Biomedical subjects

R Robichaud

Publications and source records attributed to R Robichaud.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1997

Upper esophageal sphincter myotomy in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy: long-term clinical results.

From 1980 to 1995, 53 patients with oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) underwent an upper esophageal sphincter (UES) myotomy for the control of marked dysphagia. From this number, a group of 21 patients had been evaluated for preoperative and postoperative symptoms in 1987. The same clinical assessment was performed in 1995 by an independent evaluator for a total of 37 patients including 12 patients from the first group. As a whole, after a mean follow-up of 6.2 years, surgery succeeded in 18 patients (49%), gave a partial improvement in 12 (32%) and failed in seven (19%). The 12 patients evaluated twice (in 1987 and 1995) have had very good early results, 8-69 months after UES myotomy: dysphagia was totally relieved in eight patients, occurred rarely in three and was moderate in one. Nevertheless, the very long-term follow-up (8 years later) has shown a recurrence of the swallowing and tracheobronchial symptoms in many cases.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Survey of food-related waste management practises in New Brunswick health establishments.

A survey was conducted jointly by Université de Moncton and the New Brunswick (N.B.) Department of Health and Community Services to generate information on waste management practises within health care institutions. The objectives of the survey were: 1) to identify the type of waste management methods in place in N.B. health establishments; 2) to identify the major difficulties associated with recycling food-related waste; 3) to study the attitudes and beliefs of food service managers toward waste management. Data were collected through a questionnaire mailed to food service managers. Results indicated that 86% of establishments were involved in waste reduction. There were no statistically significant differences in reduction practices between hospitals and nursing homes or between the size of these establishments (P = 0.11). The same applied for reutilization (P = 0.09) where 93% of the establishments were involved. Recycling was carried out in 64.8% of the establishments. Major obstacles to recycling included the lack of pickup services, the lack of storage space, and the absence of buyers for recyclable materials. The results of this survey will help in the formulation of policies, strategies, and recommendations for better protection of the environment.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗

PubMed1993

Transcutaneous energy transfer system performance evaluation.

A transcutaneous energy transfer (TET) system has been developed to power implantable devices such as artificial hearts, defibrillators, and electrical stimulators. Transcutaneous coupling of power to these implanted devices remains a favorable alternative as percutaneous lines are avoided in order to eliminate the potential of infection and allow patient mobility. In vitro, in vivo, ex vivo, and human cadaver studies of the electrohydraulic ventricular assist device TET have demonstrated that power can be transmitted over a range of skin thicknesses of 3-15 mm and can tolerate radial misalignments of up to 20 mm. Sensitivity to coil separation and radial misalignment variations has been addressed by the development of an auto-tuning TET. The system has only a 10% attenuation in secondary coil voltage when metallic objects are in contact with the primary coil. The system has demonstrated a power transfer efficiency of 60-80% for power demands from 5 to 70 W. The TET secondary coil will provide an output voltage of 10-25 V for current demands from 0.5 to 4.0 A. TET chronic studies in porcine models have demonstrated no adverse effect to the tissue when up to 40 W of power can be delivered to an implanted load without the tissue-contacting surface of the coil exceeding 42 degrees C. In conclusion, the TET is a feasible alternative for tether-free power transmission.

Cadaver↗

PubMed1984

A possible mechanism for diisopropylfluorophosphate-induced memory loss in rats.

Passive avoidance retention and cortical [H3]-quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) binding were examined in rats that were chronically treated with diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), an irreversible acetylcholinersterase inhibitor. Retention of a passive avoidance response in DFP-treated rats was significantly lower when compared to vehicle-treated controls. Passive-avoidance retention decreased from 93% in control animals to 68% in DFP-treated rats. QNB binding studies revealed the density of muscarinic receptors in cortical homogenates was significantly reduced from 0.95 +/- 0.04 pmole/mg protein in controls to 0.72 +/- 0.04 pmole/m protein in DFP-treated rats. Scatchard analysis of QNB binding curves did not reveal a decrease in affinity of muscarinic receptors for QNB. Based on data that DFP causes a reduction in cholinergic receptors, this study supports the hypothesis that central cholinergic receptors are associated with mechanisms involved in memory storage.

Animals↗