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Biomedical subjects

A Martin

Publications and source records attributed to A Martin.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Childbirth preparation through hypnosis: the hypnoreflexogenous protocol.

A verbatim protocol for the "Hypnoreflexogenous" method of preparation for childbirth is presented wherein the patient is taught to enter a hypnotic state and then prepared for labor and delivery. The method provides a "conditioned reflex" effect conducive to a positive outcome for labor and delivery by enhancing the patient's sense of readiness and control. Previous applications of the method demonstrate patients have fewer complications, higher frequency of normal and full-term deliveries, and more positive postpartum adjustment. The benefit and ultimate cost effectiveness of the method are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Cadmium and lead in pork and duck liver pastes produced in Spain.

Cadmium and lead contents were determined in pork and duck liver pastes produced in Spain. The average concentration levels that were measured were 19 ng/g for cadmium and 578 ng/g for lead in pork liver pastes and 14 ng/g for cadmium and 157 ng/g for lead in duck liver pastes. The possible sources of these trace elements were investigated: product formulation, technological process and packaging. It has been observed that the contents of lead in pork liver pastes are higher than would be expected from the liver content alone, and that the main source of lead is the tin container.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Comparison of the angiotensin II receptor antagonist irbesartan with atenolol for treatment of hypertension.

In this multicenter, double-blind study, the antihypertensive efficacy and safety of irbesartan were compared with those of atenolol in patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension. Following a 4- to 5-week placebo lead-in period, 231 patients with seated diastolic blood pressure (SeDBP) 95-110 mmHg were randomized to irbesartan 75 mg or atenolol 50 mg once daily for 24 weeks. Doses were doubled at Week 6 for SeDBP > or = 90 mmHg. At Week 12, or anytime thereafter, doses were doubled for SeDBP > or = 90 mmHg if not done at Week 6, and hydrochlorothiazide and then nifedipine were added. Efficacy was determined by change from baseline in blood pressure and by therapeutic response rates. Safety was assessed by monitoring adverse events (AEs). Both treatments significantly lowered blood pressure from baseline. There were no significant differences between treatment groups with respect to blood pressure changes or therapeutic response. Atenolol significantly reduced seated heart rate compared with irbesartan at Week 12. The incidences of serious AEs and discontinuations due to AEs were approximately twice as high in the atenolol group compared with the irbesartan group. Thus, in comparison to atenolol, irbesartan < or = 150 mg provided at least equivalent blood pressure control while demonstrating an excellent safety and tolerability profile.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Primary central nervous system lymphomas in 72 immunocompetent patients: pathologic findings and clinical correlations. Groupe Ouest Est d'étude des Leucénies et Autres Maladies du Sang (GOELAMS)

We reviewed 72 primary central nervous system lymphomas occurring in immunocompetent patients. The cases were reviewed for clinical data, histology, immunophenotype, bcl-2 and p53 expression, and Epstein-Barr virus association. Follow-up was available for 40 patients included in the Groupe Ouest Est d'étude des Leucénies et Autres Maladies du Sang (GOELAMS) lymphomes cérébraux primitifs (LCP 88) trial. Each diagnosis, requiring a consensus among at least 3 pathologists, was performed according to the recent Revised European-American Lymphoma classification and equivalents in the updated Kiel classification. Tumors were predominantly classified as diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. There were 3 T-cell lymphomas and 1 Hodgkin lymphoma. The proteins bcl-2 and p53 were expressed in 35% and 16% of the tested cases, respectively. Epstein-Barr virus was not found by in situ hybridization except in the case classfied as a cerebral localization of Hodgkin disease. No significant association was found between subtypes, bcl-2 or p53 expression, and patient survival. From the standpoint of their biologic characteristics, primary central nervous system lymphomas are very similar to systemic diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. In contrast to AIDS-related primary central nervous system lymphomas, primary central nervous system lymphomas are rarely associated with Epstein-Barr virus and in immunocompetent patients they express bcl-2 at a relatively low rate.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Quality of life after proctocolectomy and ileo-anal anastomosis for severe ulcerative colitis.

