PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E Perrin

Publications and source records attributed to E Perrin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Contraceptive counselling and social representations: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Contraceptive use is a complex issue and several studies have been conducted in an effort to understand user behaviour. It is of interest to explore the representations of professionals who give advice on contraception, since their views could have an impact on contraceptive use. METHODS: Individual in-depth interviews of 65 healthcare professionals likely to provide contraceptive advice to patients at a Swiss maternity unit. RESULTS: 83% of healthcare professionals interviewed were favourable to contraception in general while being highly critical of its practical efficacy. The methods most often spontaneously cited were oral contraceptive pills, male condom, intrauterine devices and hormonal implants. Theoretically, all methods should be proposed during contraceptive counselling but in practice interviewees have different social representations of user groups and associate them with specific contraceptive methods. Personal experience appears to play a bigger role than scientific knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: The counsellor's social representations probably play an important role in determining user behaviour. These representations should be taken into consideration in the training of healthcare professionals in this field.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The treatment of negative symptoms and deficit states of chronic schizophrenia: olanzapine compared to amisulpride and placebo in a 6-month double-blind controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of olanzapine (5 and 20 mg/day) over a 6-month period in chronic schizophrenic patients experiencing predominantly negative symptoms. METHOD: Two hundred and forty-four patients participated in a 6-month multicenter double-blind trial of placebo (n = 34), olanzapine 5 mg/day (n = 70), olanzapine 20 mg/day (n = 70), or amisulpride 150 mg/day (n = 70). Primary measure was the scale for the assessment of negative symptoms. RESULTS: Olanzapine 5 mg/day showed significantly greater improvement than placebo in negative symptoms and in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale total score. Baseline positive symptoms were low at baseline and changed minimally. The neurological tolerance of olanzapine, amisulpride and placebo were comparable. CONCLUSION: Olanzapine 5 mg/day was effective in treating negative symptoms in a group of schizophrenic with predominantly negative symptoms during the stabilization phase. Improvement in positive symptoms or extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) was unlikely to explain this result while improvement in depression may have partially contributed.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

[Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension].

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is caused by obstruction of large pulmonary arteries by acute or recurrent emboli, organisation of these clots, and vascular remodeling of occluded as well as non-occluded peripheral arteries. Up to 4% of patients surviving from an acute embolic event will eventually develop chronic pulmonary hypertension. Major goals of the diagnostic work-up of pulmonary hypertension include the determination of its cause, the evaluation of its functional and haemodynamic repercussions, and if thromboembolic disease is present, the exact mapping of the pulmonary vascular bed obstruction. Pulmonary endarterectomy is the treatment of choice for selected patients. Therapeutic alternatives include lung or heart-lung transplantation, pulmonary angioplasty and pharmacological treatment with pulmonary vasodilators.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed2005

Antipsychotics and the risk of diabetes: a general data review.

Recently, attention has focused on a potential link between schizophrenia and diabetes, with speculation that this potential association is stronger in patients who are prescribed atypical antipsychotics. Pharmacoepidemiological studies can help to evaluate this potential association. Source data on the incidence of diabetes in patients treated with antipsychotics is available in the FDA MedWatch database, prescription claims databases and other patient registries. These data indicate that antipsychotic drugs may increase the risk of developing diabetes and that there may be an interaction with age. However, current data are insufficient to accurately assess potential differences in the risk of diabetes between users of individual antipsychotic medications. In addition, antipsychotic treatment-emergent diabetes has several distinct features, notably relating to age of onset, gender ratio, rate of deterioration of glycaemic control, and independence from initial treatment emergent weight gain. Nonetheless, guidelines for the control of risk factors for diabetes developed for the general population appear to be applicable to patients with schizophrenia.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed2001

Contraception and sexuality after termination of pregnancy: a comparison between Lugano and Geneva.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of a voluntary termination of pregnancy (TOP) on contraceptive practice and sexual well-being in women. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Comparative evaluation of a retrospective study conducted in Lugano in 1995 with 85 women interviewed 3-6 months post-TOP, and a prospective study carried out in Geneva in 1998 with 103 women interviewed pre-TOP and 6 months post-TOP. In both studies TOP was performed during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy by vacuum aspiration and curettage. RESULTS: Oral contraceptive use in the Lugano group increased from 21% pre-TOP to 47% post-TOP, and in the Geneva group from 19% pre-TOP to 69% post-TOP. Condom use decreased in both groups. Those practising unprotected intercourse also decreased by half (around one in five). No effect on sexual well-being was reported by almost two-thirds of both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Despite large differences between these two populations, the two studies show a similar evolution. The majority of women appeared to be able to cope well with a TOP. About one third presented sexual dysfunction.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed2001

Is continuous transcutaneous monitoring of PCO2 (TcPCO2) over 8 h reliable in adults?

