French Pharmacist Research Articles

Louis Alphonse Adrian

Louis Alphonse Adrian (1832-1911) was a French pharmacist who with Auguste Trillat studied the synthesis and chemistry of phosphoglycerates, neutral and acid, their derivatives, properties, and dosage, particularly, organic and calcium phosphoglycerates, as well as the reaction between glycerin and phosphoric acid. They isolated several new first principles present in Artemisia absinthium, in Digitalis lutea, and in agaric acid. With Bardet and Blondel they carried a detailed botanical, chemical, and physiological study of Piligan, a moss originating from Brazil, and proved that the active component was the alkaloid piliganin. Adrian developed new dosage procedures for determining the amount of guaiacol present in commercial products.

Pierre Figuier

Pierre Oscar Figuier (1759-1817), a French pharmacist whose main contribution was the discovery of using animal charcoal for bleaching inorganic and organic substances. Figuier also carried substantial work on the chemistry of gold, the synthesis of many of its compounds, particularly a triple salt of gold chloride and sodium chloride. He determined the composition of purple thistle and chickpeas.

Diagnostic lymphangiography with therapeutic effect: Since more than 70 years Lipiodol is used as an off-label standard of care for chylothorax - why not convert to on-label use?

Purpose: The use of Lipiodol as a diagnostic agent and off-label therapeutic agent has been investigated in well over 395 publications listed in Pubmed under the key words: lymphangiography and chylothorax in the time period between 1921-2021. While Lipiodol® ultra-fluid has been approved for use as a diagnostic agent in most countries, it can only be used off-label as a therapeutic agent for chylothorax, cholascos, and lymphatic leaks and fistulas. The therapeutic effects in chylothorax and the question why Lipiodol® ultra-fluid is still not approved for on-label use in the treatment of chylothorax are reviewed. Background: Lipiodol was synthesized as iodized poppy seed oil by the French pharmacist Marcel Guerbet and first described by him in 1901. Over the past 12 decades, it has proven to be a reliable and versatile clinical theranostic agent. Lipiodol® ultra-fluid has been used (a) as a diagnostic contrast agent alone in the clarification and (b) so far only in off-label use as a therapeutic agent for chylothorax or cholascos, e.g. in cases of postoperative lymph leakages. Lipiodol® ultra-fluid has, to our knowledge, only very limited approvals as a therapeutic agent, in Switzerland only for transarterial chemo-embolization (TACE) for liver cancer. For decades and in numerous countries, Lipiodol® ultra-fluid has been in use as first-line treatment of chylothorax, cholascos, lymphatic leakage or lymphatic fistulae, avoiding additional interventions or surgery. This review aims to assess in which countries Lipiodol® ultra-fluid is approved (a) as a primary diagnostic tool and (b) as a first line therapeutic agent. This review wants to reassess why the general therapeutic approval still lacks, and what could be done to achieve it.

Léon Prunier

Léon Prunier (1846-1906), a French pharmacist and physician, who studied the synthesis of polypropylene hydrocarbons by the reaction of propylene bromide with nascent hydrogen prepared by different means, and the synthesis of ethylene acetylene; proving that the latter was identical with crotonylene. Together with R. David they synthesized a variety of high melting point unsaturated hydrocarbons by the pyrolysis of American petroleum. His main contribution was the study of quercitol, its preparation by means of lead acetate, its physical and chemical properties, as well as its reaction with a wide range of chemicals. He proved that the thermal decomposition of quercitol at high temperatures led to synthesis of aromatic compounds, among them, hydroquinone, quinhydrone, and benzene.

Holy Wafers in Pharmacy: Who Was Curé Arnal?

