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Biomedical subjects

N Kadri

Publications and source records attributed to N Kadri.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Absence of significant postdefibrillation bradyarrhythmias in patients with automatic implantable defibrillators.

Because postdefibrillation bradycardia or asystole is of clinical concern in patients with implanted automatic cardioverter defibrillators, we analyzed the cardiac rhythm after 157 intraoperative defibrillations in 50 patients undergoing implantation of the device. Factors that could influence the heart rhythm immediately after defibrillation were also analyzed. The postdefibrillation heart rate and the duration of postdefibrillation asystole did not correlate with age, conduction abnormalities, type or duration of arrhythmia before defibrillation, delivered energy, lead system, or left ventricular ejection fraction, but they did correlate with the resting preoperative heart rate and the concomitant performance of coronary artery bypass surgery at the time of defibrillator implantation. Temporary pacing (for prolonged asystole) was required in only two patients, both of whom had also undergone bypass surgery. Fourteen patients being treated with amiodarone had slower resting and postdefibrillation heart rates, but the mean duration of posdefibrillation asystole was similar to that seen in patients not receiving any antiarrhythmic medication. On follow-up, 25 monitored and 178 unmonitored automatic defibrillator discharges occurred in 24 patients, without evidence of symptomatic postdefibrillation bradyarrhythmias. Thus significant postdefibrillation bradyarrhythmias were uncommon, but when such a propensity existed it could not be predicted reliably on clinical grounds alone.

Adult↗

[Post-traumatic stress disorder in survivors of the Agadir earthquake (Morocco) in 1960].

INTRODUCTION: Agadir City is geologically located on a seismic line. This city witnessed an earthquake in February 1960 with a magnitude of 6 degrees in Richter scale. During this disaster more than 17,000 people died and 60% of the town was destroyed. OBJECTIVES: Forty years later, the objective of this study was to assess post-traumatic stress disorders at the time of the disaster and currently among this population. METHODS: Two groups, matched by gender and age were included: 1) a group (G 1) of 80 earthquake survivors with an age varying from 45 to 70 years ; 2) a control group (G2) with 80 people who experienced accidental events other than the earthquake. The instruments used were: a questionnaire concerning socio-demographic data, and the Post-traumatic Stress Diagnosis Scale-Edna Foa-1995 for the diagnosis of PTSD which was translated in Moroccan Arabic language. The epidemiological survey was conducted in two steps during 13 months. The first step consisted in the inclusion of the first group: victims of the disaster. One hundred and two survivors were contacted and 80 accepted to participate in the study. The second step, concentrated on the inclusion of the other group, according to gender and age of the survivors group. All interviews were conducted in the homes of the participants. Data analysis was performed on a PC microcomputer using Epi info 6.04 French version (Center for disease control and prevention CDC, Atlanta, USA). The statistical analysis was based on the descriptive techniques of statistics. RESULTS: The main results were: 1) after the traumatic events and retrospectively, survivors from the earthquake had statistically more PTSD than G2: 38.8% vs 20%; 2) at the time of the study, the prevalence of PTSD between the two groups was not significantly different: 10% for the survivors of the earthquake vs 7.5% for G2 (victims of accidents) while the dates of trauma differed; 3) forty years later, the socio-professional life of the survivors was still perturbed. DISCUSSION: These results are in accordance with the literature, even if the methodological differences constitute a limiting factor for the comparison. Nevertheless, the persistence of symptoms of PTSD many years later might be explained by the severity of the trauma, the existence of external stimuli, such as the frequent tremors felt in Agadir, the noise, the storms, the earthquake happening in other cities...create a persistent state of hyper-vigilance which maintains and/or worsens the symptoms of PTSD. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, 40 years later, survivors are in need of care to overcome symptoms of PTSD. Preventive measures for victims of disasters should perhaps be developed.

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Irritability during the month of Ramadan.

OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that people in Morocco are more irritable during the month of Ramadan than during the rest of the year. Our objectives were to measure irritability in fasting Muslims during the month of Ramadan, to describe its various modes of expression, and to examine risk factors for this irritability. METHODS AND SUBJECTS: We studied 100 healthy volunteers during the month of Ramadan for two successive years (1994 and 1995). All subjects were male (mean age, 32+/-5.8 years), and 51% of them were smokers. Irritability was assessed over a 6-week period (before, four times during, and after the end of Ramadan). We assessed both subjective (visual analog scale) and objective irritability. We also recorded the consumption of psychostimulants, duration of sleep, and anxiety level as measured by the Hamilton Anxiety Scale. RESULTS: Irritability was significantly higher in smokers than in nonsmokers before the beginning of Ramadan. It was higher in both groups during the Ramadan month. Irritability increased continuously during Ramadan and reached its peak at the end of the month. Consumption of psychostimulants (coffee and tea) and anxiety level followed the same pattern. Smokers and nonsmokers had a similar pattern of irritability over time, but irritability increased more in smokers than in nonsmokers.

Adult↗

[Assessment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms: population of women in Casablanca].

