The influence of fibril composition and dimension on the performance of paper gated oxide transistors.

Paper electronics is a topic of great interest due the possibility of having low-cost, disposable and recyclable electronic devices. The final goal is to make paper itself an active part of such devices. In this work we present new approaches in the selection of tailored paper, aiming to use it simultaneously as substrate and dielectric in oxide based paper field effect transistors (FETs). From the work performed, it was observed that the gate leakage current in paper FETs can be reduced using a dense microfiber/nanofiber cellulose paper as the dielectric. Also, the stability of these devices against changes in relative humidity is improved. On other hand, if the pH of the microfiber/nanofiber cellulose pulp is modified by the addition of HCl, the saturation mobility of the devices increases up to 16 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), with an ION/IOFF ratio close to 10(5).

Forced catch-up growth after fetal protein restriction alters the adipose tissue gene expression program leading to obesity in adult mice.

A mismatch between fetal and postnatal environment can permanently alter the body structure and physiology and therefore contribute later to obesity and related disorders, as revealed by epidemiological studies. Early programming of adipose tissue might be central in this observation. Moreover, adipose tissue secretes adipokines that provide a molecular link between obesity and its related disorders. Therefore, our aim was to investigate whether a protein restriction during fetal life, followed by catch-up growth could lead to obesity in 9-mo-old male mice and could alter the adipose tissue gene expression profile. Dams were fed a low-protein (LP) or an isocaloric control (C) diet during gestation. Postnatal catch-up growth was induced in LP offspring by feeding dams with control diet and by culling LP litters to four pups instead of eight in the C group. At weaning, male mice were fed by lab chow alone (C) or supplemented with a hypercaloric diet (HC), to induce obesity (C-C, C-HC, LP-C, and LP-HC groups). At 9 mo, LP offspring featured increased relative fat mass, hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, and hyperleptinemia. Using a microarray designed to study the expression of 89 genes involved in adipose tissue differentiation/function, we demonstrated that the expression profile of several genes were dependent upon the maternal diet. Among the diverse genes showing altered expression, we could identify genes encoding several enzymes involved in lipid metabolism. These results indicated that offspring submitted to early mismatched nutrition exhibited alterations in adipose tissue gene expression that probably increases their susceptibility to overweight when challenged after weaning with a HC diet.

[Tuberculous otitis media]. / Tuberculose de l'oreille moyenne.

Tuberculous otitis media is a rare disease. Its diagnosis is often made late. We report the case of a 13-year-old girl presenting with a right chronic otitis media and a massive and painful cervical adenitis. High resolution CT-scan revealed cervical and mediastinal adenitis associated with extensive lesions involving the middle ear, mastoid air cells, and sphenoidal bone. The diagnosis of tuberculous otitis media was made on a positive tuberculin skin test and on the identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in gastric juices. The young girl progressed well after 9 months of antituberculous chemotherapy.

[Isolated congenital tracheoesophageal fistula. Retrospective analysis of 8 cases and review of the literature]. / Les fistules oesotrachéales congénitales isolées. Etude rétrospective de 8 cas et revue de la littérature.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical presentation, diagnostic and treatment modalities of isolated congenital tracheoesophageal fistula ("H-type fistula"). METHODS: We report a retrospective analysis of 8 patients treated between 1998 and 2006 in a tertiary care centre. RESULTS: Mean age at time of diagnosis was 22 days, the most frequent mode of presentation was with respiratory symptoms during feeding (coughing, choking). Diagnosis was performed using flexible laryngotracheal endoscopy and rigid tracheoscopy under general anaesthesia, associated to a malformative assessment. Treatment was based on surgical closure by right cervicotomy. No per or post-operative complication was observed. Extubation was realized after 3.6 days and oral feeding was reintroduced after 5.5 days. Follow-up revealed one case of tracheomalacia and two patients required a gastrostomy. No recurrence was observed. CONCLUSION: The tracheoesophageal congenital isolated fistula is a rare malformation. Recurrent respiratory symptoms should alert to this diagnosis. The simplest and more efficient diagnosis method seems to be flexible laryngotracheal endoscopy. Surgical treatment by cervicotomy must be performed without any delay. A long-term follow-up is necessary because of the recurrence risk.

