Correlation of the exposure to a pollutant with a task-related action or workplace: the CAPTIV system.

Usually, measurement of pollution at the workplace is performed by air sampling on solid absorbents and filters. The information obtained is the mean value of worker exposure over the sampling period. The use of specific sensors for chemicals can give complementary information, namely continuous exposure information. The CAPTIV system permits one to centralize and store this information along with a video system which restores the images of the workplace. Also, the stored video sequences, correlated to specified exposures, can be found automatically. This gives a rich information resource. In particular it allows one to correlate the occupational activity with the exposure level. The analysis of collected information may lead to advice on good practice at the workplace or even to proposals for modification of existing equipment and processes. A huge quantity of information to be processed is obtained with this new approach. The best use of it can only be made with the help of a high capacity processing tool. That is the reason why CAPTIV has been equipped with a data processor support system. At the end of this paper, we present an example of using CAPTIV to study a stone-cutting work station.

Psychological follow-up of children born after in-vitro fertilization.

We have studied from birth up to the 3rd year the psychological attitude of 33 in-vitro fertilization (IVF) children compared to two other groups: children born after ovarian stimulation without IVF (n = 33) and children conceived naturally (n = 33) during the same period. Fourteen children, born by oocyte donation, were also studied by the same methodology. In the IVF group, we found some feeding difficulties and sleep disorders in the infants at 9 months and some signs of depression in mothers. All these symptoms disappeared afterwards. The development of all the children is satisfactory and the relationship with their mother is excellent. In this preliminary study, we conclude that the method of assisted reproduction has no bad influence on the psychomotor development of these children.

Comparative prospective study of the psychological development of children born by in vitro fertilization and their mothers.

A comparative prospective survey of psychomotor development and mother-infant bonding was conducted on 33 children born after in vitro fertilization and two control groups composed of: a group of children born to infertile women who underwent ovulation induction treatment but with no medically assisted procreation; and a group of children born by natural procreation, with no medical intervention. No major disorders were observed. In the postpartum, the minor mother-infant relational problems seemed to be more frequent in the in vitro fertilization and infertility groups but with no statistical differences. At 9 months, the factors related to sleep disturbances in the child and maternal depressive syndromes seemed to be more frequent in the in vitro fertilization and infertility groups than in the controls. At 18 months these minor disturbances decreased and there were fewer differences across the three groups. This trend was confirmed at 3 years.

Psychological considerations of anonymous oocyte donation.

This study involved 50 patients interviewed in conversations with a psychologist. It was found that it was possible to characterize the kind of couples using assisted reproductive techniques in terms of diagnostic and psychological profile. Other observations included the repercussions of this action on the couples' stability in case of failure or success, the desire for children and the plans concerning them, the secrecy theme and questions arising from the practice of anonymous or non-anonymous oocyte donation. The relationship between recipients and donors, as well as the specific relationship between couples and their consultants, were also examined. It is concluded that the problems encountered differ according to the infertility diagnosis. Donor anonymity allows oocyte recipients to impose their own identity patterns onto the future child and to introduce him/her in an unbiased way to their own lives. Artificial techniques to assist in the conception of a child do not appear to interfere with the couple's relationship and their desire for a child, which remains constant for each member of the couple.

[Oocyte donors. Psychological aspects]. / Les donneuses d'ovocytes. Aspects psychologiques.

This study concerns 63 oocyte donors who were investigated after a semi-directed interview. In our procedure all "personalized anonymity" donation took place on two levels: symbolic donation for close recipient, real donation for unknown recipient. All donors agree with anonymity without which some would not have preceded. Narcissic weakness often linked with recent trauma (death...) is often seen in patients who do not achieve the gift. Oblativity and happy motherhood are the most important reasons for oocyte gift.

[The diagnosis of facial asymmetry]. / Le diagnostic des asymétries faciales.

Diagnosis of aetiology of facial asymmetry is dependent on results of clinical and complementary examinations. Its most frequent causes are illustrated by several case reports.

[Recipients of oocytes donated anonymously. Psychological aspects]. / Les receveuses de don d'ovocytes dans le cadre de l'anonymat. Aspects psychologiques.

This study concerns fifty patients who were investigated after a semi-directed interview. Several factors came to light: the type of couples who use assisted reproductive techniques (diagnostic and psychological profiles); the stability of the couple when failure and when success occurred; the hope of having a child and their ideas concerning the child's future; secrecy, questions that were asked concerning the practice of anonymity and non-anonymous donation of oocytes; the relationships between the recipients and the donors as well as the specific relationships that develop between the couples and their physicians. The conclusion reached from the studies show that the diagnoses of the various causes for sterility give rise to different problems. Donor anonymity makes it possible for the recipient to stamp their own pattern of identity on the child about to be born and make him part of their family history. Bringing the technique into conception of the child does not seem to interfere with the relationship between the couple and with their desire to have a child. The upbringing of the child is the responsibility of the couple.

A practical endoscopic procedure for jejunal intubation in presence of gastroparesia or (pseudo)-obstruction.

Patients with gastroparesia or intestinal pseudo-obstruction frequently have a motility disorder of the antro-pyloric region that makes the passage of tubes through the pylorus impossible or a very long procedure. We describe a rapid endoscopic method, inspired by the one used for nasobiliary drainage, that simplifies this procedure. In our manometric studies, we observed that spontaneous positioning needed a mean of 57 min (SD 34) in nondyspeptic subjects and a mean of 147 min (SD 68) in non-organic highly dyspeptic patients. Our method allowed us to shorten to a mean of 22 min (SD 5) the time needed to position the manometric tube and to start the recording of gastro-intestinal contractions in highly dyspeptic patients.

[A prospective and comparative study of the outcome of children born via in-vitro fertilization and of their mothers]. / Etude prospective et comparative du devenir des enfants nés par fécondation in vitro et de leur mère.

A prospective comparative study was carried out on the development of 40 infants born by in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and of their relationships with their mothers. This group was compared with two control groups: Children born to infertile women after ovulation had been induced but where assisted reproduction was not used. A group of infants born after normal conception without medical intervention at all. The preliminary results at 9 months showed that there were no major developmental problems in IVF infants as compared with the controls. All the same, there are more troubles as far as sleep is concerned with IVF children and with the group of infertile mothers and these symptoms seem to be linked to difficulty in the mother-infant relationship. These troubles are minor ones and appear to be only temporary as far as can be told after 18 months.

[Anti-HL-A immunization in polytransfused patients according to the antigenic composition of the transfused blood]. / L'immunisation anti-HL-A des polytransfusés en fonction de la composition antigénique des sangs transfusés

The presence of anti-HL-A antibodies in a polytransfused person very often is a sign of a bad prognosis for survival of renal grafts or for the efficacity of leucocyte transfusion. In this paper, we describe the immunization of 5 patients who have been studied for several years. The number of units transfused as well as antigenic HL-A composition of these units are known for each patient. This enabled us to identify for each antigen, the number of blood units transfused (results given in %). Our observations confirm facts already described by several authors, study of voluntary programmed immunization, with the cells from the same donor. Furthermore, we are aware that there does not appear to be any direct relationship between proportion (absolute value) of the antigens received and specificity of antibodies. The time needed for an individual to become immunized does not appear to be related to the number of transfusions. This could lead to the modification of the criteria allowing to classify individuals as "responders" or "non-responders".