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Biomedical subjects

R Lalande

Publications and source records attributed to R Lalande.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Discussion of lifestyle-related issues in family practice during visits with general medical examination as the main reason for encounter: an exploratory study of content and determinants.

The aim of this study was to describe the frequency and content of discussions on lifestyle issues during an annual examination and to identify characteristics of patients, physicians, and visits associated with lifestyle discussions. Audio-recordings of the visits of 35 family physicians with 148 of their patients were analyzed. Bivariate descriptive and multivariate analyses were used. On average, the visits contained discussions of 3.6 different issues for a total time of 2.9 min. Of the 11 topics of interest, weight, diet and nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco use were the most frequently discussed. Consultation with a female physician and perception by the physician of a poorer patient mental health status were associated with the number of themes discussed and the duration of exchanges. Results suggest that although, discussions on lifestyle issues are frequently observed during these visits, they remain limited in scope. Physicians appear to concentrate their energy on targeted patients, and female doctors are more active in this domain.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Prescribing psychotropic medication for elderly patients: some physicians' perspectives.

BACKGROUND: The inappropriate use of psychotropic medication is widespread and has potential consequences for the autonomy of elderly people. This study explored physicians' perceptions and attitudes and the decision-making process associated with prescribing psychotropic medications for elderly patients. METHODS: In this qualitative study conducted between February and April 1996, 9 of 12 physicians who offered consultation services for elderly people in private apartment buildings in a suburban region of Montreal were interviewed. The transcripts of the interviews were analysed quantitatively using an iterative process. The authors assessed the physicians' perceptions of the elderly patient population, the decision-making process leading to the prescription of psychotropic medication and the nature of follow-up. RESULTS: All of the physicians interviewed perceived the aging process as a negative experience and stated that the long-term use of psychotropic medication is justified by the distress of their aging patients and the few negative side effects that are noticed. Most said that, when they re-prescribe, they see their role as a "gatekeeper" to monitor and control the type and quantity of medication prescribed. Most physicians felt that the solutions to the inappropriate prescribing of psychotropic medication were beyond the scope of the individual physician. INTERPRETATION: Physicians interviewed in this study had a patient-centered perspective. From a public health viewpoint this calls for an innovative approach to involve physicians in a multidisciplinary intervention strategy to examine the inappropriate use of psychotropic medication among elderly patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

A pilot course as a model for implementing a PBL curriculum.

Many medical schools are shifting to a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum, some without any transition period, others using periods of parallel-track curricula. The authors report on and discuss a third strategy for implementing PBL: using a pilot course as a model to facilitate the transition. After the Université de Montréal Faculty of Medicine chose to switch PBL, one course in the third year of the traditional curriculum was changed to PBL format 11 months before the new curriculum was to start in September 1993. This was done to develop local expertise, to gain confidence, to test the feasibility of the method, to produce a showcase, to assess more accurately the resources required, and to provide a practice ground for the curriculum planners and managers and the faculty-development training team. The authors discuss the planning of the pilot course, the training of the faculty in various aspects of PBL (writing problems, tutoring methods, etc.), the course implementation, and the course evaluation. Overall, the pilot course was well received by both the faculty and the students and provided much beneficial information that assisted the university in its transition to a new PBL curriculum.

Faculty, Medical↗
PubMed1988

High Survivability of Cheese Whey-Grown Rhizobium meliloti Cells upon Exposure to Physical Stress.

Whey, a by-product of the dairy industry, has been found to protect the rhizobia cells during freezing and thawing. Cells of rhizobia grown on whey sustained freezing better at -18 degrees C than did cells grown on mannitol or sucrose. Suspensions of cells grown on whey or mannitol that were suspended in whey performed equally well at -18 and -80 degrees C, with 94 and 100% survival, respectively. Whey-grown rhizobia in pellets withstood desiccation better than did their mannitol-grown equivalents. Rhizobia that were grown on whey and then inoculated onto commercial peat showed a survival rate of 100% after 23 weeks at -4 degrees C. Whey-grown cells in peat performed better at various temperatures during storage, even when they were exposed to desiccation, than did mannitol-grown cells in peat. Whey, therefore, offers interesting possibilities as a Rhizobium protectant for the inoculum industry.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1986

Large-Scale Production of Rhizobium meliloti on Whey.

Whey, a by-product of the cheese industry, can sustain the growth of fast-growing rhizobia. To avoid any latency of growth, rhizobial inoculum must be prepared under inducing conditions. In unsupplemented whey, the number of cells of Rhizobium meliloti Balsac reached 5 x 10 CFU/ml in 48 h of incubation. This is comparable to the yield obtained with yeast-mannitol broth, the standard medium for the growth of rhizobia. In raw whey supplemented with yeast extract (1.0 g/liter) and phosphate (0.5 g/liter), the number of cells reached 10 CFU/ml in 48 h of incubation. This is a twofold increase compared with the population normally obtained in industrial production. Whey represents a relatively inexpensive and efficient substrate medium for the large-scale production of fast-growing rhizobia.

Journal Article↗