OBJECTIVE: Impaired quality of life (QOL) in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) may be a prominent feature of the disease, and in some cases, may become an indication for surgical treatment. The objective of this study was to assess QOL in patients who underwent proctocolectomy with ileo-anal anastomosis with a J pouch for severe UC and to compare it with patients with UC of different severity who were under medical treatment. METHODS: We used a validated, disease-specific research instrument (a 29 item, self-administered questionnaire) that examines the following four functions: intestinal (score 0-24) and systemic symptoms (0-21), and emotional (0-27) and Social Function (0-15). High scores indicate an impairment of the function examined and the sum of the four scores (maximal total score = 87) reflects the patient's QOL. We studied 29 operated patients (22 men, mean age 35 yr, mean time after intervention 3.8 yr) and compared their scores with those of 57 UC patients (39 men, mean age 36 yr) with different degrees of disease activity, and with those of 72 healthy controls (38 men, mean age 31 yr). RESULTS: In UC, scores were significantly higher than in controls, increasing with the severity of the disease. Even patients in remission had higher scores than controls in the "systemic" (4.6 vs. 2.0) and emotional (5.6 vs. 2.5) functions. Patients who underwent surgical treatment had much better scores than patients with severe disease (total score 20.1 vs. 38.2), with values comparable to those of patients in remission or with mild disease activity. There was no significant gender difference, either for UC and ileo-anal anastomosis patients, or in healthy controls. CONCLUSION: In patients with UC, even in remission, there is a measurable impairment of QOL, which increases with the severity of disease. Operated patients have a QOL that is comparable to that of patients in remission or with mild disease, and proctocolectomy with ileo-anal anastomosis may restore an acceptable QOL in patients with moderate/severe UC.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Calcaneal ultrasound bone densitometry in inflammatory bowel disease--a comparison with double x-ray densitometry of the lumbar spine.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to measure ultrasound (US) densitometric parameters [Broadband Ultrasound Attenuation (BUA), Speed of Sound (SOS), and stiffness of the os calcis] in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and to compare the results with those obtained with conventional x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the lumbar spine. METHODS: Twenty-two patients with Crohn's disease (13 with ileal and nine with ileocolonic disease), 11 patients with ulcerative colitis (eight with left-sided and three with pancolitis), and 18 healthy controls. US densitometry of the right heel and DXA of the lumbar spine were performed within the same day. RESULTS: Compared to controls, IBD patients had significantly lower values with both methods, US and DXA. Forty-nine percent of patients had a lumbar T score below -1. Calcaneal SOS and stiffness of these patients were significantly reduced (p < 0.03 and p < 0.05, respectively). Positive significant correlations were found between lumbar DXA and calcaneal US parameters. Lumbar bone density and calcaneal US stiffness correlated inversely with the lifetime prednisone intake (p < 0.03 andp < 0.05, respectively), but not with age or duration of disease. A cut-off level of 80 dB/MHz for calcaneal BUA predicted axial osteopenia correctly in 74%, but some underestimation of spinal BMD was observed, especially in female patients with Crohn's disease. CONCLUSION: US evaluation of the os calcis gives results similar to those of conventional DXA and therefore may be used for screening IBD patients for axial osteoporosis. Because US does not expose patients to radiation, repeated measurements are possible and may be used to assess short term variations and the effect of treatment of IBD-associated bone disease.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1998

Growth factors and dexamethasone regulate Hoxb5 protein in cultured murine fetal lungs.

Studies on lung morphogenesis have indicated a role of homeobox (Hox) genes in the regulation of lung development. In the present study, we attempted to modulate the synthesis of Hoxb5 protein in cultured murine fetal lungs after mechanical or chemical stimuli. Murine fetuses at gestational day 14 (GD14) were removed from pregnant CD-1 mice, and lungs were excised and cultured for 7 days in BGJb media. The experimental groups were 1) untreated, unligated; 2) tracheal ligation; 3) supplemented media with either epidermal growth factor (EGF; 10 ng/ml), transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1 (2 ng/ml), dexamethasone (10 nM), EGF + TGF-beta 1, or EGF + TGF-beta 1 + dexamethasone. After 3 or 7 days, the cultured lungs were compared with in vivo lungs. Immunoblotting signals at 3 days in culture were stronger than those at 7 days. Western blot analyses showed that ligation, EGF, TGF-beta 1, and EGF + TGF-beta 1 downregulated Hoxb5 protein to approximately 20-70% of Hoxb5 protein levels in unligated, untreated cultured lungs. Furthermore, dexamethasone alone or in combination with EGF and TGF-beta 1 downregulated Hoxb5 protein by > 90% (P < 0.05) signal strength, similar to that seen in GD19 or in neonatal lungs. Immunostaining showed that Hoxb5 protein was expressed strongly in the lung mesenchyme at early stages in gestation. However, by GD19 and in neonates, it was present only in specific epithelial cells. A persistent level of Hoxb5 protein in the mesenchyme after EGF or TGF-beta 1 treatments or tracheal ligation was noted. Hoxb5 protein was significantly downregulated by EGF + TGF-beta 1, and it was least in lungs after dexamethasone or EGF + TGF-beta 1 + dexamethasone treatment. The decrease in Hoxb5 protein was significant only in the groups with dexamethasone added to the media. Thus immunostaining results parallel those of immunoblotting. The degree of Hoxb5 downregulation by dexamethasone or EGF + TGF-beta 1 + dexamethasone was similar to that seen in vivo in very late gestation, which correlated to the advancing structural development of the lung.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Protoporphyrin IX fluorescence induced in basal cell carcinoma by oral delta-aminolevulinic acid.

