-body cold therapy and hot mud packs in patients with generalized tendomyopathy (fibromyalgia) was compared. As a pain assessment, visual analog scale and so-called pain score were measured; dolorimetry of the 24 tender points and eight control points was performed as well. Using these methods, we found that there is a significant improvement of all parameters examined during a 2-h period of measurements after cold application, and a marked improvement was also detectable 24 h after this therapy. In contrast, only pain score values showed a slight decrease immediately after hot mud-pack therapy, and no significant differences were found in visual analog scale and pressure tenderness as measured dolorimetrically. Central inhibition of nociceptors as a result of an activation of A-delta system as well as a blockade of gamma-motoneurons are discussed to be a mechanism of action of whole-body cold therapy, resulting in a decrease in muscle tonus. Long-term studies are needed to determine, if there is any enduring effect of whole-body cold therapy on pain in the patients with generalized tendomyopathy.

Cryotherapy↗