Monitoring of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in a non-intensive care unit (non-ICU) setting requires a method of evaluating nocturnal PaCO2, such as transcutaneous CO2 monitoring (TcPCO2). However, changing the probe site after 4 h and recalibrating (as recommended) is time-consuming and impractical. Continuous (8-h) TcPCO2 monitoring at a lower electrode temperature (43 degrees C) in this setting has never been formally studied. Patients under intermittent NIV were studied (n = 28, aged 69 +/- 9 years, PaO2: 71 +/- 13 mmHg, PaCO2: 49 +/- 9 mmHg). After calibration and stabilization of TcPCO2 (Radiometer Tina TCM3 capnograph), arterial blood gases (ABG) were measured and compared with transcutaneous readings. In 10 patients who underwent continuous 8-h TcPCO2 recording, ABGs were also measured after 4 and 8 h. The correlation between TcPCO2 and PaCO2 was highly significant (r2 = 0.92, P<0.0001). Mean (TcPCO2 PaCO2) gradient (bias) was: -2.8 +/- 3.8 mmHg; limits of agreement were: (-10.4; +4.8 mmHg). TcPCO2-PaCO2 gradient was lowest (i.e. within-bias +/- 2 mmHg) between 40 and 54 mmHg, increasing below and above these values. Over 8 h, no significant drift of the TcPCO2 signal occurred (ANOVA). No discomfort or skin lesion was noted. In conclusion, with an electrode temperature of 43 degrees C, 8-h continuous monitoring of TcPCO2 was well tolerated, without any local side-effects or significant drift of TcPCO2 signal; when compared to previous reports, lowering the electrode temperature did not decrease performance for CO2 monitoring.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Sexuality, partner relations and contraceptive practice after termination of pregnancy.

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of termination of pregnancy (TOP) on women's sexual well-being, the couple and contraceptive practice. In a prospective qualitative and quantitative study, 103 women undergoing induced abortion by vacuum aspiration were interviewed before the abortion and 6 months later. The interview was performed by means of a questionnaire including open and closed questions, and two psychological tests (Locke-Wallace and Horowitz). After TOP, the majority of women did not report changes in their sexual behavior and satisfaction. Eighteen per cent of women reported a decrease in sexual desire and 17% reported orgasmic disorders. About one-third of women described psychosomatic symptoms, but a minority were traumatized by the event. Ninety-eight per cent of the women were informed about, and had practiced, contraception in the past; 69% had actually used some kind of contraception during the menstrual cycle that had resulted in pregnancy (31% had had unprotected intercourse). Six months later, 83% practiced contraception, and only 17% did not. Fourteen out of 84 couples separated after TOP (one in six). Six months after TOP, the large majority of women interviewed seemed able to cope with TOP. A minority presented some persisting sexual dysfunction and/or some psychosomatic symptoms.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed2000

Induced abortion and psychosexuality.

Little information exists on the impact of induced abortion on psychosexuality. Negative psychological effects and psychiatric complications due to termination of pregnancy seem to be rare. The objective of this study was to review the impact of induced abortion on sexuality and couple relationships. A systematic search of the literature was performed. Studies had to report a quantitative or qualitative evaluation of sexuality after pregnancy termination. Four studies were included. In the one prospective study using a control group, no difference in sexual functioning between groups after 1 year was reported. In the remaining observational studies, sexual dysfunction was reported in up to 30% of women after termination. Women undergoing abortion had significantly more conflicts in their partnerships. This was similar in all studies. Separation occurred in about one-quarter of all couples. Some studies report sexual dysfunction after termination of pregnancy. In about half of the couples separated after termination, abortion seemed not to have led to the separation. Psychological factors, together with relationship problems, might have played a role in failed contraception. The impact of induced abortion on sexuality needs to be studied in greater detail with rigorous methodology to draw firm conclusions.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed2000

The representation of the back in idiomatic expressions--do idioms value the body?

