[Efficacy and tolerance of Latanoprost given as a first intention in the treatment of primitive open angle glaucoma in African melanoderm]. / Efficacité et tolérance du Latanoprost donné en première intention dans le traitement du glaucome primitif a angle ouvert chez le mélanoderme africain.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the reduction in IOP and ocular symptoms in patients newly diagnosed with POAG and treated with latanoprost as monotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHOD: A multicentric, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted. We included adults newly diagnosed with POAG. All patients received one drop of preserved latanoprost 0.005% in each eye every night for 12 weeks. Changes in IOP and ophthalmic signs and symptoms were assessed during and at the end of treatment. RESULTS: A total of 524 patients were included, with a participation rate of 93% at 12 weeks. The mean age was 52.79±17.33 years, and the sex ratio M/F was 1.39. At inclusion, the mean IOP was 21.68±9.72mmHg. After 2 weeks of treatment, the mean IOP was 15.49±5.81mmHg, for a reduction of 28.55%. After 12 weeks of treatment, the mean IOP was 13.16±3.54mmHg, for a reduction of 39.30%. The main symptom recorded was a gritty foreign body sensation, the frequency of which was 4.72% at W2 and 2.45% at W12. The main sign was hyperemia (4.33% at W2 and 1.84% at W12). CONCLUSION: Latanoprost given as first-line monotherapy in POAG in blacks considerably reduces IOP. The incidence of side effects remains low; it is higher at the start of treatment.

[Problem Of Diabetic Foot Amputations]. / ProbléMatique Des Amputations Du Pied Diabétique.

INTRODUCTION: The diabetic foot wound is a real public health problem, 10% of the reasons for hospitalization. The risk of amputation is 10 to 30 times higher in diabetics than the general population. OBJECTIVE: To study the problem of amputations of the diabetic foot. METHOD: This was a descriptive and cross-sectional study that took place in the Department of Medicine and Endocrinology of the Mali Hospital from July 1st, 2016 to June 30th, 2017. RESULTS: Twenty-five (25) diabetic patients were enrolled in our study. The sex ratio was 0.66. At admission, 100% of our patients had arterial disease, 96% neuropathy, and mixed foot in 80%. Poor glycemic control in 64% of patients; osteitis in 52% of cases; 92% of the patients had a 100% amputation risk according to the University of Texas classification. Nearly half or 46% of patients had amputations in the leg. We recorded 1 death case that is 4%. CONCLUSION: The problem of amputation of diabetic feet is a function of the poor equilibrium and progressive neurological and vascular complications of diabetes.

INTRODUCTION: La plaie du pied diabétique constitue un réel problème de santé publique, 10% des motifs d'hospitalisation. Le risque d'amputation est de 10 à 30 fois plus élevé chez les diabétiques que la population générale. OBJECTIF: Etudier la problématique des amputations du pied diabétique. MÉTHODE: II s'agissait d'une étude descriptive et transversale qui s'est déroulée dans le service de médecine et d'endocrinologie de l'hôpital du Mali du 1er Juillet 2016 au 30 Juin 2017. RÉSULTATS: Vingt-cinq (25) patients diabétiques ont été recrutés dans notre étude. Le sex ratio était de 0,66. A l'admission, 100% de nos patients avaient une artériopathie, 96% une neuropathie, et un pied mixte dans 80%. Un mauvais équilibre glycémique chez 64% des patients ; l'ostéite dans 52% des cas; 92% des patients avaient un risque d'amputation à 100% selon la classification de l'université du Texas. Près de la moitié soit 46% des patients ont été amputé au niveau de la jambe. Nous avons enregistré 1 cas de décès soit 4%. CONCLUSION: La problématique de l'amputation des pieds diabétiques est fonction du mauvais équilibre et des complications évolutives neurologiques et vasculaires du diabète.

Effects of a high-fat diet on superoxide anion generation and membrane fluidity in liver mitochondria in rats.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a primary factor of lifestyle-related diseases, and the age of its onset has decreased. The reactive oxygen species (ROS), the superoxide anion, is generated in the mitochondrial electron transport chain and the damage it induces in cells may be a contributing factor to obesity-related lifestyle diseases. In the present study, the influence of the ingestion of a high-fat diet (HFD) on superoxide anion generation in rat liver mitochondria (Mt) and membrane fluidity was investigated. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were fed a normal diet (ND, n = 6) or HFD (n = 6). Liver Mt were isolated and oxygen consumption, superoxide anion production (the adrenaline method), and membrane fluidity (the spin label method) were measured. RESULTS: After 11 weeks, body weights and abdominal circumferences were higher in the HFD group than in the ND group. Mt oxygen consumption was higher in the HFD group than in the ND group. Superoxide anion production was significantly lower in the HFD group than in the ND group, while no significant changes were observed in membrane fluidity. CONCLUSION: Although rats developed diet-induced obesity, it did not reach the level of disease development. The promotion of lipid metabolism appeared to reduce superoxide anion production, but did not influence membrane fluidity. While superoxide anion damages cells as an oxidative stress, ROS and superoxide dismutase are essential signaling molecules in the body. The present results suggest that the continuous ingestion of a HFD impairs Mt and induces disease development.

