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Biomedical subjects

P Y Robillard

Publications and source records attributed to P Y Robillard.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Herpetic neonatal hepatitis].

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection can affect various organs-systems in the neonatal period. Herpetic hepatitis was seldom reported in the literature. We report on 2 cases. Firstly, a 16 day-old newborn infant was admitted because of haemorrhagic syndrome and shock. Biological assessment showed a severe hepatic insufficiency. Antibiotic and aciclovir therapy was started as HSV infection was suspected. Five days later, the herpetic attack was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The genotye of the virus in the CSF was HSV1. Treatment included aciclovir for 21 days intravenously and 2 months orally. At 10 months, the clinical and biological examinations were normal. Secondly, a 4 day-old newborn was hospitalised because of fever and polypnea. Pulmonary X rays showed heterogeneous opacities of the right base. Serum C reactive protein was 30 mg/l. Antibiotic therapy was started. Two days later, the fever persisted while a severe hepatic insufficiency developed. The diagnosis of herpetic hepatitis was evoked and the child was given aciclovir. Forty-eight hours later, the PCR confirmed a HSV in blood, while viral culture of a mouth swab found HSV 2. Evolution was favourable after 21 days of specific and symptomatic treatment. Aciclovir treatment was continued orally for six months. Herpetic hepatitis is rare in the neonatal period. Diagnosis must be evoked early when facing severe neonatal hepatic insufficiency. Provided specific treatment, prognosis is good.

Acyclovir↗

Preeclampsia: a couple's disease with maternal and fetal manifestations.

Preeclampsia still ranks as one of obstetrics major problems. Clinicians typically encounter preeclampsia as maternal disease with variable degrees of fetal involvement. More and more the unique immunogenetic maternal-paternal relationship is appreciated, and as such also the specific 'genetic conflict' that is characteristic of haemochorial placentation. From that perspective preeclampsia can also been seen as a disease of an individual couple with primarily maternal and fetal manifestations. Factors that are unique to a specific couple would include the length and type of sexual relationship, the maternal (decidual natural killer cells) acceptation of the invading cytotrophoblast (paternal HLA-C), and seminal levels of transforming growth factor-beta and probably other cytokines. The magnitude of the maternal response would be determined by factors including a maternal set of genes determining her characteristic inflammatory responsiveness, age, quality of her endothelium, obesity/insulin resistance and probably a whole series of susceptibility genes amongst which the thrombophilias received a lot of attention in recent years.

Adult↗

[Clinical aspects and genetic specificities of cystic fibrosis in Reunion Island].

OBJECTIVES: Evaluation of the phenotype-genotype correlation of a specific mucoviscidosis mutation, "Y122X", in Reunion Island. This mutation represents 25% of our cases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of a cohort of 84 children presenting cystic fibrosis (CF) during a 5-year period (1994-1998). Diagnosis was based on one or two identified genetic mutations and/or minimum two abnormal chloride sweat tests (Cl > 70 mmol/l). Follow-up of this cohort was performed in the two referral centers of the Island following the French national guidelines (INSERM U 155). RESULTS: In our population, we identified 10 mutations, of which three of them represented more than 80% of the cases: Delta F508 (51.8%), Y122X (24.4%) and 3120 + 1G --> A (4.8%). The authors report clinical significant differences in children with the homozygote mutation Y122X as compared with children presenting the Delta F508 CF-mutation: failure to thrive affecting mainly the height with, paradoxically, a relatively normal weight development, and a better pulmonary function. CONCLUSION: The frequent Y122X CF-mutation reported in "la Reunion" seems to affect mainly height in children with a relatively good nutritional outcome. This failure to thrive does not seem to be of digestive origin. These results suggest that growth gene(s) located nearby the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) may have suffered the same segregation than the Y122X mutation or that clusters of this specific Caucasian population known as "petits blancs" in la Reunion are smallest for ethnic reasons.

