Differential effects of maternal nutrient restriction through pregnancy on kidney development and later blood pressure control in the resulting offspring.

The mechanisms whereby maternal nutritional manipulation through pregnancy result in altered blood pressure in the offspring may include changes in fetal and newborn and adult renal prostaglandin (PG) synthesis, metabolism, and receptor expression. Since the postnatal effects of nutrient restriction on the renal PG synthesis and receptor system during nephrogenesis in conjunction with nephron numbers and blood pressure have not been evaluated in the rat, the present study examined the effect of reducing maternal food intake by 50% of ad libitum through pregnancy on young male rats. Six control-fed mothers and eight nutrient-restricted pregnant rats with single litter mates were used at each sampling time point, most of which occurred during nephrogenesis. Offspring of nutrient-restricted dams were lighter from birth to 3 days. This was accompanied by reduced PGE2, with smaller kidneys up to 14 days. Nutrient restriction also decreased mRNA expression of the PG synthesis enzyme, had little effect on the PG receptors, and increased mRNA expression of the degradation enzyme during nephrogenesis and the glucocorticoid receptor in the adult kidney. These mRNA changes were normally accompanied by similar changes in protein. Nephron number was also reduced from 7 days up to adulthood when blood pressure (measured by telemetry) did not increase as much as in control offspring during the dark, active period. In conclusion, maternal nutrient restriction suppressed renal PG concentrations in the offspring, and this was associated with suppressed kidney growth and development and decreased blood pressure.

[Complications after third molar extractions: retrospective analysis of 1,213 teeth]. / Complications après extraction de dents de sagesse. Etude retrospective de 1 213 cas.

BACKGROUND: This retrospective study was conducted to analyze per and postoperative complications associated with third molar extraction. Our objective was to determine the appropriate moment for extraction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 367 patients, selected randomly among the population treated between January 1992 and December 1996. A total of 1213 third molars were extracted: 603 under local anesthesia in 83 men and 136 women, mean age 24.9 years (range 11-70); 610 under general anesthesia in 44 men and 104 women, mean age 19.9 years (range 12-62 years). The patients were divided into three groups by age: 11-18 years, 19-30 years, and 31 years and over. Extractions were performed by senior (n=4) and junior (n=7) surgeons who used the same standard operative technique for all patients. RESULTS: The overall complication rate for extractions conducted under local anesthesia was 12.6% for lower third molars and 2% for upper third molars. The most frequent complication was secondary infection (3.6%) for the mandible and fracture of the tuberosity and bucco-sinus communication for the maxillary. The overall complication rate for extractions conducted under general anesthesia was 8.2% for lower third molars and 1.5% for upper third molars. Complications were more frequent, for the entire cohort, when the operator was less experienced, the subject was older, and the tooth was deeply embedded. DISCUSSION: These results are in agreement with data in the literature. Based on our experience, we propose extraction of third molars during adolescence when the x-ray indicates normal eruption cannot be expected due to lack of space or an abnormal position.

Dosimetry from organ to cellular dimensions.

While the conventional Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) approach is useful for estimating approximate organ absorbed doses in diagnostic applications of isotopes, this strategy is suited neither to the exacting requirements of targeted radionuclide therapy nor to radiopharmaceuticals with a non-uniform activity distribution. For the individual treatment planning of patients treated with common radionuclides emitting high energy betas, the individual activity distribution has to be obtained from CT-SPECT images and the doses to the target organs and critical tissues have to be calculated by point-kernel methods. Due to the stochastic nature, alpha-radioimmunotherapy (alpha-RIT) requires microdosimetric calculations with Monte Carlo on a realistic model of the source and target tissue at the micrometer level. For a prediction of the biological effects of intracellular labelling with Auger electron emitters an accurate subcellular modelling including the DNA structure at the nanometre level with knowledge of the target for the considered biological effect is necessary.

[Oral amyloidosis and multiple myeloma. Apropos of a case and review of the literature]. / Amyloïdose orale et myélome multiple. A propos d'un cas et revue de la littérature.

We describe a case of amyloidosis with oral involvement as a complication of multiple myeloma. Through a review of the literature, the classification, the pathogenesis, the epidemiological and clinical aspects, the prognosis, the diagnosis and medical treatment of amyloidosis are discussed.

Management of macular pucker.

The history of 67 patients presenting with symptoms of macular pucker has been analysed retrospectively. Thirty-seven patients had a conservative follow-up. In 30 patients a pars plana vitrectomy with peeling of the premacular membrane has been performed. The natural course of the disease has been studied in the first group. For the second group surgical indications and results are discussed.