Historically, most medicines were associated with a horrible taste (goût repoussant). Sulphate of quinine, widely used at the beginning of the XIXth century as remedy for malarial intermittent fever, certainly fits the description. Southwestern littoral France, was an area of endemic malaria and the population widely exposed to the medicine. French pharmacist Stanislas Limousin (1831-1887) is credited with the introduction of cachets enclosing medicine and thus greatly facilitating their administration. In fact, such cachets were developed and used much earlier by the parish priest of the village of Pérols (curé of Pérols), Joseph Lambert Arnal (1798-1867). The present contribution attempts to correct the erroneous perception about the paternity of the invention and to answer the question of who was Arnal.

Outstanding contribution of Professor József Szejtli to cyclodextrin applications in foods, cosmetics, drugs, chromatography and biotechnology: a review

Cyclodextrins, natural oligosaccharides obtained from starch by enzymatic degradation, have been discovered 130 years ago by the pioneering work of the French pharmacist and chemist Antoine Villiers. These molecules still fascinate researchers and industrials because they are remarkable macrocyclic molecules with major impacts in chemistry, biology and health science. When we look at cyclodextrin chemistry today and reflect on how it has developed over the last five decades, no other scientist has been more determining, focused and inspiring than Professor Jozsef Szejtli. Indeed, among the list of prestigious researchers who have contributed to the development of cyclodextrins, Professor Szejtli played a fundamental role as an eminent scientist and a visionary. Since the mid-1950s, he has devoted his life to cyclodextrins, publishing more than 500 publications, including 106 patent applications. Professor Szejtli is internationally recognized for his outstanding contribution to the cyclodextrin science and considered to be the “Godfather of Cyclodextrins.” This paper is a tribute to his scientific oeuvre. After a brief overview of his personal life, some important works published by Professor Szejtli in more than fifty years of career were highlighted. For example, he was the first to synthesize the 14C labeled glucose-based β-cyclodextrin and published his oral metabolism. He was also the first to describe the acid hydrolysis of β-cyclodextrin and discovered that β-cyclodextrin formed inclusion complexes with hydrochloric acid. Professor Szejtli is the founder of International Cyclodextrin Symposia, the first of which was held in 1981 in Budapest.

Louis Armand Victor Amedée Cailliot

Amedee Cailliot (1805-1884), a French physician and pharmacist who isolated for the first time several new acids (among them terephthalic) from turpentine, prepared a series of double salts of mercuric cyanide and potassium (and sodium) bromide and several derivatives of pimaric acid.

Un aspect de la thérapeutique antialcoolique au début du XXe siècle : la « Lazarine » du pharmacien Desseigne

An aspect of anti-alcoholic therapy in the early twentieth century, the Lazarine of Desseigne – A drug intended to be administred to alcoholics by helping them to stop their because they dislike alcohol was developed and marketed by a French pharmacist, Marie Desseigne. Broadly distributed by an intense publicity in the press, the «Lazarine» had to face similar English speciality made in London, the «Powder Coza » , diffused in France by the advertising processes.

The hornless rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus inermis Lesson, 1836) discovered by Lamare-Picquot in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh in 1828, with notes on the history of his Asian collections

Abstract The French pharmacist and explorer Christoph-Augustin Lamare-Picquot (1785–1873) was in South Asia during 1826–1829 to collect ethnographical, anthropological, zoological and botanical specimens. He made an excursion to the Sundarbans (the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta) of Bangladesh, where on 17 November 1828 his team shot a female rhinoceros and caught her young one the next day, just south of Khulna. Both animals were completely hornless. He returned to France in the spring of 1830, where his zoological specimens were assessed by Georges Cuvier, and his other collections relating to ethnography by other scholars. All recommended purchase by the French Government, but circumstances did not allow this. A few animals were described by scientists connected with the Natural History Museum in Paris. After Lamare-Picquot published an account of the hunting expedition in 1835, the rhinoceros was described as a new species Rhinoceros inermis, by René-Primivère Lesson, first in a supplement to Buffon dated 1836, and not, as accepted until now, in restatements dating from 1838 or later. The main part of the zoological collection was bought by the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III in 1836 and integrated in museums in Berlin. Other collections were exhibited as a “Panthéon Indien” in Vienna and Bratislava from 1838, until they were purchased by the Bavarian King Ludwig in 1841, and added to a museum in Munich. The type specimens of R. inermis are still preserved in the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin. The adult female (ZMB_Mam_1957) was selected as the lectotype.

