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Biomedical subjects

J P Louis

Publications and source records attributed to J P Louis.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Dental occlusion modifies gaze and posture stabilization in human subjects.

Repercussion of dental occlusion was tested upon postural and gaze stabilization, the latter with a visuo-motor task evaluated by shooting performances. Eighteen permit holders shooters and 18 controls were enrolled in this study. Postural control was evaluated in both groups according to four mandibular positions imposed by interocclusal splints: (i) intercuspal occlusion (IO), (ii) centric relation (CR), (iii) physiological side lateral occlusion and (iv) controlateral occlusion, in order to appreciate the impact of the splints upon orthostatism. Postural control and gaze stabilization quality decreased, from the best to the worst, with splints in CR, IO and lateral occlusion. In shooters, the improvement in postural control was parallel to superior shooting performance. A repercussion of dental occlusion upon proprioception and visual stabilization is suggested by these data.

Dental Occlusion↗
PubMed1999

Audiogenic seizure sensitivity in mouse lines genetically selected for high versus low blood magnesium levels.

The MGH and MGL mouse lines, genetically selected for high and low blood magnesium (Mg) levels, respectively, exhibit marked differences for characteristics expected to be related to blood Mg levels, such as increased stress sensitivity and stress-induced aggressivity in MGL mice. However, although Mg deficiency experimentally induced by low oral Mg intake has been shown previously to increase susceptibility to audiogenic seizures, MGL were less sensitive to audiogenic seizures than MGH mice. The MGH-MGL lines may, therefore, provide a beneficial and complementary model for the study of the relationships between audiogenic seizures and blood Mg levels.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1999

[Malaria in expatriates in Abidjan].

This study was carried out in 1998 to assess attitudes and practices with regard to prophylaxis for malaria in expatriate families with children attending French and international schools in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. Data was obtained for a total of 4990 subjects of various ages. Forty point five percent of families reported use of drug prophylaxis. Use of drug prophylaxis decreased with age (69.2 p. 100 up to 1 year versus 34.5 p. 100 after 15 years). The proportion of subjects using bednets was 7.5 p. 100. Some subjects reported use of ineffective or dangerous substances such as pyrimethamin alone (17.5 p. 100) or amodiaquin. The incidence of reported malarial attacks increased in function of the length of stay in the country (50 p. 100 after 15 years). The most effective method of drug prophylaxis appeared to be a chloroquin and proguanil combination which was used by 25.4 p. 100 of subjects. The incidence of malarial attacks in subjects using this combination was 20.8 p. 100 as compared to 43.2 p. 100 in subjects using no drug prophylaxis. Forty-seven percent of the study population reported use of other preventive measures but none correlated with a decrease in the number of malaria attacks. Information concerning preventive measures is readily available but sometimes contradictory. Information provided locally seems to be the most effective but not always the best adapted. To increase the awareness among expatriates, it will be necessary to provide more accurate information about effective preventive measures especially regarding bed nets and drugs. The suggested optimal duration of chemoprophylaxis is unclear but this study shows that there is no difference between those that do or do not use it when the length of stay exceeds ten years.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

[The HIV/AIDS pandemic: African women at the heart of the control program or the difficulties with regard to gender].

The AIDS pandemia in developing countries forces forth the question of women's rights in Africa and underscores their extreme physical and sociocultural vulnerability. Experience gained during a program designed to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the Ivory Coast highlights the socially imposed and therefore intricate nature of differences between men and women and of the resulting relationships. Defending a woman's right to know her serologic status empowers her in the fight for emancipation but can also make her more fragile by undermining support from medical staff and family environment. To prevent the risk of outcasting, exclusion, and fragilization, gender must be given greater emphasis in planning future programs. Careful consideration must be devoted to the special sociocultural factors that affect women in Africa.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1998

Information management in national tuberculosis control programmes and national health information systems.

