Relationship between leptin content, metabolic hormones and fat deposition in three beef cattle breeds.

The aim of the study was to determine if cattle breeds differing in their carcass characteristics also differ in the profiles of their leptin and metabolic hormones. Three breeds, Belgian Blue (BB) (n=12), Limousin (L) (n=12) and Aberdeen Angus (AA) (n=12) with varying ability to deposit fat and protein were compared. Blood, muscle and subcutaneous (SC) adipose tissue were sampled. Animal performance, carcass and meat characteristics were determined as well as plasma leptin concentration, leptin gene expression in SC adipose tissue, leptin-receptor gene expression in SC adipose tissue and plasma concentration of insulin, tri-iodothyronin (T3), thyroxin (T4) and cortisol. The BB bulls showed the lowest values of leptin gene expression (P<0.05). Values of plasma leptin concentration and of leptin-receptor gene expression tended to be lower in BB than in the other breeds. For a similar amount of adipose tissue (after normalisation), BB bulls showed a higher ratio of plasma leptin (P<0.05), whereas normalised leptin gene and leptin-receptor gene expressions did not significantly differ between breeds. Belgian Blue bulls also differed in their metabolic hormone profile, tending to show lower values of insulin, T3 and T4 than the two other breeds. Cortisol levels were significantly lower (P<0.05) in BB than in L and AA animals.

[Development of nocturnal desaturation in 35 patients with chronic obstructive bronchopneumopathy (COBP). Relation to functional and hemodynamic data]. / Evolution des désaturations nocturnes de 35 patients BPCO. Relation avec les données fonctionnelles et hémodynamiques.

35 patients with chronic airflow obstruction in a stable state were studied using nocturnal oximetry on two occasions with an interval of 25 +/- 10 months between them. First we studied the predicted value for the pulmonary function factors during the day to compare with nocturnal desaturation. On the second occasion we compared the progress of the desaturation indices and the outcome of the functional and hemodynamic data. The PaO2, the PaCO2 and the VEMS/CV ratio (FEV1/VC) were the only elements during waking which correlated with the degree of nocturnal desaturation. In spite of this correlation and the fact that the confidence intervals were large, the predictable element of these daytime measurements remained weak in daily practice. The progress between the two oximetric measurements of the PaO2 and the PaCO2 as well as the fall in the FEV1 (VEMS) was strongly linked to the evolution of desaturation during sleep. This progressive aspect shows the value of nocturnal oximetry in patients who are evolving towards alveolar hypoventilation. Finally, the outcome of pulmonary arterial pressure appears predictable as a result of the progress of nocturnal desaturation.

[Pulmonary arterial pressure in chronic bronchitis with respiratory insufficiency on long-term oxygen therapy. Outcome of 16 patients with review of the literature]. / La pression artérielle pulmonaire des bronchiteux chroniques insuffisants respiratoires sous oxygénothérapie au long cours. Evolution chez 16 malades avec revue de la littérature.

A study was made of pulmonary artery pressure in 16 chronic bronchitics with severe respiratory failure, who were treated with continuous oxygen therapy at home. At the beginning of the study these patients presented with a pure and severe obstructive syndrome with marked hypoxaemia at rest (mean PaO2 = 6.8 kPa), had a suitable interval from a recent exacerbation, in a stable clinical and functional respiratory state. The duration of longterm oxygen therapy was controlled, as the efficacy of the blood gases (PaO2 of O2 greater than or equal to 8 kPa). The pulmonary artery pressure was measured using a microcatheter, at the beginning, and for most of the 18 months breathing ambient air in a stable state. At the end of this time a significant diminution of the FEV1 (VEMS) (a mean of 100 ml, p less than 0.01). This was evidence of the deterioration in the ventilatory state which contrasted with the improvement in the diminution of pulmonary artery hypertension (HTAP) from 3.43 to 2.97 kPa (p less than 0.05) without the deterioration in the other values. The good result above in chronic bronchitics contrasts with a stable or deteriorating pulmonary arterial pressure in a group of emphysematous (n = 6) and bronchiectatic subjects (n = 4) with somewhat similar functional characteristics but in whom the effect was too small to allow for any statistical comparison. Our results are compared with those in the literature much of which applies to only a few patients and for the great part revealed only haemodynamic stability of oxygen therapy. Possible reasons for these discordant findings are discussed.

[Influence of mixed venous blood PO2 on the pulmonary arterial pressure in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): correlations in 128 patients]. / Influence de la PO2 du sang veineux mêlé sur la pression artérielle pulmonaire dans les bronchopathies chroniques obstructives (B.P.C.O.): corrélations chez 128 malades.

Hypoxic vasoconstriction is one of the main determinants of pulmonary arterial hypertension in C.O.P.D. The authors study in two groups of respiratory insufficiency patients (82 C.O.P.D. and 46 non-C.O.P.D.) correlations between mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) and gasometric values. They show that: --no correlation exists in the patients who suffer from a restrictive syndrome; --in the obstructive patients, correlations are poorer between PAP and PaO2 or PvO2 than between PAP and a factor made up of these two parameters, according to the percentage of their theoretical values.