Photocrosslinking and photopatterning of magneto-optical nanocomposite sol-gel thin film under deep-UV irradiation.

This paper is aimed at investigating the process of photocrosslinking under Deep-UV irradiation of nanocomposite thin films doped with cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). This material is composed of a hybrid sol-gel matrix in which MNP can be introduced with high concentrations up to 20 vol%. Deep-UV (193 nm) is not only interesting for high-resolution patterning but we also show an efficient photopolymerization pathway even in the presence of high concentration of MNPs. In this study, we demonstrate that the photocrosslinking is based on the free radical polymerization of the methacrylate functions of the hybrid precursor. This process is initiated by Titanium-oxo clusters. The impact of the nanoparticles on the photopolymerization kinetic and photopatterning is investigated. We finally show that the photosensitive nanocomposite is suitable to obtain micropatterns with sub-micron resolution, with a simple and versatile process, which opens many opportunities for fabrication of miniaturized magneto-optical devices for photonic applications.

Incidental diagnosis of Covid-19 pneumonia on chest computed tomography.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and imaging characteristics of incidentally diagnosed COVID-19 pneumonia on computed tomography (CT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted between March 20th and March 31st, 2020 at Cochin hospital, Paris France. Thoracic CT examinations of all patients referred for another reason than a suspicion of SARS-CoV-2 infection were reviewed. CT images were analyzed by a chest radiologist to confirm the presence of findings consistent with COVID-19 pneumonia and quantify disease extent. Clinical and biological data (C-reactive protein serum level [CRP] and white blood cell count) of patients with CT findings suggestive for COVID-19 pneumonia were retrieved from the electronic medical chart. RESULTS: During the study period, among 205 diagnostic CT examinations, six examinations (6/205, 3%) in 6 different patients (4 men, 2 women; median age, 57 years) revealed images highly suggestive of COVID-19 pneumonia. The final diagnosis was confirmed by RT-PCR. Three inpatients were suspected of extra thoracic infection whereas three outpatients were either fully asymptomatic or presented with fatigue only. All had increased CRP serum level and lymphopenia. Disease extent on CT was mild to moderate in 5/6 patients (83%) and severe in 1/6 patient (17%). CONCLUSION: Cumulative incidence of fortuitous diagnosis if COVID-19 pneumonia did not exceed 3% during the highest pandemic phase and was predominantly associated with limited lung involvement.

Evaluation of collected outcome measures in axial spondyloarthritis in daily-care rheumatology settings: the experience of the RHEVER network.

OBJECTIVES: Nowadays, the recommended measures for optimal monitoring of axial Spondyloarthritis (ax-SpA) disease activity are either BASDAI and CRP, or ASDAS-CRP. However, there could be a gap between recommendations and daily practice. We aimed to determine the measures collected by rheumatologists in an ax-SpA follow-up visit, and to determine the impact of a meeting (where rheumatologists reached a consensus on the measures to be collected) on the collection of such measures. METHODS: A consensual meeting of a local network of 32 rheumatologists proposed, four months later, to report at least the BASDAI score in the medical file of every ax-SpA patient at every follow-up visit. An independent investigator reviewed the medical files of 10 consecutive patients per rheumatologist, seen twice during the year (e.g. before and after the meeting). The most frequently collected measures were assessed, and then, the frequency of collection before and after the meeting was compared. RESULTS: A total of 456 medical files from 228 patients were reviewed. Treatment (>60%), CRP (51.3%) and total BASDAI (28.5%) were the most reported measures in medical files. Before/After the meeting, the frequencies of collected measures in medical files were 28.5%/51.7%, 51.3%/52.2%, 16.7%/31.6% and 0.9%/6.1% for BASDAI, CRP, BASDAI + CRP and ASDAS, respectively reaching a statistically significance for BASDAI, ASDAS and BASDAI+CRP (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed a low rate of systematic report of the recommended outcome measures in ax-SpA. However, it suggests that a consensual meeting involving practicing rheumatologists might be relevant to improve the implementation of such recommendations.

