Differential progression of Dark Neuron and Fluoro-Jade labelling in the rat hippocampus following pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus.

To investigate the progression of cellular injury in a model of hippocampal epileptogenesis, we used two histochemical methods reported to specifically label injured neurons, the Dark Neuron stain and Fluoro-Jade. Pilocarpine was administered systemically (380mg/kg i.p.) to induce status epilepticus. The duration of status epilepticus was controlled to last 1h by stopping it with diazepam (4mg/kg i.p.). The progression of cellular damage was quantified at six specific time points following the initial pilocarpine-induced insult: 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h, one week, and three weeks. To assess, in parallel, neuronal loss in specific hippocampal regions throughout epileptogenesis, the neuronal nuclear protein NeuN was used as a specific marker of neurons. Results revealed a different time-dependent progression of Dark Neuron and Fluoro-Jade labelling following status epilepticus. A significantly greater proportion of silver-impregnated cells labelled by the Dark Neuron stain was quantified in the stratum radiatum and stratum pyramidale of CA1 at the early time point of 3h compared with the proportion of Fluoro-Jade labelling in adjacent sections. In contrast, the maximal staining with Fluoro-Jade appeared at a later stage during epileptogenesis (between 24h and one week), with a significantly greater proportion of neurons labelled compared to the Dark Neuron stain in the stratum radiatum of CA1, stratum pyramidale of CA1, stratum radiatum of CA3 and the polymorphic layer of the dentate gyrus. Neurons from control animals were not significantly labelled by either of the two staining methods. Interestingly, the increase in Fluoro-Jade labelling corresponded in time to neuron loss. The two stains therefore appear to highlight separate processes of neuronal damage. This finding indicates that distinct cellular events take place at different stages of epileptogenesis, which may differ considerably from the permanent changes observed in chronically epileptic tissue.

[Diabetic cheiroarthropathy]. / La quiroartropatía diabética.

Diabetic cheiroarthropathy is a periarticular pathology that concerns diabetes mellitus, especially the insulin-dependent and long-term variety. Normally it is asymptomatic and consists of a pain-free limited extension of the metacarpophalangeal and/or proximal interphalangeal joints, with a spontaneous posture of slight flexion in the fingers. It can be accompanied by other rheumatological pathologies usually associated with diabetes.

In vivo pefloxacin-resistant Campylobacter fetus responsible for gastro-intestinal infection and bacteremia associated with arthritis of the hip.

The authors report a case of Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus gastro-intestinal infection and bacteremia with poly-arthritis, mainly of the hip, in a French patient simultaneously suffering from cirrhosis of the liver. The outcome was eventually favorable, however only after a trial of ineffective pefloxacin-gentamicin therapy. The authors suggest: (i) gentamicin should not be given alone in C. fetus subsp. fetus infections, and (ii) pefloxacin should not be given if antibiotic sensitivities data are not available. The inconclusive reliability of disk diffusion tests for C. fetus subsp. fetus should be recognized.

Dupuytren's disease, carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, and diabetes mellitus.

A comparative prospective study of 120 adult diabetics (60 insulin dependent, 60 non-insulin dependent) and 120 non-diabetic adults as controls showed significantly higher incidence of Dupuytren's disease, limited joint motion, carpal tunnel syndrome, and flexor tenosynovitis in the diabetic population. Of the diabetic patients one third had a mild non-progressive form of Dupuytren's disease, which commonly involved the long and ring rays. Limited joint motion was noted in a third of diabetics, and carpal tunnel syndrome was observed in 15-25%, and flexor tenosynovitis in about a fifth. Limited joint motion co-existed with Dupuytren's disease in 57% of insulin-dependent diabetics. Diabetic polyneuropathy was found in two thirds of insulin-dependent diabetics and in one third of non-insulin dependent diabetics. All these hand changes were more marked in insulin-dependent diabetics and they showed a positive correlation with increasing age of the patient, duration of the diabetes, and the presence of a microangiopathy.

Increased prevalence of soft tissue hand lesions in type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus: various entities and associated significance.

Sixty Type 1 (insulin dependent) and sixty Type 2 (non insulin dependent) diabetic patients attending a diabetology unit were examined in search of limited joint mobility, Dupuytren's disease, flexor tenosynovitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, in comparison with two populations of 60 non diabetic controls matched for sex and age with the Type 1 and the Type 2 diabetic patients. Microangiopathic and neuropathic complications, glycaemic control, blood pressure and tobacco consumption were simultaneously assessed in 39 of the 60 type 1 and in all the type 2 diabetic patients. The prevalence of the various soft tissue hand lesions was higher in both diabetic populations (respectively Type 1 and Type 2) than in their control populations: Limited joint mobility: 33.3 and 26.7% vs 5.0 and 8.3% (both p < 0.01); Dupuytren's disease: 35.0 and 30.0% vs 6.7 and 10.0% (both p < 0.01); flexor tenosynovitis: 23.3 and 16.7% vs 0.0 and 3.3% (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05); carpal tunnel syndrome: 26.7 and 15.0% vs 3.3 and 5% (p < 0.01 and NS). The prevalence of limited joint mobility in Type 1 diabetes was independently associated with increasing age (p < 0.05) and to lower extent with increasing duration of diabetes (p = 0.05), whereas the prevalence of Dupuytren's disease only correlated with increasing age in both types of diabetes (p < 0.05). In Type 2 diabetes, the prevalence of flexor tenosynovitis also increased independently with age (p < 0.05), and the prevalence of limited joint mobility increased in the opposite way to the body mass index after adjustment on age, duration of diabetes and sex (p < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Constrictive pericarditis in severe seronegative rheumatoid polyarthritis]. / Péricardite constrictive au cours d'une polyarthrite rhumatoïde sévère séro-négative.

