Fatal outbreak of human toxoplasmosis along the Maroni River: epidemiological, clinical, and parasitological aspects.

Background: Well-documented outbreaks of human toxoplasmosis infection are infrequently reported. Here, we describe a community outbreak of multivisceral toxoplasmosis that occurred in Patam, a Surinamese village near the French Guianan border.

Methods: From the end of December 2003 through the middle of January 2004, 5 adult patients in Patam, including 2 pregnant women, were initially hospitalized for multivisceral toxoplasmosis.

Risk factors for follow-up interruption of HIV patients in French Guiana.

French Guiana is the region of France where the HIV epidemic is most prevalent. To determine the risk factors for being lost for follow-up, we followed a cohort of 1,213 patients between 1992 and 2002 and determined which variables were related to two definitions of being lost to follow-up: permanently disappearing from HIV clinics and coming back after more than 1 year of missed appointments. The incidence rate for permanent follow-up interruption was 17.

Increased incidence of disseminated histoplasmosis following highly active antiretroviral therapy initiation.

To determine whether the initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) had any influence on the incidence of disseminated histoplasmosis, a retrospective cohort study was performed on 1551 patients followed for up to 12 years. After controlling for CD4 counts, age, and sex, patients taking HAART for 2 months or less were more likely to develop disseminated histoplasmosis than untreated patients (respectively, hazard ratio, 3.7 [95% confidence interval, 1.

Risk factors for late HIV diagnosis in French Guiana.

Risk factors for delayed HIV diagnosis in French Guiana were studied in 1952 patients between 1992 and 2003. At the time of diagnosis, 30% of patients had less than 200 CD4 lymphocytes/mm3; age, male sex, and foreign nationality were independently associated with a low CD4 cell count. The availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy was not associated with an earlier HIV diagnosis.

Gene expression profiling for molecular characterization of inflammatory breast cancer and prediction of response to chemotherapy.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare but aggressive form of breast cancer with a 5-year survival limited to approximately 40%. Diagnosis, based on clinical and/or pathological criteria, may be difficult. Optimal systemic neoadjuvant therapy and accurate predictors of pathological response have yet to be defined for increasing response rate and survival.

Gene expression profiling of colon cancer by DNA microarrays and correlation with histoclinical parameters.

Different diagnostic and prognostic groups of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) have been defined. However, accurate diagnosis and prediction of survival are sometimes difficult. Gene expression profiling might improve these classifications and bring new insights into underlying molecular mechanisms.

Transcriptional profiling reveals coordinated up-regulation of oxidative metabolism genes in thyroid oncocytic tumors.

Oncocytomas are large cell tumors characterized by an abnormal proliferation of mitochondria. To investigate this phenomenon in thyroid oncocytomas, we determined gene expression profiles of 87 samples using microarrays of 6720 PCR products from cDNA clones. Samples included 29 thyroid oncocytomas and six papillary carcinomas, the remainder representing other thyroid pathologies or mitochondria-rich tumor samples, normal thyroid samples, and two thyroid cell lines.

Gene expression profiling of breast carcinomas using nylon DNA arrays.

Clinically very heterogeneous, breast cancer prognosis and treatment response are difficult to predict with the current prognostic histoclinical parameters. Mammary oncogenesis remains poorly understood. DNA array technology allows the simultaneous analysis of the mRNA expression levels of thousands of genes in biological samples.

Small lymphocytic lymphoma, marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, and mantle cell lymphoma exhibit distinct gene-expression profiles allowing molecular diagnosis.

Non-germinal center small B-cell lymphomas represent a heterogeneous group of non-Hodgkin lymphomas, the most frequent histologic subtypes being small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), splenic marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (MZL), and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). In order to identify genomic signatures specific for each disease, we analyzed 128 primary tumors using high-density microarrays. Several clusters of genes significantly discriminated the 3 histologic subtypes.

Gene expression profiling of multiple myeloma reveals molecular portraits in relation to the pathogenesis of the disease.

Although multiple myeloma (MM) is a unique entity, a marked heterogeneity is actually observed among the patients, which has been first related to immunoglobulin (Ig) types and light chain subtypes and more recently to chromosomal abnormalities. To further investigate this genetic heterogeneity, we analyzed gene expression profiles of 92 primary tumors according to their Ig types and light chain subtypes with DNA microarrays. Several clusters of genes involved in various biologic functions such as immune response, cell cycle control, signaling, apoptosis, cell adhesion, and structure significantly discriminated IgA- from IgG-MM.

Prognosis of breast cancer and gene expression profiling using DNA arrays.

Breast cancer is a complex genetic disease characterized by the accumulation of multiple molecular alterations. The resulting clinical heterogeneity makes current therapeutic strategies-based on clinicopathlogical factors-less than perfectly adapted to each patient. Today, DNA arrays, by allowing the simultaneous and quantitative analysis of the mRNA expression levels of thousands of genes in a single assay, provide novel tools to tackle this complexity.

Breast cancer revisited using DNA array-based gene expression profiling.

Breast cancer is a complex genetic disease characterized by the accumulation of multiple molecular alterations. The resulting clinical heterogeneity makes current diagnostic and therapeutic strategies less than perfectly adapted to each patient. Pathological and clinical factors are insufficient to capture the complex cascade of events that drive the clinical behavior of tumors.

[Prognostic value of gene expression profiling using cDNA arrays in lymphomas].

Lymphomas are the most frequent haematological malignancies in France. Their histoclinical heterogeneity reflects their complex and combinatorial nature which remains poorly elucidated at the molecular level. Today, DNA arrays allow to tackle this diversity by measuring the mRNA expression level of thousands of genes simultaneously in one sample.

[Gene expression profiling using cDNA arrays and prognosis of breast cancer].

Breast cancer is a major health problem. Clinical heterogeneity makes prognosis and sensitivity to treatment highly variable among patients. The recently developed cDNA array technology allows to analyse the expression of thousands of genes simultaneously.

Gene expression profiles of poor-prognosis primary breast cancer correlate with survival.

The extensive heterogeneity of breast cancer complicates the precise assessment of tumour aggressiveness, making therapeutic decisions difficult and treatments inappropriate in some cases. Consequently, the long-term metastasis-free survival rate of patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy is only 60%. There is a genuine need to identify parameters that might accurately predict the effectiveness of this treatment for each patient.