Peripheral nerve biopsy study in 19 cases with 17p11.2 deletion.

In most cases of hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsy (HNPP) the diagnosis is now assessed by molecular detection of 17p11.2 deletion. However, the family history may be missing and the clinical presentation is not always informative.

Simultaneous determination of the antiretroviral agents: amprenavir, lopinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir and efavirenz in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A selective and accurate assay for the simultaneous quantitation of four protease inhibitors (PIs) (amprenavir (APV), lopinavir (LPV), ritonavir (RTV) and saquinavir (SQV)) and a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) (efavirenz, EFV) in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass chromatography (LC/MS) has been developed and validated. After liquid-liquid extraction, the antiretroviral agents were separated within 15 min. The calibration curves of each drug showed a good linearity in a range of concentration between 2 and 200 ng/3 x 10(6) cells for amprenavir, lopinavir, efavirenz, 1.

Determination of linezolid in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection using a fully automated extraction method.

The aim of this study was to develop a specific and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for the determination of linezolid in human plasma, and bronchoalveolar lavage. The sample extraction was based on a fully automated solid-phase extraction with an OASIS HLB cartridge. The method used ultraviolet detection set at a wavelength of 254 nm and a separation with a Zorbax Eclipse XDB C8 column.

Long-term mortality among adults with or without asthma in the PAARC study.

The Pollution Atmosphérique et Affections Respiratoires Chroniques (PAARC; Air Pollution and Chronic Respiratory Diseases) study provided the opportunity to examine the 25-yr mortality of 940 asthmatic adults drawn from a large population-based sample of 14,267 adults investigated during 1974-1976 in seven French cities. Vital statistics were collected in 2001 for the whole population. Multivariate survival analysis was used to assess exact survival rates in asthmatics and nonasthmatics taking relevant confounders into account.

Resveratrol inhibits the growth and induces the apoptosis of both normal and leukemic hematopoietic cells.

It is often postulated that trans-3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene (resveratrol, RES) exhibits cell growth regulatory and chemopreventive activities. However, mechanisms by which this polyphenol inhibits tumor cell growth, and its therapeutic potential are poorly understood. Using various human leukemia cells, we have first defined the anti-tumoral doses of this compound.

The permeability transition pore signals apoptosis by directing Bax translocation and multimerization.

Mitochondria are key players of apoptosis and can irreversibly commit the cell to death by releasing cytochrome c (Cyt.c) to the cytosol, where caspases 9 and 3 subsequently get activated. Under conditions of oxidative stress, opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP) represents an early trigger and is crucial in causing Cyt.

Determinants of transfusion-associated bacterial contamination: results of the French BACTHEM Case-Control Study.

Background: Transfusion-associated bacterial contamination (TABC), probably the most frequent transfusion-transmitted infection, may induce serious adverse events. Systematic information and documentation on determinants are lacking.

Study Design And Methods: The BACTHEM Study is a French matched case-control study assessing TABC determinants.

Electrical coupling and plasticity of the mitochondrial network.

Kinetic fluorescence imaging and the potentiometric probe tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester (TMRM) were used to evoke and detect changes in membrane potential (delta Psi(m)) of individual mitochondria in living cells. As a combined effect of preferential TMRM accumulation in mitochondria, and of TMRM photoactivation, individual organelles displayed sharp transient depolarizations caused by local reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated gatings of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP). In COS-7 cells, such directed repetitive gatings of the PTP gave rise to stochastic delta Psi(m)flickering at the level of individual organelles, but also to prominent synchronous delta Psi(m)transitions in whole subgroups of the mitochondrial population, indicative of the existence of an underlying electrically coupled mitochondrial network.

Patterns of neuroleptic drug prescription: a national cross-sectional survey of a random sample of French psychiatrists.

Aims: To describe the psychiatric indications of neuroleptics (especially the relative share of schizophrenic and other psychotic disorders) and the usage patterns of these drugs (dose, duration, coprescriptions).

Methods: A one-day national cross-sectional survey in a random sample of 723 French psychiatrists was carried out in 1996. Each psychiatrist was asked to complete a standardized questionnaire for the first three patients seen the day of the survey to whom at least one neuroleptic was prescribed (initiated or renewed).

From calcium signaling to cell death: two conformations for the mitochondrial permeability transition pore. Switching from low- to high-conductance state.

The permeability transition pore (PTP) is a channel of the inner mitochondrial membrane that appears to operate at the crossroads of two distinct physiological pathways, i.e., the Ca2+ signaling network during the life of the cell, and the effector phase of the apoptotic cascade during Ca2+-dependent cell death.

Mitochondria are excitable organelles capable of generating and conveying electrical and calcium signals.

We report Ca2(+)-induced release of Ca2+ from mitochondria (mCICR) dependent on transitory opening of the permeability transition pore (PTP) operating in a low conductance mode. The Ca2+ fluxes taking place during mCICR are a direct consequence of the mitochondrial depolarization spike (mDPS) caused by PTP opening. Both mDPS and mCICR can propagate from one mitochondrion to another in vitro, generating traveling depolarization and Ca2+ waves.