Évaluation des connaissances et perceptions des pharmaciens et internes en pharmacie sur les indicateurs de notoriété appliqués à la publication scientifique en pharmacie

Evaluate the level of knowledge and perceptions of French and Quebec hospital's pharmacists/residents about bibliometrics indicators applied in pharmacy. Identify the determinants associated with this knowledge. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. An anonymous questionnaire of 17 questions answers was developed. The questionnaire was published on the SurveyMonkey site (www.SurveyMonkey.com, SurveyMonkey, Portland, OR, USA) and released from March 19 to April 9, 2018. We calculated and compared the proportion of respondents in Quebec and France by using a Chi2 test. A value less than 0.05 is considered statistically significant. A total of 899 pharmacists (646 in Quebec and 253 in France) and 147 residents (70 in Quebec and 77 in France) were contacted by email. The survey was completed by 401 respondents, e.g., 301 in Quebec (participation rate: 42%) and 100 in France (30%). Overall 26% (106/401) of respondents (67/301 in Quebec vs. 39/100 in France) reported having knowledge or good knowledge of those indicators. These data are corroborated by many other results. Small proportions are aware of those indicators. A good knowledge is associated with being a French pharmacist, working in a teaching hospital or university, having a professional experience of 10 years or more, be involved in a research project, having a scientific watch or having an online profile on database. It appears necessary to inform pharmacists and residents on notoriety indicators.

Un pharmacien français à New-York : Edmond Fougera (1821-1889), importateur de spécialités françaises et créateur d’une firme pharmaceutique aux États-Unis

A French pharmacist in New-York : Edmund Fougera (1821-1889), importer of French patented medicines and creator of a pharmaceutical company in the USA – Edmund Fougera, who immigrated to the United-States in 1846, opened two pharmacies in Brooklyn and New-York City, and was simultaneously a pharmacist at Long Island College Hospital. At the same time he played an important role in disseminating French pharmaceutical specialties to the United States, of which he was often the sole importer. He developed a whole range of his own medicines, which led him to create an amecican pharmaceutical firm that still exists today under the name of Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc.. after his takeover by an international group. Finally, it shoud be noted that it played a role in the dissemination in Europe of vaseline as a dermatological excipient.

Isolating Colchicine in 19th Century: An Old Drug Revisited.

Colchicine is a tricyclic alkaloid extracted from the herbaceous plant Colchicum autumnale. Known since antiquity for its therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of gout, colchicine was reintroduced in 19th century pharmacopeia, thanks to the work of the French chemists and pharmacists Pierre-Joseph Pelletier (1788-1842) and Joseph Bienaimé Caventou (1795-1877) who in 1819, isolated a peculiar substance in the roots of Colchicum autumnale. In 1833, the substance was further analyzed by the German pharmacist and chemist Philipp Lorenz Geiger (1785-1836), who coined the name colchicine. In 1884, the French pharmacist Alfred Houde (1854-1919) produced for the first time pure crystallized colchicine in granules of 1milligram which is still sold under this trade name in several countries. In the last two centuries, colchicine's indications were furthermore expanded. From anti-gout drug during antiquity and a diuretic in 19th century, colchicine is currently administered in several affections such as Adamantiades-Behcet's disease, familial Mediterranean fever, pericarditis and atrial fibrillation.

Neuropathic organophosphates: from Scrugham, Heim and Lorot to Jake leg paralysis.

