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Biomedical subjects

M Rufo

Publications and source records attributed to M Rufo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Goal directed locomotion and balance control in autistic children.

This article focuses on postural anticipation and multi-joint coordination during locomotion in healthy and autistic children. Three questions were addressed. (1) Are gait parameters modified in autistic children? (2) Is equilibrium control affected in autistic children? (3) Is locomotion adjusted to the experimenter-imposed goal? Six healthy children and nine autistic children were instructed to walk to a location (a child-sized playhouse) inside the psychomotor room of the pedopsychiatric centre located approximately 5 m in front of them. A kinematic analysis of gait (ELITE system) indicates that, rather than gait parameters or balance control, the main components affected in autistic children during locomotion are the goal of the action, the orientation towards this goal and the definition of the trajectory due probably to an impairment of movement planning.

Attention↗
PubMed2004

[Role of implicit theories in primary school].

Since the 50s, the role of implicit theories in the organization and interpretation of information has gained increasing acceptance among both cognitive and social psychologists. These implicit theories refer to the two different assumptions people may make about the malleability of personal attributes. They may believe that a highly valued personal attribute, such as intelligence or morality, is fixed, i.e. a nonmalleable trait-like entity (entity theory), or that the attribute is a malleable quality that can be changed and developed (incremental theory). The identification of these two theories allows us to understand the cognition, emotion and behavior of individuals in achievement situations. Many studies carried out in the primary school show that children who hold an entity theory of personal attribute (i.e. they consider badness like a stable quality) have a strong tendency to attribute their failures to a fixed trait. They are more likely to attribute failures to their bad abilities. In contrast, children who hold an incremental theory of personal attribute (i.e. they consider badness as a malleable quality) are more likely to understand the same negative outcomes in terms of specific factors: they attribute them to a lack of effort. In addition, several studies have shown that entity theorists are more likely than incremental theorists to react helplessly in the face of failure. They are more likely to show negative affect and behaviors. This helpless response pattern is characterized by a lack of persistence. In contrast, incremental theorists try harder and develop better strategies and continue to work. Finally, several studies demonstrate that environmental factors play an important role in the implicit theories elaboration.

Child↗
PubMed2003

The trichotomous model and investment in learning to prepare for a sport test: a mediational analysis.

BACKGROUND: Contemporary views on motivation suggest that the approach-avoidance achievement goals conceptualization--namely the trichotomous model--can shed light on the important issue of student motivation. AIMS: To test the predictive value of the trichotomous model on the investment in learning a sport task for test preparation, and to validate a model which included a set of psychological processes (i.e., state anxiety and competence valuation) which mediate the relationship between the three goals (i.e., performance-approach, performance-avoidance, and mastery goals) and test preparation. The study was designed to investigate the direct and mediational effects of three experimental goal conditions on the time in which pupils prepared for a sport test. SAMPLE: French male school pupils (N = 75). Pupils were aged 13-15 years and attended schools in southern France. METHOD: Pupils prepared themselves for a sport task with a 5-minute period of training, and performed in one of three experimental conditions to which they were randomly assigned: a performance goal with a positive outcome focus (performance-approach), a performance goal with a negative outcome focus (performance-avoidance), or a mastery goal. RESULTS: Pupils in the performance-avoidance group reported higher state anxiety and lower competence valuation than those in the performance-approach and mastery groups, and this psychological state was associated with less time taken to prepare for the test. CONCLUSION: School pupils placed in an examination preparation context that elicits a performance goal with a negative outcome focus (performance-avoidance) show motivational deficits which manifest themselves in less time spent practising. The trichotomous model appears to be valid for the study of motivational processes in school physical education.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Care in a mother-baby psychiatric unit: analysis of separation at discharge.

Joint psychiatric admission to a Mother-Baby Unit (MBU) enables a mother to obtain care for psychiatric disorders and simultaneously receive support in developing her identity as a mother. This care is meant to prevent attachment disorders and mother-baby separation. Outcome at discharge, however, may differ according to the mother's admission diagnosis. Demographic data, clinical features of parent and child, and clinical outcome of 92 consecutive admissions of mothers and their children to a MBU in Marseille were collected over a period of eight years (1991-1998). Separations occurred in 23% of the joint admissions. Women with acute postpartum psychoses and major depressive disorders had better outcomes than those with chronic psychoses: at discharge, the latter were more often separated from their children. In those cases, however, MBU admission provided time to arrange the best placement for the child. Outcome was less predictable for non-psychotic personality disorders and depended not only on the mother's disease but also on her family and social context.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Perceptions of competence, implicit theory of ability, perception of motivational climate, and achievement goals: a test of the trichotomous conceptualization of endorsement of achievement motivation in the physical education setting.

