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Biomedical subjects

Y Martin

Publications and source records attributed to Y Martin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

The relation of entrapment, shame and guilt to depression, in carers of people with dementia.

There is increasing research exploring depression in carers of people with dementia. This study explored the relation of entrapment, shame and guilt to depression in a group of 70 carers of those with dementia. As in other studies the experience of entrapment in the role was highly related to depression. Moreover, experiences of shame relating to self-criticism, other people's expectations and the fear of their criticism were significantly related to depression, entrapment and guilt. Guilt however, as focused on the fears of harming others, letting others down and sense of responsibility, was not associated with depression or entrapment. Depression in carers may relate in part to feeling trapped in a role but also being vulnerable to criticism and feelings of inadequacy in that role. In this study, degree of behavioural disturbance/dependence was not found to be significantly associated with any of the research variables.

Caregivers↗
PubMed2004

Right spatial neglect after left hemisphere stroke: qualitative and quantitative study.

OBJECTIVES: Comparatively little research has been conducted on right neglect after left brain damage. The authors sought to assess contralateral neglect in subacute left hemisphere stroke patients using a comprehensive test battery validated in a large control group after right hemisphere stroke. METHODS: Seventy-eight left hemisphere stroke patients were assessed. The test battery included a preliminary assessment of anosognosia and visual extinction, a clinical assessment of gaze orientation and personal neglect, and paper-and-pencil tests of spatial neglect in the peripersonal space. Only nonverbal tests were used. RESULTS: Drawing and cancellation tasks revealed neglect in 10 to 13% of patients. The combined battery was more sensitive than any single test alone. A total of 43.5% of patients showed some degree of neglect on at least one measure. Anatomic analyses showed that neglect was more common and severe when the posterior association cortex was damaged. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of occurrence of right neglect was, as expected, much lower than that reported in a study using the same assessment battery in right brain damage stroke patients. Nevertheless, neglect was found in a substantial proportion of patients at a subacute stage, suggesting that it should be considered in the rehabilitation planning of left brain damage stroke patients.

Awareness↗
PubMed2003

Bacterial contamination of Mediterranean coastal seawater as affected by riverine inputs: simulation approach applied to a shellfish breeding area (Thau lagoon, France).

Consequences of short-term changes in thermotolerant coliform loads on their spatio-temporal distribution in a Mediterranean lagoon with large-scale mollusk farming (Thau lagoon, France) were explored using a simulation approach. Simulations were based on bacterial transport and survival coupled models forced by the input of bacterial loads from the two main rivers (Vène and Pallas) that flow into the lagoon. Different flow types (reference, sudden and constant), bringing the same bacterial load, were considered and subsequent spatial and temporal bacterial contamination of lagoon surface water and shellfish was estimated. Simulation results showed that as long as loads were high, hydrodynamical processes governed the distribution of bacterial abundance in receiving areas. As soon as loads decreased or when time supply increased, biological die-off processes became dominant. Bacterial contamination of shellfish induced by the different flow types appeared to depend on the receiving area. In the case of Pallas River area, a sudden input of bacteria led to a high bacterial contamination of shellfish but only during a short period ( approximately 1 day). A constant input of the same amount of bacteria induced a lower but significant contamination during all the simulation period (10 days). On the contrary, bacterial inputs from the Vène River led to shellfish contamination only when bacteria were delivered through a flood event. Exposure time of bacteria to adverse environmental conditions appeared to be the main explanation to the above-mentioned differences. Consequences of our results in terms of environmental management strategy were discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Gorgonians mass mortality during the 1999 late summer in French Mediterranean coastal waters: the bacterial hypothesis.

Mass mortality by tissue necrosis of several species of gorgons was observed during the 1999 late summer on the Liguro-Provençal Mediterranean coasts. We have investigated the occurrence of vibrios on necrosis affected gorgonians Paramuricea clauata and Eunicella cavolinii, and their ability to induce tissue necrosis. Among the 11 strains tested, only 5, belonging to species Vibrio splendidus, V. pelagius and V. campbellii, were able to induce tissue necrosis in a few days. Temperature experiments carried out at 11 degrees C, 18 degrees C and 23 degrees C showed that necrotic disease may occur only at the higher temperature tested. Statistical analysis suggested that, for these thermical conditions, marine Vibrio strains can significantly speed up the necrotic crisis.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Sensitivity of clinical and behavioural tests of spatial neglect after right hemisphere stroke.