Gene expression profiling of LPS-stimulated murine macrophages and role of the NF-kappaB and PI3K/mTOR signaling pathways.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a major component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, activates a broad spectrum of signaling pathways in immune cells. In this article, RAW264.7 cells have been stimulated for 4 h with 1 microg/mL of LPS in the presence or not of specific inhibitors of the NF-kappaB pathway (BAY 11-7082) and the PI3K pathway (LY294002). Gene expression profiles were characterized using the DNA microarray "Dual Chip Mouse Inflammation." This array monitors the expression of 233 genes encoding proteins playing a role in inflammation. Both signaling pathways exert an important role in the response to LPS, but they are not completely overlapping. For example, genes encoding the PAF receptor, PAI-1, PlA2 (group V), IL-13 receptor (alpha2), and GTP cyclohydrolase 1, were upregulated after LPS treatment, but this upregulation was counteracted by LY294002. The same was observed for BAY 11-7082: genes encoding the kit ligand, TLR2, or TNFRSF5 were mainly under the control of NF-kappaB. NF-kappaB plays an important role in the macrophage response to LPS, but we have also shown that the PI3K pathway partially contributes to it. Further experiments with the specific inhibitor of mTOR (rapamycin) will provide more information on the specific contribution of the PI3K/mTOR pathway in the inflammatory response in LPS-stimulated macrophages.

[Perception and understanding chronic heart failure by the patient. The impact of therapeutic education on the level of knowledge of patients. About 350 cases]. / Perception et compréhension de l'insuffisance cardiaque chronique par le patient. Impact d'une formation éducative sur les connaissances des patients. Etude médico-infirmière à propos de 35 cas.

UNLABELLED: Heart failure is a severe disease with a poor prognosis despite major therapeutic progresses achieved recently. A key factor is the high number of hospitalizations for heart failure, considered as being avoidable, since they are related to a lack of adequate management of the patients. Several therapeutic education programs focused on heart failure are in progress. Even though these programs aim at making patients an active agent managing the disease, data on patient's level of knowledge and experience regarding heart failure are scarce. The aim of our study was to analyze the patient's perception of the disease and his/her practices about this disease, as well as the treatments used. METHODS: we included 350 consecutive patients and analyzed their level of knowledge and experience using a questionnaire, as well as interviews performed by nurses and physicians. This initial assessment was followed by a second assessment after an 8-hours course in 2 days, made by the multidisciplinary education team of R. Dubos hospital (including physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, dietician). RESULTS: in contrast to tests assessing the knowledge on the disease, which were in overall satisfactory, the results on the level of knowledge on treatments and heart failure pathways were poor. The courses improve significantly the level of knowledge in all domains, whatever would the age and the level of patient's demand for information be. The analysis of the patient's conception of his/her own disease reveals the lack of knowledge on the severity of heart failure. Frequently, the effect of treatments is considered as poorly efficient, and a substantial fraction of these patients have underlying depressive moods. CONCLUSION: the understanding of the level of knowledge and the perception of the patient regarding his/her disease is primordial for setting educational structures and programs. However, the patient's conception of the disease is different from care providers. It is therefore essential to assess the patient's conception by an educational diagnosis prior to implement adapted education programs, in order to improve durably the patient's knowledge, at every age.

[The conventional hearing aid]. / La prothèse auditive conventionnelle.

The conventional hearing aid has benefited from the progress made in electronic miniaturization and digital signal processing. The prescriber should be familiar with these improvements, the anatomic and acoustic limitations related to hearing aids, the possibilities of surgical rehabilitation, as well as the indications for other auditive rehabilitation techniques (bone conduction hearing, middle ear implant, and cochlear implant). A hearing aid should be prescribed within a precise context taking into account patient history, clinical examination, audiometric testing, and choice of the device. Optimal management of a hearing device for a child should be conducted within an adapted network including a specialized ENT physician, audiophonology, a qualified hearing prosthetist, a speech therapist, etc.).

Predictive microbiology of dairy products: influence of biological factors affecting growth of Listeria monocytogenes.

The growth potential of Listeria monocytogenes was evaluated at low temperature in sterilized milk and raw dairy products. Sterilized and raw milk were inoculated with different strains of L. monocytogenes in 2 physiological states and at various contamination levels. Raw cheese was naturally contaminated with Listeria spp. The results suggest that some biological factors influence the growth capacity of L monocytogenes in dairy products. Significant strain effect was observed at low temperature whatever the growth medium. By contrast, no inoculum effect was observed in the 3 dairy products. In raw matrixes, growth of L. monocytogenes was influenced greatly by bacterial interactions and physiological state of inoculum cells.

[Controlled study of outcome after 6 months to early intervention of bus driver victims of aggression]. / Etude contrôlée sur l'efficacité à 6 mois d'une prise en charge précoce de 132 conducteurs d'autobus victimes d'agression.