Nested polymerase chain reaction for assessing the clinical course of tuberculous meningitis.

The authors examined the usefulness of nested PCR (N-PCR) to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) DNA in CSF for assessing the clinical course of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). N-PCR successfully detected MTB DNA in all nine CSF samples from patients with suspected TBM. During anti-tuberculosis treatments, N-PCR results converted from positive to negative, correlating with the improvement of the patient's clinical condition.

[Envenomation accidents caused by snakebites in the surgical emergency unit of Gabriel-Touré Hospital, Bamako, Mali (1998-1999)]. / Les accidents d'envenimation par morsure de serpent dans le service des urgences chirurgicales de l'hôpital Gabriel-Touré, Bamako, Mali (1998-1999).

This study aimed at assessing envenomations caused by snakebite in the Gabriel Touré hospital between January 1998 and December 1999. We included in total 112 victims of snakebites proved by the identification of the snake, the fangs traces and envenomation signs. The bites concerned 34 women (30.36%) versus 78 men (69.64%) from the Bamako district, while 66.7% were from a rural environment. The farmers were the most affected category (35.1%). The bite concerned the lower limb in 83.3% of the cases. Snakes such as Echis ocellatus, Bitis arietans, Naja nigricollis and N. katiensis caused the envenomations. The viperine syndrome dominated the clinical picture; its severity depended on the bleeding stage and the delay of administration of the antivenom serum (AVS) after the envenomation: 19 hours for Echis sp. and 2 hours for Naja sp. This study shows that the envenomation accidents caused by snakes are frequent with a lethality rate of 9.8%.

Predominance of G3B and G14 equine group A rotaviruses of a single VP4 serotype in Japan.

A total of 65 equine group A rotaviruses (GAR) isolated from diarrheal foals at 48 farms in Hokkaido, Japan, between 1996 (29 isolates) and 1997 (36 isolates) were characterized for their VP7 and VP4 serotypes by PCR, nucleotide sequencing, and virus neutralization (VN) tests. By PCR VP7 typing, all isolates were classified as G3 or G 14, and the predominant serotype in each year was G3 (86%) in 1996 and G14 (53%) in 1997. VN tests with these 20 isolates randomly selected confirmed the specificity of PCR on the bases of complete agreement of the results in these methods (9 G3 and 11 G14), and revealed that all 9 G3 isolates were subtype G3B. There were five differing amino acid residues in three VP7 antigenic regions between subtypes G3A and G3B. Antiserum to a baculovirus recombinant that expressed P[12] VP4 neutralized all isolates and P[12] reference strains. These results suggest that genotype P[12] GAR belong to a single VP4 serotype, and that one VP4 and two VP7 serotypes (G3B and G14) of GAR were predominant in the equine population in Japan.

Exclusive association of paraoxonase 1 with high-density lipoprotein particles in apolipoprotein A-I deficiency.

Paraoxonase1 (PON1) is a high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-associated protein which removes peroxidized lipids from lipoproteins. It has been proposed that apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) is an important determinant for its stabilization on HDL. However, little is known about its existence and activity in an apoA-I-deficient state in humans. To characterize the nature of PON1 in apoA-I deficiency, we investigated PON1 in an apoA-I-deficient patient. When serum was analyzed on fast protein liquid chromatography, PON1 protein was distributed almost exclusively on HDL despite the absence of apoA-I; on the other hand, 38.5% of PON1 protein was found in the lipoprotein-free fraction when the lipoproteins were fractionated through ultracentrifugation. The stability of PON1 activity in the patient serum was almost the same as in the normal control sera throughout incubation at 14 degrees C for 7 days. However, when the sera were incubated at 37 degrees C for 24 h, its activity declined more than those in the normal controls (19% versus 4% reduction of the initial values). Our results demonstrated that PON1 protein possesses a preferential association with HDL even in the absence of apoA-I, although apoA-I is a crucial factor for the maximal activity and stabilization of PON1.

Genetic analysis of phytosterolaemia.

Two women with multiple xanthomas, intermittent arthritis and thrombocytopenia were diagnosed as phytosterolaemia, an autosomal-recessive lipid storage disease, based on their increased serum concentrations of beta-sitosterol, campesterol and sitostanol. The gene responsible for this disease is located within a distance of 18 cM between microsatellite markers of D2S 1788 and D2S1352 at chromosome 2p21. We genotyped the patients and their family members with 16 microsatellite markers around this locus. The results from the homozygosity mapping of one family suggested that the gene was located within the distance of 12.6 cM between D2S2328 and D2S1352. We have shortened the genetic distance by 5.4 cM.