Child↗

[Hypernatremic dehydration and breastfeeding].

UNLABELLED: Neonatal hypernatremic dehydration due to breast feeding was rarely reported in the French-language literature. CASE REPORT: The authors report hypernatremic dehydration in a 10-day-old exclusively breast-fed infant. The course was favorable. Insufficient breast milk production has been reported for 30 years. CONCLUSION: Early discharge from maternity units is frequent nowadays. Breast-fed newborns without a positive weight gain at discharge should be checked for their weight within the first ten days of life.

Breast Feeding↗

Evaluation of neonatal sepsis screening in a tropical area. Part II: Evaluation of intrapartum chemoprophylaxis protocol.

The authors report on an analysis of a chemoprophylaxis protocol at the University Hospital of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean. This study comprised 6,060 consecutive deliveries and was initiated to assess the application of an intrapartum chemoprophylaxis protocol, evaluate its results, and try to identify possible necessary modifications to the existing protocol. Although more than 90% of women had at least one bacterial screening (vaginal or urinary) during the last trimester of pregnancy, approximately 75% of mothers who were heavily colonized group B streptococcus (GBS) at delivery were not detected by this systematic screening. As is also reported in other tropical areas where a great proportion of neonatal sepsis occurs in term babies, low birthweight was not a specific risk factor in this study when controlling for other major risk factors such as fever and premature rupture of membranes. Intrapartum chemoprophylaxis was associated with an approximate threefold decrease in the risk of GBS neonatal bacteraemia among at risk deliveries. The results suggest that, in our tropical context, prolonged rupture of membranes of at least 12 hours' duration should be considered as a cause for intrapartum chemoprophylaxis as it accounted for the majority of cases of neonatal bacteraemia that escaped the existing protocol.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Evaluation of neonatal sepsis screening in a tropical area Part III: Neonatal sepsis in meconium stained deliveries.

Of the 6,060 consecutive live births delivered at the University Maternity Unit of Guadeloupe (French West Indies) during a 30-month period, 635 newborns (10.4%) presented with meconium stained (MS) amniotic fluid, of which 595 (94%) received bacteriological screening at birth (light MS, n = 543; thick MS, n = 52). Thirty (5%) of MS newborns had a bacteraemia (n = 13, group B streptococcus, GBS), and 128 (21.5%) a bacterial positive gastric aspirate (n = 54, GBS). Sixty-six newborns among MS babies needed tracheal suctioning (11%) in the delivery room for meconium inhalation. Among these 595 screened MS newborns, 286 (48%) presented clinical signs of postmaturity at birth, having therefore an explanation for their MS condition. For the other MS newborns without the postmaturity explanation, we experienced twofold increased risk of neonatal sepsis (OR 1.88 for bacteraemia and 2.61 for external carriage p < 0.02, Chi square) as compared with their MS postmature counterparts. We conclude that when meconium stained deliveries are associated with postmaturity signs, one may not need to initiate prophylactic antibiotic treatment at birth unless they present with other traditional risk factors for neonatal sepsis such as intrapartum fever and prolonged rupture of membranes.

Humans↗

Evaluation of neonatal sepsis screening in a tropical area. Part I: Major risk factors for bacterial carriage at birth in Guadeloupe.

This prospective study reports on screening for neonatal sepsis among 3,372 live births out of 6,060 consecutive deliveries at the University Hospital of Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, during a 30-month period. Group B Streptococcus (GBS) was the most common pathogen, representing 46% (89/194) of positive blood cultures and 52% (335/637) of positive gastric aspirates. Although only 3,372 (55%) of all live births were screened, 637 (10%) had gastric bacterial carriage at birth; of those, 335 (5.5%) involved GBS. Similarly, there were 194 (3.2%) positive blood cultures, of which 89 (1.5%) involved GBS. In this report, all newborns who presented with a positive GBS blood culture had at least one of the external tests positive for GBS (gastric, ear canal, rectum and placenta). Thirty-seven per cent (14/38) of positive neonatal blood cultures occurred in newborns with foetid liquor while in deliveries with intrapartum fever 16.5% (32/195) of blood cultures were positive. In our clinical practice, characteristics that were evident in the delivery room (without knowledge of prenatal follow-up) such as foetid liquor, intrapartum fever, prolonged rupture of membranes, foetal tachycardia and meconium staining were associated with the great majority of neonatal sepsis.