OBJECTIVE: Whilst investigating the influence of patients' representations on the impact of teaching in the back school, we took an interest in 1) the place of the back in the French idioms referring to the body; and 2) the meaning these idioms convey about the back. METHODS: The idioms including body part terms were sought on the basis of a compilation of French idioms; it has to be noted that such a compilation, however excellent it may be, can only offer a partial view of lay conversation. Occurrence of body parts and of their connotations were assessed. Idioms were classified as positive, negative or neutral, keeping in mind the difficulties of a strict classification in such a field. Drawings were then performed on the basis of the results of the descriptive analysis. RESULTS: Globally, idiomatic expressions offer a rather negative picture of the body or at least suggest that the body is prominently used to express negative ideas and emotions. This is particularly striking for the idioms associated with the back. CONCLUSION: The analysis of idioms referring to the body allows us to 'see with our own eyes' another aspect of the representations of the body and the back, as they are conveyed in the French language.

Back↗
PubMed1999

Hepatic and pulmonary metastases from a meningeal hemangiopericytoma and severe hypoglycemia due to abnormal secretion of insulin-like growth factor: a case report.

A 42-year-old woman was hospitalized for severe hypoglycemic coma. She had a voluminous hepatic metastasis and multiple small lung metastases from a meningeal hemangiopericytoma initially operated on 11 years earlier. High blood levels of an abnormal form of insulin-like growth factor type 2 (IGF II) associated with low blood levels of insulin, growth hormone, IGF I, and IGF BP3 were observed. After surgical resection of the liver and pulmonary metastases, serum glucose levels and hormonal abnormalities returned to normal.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Evaluation of cochlear implanted children's voices.

Cochlear implant (CI) is a good means in developing communication in deaf children. Nevertheless, compared to children with the same age, CI patients' voices are far from being similar. In this work, the voice of CI children has been compared with the voice of corresponding normal children (same age, same sex) included in the main stream. Six girls and two boys participated to the experiment. The phonetic material was a paragraph of the French standard text La bise et le soleil (The North Wind and the Sun). An objective and a subjective analysis of the voice were done and parameters were compared between both groups of people (implantees and control). Studied parameters were voice pitch, intensity, fluency, pauses, articulation and pleasantness in the objective analysis, and voice pitch, formants, and duration for the objective study. It appeared that intensity variations were different between control and implanted subjects. Also voice formants were not situated in the same region regarding the normal ranges, but differences were difficult to assess. Globally, the main change was in the speaking duration. This method is open for further studies and points out some relevant items for an efficient use in rehabilitation sessions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Acoustical recognition of laryngeal pathology: a comparison of two strategies based on sets of features.

The efficiency of sets of acoustical features discriminating pathological voices from control voices is reported. Two strategies were compared. The first (called the 'distance strategy') was built upon a statistical distance of voice features to reference values obtained for a set of healthy (reference) voices. The second strategy (called the 'range strategy') is based on the position inside or outside normal ranges established from a reference population; results based on this strategy were presented in a previous paper. Reference values were calculated from a database of 200 healthy voices distributed into 10-year age groups ranging from 20 to 70. Comparisons were made using a second database of 220 voices, including 65 control, 51 functional dysphonia, 50 with nodules on the vocal folds and 54 recurrent nerve palsy. The phonetic material was compared of 17 French vowels: 11 vowels in a sentence, three isolated vowels and three segments (beginning, middle and end) of the sustained vowel /a/. Four acoustical features were considered for each vowel: the voice fundamental (f0) and the first three formant frequencies. Acoustical features were calculated on an ILS (Interactive Laboratory System) analysis system (workstation). The separation of each pathological group from the control group, using sets of acoustical features, was statistically assessed. From the strategy point of view, results indicated that (i) the fundamental frequency f0 was the best measure to separate normal from pathological voices with the distance strategy; (ii) when the formants were taken, the range strategy performed better in separating the voices. For classification of pathologies, the best separation coefficients were obtained with nodules and the worst with recurrent nerve palsy. Overall, it was seen that the separation between control and pathological voices was most efficient when measured using the distance strategy for f0. The range strategy was useful with formant frequencies.

Female↗
PubMed1999

Is chronic non-specific low back pain chronic? Definitions of a problem and problems of a definition.