[Congenital cervical agenesis: pregnancy after transmyometrial embryo transfer]. / Agénésie cervicale congénitale: grossesse obtenue après transfert intra-myométrial d'embryon.

Cervical agenesis is a rare congenital pathology linked to an anomaly of development of the Mullerian system. We described a case report about a 22-year old woman, consulting for infertility, who had a complete cervical agenesis. The first evaluation suggested a 46 XX karyotype and a normal ovarian reserve. The surgical examination confirmed the absence of cervix with impossibility of catheterization. She became pregnant thanks to an in vitro fertilization (IVF) with transmyometrial embryo transfer. Caesarean was decided at 36 weeks of gestation (WG) due to spontaneous uterine contractions. An injection of medroxyprogesterone was made after the placenta delivery in order to warning the partum hemorrhage. The ultrasound examination, realized 15 days after caesarean, underlined a good uterine involution. The surgery by cervico-vaginal anastomosis can be offered to patients because it offers chances of spontaneous pregnancies. But this surgery exposes women to a risk of failure, and of severe complications such as pain or infection, and might end in a hysterectomy. By choosing the transmyometrial transfer by vaginal way, the patient was exposed to the risk of spontaneous miscarriage. It was raising the problem of the uterine evacuation. This delivery after 34 WG is encouraging for the infertility by cervical agenesis.

From bulk materials to nanoparticles using a one-step electrochemical method.

This paper describes an electrochemical method which permits us to transform solid metals (cobalt, iron or nickel) into nanoparticles. An electrolysis cell is made, the anode being a metal bar and the cathode a mercury layer. Magnetic nanoparticles are obtained in one step by electroreduction of mercury. Electrolysis is performed in an aqueous medium at pH above 6 in order to avoid the reduction of protons. The magnetic nanoparticles obtained are kept in mercury and can be recovered in an organic solvent.

Factor V Leiden and prothrombin G20210A polymorphisms as risk factors for miscarriage during a first intended pregnancy: the matched case-control 'NOHA first' study.

Factor V Leiden (FVL) and prothrombin G20210A (FIIG20210A) mutations are associated with a higher risk of miscarriage: we sought to understand whether this association differs by clinical time of unexplained miscarriage, and by ethnic origin, among women with no previous thrombotic episode, during the first intended pregnancy. We performed a case-control study nested in a cohort of 32 683 women. We analyzed 3496 pairs of women matched for classical confounding factors. The FVL and FIIG20210A mutations were associated with an increased risk of miscarriage in Caucasian women [odds ratio (OR) 3.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.37-4.30, P < 0.001 and OR 2.36, 95% CI, 1.72-3.24, P < 0.001, respectively]. Among non-Caucasian women, the mutations were rare and the associations with risk of miscarriage less clear. FVL and FIIG20210A mutations were independent risk factors for miscarriages only for women with related clinical signs occurring from the 10th week of gestation on (OR 3.46, 95% CI 2.53-4.72, P < 0.001 and OR 2.60, 95% CI 1.86-3.64, P < 0.001, respectively). These results indicate that FVL and FIIG20210A mutations are associated with a significant risk of spontaneous abortion which clinical signs occur from the 10th week on of the first intended pregnancy.

Size-selective chemical synthesis of tartrate stabilized cobalt ferrite ionic magnetic fluid.

Ionic magnetic fluid (ferrofluid) is a stable suspension of magnetic nanoparticles in water. Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles are interesting in view of high-density recording storage. The size of the magnetic particles strongly influences the physical properties of the ferrofluids. In this study, we describe the synthesis of ionic magnetic fluid in the presence of tartrate ions. By varying the amount of organic ligands, nanoparticles in a large range of size are obtained: the mean diameter varies from 3 to 10 nm. The effect of tartrate ions on the stability of the ionic magnetic fluid is also studied in relation with the size of the magnetic particles and the amount of adsorbed ligand.

