Incidence and risk factors of peripheral nerve injuries 3 months after ICU discharge: a retrospective study comparing COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 critically ill survivors.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral nerve injuries (PNI) have been associated with prone positioning (PP) in mechanically ventilated (MV) patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. The aims of this retrospective study were to describe PNI prevalence 3 months (M3) after intensive care unit (ICU) discharge, whether patients survived COVID-19 or another critical illness, and to search for risk factors of PNI. RESULTS: A total of 55 COVID (62 [54-69] years) and 22 non-COVID (61.5 [48-71.5] years) patients were followed at M3, after an ICU stay of respectively 15 [9-26.5] and 13.5 [10-19.8] days. PNI symptoms were reported by 23/55 (42.6%) COVID-19 and 8/22 (36%) non-COVID-19 patients (p = 0.798). As the incidence of PNI was similar in both groups, the entire population was used to determine risk factors. The MV duration predicted PNI occurrence (OR (CI95%) = 1.05 (1.01-1.10), p = 0.028), but not the ICU length of stay, glucocorticoids, or inflammation biomarkers. CONCLUSION: In the present cohort, PNI symptoms were reported in at least one-third of the ICU survivors, in similar proportion whether patients suffered from severe COVID-19 or not.

Intraoral low-temperature degradation of monolithic zirconia dental prostheses: 5-year results of a prospective clinical study with ex vivo monitoring.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the 5-year intraoral evolution and kinetics of low-temperature degradation (LTD) of second-generation monolithic prostheses made of 3% molar yttrium-doped tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (3Y-TZP) and the influence of masticatory mechanical stresses and glaze layer on this evolution. METHODS: A total of 101 posterior tooth elements were included in this prospective clinical study, which comprised ex vivo LTD monitoring (at baseline, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and 5 years) using Raman spectroscopy (n = 2640 monoclinic phase measurement points per evaluation time) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Four types of areas (1-2 mm2 surface, six on molars, and four on premolars) were analysed on each element surface: occlusal, axial, glazed, or unglazed. Raman mapping, high-resolution SEM, and focused ion beam-SEM were performed on selected samples. RESULTS: The dental prostheses developed a tetragonal-to-monoclinic transformation at the extreme surface of the material after six months in a buccal environment, and this process increased significantly over time. Over the five years of monitoring, the transformation developed nonuniformly with the presence of localised clusters of monoclinic grains. Tribological stresses generate grain pull-out from these clusters, which may raise questions regarding the release of 3Y-TZP nanoparticles into the body. The prosthesis fracture rate was 4.5% after 5 years. SIGNIFICANCE: LTD developed in vivo on the surfaces of 3Y-TZP dental prostheses and progressed slowly but significantly over time, up to 5 years investigation. However, the effects of aging on the failure rate recorded and of zirconia nanoparticles released into the body require further investigation.

[Feasibility study: The medical imaging as a tool for therapeutic education in radiotherapy]. / Étude de faisabilité : l'utilisation de l'imagerie médicale en éducation thérapeutique en radiothérapie.

PURPOSE: Assess the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) exploring the use of medical imaging as a therapeutic education (TPE) intervention in external radiation therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experimental feasibility trial of "RCT" type carried out in a single-center, between November 2019 and March 2020, following adult patients treated by thoracic radiotherapy. In addition to the information usually given, the experimental group benefited from an intervention consisting in the visualization of their own medical images using the open-source software "Stone of Orthanc". RESULTS: Forty-nine patients were recruited with a refusal rate of 8.16% (4/49). 20 patients were withdrawn from the study for health reasons (COVID), 10 for medical reasons. All the remaining 15 participants completed the process. Although not significant, the experimental group showed a median gain in the perception of knowledge compared to the control group (+ 1.9 (1.6 - 2.2)) vs (+ 1.4 (1.4 - 1.8)), as well as a decrease in scores related to anxiety (- 3.0 (-4.5 - (-2.0)) vs - 1.0 (-5.0 - 0.0)) and emotional distress ((- 5.0 (- 7.5 - (- 3.5)) vs (- 2.0 (- 5.0 - (- 1.0)) A significant reduction (p=0.043) is observed for the depression score ((- 2.0 (-3.0 - (-1.5)) vs (0.0 (0.0 - 0.0)). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the feasibility of the project, with promising preliminary results. Some adaptations in order to conduct a larger-scale RCT are highlighted.

