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Biomedical subjects

M Robin

Publications and source records attributed to M Robin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

[Clinical case of the month. Galloping nephropathy in a patient with type 2 diabetes].

We report the case of a patient with insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes who exhibited a rapid deterioration of his renal function leading to haemodialysis in a few months. Various diagnosis were considered to explain this rapid deterioration, excluding diabetic nephropathy as major etiology. The exploration, especially renal biopsy, demonstrated the presence of a glomerulonephritis due to the deposition of immune complexes associated to active hepatitis C rather than diabetic glomerulosclerosis. A treatment with interferon-alpha allowed to partially restore renal function, this recovery permitting the interruption of hemodialysis, with a current follow-up of more than 6 months.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Three-dimensional solution structure of human angiogenin determined by 1H,15N-NMR spectroscopy--characterization of histidine protonation states and pKa values.

Human angiogenin is a member of the pancreatic ribonuclease superfamily that induces blood vessel formation. Its three-dimensional solution structure has been determined to high resolution by heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy. 30 structures were calculated, based on a total of 1441 assigned NOE correlations, 64 coupling constants and 50 hydrogen bonds. The backbone atomic rms difference from the mean coordinates is 0.067 +/- 0.012 nm and 0.13 nm from the previously determined crystal structure. The side-chain of Gln117 was found to obstruct the active site as observed in the crystal state. There was no evidence of an alternative open form of angiogenin, although two sets of chemical shifts were observed for some residues, mainly around the active site and in the C-terminal segment. The topology of the ribonucleolytic active site is described with a particular emphasis on the conformation and protonation of active-site His residues. The side-chain of His114 adopts two main conformations in solution. In contrast to pancreatic ribonuclease A, His13 was shown to be more basic than His114, with pKa values of 6.65 and 6.05 respectively. The His47 residue is located in an environment very resistant to protonation with a pKa lower than 4.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Childcare patterns of mothers of twins during the first year.

This study aims to describe the ways in which mothers of twins organize their childcare activities during the first year after a twin birth and to determine what factors might affect these mothering practices. The mother's physical and psychological state, support and help from the father and others in the surroundings, and the type of twinship were among the factors studied. Data on the organization of feeding, sleeping and waking routines were gathered from 51 families. A correspondence analysis and a cluster analysis showed that twin mothering practices can be described along two dimensions: individualized care vs collective care, and level of organization of daily routines. The mother's state of fatigue only partially accounts for the different types of maternal behavior. Likewise, the presence of several caregivers does not lead to greater individualization in care routines. Nor does there seem to be a clear link between the type of maternal behaviour and the type of twinship. The discussion deals with the mother's emotional investment, her personal capacity for adjusting to the "triadic motherhood' process, and the nature of the father's involvement in that process. Another consideration is the impact of the type of childcare pattern on twin development.

Child Care↗
PubMed1996

[Morphine in cesarean section and postoperative analgesia].

Epidural opioids for caesarean section are routinely used by many anaesthesists. Combined epidural injection of a local anaesthetic and an opioid provides a more rapid onset of profound analgesia. No side effects are observed in either the mother or the neonate with epidural "microdoses" of sufentanil or fentanyl, but the postoperative analgesia is of short duration. Combined intrathecal injection on 0.1-0.2 mg morphine and 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine provides a better intra- and postoperative analgesia. Opiates used during anaesthesia in toxemic women before delivery imply strict subsequent paediatric care. Good postoperative analgesia can be obtained with intrathecal morphine or patient-controlled analgesia. Using other techniques depends on care and surveillance facilities. Opiates by spinal or intravenous route are not dangerous for breast-fed newborns.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[The individualization of care practices for twins during the first year].