PCR cloning of the resuscitation-promoting factor (Rpf) gene from Micrococcus luteus, sequencing and expression in Escherichia coli.

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) cloning procedure was developed for the resuscitation-promoting factor (Rpf) gene of Micrococcus luteus using strains NCIMB 13267, JCM 1464T, JCM 3347, and JCM 3348. A PCR product of the Rpf gene fragment was ligated into a cloning vector pBluescript II KS (+) with the restriction endonucleases Eco RI and Bam HI. The ligation mixture was used to transform Escherichia coli DH5alpha. The DNA sequence of the Rpf gene cloned from strain JCM 1464T was 84% homologous with that of NCIMB 13267, and from strains JCM 3347 and JCM 3348 it was 100% and 86% homologous, respectively. Recombinant Rpf proteins of M. luteus NCIMB 13267 and JCM 1464T after expression in E. coli BL21 harbouring the pET-19b-Rpf plasmid, and after purification, were approximately 16 kD for both strains.

Inducible stx2 phages are lysogenized in the enteroaggregative and other phenotypic Escherichia coli O86:HNM isolated from patients.

We characterized two Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O86:HNM isolates from a patient with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) or bloody diarrhea. Both of them did not possess the eaeA gene. However, the isolate from a HUS patient carried genetic markers of enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) and showed aggregative adherence pattern to HEp-2 cells. The other isolate from bloody diarrhea, which was negative with EAEC markers, was diffusely adhered to HEp-2 cells. The stx2 gene in both E. coli O86:HNM strains was encoded in each infectious phage, which was partially homologous to that of strain EDL933, a STEC O157:H7. These results will help to explain the genotypic divergences of STEC.

Relationship between the serum level of leptin and life-style habits in Japanese men.

AIMS/METHODS: To investigate whether smoking affects the serum level of leptin, 708 male workers aged 25-65 years old were cross-sectionally surveyed. RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis indicated that among the various parameters examined, the level of leptin was positively associated with the body mass index and the levels of insulin, total cholesterol and uric acid, and was inversely associated with physical activity and the level of creatinine. The partial correlation coefficient of leptin was highest against the body mass index (r = 0.40), followed by insulin (0.29) and physical activity (-0.14), after adjustment for other leptin-related variables. However, no association was observed between the level of leptin and smoking (0.05), alcohol consumption (0.09) or age (0.09). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that among life-style habits, physical activity, but not smoking or alcohol consumption, significantly affects the serum level of leptin in Japanese men.

Relationship between glycosylated hemoglobin and the prevalence of proteinuria in Japanese men.

A total of 5,174 Japanese men were included in a cross-sectional study to examine the relationship between the glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) level and the prevalence of proteinuria as determined using a reagent strip. The prevalence of proteinuria rose significantly at HbA1C levels above 5.9%, whereas no relationship was observed at HbA1C levels below 5.9%. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that blood pressure and a family history of diabetes were independent factors associated with proteinuria in subjects with a HbA1C below 5.9% who were not under medication for diabetes. In contrast, HbA1C, obesity and smoking were associated with proteinuria in subjects who were under medication for diabetes and/or have a HbA1C above 5.9%. These findings suggest that maintaining a HbA1C level below 5.9%, non-smoking and a standard body weight may reduce the prevalence of proteinuria in Japanese men. Healthy life-style and standard body weight are especially important for subjects with a family history of diabetes.

Thiazolidinediones suppress endothelin-1 secretion from bovine vascular endothelial cells: a new possible role of PPARgamma on vascular endothelial function.

We examined the effect of troglitazone on immunoreactive endothelin-1 (ET-1) secretion from cultured bovine vascular endothelial cells (bVECs). Insulin (10(-9)-10(-7) M) stimulated ET-1 secretion in a dose-dependent fashion without any kinetic change. Troglitazone (1-20 microM) dose-dependently inhibited both spontaneous and insulin-stimulated ET-1 secretion. This inhibitory effect of troglitazone was associated with reduced ET-1 mRNA levels. Addition of indomethacin (100 microM) or Nw-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (1 mM) and downregulation of protein kinase C by prolonged pretreatment of the cells with a phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate, did not affect the inhibitory effect of troglitazone at concentrations up to 10 microM. Troglitazone did not change the intracellular Ca2+ concentration stimulated by angiotensin II (10 microM). Other PPARgamma ligands, pioglitazone (1-10 microM) and 15-deoxy-delta 12, 14-prostaglandin J2 (1-10 microM), but not a PPARalpha ligand, bezafibrate (1-10 microM), dose-dependently suppressed spontaneous ET-1 secretion from bVECs. These results, taken together, suggest that troglitazone inhibits ET-1 mRNA expression and secretion in bVECs possibly through activation of PPARgamma. This inhibition may contribute to the hypotensive effect of troglitazone in insulin-resistant subjects.