[Vaginal dryness]. / La sécheresse vaginale.

Vaginal dryness is one of the "little problems" that are too often, ignored. The disorder essentially manifests at the time of menopause, but can occur at other times, such as with oral contraception, following vaginal infection, after treatment for infection, etc. Screening for the disorder should become routine. Management should have precise objectives: cure of the infection and restablishment of the vaginal flora in order to reconstitute a natural balance. Treatment can be adapted for each patient to obtain effective and lasting results.

Photonic hall effect in ferrofluids: theory and experiments

An experimental and theoretical study on the photonic Hall effect (PHE) in liquid and gelled samples of ferrofluids is presented. The ferrofluids are aqueous colloidal suspensions of Fe2CoO4 particles, which can be considered as anisotropic and absorbing Rayleigh scatterers. The PHE is found to be produced by the orientation of the magnetic moments of the particles, as is also the case for the Faraday effect. The dependence of the PHE with respect to the concentration of the scatterers, the magnetic field, and the polarization of the incident light is measured in liquid and in gelled samples, and is compared to a simple model based on the use of a scattering matrix and the single scattering approximation.

Antiphospholipid and antiprotein syndromes in non-thrombotic, non-autoimmune women with unexplained recurrent primary early foetal loss. The Nîmes Obstetricians and Haematologists Study--NOHA.

Various antiphospholipid and/or antiprotein antibodies have been suspected to be associated with recurrent early foetal loss in absence of any habitual aetiology. We conducted a hospital-based case control study on women with no antecedent of thromboembolic or autoimmune disease. We studied 3 groups of 518 women: patients with unexplained primary recurrent early foetal loss, patients with explained episodes and mothers with no previous obstetrical accident. Matching the 3 groups was carried out on the basis of age, number or pregnancies and time elapsed since the end of the last pregnancy. Significant biological markers were then prospectively tested. The various antibodies were shown to be dependent on parity and on the presence of previous foetal loss: cut-off values were thus calculated using data obtained from the group of explained accidents, and adjusted for parity. Only anti-phosphatidylethanolamine IgM [odds ratio: 6.0, 95% confidence interval (2.3-15.7), p = 0.0003], anti-beta2-glycoprotein I IgG [4.4, (1.6-11.7), p = 0.0035] anti-annexin V IgG antibodies [3.2 (1.2-8.1), p = 0.015] and lupus anticoagulant [3.0, (1.3-6.8), p = 0.009], were found to be independent retrospective risk factors for unexplained early foetal loss. These four markers were subsequently found to be, during the following pregnancy, associated with a significant risk of foetal loss despite a low-dose aspirin treatment. In non-thrombotic, non-auto-immune women with unexplained primary recurrent early foetal loss, subgroups of patients with positive anti-phosphatidylethanolamine IgM antibodies, or positive anti-beta2-glycoprotein-I IgG antibodies, or positive anti-annexin V IgG antibodies or lupus anticoagulant must be particularised. This should allow therapeutic trials to be carried in well-defined patients.

Case-control study of the frequency of thrombophilic disorders in couples with late foetal loss and no thrombotic antecedent--the Nîmes Obstetricians and Haematologists Study5 (NOHA5).

