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Biomedical subjects

L Robin

Publications and source records attributed to L Robin.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

[Post lumbar puncture headache in general pediatrics: a prospective multicenter study].

PURPOSE: To investigate the frequency of post lumbar puncture headaches (PLPH) after diagnostic lumbar puncture (LP) and to search for influence factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Conducted over 6 months into 8 paediatric services, the study concerned 2 to 15 years old children. The LP technic (cannula gauge, bevel orientation, child position, reinsertion of the stylet) was standardised. For each child questionnaires were filled with the parents 3 and 8 days after LP for inquiring headaches, postural characteristics, length and clinical consequences. RESULTS: Among 84 charts, 71 were exploitable. PLPH were observed in 25% of children. The mean duration was 5.9 days, mean bed rest was 1.4 day and mean antalgic treatment 1.7 day. The frequency of PLPH was not significantly influenced by age and sex, neither by the qualification of the physician performing the LP. The frequency was significantly lower when LP execution was easy (19.6 vs. 46.7%; P < 0.05), and when the child had viral meningitis (8 vs. 34.8%; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We have found a more important frequency of PLPH than in previous paediatric studies. Clinical consequences justify other researches to precise influence factors and reduce the frequency of this complication.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Economic evaluation of Safer Choices: a school-based human immunodeficiency virus, other sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy prevention program.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness and cost benefit of Safer Choices, a school-based human immunodeficiency virus, other sexually transmitted diseases, and unintended pregnancy prevention intervention for high school students. METHODS: The baseline cost-effectiveness and cost benefit were derived in 4 steps: (1) estimation of intervention costs; (2) adaptation of the Bernoulli model to translate increases in condom use into cases of human immunodeficiency virus and other sexually transmitted diseases averted, and development of a model to translate increases in contraceptive use into cases of pregnancy averted; (3) translation of cases averted into medical costs and social costs averted; and (4) calculation of the net benefit of the program. Multivariable sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the robustness of the base-case results. RESULTS: Under base-case assumptions, at an intervention cost of $105,243, Safer Choices achieved a 15% increase in condom use and an 11% increase in contraceptive use within 1 year among 345 sexually active students. An estimated 0.12 cases of human immunodeficiency virus, 24.37 cases of chlamydia, 2.77 cases of gonorrhea, 5.86 cases of pelvic inflammatory disease, and 18.5 pregnancies were prevented. For every dollar invested in the program, $2.65 in total medical and social costs were saved. Results of most of the scenarios remained cost saving under a wide range of model variable estimates. CONCLUSIONS: The Safer Choices program is cost-effective and cost saving in most scenarios considered. School-based prevention programs of this type warrant careful consideration by policy makers and program planners. Program cost data should be routinely collected in evaluations of adolescent prevention programs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

The association of sexual behaviors with socioeconomic status, family structure, and race/ethnicity among US adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the relation of socioeconomic status (SES), family structure, and race/ethnicity to adolescent sexual behaviors that are key determinants of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). METHODS: The 1992 Youth Risk Behavior Survey/Supplement to the National Health Interview Survey provided family data from household adults and behavioral data from adolescents. RESULTS: Among male and female adolescents, greater parental education, living in a 2-parent family, and White race were independently associated with never having had sexual intercourse. Parental education did not show a linear association with other behaviors. Household income was not linearly related to any sexual behavior. Adjustment for SES and family structure had a limited effect on the association between race/ethnicity and sexual behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in adolescent sexual behavior by race and SES were not large enough to fully explain differences in rates of pregnancy and STD infection. This suggests that other factors, including access to health services and community prevalence of STDs, may be important mediating variables between SES and STD transmission and pregnancy among adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Chronic multisymptom illness affecting Air Force veterans of the Gulf War.