OBJECTIVES: The lack of agreement regarding assessment methods is responsible for the variability in the reported rate of occurrence of spatial neglect after stroke. The aim of this study was to assess the sensitivity of different tests of neglect after right hemisphere stroke. METHODS: Two hundred and six subacute right hemisphere stroke patients were given a test battery including a preliminary assessment of anosognosia and of visual extinction, a clinical assessment of gaze orientation and of personal neglect, and paper and pencil tests of spatial neglect in the peripersonal space. Patients were compared with a previously reported control group. A subgroup of patients (n=69) received a behavioural assessment of neglect in daily life situations. RESULTS: The most sensitive paper and pencil measure was the starting point in the cancellation task. The whole battery was more sensitive than any single test alone. About 85% of patients presented some degree of neglect on at least one measure. An important finding was that behavioural assessment of neglect in daily life was more sensitive than any other single measure of neglect. Behavioural neglect was considered as moderate to severe in 36% of cases. A factorial analysis revealed that paper and pencil tests were related to two underlying factors. Dissociations were found between extrapersonal neglect, personal neglect, anosognosia, and extinction. Anatomical analyses showed that neglect was more common and severe when the posterior association cortex was damaged. CONCLUSIONS: The automatic rightward orientation bias is the most sensitive clinical measure of neglect. Behavioural assessment is more sensitive than any single paper and pencil test. The results also support the assumption that neglect is a heterogeneous disorder.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

[Presenting a battery for assessing spatial neglect. Norms and effects of age, educational level, sex, hand and laterality].

The aim of this study was to build up a battery for assessing spatial neglect, then to analyse the norms and potential effects of age, education level, sex, hand used, and laterality. It was also to contribute evaluating the pseudoneglect phenomenon described by Heilman, which consists in a tendency of normal subjects to neglect the right peripersonal space. Tasks selected were presented to important groups of normal subjects, most often larger than 450. The battery comprised of a bell cancellation test, scene copy, clock drawing, two line bisection tasks, identification of overlapping figures, text reading, writing task, and the representational task of the France map. For each of them, different variables were selected, especially investigating the difference between performance in the right and the left hemispaces. This study allowed defining the threshold values (percentiles 5 and 95) for deciding of the pathological character of a patient performance. It also showed that the pseudoneglect phenomenon is more obvious in some tasks such as line bisection, and probably also in the representational task of the France map and writing. His importance and at times his side were influenced by the factors we studied, with between tasks differences, but also by the nature of the task to be performed, and especially his verbal component.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Molecular phylogeny of European muroid rodents based on complete cytochrome b sequences.

Phylogenetic relationships among 18 species of mainly European muroid rodents that belong to three subfamilies were estimated using complete sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. The inferred monophyly of the subfamilies Murinae (mice and rats) and Arvicolinae (voles, lemmings, and muskrats) is in agreement with previous studies. Within the Murinae, the morphology-based division of the genus Apodemus into three subgenera is supported by these DNA sequence data. The relationships among the different genera of the Murinae were generally poorly resolved, and the relationships of Micromys and Acomys to the other murine genera remained unresolved. Within the subfamily Arvicolinae, the relations of the genera Arvicola, Clethrionomys, and Microtus remained tentative with our data. However, within the Microtus group, there is a good molecular support for the phylogenetic relationships. These findings suggest that the origin of the different murine and arvicoline lineages was rapid, indicating an adaptive radiation with fast speciation.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Effect of delayed infection control measures on a hospital outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

