Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

H Cormier

Publications and source records attributed to H Cormier.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Neural correlates of semantic associative encoding in episodic memory.

Associations between individual items are the basic building blocks of learning and memory. Functional neuroimaging has now made it possible to study neural correlates of such associations. The present PET study examined three associative encoding conditions differing in the number of words (0, 1, or 2) semantically related to a third word representing the name of a semantic category. A recall task consisting in the presentation of the category names as cues for retrieving the other two members of the triads followed each encoding condition. As expected, retrieval performance increased as the number of semantic exemplars at encoding increased (10%, 43%, 70% items recalled, respectively). A first analysis (partial least squares, PLS) of the PET data identified task-related patterns of activity for associative encoding and cued-recall tasks. A second analysis identified brain regions whose activity was modulated by the number of semantic exemplars at encoding. Some of the task-related brain regions also showed modulated activity by semantic relatedness and consisted in the left inferior prefrontal cortex, right medial temporal lobe, fusiform gyrus and inferior temporal gyrus bilaterally. Some of these regions showed greater activity when words in a triad were unrelated, whereas others did so when the three words were semantically related. These regions have been consistently reported in previous functional neuroimaging studies of associative encoding and may constitute key structures in association formation.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Continuous performance test differences among schizophrenic out-patients living in high and low expressed emotion environments.

BACKGROUND: High expressed emotion (EE) in families reliably predicts relapse in schizophrenia leading to the assumption that high EE stresses patients and is the cause of relapse. Attempts at validating the stressful properties of high EE using autonomic skin conductance measures have been inconclusive. Since memory loaded vigilance tasks are sensitive to stress, we used a memory loaded version of the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) to see if test performance would change in the presence and absence of high or low EE relatives. If high EE was stressful, performance should decline in their presence of high EE relatives. If low EE was protective against stress performance should improve in the presence of low EE relatives. METHODS: The CPT was administered to 41 schizophrenic and 51 normal control participants. CPT testing was conducted in the absence, then presence, then absence of high or low EE relatives. RESULTS: Control participants had significantly greater CPT scores than schizophrenic participants; there was no effect of the relative's presence or absence on CPT performance for either the high or low EE group. Schizophrenic participants from high EE homes demonstrated significantly better, rather than worse, CPT scores than those in low EE homes. CONCLUSIONS: These findings fail to support the notion of high EE as stressor, but show that high EE and low EE patient groups perform a vigilance task significantly differently. We propose that patients from low EE groups may be underaroused relative to their high EE counterparts and that this underarousal leads to less than optimal performance on the CPT.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Sodium lauryl sulfate increases the efficacy of a topical formulation of foscarnet against herpes simplex virus type 1 cutaneous lesions in mice.

The influence of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) on the efficacies of topical gel formulations of foscarnet against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) cutaneous infection has been evaluated in mice. A single application of the gel formulation containing 3% foscarnet given 24 h postinfection exerted only a modest effect on the development of herpetic skin lesions. Of prime interest, the addition of 5% SLS to this gel formulation markedly reduced the mean lesion score. The improved efficacy of the foscarnet formulation containing SLS could be attributed to an increased penetration of the antiviral agent into the epidermis. In vitro, SLS decreased in a concentration-dependent manner the infectivities of herpesviruses for Vero cells. SLS also inhibited the HSV-1 strain F-induced cytopathic effect. Combinations of foscarnet and SLS resulted in subsynergistic to subantagonistic effects, depending on the concentration used. Foscarnet in phosphate-buffered saline decreased in a dose-dependent manner the viability of cultured human skin fibroblasts. This toxic effect was markedly decreased when foscarnet was incorporated into the polymer matrix. The presence of SLS in the gel formulations did not alter the viabilities of these cells. The use of gel formulations containing foscarnet and SLS could represent an attractive approach to the treatment of herpetic mucocutaneous lesions, especially those caused by acyclovir-resistant strains.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1999

Protective effect of a thermoreversible gel against the toxicity of nonoxynol-9.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: One major problem associated with the use of nonoxynol-9 is that it can induce local inflammation and ulceration of the vaginal and cervical mucosa that might favor the entry of pathogens. With the aim of developing a gel formulation that could be effective in preventing sexually transmitted infections, the authors have evaluated the capacity of a polyoxypropylene/polyoxyethylene polymer to reduce or eliminate the toxicity of nonoxynol-9. STUDY DESIGN: The cytotoxicity of nonoxynol-9 alone or incorporated into the gel was investigated in human cervical and colon epithelial cells and after daily intravaginal application for 2 weeks in rabbits. RESULTS: In vitro experiments showed that nonoxynol-9 was highly toxic to human cervical and colon epithelial cells in a dose-dependent manner. However, the incorporation of the spermicide into the gel markedly reduced its toxicity under the same experimental conditions. In vivo studies showed that in animals treated with nonoxynol-9, the spermicide was very toxic to the vaginal and cervical mucosa as evidenced by the presence of bleeding, irritation, epithelial disruption, necrosis, the accumulation of leukocytes in the submucosa, and the loss of integrity of the epithelial cells. Of prime importance, the incorporation of nonoxynol-9 into the gel markedly reduced the toxicity of this potent spermicide/microbicide. CONCLUSION: The gel formulation could be used as an interesting approach to eliminate the toxicity of potent spermicides/microbicides such as nonoxynol-9.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

[Mothers of psychotic patients and their difficulties with the health care system].

