Electron nanodiffraction and high-resolution electron microscopy studies of the structure and composition of physiological and pathological ferritin.

Structures of core nanocrystals of physiological (horse spleen, human liver, and brain) and pathological human brain of patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) ferritin molecules were determined using electron nanodiffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The poly-phasic structure of the ferritin cores is confirmed. There are significant differences in the mineral composition between the physiological and pathological ferritins. The physiological ferritin cores mainly consist of single nanocrystals containing hexagonal ferrihydrite (Fh) and hematite (Hm) and some cubic magnetite/maghemite phase. In the pathological cores, Fh is present but only as a minor phase and Hm is absent. The major phases are a face-centered-cubic (fcc) structure with a = 0.43 nm and a high degree of disorder, related to wustite, and a cubic magnetite-like structure. These two cubic phases are also present in human aged normal brain. Evidence for the presence of hemosiderin together with ferritin in the pathological brains is deduced from the similarities of the diffraction patterns with those from patients with primary hemochromatosis, and differences in the shapes and protein composition of the protein shell. These findings suggest a disfunction of the ferritin associated with PSP and AD, associated with an increase in the concentration of brain ferrous toxic iron.

Initial studies with high resolution TEM and electron energy loss spectroscopy studies of ferritin cores extracted from brains of patients with progressive supranuclear palsy and Alzheimer disease.

Studies of crystallographic structure and composition of core nanocrystals of ferritin bound to aberrant tau filaments extracted from progressive supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and Alzheimer disease (AD) brain tissues were performed using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). The results were compared with those obtained from synthetic Fe3O4 crystal (magnetite) and horse spleen ferritin cores. Core dimensions of ferritin molecules from PSP and AD were similar to those found in normal brain. Ferritin cores nanocrystals in AD seems to have less ordered structure than in PSP. Some nanocrystals did not have the hexagonal ferrihydrite structure generally found in healthy ferritin but rather a cubic structure similar to magnetite, a crystalline form in which both Fe2+ and Fe3+ are present. The presence of ferrous ion, Fe2+, may indicate some dysfunction in these pathological ferritins that might contribute to production of free radicals via the Fenton reaction involved in neurodegeneration.

[Vulvar varicosity and pregnancy]. / Varicose vulvaire et grossesse.

Poorly recognised, despite being common, in particular during pregnancy and above all in multipara, this familial condition falls within the context of venous disease in general. Slight during a first pregnancy, vulval varicosities develop all the earlier and are larger as the number of pregnancies increases. They cause discomfort, heaviness in the pubic region, sometimes pruritus or even pain, which is most often relieved by lying flat. Complications, which are uncommon, may give rise to exacerbation of the clinical symptoms described above in relation with a notable increase in size and, more rarely, traumatic ruptures which respond to compression. They disappear completely post-partum. Often poorly tolerated during successive pregnancies, the symptoms of vulval varicosities of pregnancy are significantly relieved by phlebotonic agents.

[Clinical and rheological efficacy of troxerutin in obstetric gynecology]. / Efficacité clinique et rhéologique de la troxérutine en gynécologie obstétrique.

The success of treatment aimed at improving manifestations of venous insufficiency appears today to be closely linked to a therapeutic impact on blood viscosity and the macrorheological parameters upon which it depends. This double-blind placebo-controlled trial of troxerutine was designed to evaluate changes during treatment in rheological abnormalities in 60 women with vulval varicosities and venous insufficiency of the lower limbs, half in the context of premenstrual syndrome and half in pregnant women from the 4th month on. Initial examination revealed no significant difference between the treated and control groups from a clinical and rheological standpoint in the gynecological and obstetric categories. Analysis of results showed that a high dose of troxerutine was associated with a very marked improvement in symptomatic parameters by the first month of treatment with a significant correlation between clinical criteria and rheological parameters in pregnant women as well as in those with a premenstrual syndrome. These data were confirmed by excellent acceptability as well as subjective assessment by patients after 4 months' treatment at the dosage of 4 g/d.

[Burns and pregnancy. A case of severe burn occurring at the beginning of pregnancy. Maternal and fetal survival]. / Brûlures et grossesse. Une observation de brûlure grave survenue en début de grossesse. Survies maternelle et foetale.

The authors report a case of a severe thermal burn (70% of the surface of the body) in a pregnant woman who had 15 weeks amenorrhoea. The survival of the mother and the continuation of the pregnancy to term allowed a normal live baby to be born. As far as the authors know this is the fourth case history of a severe (more than 60% of the body) burn published occurring in the first trimester of pregnancy and carried through successfully to term. A study of the literature has shown that the physiopathological results of severe burns do explain the usually poor prognosis for mother and fetus. Large quantities of prostaglandins are released into the circulation of the mother because of the thermal insult to tissues and because of the infection that usually accompanies such burns. These prostaglandins can stimulate the myometrium, which gives rise to fatal obstetric complications. The urgent acute treatment for a severe burn in a pregnant woman, which should preferably be carried out in a special centre, consists in water and electrolyte resuscitation, assisted respiration and prevention of bacterial contamination. These measures are just as important for the fetus. At the same time obstetric care should be started. Good collaboration between the obstetricians and those who carry out the resuscitation all bring about the measures that are needed to allow the mother and fetus to survive.

[Advanced cancer of the ovary and pregnancy. Apropos of 2 cases]. / Cancer avancé de l'ovaire et grossesse. A propos de deux cas.

Cancer of the ovary together with pregnancy is rare. The authors report two new case histories which are of particular interest because of advanced cancer of the ovary and a continuing pregnancy, and also because of the anatomophathological type of the malignant tumour, which was an immature (malignant) teratoma of the ovary. Looking at these cases carefully makes it possible to describe the characteristics of this very serious combination and to describe the principles for deciding on the method of treatment.