All patients positive for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at the University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland, between 1989 and 1997 (N = 1771) were included in a cohort study to evaluate the consequences of delayed containment of a hospital-wide outbreak occurring during a 4-year absence of MRSA control measures. The effects of efforts to control both the MRSA reservoir and the number of bacteraemic patients were assessed. Intensive infection control measures were initiated in 1993 and included patient screening, on-site surveillance, contact isolation, a computerized alert system, and hospital-wide promotion of hand hygiene. An increase in the rate of new MRSA-infected or -colonized patients was observed between 1989 and 1994 (from 0.05 to 0.60 cases per 100 admissions), which subsequently decreased to 0.24 cases in 1997 (P<0.001). However, the proportion of laboratory-documented methicillin-resistant isolates among all S. aureus showed little variation in the years from 1993 onwards (range, 19-24%), reflecting the result of an increase in the number of screening cultures. The annual number of patients with MRSA bacteraemia strongly correlated with the hospital-wide prevalence of MRSA patients (R(2)= 0.60; P = 0.01) and the rate of new MRSA patients (R(2)= 0.97; P<0.001). Consequently, the attack rate of nosocomial MRSA bacteraemia served as an excellent marker for the MRSA patient reservoir. In conclusion, despite delayed implementation, infection control measures had a substantial impact on both the reservoir of MRSA patients and the attack rate of MRSA bacteraemia.

Cohort Studies↗
PubMed2000

Dual task performance after severe diffuse traumatic brain injury or vascular prefrontal damage.

The ability to perform two tasks simultaneously is a key function of the central executive of working memory (Baddeley, 1986). This study addressed dual-task performance after diffuse very severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) (mean coma duration = 21 days, mean post-traumatic amnesia = 70 days) or prefrontal damage due to a ruptured aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery (AACA). Mean time since injury was 8 and 16 months in the TBI and the AACA group respectively. A simple visual reaction time and random number generation were used as single and dual tasks. Randomization was self-paced, to control for individual differences in speed. Both patient groups had greater reaction time decrements than controls under the dual-task condition, suggesting a divided attention deficit. In addition, patients with AACA performed significantly poorer in random generation. These results suggest that patients with AACA and with severe TBI suffer from an impairment of the central executive system.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist-induced opiate withdrawal in morphine-dependent rats.

Recent reports have provided evidence of a link between the endogenous brain cannabinoid system and the endogenous central opioid systems. Here we report that the selective CB1 receptor antagonist SR 141716A induced behavioral and endocrine alterations associated with opiate withdrawal in morphine-dependent animals in a dose-dependent manner and that naloxone induced an opiate withdrawal syndrome in animals made cannabinoid-dependent by repeated administration of the potent cannabinoid agonist HU-210. Additionally CB1 and mu-opioid receptor mRNAs were co-localized in brain areas relevant for opiate withdrawal such as the nucleus accumbens, septum, dorsal striatum, the central amygdaloid nucleus and the habenular complex. These results suggest that CB1 cannabinoid receptors may play a role in the neuroadaptive processes associated with opiate dependence, and they lend further support for the hypothesis of a potential role of cannabinoid receptors in the neurobiological changes that culminate in drug addiction.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Pathology of skin diseases in crocodiles.

OBJECTIVE: To establish which skin diseases occur in crocodiles, particularly those on farms, to indicate the relative frequency of each particular disease and to provide information on pathogenesis, especially in regard to lesions with two or more pathogens present. DESIGN: A gross and microscopic retrospective (period of 1989 to 1995) and current (1996 to 1997) examination of skin lesions in crocodiles in Queensland and the Northern Territory. RESULT: Skin lesions were obtained from crocodiles on nine farms, from a group of experimental animals and from one adult found dead in the wild. A total of 203 lesions from 180, mostly young, crocodiles was examined; 119 lesions were from retrospectively examined cases and 84 were recent. The relative frequencies of four presumed primary pathogens in lesions were Dermatophilus sp 28.1%, fungi 14.8%, poxvirus 3.4% and probable Mycobacterium sp 2.5%. In addition, other bacteria of unknown significance were present in many lesions, and there was one case of presumed Paratrichosoma crocodilus infection. In 32.5% of lesions, multiple pathogens were identified. CONCLUSION: Dermatophilosis is the most common and probably the most important skin disease of crocodiles in Australia, but it is frequently complicated by concurrent infection with fungi or other microorganisms.

