Biomedical subjects
M Levasseur
Publications and source records attributed to M Levasseur.
[Weight-bearing early after osteosynthesis of the femoral neck by nail-plate (100 cases)].
One hundred trochanteric or transcervical fractures, 64 of which were in patients more than 75 years old, were treated by internal fixation with a THS nail-plate. This device is characterised by a better bending strength than a one-piece nail-plate and a design which limits the risk of displacement of the screw in the head so that immediate weight-bearing can be allowed. Weight was borne on the limb in 81 cases at the tenth post-operative day. It did not improve the mortality, there being 17 deaths by the third month but it greatly helped post-operative care and rehabilitation without producing any additional complications. As a result, 43 per cent of patients could return home by the 45th post-operative day and 74 per cent had recovered their previous level of autonomy within three months of operation. There were only four mechanical complications, all in transcervical fractures: one crack fracture in the femoral head and three displacements following inadequate reduction, treated by prosthetic replacement. The follow-up of 80 patients at three months showed that consolidation always developed between the 45th and 90th day with full weight-bearing and a stable radiological picture. There was no intra-articular penetration or bending of the screw and no break-out of the implant. Whilst it is a definite advance in the treatment of trochanteric fractures, a longer follow-up is needed to determine its place compared with prostheses in transcervical fractures.
Sequence of a pseudogene in the legumin gene family of pea (Pisum sativum L.).
A second legumin gene, denoted psi Leg D, has been located on the pea genomic clone lambda Leg 1, approx. 1.3 Kbases 3' of Leg A, in the same orientation. The complete sequence of psi Leg D shows that it is a pseudogene, having two stop codons near the 5' end of its predicted coding sequence, as well as deletions and frame shift errors when compared to Leg A. No transcripts from this gene could be detected in developing pea seeds. Leg A and psi Leg D are homologous over their coding sequences, and partially homologous in the intron sequences and the immediate 5' flanking sequences. Other flanking sequences of the two genes show no significant homology, apart from the presence of polyadenylation signals 3' to both coding sequences. The introns in the two genes occur in corresponding positions in the sequences, but a deletion in psi Leg D affects the 3' boundary of IVS-2. Hybridisation of psi Leg D to pea genomic DNA suggests that it does not represent a hitherto undetected sub-family of legumin genes.
[Diagnosing eating disorders: presentation of a new diagnostic test and an initial epidemiological study of eating disorders in adolescents].
Precise diagnosis of eating disorders has long been problematic. First off, although the DSM IV provides clear criteria, these are applicable to a very narrow range of disorders. Subclinical disorders, although well defined in the literature, are difficult to diagnose as no tool has been previously available. These subclinical disorders are particularly important if one considers that they are often precursors to more serious and life-threatening eating disorders. In addition, choice of diagnostic tool for eating disorders has also long been the cause of difficulty for both researchers and clinicians. Although interviews are favored for their in-depth approach, they are sometimes difficult to implement and often too long and costly to use on a regular basis. Most available questionnaires are limited by their approach to one or two diagnostic categories, and again, until now, no tool has fully addressed the issue of subclinical disorders. The goal of this work was to translate and use a new questionnaire, The Questionnaire for Eating Disorders (Q-EDD), which was developed in the United States and based on both DSM IV criteria as well as carefully developed subclinical disorder criteria. The Q-EDD can identify the major eating disorder categories while at the same time distinguishing between different qualities in each (for example restricting versus compensatory anorexia). Moreover, the Q-EDD can identify several subclinical disorder categories, providing useful insight into potentially dangerous evolution of these disorders. In collaboration with one of the original authors, the questionnaire was translated into French with careful attention to DSM IV criteria in order to preserve its original validity. The questionnaire was read by several professionals in psychology as well as lay people to assure its face validity and ease of use. Once the questionnaire was adequately translated and corrected, it was used for an epidemiological study with a large sample of adolescents and young adults (n=1 001) from several Junior High and High Schools in the greater metropolitan area of Toulouse, France. The schools were located in a variety of neighborhoods and represented a wide range of population, some of them being more academic oriented, others being more oriented towards practical training. The population was composed of 703 females and 298 males, with an average age of 17.06 years. In addition, the population included several different ethnic categories, all of which are similarly represented in the general French population. The results from the Q-EDD showed levels of various clinical disorders to replicate data from previous epidemiological studies with 1.5% of the population suffering from a serious clinical DSM IV disorder; 7.9% suffering from DSM IV disorders NOS; and 20.9% suffering subclinical disorders. In addition to this finding of 30% of the population with an eating disorder, it was noted that a large number of these young people fell into the severe underweight and low weight categories. Indeed, nearly 10% of this group were within the weight criteria for anorexia, despite the fact that they did not meet the other criteria. This finding seemed to warrant additional investigation, and as a result, a different cut-off for severe underweight was established using literature references; this cut-off was set at the 10(th) percentile for BMI based on age. Yet, even with this new cut-off, 6% of this population still met a severe underweight criteria suggestive of anorexic pathology. These results led to the formulation of 2 hypotheses to explain this finding, the first of which examines morphological differences, the second of which suggests cultural differences in terms of eating habits and diet. The French version of the Q-EDD appears to follow the psychometric properties of the original version, moreover it provides useful and rich data regarding eating disorders in a format that is simple and efficient.