Machine learning methods for imbalanced data set for prediction of faecal contamination in beach waters.

Predicting water contamination by statistical models is a useful tool to manage health risk in recreational beaches. Extreme contamination events, i.e.

[Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics].

Genetic polymorphisms can lead to drug adverse effects because certain allelic variants of genes that encode enzymes, targets or carriers involved in drug metabolism, are associated with an increase or a loss of function. Drug metabolism takes place essentially in the liver and is regulated by phase I enzymes (including several cytochrome P450 isoenzymes), the role of which is to make drug metabolites more polar by hydroxylation, and by phase II enzymes that catalyse conjugation reactions. Cytochromes P450 isoenzymes control 80% of oxidative reactions, owing to their low substrate specificity.

[Prevention and screening of chronic renal failure].

Chronic renal failure represents a major problem of public health. Incidence for patients arrived at the terminal stage of the disease is in France 126.4/million inhabitants and the cost of medical care reaches 2 % of the expenses of the National Health Insurance.

[Prostate cancer screening using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) determinations in plasma. National Academy of Medicine].

Prostate cancer is the most frequent cancer in man above 50 years. There is an increase in its incidence due to the longer life of the population. Prostate cancer is a slowly progressing disease.

[Hepatocytes in cell therapy].

Cell-based therapy could represent an alternative treatment to orthotopic liver transplantation in acute liver failures and for the correction of genetic defects of various enzymatic functions. Several recent studies indicate that hepatocytes injected either in the spleen or in portal vein can restore liver-specific function(s) in animal model systems. Alternatively, an extracorporal hybrid bioartificial liver might provide liver-specific functions, maintain the patient alive and allow spontaneous recovery of the patient's own liver, or act as a bridge toward liver transplantation in acute liver failures.

[A step towards a bioartificial liver: temporary extracorporeal replacement using isolated hepatocytes].

The mortality rate of fulminant hepatic failure is about 80%. Besides orthotopic liver transplantation, specific therapies are not currently available. Indeed, not only removal of toxins is required, by means of dialysis or hemoperfusion, but specific hepatic functions must be provided to allow spontaneous liver regeneration or as a bridge before liver transplantation.

[Hemochromatosis].

The first part of this study deals with well known as well as new data on normal iron metabolism. The second part will concern Genetic Haemochromatosis, a recessively transmitted disease principally determined by a gene located on the sixth chromosome near the A locus of HLA system: phenotypic expression of the gene, clinical features, iron overload assessment, mechanism of iron toxicity, pathogenesis of iron overload. The third part considers iron overload secondary to anaemias, to chronic alcoholic liver diseases, to porphyria cutanea tarda, to chronic haemodialysis.

Hepatitis B virus infection markers in genetic haemochromatosis. A study of 272 patients.

Serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection markers were studied in 272 patients with homozygous genetic haemochromatosis complicated (n = 33) or not (n = 239) with primary liver cancer (PLC). Controls consisted of 255 029 healthy blood donors from whom age- and sex-matched control groups were extracted for statistical evaluation using the Fisher exact test. In blood donors, HBsAg was positive in 0.

[Medicine and archaeology: comparison of methods].

Medicine and archaeology are human sciences: their diagnostic claim consists of establishing the link between the singular case and the general model. Comparing and contrasting the two processes is not limited to a game of "similarities-differences". It makes possible a finer analysis of different methods of data collection, either with or without the help of instruments, and a comparison of different ways of handling and classifying symptoms observed and documentary evidence gathered.

Evaluation of computed tomography in the assessment of liver iron overload. A study of 46 cases of idiopathic hemochromatosis.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of single-energy computed tomography in determining iron overload in idiopathic hemochromatosis, with special reference to slightly overloaded cases. Liver attenuation was determined in 100 patients (46 cases of idiopathic hemochromatosis, 32 cases of chronic liver disease, and 22 normal controls). The iron load was determined for the first two groups by biochemical determination of liver iron concentration (performed in all but 12 subjects in the chronic liver disease group) and hepatic histologic grading.

[Drugs and the culturing of hepatocytes].

Two model systems are described for studying isolated hepatocytes in vitro: pure culture for short-term designs and co-culture with epithelial rat liver cells (for long duration procedures). Acute or chronic liver toxicities are discussed as well as indirect toxicities. Examples of species differences and genetic polymorphism are shown.

Modulation of albumin secretion by ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate in adult rat hepatocyte cultures and a human hepatoma cell line (HepG2).

Cocultured adult rat hepatocytes and a human hepatoma cell line (HepG2) were maintained in an arginine-free medium with or without ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate. This drug increased greatly hepatocyte albumin secretion in both culture models. L-Ornithine was the component accounting for these effects since similar data were obtained by using this sole amino acid.

[Sinusoid dilatation and the use of oral contraceptives. Apropos of a case with a review of the literature].

We are reporting the case of a 23 year-old woman who developed an acute painful syndrome of the right hypochondrium with hepatic cytolysis while taking oral estro-progesterone medications. The liver biopsy showed a sinusoid dilatation. The course was favorable after discontinuation of oral contraceptives.

[Hemorheological disorders linked to alcoholism].

Haemorheological parameters were studied in 138 alcoholic subjects at different stages of the liver disease, compared to non alcoholic liver diseases and controls. Results showed 1) a decrease in whole blood filterability in the three groups of alcoholic patients associated with a decrease in erythrocyte ATP level, 2) an increase in blood and plasma viscosities, 3) morphological alterations visualized by scanning electron microscopy. These disturbances are correlated to the abnormalities of red cell membrane lipids composition: increase in cholesterol/phospholipids ratio, increase in saturated fatty acids and decrease in polyunsaturated fatty acids (arachidonic and linoleic acids).

[Iron overload of the liver and protein synthesis. Progress made through experimental models].

To understand the disturbances in protein synthesis observed during idiopathic hemochromatosis, various experimental models may be used. The aim of this research was to review the principal models employed and to demonstrate the value of hepatic tissue culture techniques in each. This method has already made it possible to explain several mechanisms involving the control of proteins in iron metabolism such as transferrin and ferritin.