Supersymmetric Ruijsenaars-Schneider model.

An integrable supersymmetric generalization of the trigonometric Ruijsenaars-Schneider model is presented whose symmetry algebra includes the super Poincaré algebra. Moreover, its Hamiltonian is shown to be diagonalized by the recently introduced Macdonald superpolynomials. Somewhat surprisingly, the consistency of the scalar product forces the discreteness of the Hilbert space.

[Evaluation of care given by nurses during the acute stage of stroke]. / Evaluation de la charge de travail de l'infirmière et de l'aide-soignante en phase aiguë d'un accident vasculaire cérébral.

INTRODUCTION: We report the results of a one-day survey of nursing care load in University Hospitals (UH), General Hospitals (GH) and Stroke Units (SU) regarding the acute stage of stroke. METHODS: The type of care and the time devoted to care were compared by type of stroke (transient ischemic attack, ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, cerebral thrombophlebitis, sub-arachnoid hemorrhage), and degree of handicap (Barthel score). RESULTS: Twenty-two hospitals (13 UH and 9 GH) participated in the study and provided care for 328 stroke victims (30 transient ischemic attacks, 247 ischemic strokes, 36 hemorrhagic strokes, 3 cerebral thrombophlebitis events and 11 strokes of unknown mechanism). Care was given in UHs for 63 percent of the patients and in GHs for 37 percent; in SUs for 40 percent (132 patients) and general neurology units for 60 percent (196 patients). Care involved physiotherapy for 70 percent, speech therapy for 42 percent, and care for cognitive decline for 36 percent. Mean time spent by nurses and nursing assistants peaked in the morning with a significant time not devoted to care. More than 3 hours of nurse care per day of care was significantly more frequent in SUs (p<0.001) and in GHs (p=0.02) for patients with Barthel score<40 or hemorrhagic stroke, irrespective of age. Patients older than 80 years, with a Barthel score<40, with hemorrhagic stroke, and who were admitted more than 15 days before the survey required more than two hours per day of nursing assistant care significantly more often. The probability of more than three hours per day of nurse care for stroke increased 2.8-fold for hemorrhagic stroke, 6.0-fold for Barthel Score<40, and 2.0-fold for care in a GH. The probability of more than two hours per day of nurse assistant care for stroke increased 3.0-fold for hemorrhagic stroke, 6.1-fold for Barthel score<40, 2.0-fold for patients older than 70 years, and 1.5-fold for stroke onset more than 14 days before the survey. CONCLUSION: This survey enabled calculating the number of care givers required for 10 patients: 6 nurses and 5 nursing assistants, a level in line with recommended practices. These results emphasize the important role of nursing care for stroke victims, and points out that the type of hospital, the type of stroke, and the patient's age and degree of handicap have an effect on nursing load. This one-day survey enabled calculation of the number of nurses and nursing assistants needed for a 10-patient unit.

[Early respiratory involvement in burns. Mechanism and prognostic significance]. / L'atteinte respiratoire précoce chez le brulé. Mécanisme et signification pronostique.

A retrospective study, on 87 flame burn patients, of arterial Pa02, chest X-ray and lactic dehydrogenase isoenzyme III revealed the very early onset (before the 24th hour) of severe respiratory problems. This involvement, with a severe prognostic significance, appears to be much more closely related to the extent of the cutaneous burn than to the inhalation of fumes or vapours, and seems to fall into the more general category of "post-aggression lung".

Smoothing of the thermal stability of DNA duplexes by using modified nucleosides and chaotropic agents.

The effect of alkyltrimethylammonium ions on the thermostability of natural and modified DNA duplexes has been investigated. We have shown that the use of tetramethylammonium ions TMA+along with the chemical modification of duplexes allow the fine adjustment of T m and the possibility of obtaining several duplex systems with varied isostabilizedtemperatures, some of which show greater stability than those of natural DNA. This approach could be very useful for DNA sequencing by hybridization.