BACKGROUND: Chronic low back pain (LBP) accounts for the majority of the disability and costs for LBP. However, the definition of chronicity is unclear. AIM: To elicit practitioners' definitions of chronic LBP patients, both in general and in the patients they were treating; to assess the most common characteristics of these practitioners' chronic LBP patients; and to assess the stability of chronicity in a sample of the general population. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 practitioners working in private practice, 71 LBP patients and their therapists, and 252 employees of a chain store who were assessed yearly in a prospective study. RESULTS: The therapists' definitions of chronic LBP patients generally included psychosocial aspects. Only physical symptoms and signs were stressed in the patients they were treating. These patients displayed common characteristics with reference to pain, functional problems, and contact with health care services. Duration of symptoms was not sufficient to define chronicity. In the employee population, chronicity defined according to pain duration was unstable. However, the same was true when chronicity was measured according to the criteria defined in the patient population. CONCLUSION: There is a discrepancy between theory and practice regarding the definition of chronic LBP. This discrepancy concerns not only the literature but also clinical practice itself. The term 'chronic' LBP as currently used is therefore equivocal.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

High-resolution computed tomographic study of the retrotympanum. Anatomic correlations.

The aim of this study was to define the imaging of the retrotympanum precisely by means of high-resolution CT. Based on 66 scans of petrous bones performed in 49 patients observed in an otologic department, several retrotympanic structures were studied: the pyramidal eminence, ponticulus, subiculum, chordal ridge, tympanic sinus of Proctor, sinus tympani and recess of the facial n. The variations in morphology and depth were noted as well as the relationship between the pyramid and the facial canal. In a second phase the same anatomic structures were studied in 24 temporal bones removed from embalmed cadavers and investigated with the same radiologic technique. Anatomic correlations were made for six temporal bones to confirm the general applicability of our radiologic hypotheses. In CT the pyramidal eminence was visualised in 100% of cases, the chordal ridge in 52%, the ponticulus in 63% and the subiculum in 57%. As regards the different recesses, the sinus tympani was visualised in 95% of cases, the posterior tympanic sinus of Proctor in 38%, the fossula of Grivot in 47% and the facial recess in 80%. The mean depth of the sinus tympani was 2.7 mm and that of the tympanic sinus of Proctor was 1.65 mm; the fossula of Grivot was assessed as 2.1 mm and the facial recess as 2.2 mm. A better knowledge of these sinuses and their variations will aid the surgeon, particularly in a posterior tympanotomy or a retro-facial approach.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

High-resolution computed tomography of the canals of the temporal bone: anatomic correlations.

The aim of this study was to define precisely the imaging of the canals of the temporal bone by means of high-resolution computed tomography (HR CT). Based on 24 temporal bones removed from embalmed cadavers and investigated with HR CT, several canals were studied: the canal of the chorda tympani (CdT), the canal of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve (ABV), the canal of the tympanic nerve, the canal of the carotico-tympanic nerve and that of the lesser petrosal nerve. Anatomic correlations for six temporal bones were made to confirm the validity of our radiologic hypotheses. In CT, in axial sections OM 0 degree, the posterior canal of the CdT was visualized in 71% of cases, the ABV canal in 4%, the inferior tympanic canal in 12.5%, the carotico-tympanic canal in no cases and the canal of the lesser petrosal nerve in 50% (and in 75% with an incidence of OM + 10 degrees). In coronal incidence, the posterior canal of the CdT was seen in 20% of cases, the ABV canal in 25%, the inferior tympanic canal in 85%, the caroticotympanic canal in 65% and that of the lesser petrosal nerve in 15%. The six anatomic comparisons confirmed the radiologic hypotheses in every case. These different structures are easy to identify in HR CT and are important to define so that any lesion (tumoral or vascular) developing in their vicinity may not be overlooked.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Evaluating a primary prevention program in a multicultural population: the importance of representations of back pain.

OBJECTIVE: This study was carried out during 4 years of longitudinal research assessing back pain problems and the impact of a back pain primary prevention program on the employees of a food and non-food chain store. The impact of the teaching program was reevaluated in a secondary analysis, taking into account subjects' prior representations of back pain. METHODS: Subjects were grouped according to their cultural origins and socioprofessional levels. Their representations were assessed by means of open questions before and after the teaching program. RESULTS: The teaching program reinforced pre-existing representations in those participants socioculturally nearest the teachers; it had a weak or even disturbing impact on those furthest removed from the teachers in sociocultural terms. CONCLUSION: The differential impact of the teaching program in this study indicates that participants' prior representation play a role in the outcome of a Back School teaching program. Thus, the participants' representations should be taken into account when designing the program and when assessing participants' suitability for such programs, their adherence, and the outcome.

Back Pain↗