Menstruation is a biological phenomenon that has been subject of myths and taboos within and among various cultures. These myths distort the reality surrounding menstruation and create ambivalent feelings about the value and usefulness of this function outside of its necessity as mean of reproduction. Thus studies concerning menstruation need to take into account cultural and psychosocial factors that define the meaning, values and behavior associated with this biological phenomenon. According to several studies, 70% of women experience psychological faintness during this menstrual phase, 40% of them have these symptoms at each menstruation and between 3 to 8% of them suffer severely reacquiring medical support. This entity called premenstrual dysphoric disorder is defined by the presence of several symptoms (distress, tension, irritability, moodiness.) with a significant impairment in work or social functioning beginning during the week before and ending within a few days after the onset of menses. Several studies conducted over the past few years suggested that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotoninergic tricyclic drugs may be more effective than other types of antidepressants in treating PMS symptoms. Two protocols are proposed; a continuous treatment or intermittent use during few days during pre-menstrual and menstrual phase for several cycles. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the prevalence of a potential premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) during one menstrual cycle, in a representative sample of general population of Casablanca, according the DSM IV criteria. On the other hand, a questionnaire, available from the authors, was used to explore socio-demographic data. Among 618 women interviewed, 310 met the criteria of a potential PMDD (50.2%). The mean age of the population with PMDD was 32.2 8 years ranging from 20 to 50 years; 54.8% of them were married, 33.9% of them were single and 66.5% of them had between 1 to 4 children. Two third of them were without a professional activity. During this premenstrual phase the following symptoms were found among the whole sample: marked depressive mood, feeling of hopelessness, or self-depreciation thoughts (77.7%, n=241%); difficulty of concentration (65%, n=201); marked change in appetite, overeating or specific food craving (82.8%, n=256); marked affective lability, with sadness tearful and increased sensitivity to rejection (65.8%, n=204); hypersomnia or insomnia (59.7%, n=185); subjective sense of being overwhelmed or out of control (55.7%, n=172); lethargy, excessive fatigability (91.6%, n=283); physical symptoms including breast tenderness, swelling, headache, joint or muscular pain, and a sensation of bloating and weight gain (81.9%, n=253). The most severe symptoms were fatigue and irritability. On the other hand, 73.9% of the sample had a disturbance in their socio-professional lives as a consequence to the psychological disturbances. Half of these women consulted a physician, mostly a general practitioner. These data are in accordance with the literature, confirming that this disorder is common and has a bad impact on mental health and on quality of life of the women suffering from PMDD.

Adult↗

[Autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease. Study of a Moroccan family].

The authors describe in this paper a Moroccan family presenting Alzheimer's disease with early onset and rapid course (6 members, of whom 3 died at 34 and 40 years old in a severe picture of dementia). Among these 6 members, Mr M.K., 36 years old, was admitted in the University Psychiatric Department for 4 years of depressive syndrome, -memory impairment and cognitive deficit. In the literature, the cases of Alzheimer's disease begining before 60 years have been reported since 1991; the transmission of this syndrome is autosomal dominant. The genetic studies showed a multifactorial determinism. For the familial cases with early onset, the mutation occurs on the amyloïd precursor protein and on the presenilin 1 and 2. In this case, the result of the familial investigations was compatible with Alzheimer's disease, a dominant autosomic disorder, with early onset between 32 and 40 years old. The clinical course evoked a mutation of presenilin 1. The identification of such mutation in one of his sisters living in France confirmed the genetic transmission. Despite progress made in understanding the pathogenesis, the development of a curative treatment in Alzheimer's disease remains difficult. Selective inhibitors of cholinesterase can improve patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease forms. In Morocco, only donepezil is available, but it is inaccessible for patients who need this treatment because of its high price. For Mr M.K., who still has a professional activity, symptomatic treatment, cognitive and psychological supports may allow him to maintain an adequate life for years. The family support is essential.

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The value of clinical characteristics from a standard questionnaire to discriminate cardiac from neurological syncope in the elderly.

OBJECTIVES: To identify signs and symptoms to differentiate cardiac from neurological syncope in patients over 70 using a standardized questionnaire. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Five short-stay units in a French university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred thirty-one in-patients with syncope aged 70 and older. MEASUREMENTS: Patients were interviewed about the signs and symptoms that had been present before, during or after syncope. When possible, a witness who had been present during syncope was also interviewed to compare theirs and the patients' answers. The sensitivity and specificity of 35 questions were calculated among 3 groups defined according to the cause of syncope: cardiac (n = 58), neurological (n = 31) and syncope of unknown origin (n = 42). Statistical analyses were performed to determine discriminating signs and symptoms among the causes and crude agreement was calculated for answers from patients and witnesses. RESULTS: Only 8 and 3 of 35 questions had a sensitivity of at least 0.5 for cardiac and neurological causes respectively. A feeling of impending syncope, thoracic oppression, recall of events preceding syncope and a history of arrhythmia were independently and significantly discriminant among groups. Recall of events preceding syncope (Odds Ratio (OR) = 7.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.2-25.3) and a personal history of arrhythmia (OR = 4.8; 95% CI = 1.6-14.2) were discriminant between cardiac and neurological causes suggesting mostly a cardiac cause. Agreement between patients and witnesses was only found for questions on the patient's medical history or the circumstances surrounding the onset of syncope. CONCLUSIONS: Recall of events preceding syncope and a history of arrhythmia are strongly suggestive of a cardiac rather than a neurological cause of syncope. Interviews of witnesses are not helpful in suggesting a cause for syncope.

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[Preliminary study of transcutaneous oxygen partial pressure in adults after discontinuing normobaric hyperoxia during intubation].

When tracheal intubation is conducted with traditional laryngoscope PtcO2 fall during the first minute after intubation; when continuous O2 supplied laryngoscope (Laryng O2) is used PtcO2 rise; the difference is statistically significant (p less than 0.001) either the subjects are in curarisation apnea or in spontaneous ventilation. With traditional laryngoscope, the fall is faster with spontaneous ventilation conditions than during curarisation apnea. Likewise in normal conscient subject the same fall is faster (p less than 0.001) during first minute of posthyperoxic spontaneous quiet ventilation than the first minute of voluntary hypocapnic apnea induced by hyperventilation during the same hyperoxia. Such results have to be taken into account for the indications of tracheal intubation technical means if hypoxic conditions are to be suspected, particularly for infants and subjects with cardio-respiratory failure.

Adult↗