Guadeloupe↗

Revisiting the epidemiological standard of preeclampsia: primigravidity or primipaternity?

Pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders, and especially preeclampsia, are documented to occur primarily in first pregnancies and rarely in subsequent pregnancies. Therefore, the concept of primigravidity is the epidemiological cornerstone of this disease. The authors propose a concept in which preeclampsia is a disease of new couples, especially after a short period of sexual cohabitation, and explore if this alternative primipaternity model, as compared with the primigravidity concept, provides a better fit with well-known epidemiologic descriptions. First, the primipaternity model provides a mathematical modelling which may explain the prevalence of approximately 10% in long-term monogamic populations. Further, it proposes explanations for many epidemiological descriptions which were previously difficult to understand and assemble in a single concept.

Cultural Characteristics↗

Immune maladaptation in the etiology of preeclampsia: a review of corroborative epidemiologic studies.

Genuine preeclampsia is a disease of first pregnancies. The protective effect of multiparity, however, is lost with change of partner. Also, exposure to semen provides protection against developing preeclampsia. Analogous to altered paternity, artificial donor insemination and oocyte donation are reported to result in a substantial increase of preeclampsia. Thus, epidemiologic studies strongly suggest that immune maladaptation is involved in the etiology of preeclampsia. Although the exact etiology of preeclampsia remains unknown, the conclusions derived from epidemiologic studies may have consequences for practicing physicians: 1) according to the primipaternity concept, a multiparous women with a new partner should be approached as being a primigravid women; 2) artificial donor insemination and oocyte donation are associated with an increased risk of developing pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders; 3) a more or less prolonged period of sperm exposure provides a partial protection against pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders. In the 1990s, all women with changing partners are strongly advised to use condoms to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. However, a certain period of sperm exposure within a stable relation, when pregnancy is aimed for, is associated with a partial protection against preeclampsia.

Female↗

Primipaternities in families: is the incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders in multigravidas an anthropological marker of reproduction?

Pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders (and especially preeclampsia) remain nowadays the major problem of human reproduction as it occurs in at least 10% of all world population births. It is a major cause of maternal-fetal mortality and morbidity in developed and developing countries. This disease was until recently classically considered as a disease of primigravidas with little recurrence in multigravidas. Nevertheless, recent evidences in the last half decade suggest that this disease is indeed a disease of first pregnancies, but at the level of a couple (primipaternity) rather than only the mother's side (primigravidity). Therefore, multigravidas share the risk with primigravidas in case of conception with a new partner. We expose the biological plausibility of this new approach (immunogenetic factors), and propose its epidemiological consequences with proposals of future research for health workers or demographers working at the level of populations. If pregnancy-induced disorders are disease of new couples, then their patterns are probably very different according to the broad reproductive patterns existing among different cultures (contraception, matrifocality or patrifocality, age at marriage, changes of reproductive partners et cetera).

Female↗

[Adolescence and pregnancy in Guadeloupe. 184 cases].

