Comparison of serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA and core antigen levels in patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus and HCV and treated with interferon plus ribavirin.

Trak-C (Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics) is an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based method capable of quantifying hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen (CA) in serum and could be an alternative to molecular detection and quantification of HCV RNA. We have evaluated the Trak-C assay in comparison with an HCV RNA quantitative assay (Versant HCV v3.0; Bayer Diagnostics) in the follow-up of 348 treated, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/HCV-coinfected patients included in the ANRS HC02 RIBAVIC trial. ANRS HC02 RIBAVIC is a therapeutic, multicenter, randomized protocol comparing the efficacy of alpha interferon 2b (IFN-alpha2b) (3 million units three times a week)-ribavirin (800 mg/day) to that of pegylated IFN-alpha2b (1.5 mug/kg of body weight/week)-ribavirin (800 mg/day) during 48 weeks of treatment of HIV/HCV-coinfected patients naïve to HCV treatment. Patients were assessed for virological analysis at day 0 and weeks 4, 12, 24, 48, and 72. Correlation of HCV RNA and HCV CA at the initiation of treatment was excellent (r = 0.92). HCV RNA and CA kinetics were similar during follow-up of HCV treatment from day 0 to week 72 whatever the group of response and genotype. The positive and negative predictive values of response to the treatment at week 4 were 59 and 94%, respectively, for HCV RNA load reduction of >2 log and 54 and 94%, respectively, for HCV CA below the threshold value (4.18 log(10) pg/ml . 10(4)). Trak-C, a new assay able to quantify CA in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients, correlates well with quantitative HCV RNA assays and is cheaper and easier to perform than molecular technology. HCV CA could be a valuable alternative test for therapeutic follow-up of coinfected patients treated with IFN plus ribavirin in developing countries.

Liver transplant combined with heart transplant in severe heterozygous hypercholesterolemia: report of the first case and review of the literature.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a dominant inherited disease of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) metabolism caused by mutations of LDL receptors mainly located in the liver. This metabolic disorder is responsible for severe cardiovascular disease, from coronary lesions to chronic heart failure (CHF). Liver transplantation in homozygous FH provides the missing functional LDL receptors and thus partially restores LDL receptor activity to more than 50% of normal. Combined heart and liver transplantation was successfully performed in a homozygous FH patient with end-stage heart failure. Herein we report our experience with a heterozygous male patient with terminal CHF, and review data from the literature on short- and long-term results of such procedures.

[Internet use for telemedecine: fetal medicine applications]. / Utilisation d'internet pour la télémédecine : application en médecine foetale.

PURPOSE: Assessment of the transmission of still and moving images via the Internet for teleconsultations in fetal medicine. MATERIAL: and methods: Implementation fo two PC systems linked via the internet for the transmission of fixed ultrasound, radiography and scanner images, as well as moving ultrasound images. The assessment took into account was based upon the compression factor. RESULTS: The commutative telephone network transmitted ultrasound and radiographic images by e-mail without difficulty, rapidly (3min 46s for 4Mo files, after compression), inexpensively, and well. The transmission of video ultrasound files using the same procedure was also of good quality, but and exorbitant amount of time was required to send and receive the files. A more advanced configuration could improve the transmission time only sligthly, to 2h30 min 19s for 15s sequences. Live tranmission of video ultrasound sequences by the internet cannot be considered with anything less than a connection including ISDN lines, the minimum to provide the necessary bandwith. CONCLUSION: The Internet is a valuable tool to allow expert consultation in foetal medicine of live still images and recorded moving images.

Bile and blood ratios of cyclosporin and its metabolites in patients on continuous infusion during the first three weeks after liver transplantation.