Implementation of the Integrated Care of Older People (ICOPE) App and ICOPE Monitor in Primary Care: A study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently launched the term "intrinsic capacity", defined as "the composite of all the physical and mental capacities of an individual". Intrinsic capacity has a positive value towards healthy aging, and is constructed by five domains: cognition, vitality/nutrition, sensory, psychology, and mobility. ICOPE App and ICOPE Monitor are applications for the assessment (screening) of intrinsic capacity. HYPOTHESIS: Intrinsic capacity assessed by the ICOPE Apps at baseline could be associated with the incidence of frailty, functional decline, and health outcomes during 1-year follow-up. OBJECTIVES: To assess the association between intrinsic capacity measured by the ICOPE Apps at baseline and the incidence of frailty in community-dwelling older adults during 1-year follow-up. Secondarily, to assess the association of intrinsic capacity and functional decline, mortality, pre-frailty, falls, institutionalization, and quality of life. METHODS: Protocol for a cohort study of community-dwelling adults ≥65-year-old, with no other exclusion criteria than the inability to use the Apps or communicate by telephone/video-call for any reason (cognitive or limited access to telephone/video-call) OR being considered frail at baseline (defined as having a Rockwood's clinical frailty scale, CFS score ≥4). Intrinsic capacity measured by the ICOPE Apps and CFS will be assessed at baseline, 4-, 8- and 12-month follow-up by telephone/video-call. Assuming a prevalence of frailty of 10.7%, and incidence of 13% (alpha-risk=0.05), 400 participants at 12-month end-point (relative precision=0.10) and 600 participants at baseline will be required. RESULTS: Associations among the decrease in intrinsic capacity and higher risk of frailty, functional decline, and health adverse outcomes during 1-year follow-up are expected. CONCLUSIONS: ICOPE Apps might identify individuals at higher risk of frailty, functional decline, and health adverse outcomes. The implementation of the ICOPE Apps into clinical practice might help to deliver efficient person-centered care-plans, and benefit the healthcare systems.

Intraoral low-temperature degradation of monolithic zirconia dental prostheses: Results of a prospective clinical study with ex vivo monitoring.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the intraoral development and kinetics of low-temperature degradation (LTD) in second-generation 3 mol.% yttria-doped tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (3Y-TZP) monolithic prostheses, as well as the influence of masticatory mechanical stress and glaze layer on it. METHODS: A total of 101 posterior tooth elements were included in a prospective clinical study, which included ex vivo LTD monitoring (at baseline, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years) using Raman spectroscopy (n = 2640 monoclinic phase measurement points per evaluation time) and SEM. Four types of areas (1-2 mm2 surface, 6 on molars, and 4 on premolars) were analyzed on each element surface: occlusal, axial, glazed, or unglazed. Raman depth mapping and high-resolution SEM were performed on the selected samples. RESULTS: LTD developed in 3Y-TZP monolithic restorations 6 months after intraoral placement and progressed with time. After two years, the tetragonal-to-monoclinic transformation was non-uniform, with the presence of localized clusters of transformed grains. In axial areas, the grain aspect was typical of the classical nucleation-growth process reported for LTD, which progresses from the surface to a depth of several tens of microns. However, in occlusal areas, tribological stress generated surface crushing and grain pull-out from the clusters, which induced an underestimation of the aging process when the evaluation was limited to monoclinic phase quantification. Glazing cannot be considered a protection against LTD. SIGNIFICANCE: If LTD occurs in dental prostheses in the same way as in orthopedic prostheses, its clinical impact is unknown and needs to be further studied.