To test and extend the conceptualization of the endorsement of achievement goals in the physical education setting Mastery, Performance-approach, and Performance-approach goals, Perception of the physical education competence, Implicit theory about sport ability, and Perception of the motivational climate were assessed among 682 boys attending five French schools. Analysis indicated that (1) Performance-approach goals were positively associated with perception of physical education Competence, Entity beliefs about sport ability, the Performance dimension of the motivational climate, and negatively associated with Incremental beliefs about sport ability. (2) Mastery goals were positively associated with perception of physical education Competence, Incremental beliefs about sport ability, the Mastery dimension of the motivational climate, and negatively associated with the Performance dimension of the motivational climate. Also, (3) Performance-avoidance goals were positively associated with Entity beliefs about sport ability and the Performance dimension of the motivational climate; these goals were negatively associated with Incremental beliefs about sport ability and perception of physical education Competence. These results clearly attested to the validity of the trichotomous model in the physical education setting.

Achievement↗
PubMed2001

Seasonal variations in radionuclide transfer in a Mediterranean grazing-land ecosystem.

We made quarterly determinations of the transfer coefficients and effective transfer coefficients for the radionuclides 137Cs, 90Sr, 40K, 226Ra, 228Ra and 228Th over a full annual cycle, in a Mediterranean grazing-land ecosystem. The input and output fluxes of the radionuclides between the different compartments of this ecosystem were quantified for the following processes: root uptake; variation in root and aerial biomass; pasture production; translocation; leaf fall; efflux due to grazing action; resuspension and subsequent aerial deposition of radionuclides. We observed there to be a marked seasonal variation for this type of ecosystem in both the transfer coefficients and the radionuclide fluxes, which impedes the soil-plant transfer being characterized on the basis of values that are constant with time.

Ecosystem↗
PubMed1999

Radiocaesium and radiostrontium uptake by turnips and broad beans via leaf and root absorption.

One of the immediate consequences of massive radioisotope release into the atmosphere is contamination of the biosphere. This contamination can affect plants either by direct deposition onto the leaves, or by contaminating the soil followed by absorption by the roots. Knowledge of the efficacy of the two routes of radionuclide incorporation into the food chain is fundamental to understanding the mechanisms by which radioactive contamination reaches man. The present work analyzes the incorporation of 134Cs and 85Sr via root and leaf uptake into the parts consumed by man, for two very different crops: turnip (Brassica napus) and broad bean (Vicia faba). The root uptake studies consider the available soil fraction for these two radionuclides, and indicate greater availability for 85Sr than for 134Cs which is fixed rapidly in the soil. For the study of leaf uptake, leaves were contaminated at three different stages of plant growth; the results indicate an inverse dependence of the transfer coefficients on the time elapsed from the moment of the contamination to harvesting of the edible parts.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed1999

A second family with Micro syndrome.

We present the cases of two sisters, daughters of healthy, non-consanguineous parents, who have a clinical syndrome characterized by microcephaly, cortical dysplasia, ventriculomegaly, hypoplasia of the corpus callosum, hypogenesis of the cerebellar vermis, cataracts, microphthalmia, optic nerve atrophy, retinal coloboma, weight and height below 3rd centile, severe mental retardation, no speech, inability to sit, no sphincter control and a spastic tetraparesis. The facies are mildly dysmorphic, but not distinctive. No metabolic, nor chromosomal anomalies were found. The cases are very similar to, but not identical, to those described by Warburg et al [Am J Med Genet (1993) 147:1309-1312] as Micro syndrome.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1997

[Enuresis "as a hindrance for entering nursery school"].

Diurnal enuresis is very uncommon and may be related to early onset parent-to-child relationship disorders. As a symptom, enuresis can hinder nursery school socialization or can arise at this time. Two case-reports illustrate such an hypothesis.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1997

[Molecular genetic study in congenital myotonic dystrophy].

Congenital myotonic dystrophy (CMD) is the neonatal form of Steinert's myotonia. However, the symptoms and neuro-physiological findings are different from the classical adult form, there is a high mortality and early diagnosis of the condition is difficult. CMD occurs as a result of abnormal expansion of CTG triplets on chromosome 19. There is dominant autosomal transmission of this multi-systemic disorder, although when it occurs in children, it is the mother who is always the affected parent. Molecular genetic techniques enable unequivocal diagnosis of the condition, evaluation of anticipation and the possibility of offering genetic counselling to the families involved.

