[Localizations and consequences].

The symptoms of amyloidosis depend on the type of precursor, the amount of deposits and their location. In systemic amyloidosis almost every organ may be involved. Cardiac involvement is severe, especially in AL amyloidosis, responsible for restrictive cardiomyopathy with right ventricular failure, leading rapidly to death.

[New medical treatments of systemic idiopathic fibrosis].

Medical treatment of systemic idiopathic fibrosis is first based on steroid therapy, of which efficacy is well known for nearly 75% of cases of retroperitoneal fibrosis, but les certain for the other localisations of the disease. Studies on the immuno-pathological mechanism of systemic fibrosis have led to immunosuppressive drug use, such as azathioprin, cyclophosphamide and methotrexate. Tamoxifen has been tried because of its efficacy on desmoid tumors and seems to be of great interest.

Surface studies of albumin immobilized onto PE and PVC films.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the thrombogenic behaviour of the low density polyethylene and poly(vinyl chloride) modified by radiation-grafting technique. After copolymerization with acrylic acid by gamma-rays from a 60Co source, BSA was immobilized onto functionalized graft copolymers. The biological interaction between these materials and blood was studies by in vitro methods.

[Value of the protein profile in unexplained inflammatory syndromes].

Unlabelled: The diagnosis of unexplained inflammatory syndromes requires many investigations which are commonly expensive, often invasive and must be repeated several times. A means for physicians to improve the diagnosis procedure would be to have new tests available to select the best diagnosis procedures. In order to test the value of the protein profile (PP) in the case of unexplained inflammatory syndromes, we prospectively studied 95 among 650 patients admitted in our unit for an inflammatory syndrome defined by a C Reactive Protein level > 2 mg/dL and a sedimentation rate > 30 mm, which remained unexplained after a 5 day hospitalization (49 men, 46 women; mean age: 62.

[Autoimmunity: a concept to be revisited?].

Autoimmunity is thought to be a defect in immunologic tolerance, resulting in the activation and expansion of self antigen-specific T and B lymphocyte clones and the production of circulating antibodies, and a myriad of cytokines and other inflammatory mediators. This hypothesis, which speculates on an aberrant response of the immune system to normal self antigens has exerced a powerful influence on clinical investigations and therapeutic researches. Although much information has accumulated, the mechanism of autoimmune disease remains poorly understood and little attention has been paid to the hypothesis that autoimmune diseases might be caused by a conventional immunological response against self antigens for which tolerance has never been established.

Postmortem metabolic and morphologic alterations of the dog brain thalamus with use of in vivo 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy and electron microscopy.

Rationale And Objectives: To investigate postmortem metabolic and morphologic alterations in the dog brain thalamus and to contribute diagnostic aids in medicolegal science.

Methods: A homogeneous group of 17 dogs was used for in vivo 1H magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy and electron microscopic studies, which were performed under intravenous and intramuscular anesthesia before and after the dogs were killed. All 1H MR spectroscopy and electron microscopy examinations were performed on a 1.

[Cutaneous and lymphatic cryptococcosis after transient lymphopenia in an immunocompetent patient].

Introduction: Cryptococcosis is an opportunistic infection, that rarely occurs in immunocompetent patients.

Case Report: We report a case of a 82 year-old woman who suffered from a bacterial pneumonia associated with lymphopenia. During the hospitalisation, she developed a cutaneous and ganglionnary cryptococcosis.

[Stauffer's syndrome disclosing kidney cancer: another cause of inflammatory syndrome with anicteric cholestasis].

Stauffer's syndrome is characterized by a cholestasis without biliary obstruction or hepatic metastasis and a renal tumor. We report a case of Stauffer's syndrome in a 73 year-old woman. Cholestasis and inflammatory syndrome regressed with corticosteroid.

[Effect of non-enzymic glycosylation on reactivity in proteolysis].

The nonenzymic glucation of most proteins occurs only at epsilon-amino groups of lysine residues. Hydrolysis catalyzed by bovine trypsin, porcine trypsin and pineapple bromelian were studied using native and glucated proteins as substrates. Glucosylated ovalbumin, human serum albumin, gamma-globulin and myoglobin show reduced susceptibility to degradation by trypsin as compared to the nonglucated proteins, apparently by direct modification of lysine residues.

Posture recording: a model for sitting posture.

A model for posture recording has been developed in order to provide for some features of sitting. Briefly, these features were related to seated subjects undergoing classroom activities, for whom positions of different body segments had to recorded as accurately as possible. The proposed procedure has allowed the identification of a great number of different postures presented by the subjects as well as their relative frequency of occurrence.

Ionophoretic-like action of diflunisal.

It is shown that diflunisal, a derivative salicylic acid, causes uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation owing to its property of carrying hydrogen ions through the inner mitochondrial membrane in such way that a short-circuit of protons is promoted. As a consequence of the above, the drug induces a decrease of the internal negative membrane potential and therefore the release of intramitochondrial calcium. In addition this report presents evidences that diflunisal behaves as a ionophore molecule since it induces cation extraction into an organic phase.

The immobilization of enzymes and cells of Bacillus stearothermophilus onto poly(maleic anhydride/styrene)-Co-polyethylene and poly(maleic anhydride/vinyl acetate)-Co-polyethylene.

The graft copolymer, poly(maleic anhydride/styrene)-co-polyethylene was prepared. The copolymer immobilized bovine serum albumin (BSA), but the amount coupled appeared to be effected by the amount of styrene in the graft copolymer, temperature, and pH of the coupling medium. Competition existed between hydrolysis of the grafted anhydride groups and the protein.