Constrictive pericarditis is a rare complication of rheumatoid arthritis, with 78 published cases. We report a new typical case where the pericardial disease was associated with a severe seronegative rheumatoid arthritis of 17 years duration. Constrictive pericarditis generally occurs in men (62.8% of all cases) aged 52.4 +/- 11.5 years. Its clinical features are identical with those of constrictive pericarditis due to other causes. Diagnosis rests on echocardiography and, chiefly, on right heart catheterization. The arthritis is seropositive in 85.7% of the cases, frequently nodular (75%) and advanced. There is no relation between its duration (mean: 9.6 +/- 7.4 years) and the occurrence of the pericardial pathology. The pericardial fluid has no specific abnormality. Histology shows fibrosis and a non-specific inflammatory cell infiltrate. Immunoglobulin and complement deposits in the walls of the pericardial vessels are detected by immunofluorescence. The only treatment is pericardiectomy; without it the disease is constantly lethal.

[Hip and spinal ossification enthesopathies induced by etretinate therapy in peripheral psoriatic arthritis]. / Enthésopathies ossifiantes des hanches et du rachis induites par l'étrétinate au cours d'un rheumatisme psoriasique périphérique.

The occurrence of ossifying enthesopathy during treatment with synthetic retinoids (etretinate, isotretinoin and acitretin) is a side-effect more and more frequently recorded. The authors report here a new case in a patient with a severe psoriatic arthritis. This observation is characterized by the size of ossifications on hips and lumbar spine which appeared after two years of etretinate therapy. The interest of this observation lies in the fact that ossifications occurred while the patient was treated with long-term corticotherapy. The disease for which retinoids are prescribed does not seem to influence the occurrence of those lesions and it is likely that the responsibility of these molecules is entire. Lesions are enthesitis ossification. They are frequent during these treatments (average of 70%) after an average time of 24 to 36 months for etretinate and of 10 months for isotretinoin. Lesions are asymptomatic in about 50% of the cases. After discontinuation of treatment, lesions become quiescent and does not disappear. Growth hormone or abnormalities in vitamin A metabolism could play a role in the physiopathology of lesions.

[Diabetic cheiroarthropathy. Microcirculatory aspects]. / Cheiroarthropathie diabétique. Aspects microcirculatoires.

Diabetic cheiroarthropathy (DCA) or pseudosclerodermatous hand of the diabetic is characterized by nonpainful limited extension of the proximal metacarpophalangeal and/or interphalangeal joints with spontaneous flexum of the fingers. The mechanism of lesion formation is poorly known but apparently associates neurogenic, vascular and cutaneous phenomena. Fifteen patients with DCA (9 men, 6 women; range 20-74 years) were studied by capillaroscopy, photoplethysmography and skin biopsy. Eleven had type 1 diabetes and 4 type 2 over periods ranging from 1 to 42 years (mean 19.9 years). Diabetic retinopathy was noted 10/15 times, nephropathy 5/15 times and neuropathy of the lower limbs 13/15 times. All patients had at least one of these abnormalities. In capillaroscopy, "Shoal of fish" features of diabetic microangiopathy were found only 4 times, but minor dystrophy was noted in 12 cases. In digital photoplethysmography, a drop in digital systolic pressure or an increase in pulse time was noted in 5 cases. The Hillestad test was less than or equal to 2 in 8 patients. Histological study showed constant dermal collagenous fibrosis in diseased skin, which was also found in normal skin in 6/13 patients. PAS staining showed a thickening of vascular basal membrane 14/15 times in diseased skin and 11/13 times in normal skin. The relation between DCA and microangiopathy is discussed in terms of collagen metabolism abnormalities observed during diabetes.

[Diabetic cheiroarthropathy]. / La cheiroarthropathie diabétique.

Cheiroarthropathy is quite frequent in diabetics, but is only really specific at stage III, which is the most characteristic form. It is all the more frequent as the diabetes is old, but remains unrelated to sex, age and type of diabetes. The stiffening of the joint readily extends to other joints. The patients are moderately alerted in the absence of other associated pathologies: trigger finger, Dupuytren's disease, carpal tunnel syndrome. All these manifestations form the "diabetic hand", of which cheiroarthropathy is only one component. The need for an accurate analysis with the purpose of appropriate treatments, should be emphasized. The angiologic and histopathological study of patients with stage III cheiroarthropathy, enables us to demonstrate moderate abnormalities of the microcirculation, which are quite different from those encountered in sclerodermia. The etiopathogenesis of cheiroarthropathy remains mysterious and is probably related to an alteration of the collagen metabolism. One of the most interesting component is the association between cheiroarthropathy and the micro-angiopathic complications of diabetes mellitus: cheiroarthropathy being the indicator of such diabetes.

[Portal hypertension and hemorrhoids. Cause effect relationship?]. / Hypertension portale et hémorroïdes. Relation de cause à effet?

The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence and the size of hemorrhoids with the degree of portal hypertension; 101 patients with intrahepatic portal hypertension documented by measuring wedged and free hepatic venous pressures before performing transjugular liver biopsy and 67 patients free of liver disease were investigated by proctoscopy. Portal hypertension was associated with a higher prevalence of hemorrhoids (93 p. 100 vs 76 p. 100); there was no relation between portal pressure and the size of haemorrhoids; no relation was found between the size of hemorrhoids and the grade of esophageal varices.