Polymorphism in IgG Fc receptor gene FCGR3A and response to infliximab in Crohn's disease: a subanalysis of the ACCENT I study.

Recently, it has been shown that FCGR3A-158 gene polymorphism is associated with biological and possibly clinical response to infliximab in Crohn's disease. We further assessed this association in a subset of 344 patients from the large and well-defined cohort of 573 patients with Crohn's disease from the ACCENT I study. No association could be observed between FCGR3A-158 gene polymorphism and the clinical response to infliximab, which was primarily defined as a decrease of >or=70 points in the Crohn's disease activity index or clinical remission (Crohn's disease activity index <150).

Infliximab for refractory ulcerative colitis or indeterminate colitis: an open-label multicentre study.

Background: The efficacy of infliximab in ulcerative colitis (UC) and indeterminate colitis has been poorly assessed and preliminary results are conflicting.

Methods: The records of 30 patients treated with infliximab for ulcerative colitis (n=19) or indeterminate colitis (n=11) were reviewed. Infliximab was given because of steroid resistance (n=18), dependence (n=5) or intolerance (n=7); five patients had failed on cyclosporin; 19 patients had a severe flare-up.

Role of angiotensin II and bradykinin on aortic collagen following converting enzyme inhibition in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

We previously showed that chronic angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition prevented the increase in aortic collagen in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) independently of blood pressure reduction. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the effects of ACE inhibition on aortic fibrosis were due to inhibition of angiotensin II formation, preservation of bradykinin, or a combination of both. Four week-old SHRs were treated for 4 months with the ACE inhibitor quinapril, quinapril with the bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist Hoe 140, or the angiotensin II AT1 receptor antagonist CI996.

The effect of haemodialysis on the pharmacokinetics of perindoprilat after long-term perindopril.

We have studied the pharmacokinetics of perindoprilat, the active metabolite of perindopril, in 7 hypertensive patients undergoing haemodialysis after short-term and long-term (1 month) perindopril. We also measured angiotensin-converting enzyme activity. Each subject took 2 mg of perindopril after a 4-hour haemodialysis.

Long-term tolerance of perindopril in hypertensive patients with impaired renal function.

Thirty-six hypertensive patients with impaired renal function entered a long-term study to assess the safety of perindopril. There were 28 men and 8 women of mean age 57.1 +/- 2.

Value of radionuclide assessment with thallium 201 scintigraphy in carnitine deficiency cardiomyopathy.

The case of a 30 month-old boy who presented with isolated severe dilated cardiomyopathy is reported. The diagnosis of systemic carnitine deficiency was confirmed by low serum and tissue carnitine levels. During oral L-carnitine therapy, dramatic improvement of the cardiac function was assessed by radionuclide methods.

Hypomelanosis of Ito (incontinentia pigmenti achromians) and mosaicism for a microdeletion of 15q1.

Hypomelanosis of Ito (incontinentia pigmenti achromians), a sacrococcygeal complex dysembryoma, seizures, severe cerebral lesions, mental retardation, chorioretinal atrophy, hemihypotrophy of the body, and skeletal anomalies are reported in a female infant of North African origin. Karyotype analysis revealed mosaicism for a microdeletion of the proximal region of 15q similar to that observed in Willi-Prader syndrome. The possibility of gene assignment of Ito's disease or that it may represent a nonspecific marker for mosaicism are discussed.

CNS-side effects induced by Ifosfamide-Mesna in children with osteosarcomas.

The authors have had the opportunity to see two cases of CNS side effects of Ifosfamide-Mesna association in children. Data in the medical literature about this subject remains poor. Only a few observations are available.

[Inorganic pyrophosphates and parathormone in hypophosphatasia. Study of a family].

The serum concentration of parathormone is usually normal in hypophosphatasia, a rare disease with a defect of bone mineralisation and low serum alkaline phosphatase activity. Nevertheless there are three cases in the literature presenting a hyperparathyroidism with or without hypercalcemia. No anomaly of parathyroid was found at autopsy.