A good notification system is one of the key elements for the success of national tuberculosis programmes (NTPs). The national health information system (NHIS) in low income countries is often weak and unreliable. When restructuring this system, what circuit should be used to integrate TB data: the NTP or the NHIS? Experience from several countries shows that unlike the NHIS, only the data generated by the NTP are reliable and complete, and arrive rapidly enough to be used for programme management. It is therefore the duty of the NTP to collect this information and transmit it to the NHIS at each level of the health system. These were the conclusions of a seminar held in Cotonou, Benin, organised by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, which involved the leaders of the NHIS and of NTPs of six West African countries.

Africa↗
PubMed1997

[Knowledge, attitudes and practice of populations faced with culicidae nuisances: results of 6 surveys taken in Cameroon in 1994].

In 1994, six KAP studies were carried out in Cameroon to assess the importance of protective methods used by different population groups against culicine nuisance. The objective of these surveys was to evaluate the importance of the use of preventive measures by family against the parasite. The results show that in spite of a strongly resistant parasite in a hyperendemic malaria zone, the use of average protection remains very heterogeneous. Mosquito nets, identified as efficient protection, are used to varying degrees depending on the sites. In Douala, mosquito nets were found in 47% of households visited, with 65% of the inhabitants regularly using them. These figures rose to 75% and 82% respectively in a particularly exposed area of the city. In rural areas very few mosquito nets were identified with an average of one inhabitant per residence using them. The report of the study on the free distribution of mosquito nets and the reimpregnation of the nets six months later in Mbebe-Kikot village, showed that three years after the distribution of the nets, only 68% of the residences still had one mosquito net. In addition, only 9% of these nets were still in good condition. The results of these surveys showed that mosquito nets are more widely used in urban areas, with a higher number of inhabitants per household sleeping under them. They also showed that the free distribution of nets alone does not improve the protection of the population as they are not educated on the maintenance and care of the nets. So we can suggest to use different promotion and distribution strategies in urban area, where lot of people has got the experience of bed nets, and in rural area.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

A study of forces originating from orthodontic appliances for splinting of teeth.

Management of dental trauma in children sometimes requires the use of a dental splint. This can be constructed with composite materials, kevlar, fiberglass, wire and composite or orthodontic wires and brackets. However, there have been no studies of the control of dental movement when orthodontic materials are used for a dental splint. The purpose of this study was to determine the forces exerted by an orthodontic appliance used as a dental splint. To measure such forces, a transducer with a detection of 0.01 N (+/- 5%) was inserted into a maxillary dental arch model. The results showed that the orthodontic wire was rarely passive and the forces developed ranged from 0 to 27 x 10(-2) N. The force developed was independent of the length of the dental splint (p < 0.05) and wire size (p < 0.05). The mean force developed by nickel-titanium wires (14.27 x 10(-2) N) was significantly greater (p < 0.05) than the mean force developed by stainless steel and cobalt-chromium wires. Moreover, the mean force developed by rectangular wires (12.07 x 10(-2) N) was significantly greater (p < 0.05) than the mean force developed by square and round wires. The results suggested that stainless steel or cobalt-chromium, square or round wires should be used for construction of a dental splint.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1993

The frontline of HIV1 diffusion in the Central African region: a geographical and epidemiological perspective.

The geographical analysis of the main data on the HIV1 epidemic in Central Africa shows a frontline which has not moved significantly since 1985. The absence of a progressive increase between the countries, demonstrating a discontinuity in space, combined with the observed human and physical continuity within the areas, raises several questions. Are the low-rate areas facing only a simple delay in the diffusion, or is there a real difference between the epidemiological patterns of HIV1 in the two areas? The last hypothesis would impose a revision of the concept of an homogeneous pattern in the epidemiology of HIV1 in Africa. The need for further research is emphasized with the aim of precisely targeting preventive intervention.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1993

Efficacy of micronized halofantrine in semi-immune patients with acute uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Cameroon.

