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Biomedical subjects

D Perrier

Publications and source records attributed to D Perrier.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Physiological differences in professional basketball players as a function of playing position and level of play.

AIM: The aim of this investigation is to evaluate the physical and physiological characteristics of different first (ProA) and second division (ProB) professional basketball players, and to relate them to playing position and level of play. METHODS: A total of 58 players were divided into ProA and ProB groups and were assessed for physical characteristics, maximal treadmill test and a 30 s all-out test. The sample included 22 centers, 22 forwards and 14 guards. RESULTS: Centers were significantly taller and heavier (203.9+/-5.3 cm and 103.9+/-12.4 kg) than forwards (195.8+/-4.8 cm and 89.4+/-7.1 kg) and guards (185.7+/-6.9 and 82+/-8.8 kg) and also had higher body fat percentages than the other groups. Forwards were also significantly taller than guards. Centers presented a lower maximal aerobic velocity (kmxh-1) than guards (15.5+/-1.2 vs 16.8+/-1.5, P<0.05) on the maximal treadmill test and a lower maximal velocity (rpm) than forwards (156.5+/-18.4 vs 170.3+/-18.3, P<0.05) on the 30 s all-out test. VO2max (mlxmin-1xkg-1) was significantly lower for ProA (53.7+/-6.7) compared to ProB (56.5+/-7.7) players and the fatigue index on the 30 s all-out test was higher for the ProA group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Many physical differences, most notably size, exist between players as a function of their playing position. But these differences have no relationship to the level of play of professional players. General aerobic capacity is fairly homogeneous between playing position and level of play, even if there are observable VO2max differences due to inter-individual profiles. On the other hand, anaerobic capacity seems to be a better predictor of playing level even though it is not clear whether such capacity comes from specific training in ProA, or from an initial selection criteria.

Adult↗

Unilateral spatial neglect following right inferior parietal cortectomy.

Research in brain-damaged patients has suggested that the right hemisphere plays a role in unilateral spatial neglect (USN), but provides only limited information for pinpointing the intraparietal localization of the lesions associated with this syndrome. We report a case of unilateral neglect in a patient who underwent a right inferior parietal cortectomy for refractory epilepsy without any macroscopic lesion. We describe the evolution of the neuropsychological disturbances observed at 3 and 24 months after cortectomy. This case illustrates the role played by the inferior parietal lobe and, particularly, the parietal opercule in USN syndrome, and provides strong "experimental" evidence of the special role played by the inferior parietal lobule in the perception processes related to spatial attention.

Epilepsy↗

Adult onset ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency: an unusual cause of semantic disorders.

Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD) is the most common urea cycle disorder. This condition usually presents in neonates or children. This report describes the clinical case of a 21 year old woman who was diagnosed in adulthood during the course of an unexplained coma. After recovery from the coma, she presented very unusual neuropsychological disorders involving memory and the meaning of certain words, suggesting a semantic deficit. The discovery of OTCD in adulthood is rare and the neuropsychological consequences may be unique.

Adult↗

MRI morphometric study and correlation with cognitive functions in young adults shunted for congenital hydrocephalus related to spina bifida.

We studied the morphometric MRI findings and their correlation with cognitive functions in a population of 10 young adults shunted for congenital hydrocephalus related to spina bifida. Morphometric MRI analysis included measurement of the ventricular dilatation index, frontal and occipital parenchymal thickness and the size of the corpus callosum. The neuropsychological status was evaluated, notably to look for a discrepancy between verbal and performance skills, a finding which has previously been described in hydrocephalic children. We also investigated whether there was a correlation between cognitive function and cerebral morphometric indexes. In each case, MRI demonstrated the structural changes associated with the Chiari II malformation. The size of the lateral ventricles varied, ranging from important dilatation to small ventricles. Six patients had only partial development of the corpus callosum. All patients had a normal global IQ. In our population of young adults, we did not observe any discrepancy between verbal and visuospatial performances as has been described in children with hydrocephalus. We found no relationship between cognitive function and ventricle dilatation or parenchymal thickness or between the size of the corpus callosum and callosal transfer.

Adolescent↗

Cognitive function in adolescents and young adults in complete remission from benign childhood epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes.

Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is a frequent, benign childhood epilepsy with a good prognosis. However, neuropsychological deficits have been reported during its active phase. In this study, we evaluate the long-term neuropsychological consequences of this reputedly benign epilepsy, particularly the relation between paroxysmal abnormalities and cerebral language lateralization. The neuropsychological outcomes concerning both overall cognitive and lateral hemispheric functions were studied in twenty-three adolescents and young adults in total recovery from BECTS, in thirty-three controls without any significant past neurological history and in ten adolescents and young adults with complete resolution of generalized idiopathic epilepsy (childhood absence epilepsy or CAE). Language lateralization was evaluated using classical neuropsychological procedures (dichotic listening tasks, dual-task procedure). No difference was seen in the three populations with respect to overall cognitive function: memory, language and the executive functions. Although the Performance IQ was lower in patients in remission from CAE, the results were within normal limits. However, qualitative analysis of the dual-task procedure suggested a different organizational pattern for cerebral language in adolescents and young adults in remission from BECTS as compared to controls and patients in remission from CAE. The different organization in cerebral pattern in BECTS patients appeared to be related to the initial epileptic focus as determined by the EEG and/or the sleep-recording. We discuss the relationship between the presence of paroxysmal anomalies in childhood and subtle functional lateralized hemispheric abnormalities in adulthood.

Adolescent↗

Continuous spikes and waves during slow sleep (CSWS): outcome in adulthood.

We report a longitudinal, electroencephalographic and neuropsychological analysis of epilepsy with continuous spikes and waves during slow sleep (CSWS) in a 19 year-old boy. The clinical course fluctuated, with temporary worsening or improvement of the paroxysmal abnormalities, epilepsy and cognitive functions. At the end of the follow-up period, seizures persisted. Evaluation of the boy's behaviour, language and cognitive function suggested a dysexecutive syndrome. We discuss the relationship between paroxysmal abnormalities and neuropsychological disorders.

Adult↗

Picture confrontation oral naming: performance differences between aphasics and normals.

Oral confrontation naming was compared in 108 normal subjects controlled for education, age, and gender and in 18 aphasic patients for the same set of 115 pictures. Demographic variables influenced both normals' and aphasics' performance. However, the nature of aphasics' misnamings on the one hand and the differential effects of characteristics of pictures and words on normals' and aphasics' responses on the other indicated specific deficits in patients. The classical hypothesis that aphasics' misnamings and the production of word associations by normals should rely on similar mechanisms (Rinnert & Whitaker, 1973) is questioned. Nondominant responses observed in normals accounted for a larger proportion of verbal errors than associates to target words.

Adult↗

[MRI and computer-assisted tomography in Kufs disease. Apropos of a familial form].

Kufs disease is the adult form of ceroid neurolipofuscinosis, and an uncommon cause of degenerative nervous system disease affecting young adults. We present here 4 cases of family form revealed by a demential syndrome. In all 4 patients MRI showed diffuse cortical atrophy predominant in the parietal regions. In 3 of these 4 patients MRI also exhibited a low signal in T2-weighted sequences on the putamens. There was no abnormality of the white matter. Diagnosis was made by cerebral biopsy in one case and by rectal biopsy in all other cases. Although the MRI images are not specific, they must be used when the diagnosis of Kufs disease is suspected in young patients with demential syndrome.

Adult↗

[How do we read? Study of eye movement in reading].

Reading associates a perceptive time, a motor time and a cognitive time, all three phenomena being extremely interdependent. After a review of the physiological mechanisms of reading, the authors discuss, on the basis of experimentation in the normal subject, the results of a study involving electro-oculographic recording of reading.

Adult↗

[Visual perseveration and palinopsia: a visual memory disorder?].

Visual perseveration and palinopsia are defined as the persistence or the reappearance of the visual image. These infrequent symptoms are thought to be linked to the right hemisphere posterior areas. We report a case of this syndrome in which the initial fixation was foveal. The palinoptic image was sometimes moving. This suggests that palinopsia is due to a dysfunction of the visual memory, rather than of the visual system: this dysfunction may be related to hyperactivity of the visual buffer.

Brain Neoplasms↗

Use of an isolated in situ canine lung perfusion model to evaluate dopamine clearance by the lung.

