Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R Bernier

Publications and source records attributed to R Bernier.

47 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1972

Detection of DNA by tritiated actinomycin D on ultrathin frozen sections.

Ultrathin frozen sections of fresh liver tissue were floated on actinomycin D-(3)H. Quantitative high resolution radioautography was performed to determine the value of the method for detection of DNA by electron microscopy. A complete series of control experiments involving various treatments of frozen sections with enzymes (pronase, DNase) and 0.1 N HCl were also carried out to determine the specificity of the labeling. The results indicate the value of the method for detection of DNA directly on ultrathin frozen sections. Short treatments with pronase followed by DNase reduce the labeling to zero, whereas removal of chromosomal proteins with HCl increases the amount of radioactivity in the nucleus considerably. The results are discussed in view of the future applications opened by ultracryotomy, since radioautographic detection of various macromolecules and cellular components by labeled compound with specific affinities will now be possible.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Have structural adjustments led to health sector reform in Africa?

This paper explores the issue of whether and how structural adjustment in Sub-Saharan Africa has altered the level and nature of state involvement in the health care system. Stabilization and structural adjustment generally entail a reduction in aggregate demand, especially government spending, and a reduced role for the state in the provision of many goods and services. Consequently, there is an a priori concern that stabilization and adjustment in Africa may have resulted in lower health expenditures with deleterious effects on the health status of the population, particularly the poor. This paper concludes that structural adjustment programs in Africa did not reduce public health expenditures. In fact, many countries experienced higher real expenditures after adjustment. The fact that many indicators of health status deteriorated during the 1980s, however, presents somewhat of a paradox given the patterns of health expenditures. This paradox is resolved, by an investigation of the intrasectoral allocation of health expenditures which reveals that there are systematic biases in public expenditures towards tertiary and curative care, and a general weakness in the public sector's capacity to deliver adequate health care services even with higher real health sector budgets. In many countries, these biases have persisted despite government and donor intentions to promote health care reform. Finally, the paper reviews a set of policy and institutional issues which hinder the efficient use of budget resources, including overcentralization of health care administration, inappropriate drug and supply procurement practices, the lack of mechanisms for cost recovery, and poor organization, financial and personnel management. At each level of analysis, the paper catalogs those instances where progress is being made towards effective health care reform, including intrasectoral budget rationalization, administrative decentralization, the adoption of user fees for cost recovery, privatization in service delivery, particularly through non-governmental organizations, and organizational and management reform.

Africa South of the Sahara↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Implementation of a province-wide computerized network in Quebec: the FAMUS Project.

General practitioners have busy schedules and are accustomed to working autonomously. But they will take an interest in research issues that could increase their efficiency or improve patient care. The use of medical informatics tools to facilitate collaborative research networks requires that participants accept the tools. This article describes the implementation of a province-wide computing network and discusses the opportunities afforded by the creation of a large central database documenting the process of care.

Ambulatory Care Information Systems↗