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Biomedical subjects

M Kaminski

Publications and source records attributed to M Kaminski.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Folate status during pregnancy: relationship with alcohol consumption, other maternal risk factors and pregnancy outcome.

This study was designed to identify the factors affecting folate status in pregnant women and to explore the relationship between folate status and alcohol consumption during pregnancy. For this purpose, 347 French women were recruited during 1985-1986 on their first visit to the antenatal clinic at Roubaix Hospital (northern France). Alcohol consumption was ascertained by a standardized interview. Folate status assessment was available for 246 pregnant women who were not given folate supplementation. Average folate levels during pregnancy were lower among young women and smokers. Serum folate values diminished with the educational level, and red cell folate values increased with high parity. Unexpectedly, high red cell folate values were strongly related with high alcohol consumption after adjustment for the maternal risk factors associated with alcohol consumption and folate status. This was probably because in the Roubaix region where the study was conducted women consume mostly beer, which contains folates. Pregnancy outcome was not related to folate levels; birthweight was negatively associated with alcohol consumption during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Investigation of AC-DC magnetic field effects in planar phospholipid bilayers.

Observations recently reported by others indicate that a combination of a weak dc magnetic field and extremely-low-frequency ac magnetic field can produce resonant effects in biological systems. We report measurements of the effects of combined dc and ac magnetic fields on the dc current through channel-free planar phospholipid membranes. The combined dc-ac magnetic fields did affect the dc current through planar phospholipid membranes, but not in every membrane, and not consistently at the same values of magnetic flux density and frequency. None of our measurements showed resonant response akin to the cyclotron-like resonance reported in diatoms [Smith et al., 1987] and lymphocytes [Liboff et al., 1987].

Electromagnetic Fields↗
PubMed1992

Calcium binding to metallochromic dyes and calmodulin in the presence of combined, AC-DC magnetic fields.

The possibility that weak, ac and dc magnetic fields in combination may affect binding equilibria of calcium-ions (Ca2+) was investigated with two metallochromic dyes as calcium-binding molecules: murexide and arsenazo III. Calcium-dye equilibria were followed by measuring solution absorbances with a fiber-optic spectrophotometer. A Ca(2+)-arsenazo solution was also used indirectly to monitor the binding of Ca2+ to calmodulin. Parallel, ac and dc magnetic fields were applied to each preparation. The ac magnetic field was held constant during each of a series of experiments at a frequency in the range between 50 and 120 Hz (sine wave) or at 50 pps (square wave) and at an rms flux density in the range between 65 and 156 microT. The dc magnetic field was then varied from 0 to 299 microT at 1.3 microT increments. The magnetic fields did not measurably affect equilibria in the binding of metallochromic dyes or calmodulin to Ca2+.

Arsenazo III↗
PubMed1992

Menstrual-cycle characteristics and work conditions of workers in poultry slaughterhouses and canneries.

The food and agriculture industry employs 14.6% of the female industrial work force in France. Workers are exposed to a variety of environmental and organizational constraints (eg, irregular schedules, cold, uncomfortable postures, repetitive movements). In 1987-1988 a medical examination and questionnaire were administered to 726 workers with menstrual periods in 17 poultry slaughterhouses and six canning factories. Anomalies (irregular cycles, amenorrhea, long cycles) during the previous year were associated with work conditions. After adjustment for relevant nonoccupational variables, irregular cycles were significantly related to schedule variability and cold exposure, amenorrhea was associated with cold exposure, and long cycles with schedule variability. Other parameters such as repetitive work, standing posture, lifting weights, job satisfaction, and hours of domestic work were not associated with cycle anomalies. Cycle anomalies may be a useful indicator of occupational effects on female reproduction, analogous to the use of sperm parameters to warn of effects on male workers.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed1991

High blood pressure during pregnancy and working conditions among hospital personnel.

The relationship between working conditions and high blood pressure during pregnancy was analysed in a sample of 621 women hospital employees in the Paris region over the period 1979-1981. Data were collected by interviews during the routine medical visit at the end of postnatal leave. Women who had to work standing up for extended periods of time, who had to carry heavy loads or who had to perform heavy cleaning tasks had high blood pressure during their pregnancy more often than women not exposed to these working conditions. The accumulation of two out of the three or these three working conditions by the same woman was strongly related to high blood pressure. This relation remained significant when other risk factors of hypertension, such as age, parity, corpulence and tobacco use, were taken into account in a multiple logistic regression.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Influence of neurotransmitters on sexual differentiation of brain structure and function.