This article describes the difficulties perceived by mothers of people suffering from psychotic problems when coping with the healthcare system. The 99 interviewees were recruited through mutual help groups and hospitals. In addition to feeling left to themselves to care for their child, their main grievances relate to the fact that their child does not have access to workforce integration resources, that therapeutic follow-up (non-drug related) is inadequate and that they do not receive updates on the state of health of their child. Mothers belonging to mutual help groups are significantly more upset about the difficulties they encounter when coping with the healthcare system, in comparison to mothers who do not belong to such groups. In light of comments by experts and the interviewees, the authors make suggestions designed to improve existing services, as well as collaboration between healthcare teams and the families concerned.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1994

Effects of neuroleptic reduction in schizophrenic outpatients receiving high doses.

This paper presents an open study which evaluated the clinical effects of a partial and progressive reduction in neuroleptic medication in 32 outpatients suffering from schizophrenia who were receiving high doses (equivalent of > or = 18 mg of oral haloperidol per day; EHL). After an observation period of twelve weeks, each subject's dose of neuroleptics was reduced by 50% at the rate of 10% every four weeks. Patients were receiving a mean of 62 mg per day EHL at the beginning of the study and 30 mg per day EHL at the completion of the study. After the reduction, the following was observed: 1. a significant but modest change in psychopathology: a decrease in negative symptoms and in the total score on Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; and 2. a significant increase in tardive dyskinesia symptoms. Six subjects relapsed but five of them recovered without increasing their reduced medication. Results of this study are discussed in the context of trying to find a minimal maintenance dose in the treatment of schizophrenia. The relative paucity of change despite a large reduction in medication argues for reevaluation of dosage in patients on high or very high doses of neuroleptics. The results suggest that many patients taking high doses could be maintained on significantly lower doses of neuroleptics. With gradual reduction of medication it would seem that many patients who are receiving a high dose of neuroleptic can achieve a lower dose than their current maintenance level.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Study of the clinical utility of radioreceptor assay in outpatients with schizophrenia receiving high doses of neuroleptics.

A radioreceptor assay (RRA) was used to determine the neuroleptic plasma levels of 32 outpatients with schizophrenia receiving a high dose of neuroleptics (the equivalent of 18 mg or more of oral haloperidol per day) and undergoing a 50% partial and progressive reduction (ten percent each month for five months) in their medication. Plasma levels of neuroleptics were measured three times: before (T1) and immediately after the 50% reduction (T2) and five months later (T3). A linear correlation was observed between neuroleptic plasma levels obtained by RRA and the neuroleptic doses prescribed at T1 and T3. Furthermore, neuroleptic plasma levels were significantly lower at T3 than at T1. Concurrent evaluations of psychopathology were done using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, and the results indicated that no correlation exists between neuroleptic plasma levels and the total rating scale scores at T1 but a significant correlation was observed at T3.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Training of interviewers in the utilization of standardized questionnaires in psychiatry: studies realized with the Present State Examination (PSE)].

Interview questionnaires offer more validity than self-administered format in exploring psychopathological or psychosocial phenomena of interest in psychiatric research. If used, special care needs to be paid to interviewers' training and ensuring that they maintain their reliability. No widespread training standards exist and each schedule may carry its own procedure. Our aims are to indicate how we trained interviewers with the French version of the Present State Examination (Wing, Cooper and Sartorius, 1974) and how we checked and kept acceptable interraters reliability during one study. We will provide data on the interraters reliability during the training and the study, as well as the test-retest reliability. These results will be used to support some guidelines when using this sort of psychiatric research questionnaires in order to ensure comparability both within the study and between studies.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Comparison of masked and endogenous depression using psychometric scales, endocrinological markers and pharmacological responses. Masked depression versus endogenous depression].

Masked depression refers to a concept of a phenomenological state, either endogenous or psychogenic where somatic symptoms replace sadness: Thirty patients were evaluated by RDC (22 endogenous and 8 masked depressions) wherein in the latter dysphoria was replaced by a nonreactive persistent somatic complaint. They were rated on Beck and Hamilton Depression Scales, on Hamilton and Trait-State Anxiety Scales and the NOSIE. All patients presented with insomnia, anorexia, loss of weight, diminished libido and anhedonia. Initial ratings were similar for both diagnostic groups except for a significantly higher agitation factor and lower retardation in masked depression. Although 59.9 percent of the subjects are positive on the dexamethasone test, only 1 masked depression did not suppress secretion of cortisol. After a randomized 30-day drug trial where patients were assigned to Clomipramine or Desipramine, patients in both groups show significant improvement on rating scales but diagnostic group drug treatment interaction exists on anxiety and agitation criteria.

Adult↗