[Benefits and limitations of geriatric dysphagia screening tools]. / Intérêt et limites des outils de dépistage de la dysphagie en gériatrie.

This prospective study aims to evaluate both benefits and limitations of dysphagia screening tools (DePippo, EAT10, V-VST, the IOPI tongue-strength assessment) used in a geriatric unit. Among the 102 patients under study, 47 showed a dysphagia diagnosed by full logopedic examination. The sensitivity and the specificity of the screening tools were, respectively, 31,9 % and 83,6 % for EAT10, 86,9 % and 52,7 % for the V-VST and 76,6 % and 65,0 % for the DePippo test. Regarding the posterior tongue strength assessment, the threshold value of 31kPA showed an 77,3 % sensitivity and a 52,7 % specificity. Given the results obtained from the above-mentioned screening tools and their practical application limitations, the DePippo test appears to be the most convenient for a day-to-day geriatric utilization. Finally, this study outlines the necessity of confirming, in a larger sample, the reproducibility of the DePippo test as well as the interest of measuring the tongue strength among frail older people.

L'objectif de cette étude prospective était d'évaluer l'intérêt et les limites d'outils de dépistage de la dysphagie (DePippo, EAT10, V-VST, mesure de la force de langue par IOPI) lors de leur utilisation au sein d'un service de gériatrie. Parmi les 102 patients inclus, 47 présentaient une dysphagie relevée par une évaluation logopédique complète. La sensibilité et la spécificité des tests de dépistage ont été respectivement de 31,9 % et 83,6 % pour l'EAT10, de 86,9 % et 52,7 % pour le V-VST, et de 76,6 % et 65,0 % pour le test de DePippo. Concernant la force postérieure de la langue, la valeur seuil minimale de 31 kPa présentait une sensibilité de 77,3 % et une spécificité de 52,7 %. Bien que moins sensible que le V-VST, le test de DePippo (test à l'eau) est plus largement applicable aux patients fragiles hospitalisés en gériatrie. De plus, cette étude met en lumière la nécessité de préciser, au sein d'un échantillon plus large, la reproductibilité du test de DePippo et l'intérêt de la mesure de la force de langue. En conclusion, et sous réserve de son taux de reproductibilité à préciser, le test de DePippo apparaît, actuellement, être l'outil de dépistage le plus adapté à une utilisation en gériatrie.

French translation and validation of the "Anterior Knee Pain Scale" (AKPS).

PURPOSE: To linguistically and cross-culturally translate the Anterior Knee Pain Scale into French and to evaluate the reliability and validity of this translated version of the questionnaire. METHODS: The translation part was performed in six stages, according to international guidelines: (i) two initial translations from English to French; (ii) synthesis of the two translations; (iii) backward translations into the original language; (iv) expert committee to compare the backward translations with the original questionnaire; (v) pre-final version testing and (VI) expert committee appraisal. To validate the French version of the Anterior Knee Pain Scale, we assessed its validity, reliability and floor/ceiling effects. To do this, volunteer patients from the French part of Belgium and from France, with patellofemoral pain were asked to answer the French version of the Anterior Knee Pain Scale at baseline and after 7 days, as well as the generic SF-36 questionnaire. RESULTS: The Anterior Knee Pain Scale was translated without any major difficulties. A total of 101 subjects aged 34.5 ± 11.4 years (58.4% of women) were included in this study. Results indicated an excellent test-retest reliability (Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.97, 95%CI: 0.96-0.98), a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.87), a consistent construct validity (high correlations with the SF-36 questionnaire were found with domains related to physical function (r = 0.80), physical role (r = 0.70) and pain (r = 0.64)) and low or moderate correlations with domains related to mental health (r = 0.26), vitality (r = 0.32) and social function (r = 0.41). Moreover, no floor/ceiling effects have been found. CONCLUSIONS: A valid French version of the Anterior Knee Pain Scale is now available and can be used with confidence to better assess the disease burden associated with patellofemoral pain. It was successfully cross-culturally adapted into French. Implications for rehabilitation The results on psychometric properties of the French Anterior Knee Pain Scale are comparable with six validated versions obtained for the Finnish, the Turkish, the Chinese, the Dutch, the Thai and the Persian populations. The French translated version of the Anterior Knee Pain Scale is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the functional limitations associated with patellofemoral pain. The test-retest reliability of the French Anterior Knee Pain Scale was excellent, the internal consistency was high and the construct validity was consistent. There were no floor/ceiling effects.