CONTEXT: Gulf War (GW) veterans report nonspecific symptoms significantly more often than their nondeployed peers. However, no specific disorder has been identified, and the etiologic basis and clinical significance of their symptoms remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: To organize symptoms reported by US Air Force GW veterans into a case definition, to characterize clinical features, and to evaluate risk factors. DESIGN: Cross-sectional population survey of individual characteristics and symptoms and clinical evaluation (including a structured interview, the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36, psychiatric screening, physical examination, clinical laboratory tests, and serologic assays for antibodies against viruses, rickettsia, parasites, and bacteria) conducted in 1995. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The cross-sectional questionnaire survey included 3723 currently active volunteers, irrespective of health status or GW participation, from 4 air force populations. The cross-sectional clinical evaluation included 158 GW veterans from one unit, irrespective of health status. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Symptom-based case definition; case prevalence rate for GW veterans and nondeployed personnel; clinical and laboratory findings among veterans who met the case definition. RESULTS: We defined a case as having 1 or more chronic symptoms from at least 2 of 3 categories (fatigue, mood-cognition, and musculoskeletal). The prevalence of mild-to-moderate and severe cases was 39% and 6%, respectively, among 1155 GW veterans compared with 14% and 0.7% among 2520 nondeployed personnel. Illness was not associated with time or place of deployment or with duties during the war. Fifty-nine clinically evaluated GW veterans (37%) were noncases, 86 (54%) mild-to-moderate cases, and 13 (8%) severe cases. Although no physical examination, laboratory, or serologic findings identified cases, veterans who met the case definition had significantly diminished functioning and well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Among currently active members of 4 Air Force populations, a chronic multisymptom condition was significantly associated with deployment to the GW. The condition was not associated with specific GW exposures and also affected nondeployed personnel.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Parent-adolescent conflict and stress when parents are living with AIDS.

Parental perceptions of conflict and stress with their adolescent children are described, and their associations with demographic factors, physical health, and lifestyle are examined. Adolescent-parent conflicts, parenting stress, and parents' health, substance use, and sexual lifestyle were assessed among 151 parents living with AIDS. Parents living with AIDS reported a mean of 3.3 (SD = 1.3) areas of conflict with their adolescents and 1.5 (SD = 1.7) stressful parenting events over the previous 3 months. The parents were very ill, with many physical symptoms and diseases. Simultaneously, substance use was common (17% used daily), but not injection drug use (3.3%). Half had a sexual partner (63% protected their partners by using condoms consistently). Regression analysis revealed that parent-adolescent conflict was significantly associated with high parental drug use; stressful parenting events were significantly related to the lifestyle (high drug use and frequent sex acts) of Latino and African American parents, but not of white parents. Results of the analysis indicate that, in contrast to parents with other illnesses, parent-adolescent conflict and stressful parenting events were not influenced by parents' health status, but were significantly influenced by substance use and sexual lifestyles.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1992

Turnover of cyclic adenosine-5'-monophosphate is elevated in skeletal muscle of vitamin E-deficient rabbits.

Two sets of experiments were performed to investigate the nonantioxidant functions of alpha-tocopherol. Eighteen rabbits in the first set and 48 rabbits in the second set were equally divided into three groups. The first group received a basal tocopherol-deficient diet supplemented with all-rac-alpha-tocopherol for 3 wk and the second group was fed the basal diet. The third group received vitamin E supplementation for 1 wk after 2 wk of consuming a tocopherol-deficient diet. In the first set of animals, skeletal muscle concentration, metabolism and turnover of various adenine nucleotides were measured by incubating the muscles of the three groups with [8-3H]adenine. The second set of experiments investigated in vivo concentration of various adenine nucleotides before incubation with radioactive substrate and quantity of newly formed adenine nucleotides after incubation with four different specific radioactive substrates: [8-14C]ATP; [8-14C]cAMP; [8-14C]5'AMP and [8-14C]adenosine. The results expressed per milligram of DNA were compared between the tocopherol-supplemented and tocopherol-deficient rabbits. Cyclic-AMP concentration (measured after a 2-h incubation with [8-3H]adenine) was lower and 5'-AMP concentration was very high in the tocopherol-deficient rabbits. The results of incorporation studies indicated that the turnover of ATP + ADP, cAMP, 5'-AMP and adenosine was higher in the tocopherol-deficient rabbits. Administration of tocopherol to tocopherol-deficient rabbits restored the turnover of cAMP to nearly normal values. These observations provided new insights concerning nonantioxidant functions of alpha-tocopherol.

Adenine↗
PubMed1990

Comparison of the monoamine oxidase inhibiting properties of two reversible and selective monoamine oxidase-A inhibitors moclobemide and toloxatone, and assessment of their effect on psychometric performance in healthy subjects.