BACKGROUND: Mothers of twins have some difficulties to individualize their child-raising activities during the first year. This study was aimed to determine factors influencing such activities. POPULATION AND METHODS: Thirty-seven pairs of twins born after 36 weeks of gestation and weighing more than 2,000 g were included in the study. Relationships between the parents and their children were studied from questionnaires concerning activities during the first trimester and the end of the first year of age. Each item concerning organization of meals and sleeping was graded 1 to 3 according to the degree of individualization of the care. Items concerning support of the mother by the father or other people were graded 1 to 3 according to the degree of this assistance. The physical and psychological status of the mother was also graded according to the presence or not of asthenia and/or depression. Home activities of the mother were also observed. RESULTS: The state of the mother during the first few months had an impact on her mothering behavior: tired or depressed mothers tend to treat the twins collectively and simultaneously. No link was found between social, paternal or general familial support and the degree of individualization in the maternal behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Several factors can interfere with the psychological repercussions of a twin birth on the mother and subsequent psychoemotional development of children. Further studies are necessary to understand how each parent contributes to the organization of the family system.

Family Practice↗
PubMed1995

Unusual transformation of the 3-hydroxy-picolinoyl residue of pristinamycin IA.

Pristinamycin IA was modified in a two-step procedure to give original derivatives possessing a tricyclic nucleus (8a, 8b, 8c) or a substituted pyrrole ring (10a, 10b) in place of the natural exocyclic 3-hydroxy-picolinoyl residue. This transformation involved firstly preparation of pyridinium betaines 5 from pristinamycin IA and secondly a 1-3 dipolar cycloaddition between 5 and N-substituted maleimides or diethyl acetylenedicarboxylate. The compounds obtained were evaluated as antibacterial agents alone and in association with pristinamycin IIA.

Alkylation↗
PubMed1995

[A therapeutic approach using dental implants in an irradiated area. The experiences of the René Huguenin Center].

A therapeutic trial was conducted with six patients who were in remission after cancer therapy for at least two years. Twenty-four implants were performed in irradiated maxillary bone after local and general paraimplantation preparation using adjuvant hyperbaric oxygenotherapy. All implants integrated the bone within a minimal delay of nine months. All patients were fitted with a removable dental prosthesis which was anchored magnetically or with implant conjunction bars. Despite the limited number of implants and the short observation period, the results have been promising, in agreement with previous reports. These findings emphasize the importance of adjuvant hyperbaric oxygenotherapy and the need for good conditions in paraimplantation tissue. Although this technique demonstrates that dental implantation in irradiated tissue is possible, the risk of secondary failure has not been determined. In strictly selected cancer patients with reasonably healthy irradiated tissue, implantation can be proposed by a fully multidisciplinary team of specialists.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

The effect of aspartate hydroxylation on calcium binding to epidermal growth factor-like modules in coagulation factors IX and X.

Hydroxylation of aspartic acid to erythro-beta-aspartic acid (Hya) occurs in epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like modules in numerous extracellular proteins with diverse functions. Several EGF-like modules with the consensus sequence for hydroxylation bind Ca2+, and it has therefore been suggested that the hydroxyl group is essential for Ca2+ binding. To determine directly the influence of beta-hydroxylation on calcium binding in the EGF-like modules from coagulation factors IX and X, we have now measured calcium binding to both the fully beta-hydroxylated and the non-beta-hydroxylated modules of the two proteins. At low ionic strength, the Hya-containing module of factor X has a slightly higher Ca2+ affinity, but at physiological salt concentrations this difference is no longer significant for either factor IX or X. Analysis of the 1H NMR chemical shift differences between the hydroxylated and nonhydroxylated factor X modules show that hydroxylation has no effect on the domain fold. Furthermore, measurements on factor IX show that hydroxylation has no effect on the Ca2+/Mg2+ specificity of the ion binding site. We conclude that the hydroxyl group is not a direct ligand for the calcium ion in these EGF-like modules, nor is it essential for high-affinity Ca2+ binding.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Alpha-cobratoxin: proton NMR assignments and solution structure.

