[Low transverse laparotomy with rectus abdominus section in gynecology and obstetrics. Apropos of 1,000 cases].

The authors report 1,000 cases (357 cesarean sections, 230 hysterectomies for benign lesions, 157 conservative utero-adnexal procedures, 128 tubal plasties, 58 prolapse or incontinence procedures, 70 cancers) ,of laparotomies performed according to the technique described by Mouchel in 1980, i.e. strictly supra-pubic and transverse, from skin to peritoneum, including section of the rectus abdominis.

Short-term memory, exploration and locomotor activity in aged rats.

Behavioral profiles of young (3-6 months) and aged (24-27 months) rats were compared in three respects: (1) short-term memory, (2) exploration and (3) locomotor activity. Compared to young rats, aged rats were impaired in the 8-arm radial maze acquisition, but not in the delayed reinforced alternation acquisition. They had lower scores of spontaneous alternation, of exploration of a novel object and of a novel environment.

Characterization of a new surface epitope specific for human epithelial cells defined by a monoclonal antibody and application to tumor diagnosis.

In an attempt to characterize the antigens attached to cells of a line established from a human squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (CAL 27), BALB/c mice were immunized with whole CAL 27 cells; hybridomas were then produced using spleen cells of the animals and cells of an NS1 syngeneic myeloma. A hybridoma secreting a monoclonal antibody was obtained (CALAM 27); CALAM 27 was directed against an epitope attached to the CAL 27 cells. CALAM 27, IgG2a, reacted with a membrane antigen specific to all epithelial cells.

[Preoperative location of deep subclinical breast lesions using the harpoon technic. Apropos of 149 cases].

Since April 1983, harpoon technique was used for limited excision of subclinical mammography-observed anomalies. The procedure involves the insertion of a harpoon-shaped metallic thread, after detection by mammography, to obtain guidance of surgical procedures. The results of 155 procedures in 149 patients included detection of 38 cancers (26%), confirming documented data in this field.

Altered C1 inhibitor genes in type I hereditary angioedema.

Hereditary angioedema is an inherited disease transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait and characterized by deficient activity of C1 inhibitor, a glycoprotein that limits intravascular activation of complement. The unavailability of markers for the C1 inhibitor locus has so far precluded access to the genetic bases of the disorder. Using a recombinant-DNA probe for the C1 inhibitor gene, we identified a cluster of four distinctive DNA restriction sites in a multigeneration family.

[Hereditary angioneurotic edema. Treatment of a pseudosurgical digestive attack with C1 inhibitor concentrate].

Although anabolic androgens can be used to prevent acute attacks of hereditary angioneurotic oedema, these are still observed. When they are severe, and even more so when they involve the larynx or the abdominal viscera, an emergency treatment is necessary, ideally with the purified C1-inhibitor (C1-INH) administered by intravenous infusion. In a case with pseudo-surgical abdominal symptoms, this treatment was followed by an unusually dramatic regression of all symptoms.

[Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis associated with Buckley's syndrome treated with cyclosporin].

A 38-year old patient had been suffering, since the age of 17, from membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis associated with chronic atopic eczema and recurrent sinusitis. Bouts of eczema with severe itching occurred simultaneously with sinusitis and proteinuria. Permanently extreme serum IgE levels (greater than 10,000 IU/ml), defective neutrophil chemotaxis and monocyte phagocytic function (Buckley's syndrome) were present.

Massive hemoptysis from iatrogenic balloon catheter rupture of pulmonary artery: successful early management by balloon tamponade.

Cessation of massive hemoptysis after iatrogenic balloon catheter rupture of the pulmonary artery was observed after a 2-ml inflation of the balloon. A wedge angiogram showed a small cavity near the rupture. Secondary lobectomy was performed; however, the patient died 1 month later.

Effect of protein malnutrition and maternal caffeine intake on the growth of fetal rat brain.

Pregnant dams were divided into two subgroups on day 10 of gestation. Half were fed a 20% protein diet and the other half an 8% protein diet. A second group also subdivided was pair-fed with rats of the first group.

An increase in circulating IgA antibodies to gliadin in IgA mesangial glomerulonephritis.

In IgA glomerulonephritis (GN), the pathogenic role of IgA is well documented, but the specificity of these IgA is unknown. Cases of celiac disease associated with IgA GN have been reported and led us to investigate the role of gliadin sensitivity. We measured IgA, IgG and IgM antibodies to gliadin, beta-lactoglobulin and ovalbumin by ELISA (results expressed as optical density; OD) in 27 patients with primary IgA GN, 14 with membranous GN (MGN), 21 with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) and 21 healthy controls.

Is adult idiopathic nephrotic syndrome food allergy? Value of oligoantigenic diets.

To evaluate the prevalence of food hypersensitivity in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS), an oligoantigenic diet was given for 10 days to 13 patients with INS who had not steadily responded to corticosteroids; 5 of these patients were corticodependent, 3 were corticoresistant and 5 had multiple relapses. A history of allergy was present in 8 cases and an increase in total serum IgE levels in 6. Sensitivity to food antigens was documented by skin tests in 5, by the radioallergosarbent test (RAST) in 5 and by the human basophil degranulation test (HBDT) in 11.

Diclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, decreases proteinuria in some glomerular diseases: a controlled study.

Treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was first used in glomerulonephritis (GN) in 1966 but its efficiency is still debated. We studied the antiproteinuric effect of such a treatment in a double-blind study. 29 GN patients with normal renal function (17 membranoproliferative GN, 12 IgA GN) were randomly assigned to receive 100 mg/day of diclofenac or placebo for at least 2 months.

[Effectiveness of piperacillin in the antibacterial treatment of intra-abdominal infections in children].

The effectiveness of piperacillin was investigated in 30 children operated upon for peritonitis: 13 had acute appendicitis with puriform peritoneal reaction, or a recently perforated appendix; 5 had generalized peritonitis of appendicular origin, and 13 had intraperitoneal abscess. In the 12 children who underwent right iliac appendicectomy (with post-operative drainage in 3), piperacillin was administered alone during 5 days; clinical and bacteriological cure was obtained in all cases; the mean duration of stay in hospital was 7 days. The 5 cases of generalized peritonitis required drainage; piperacillin was given alone in 4 of them and combined with an aminoglycoside and metronidazole in one who was in poor general condition.

[Pregnancy after treated breast cancer. Results of a case-control study].

Sixty-eight cases of pregnancy after carcinoma of the breast were collected during a survey conducted by the Société Française de Gynécologie: 27 patients had one or several pregnancies interrupted at an early stage; 41 patients had at least one uninterrupted pregnancy. The fate of these patients was compared to that of 136 controls similar in all respects, except for the absence of post-cancer pregnancy. There was no significant difference in survival curves: the 10-year survival rate in our 68 patients was 71% (90% in those with N- cancer; 71% in those with N+ cancer, with no significant difference between cases and controls in each group).

[Recurrent shock with monoclonal gammopathy. Treatment in the acute and chronic phases with oral and parenteral Ginkgo biloba extract].

In a rare but severe case of hypovolaemic shock related to monoclonal gammapathy, intravenous infusion of Ginkgo biloba extract resulted in dramatic recovery. Treatment was pursued with the oral form.