Henry Scrugham (1811-1898), the father of triphenyl-phosphate, was a student of Alexander Williamson (1824-1904), Professor of analytical and practical chemistry at the University College London. Williamson using the approach perfected by Scurgham reacted phosphorus pentachloride with cresol (a mixture of ortho, para and meta isomers) thus obtaining tricresyl phosphate (TCP). The triesters of phenol, cresol and naphtol were prepared with a higher yield by Rudolf Heim (1861-1919) by their respective reaction with phosphorus oxychloride (POCl3). Heim is also the first one to obtain pure tri-o-cresyl phosphate (TOCP). In the meantime French pharmacist Jules Brissonnet (1859-1915) synthesized creosote phosphate (containing i.a. TOCP) and popularized its use in the treatment of pulmonary phthisis (tuberculosis). Camille Lorot (1872-1951) and others in France and Germany recognized the ability of creosote phosphate to induce polyneuropathies but this knowledge did not prevent the Ginger Jake epidemic (Jake leg) of the 1930s in the US. The Jake induced neuropathy was first recognized and described in Oklahoma City by a General Practitioner, Ephraim Goldfain (1894-1983). Soon thereafter Maurice Isadore Smith (1887-1951), a pharmacologist, and chemist Elias Elvove (1883-1962) identified TOCP in Jamaican ginger extract as the causative agent. We attempt to shed some light on the life and family of the less known chemists, pharmacists and physicians associated with the synthesis of neuropathic organophosphates and with the recognition of their toxicity.

Nicolas-Jean-Baptiste-Gaston Guibourt

Nicolas-Jean-Baptiste-Gaston Guibourt (1790–1867), a French pharmacist, who studied the oxides, sulfides, and other compounds of mercury, arsenic and its compounds, a large number of natural products, among them turpentine, starch, astringent juices, and musk; also established the norm to express the power of pepsin.

La dispensation pharmaceutique des dispositifs médicaux en France : état des lieux de la réglementation applicable

The concept of medical device covers multiple products, multiple technologies, wide range of clinical applications and involves different actors in France in growing numbers sometimes with a monopoly. The French regulations are therefore often scattered while Community law is still developing. In this complex context, the French pharmacist however has a pivotal role. This role is well established since 1992 for the delivery of sterile medical devices in the hospital and was generally strengthened against the patient since 2002. In practice, pharmacists are faced with different situations that call into question the scope of their practice and responsibility. In the absence in France of “good dispensing practices” as they exist for preparations or fabrications, this article provides an overview of the current regulatory dispensation concerning medical devices. This review aims to provide answers to regulatory pharmacists facing atypical situations or recent changes in their professional practices.

Pierre-Jean Robiquet

Pierre-Jean Robiquet (1780-1840), a French pharmacist, made important contributions in the areas of mineral chemistry, mineral and vegetable pigments, and extractive and analytical chemistry Alone, or with his collaborators he discovered asparagine (with Vauquelin), alizarin and purpurin in madder (with Colin), orcin, and orcein in lichens, glycyrrhizin in licorice, cantharidin in cantharides, amygdaline in bitter almonds (with Boutron-Charlard), caffeine (independently of Pelletier, Caventou, Runge) and narcotine and codeine in opium.

Émile Coué : amuseur ou précurseur ?

Coué, the French pharmacist, who lived in Nancy in the beginning of the XXth century, is usually referred as the author of the famous sentence: “Every day, in every way, I feel better and better”. The formula seems so naïve, that everyone is using it to qualify a man, who takes his desire for reality. In fact, Coué was impressed by the so called “school of Nancy”, lead by Liébault and Bernheim at the end of the XIXth century but switched from hetero-suggestion by hypnosis to autosuggestion, which is a kind of auto-hypnosis and put emphasis on personal responsibility. This is why the Coué method has nowadays many followers, even if they are reluctant to concede it, such as the autogenic training of Schultz, the American positive thinking, the mind cure and the French positive psychology. No doubt that today Coué is more a forerunner than an entertainer.