Rapid tests and transfusion safety in Niamey, Niger.

To evaluate the virological safety of blood components provided by the Niamey blood transfusion center after undergoing rapid tests. Samples found negative with rapid tests (n = 222) were screened by the Abbott Prism assay. Positive samples were confirmed by appropriate methods. Of 222 samples, nine (4.1%) were reactive for all markers. After confirmation, seven samples were positive (i.e., 3.2% false-negative results) : five (2.3%) for the surface antigen of hepatitis B (HBsAg) and two (0.9%) for the antibody directed against the hepatitis C virus (HCV-Ab). No false negative results were observed for HIV-Ab (antibody directed against the Human Immunodeficiency Virus). The performance of the rapid tests used in Niamey to screen for transfusion-transmissible infections is not satisfactory, especially for hepatitis B and C. The use of more sensitive tests should be considered to minimize the risk of contaminating patients receiving blood components.

[Exploratory population study of overweight and obese subjects' perceptions: Searching for improved management practices]. / L'exploration des perceptions relatives à l'excès de poids pour mieux comprendre les difficultés dans la prise en charge de l'obésité : une étude populationnelle exploratoire.

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are major public health problems of growing concern. Few studies have investigated the representations and perceptions of subjects with overweight and obesity, especially in the general population, as compared to people in a medical weight loss process. The objective of this study was to fill this gap by enabling participants to express their feelings and experience about their overweight, and to assess the extent of the body mass index (BMI) as a determinant of these perceptions. METHODS: A total of 4155 persons participated in an exploratory study conducted in Wallonia (Belgium). Data were collected by means of a web-based questionnaire. This study investigated the following parameters: sociodemographic and anthropometric factors, perceived health, quality of life, diet perception, enrolment in a weight loss process and weight loss target. The influence of BMI was considered, on one hand, looking at how the above variables evolve according to BMI category, secondly, as a mediation factor in the relationship between socioeconomic level and these same variables. RESULTS: A large majority (87.5%) of subjects were overweight (32.2%) or obese (obese class I 29.9%, class II 14.8%, class III 10.6%). Perceived health was found to deteriorate with the BMI (P<0.0001); obese class III had a 5.9-fold risk to present bad perceived health compared to subjects with normal weight. The physical and psychological quality of life reported by the subjects decreased significantly with the BMI (P<0.0001) particularly for the physical quality of life. The percentage of poor diet perception (frustration, weight gain, aggressiveness, inefficacy and impossibility) as well as the weight loss targeted by the subjects increased with the BMI. Between overweight subjects and obese class III subjects, weight loss target increased from 13% to 34% of the initial weight. The majority of subjects judged that diet represents "aggressiveness", "weight gain" and "impossibility". A partial mediation role of BMI was identified in the relationship between social status and the variables of interest. CONCLUSIONS: This study focused on a sample of people from the general population. It confirmed previous results of others studies. All results gave a feeling of resignation and powerlessness which can seize obese individuals (especially when BMI increases). As a consequence, there is a need for more adapted weight management to achieve a genuine therapeutic alliance.

Relationship between ambulatory physical activity assessed by activity trackers and physical frailty among nursing home residents.

