Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Berland

Publications and source records attributed to M Berland.

46 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Hypoparathyroidism during pregnancy: treatment with calcitriol.

A pregnant woman suffering from idiopathic hypoparathyroidism was treated with calcitriol [0.5-2 micrograms/day 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3)]. Her twin infants were delivered by cesarian section at 37 weeks of gestation. Laboratory investigations in the perinatal period disclosed: 1) normal serum calcium and phosphorus levels in the mother, 2) normal babies with no clinical or biochemical signs of hyperparathyroidism, 3) a low serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D despite a normal serum level of 1,25-(OH)2D in the mother, and 4) a low level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and a high level of 1,25-(OH)2D in cord serum in both infants. It is suggested that calcitriol is an effective treatment of hypoparathyroidism during pregnancy and produces no ill effects on the baby.

Adult↗

[The relationship between palmitic acid and stearic acid on the pharyngeal secretions of the newborn (author's transl)].

The authors report on their study of the ratio of palmitic acid to stearic acid (P/S) in the pharyngeal secretions of the newborn before the sixth hour of life. Four groups of infants were studied: 78 infants used as controls who hac no respiratory distress, 36 with hyaline membrane disease, 16 with transitory respiratory distress and 5 with perinatal asphyxia. The aetiological diagnosis of the respiratory distress was based on clinical as well as radiological and biological criteria. The P/S ratio is always less than 3 with hyaline membrane disease and above 3 in asphyxias. In the control group and the group with transitory respiratory distress the ratio ranged between 1.3 and 14 which was evidence of false negative results, probably attributable to treatment with cortisone given to the mother in premature labour in a certain number of cases. Study of the P/S ratio in amniotic fluid and in the pharyngeal secretions of 27 children born by Caesarean operation embodies a contradiction in the results the newborns in whom the ratio in the amniotic fluid was greater than 3 never had respiratory distress although the ratio studied at the same time in the pharyngeal secretions was low and sometimes less than 3.

Amniotic Fluid↗

[Feto-maternal transfusion. A rare cause of acute fetal distress. A case history (author's transl)].

The authors report a case of feto-maternal transfusion which showed as acute fetal distress spotted by fetal cardiac rhythm monitoring. Following this observation the authors point out such occurrences are rare with a possibility of intra-uterine fetal death at 1/1000. They also point out the value of fetal cardiac monitoring and of systematic performance of amnioscopy at the start of labour and of carrying out the Kleihauer test in every case of neonatal anaemia as well as in every case of unexplained perinatal death.

Acute Disease↗

Developmental remodeling of primate visual cortical pathways.

The pre- and postnatal developmental changes of the cortical afferents to area 17 were studied in the macaque monkey. Paired injections of the retrograde tracers fast blue and diamidino yellow were made in area 17. Quantitative techniques were used to examine the spatial patterns of labeling in three distinct locations of the extrastriate cortex that correspond to known visual areas. In the adult, each cortical region has a characteristic laminar distribution. In the fetus the proportion of supragranular layer neurons in all cortical regions was much higher than in the adult. The present study shows that despite the very high levels of labeled supragranular layer neurons, there is some early areal specialization so that the adult configuration does not emerge from a uniform distribution. The developmental decline in the proportion of labeled supragranular neurons is complete by 1 month after birth. Each injection of tracer gave rise in each cortical area to dense labeling in a restricted region (projection zone). Areal measurements of projection zones in the supra- and infragranular layers showed that the developmental decrease in the proportion of labeled supragranular layer neurons is accompanied by a relative change of the dimensions of supra- and infragranular projection zones: the supragranular projection zone in the fetus is larger than the infragranular projection zone and vice versa in the adult. In the fetus, the two projection zones corresponding to each of the two tracers overlap in the supragranular layers whereas they are largely separated in the infragranular layers. During development there is a progressive decrease in the overlap of the supragranular projection zones and an increase in the overlap in the infragranular layers. Again, the adult configuration is achieved 1 month after birth. This developmental inversion of the areal dimensions of the projection zones in supra- and infragranular layers is accompanied by a drastic decrease in the proportion of double-labeled neurons located in supragranular layers. These results clearly show that early in development, axonal projections to area V1 are modified in very different ways according to whether they originate from supra- or infragranular layers. This developmental process lasts for about 80 d. These findings show that in the primate there is a prolonged remodeling of axonal projections that is a highly characteristic feature of this species.

Amidines↗

[Pregnancy and perinatality: biological follow-up].

Blood and urinary tests which are necessary for pregnancy diagnosis and follow-up, for newborn and mother medical supervision, during the month following birthday, are today described in reglementary texts, laws, and recommendations such as advised medical references (RMO). These documents specify the nature of obligatory tests, the checking rhythm and the list of useless tests. hCG research remains necessary for pregnancy diagnosis, but hCG dosage is essential only in case of programmed medical assistance or pathological pregnancy (extrauterine pregnancy, hydatiform mole, choriocarcinoma). The obligatory follow-up of a pregnant woman includes determination of blood groups, research of infectious agents responsible for diseases (toxoplasmosis, rubeola, hepatitis B, syphilis), proteinuria and glycosuria research and blood count according to a given calendar. When the mother's condition is bad and reminiscent of a pathological pregnancy, when a genetic risk exists for the fetus or when fetal growth is abnormal as indicated by echographic control (intra-uterine growth retardation), laboratory tests are used to follow the maternal pathological course (arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, anemia, bacterial, viral or parasitic disease), to verify the existence of a genetic disease, to know about the fetal functional state (by amniocentesis or cordocentesis), to identify an erythrocyte fetomaternal incompatibility. Since last trimester pregnancy accidents are able to endanger mother's and fetus lives, the feto-maternal follow-up must be adjusted to pathological diagnosis types and requires a particular supervision of the delivery. Finally mother and child must undergo a post-natal follow-up during the four weeks after birthday (perinatality control).

Female↗