BACKGROUND: Women with familial thrombophilia have an increased risk of still birth. We postulated that the presence of asymptomatic risk factors for venous thrombosis might be a risk factor for late foetal loss. METHODS: We performed a case-control study on the prevalence of heritable thrombophilic defects, of antiphospholipid-related markers and of the C677T mutation in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene in patients with at least one episode of late unexplained foetal loss and in control women with successful pregnancies. Partners of cases and controls were also studied. Written conclusions of the pathological examination of the placentas, when available, were also reviewed. RESULTS: We found at least one positive biological risk factor for venous thrombosis in 21.1% of the patients and in 3.9% of the controls (p < 10(-4)). In women, the crude odds ratio for still birth associated with any positive biological risk factor for venous thrombosis was 5.5, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) [3.4-9.0]. No difference was found between partners of cases and controls (5.2% and 4.7%). Using conditional logistic regression analysis, 4 adjusted risk factors for still birth remained: protein S deficiency, positive anti beta2 glycoprotein I IgG antibodies, positive anticardiolipin IgG antibodies and the factor V Leiden mutation. The C677T mutation in the MTHFR gene was not an individual risk factor but an homozygous genotype was strongly associated with the former 4 risk factors (16.8% of patients vs. 0.9% of controls). In women with such associations, still births always occurred in absence of folic acid supplementation during pregnancy. Available conclusions of pathological analysis of placentas were found to have a very high proportion of "maternal vascular disease of the placenta" in patients with at least one positive risk marker for thromboembolism, specially in case of association with the C677T MTHFR homozygous genotype, compared to patients with negative markers (p <10(-4)). CONCLUSIONS: Late foetal loss, through placenta thrombosis, may sometimes be the consequence of a maternal multifactorial prothrombotic state associating traditional heritable or acquired thrombosis risk factors to conditions predisposing to an acute mild hyperhomocysteinaemia (coexistence of a genetic predisposition with late pregnancy-related increased folate needs).

Respective evaluation of the prevalence of haemostasis abnormalities in unexplained primary early recurrent miscarriages. The Nimes Obstetricians and Haematologists (NOHA) Study.

The prevalence of haemostasis abnormalities was evaluated in 500 consecutive women with unexplained primary recurrent miscarriages. Two matched reference groups with no antecedent of miscarriage were studied: 100 healthy mothers and 50 childless women. In the prospective part of the study, we found 9.4% of the patients (95% C.I.: 6.8-12%) with an isolated factor XII deficiency, 7.4% of the patients (5.0-9.8%) with primary antiphopholipid antibodies, 47% of the patients (42.6-51.4%) with an insufficient response to the venous occlusion test and an isolated hypofibrinolysis was found in 42.6% (38.2-47%) of the patients (reference groups: respectively 0/150, 3/150, 2/150, p < 10(-3)). Willebrand disease, fibrinogen, deficiency, antithrombin, protein C or protein S deficiencies were not more frequent in recurrent aborters than in members of the reference groups. In the retrospective part of the study, cases of plasma resistance to activated protein C were not abnormally frequent. Patients had higher Willebrand factor antigen (vWF), tissue-type plasminogen activator antigen (t-PA), plasminogen activator inhibitor activity (PAI) and D-dimers (D-Di) than the reference women. Values of vWF, t-PA, PAI and D-Di were altogether correlated but were not related to C-reactive protein concentrations. Among patients, those with an antiphospholipid syndrome and those with an insufficient response to the venous occlusion test had higher vWF, t-PA, PAI and D-Di values than the patients with none of the haemostasis-related abnormalities. Thus, factor XII deficiency and hypofibrinolysis (mainly high PAI) are the most frequent haemostasis-related abnormalities found in unexplained primary recurrent aborters. In patients with antiphospholipid antibodies or hypofibrinolysis, there is a non-inflammatory ongoing chronic elevation of markers of endothelial stimulation associated with coagulation activation. This should allow to define subgroups of patients for future therapeutic trials.

Use of a low-molecular weight heparin (enoxaparin) or of a phenformin-like substance (moroxydine chloride) in primary early recurrent aborters with an impaired fibrinolytic capacity.

