Evaluation of detail reproduction for three die materials by using scanning electron microscopy and two-dimensional profilometry.

This study evaluated the reproduction of detail by Fuji-rock artificial stone, Epoxydent epoxy resin, and Steady-plast polyurethane resin. A polyvinyl siloxane impression was made of a disk-shaped calibration model, with etched grooves ranging from 1 to 46 microns in depth. The die materials were poured in the silicone impression of the disk, then examined with a scanning electron microscope and two-dimensional profilometer. The results revealed that the artificial stone could not reproduce details smaller than 20 microns because of the size of the crystalline structure, whereas epoxy resin and polyurethane resin accurately reproduced details of 1 to 2 microns.

Salt wastage, plasma volume contraction and hypokalemic paralysis in self-induced water intoxication.

Eleven episodes of severe hyponatremia secondary to hiccup-induced potomania were recorded in 3 years in a man who had essential hypertension, a low protein intake and a normal diluting ability. Paradoxical increase in hematocrit and plasma protein with acute extensive natriuresis was associated as well as urine potassium loss and hypokalemia producing paralysis in 1 episode. During a chronic water loading test, the defect in water excretion was related to a low urine solute delivery which was partially reverted by the natriuretic response to plasma volume expansion, promoting water diuresis. In acute water intoxication, this natriuretic response was exaggerated, producing a brisk water diuresis. Plasma volume was rapidly normalized but without any improvement in plasma sodium due to the concomitant negative sodium balance. Thus, water diuresis persisted until plasma volume was significantly contracted. Potassium loss appeared to be related to sodium excretion. Metabolic disturbances have not reoccurred despite persistent hiccup and potomania during 2 years of urea therapy.

[The French ambulatory multicenter trial of Triatec: conclusions of the trial]. / L'étude multicentrique français ambulatoire du Triatec: conclusions de l'essai.

The multicentre ramipril trial was original in that the CEI was tested at its lowest effective dosage level. More than 80 p. 100 of the patients responded to a single-drug treatment with ramipril 5 mg per day or less. At that dosage level the drug was well tolerated and no severe or serious side-effect was noted. A relation could be demonstrated between the prevalence of cough and the dose of ramipril. The trial was carried out in a population of ambulatory patients with moderate, uncomplicated arterial hypertension (DAP between 95 and 115 mmHg and SAP less than or equal to 200 mmHg). It was conducted according to the "Good Clinical Practice" rules by 102 general practitioners, under their usual conditions of work, and this provided them with experience for further clinical studies of hypertension and with education for the managements of that disease in private practice.

Frequency of red cell adenosine deaminase phenotypes in a unique Breton community, the Bigoudens.

The adenosine deaminase gene frequencies were calculated in 405 subjects randomly chosen from the Bigouden district. A rather high frequency (0.0765 +/- 0.0093) was found for the ADA2 gene. The possible effect of Celtic influences is considered.

Acetaldehyde adducts with serum proteins are not responsible for decreased drug binding in alcoholic patients.

Decreased plasma binding of phenytoin and diazepam has previously been described in patients with alcoholic liver diseases. It has been attributed to hypoalbuminemia, endogenous displacers and/or qualitative changes in albumin such as formation of adducts with acetaldehyde, a highly reactive metabolite of ethanol. In the present report this hypothesis was tested. After treating the sera with activated charcoal to remove the endogenous displacers and adjusting albumin concentration to a constant level, the binding parameters of both drugs, phenytoin and diazepam, were determined in 14 healthy men and 16 alcoholic patients by equilibrium dialysis. In these conditions, no significant difference in the number of binding sites nor in the affinity constant was observed, which suggests that acetaldehyde adducts with proteins do not contribute, to a major extent, to the defect of drug binding observed in alcoholic patients.

[Binding of complement by anti-native desoxyribonucleic acid antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus]. / La fixation du complément par les anticorps anti-acide désoxyribonucléique natif au cours du lupus érythémateux disséminé.