Maternal pregnancy complications and pregnancy outcomes of all adolescent pregnancies (< 18 years; n = 184) during a two year survey (1993-1994) at the Maternity of University Hospital of Pointe-á-Pitre, Guadeloupe, French West Indies, were compared to that of an older cohort (20-35 years; n = 3938). there were no statistical differences between the two groups in obstetrical complications (infections, hypertension, fetal deaths), birthweight, gestational age at delivery or apgar scores at birth. Adolescents were more likely to have mechanical extractions (forceps, vacuum) and less cesarean sections although differences were not significant. On the other hand, prenatal care was significantly poorer in adolescents. These results are in accordance with the literature. It remains that the adolescent pregnancy rate is higher in Guadeloupe as compared to Europe or mainland France. Although these data do not suggest an elevated reproductive health risk for adolescents, it does inflict a social burden of decreased potential for productivity.

Adolescent↗

Association of pregnancy-induced hypertension with duration of sexual cohabitation before conception.

Pregnancy-induced hypertension affects at least 10% of all pregnancies. An association with first pregnancy or a change in paternity for subsequent pregnancies has been suggested. We studied the duration of sexual cohabitation with the father prior to conception and the incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertension. During a five-month period, 1011 consecutive women who delivered in an obstetric unit were interviewed about paternity and duration of sexual cohabitation before conception. Obstetric charts were abstracted to identify three groups: those with pregnancy-induced hypertension, chronic hypertension, and normal blood pressure. The incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertension was 11.9% among primigravidae, 4.7% among same-paternity multigravidae, and 24.0% among new-paternity multigravidae. For both primigravidae and multigravidae, length of sexual cohabitation before conception was inversely related to the incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertension (p < 0.0001). Similar results were observed after control for race, education, maternal age, marital status, and number of pregnancies. Pregnancy-induced hypertension may be a problem of primipaternity rather than primigravidity. Furthermore, an extended duration of sexual cohabitation before conception may protect against pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Adolescent↗

Hyaline membrane disease in black newborns: does fetal lung maturation occur earlier?

Debate has developed among several authors about possible accelerated maturation of black fetuses in comparison with whites. In Guadeloupe, French West Indies, where 85% of the population is of black African-American origin, it has been noted that the incidence of hyaline membrane disease (HMD) represents a significant drop beginning after the 32nd week of gestation. Over a 3-year period, 419 black low-birthweight singleton newborns were admitted in the University Hospital's Neonatal Department covering 70% of all births of the island. The incidence of HMD was 50% among very low birthweight (< 1500 g) and 8.3% among moderate low birthweight (> or = 1500 g; P < 0.001). The incidence of HMD was 48.8% among the very preterm (< 32 weeks) and 7.8% (26/331) among the moderate preterm (> or = 32 weeks; P < 0.001). These differences were similar for appropriate for gestational age and small for gestational age infants. Significant differences remained after controlling for several maternal risk factors. These results suggest that the 32nd week of gestation represents a significant drop in the risk for respiratory distress syndrome in black premature compared with that reported in literature on European infants (34th week) and therefore may implicate different obstetrical decisions in the management of critical pregnancies in this population.

Black or African American↗

Hyaline membrane disease: the role of ethnicity and maternal risk characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to explore the association between maternal ethnicity and maternal antepartum complications of pregnancy, maternal sociodemographic factors, and newborn characteristics with the incidence of hyaline membrane disease. STUDY DESIGN: By using a retrospective cohort analysis the incidence of hyaline membrane disease was determined for 2295 preterm infants. The study population consisted of all live, inborn infants delivered vaginally from 1982 to 1987. Statistical differences were assessed by use of chi 2 and Student's t tests. A logistic regression procedure determined the relationship of ethnicity and hyaline membrane disease after the study was controlled for all other significant population differences. RESULTS: The differences between black and white populations in marital status, were statistically significant years of education, prolonged rupture of membranes, anemia, and chronic hypertension were statistically significant. Infants of black mothers were diagnosed with hyaline membrane disease less often than infants of white mothers (overall and at each gestational age interval). After the study was controlled for population differences, infants of black mothers were still found to experience hyaline membrane disease less often. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that hyaline membrane disease occurs less frequently, is less severe, and is accompanied by fewer related complications in black preterm infants.

Adolescent↗