The solution structure of alpha-cobratoxin, a neurotoxin purified from the venom of the snake Naja naja siamensis, at pH 3.2 is reported. Sequence-specific assignments of the NMR resonances was attained by a combination of a generalized main-chain-directed strategy and of the sequential method. The NMR data show the presence of a triple-stranded beta-sheet (residues 19-25, 36-41, and 52-57), a short helix, and turns. An extensive number of NOE cross peaks were identified in the NOESY NMR maps. These were applied as distance constraints in a molecular modeling protocol which includes distance geometry and dynamical simulated annealing calculations. A single family of structures is observed which fold in such a way that three major loops emerge from a globular head. The solution and crystal structures of alpha-cobratoxin are very similar. This is in clear contrast to results reported for alpha-bungarotoxin where significant differences exist.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Effects of early mother-twin relationships from birth to age 3, on twin bonding.

Findings from an earlier phase of this research project clearly pointed to the mother's psychological adaptation inherent to the specificities of triadic interaction. Mothers' attitudes were classified in a typology ranging from "early twinness" where the two babies are treated as though they were a single unit, to attempt to create two dyadic relationships. The current program deals with the effects of the type of parent-child relationship at one year on the emergence of twin bonding. Sixty-eight families of twins (26MZ, 24DZ same sex, 18DZ different sex) are followed up from birth to the age of 3 using a method based on clinical interviews, videotaped observations, and questionnaires. The data cover mothers' rearing attitudes towards organization of babycare and outward signs of twinness, maternal representations of the relationship between the twins and observation of the children's interaction in a standardized game situation. The findings are discussed in terms of zygosity, and parental SCS.

Attitude↗
PubMed1992

Patent paraumbilical vein: anatomic and hemodynamic variants and their clinical importance.

Fifty-five of 353 patients with suspected portal hypertension studied with Doppler sonography had a patent paraumbilical vein. Of these 55 patients, 39 had the classic intrahepatic venous circulation found in Cruveilhier-Baumgarten syndrome: hepatopetal flow in all segmental portal veins and hepatofugal flow leaving the liver in a paraumbilical vein in the falciform ligament to join veins of the anterior abdominal wall. Sixteen patients had variants of the classic pattern: Flow in one or more segmental portal veins of the left lobe or the entire liver was hepatofugal. In addition, new venous channels connecting the left portal vein with the extrahepatic paraumbilical vein were found. Assessment of liver function with the Pugh score showed severe impairment in the majority of patients with a patent paraumbilical vein. Patients with the classic intrahepatic circulation had smaller esophageal varices than those with hemodynamic or anatomic variants. The presence of a patent paraumbilical vein did not prevent formation of esophageal varices in the patients studied.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Maternal reactions to the birth of triplets.

This study examines the reactions of 14 women to the birth of triplets. Home interviews and observations were conducted at 4 months and 1 year after the birth. The findings indicate that the triplet situation constitutes a real source of psychological stress for the women in this study. Reactions depend on two factors: individual makeup, in that some women become depressed whereas others develop defenses, and amount of support from family and friends. These variables, along with mothers' ability to overcome phantasms of abnormality generated by the exceptionality of a multiple maternity, serve to define a set of predictors of good/poor prognosis for the establishment of triplet-mother relationships.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1991

Forms of family reorganization following the birth of twins.

A survey questionnaire of 200 families with 2-month-old twins assesses the economic, social and psychological impact of the arrival of twins on family life. The study shows the extent of material difficulties mothers of twins are confronted with, and the ways they cope with them--recourse to mother's helpers, assistance from the father and other members of the family (analyzed in terms of parity and socioeconomic/cultural status), twincare organization strategies, and impact on the decision to stop working. The findings provide an overall picture of the real situation, a necessary prerequisite to an understanding of psychological problems.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Rapid determination and NMR assignments of antiparallel sheets and helices of a scorpion and a cobra toxin.

An NMR method is described which should provide a rapid means for determining and assigning antiparallel sheets and helices in small proteins. It begins by locating apparent NOESY crosspeaks which suggest the presence of the secondary structure; this is followed by searches for MCD patterns (Englander & Wand (1987) Biochemistry 22, 5953) which are characteristic of these structures. As a result, only spin-systems of the amino acids within the secondary structure need to be defined. A triple-stranded, antiparallel sheet and a helix have been found and assigned for both alpha-cobratoxin and the scorpion toxin AaH III.

Animals↗