BACKGROUNDS: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the level of ambulatory physical activity, measured by physical activity tracker, and the clinical components of physical frailty, among nursing home residents. METHODS: We proceeded in 3 steps: (1) Validation of the physical activity tracker (i.e. the Pebble): 24 volunteer adults walked on a treadmill. The number of steps recorded by the Pebble worn by the subjects was compared with the number of steps counted by the investigators, by means of the Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC). (2) Measurement of ambulatory physical activity, using the Pebble trackers, over a 7-day period. (3) Relationship between the results obtained with the Pebble trackers (step 2) and subjects' clinical characteristics, linked to physical frailty. RESULTS: ICC data, showed that the reliability of the Pebble was better when it was worn at the foot level (ICC ranged from 0.60 to 0.93 depending on the tested speed). Gait speed is also an important determinant of the reliability, which is better for low gait speed. On average, the 27 nursing home residents included in the second step of this study walked 1678.4±1621 (median=1300) steps per day. Most physical components of frailty measured in this study were significantly different between subjects who walked less than 1300 steps per day and those who were more active. CONCLUSION: This study showed that nursing home residents have a poor ambulatory physical activity, assessed using a physical activity tracker, which is associated with poorer physical performances and higher disability.

Data set of healthy old people assessed for three walking conditions using accelerometric and opto-electronic methods.

BACKGROUND: Gait patterns of healthy aging are needed to allow a comparison with pathological situations. However, little data is available. OBJECTIVE: To present gait pattern of healthy older specially selected to be "healthy walkers". METHOD: Fifty-seven older people benefited from a geriatric assessment including clinical and functional evaluations to include only those without gait disorders. Gait data were simultaneously recorded using a tri-axial accelerometer placed on the waist and four 3D position markers placed on the feet at the level of the heel and the toe. Volunteers walked at comfortable self-selected speed (CW), fast self-selected speed (FW), and finally in dual task walking condition (DTW). The extracted gait parameters were: gait speed, stride length, stride frequency, regularity and symmetry, swing, stance and double support time and ratio and minimum toe clearance. Gait speed and stride length were normalized to the right leg length. RESULTS: Fifty-seven older people with a mean age of 69.7 ± 4.2 years old (range from 65 to 82 years) were included. Data were analyzed according to the gender and according to the age (<70 or ≥70 years old). After normalization to leg length, the main significant differences were shown for stride length and minimum toe clearance in CW, FW and in DTW that were shorter in women. The regularity in FW was significantly lower among older volunteers. CONCLUSIONS: This work provides a data set considering 14 gait parameters obtained from 57 healthy old people strictly selected and assessed for three walking conditions and shows that GS, SL and MTC have to be related to the gender. The age-related impact on gait performances appears reduced in this cohort.

Knowledge, attitudes and clinical practice of blood products prescribers in Niamey.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The lack of traceability and monitoring of blood donors and transfused patients constitute a barrier to the most basic rules of haemovigilance and overall good transfusion practices. This study draws up an inventory of knowledge, attitudes and clinical practice of blood prescribers in Niamey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to 180 prescribers of blood products in Niamey in 2011. Questions were related to basic informations on blood transfusion and clinical use of blood. Analyses were performed using SAS 9.3 version. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 180 respondents from several professional categories: 51 physicians (28.33%), 10 medical students (5.56%), 84 nurses (46.67%), 15 anaesthesiologist assistant (8.33%) and 20 midwives (11.11%). Among these, 22.2% received training in blood transfusion safety. Half of the respondents (50.8%) got between 50 and 75% of correct answers, 45.8% got less than 50% correct while 3.35% scored more than 75% correct answers. The overall quality of responses was higher among physicians compared to other prescribers (P<0.0001); among respondents who received training in transfusion safety (P<0.0001); and among males (P=0.0306). For some items, subjects with more experience scored the best. CONCLUSION: The level of knowledge is still inadequate. More training in transfusion practices is necessary for prescribers of blood products. Accompanying measures to improve transfusion practice must be considered or strengthened through assessments, knowledge update/upgrade (regular, ongoing training) and establishment of active and motivated hospital transfusion committees.