Ten patients with orthotopic liver transplants were investigated during routine therapeutic monitoring to study the relationship between the concentrations of cyclosporin and its metabolites in blood, bile and urine, and whether this information can provide early signs of severe hepatic disorders post-transplantation. Cyclosporin (Sandimmun®) was administered by continuous infusion at a constant rate of 5 mg/kg/day, modified to keep the blood cyclosporin concentration within the target range (400 to 500 µg/L). The concentrations of cyclosporin and combined cyclosporin-metabolites in blood, bile and urine were assayed daily during the 3 post-transplantation weeks that the patients spent in intensive care.All patients developed cholestatis and cytolysis during the first week. The severity of these liver transplant disorders increased in 5 patients and decreased in the other 5 in the second week. The pharmacokinetics of cyclosporin differed in the 2 groups: in patients without severe hepatic disorders, the blood metabolites/cyclosporin ratio (M/C) stabilised at 1.2 ± 0.4 in week 2 and at 0.8 ± 0.2 in week 3, bile cyclosporin/blood cyclosporin (bile C/blood C) fluctuated around 13.5 (13.5 ± 9.5 in week 2 and 13.5 ± 9.0 in week 3) and the bile metabolite/blood metabolite (bile M/blood M) ratio was very high and variable (131 ± 86 in week 2 and 159 ± 116 in week 3). Metabolites significantly accumulated in the blood of patients with severe hepatic disorders (M/C = 2.8 ± 0.6 in week 2 and 3.5 ± 1.0 in week 3); bile C/blood C (2.6 ± 2.1 in week 2 and 3.4 ± 1.1 in week 3) and bile M/blood M (11.9 ± 7.8 in week 2 and 12.5 ± 7.9 in week 3) significantly decreased and showed less interindividual variability.Blood cyclosporin is usually monitored to help optimise the dosage. However, if this was extended to include the monitoring of metabolites in the blood, and cyclosporin and metabolites in the bile, it could provide an early indication of severe hepatic disorders in patients with transplanted livers.

[Mesentric venous thrombosis. Risk factors, treatment and outcome. An analysis of 18 cases]. / Thromboses veineuses mésentériques. Facteurs de risque, traitement et évolution. Analyse de 18 observations.

Eighteen patients with an acute thrombosis of the splanchnic veins were reviewed. Most of apparently idiopathic cases of splanchnic vein thrombosis are related to an increased coagulation related to a congenital or acquired defect of haemostasis. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of a new and effective treatment. Nine male and 9 female patients (range of age: 19 to 81 years) experienced a mesenteric venous thrombosis. There were 14 mesenteric vein thromboses with infarction, two transient mesenteric venous ischaemias without bowel infarction and two acute thromboses of the splanchnic veins without bowel ischaemia. A coagulopathy was detected in seven patients: oral contraception, protein C (PC) or antithrombin III (AT III) congenital deficiencies, acquired deficiency of AT III, PC and protein S (PS), polycythaemia in the post-partum period and primary myeloproliferative disorder. No coagulopathy was associated with thrombosis in eight cases: mesenteric haematoma, splenomegaly, cirrhosis, appendicectomy, cholescytectomy, chronic heart failure, treatment with beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist and digitalis, stenosis of the portal anastomosis after liver transplantation. Twelve patients required surgery: eight intestinal bowel resections with immediate anastomosis, four resections without immediate anastomosis. Only one patient underwent a second look for a repeat bowel resection. No death occurred in the early postoperative period and 17 out of 18 patients were alive after 12 years. An oral anticoagulant therapy was undertaken from two months to seven years. However, three patients suffered a recurrent thrombosis. Two of them required a long-term anticoagulation. Six patients experienced a portal hypertension and oral anticoagulants were discontinued in three of them because of bleeding oesophageal varices. Six patients were treated only by unfractionated heparin (UFH) or low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) followed by oral anticoagulants. After laparotomy, two were only treated with UFH without any bowel resection, as mesenteric venous ischaemia was too extensive. These observations suggest that the choice between an appropriate medical or surgical treatment is important and must be discussed. Since 1989, the therapeutic choice has been modified by ultrasonography and contrast enhanced computed tomographic scan which confirms diagnosis, allows to follow up and check the effects of anticoagulation and to choose the time for surgery. When the diagnosis is established and the patient's risk is low, the IU . kg(-1) . d(-1) to obtain an antifactor Xa activity between 0.3 and 0.6 antiXa IU mL(-1). When the diagnosis is uncertain and the patient's risk if high a laparotomy is required.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

[Antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery of the esophagus]. / Antibioprophylaxie en chirurgie de l'oesophage.