Actinomycetales Infections↗
PubMed1995

CD28 costimulation up-regulates long-term IL-2R beta expression in human T cells through combined transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation.

Costimulatory molecules such as CD28 are required for induction of T cell clonal expansion and for prevention of T cell unresponsiveness. In combination with either CD3 or CD2 triggering, CD28 was shown to enhance T cell proliferation, cytolytic activity, production of cytokines and especially of IL-2, and expression of the IL-2R alpha-chain (IL-2R alpha). We and others have demonstrated that the costimulatory effect of CD28 on both IL-2 and IL-2R alpha expression results from a coordinated transcriptional activation of their genes and transcript stabilization. We show here that the CD28 stimulation, together with CD2, leads to a prolonged up-regulation of the constitutive expression of the IL-2R beta-chain in human peripheral T cells. As for IL-2R alpha, the increase in IL-2R beta gene expression seems to result from both transcriptional activation and transcript stabilization. In addition, IL-2 differentially regulates its own receptors, as only expression of IL-2R alpha, but not of IL-2R beta, is largely inhibited, at both the mRNA and protein levels, by blocking IL-2R mAbs. We propose that the long lasting T cell proliferation mediated by the CD2 and CD28 costimulation is mainly the consequence of the high and prolonged expression of both the IL-2R alpha- and beta-chains.

Blotting, Northern↗
PubMed1994

Hypnosis and self-hypnosis, administered and taught by nurses, for the reduction of chronic pain: a controlled clinical trial.

Hypnosis is a technique whereby an individual can reach a particular state, quite unrelated to sleep, characterized by aroused, attentive and focused concentration. Although there are numerous clinical applications of hypnosis, there are virtually no controlled clinical trials to support its effectiveness. We propose a controlled randomized clinical trial comparing a "control" group of chronic pain patients treated by a programme including conventional oral medication combined with various nerve blocks and/or spinal administration of drugs, with a "treatment" group having a similar treatment programme plus hypnosis carried out by nurses. Outcome measurements include mainly the variation of pain intensity, the amount of analgesic drug consumption, spontaneous physical activity, and the change in health-related quality of life. The assessment of the outcome variable is done at the initial workup, weekly for the first 3 weeks, and at 6 and 12 weeks. A follow-up survey is conducted at 6 months.

Autosuggestion↗
PubMed1993

The role of NF-kappa B1 (p50/p105) gene expression in activation of human blood T-lymphocytes via CD2 and CD28 adhesion molecules.

Stimulation of primary human T-lymphocytes via CD2 and CD28 adhesion molecules induces a long-lasting proliferation (> 3 weeks). This potent activation does not require accessory cells, such as monocytes, but depends on persistent interleukin 2 (IL-2) secretion and receptivity, which is associated with high and prolonged expression of the inducible CD25/IL-2 receptor alpha (IL-2R alpha) chain gene. The transcription factor NF-kappa B participates in the regulation of both IL-2 and IL-2R alpha genes, as well as multiple cellular genes involved in T-cell proliferation. To evaluate the role of NF-kappa B in human peripheral blood T-lymphocytes, we previously analyzed the activation of NF-kappa B-related complexes in response to CD2+CD28 costimulation. We demonstrated a long-term induction of p50/p65 heterodimer, a putative p65/c-Rel heterodimer, and a constitutive nuclear expression of KBF1/p50 homodimers. As the role of p50 remains unclear, we focused our present study on NF-kappa B1 (p50/p105) gene regulation. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays and Western and Northern blot analyses, we studied NF-kappa B1 gene expression during T-cell stimulation via CD2+CD28. We observed a transient 4- to 5-fold increase of NF-kappa B1 gene expression at both the mRNA and protein levels, lasting for at least 24 h. p50 DNA-binding activity apparently stays highly controlled when p105 expression is enhanced by a physiological stimulus of peripheral blood T-cells. Partial inhibition of p50 and p105 expression by NF-kappa B1 antisense oligonucleotides significantly reduced T-cell proliferation and CD25/IL-2R alpha cell surface expression.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Antigens, CD↗