An isolated in situ lung perfusion model was used to assess dopamine clearance by the lungs in 12 dogs. The preparation consisted of a closed perfusion system in situ, in which systemic arterial blood supply was interrupted. Blood flow to the lungs was maintained at presurgery flow rates. The inflow was restricted to the lungs by the pulmonary arteries and outflow was limited to the pulmonary veins. Pulmonary artery pressure, temperature and pO2 were maintained at physiological levels. After confirmation of a stable base line, one of 3 doses (1, 2, or 5 micrograms/kg/min) of dopamine was infused over 30 min to achieve steady-state blood concentrations, then blood samples were drawn at specified times during and after the infusion. Dopamine plasma concentrations were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Dose-dependent disposition of dopamine was observed in both plasma concentration-time profiles and in clearance (20.3 +/- 9.6 ml/min/kg at 5 micrograms/kg/min vs. 41.6 +/- 19.1 ml/min/kg at 1 micrograms/kg/min, P = 0.038). A sham experiment revealed that the blood in this experimental preparation contributed less than 10% to the total clearance of dopamine. This study revealed that our isolated in situ model is an excellent method to evaluate the role of the lungs in drug removal. Furthermore, it confirmed that the lungs contribute to the clearance of dopamine from the body.

Animals↗

[Tachistoscopic reading of arabic words].

The authors study the tachistoscopic recognition of Arabic words in Arabic speakers. This study shows that Arabic words are read by Arabic speakers in the same way as French words by French speaking readers. Under such circumstances, the direction of reading appears to be less important than hemispheric specialisation.

Adolescent↗

[Effect of pathologic gaze deviation caused by brain stem lesion on interhemispheric equilibrium. Study using a non-verbal dichotic listening test].

Three cases of patients with lateral gaze palsy due to brainstem lesion were studied. They underwent a non-verbal dichotic listening test which evidenced a significant decrease of performance in the ear located on the same side as the lesion. This result can be interpreted as an inter-hemispheric imbalance linked to the pathological gaze deviation.

Abducens Nerve↗

[Difficulty in reading braille caused by a right-sided lesion in a blind patient].

A right-handed woman who became blind at 25 was a good braille reader. After a right parieto-occipital brain damage, she developed a braille reading disorder which contrasted with a completely normal language. This reading disability cannot be analysed in terms of left hemineglect syndrome; rather, it is explained in the broader context of the patient's haptic disorders in many others fields. This hypothesis is connected to others works which suggest a right hemispheric specialization for tactile information processing.

Aged↗

Ibuprofen kinetics in plasma and synovial fluid of arthritic patients.

After administration of a single dose and at steady state, ibuprofen concentrations were measured simultaneously in plasma and synovial fluid obtained from eight patients with rheumatoid arthritis. By seven hours after a dose at steady state, the mean synovial fluid: plasma ibuprofen concentration ratios were constant, and the synovial fluid levels were, on average, greater than those in plasma. The extent to which ibuprofen was bound to protein was somewhat greater in plasma than in synovial fluid. As a result, the mean synovial fluid:plasma free concentration ratio for seven-hour and later specimens was greater than that based on total concentrations. The degree of accumulation of ibuprofen in each fluid was minimal, consistent with its short half-life.

Adult↗

Bioavailability of the bis- and monodigitoxosides of digitoxigenin.

The pharmacokinetic behavior of digitoxigenin is affected by the number of glycosides present. This study was conducted to compare the bioavailabilities of the bis- and monodigitoxosides of digitoxigenin in man. Intravenous and oral doses of the two drugs were administered to six normal volunteers. Blood samples were collected up to 28 days after each dose, and assayed for the specific drug administered and for total radioassayable drug. Both drugs were virtually completely absorbed, based on serum concentrations of administered drug plus metabolites. However, the mean bioavailability of unchanged bisdigitoxoside was only 56.3% indicating that substantial metabolism occurred prior to entry into the systemic circulation. Monodigitoxoside was virtually completely metabolized prior to entry into the systemic circulation.

Administration, Oral↗

Influence of ascites on tobramycin pharmacokinetics.

The influence of ascites on the disposition of tobramycin was examined in eight subjects with cirrhosis of the liver. Five of these subjects had resolution of ascites so they could be used as their own controls. While there was no significant effect of ascites on the clearance and half-life of tobramycin, the volume of distribution of tobramycin was significantly larger when ascites was present, 0.32 versus 0.26 liter/kg (P less than 0.01). There was a trend for the volume of distribution to be larger in those patients with larger ascitic fluid volume.

Adult↗