An impaired fibrinolytic capacity, defined as an insufficient venous occlusion-induced shortening of the plasma euglobulin clot lysis time, is a common feature in women suffering from primary early recurrent unexplained miscarriages. We investigated the therapeutic effect of a low-molecular-weight heparin and of a phenformin-like substance. In a prospective, randomized trial, 30 consecutive patients initially received either enoxaparin, 20 mg per day during one month, or moroxydine chloride, 1200 mg per day during one month. In case of fibrinolytic status normalization, they were treated during 6 months by the beneficial treatment which was planned to be continued during eventual pregnancies. Patients with hypofibrinolysis persistence received the alternative treatment during another month and a new evaluation was performed. No treatment was given when a persistent abnormal response to the venous occlusion test was evidenced. In case of positive response, the treatment was continued during 6 months. The primary study end-points consisted of any of the following: effect of the treatments on the fibrinolytic response; number of patients becoming pregnant during the 6 months following the last venous occlusion test; number of full-term pregnancies. Concerning the effects on the fibrinolytic system, 20 out of 29 women responded to the first or second-line enoxaparin treatment whereas only 1 woman out of 19 responded to moroxydine chloride (p = 0.00002). Concerning the effects on fertility, responders to LMWH were more likely to initiate a new pregnancy than non-responders (16/20 vs 2/10, p = 0.002). In patients conceiving, LMWH responders were more likely to obtain live births than nonresponders (13/16 vs. 0/2, p = 0.02).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Plasma fibrinolytic activators and their inhibitors in women suffering from early recurrent abortion of unknown etiology.

The fibrinolytic response to a venous occlusion test was evaluated in 116 consecutive patients who had each had early recurrent miscarriages of unknown origin. A normal response to venous occlusion was defined from the statistical analysis of data obtained in a matched group of 90 women with no past abortion. Seventy-four patients had at least one abnormal fibrinolysis-related test, whereas no member of the control group had any (p < 10(-6)). Fifty-six of the patients had a stasis-induced shortening of the euglobulin clot lysis time that was less than normal (median decrement 3.5% [normal > or = 28%] [p < 10(-6)]). In this subgroup, 17 women also had a poor tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) response (median increment 18% [normal > or = 34%] [p < 0.001]). Twenty-one of the 56 had high plasma levels of type 1 plasminogen activator inactivator (PAI-1) as well as a high PAI activity level (p < 0.001 for comparison with normal controls). Sixteen patients had both abnormalities (tPA response blunted and high PAI values). When retested in the same patients, the patterns persisted over time. Nine other habitual aborters had abnormally high type 2 plasminogen activator inhibitor plasma levels (> 4.2 ng/ml). Six other patients had a poor urokinase-type plasminogen activator reactivity to venous occlusion (post-stasis levels lower than 0.18 ng/ml). Thus activators and inhibitors of the fibrinolytic system are frequently abnormal in primary habitual aborters. The current pathogeneses of high PAI-1 concentrations and of impaired tPA reactivity to venous occlusion were not found in these patients. The role of the fibrinolytic components in trophoblast invasiveness has been suspected in animals, and an impaired plasmin-dependent proteolysis in women might favor recurrent abortion by promoting fibrin deposition in early placental circulation or by limiting trophoblast development, or both.

[The use of LHRH analogs in ovulation induction]. / L'utilisation des analogues de la LH-RH en induction de l'ovulation.

The use of LH-RH agonists is appropriate for the stimulation of ovulation. In contrast, in the case of induction of ovulation in a patient with deficient ovulation, suppression of influences of the hypothalamo-pituitary axis does not modify the pathological condition responsible for the ovulatory anomaly.

[Pulsatile administration of gonadotropin releasing hormone in the female. Diagnostic and therapeutic indications]. / Administration pulsatile de gonadolibérine chez la femme. Indications diagnostiques et thérapeutiques.

Prolonged pulsatile exogenous GnRH allows differentiation between hypothalamic and pituitary causes of hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism and is able to induce ovulation and pregnancy in most of women with hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA). When compared with human menopausal gonadotropin, GnRH appears to be a more efficient therapy of HA but yields inferior results in chronic anovulatory patients with persistent LH secretion. Pulsatile GnRH following a GnRH-analog suppression represents a new promising treatment of infertile women with polycystic ovarian syndrome. However such a combined therapy is time-consuming and only permits to attempt 3 to 4 stimulated cycles during a year. Therefore the successful preliminary reports need to be confirmed by a further randomized study.