The aftermath of psychological trauma, long since studied in the context of war ("soldier's heart", "shell shock", etc.) can also occur as a result of trauma in civilian life. Bus drivers in large urban area are frequently aggressed. Over a period of 5 months, bus drivers who had been aggressed, employees of the largest French urban transport company (RATP), participated in a study designed to evaluate the effects of cognitive behavior treatment provided shortly after such aggression. A total of 132 bus drivers were included in the study divided into 2 randomized groups: a control group (67 subjects) received the usual medical-social care offered by the company, and a treatment group (65 subjects) who, in addition, benefited from 1 to 6 sessions of cognitive behavior intervention, including:evocation of the aggression, relaxation, role plays, cognitive restructuring. Subjects were evaluated by self-questionnaires a few days post-aggression and re-evaluated 6 months later. At follow-up, results showed a statistically significant decrease in anxiety levels (measured by the HAD scale) and intrusion of the traumatic memory (as evaluated by the Horowitz scale) in the treatment group. Hence, early and structured intervention appears to lessen the impact of the traumatic event on bus drivers attacked at work.

Lesion of the subthalamic nucleus reverses motor deficits but not death of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in a rat 6-hydroxydopamine-lesion model of Parkinson's disease.

The objective of the present study was to determine whether lesion of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) promoted by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) would rescue nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons after unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) injection into the medial forebrain bundle (MFB). Initially, 16 mg 6-OHDA (6-OHDA group) or vehicle (artificial cerebrospinal fluid - aCSF; Sham group) was infused into the right MFB of adult male Wistar rats. Fifteen days after surgery, the 6-OHDA and SHAM groups were randomly subdivided and received ipsilateral injection of either 60 mM NMDA or aCSF in the right STN. Additionally, a control group was not submitted to stereotaxic surgery. Five groups of rats were studied: 6-OHDA/NMDA, 6-OHDA/Sham, Sham/NMDA, Sham/Sham, and Control. Fourteen days after injection of 6-OHDA, rats were submitted to the rotational test induced by apomorphine (0.1 mg/kg, ip) and to the open-field test. The same tests were performed again 14 days after NMDA-induced lesion of the STN. The STN lesion reduced the contralateral turns induced by apomorphine and blocked the progression of motor impairment in the open-field test in 6-OHDA-treated rats. However, lesion of the STN did not prevent the reduction of striatal concentrations of dopamine and metabolites or the number of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons after 6-OHDA lesion. Therefore, STN lesion is able to reverse motor deficits after severe 6-OHDA-induced lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway, but does not protect or rescue dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta.

Lesion of the subthalamic nucleus reverses motor deficits but not death of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in a rat 6-hydroxydopamine-lesion model of Parkinson's disease

The objective of the present study was to determine whether lesion of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) promoted by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) would rescue nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons after unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) injection into the medial forebrain bundle (MFB). Initially, 16 mg 6-OHDA (6-OHDA group) or vehicle (artificial cerebrospinal fluid - aCSF; Sham group) was infused into the right MFB of adult male Wistar rats. Fifteen days after surgery, the 6-OHDA and SHAM groups were randomly subdivided and received ipsilateral injection of either 60 mM NMDA or aCSF in the right STN. Additionally, a control group was not submitted to stereotaxic surgery. Five groups of rats were studied: 6-OHDA/NMDA, 6-OHDA/Sham, Sham/NMDA, Sham/Sham, and Control. Fourteen days after injection of 6-OHDA, rats were submitted to the rotational test induced by apomorphine (0.1 mg/kg, ip) and to the open-field test. The same tests were performed again 14 days after NMDA-induced lesion of the STN. The STN lesion reduced the contralateral turns induced by apomorphine and blocked the progression of motor impairment in the open-field test in 6-OHDA-treated rats. However, lesion of the STN did not prevent the reduction of striatal concentrations of dopamine and metabolites or the number of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons after 6-OHDA lesion. Therefore, STN lesion is able to reverse motor deficits after severe 6-OHDA-induced lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway, but does not protect or rescue dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta.

[Phylogenic interest of the clivo-pterygoid angle]. / Interet phylogenique de l'angle clivo-pterygoidien

The comparison between the planum-clivus angle of Man and the african Pongids shows that the closing of this angle is the result of a noticeable rotation of the clivus and a less important rotation of the planum in an opposite direction.

[Graft versus host reaction following materno-fetal transfusion. Apropos of 1 case]. / Réaction du greffon contre l'hôte après transfusion materno-foetale. A propos d'une observation.

After GVHR by probable maternal-foetal in utero transfusion, a male infant carrying a serious combined immune deficit (DICS) has presented a second post transfusional GVHR. On the occasion of this observation, the authors recall the main signs which permit to evoke this rare diagnosis as early as possible, as well as some main preventive measures that can be applied in current practice.

Significance of inoculum size in the lag time of Listeria monocytogenes.

The lag time of Listeria monocytogenes growing under suboptimal conditions (low nutrient concentrations, pH 6, and 6.5 degrees C) was extended when the inoculum was severely stressed by starvation and the inoculum size was very small. Predictive microbiology should deal with bacterial stress and stochastic approaches to improve its value for the agro-food industry.