Fifty subjects with acute uncomplicated falciparum malaria were treated orally with a new micronized formulation of halofantrine. The dose given corresponded to one-half the normal dose for the standard formulation. Parasitemia cleared in all subjects within 78 h. There was recrudescence of falciparum malaria in seven subjects after day 14. The mean +/- standard deviation clearance times of parasitemia and fever were 49.0 +/- 14.2 and 24.3 +/- 13.2 h, respectively. Other clinical symptoms related to malaria cleared within the first 3 days. Pruritus occurred in two subjects, back pain occurred in one subject, and diarrhea occurred in one subject; all of these symptoms were mild. Hematological and biochemical indices were not adversely affected by treatment except in five subjects in whom minor and transitory increases in aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were observed. Micronized halofantrine appears to be a safe, well-tolerated, and effective treatment for acute falciparum malaria in semiimmune patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Management of sexually transmissible diseases in an urban environment in Cameroon in 1992].

During the progress, in 1989, of a programme of social marketing of condoms in Cameroon, it was obvious that this approach should be supplemented by a similar programme for the management of STD's. Nine surveys were carried out in 1992 in Yaounde and Douala in the sexually most active male population (in the general community, at the workplace and in the leisure environment) in order to collect the basic data necessary for its implementation. Treatment essentially consists of mono-chemotherapy with drugs which are generally inefficient against the two principal etiologies of urethritis: Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis. The cost of treatment is considered excessive and leads to poor follow-up of the complete prescription. Simultaneous treatment of partners should be developed. All these data have been taken into account for the elaboration of a pilot programme which should be implemented in 1993.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Epidemiological features of retroviral infection by HTLV-1 in central Africa].

Subsaharian Africa is the most important reservoir of HTLV1 virus but its epidemiology is not well-known. The authors have studied from 1987 to 1990 the situation in 6 countries in Central Africa. The already described routes of transmission are present: through blood transfusions (but it's not such a common practice), heterosexual transmission (but it doesn't seem to be as important as in other continents), and mother to child transmission through breast feeding. Nevertheless, environmental factors--which have to investigated--could play a role for transmission, among them one could think to vectors and parasites.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[African human trypanosomiasis: study of a scoring system of presumptive diagnosis in the Congo].

A case-control study was carried out in the Congo to define a scoring system based on a number of clinical and epidemiological criteria of African trypanosomiasis due to Trypanosoma brucei gambiense which could be used by peripheral health services to establish a diagnosis. The survey comprised 163 cases and 326 controls. Clinical signs and symptoms were fever, headache, pruritus and skin lesions due to scratching, diarrhoea, oedema, cervical adenopathies, sleep rhythm disturbances, changes in appetite, amenorrhoea or impotence, mental confusion, neurological signs, and other minor clinical disturbances. Other criteria were a history of previous trypanosomiasis and the presence of domestic animals in the home environment. Analysis of the results showed that neither a single criterion nor a group of criteria is pathognomonic for the disease. The selected criteria do not allow discrimination of sleeping sickness patients among suspected individuals who present themselves. A scoring system is therefore of little use at the peripheral level of health services, particularly when considering the additional workload involved. The low diagnostic value of these clinical signs and symptoms and other indicators in African trypanosomiasis stresses the difficulty in developing an early warning tool for an integrated control strategy in primary health care.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[Therapeutic attitudes and malaria in Sanaga Basin (Cameroon)].

In order to evaluate malaria problems such as they are perceived by Sanaga Basin populations in Cameroon, authors appealed to a cluster sample survey on a population sample obtained from a 2 degree population poll in four representative sites. Malaria so defined represents the outstanding endemia by which the most usual therapeutic recourse makes self-medication interfere particularly by amino-4-quinolines. It is convenient to verify the quality of treatment so administered to adapt possibly training objectives of the interested population. In the present context of the chemoresistance extension of plasmodial strains to usual antimalarials, setting up a surveillance system of efficiency is necessary.

Adolescent↗