[Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis presenting as an acute urinary febrile retention]. / Un cas d'encéphalomyélite aiguë disséminée post-infectieuse découvert devant une rétention vésicale fébrile.

INTRODUCTION: MRI should be performed in the presence of an acute febrile urinary retention, when septic and obstructive causes are eliminated. We report a case of post-infectious probable acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) with a mostly spinal cord tropism of involving Campylobacter. CASE REPORT: A 32-year-old man with no medical history was admitted for an acute febrile urinary retention. He reported severe diarrhea 3 days before. Clinical course was then complicated by a progressive tetraparesis predominating in the lower limbs. Medullar MRI showed thoracic myelitis. A five-day course of intravenous corticosteroids allowed a full recovery of both the motor and urinary symptoms. Fecal culture isolated Campylobacter sp. Final diagnosis was post-bacterial ADEM. CONCLUSION: Clinical findings and MRI allow clinicians to suspect acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. This hypothesis implies to actively look for recent infections or vaccinations preceding the clinical presentation.

The effects of Sambucus nigrapolyphenols on oxidative stress and metabolic disorders in experimental diabetes mellitus

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The paper focuses on certain natural polyphenolic extracts from common elder fruit (Sambucus nigra), and also on their effects in diabetes mellitus. The results reveal that the glycosylated hemoglobin values are much higher in the diabetic group and they are significantly lower in the group protected by polyphenols. The natural polyphenol compounds reduce the lipids peroxides, neutralize the lipid peroxil radicals and inhibit the LDL oxidation. Following the perturbation of the lipid metabolism in the diabetic rats, atherogen risk has significantly increased values in comparison to the rats from the witness groups. It is found that due to the polyphenolic protection of the rats from the diabetic group treated with polyphenols, the atherogen risk is preserved at normal limits. The serum activity of glutathione-peroxidase and superoxide-dismutase has significantly lower values in the diabetic group as compared to the group protected by polyphenols. Through the hypoglycemiant, hypolipemiant and antioxidant effects,Sambucus nigra represents a possible dietary adjunct for the treatment of diabetes and a potential source for the discovery of new orally active agent(s) for future diabetes therapy. Understanding the mechanism through which the natural polyphenols have effects on the functionality of the endothelium cells, including on the membrane sensitivity and intracellular signalling, could represent a new way of therapeutically approaching chronic metabolic diseases and cardiovascular illnesses (AU)

The effects of Sambucus nigra polyphenols on oxidative stress and metabolic disorders in experimental diabetes mellitus.

The paper focuses on certain natural polyphenolic extracts from common elder fruit (Sambucus nigra), and also on their effects in diabetes mellitus. The results reveal that the glycosylated hemoglobin values are much higher in the diabetic group and they are significantly lower in the group protected by polyphenols. The natural polyphenol compounds reduce the lipids peroxides, neutralize the lipid peroxil radicals and inhibit the LDL oxidation. Following the perturbation of the lipid metabolism in the diabetic rats, atherogen risk has significantly increased values in comparison to the rats from the witness groups. It is found that due to the polyphenolic protection of the rats from the diabetic group treated with polyphenols, the atherogen risk is preserved at normal limits. The serum activity of glutathione-peroxidase and superoxide-dismutase has significantly lower values in the diabetic group as compared to the group protected by polyphenols. Through the hypoglycemiant, hypolipemiant and antioxidant effects,Sambucus nigra represents a possible dietary adjunct for the treatment of diabetes and a potential source for the discovery of new orally active agent(s) for future diabetes therapy. Understanding the mechanism through which the natural polyphenols have effects on the functionality of the endothelium cells, including on the membrane sensitivity and intracellular signalling, could represent a new way of therapeutically approaching chronic metabolic diseases and cardiovascular illnesses.

[Digital arteritis preceding the diagnosis of a malignant B cell lymphoma]. / Artérite digitale précédant la découverte d'un lymphome malin B.

We report the case of a young smoker woman who developed a severe acrosyndrome of rapid onset, involving both hands except the thumbs. The angiography showed digital arteritis. Antinuclear antibodies were present at high level. Three months later, a large B cell lymphoma was diagnosed. Complete remission was achieved, but the acrosyndrome persisted with only partial improvement. The antinuclear antibodies disappeared. The paraneoplastic nature of the acrosyndrome is discussed.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy using silver-coated porous glass-ceramic substrates.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has been studied using a silver-coated porous glass-ceramic material as a new type of substrate. The porous glass-ceramic is in the CaO-TiO2-P2O5 system prepared by controlled crystallization and subsequent chemical leaching of the dense glass-ceramic, leaving a solid skeleton with pores ranging in size from 50 nm to submicrometer. Silver was coated on the surface of the porous glass-ceramic by radio frequency (RF) sputtering or e-beam evaporation in vacuum. SERS spectra of excellent quality were obtained from several dyes and carboxylic acid molecules, including rhodamine 6G, crystal violet, isonicotinic acid, and benzoic acid, using this new substrate. This new substrate showed a good compatibility with these molecules. The porous glass ceramic with a nanometer-structured surface accommodated both test molecules and silver film. The absorbed molecules were therefore better interfaced with silver for surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Homology-driven assembly of a sequence-ready mouse BAC contig map spanning regions related to the 46-Mb gene-rich euchromatic segments of human chromosome 19.

Draft sequence derived from the 46-Mb gene-rich euchromatic portion of human chromosome 19 (HSA19) was utilized to generate a sequence-ready physical map spanning homologous regions of mouse chromosomes. Sequence similarity searches with the human sequence identified more than 1000 individual orthologous mouse genes from which 382 overgo probes were developed for hybridization. Using human gene order and spacing as a model, these probes were used to isolate and assemble bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone contigs spanning homologous mouse regions. Each contig was verified, extended, and joined to neighboring contigs by restriction enzyme fingerprinting analysis. Approximately 3000 mouse BACs were analyzed and assembled into 44 contigs with a combined length of 41.4 Mb. These BAC contigs, covering 90% of HSA19-related mouse DNA, are distributed throughout 15 homology segments derived from different regions of mouse chromosomes 7, 8, 9, 10, and 17. The alignment of the HSA19 map with the ordered mouse BAC contigs revealed a number of structural differences in several overtly conserved homologous regions and more precisely defined the borders of the known regions of HSA19-syntenic homology. Our results demonstrate that given a human draft sequence, BAC contig maps can be constructed quickly for comparative sequencing without the need for preestablished mouse-specific genetic or physical markers and indicate that similar strategies can be applied with equal success to genomes of other vertebrate species.