Chromosome Aberrations↗
PubMed1997

[Monotherapy with vigabatrin in the treatment of West's syndrome].

INTRODUCTION: Vigabatrin (VGB) was specifically synthesized to enhance inhibitory GABAergic transmission by elevating GABA levels via irreversible inhibition of GABA transaminase. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was conducted to determine the efficacy of VGB introduced as monotherapy in 26 children fulfilled the criteria for diagnosis of West syndrome. Duration of follow-up was 24 months. RESULTS: Following the introduction of VGB, 13 patients became seizure free, a special efficacy in one case of tuberous sclerosis. Relapses of infantile spasms occurred in 8 infants, generalized seizures developed in 4 infants, and partial seizures in 3, of whom 2 were eventually rendered seizure-free by increasing the dose. EEG features and age affecting the response rate. VGB has been well tolerated in children with agitation being the most commonly reported side effects, and one case required discontinuation of therapy. CONCLUSIONS: VGB seems to be an effective an safe antiepileptic drug as primary monotherapy for West syndrome.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1997

[Children with brain seizures: impact on their families. A clinical and social study].

INTRODUCTION AND MATERIAL: Over a two-year period, a total of 23 children (13 males and 11 females) entered in the Unit of Infantile Neurology of our hospital affections of diverse types of cerebral seizures, were subjected to follow-up study prospective from the point of view medical and social, analyzing the characteristic and situation of their family environment. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Between the outputs, they have met important differences between the attitude in front of the problem of the several family groups, according to it's valued for the doctor or for the Unit of Social Work. At the beginning he is not frequent the acceptance of the illness, contrarily to the one which the denial happens to. Have been detected a tall index of anxiety-anguish between the relatives setting in connection with the correct acceptance diagnostic. They have not met differences between the attitude in front of the problem and the economical status associate referred to the profession, the instruction or the housing of the parents. The severity of the illness has not been the only factor in the integration psychosocial of the children with seizures, existing other factors of environmental character that rebound same on the medium. The disorders of the psychotic sphere was those that were affected with an old intensity.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[The presentation form of headache in children].

The purpose of the present study was to assess an retrospective analysis on 167 children with chronic or severe headache, ranged in age from 2 to 14 years (7.19 +/- 2.36 years old) who were referred to the pediatric neurology service of Virgen del Rocio Hospital of Sevilla from december 1992 to december 1994. The most common type of headache was migraine which constituted 43.91% of all these cases. Tension headache accounted for 27.71%. A family history of headache, primarily maternal, was found in 114 patients in whom it could be evaluated. Children with migraine had a greater proportion of mothers with a history of migraine than those with tension headache. No significant variations were observed between chronic evolution and acute. We conclude that headache is not uncommon in children and it treatment must be individualized and requires more than just the use of pharmacotherapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Megalocornea-mental retardation syndrome: an additional case.

In 1975, Neuhaüser (Z Kinderheilk 120:1-8) reported on a recessively inherited entity comprising mental retardation, megalocornea, and seizures. The megalocornea-mental retardation (MMR) syndrome (MIM 249310) is a rare entity. There have been 19 previously published cases and the clinical differences observed between reported patients have raised questions regarding the nosology of the syndrome and the issue of heterogeneity versus variability. We report on a new case: a 2 6/12-year-old boy, first child of nonconsanguineous healthy parents with megalocornea (corneal diameter > or = 13 mm), delayed psychomotor development and hypotonia, plus minor facial anomalies.

Cornea↗
PubMed1993

[Psychiatric interventions in children under five years of age: prevention or care?].

We analysed the consultations of children under the age of 5 attending our pedopsychiatric outpatients department over a period of 1 year. Although paediatricians and pedopsychiatrists agree on the necessity to start therapy as early as possible, we found that many children were seen to late, at a time when they had difficulties, and that the principle of early intervention in pedopsychiatric needs to be better applied during infancy in an effort to prevent psychological disturbances.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

Familial spastic paraplegia with neuropathy and poikiloderma. A new syndrome?

We report a case study spanning three generations of familial spastic paraplegia, distal amyotrophy and poikiloderma. This study is the first description of an association between these three disorders. The gait disorder, the sensory and motor involvement and the skin disorder coincide in all the affected members, suggesting autosomal dominant inheritance with complete penetrance.

Child↗