Aspirin

> Among the many useful discoveries which this age has made, there are very few which better deserve the attention of the public that what I am going to lay before your Lordship. > > —Reverend Edward Stone –Chipping-Norton, Oxfordshire –April 25, 1763 These prophetic words, written by Reverend Edward Stone in a 1763 letter to George Parker, the second Earl of Macclesfield, describe the results of the first clinical trial recorded in medical history.1 Stone's report on the rediscovery of the medicinal value of willow bark among subjects suffering from malarial symptoms is considered a significant milestone in the development of aspirin. Although society now takes many of its beneficial effects for granted, aspirin did not suddenly appear for medicinal use after Reverend Stone's discovery. Instead, its tumultuous journey was fueled by individual scientific curiosity, accidental discoveries, and intense business rivalry.1 No other drug is used by a greater number of people worldwide than aspirin, the benefits of which span centuries, beginning with the very first uses of willow bark by Egyptian physicians (Figure 1). Aspirin single-handedly transformed a coal-dye company into a pharmaceutical giant and has emerged as a cornerstone in the present-day therapies available for treating cardiovascular disease (CVD), pain, and inflammation. This article discusses the sentinel historical aspects of the discovery and clinical cardiovascular developments of aspirin, as well as its contemporary use in today's medical arena. Figure 1. Timeline of historical events in the development of aspirin. ### Historical Developments of Salicylates On January 20, 1862, Edwin Smith made one of the most historically important purchases of his life. Well-regarded among his peers for his keen scholarship and intricate knowledge of Egyptology, Smith purchased, for £12, 2 worn papyrus scrolls in a local Luxor street market1 that later turned out to be a formative medical textbook unlocking ancient Egyptian's practice of medicine. Although authorless, the Ebers Papyrus is 110 pages …

Hand hygiene among health care workers

Healthcare-associated infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients worldwide. Transmission of health care associated pathogens generally occurs via the contaminated hands of health care workers. Hand hygiene has long been considered one of the most important infection control measures to prevent health care-associated infections. For generations, hand washing with soap and water has been considered a measure of personal hygiene. As early as 1822, a French pharmacist demonstrated that solutions containing chlorides of lime or soda could eradicate the foul odor associated with human corpses and that such solutions could be used as disinfectants and antiseptics. This paper provides a comprehensive review of data regarding hand washing and hand antisepsis in healthcare settings. In addition, it provides specific recommendations to uphold improved hand-hygiene practices and reduce transmission of pathogenic microorganisms to patients and personnel in healthcare settings. This article also makes recommendations and suggests the significance of hand health hygiene in infection control.

Pharmaceutical care in an inpatient pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant service

Hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients represent a population at high risk for drug-related problems. Our objective is to describe pharmacist interventions in a hematopoietic stem cell transplant pediatric unit. METHODS AND PATIENTS. The Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Unit of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine performs around 50 hematopoietic stem cell transplants per year. During a pharmaceutical care specialized residency program, a French pharmacist participated in certain clinical activities. Drug-related problems and clinical interventions were compiled over 31 nonconsecutive days using a tool developed by the Société Française de Pharmacie Clinique. Data concerning patients, drugs, intervention, documentation, approval (if needed), and estimated impact were compiled. During the 31-day period, 525 interventions were collected (16.9 +/- 3.7 per day), targeting 29 patients. The main drug-related problems were adverse drug reactions (N = 125, 23.8%), untreated indication (N = 92, 17.5%) and failure to receive drug (N = 89, 17.0%). The pharmacist's interventions concerned mainly dose adjustment (N = 174, 33.1%) and drug monitoring (N = 132, 25.1%). Among the 324 (61.7%) interventions requiring a physician's approval, 302 (93.2%) were accepted without any change. A pharmacist is able to perform clinically relevant interventions in a hematopoietic stem cell transplant unit, given the complexity of the pharmacotherapy. Our description of drug-related problems and interventions may help other pharmacists already working or developing pharmaceutical care in a hematopoietic stem cell transplant unit to compare their practice and it is one of the few reported in the literature.