Hepatitis B and hepatitis D virus infections in the Central African Republic, twenty-five years after a fulminant hepatitis outbreak, indicate continuing spread in asymptomatic young adults.

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) increases morbidity in Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients. In the mid-eighties, an outbreak of HDV fulminant hepatitis (FH) in the Central African Republic (CAR) killed 88% of patients hospitalized in Bangui. We evaluated infections with HBV and HDV among students and pregnant women, 25 years after the fulminant hepatitis (FH) outbreak to determine (i) the prevalence of HBV and HDV infection in this population, (ii) the clinical risk factors for HBV and/or HDV infections, and (iii) to characterize and compare the strains from the FH outbreak in the 1980s to the 2010 HBV-HDV strains.

Iron- and inflammation-induced hepcidin gene expression in mice is not mediated by Kupffer cells in vivo.

Hepcidin, a recently discovered iron regulatory peptide, is believed to inhibit the release of iron from absorptive enterocytes and macrophages. Liver hepcidin synthesis is induced in vivo by iron stores and inflammation. The molecular basis of the regulation of hepcidin gene expression by these effectors in hepatocytes is currently unknown, although there is strong evidence that indirect mechanisms are involved.

Effect of electric field vectoriality on electrically mediated gene delivery in mammalian cells.

Electropermeabilization is a nonviral method used to transfer genes into living cells. Up to now, the mechanism is still to be elucidated. Since cell permeabilization, a prerequired for gene transfection, is triggerred by electric field, its characteristics should depend on its vectorial properties.

Functional differences between hepcidin 1 and 2 in transgenic mice.

Hepcidin is a 25-amino acid peptide involved in iron homeostasis in mice and humans. It is produced in the liver from a larger precursor, and it is detectable in blood and urine. In contrast to the human genome, which contains only one copy of the gene, the mouse genome contains 2 highly similar hepcidin genes, hepc1 and hepc2, which are, however, considerably divergent at the level of the corresponding mature 25-amino acid peptide.

Therapeutic benefits of cardiotrophin-1 gene transfer in a mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a recessive autosomal disorder characterized by degeneration of lower motor neurons caused by mutations of the survival motor neuron gene (SMN1). No curative treatment is known so far. Mutant mice carrying homozygous deletion of Smn exon 7 directed to neurons display skeletal muscle denervation, moderate loss of motor neuron cell bodies and severe axonal degeneration.

Intact satellite cells lead to remarkable protection against Smn gene defect in differentiated skeletal muscle.

Deletion of murine Smn exon 7, the most frequent mutation found in spinal muscular atrophy, has been directed to either both satellite cells, the muscle progenitor cells and fused myotubes, or fused myotubes only. When satellite cells were mutated, mutant mice develop severe myopathic process, progressive motor paralysis, and early death at 1 mo of age (severe mutant). Impaired muscle regeneration of severe mutants correlated with defect of myogenic precursor cells both in vitro and in vivo.

In vivo electrotransfer of the cardiotrophin-1 gene into skeletal muscle slows down progression of motor neuron degeneration in pmn mice.

Among all vectors designed for gene therapy purposes, adenovirus appears to be the most efficient in vivo vehicle to transduce the broadest spectrum of cellular targets. However, the deleterious immunogenicity of this viral vector impedes its use in chronic diseases. Non-viral vectors, such as naked DNA, are attractive alternatives for safety and technical issues, such as scale-up production.

Protective effects of cardiotrophin-1 adenoviral gene transfer on neuromuscular degeneration in transgenic ALS mice.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is mainly a sporadic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of cortical and spinal motoneurons. Some familial ALS cases (FALS) have been linked to dominant mutations in the gene encoding Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1). Transgenic mice overexpressing a mutated form of human SOD1 with a Gly93Ala substitution develop progressive muscle wasting and paralysis as a result of spinal motoneuron loss and die at 5 to 6 months.

Neurocysticercosis: a major aetiological factor of late-onset epilepsy in Madagascar.

To assess the impact of cysticercosis on public health in Madagascar, we compared patients > 15 years with late-onset epilepsy to non-epileptic controls in a matched case-control study. The association between epilepsy and cysticercosis was studied by enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) assay for antibodies specific to Taenia solium. The EITB assay was performed on 104 pairs of sera specimens and on 95 pairs of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens.

Serial transmission of spongiocytic hepatitis to woodchucks (possible association with a specific delta strain).

Background/aims: Outbreaks of severe hepatitis have been reported from Africa and South America. Description of the cases has shown the histological hallmark to be the presence of ballooning hepatocytes with fat drops surrounding the nucleus (spongiocytes or morula cells).

Methods: Experimental reproduction of this syndrome for the verification of a possible role of a specific HDV strain was performed by the inoculation of serum and liver extracts from African patients (Bangui-Central African Republic), who died with this syndrome, into American woodchuck carriers of WHV (WC 231,144), the results of which were then compared with animals inoculated with a reference wild HDV strain (WC 300,173,154), and those which received material from a European fulminant HDV case (WC 88,93).

[Pericardial tuberculosis in Madagascar. 23 cases].

