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Biomedical subjects

M Berthiaume

Publications and source records attributed to M Berthiaume.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

PPARgamma agonism increases rat adipose tissue lipolysis, expression of glyceride lipases, and the response of lipolysis to hormonal control.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and mechanisms of action of in vivo peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) activation on white adipose tissue (WAT) lipolysis and NEFA metabolism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study rats were treated for 7 days with 15 mg/kg of rosiglitazone per day; control rats were not treated. After a 6-h fast, lipolysis and levels of mRNA for lipases were assessed in explants from various adipose depots. RESULTS: Rosiglitazone markedly increased basal and noradrenaline (norepinephrine)-stimulated glycerol and NEFA release from WAT explants, and amplified their inhibition by insulin. Primary adipocytes isolated from PPARgamma agonist-treated rats were also more responsive to noradrenaline stimulation expressed per cell, ruling out a contribution of an altered number of mature adipocytes in explants. Rosiglitazone concomitantly increased levels of mRNA transcripts for adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) and monoglyceride lipase (MGL) in subcutaneous and visceral WAT, and mRNA for hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) in subcutaneous WAT. Lipase expression increased within 12 h of in vitro exposure of naïve explants to rosiglitazone, suggesting direct transcriptional activation. In parallel, chronic in vivo treatment with rosiglitazone lowered plasma NEFAs and in WAT its expected stimulatory action on glycerol and NEFA recycling, and on the expression of genes involved in NEFA uptake and retention by WAT, such processes counteracting net NEFA export. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: These findings demonstrate that, in the face of its plasma NEFA-lowering action, PPARgamma agonism stimulates WAT lipolysis, an effect that is compensated by lipid-retaining pathways. The results further suggest that PPARgamma agonism stimulates lipolysis by increasing the lipolytic potential, including the expression levels of the genes encoding adipose triglyceride lipase and monoglyceride lipase.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1999

Adaptation of parents in relation to their 6-month-old infant's type of disability.

The adaptation of parents to a disabled infant was studied in relation to the type of disability presented by the baby. Participants were divided according to three types of disability and one control group: patents of infants with (1) Down's syndrome (DS), (2) congenital heart disease (CHD), (3) a cleft lip and/or palate (CLP), and (4) no disability (ND). The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire given to each parent 6 months after the birth of their baby. The measures included parenting stress, stress appraisal, and psychological distress. Overall, the results indicate that parents of infants with DS and parents of infants with CHD report greater levels of parenting stress and psychological distress than parents of babies with CLP or non-disabled infants. Mothers were found to report greater levels of stress and distress overall, but differences across diagnostic groups were similar for mothers and fathers. The implications of the findings for theory and clinical intervention are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1998

Preference for sex of first child among women classified as androgynous and nonandrogynous.

This paper examined the relation between gender-role orientation and the preference for sex of firstborn child in 212 pregnant nulliparous women. The Bem Sex-role Inventory was used to assess gender-role orientation of participants. Analysis suggested that gender-role orientation, as measured does not effectively predict the preference for sex of firstborn child.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Do female general practitioners have a distinctive type of medical practice?

Using data collected in 1983-84 for a representative sample of 736 general practitioners practising in Quebec, we compared the practice characteristics of the 296 female physicians and the 320 male physicians who agreed to participate. The female doctors were more likely than the male doctors to favour salaried practice in local community health centres, to practise in an urban setting and to have an office-based practice. The female physicians had a less diversified type of practice, being less involved in hospital care, emergency care, home care and administrative work. Sex differences were more marked for physicians in fee-for-service practice than for salaried physicians. Given the increasing numbers of women in the medical profession, these findings are of special interest since they indicate distinctive differences in medical practice between women and men.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Factors influencing physicians' preventive practices.

We used data on a stratified random sample of 809 Quebec physicians to determine the extent to which the integration of prevention into medical practice was related to physicians' sociodemographic background, area of specialization, medical practice characteristics, and professional attitudes. Among factors positively associated with physicians' preventive practices were favorable attitudes toward prevention, patient education and patient-oriented activities, being in primary care medicine or in a medical specialty such as cardiology, gastroenterology, or pneumology, practicing in a public community health center on a salary basis, working in a group practice, having an office-based practice, devoting time to research activities, being older, and being a woman. Specialization in neurology, hematology, dermatology, nephrology, obstetrics-gynecology, and most notably surgery was negatively associated with preventive practices, as was working in an emergency room. Overall, the study variables explained 33% of the variance in physicians' preventive practices. The study underlines the prevailing role of attitudes in predicting physicians' preventive practices.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