Newborn rats received daily subcutaneous treatment with compounds which influence serotoninergic, cholinergic, alpha-adrenergic and beta-adrenergic activity. In adulthood luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion pattern, female sexual behavior, and the volume of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic are (SDN-POA) were determined. Postnatal administration of l-tryptophan increased the volume of the SDN-POA significantly when given alone or when given simultaneously with testosterone propionate (TP). Para-chlorophenyl-alanine (pCPA) also increased SDN-POA volume, but did not potentiate the stimulating influence of TP. Clonidine had no effect per se on SDN-POA development, but it significantly potentiated the effect of TP in females. Salbutamol increased SDN-POA volume in females and in males. Postnatal treatment of female rats with the alpha-adrenergic receptor antagonists prazosine and yohimbine or with the nicotin receptor antagonist mecamylamine had permanent potentiating effects on the pattern of LH secretion, whereas postnatal treatment with beta-adrenergic compounds reduced the LH-release response to gonadal steroids in adulthood. Postnatal treatment with clonidin or l-tryptophane inhibited differentiation of the capacity for lordosis behavior. Beta-receptor agonists postnatally had a potentiating effect on the capacity for lordosis behavior in female and male rats. Cholinergic stimulation postnatally inhibited differentiation of the capacity for lordosis behavior in female rats, but prevented the inhibitory effect of postnatal androgenization. There was no correlation between SDN-POA volume and any of the two functional parameters.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

[The voluntary interruption of pregnancy].

In 1987, 162,352 legal abortions have been recorded in France; 55% of them were performed before 9 weeks of amenorrhea. Abortions were performed earlier among married than among unmarried women, and the proportion of early abortions increased with the women's age. The method of abortion was: vacuum aspiration for 73% of women, curettage (associated to vacuum aspiration or not) for 21%; 65% had their abortion performed under general anaesthesia, and 19% under local anaesthesia. Since 1976, there has been an increasing proportion of vacuum aspirations, and of local anaesthesia. In the private sector, abortions were performed at an earlier gestational age, but curettage was more frequent than in the public sector, and general anaesthesia, quasi systematic. There were also wide regional variations. There results were consistent across years. Data are collected on the day of intervention; thus, they do not allow an exhaustive estimation of the rate of complications: in 30% of cases, the information was missing. For the cases for whom the information was available, the rate of immediate complications was 0.6%. In 1990, modification of the notification form should allow better monitoring of new techniques.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1991

[Evaluation of screening programs].

This paper discusses the specific aspects involved in the assessment of screening programmes, compared to the assessment of other types of public health interventions. Screening programmes are aimed at healthy asymptomatic individuals, who, in case of a positive test, will be exposed to subsequent investigations or treatments. This paper stresses upon the several aspects to be taken into consideration when assessing the potential benefits and hazards of a screening programme, especially in order to limit hazards linked to false positive results: predictive value of the test according to its diagnostic value and the disease prevalence, existence of effective "treatments" in case of positive test. It underlines the need for adequate methods to evaluate positive and negative health effects, and psychological and social consequences.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1979

[Severity factors of poisoning in children admitted to intensive care units].

From 1964 to 1976, 854 children were admitted with poisoning to three intensive care units in Paris. The severity of the condition has been assessed in terms of the patients received: 1. observation only (67%). 2. routine intensive care (27%). 3. very seriously ill (6%). At the time of discharge, 92% of children were normal, 3% had minor sequelae, 3% had major sequelae; 2% died. The outcome was closely related to the severity of the illness. The main factors affecting the severity were: 1. The nature of the ingested substance. Poisoning with Amanita phalloides was the most serious with a high mortality. Poisoning with domestic agricultural and industrial products were more often responsible for major sequelae, particularly affecting the oesophagus, than drugs. 2. The type of poisoning. This was related to the age of the child. Iatrogenic poisoning of infants and self poisoning by adolescents were more serious than accidental poisoning in toddlers. 3. The toxicity of the ingested dose. 4. The interval between ingestion and effective treatment. Although all the factors are interrelated, each factor has its own prognostic value.

Adolescent↗