Surgery of oesophagus carcinoma is a long and major procedure. Perioperative radiochemotherapy is often required. Therefore many factors favour the occurrence of local and general postoperative infection, justifying an antibiotic prophylaxis directed against oesophageal and gastric flora. In case of oesophageal stenosis, the oesophageal floral often switches to the fecal type. Antimicrobial agents diffuse to the surgical site and reach there high concentrations for the time of surgery. We recommend, just prior the induction of anaesthesia the intravenous administration of a single dose of a third generation cephalosporin (ceftriaxone 2 g) and nitroimidazole (ornidazole 1 g). The long half-life of these agents allows sufficient concentrations at surgical site to be obtained and the efficacy of this regimen has been demonstrated. Selective decontamination of the digestive tract with systemic antibiotherapy is another approach for the prevention of postoperative complications of surgery of oesophagus carcinoma.

[Calibrated latero-lateral portacaval anastomosis in the treatment of digestive hemorrhages by portal hypertension in the cirrhotic patient]. / L'anastomose porto-cave latéro-latérale calibrée dans le traitement des hémorragies digestives par hypertension portale du cirrhotique.

The calibrated side to side portocaval shunt was described in 1979 by P. Marion. This type of shunt preserves a hepatopedal blood flow by maintaining portocaval pressure gradient superior to halve of the initial gradient. Twenty nine shunts were performed from 1981 to 1989 in patients with hemorrhagic liver cirrhosis alcoholic in 83 percent of cases). Two patients were in Child Pugh C class (7%), six procedures were performed as an emergency (21%). The operative mortality was nil. The hepatopedal blood flow assessed by direct venous angiography was maintained in 66% of cases at one year and 22% at five years. The actuarial survival rate without recurrent bleeding was 96% at two years, 88% at five years. Severe chronic encephalopathy was noted in three cases (10.3%). One patient was successfully treated by surgical anastomotic tightening with disappearance of the hepatic encephalopathy. The actuarial survival rate without encephalopathy was 82.7% at five years. The side to side calibrated shunt is a technically easy procedure with low mortality, low incidence of thrombosis and clinical results similar to the results of Warren's procedure. For these reasons, we have decided to include this procedure in our local protocol of management of hemorrhagic liver cirrhosis.

Intrapleural bupivacaine analgesia after thoraco-abdominal incision for oesophagectomy.

Intrapleural bupivacaine administration is said to produce good analgesia for the pain induced by a subcostal incision. However, reports of its efficacy after thoracotomy are conflicting. The goal of this study was to compare the analgesia produced by intrapleural administration of bupivacaine after oesophagectomy using a thoraco-abdominal incision with that obtained from intrapleural saline. After informed consent and institutional approval were obtained, 20 patients were randomly assigned to two groups of 10 patients each. Subjects received intrapleurally 10 ml of either 0.25% bupivacaine with 1:200,000 adrenaline or normal saline, every 8 h, beginning on the first post-operative day and lasting for 4 days. Pain was evaluated using a visual-analogue scale 2 h after the first daily treatment at rest and during physiotherapy. Pain scores were significantly lower in the bupivacaine group than in the saline group. Additionally, PaO2 was significantly higher in the bupivacaine group than in the saline group on Day 1 (P less than 0.05). The plasma bupivacaine concentration never reached the level of toxicity. Plasma bupivacaine concentrations on Day 1 after the first intrapleural bupivacaine injection were less than 350 ng ml-1; on Day 4 after the last injection they were less than 1300 ng ml-1. In conclusion, intrapleural administration of bupivacaine produces effective analgesia after oesophagectomy performed with a thoracoabdominal incision. The technique is easy to perform and is safe.

[Hereditary deficiency of antithrombin III, protein C and protein S. A study of 31 patients from 8 unrelated families]. / Les déficits constitutionnels en antithrombine III, protéine C et protéine S. Etude de 31 sujets appartenant à huit familles non apparentées.

