Porous 3D columnar-sphere of NiO nanomaterials synthesized for supercapacitors via hydrothermal route: impact of thiourea concentration.

The charge storage application has witnessed a dramatic increase in terms of the short charge-discharge time of supercapacitors, specifically in highly active electrode materials. For charge storage supercapacitor applications, highly porous materials are preferable. In this research article, thiourea acts as a leaving agent in the preparation of the porous 3D spherical architecture of NiO nanomaterials. The influence of the molar concentration of thiourea on structural, morphological, and electrochemical charge storage applications has been studied. X-ray diffraction reveals a cubic structure with Fm3̄m space group for the NiO nanomaterials. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show the porous 3D columnar spherical structure, and FTIR has been used for the optical analysis of the NiO materials. The 1D-3D columnar-spherical structure of the NiO flakes exhibits a high electrochemical charge storage pseudocapacitive nature. The optimized 0.40 M thiourea-NiO (Th-NiO) nanomaterial is highly hydrophilic, exhibiting a maximum specific capacity of 171.1 mA h g-1 at 5 mV s-1 by CV and 148.5 mA h g-1 at 0.2 mA cm-2 by GCD. The highest power, energy densities are 0.96 kW kg-1 and 6.66 W h kg-1 with the highest charge-discharge cycle rating of 92% up to 5000 cycles of the asymmetric NiO//rGO hybrid supercapacitor device.

[Phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma]. / Phéochromocytome et paragangliome.

Phaeochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGL) are rare neuroendocrine tumors that arise from the adrenal medulla or sympathetic and parasympathetic ganglia. These tumors produce most often catecholamines in excess, causing hypertension and sometimes severe acute cardiovascular complications. The diagnosis is based on plasma or urines metanephrines measurements and on conventional and nuclear medicine imaging. Catecholamines-producing PPGL is very unlikely if levels are normal. The diagnosis of PPGL cannot be made without visualization of a tumor. Therapeutic management consists mostly of surgical excision, after drug preparation, and should be done in referral centers. About 40% of pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas occur in the context of an autosomal inherited syndrome, making genetic testing essential. The follow-up must be prolonged because a metastatic evolution or a recurrence can be observed in about 15% of the cases.

Utility of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube assay for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in Moroccan children.

SETTING: The utility of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs), such as the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) test, in diagnosing active tuberculosis (TB) in children is unclear and depends on the epidemiological setting. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of QFT-GIT for TB diagnosis in children living in Morocco, an intermediate TB incidence country with high bacille Calmette-Gurin vaccination coverage. DESIGN: We prospectively recruited 109 Moroccan children hospitalised for clinically suspected TB, all of whom were tested using QFT-GIT. RESULTS: For 81 of the 109 children, the final diagnosis was TB. The remaining 28 children did not have TB. QFT-GIT had a sensitivity of 66% (95%CI 5277) for the diagnosis of TB, and a specificity of 100% (95%CI 88100). The tuberculin skin test (TST) had lower sensitivity, at 46% (95%CI 3360), and its concordance with QFT-GIT was limited (69%). Combining QFT-GIT and TST results increased sensitivity to 83% (95%CI 6992). CONCLUSION: In epidemiological settings such as those found in Morocco, QFT-GIT is more sensitive than the TST for active TB diagnosis in children. Combining the TST and QFT-GIT would be useful for the diagnosis of active TB in children, in combination with clinical, radiological and laboratory data.

European Society of Endocrinology Clinical Practice Guideline for long-term follow-up of patients operated on for a phaeochromocytoma or a paraganglioma.

Phaeochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) are rare neuroendocrine tumours. Standard treatment is surgical resection. Following complete resection of the primary tumour, patients with PPGL are at risk of developing new tumoural events. The present guideline aims to propose standardised clinical care of long-term follow-up in patients operated on for a PPGL. The guideline has been developed by The European Society of Endocrinology and based on the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) principles. We performed a systematic review of the literature and analysed the European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumours (ENS@T) database. The risk of new events persisted in the long term and was higher for patients with genetic or syndromic diseases. Follow-up in the published cohorts and in the ENS@T database was neither standardised nor exhaustive, resulting in a risk of follow-up bias and in low statistical power beyond 10 years after complete surgery. To inform patients and care providers in this context of low-quality evidence, the Guideline Working Group therefore prepared recommendations on the basis of expert consensus. Key recommendations are the following: we recommend that all patients with PPGL be considered for genetic testing; we recommend assaying plasma or urinary metanephrines every year to screen for local or metastatic recurrences or new tumours; and we suggest follow-up for at least 10 years in all patients operated on for a PPGL. High-risk patients (young patients and those with a genetic disease, a large tumour and/or a paraganglioma) should be offered lifelong annual follow-up.

A genome-wide association study of pulmonary tuberculosis in Morocco.

Although epidemiological evidence suggests a human genetic basis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) susceptibility, the identification of specific genes and alleles influencing PTB risk has proven to be difficult. Previous genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified only three novel loci with modest effect sizes in sub-Saharan African and Russian populations. We performed a GWA study of 550,352 autosomal SNPs in a family-based discovery Moroccan sample (on the full population and on the subset with PTB diagnosis at <25 years), which identified 143 SNPs with p < 1 × 10(-4). The replication study in an independent case/control sample identified four SNPs displaying a p < 0.01 implicating the same risk allele. In the combined sample including 556 PTB subjects and 650 controls these four SNPs showed suggestive association (2 × 10(-6) < p < 4 × 10(-5)): rs358793 and rs17590261 were intergenic, while rs6786408 and rs916943 were located in introns of FOXP1 and AGMO, respectively. Both genes are involved in the function of macrophages, which are the site of latency and reactivation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The most significant finding (p = 2 × 10(-6)) was obtained for the AGMO SNP in an early (<25 years) age-at-onset subset, confirming the importance of considering age-at-onset to decipher the genetic basis of PTB. Although only suggestive, these findings highlight several avenues for future research in the human genetics of PTB.