Effects of a single local administration of cilostazol on neointimal formation in balloon-injured rat carotid artery.

To elucidate if locally administered cilostazol, an inhibitor of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase III, suppresses neointimal formation in balloon-injured carotid artery of the rat, 20 mg of cilostazol was topically applied using pluronic gel at the time of balloon injury. Rats were sacrificed 14 days after balloon injury to measure the extent of neointimal formation. Plasma and tissue concentrations of cilostazol were also measured at 1, 3, 7 and 14 days after topical application. The 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU, a thymidine analogue) was given intraperitoneally to detect proliferation of smooth muscle cells in the injured media at 3 days after balloon injury. At 1 day after injury, plasma and tissue concentrations were 0.147+/-0.043 microg/ml and 1380 microg/g tissue. Although the plasma concentration of cilostazol was undetectable ( < 0.02 microg/ml), a significant amount of cilostazol (46 microg/g tissue) was still detected in the tissue at the site of application even after 2 weeks. The intimal area of the injured carotid after 2 weeks was significantly smaller in the cilostazol-treated group than in the gel-treated control group (0.06+/-0.01 vs 0.15+/-0.02 mm2, P<0.001). BrdU-positive smooth muscle cells in the injured media after 3 days were also significantly fewer in the cilostazol-treated group than in the gel-treated control group (4.3+/-0.5 vs 9.1+/-0.9% of total cells, P < 0.001). These results suggest that local administration of cilostazol using pluronic gel maintains a high concentration of the drug at the application site, has an anti-proliferative effect on smooth muscle cells, and may have potential for clinical therapeutic use for the prevention of restenosis following arterial intervention.

Diurnal height variations in growth of children: effects of gravity.

Many specialists in various scientific fields are interested in human growth and development of body sizes of children as a physiological phenomenon. However, our knowledge on human growth has not yet reached a solid foundation and consensus, and at present gravity potential is known to be a lasting condition that influences human lives in various ways. Therefore, more basic research is needed by examining detailed processes of human growth on the earth, with the effect of gravity in prospect. Although modern human growth study is constructed mainly on the basis of observations at one-year intervals, whether such long-interval observations can reveal a true statistical model of human growth is questionable. Togo and Togo (1982, 1989) observed growth in five siblings at one-month intervals for more than 15 years and found fluctuations observed from the start to the end of growth observations consisted of trend, regular, and irregular factors. This indicates the importance of examining human growth by short-interval observation. Thus, our study focused on diurnal variations of height, measuring twice daily, and discusses the effects of gravity on growth of children.

Increased aggregation of human platelets produced by advanced glycation end products in vitro.

Advanced glyco-oxidation end products (AGEs) generate oxygen free radicals that potentiate the development of atherosclerosis. Thus, AGEs may potentiate the aggregation of human platelets through oxidative stress. AGE-bovine serum albumin (BSA) and AGE-poly-L-lysine were evaluated for aggregation of human platelets. Superoxide in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) was measured using lucigenin-derived chemiluminescence. The platelet aggregation induced by ADP or U46619 was potentiated by preincubation with AGE-BSA, by 40% and by 59%, P < .05, respectively, vs BSA. Aggregation was increased by AGEs in a dose-dependent manner. The production of superoxide was significantly greater in PRP incubated with AGE-BSA vs BSA. The other Maillard reaction products, such as Amadori-, pentosidine-, and carboxymethyl lysine (CML)-BSA had no effect. Superoxide dismutase or indomethacin abolished the enhancing effect of AGEs on the platelet aggregation. AGEs potentiate platelet aggregation possibly with superoxide anions and prostanoids. AGE-induced potentiation of platelet aggregation may be involved in the development of atherosclerosis.

Advanced glycation endproducts stimulate mitogen-activated protein kinase and proliferation in rabbit vascular smooth muscle cells.

Advanced glycation end products of bovine serum albumin (AGEs-BSA) exhibited biphasic effects on the proliferation of cultured rabbit vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in terms of [3H]thymidine incorporation and cell number count; a stimulatory effect was observed at 1-10 micrograms/ml and an inhibitory effect at more than 20 micrograms/ml, while it inhibited [3H]thymidine incorporation even at 1-10 micrograms/ml in cultured bovine vascular endothelial cells (VECs). Transient activation of p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) with a peak at around 5 min and a subsequent sustained phase was induced by AGEs-BSA in VSMCs, but not in VECs. The dependence of MAPK activation on AGEs-BSA dose was correlated with that of VSMCs proliferation.