The families of eight unrelated patients were studied with regard to a hereditary deficiency in antithrombin III (ATIII), protein C, or protein S. These deficiencies were recognized in the course of investigations for deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) in the eight patients. A group of 31 individuals (patients and family members), mostly less than 40-year-old was explored. Two cases of AT III deficiency were discovered, as well as 21 of protein C deficiency, and seven of protein S. Ten of the 30 have had recurrent venous thrombosis at the time of bedrest, trauma, surgery, pregnancy, postpartum or during oral contraceptive treatment. Spontaneous DVT occurred in three cases. Seventeen patients had remained asymptomatic till then. Such patients need antithrombotic treatment during surgery or pregnancy. Prophylactic treatment with enoxaparin in one patient (deficiency in protein C) during her second pregnancy is discussed. It seems that low molecular weight heparin may be a safe alternative to unfractionated heparin. Oral anticoagulants are efficient in preventing reoccurring venous thromboembolism in patients with AT III deficiency. The questions of whether oral anticoagulants should be continued in the long-term in patients with protein C or protein S deficiency who have had a DVT, and whether asymptomatic deficient patients should be given any antithrombotic treatment outside circumstances likely to induce a DVT, remain as yet unanswered.

[Biological criteria for the evaluation of prophylactic treatment with a low molecular weight heparin (Kabi 2165)]. / Critères biologiques d'évaluation d'un traitement prophylactique par une héparine de bas poiids moléculaire (Kabi 2,165).

Efficacy of a low molecular weight heparin (Kabi 2165) was compared with that of non-fractionated heparin in the prevention of abdominal surgery postoperative venous thrombosis by means of a double-blind randomized trial in 79 patients. Determination of D. dimers in these patients allowed assessment of specificity of this assay for detection of postoperative venous thrombosis.

Ultrasound of normal skin.

The authors have used a commercially available real-time sector scanner and a 10-MHz probe with a built-in water path for B-mode imaging of the normal skin. Measurements have been performed in 10 volunteers at 18 sites on the body surface. Normal skin thickness ranges from 1.4 mm at the dorsal aspect of hand to 4.8 mm at the heel. Clinical applications of B-mode imaging of the skin are discussed.

[Evaluation of the activity and quality of care in a digestive surgery department]. / Evaluation de l'activité et de la qualité des soins dans un service de chirurgie digestive.

Since 1980, details of all patients operated upon in a digestive surgery unit have been entered on record-cards with the view of obtaining information on the activity of the unit and improving post-operative care. Over a 3-year period, 2005 patients underwent surgery, 25% of them for cancerous lesions. Biliary tract operations (385 patients), fundoplication by the abdominal route for gastro-oesophageal reflux (58 patients) and curative resection of the colon for carcinoma (100 patients) were set apart for evaluation. For each of the above pathologies, morbidity, mortality and duration of stay in hospital in cases with uneventful or complicated post-operative course were analyzed. Annual audits of this kind result in accurate evaluation and periodical reappraisal of the therapeutic habits of the medico-surgical team.

[Contribution in oncology of fine needle puncture-aspiration of abdominal organs under echographic guidance in real time. Apropos of 265 cases]. / Apport en cancérologie de la ponction-aspiration à l'aiguille fine d'organes abdominaux sous contrôle échographique en temps réel. A propos de 265 observations.

The authors report a 3-year experience in the field of real-time ultrasonically-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsies of abdominal lesions in a Cancer Institution. The procedure is performed using a linear-array electronic biopsy transducer. Results obtained in a series of 265 aspirations are analyzed. Major benefits and applications of this technique in oncology are discussed while emphasis is put on the economical aspects of this diagnostic "shunt".

[Diagnosis of calcification of the patellar tendon. Echo-radiographic comparison]. / Diagnostic des calcifications du tendon rotulien. Comparaison écho-radiographique.

Real-time sonography was compared to low-kilovoltage radiographs in the diagnosis of intra-tendinous calcifications in 10 patients with chronic patellar tendonitis. In these patients sonography demonstrated thickening (100% of cases) and hypoechogenicity (90% of cases) of the patellar tendon. Ultrasound disclosed all calcifications displayed on radiographs showing hyperechoic foci. The associated acoustic shadow was absent in one case of a calcification less than one millimeter in diameter. Real-time ultrasound appears highly reliable in the diagnosis of even minute intra-tendinous calcifications. It also provides an accurate three-dimensional localization of the calcific deposits in the tendons.