Limited depth of penetration significantly limits photodynamic therapy of nodular basal cell carcinoma (BCC) using topical delta (5)-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). To demonstrate safety and efficacy of orally administered ALA in inducing endogenous protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) production in BCC, 13 patients with BCC ingested ALA in a dose-escalation protocol. All dose ranges (10, 20 or 40 mg/kg single doses) resulted in formation of PpIX in human skin and BCC, measurable by in vivo fluorescence spectrophotometry. The PpIX fluorescence peaked in tumors before normal adjacent skin from 1 to 3 h after ALA ingestion. Gross fluorescence imaging of ex vivo specimens revealed greater PpIX fluorescence in tumor than normal skin only at the 40 mg/kg dose. Fluorescence microscopy confirmed this finding by showing distinct, full-thickness PpIX fluorescence in all subtypes of BCC only after ALA given at 40 mg/kg. Side effects were dose dependent and self limited. Photosensitivity lasting less than 24 h and nausea coinciding with peak skin PpIX fluorescence occurred at 20 and 40 mg/kg doses. After 40 mg/kg ALA, serum hepatic enzyme levels rose to a maximum within 24 h, then resolved over 1-3 weeks. Transient bilirubinuria occurred in two patients.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1998

Temporal arteritis symptoms in a patient with hepatitis C virus associated type II cryoglobulinemia and small vessel vasculitis.

We describe temporal artery localization of hepatitic C virus related cryoglobulin induced vasculitis in a 66-year-old woman. The patient had features of both cryoglobulin induced vasculitis (palpable purpura, arthralgia, hypocomplementemia, no inflammatory syndrome) and temporal arteritis (recent onset of headaches, jaw claudication). In the temporal artery biopsy, the vasculitis was localized to a small adventitial artery and did not involve the superficial temporal artery. Thus temporal arteritis and jaw claudication can be signs of cryoglobulin induced vasculitis.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Demented and chronic depressed patients attending a day hospital: stress experienced by carers.

OBJECTIVE: The main hypothesis was that carers of elderly patients attending a day hospital with chronic depression experience considerable stress. A subsidiary hypothesis was that this stress is equivalent to that experienced by carers of dementia patients attending the same day hospital. DESIGN: All attenders of the day hospital with a diagnosis of depression or dementia coresident with their principal carers. SETTING: An urban psychogeriatric day hospital in the UK. PATIENTS: A consultant diagnosis of dementia or depression with a history of present illness in excess of 12 months in patients over 65. The total sample was 57, 32 dementia and 25 depression (19 major depressive episode). MEASURES: Dementia patients: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Clifton Assessment Schedule (CAPE). Depressed patients: MMSE, Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Carers: Semi-structured questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) and Relatives Stress Scale (RSS). RESULTS: Dementia patients were older than depressed (75.66 vs 71.84). The two groups were of comparable severity. The dementia carers were significantly more stressed on the GHQ and RSS than depression carers but these carers also exceeded the threshold for psychiatric 'caseness'. Important negative views about life upset and carer burden were expressed by both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The main hypothesis but not the subsidiary one is supported. More sophisticated study of the burden of caring for chronic depressive illness is required.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

The N tails of histones H3 and H4 adopt a highly structured conformation in the nucleosome.

The histone N tails correspond to conserved amino acid sequences that are peripherally located in the nucleosome and undergo a variety of post-synthetic modifications during cell cycle. These N tails have been recently recognized as directly interacting with transcription-related proteins. We show here, based on circular dichroic evidence, that the N tails of both tetrameric histones H3 and H4 are highly organized as DNA-bound polypeptide segments in the nucleosome core particle, with about half of their residues, taken together, being alpha-helical. In contrast, the N tails of both dimeric histones H2A and H2B are found essentially in a random-coil conformation. The implications of these findings on nucleosome structure and recognition are discussed.

Animals↗