A phase IV, two-armed, randomized, cross-over study comparing compliance with once-a-month administration of vitamin D3 to compliance with daily administration of a fixed-dose combination of vitamin D3 and calcium during two 6-month periods.

UNLABELLED: In a randomized, cross-over study, once monthly administration of vitamin D3 was preferred over a once daily administration of a fixed-dose combination of vitamin D3 and calcium, with a better compliance but without any significant difference in the increase in vitamin D levels. INTRODUCTION: The aim of the present study was to compare a once-monthly administration of vitamin D3 to a daily administration of a fixed-dose combination of vitamin D3 and calcium during two treatment periods of 6 months. METHODS: One hundred volunteers aged 50 years old or older were randomized to receive either one drinkable ampoule containing 25,000 IU vitamin D3 (D-Cure®, SMB) once monthly (group VD) or one chewable tablet containing 1000 mg calcium carbonate + 800 IU vitamin D3 (Steovit Forte®, Takeda) once daily (group VDCa) during 6 months. After the first 6 months of treatment, the groups were reversed according to the randomized cross-over design. Treatment compliance (i.e. the primary outcome), preference, acceptability and vitamin D levels and adverse events were all collected. RESULTS: For the two periods, the patients had a significantly higher compliance in the VD group than in the VDCa group (p < 0.0001). During the study, 50 (56.8 %) patients preferred the VD treatment, 16 (18.2 %) patients preferred the VDCa, and for 22 (25.0 %) patients, neither treatment was preferred. At the end of the first 6 months of treatment, the mean (SD) increase of 25(OH)D was 6.57 ng/mL (8.19) in the VD group and 3.88 ng/mL (10.0) in the VDCa group (p = 0.16 between groups). CONCLUSION: In this study, a once-monthly administration of vitamin D3 was preferred over a once-daily administration of a fixed-dose combination of vitamin D3 and calcium, with a better compliance but without any significant difference in the increase in vitamin D levels.

Estimation of sarcopenia prevalence using various assessment tools.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is defined as a progressive and generalized loss of muscle mass with either a loss of muscle strength or a loss of physical performance but there is no recommendation regarding the diagnostic tools that have to be used. In this study, we compared the prevalence of sarcopenia assessed using different diagnostic tools. METHODS: To measure muscle mass, muscle strength and physical performance, we used for each outcome two different diagnostic tools. For muscle mass, we used Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) and bio-electrical impedance analysis (BIA); for muscle strength, we used a hydraulic dynamometer and a pneumatic dynamometer; for physical performance we used the Short Physical Performance Battery test (SPPB test) and the walk speed. Eight diagnostic groups were hereby established. RESULTS: A total of 250 consecutive subjects were recruited in an outpatient clinic in Liège, Belgium. Estimated prevalence of sarcopenia varied from 8.4% to 27.6% depending on the method of diagnosis used. Regarding muscle mass, BIA systematically overestimated muscle mass compared to DXA (mean estimated prevalence with BIA=12.8%; mean prevalence with DXA=21%). For muscle strength, the pneumatic dynamometer diagnosed twice more sarcopenic subjects than the hydraulic dynamometer (mean estimated prevalence with PD=22.4%; mean estimated prevalence with HD=11.4%). Finally, no difference in prevalence was observed when the walking speed or the SPPB test was used. A weak overall kappa coefficient was observed (0.53), suggesting that the 8 methods of diagnosis are moderately concordant. CONCLUSION: Within the same definition of sarcopenia, prevalence of sarcopenia is highly dependent on the diagnostic tools used.

Efficacy and safety of currently marketed anti-osteoporosis medications.