1. The effects of two reversible, predominantly monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) inhibitors, moclobemide (150 mg three times daily) and toloxatone (400-200-400 mg day-1) on monoamine metabolites and psychometric performance were compared in a double-blind placebo controlled crossover study in 12 healthy subjects. 2. After 7 days of moclobemide/toloxatone/placebo administration subjects were hospitalized for 24 h on day 8. Blood samples were drawn every 2 h for determination of plasma noradrenaline (NA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG), homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA). Urine was collected for measurements of normetanephrine and 3-methoxytyramine excretion. Psychometric performance (short- and long-term memory, critical flicker fusion frequency, choice reaction time) and subjective feelings were assessed before each drug intake (in the morning, at noon, in the evening). 3. Compared with placebo, both reversible monoamine oxidase inhibitors decreased the plasma concentration of DHPG and HVA. The overall fall in DHPG (AUC from 0 to 24 h) was 44% during moclobemide and 12% during toloxatone (P less than 0.001) and the overall decrease in HVA was 38% and 20% (P less than 0.005) on moclobemide and toloxatone, respectively. 4. Before the next drug intake, MAO-A inhibition, as judged by the decrease of plasma DHPG concentration, was significantly different from placebo with moclobemide but not with toloxatone. 5. Moclobemide, but not toloxatone, exerted a moderate, but significant inhibition of the deamination of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) as judged by the fall in plasma 5-HIAA concentration. Neither drug influenced plasma NA concentration. 6. A significant rise in urinary excretion of normetanephrine was observed on moclobemide and to a lesser extent on toloxatone. The urinary excretion of 3-methoxytyramine was significantly raised by moclobemide but not by toloxatone. 7. Neither moclobemide nor toloxatone altered memory function, vigilance, subjective feelings or sleep characteristics of the subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

A naturally occurring plant compound, 6-methoxybenzoxazolinone, stimulates reproductive responses in rats.

A nonestrogenic component of young, rapidly growing plants, 6-methoxybenzoxazolinone (6-MBOA), was examined to determine its effect on the reproductive responses of prepubertal and mature female rats. Prepubertal animals treated with a single injection of 6-MBOA or with Silastic capsules implanted for 3 days showed a significant increase in both ovarian and uterine weight. Serum luteinizing hormone was unaffected by 6-MBOA treatment for 3 days in 32-day-old animals, whereas serum follicle-stimulating hormone was elevated. Silastic capsule treatment of mature animals showed the following results. Extended treatment for 6 estrous cycles had no influence on the timing of vaginal cyclicity; despite this, 6-MBOA treatment for 2 cycles caused an increase in ovarian weight resulting from an increase in the number of corpora lutea per ovary. Animals treated for 1 cycle showed a significant increase in the number of ova shed. Uterine weight in mature animals did not increase. This study indicates that 6-MBOA has a stimulatory effect on the reproductive system of young and mature female rats. It is the first attempt to relate the effects of the compound on the endocrine system of any animal. That nonestrogenic plant compounds can trigger reproduction has important ecologic and physiologic significance.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Timing of alcohol and other drug use and sexual risk behaviors among unmarried adolescents and young adults.

CONTEXT: Although alcohol and drug use by young people has been associated with sexual risk behavior in some research, detailed data are lacking on the timing of substance use in relationship to sexual risk-taking. METHODOLOGY: Cross-sectional data on 7,441 unmarried young people aged 14-22 from the 1992 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (household supplement) were used in the analysis. Alcohol and other drug use at last sexual intercourse, substance use in the past 30 days (recent use), the number of different substances ever used (lifetime use) and age at initiation of alcohol use are examined here. The outcome variables assessed through multivariate regression analyses were condom use at last intercourse and more than one sexual partner in the past three months. RESULTS: Failure to use a condom was strongly associated with the lifetime substance-use scale or, alternatively, with age at initiation of alcohol. Once the number of substances ever used was controlled for, neither substance use at last sexual intercourse nor recent use was associated with the likelihood of using a condom at last coitus. Among young men and women, recent substance use and use of either alcohol or drugs at last intercourse were both strongly associated with having had more than one sexual partner in the past three months. For females only, lifetime use also increased the probability of recent multiple partners. CONCLUSIONS: The relationships between alcohol and other drug use and two sexual behaviors--condom use and multiple partners-suggest distinct mechanisms of influence and the need for different prevention strategies.

Adolescent↗