A 56 months retrospective study, from October 1990 to May 1995, at the Centre Hospitalier de Soavinandriana in Antananarivo pointed out 29 tuberculous pericarditis among the 97 pericardial effusions discovered by the echocardiography of 5600 patients. The sex-ratio was 0,81 and the mean age 38,6 years old (+/- 14,3). Hospitalization was justified by dyspnea (18 cases), thoracic pain (18 cases), lower limbs edema (6 cases) and ascitis (3 cases).

[Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis in Antananarivo. Principal localizations and biological diagnosis].

We describe the state of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in the capital of Antananarivo, a city of high endemicity for tuberculosis but very low endemicity for HIV infection. The Laboratory of Mycobacteria in the Institut Pasteur of Madagascar had examined from August 94 to April 95, 543 pathological samples issued from 295 patients clinically suspected of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (64% male and 36% female). The diagnosis of tuberculosis was confirmed for 47.

Discovery of a novel point mutation changing the HDAg expression of a hepatitis delta virus isolate from Central African Republic.

None of the mutations so far discovered in several hepatitis delta virus (HDV) isolates appears to determine important changes in HDV specific protein (HDAg) expression, except for a putative mutation at nucleotide 1012 converting an amber stop codon (TAG) to a codon for tryptophan (TGG). Here we present the characterization of an HDV obtained from the liver of a woodchuck inoculated with sera from fulminant HDV patients in Central African Republic (CAR). By restriction enzyme analysis and sequencing of HDAg-coding region cDNA clones, we found that this HDV isolate bears a novel mutation (T to A) at nucleotide 1013 which converts the amber stop codon (TAG) to a codon for lysine (AAG).

Fulminant hepatitis with microvesicular steatosis (a histologic comparison of cases occurring in Brazil--Labrea hepatitis--and in central Africa--Bangui hepatitis).

A similar histopathologic picture of fatal hepatitis associated with widespread acute fatty changes in hepatocytes and single-cell necrosis was seen in epidemic cases occurring in two distinct equatorial areas having high prevalences of HBV and HDV infections. The cases were previously considered to be two different entities; Labrea hepatitis in Brazil, and Bangui hepatitis in the Central African Republic. However, the histopathologic findings suggest that they are pathogenetically and etiologically related to HBV and HDV infections, probably modified by some as yet unknown factor(s) present in equatorial forest zones.

[Idiopathic chylopericardium. Apropos of a new case. Review of the literature].

The authors report a new case of primary chylopericardium in an asymptomatic 26 year old male. In view of the negativity of the complementary etiological investigations a surgical subxiphoid window was performed and this confirmed the diagnosis. After failure of isolated evacuatory drainage, the patient was cured by pericardectomy.

[malnutrition and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Bagui (Central Africa). Study and 2-year follow-up of a cohort of 175 malnourished children and 101 mothers].

In Bangui (Central African Republic) a survey started in 1986 for 2 years. 175 undernourished children and the mothers were surveyed. In this target group, a high seroprevalence to HIV was determined (12 p.

[The treatment of imported Plasmodium falciparum malaria with halofantrine. Apropos of 59 case reports (corrected and republished article orginally printed in Med Trop (Mars) 1990 Jan-Mar;50(1):113-7)].

59 cases of Plasmodium falciparum malaria fever occurring in non-immune Caucasian subjects having got a correct chemoprophylaxis by chloroquine were treated by halofantrine (HALFAN). They were given 1500 mg divided in 3 doses of 500 mg every 6 hours from D1 to D8. All them were back from a malarial highly endemic zone with chloroquine resistance.

[Pseudotumoral naso-sinusal aspergillosis stabilized by itraconazole].

A 25 year-old non-immunocompromised African man showed a sino-orbital aspergillosis involving mostly the sphenoïd sinus, presenting as a growing tumour. Histopathologic study of the specimen biopsy revealed granulomata with intracellular septum branching hyphae. The electrosyneresis demonstrated serum antibodies to Aspergillus flavus.

[Zona in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection in Bangui (Central Africa)].

In Bangui (Central African Republic) where HIV1 prevalence was 7.8% in 1987, 61 cases of herpes zoster have been studied: 17 "during" AIDS and 44 "isolated" cases. During AIDS, herpes zoster has no prognosis value.

[Clinical aspects of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Central Africa: 6 years' experience at a hospital in an endemic area].

In Bangui (Central African Republic), where seroprevalence of HIV is 11% in the adult population, AIDS presents some clinical aspects different from the ones known in the west; the clinical experience reported in this paper is based on 504 cases infested by HIV group 4; diagnosis is very often made thanks to the clinical score recommended by World Health Organization (predictive value of 66%). Predominant manifestations (14%) are: asthenia (100%), emaciation (100%), fever (88%), diarrhea (42%), pulmonary attacks (37%), adenopathies, cutaneous manifestations (35%), neurological manifestations (14%). Some affections call for HIV infection with a significant predictive value: herpes zoster (96%), Kaposi's symptom (68%), mouth candidiasis (71%), pulmonary tuberculosis (56%: as far as some others are concerned, HIV has to be suspected: infant denutrition, acute infections, neurological disorders.