During the past 2 decades, many interventions were proven effective in the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis. The objective of an anti-osteoporosis treatment is to reduce fracture rates, ideally at all skeletal sites (i.e. spine, hip, and other non-spine). The armamentarium against osteoporosis includes anti-resorptive agents (i.e. bisphosphonates, selective estrogen receptor modulators and denosumab), bone-forming agents (i.e. peptides from the parathyroid hormone family) and one agent with a dual mechanism of action (i.e. strontium ranelate). All these medications combine antifracture efficacy with a reasonable benefit/risk profile. However, the choice of a particular chemical entity, in one individual patient is based on the knowledge and expertise of the physician. Prioritization of drugs should be based on the individual profile of the patient, the severity of osteoporosis and the specific contraindications, warnings and precautions of use of the various available medications.

[Seroprevalence of infectious markers among blood donors in Niamey (Niger)]. / Séroprévalence des marqueurs de l'infection chez les donneurs de sang à Niamey (Niger).

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of transfusion-transmitted infectious (TTI) markers for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV, HCV) and syphilis among blood donors in Niamey (Niger). The association between seroprevalence of ITT markers and sociodemographic characteristics of blood donors was investigated. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2010 among 3213 blood donors. Data were collected from a pre-donation questionnaire and from laboratory tests results. RESULTS: The male/female ratio was 4/1. Up to 18.1% of donations had at least one positive marker, in which 2.7% presented a positive test for two or more agents. A seroprevalence of 1.62% (95%CI: 1.21-2.12) was associated with HIV, 15.4% (13.9-16.7) with HBV, 1.18% (0.84-1.62) with HCV, and 0.47% (0.26-0.77) for blood samples reacted with RPR test for syphilis. The HIV seroprevalence was two-fold higher in family than in volunteer donors (OR=2.15, 95%CI: 1.24-3.73). It was also higher in Rhesus D negative donors (OR=2.40, 95%CI: 1.11-5.17). The hepatitis B surface antigen seroprevalence was significantly higher in males than females (OR=1.85, 95%CI: 1.39-2.45) and in first time than in regular donors (P<0.0001). The HCV seroprevalence was significantly higher in male donors (OR=4.41, 95%CI: 1.06-18.4) and in donors from rural areas (OR=4.09, 95%CI: 1.42-11.8). Syphilis marker was significantly associated with the marital status (higher seroprevalence in divorced donors, P=0.0085). CONCLUSION: Prevalence of TTI markers is high and national strategies for safe blood transfusion have to be strengthened. It is essential to recruit and maintain more volunteer donors, while females should be encouraged to donate blood.

On the potential increase of the oxidative stress status in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a major cause of preventable deaths in older patients. Oxidative stress has been suggested to play a key role in the pathogenesis of AAA. However, only few studies have been conducted to evaluate the blood oxidative stress status of AAA patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty seven AAA patients (mean age of 70 years) divided into two groups according to AAA size (≤ 50 or > 50 mm) were compared with an age-matched group of 18 healthy subjects. Antioxidants (vitamins C and E, ß-carotene, glutathione, thiols, and ubiquinone), trace elements (selenium, copper, zinc, and copper/zinc ratio) and markers of oxidative damage to lipids (lipid peroxides, antibodies against oxidized patients, and isoprostanes) were measured in each subject. The comparison of the three groups by ordinal logistic regression showed a significant decrease of the plasma levels of vitamin C (P = 0.011), α-tocopherol (P = 0.016) but not when corrected for cholesterol values, ß-carotene (P = 0.0096), ubiquinone (P = 0.014), zinc (P = 0.0035), and of selenium (P = 0.0038), as AAA size increased. By contrast, specific markers of lipid peroxidation such as the Cu/Zn ratio (P = 0.046) and to a lesser extent isoprostanes (P = 0.052) increased. CONCLUSION: The present study emphasizes the potential role of the oxidative stress in AAA disease and suggests that an antioxidant therapy could be of interest to delay AAA progression.