Antibodies directed against double-stranded (native) desoxyribonucleic acid (dsDNA) were detected by the immunofluorescence technique on Crithidia luciliae in 38 out of 58 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and in 22 out of 296 controls with autoimmune diseases. The SLE patients had high titers of anti-dsDNA antibodies which belonged at least to the IgG class and fixed the complement in 20 out of 38 cases. These complement-fixing antibodies differed from the others in their greater activity, as evaluated by C3 levels, and in their association with a high incidence of renal lesions.

Nonorgan-specific autoantibodies and immunoglobulin allotypes in relatives of patients with monoclonal gammopathy.

Polyclonal immunoglobulin increase, rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibodies and cold lymphocytotoxins were detected 10, 8, 7 and 8 times, respectively, in a group of these informative families (22, 17 and 29 subjects tested, respectively). Each family included at least 1 subject with a monoclonal gammopathy in addition to that of the proband. No correlation could be shown between any of these abnormalities and Gm haplotypes. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that 6 out of 41 relatives under 30 years of age had cold lymphocytotoxins.

Immune complexes and autoantibodies in patients with giant cell arteritis and their relationship with autologous rosette-forming cells.

Serologic studies and lymphocyte analysis were carried out in 29 patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA). IgA-containing circulating immune complexes (CIC) were detected in 16 GCA patients with or without polymyalgia rheumatica (55%). A significant difference was demonstrated in autologous rosette-forming cells between the patients as a whole, and matched controls (8.6 +/- 2.0 vs 11.6 +/- 2.4, p less than 0.001), and also between patients with and patients without CIC (7.9 +/- 1.6 vs 9.4 +/- 2.0, p less than 0.001).

[Gougerot-Sjögren syndrome and monoclonal immunoglobulin]. / Syndrome de Gougerot-Sjögren et immunoglobuline monoclonale.

Serum electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis were performed in 67 patients with Sjögren's syndrome. We found a monoclonal gammapathy in 11 cases: IgG (10 cases) and IgM (1 case). 1 monoclonal gammapathy was detected in 2 of 21 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome. All patients with monoclonal gammapathy were asymptomatic.

[Hepatoma manifesting monoclonal gammapathy and hypercalcemia]. / Hépátome avec émergence d'une gammapathie monoclonale et hypercalcémie.

The authors report the case of a patient with alcoholic cirrhosis in whom the appearance of a hepatocarcinoma coincided with the appearance of an "asymptomatic" monoclonal gammaglobulinopathy and hypercalcaemia attributed to a probable paraneoplastic syndrome. The authors discuss the hypotheses which have been proposed to explain the link between monoclonal gammaglobulinopathy and cancer and they stress the particular case of hepatocarcinoma in which the association has been rarely reported. They also review the diagnostic criteria of paraneoplastic hypercalcaemia.

Antiperinuclear factor in Sjögren's syndrome in the presence or absence of rheumatoid arthritis.

Serum from 91 patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) was examined for antiperinuclear factor (APF). Nine out of 29 patients with SS alone (31.0%) were positive as opposed to 27 out of 40 with SS + rheumatoid arthritis (67.5%) and to 3 out of 22 with SS + other autoimmune disorders (13.6%). A clear relationship was established between APF and agglutinating or non-agglutinating rheumatoid factor.

[Significance of antinuclear anti-histone antibodies]. / Signification des anticorps anti-nucléaires dirigés contre les histones.

The results of routine antihistone antibody (AHA) assay in a preliminary series of 189 sera are presented. There were 23 positive tests (systemic lupus erythematosus, 8 cases; drug induced SLE, 4 cases; rheumatoid arthritis 7 cases; and multiple sclerosis, 1 case; chronic active hepatitis, 1 case; systemic sclerosis, 1 case and primary biliary cirrhosis 1 case). The results of routine assay in 5 other patients groups are reported: 30 spontaneous SLE (9 positive AHA), 63 rheumatoid arthritis (2 positive AHA), 19 Sjögren syndrome (no AHA), 11 primary biliary cirrhosis (1 positive AHA) and 7 mixed connective tissue disease (no AHA).