Degradation of imidacloprid containing wastewaters using ultrasound based treatment strategies.

The present work deals with application of sonochemical reactors for the treatment of imidacloprid containing wastewaters either individually or in combination with other advanced oxidation processes. Experiments have been performed using two different configurations of sonochemical reactors viz. ultrasonic horn (20 kHz frequency and rated power of 240 W) and ultrasonic bath equipped with radially vibrating horn (25 kHz frequency and 1 kW rated power). The work also investigates the effect of addition of process intensifying agents such as H2O2 and CuO, which can enhance the production of free radicals in the system. The combination studies with advanced oxidation process involve the advanced Fenton process and combination of ultrasound with UV based oxidation. The extent of degradation obtained using combination of US and H2O2 at optimum loading of H2O2 was found to be 92.7% whereas 96.5% degradation of imidacloprid was achieved using the combination of US and advanced Fenton process. The process involving the combination of US, UV and H2O2 was found to be the best treatment approach where complete degradation of imidacloprid was obtained with 79% TOC removal. It has been established that the use of cavitation in combination with different oxidation processes can be effectively used for the treatment of imidacloprid containing wastewater.

Keys for microRNA expression profiling of single rat hypothalamic nuclei and multiplex sequencing strategies.

Integrative research has taken on the challenge of addressing questions in physiology by using novel knowledge and novel techniques. Recently, small and long non-coding RNAs have emerged as key regulators of gene expression, while next-generation sequencing technologies have revolutionized the characterization of genomes and gene expression. For a decade, it has been known that microRNAs (miRNAs) are RNAs of 18-24 bases that regulate gene expression in mammals. Here, we first describe the nature of miRNAs and the advantages of high-throughput sequencing technologies for establishing miRNA expression profiles. The hypothalamus harbours a dozen specialized areas or nuclei, the sampling of which is required to establish physiologically relevant miRNA expression profiles. MicroRNA expression profiling from single animals is also important for investigating potential genetic or epigenetic differences between individuals. Establishing a large number of miRNA expression profiles of individual hypothalamic nuclei of single rats at a cost compatible with laboratory finance can be achieved by using tagged cDNA libraries constructed from purified small RNAs and a multiplex sequencing strategy. We continue this report by surveying specificities of the different strategies that are used at present for constructing tagged cDNA libraries and provide a comparative analysis of miRNA expression profiles from hypothalamic arcuate nuclei of seven male Wistar rats.

MicroRNA expression profiling of hypothalamic arcuate and paraventricular nuclei from single rats using Illumina sequencing technology.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) finely tune messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. As the brain is a highly heterogeneous tissue, physiologically relevant miRNA expression profiling greatly benefits from sampling brain regions or nuclei. MiRNA expression profiling from individual samples is also important for investigating potential differences between animals according to their physiological and pathophysiological status. We have punched the arcuate (ARC) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei from the hypothalamus of seven male Wistar rats and used them to establish a novel method for the characterization of the miRNA expression profile of individual rat brain nuclei. The identity of the ARC and PVN samples was checked for proopiomelanocortin and arginine vasopressin mRNA expression, respectively. Individual cDNA libraries were constructed from purified RNAs between 16 and 26 bases, using barcoded adapters. Libraries were multiplexed and sequenced using Illumina technology to a read depth >10(5). The ARC and PVN profiles displayed similar expression from a set of more than 210 miRNA genes. Expression was high or moderate for about twenty miRNAs that may be used to define a common ARC/PVN prototype profile of male Wistar rats. These miRNAs included seven of the eight genes of the let-7 family, the two miR-7 genes, miR-9 gene and 5' copy of the three miR-30 loci. Our method shows that the ARC and PVN from a single rat are accessible for miRNA digital characterization. This method will allow miRNA transcriptome characterization for any rat brain substructure or nuclei that can be microdissected.

Outcomes of adrenalectomy in patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism: a review.

Aldosterone hypersecretion in primary aldosteronism is unilateral (aldosterone producing adenoma and primary unilateral hyperplasia) or bilateral (idiopathic adrenal hyperplasia). Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is nowadays the preferred approach to treat patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism. We review the outcomes of this intervention in recently published series. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy has a morbidity of 5-14%, mortality below 1%, and a mean hospital stay around 3 days. It generally results in the normalization of aldosterone secretion and in a large decrease of blood pressure and antihypertensive medication, but normotension without treatment is only achieved in 42% of all cases. Normotension following adrenalectomy is more likely in young and lean women with recent low grade hypertension than in obese men with long-standing high grade hypertension or a family history of hypertension. However, individual prediction of the blood pressure outcome is not accurate and predictors of hypertension cure should not be used to select patients for surgery. Age, associated health conditions and preferences of the patient are more relevant to this end.

Long-term postoperative follow-up in patients with apparently benign pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma.

Patients with pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma are at risk of developing tumor recurrences or new tumors after successful resection of the primary tumor. This review summarizes current knowledge concerning the incidence and risk factors for such events. The overall incidence exceeds 15%. Patients with inherited tumors have a higher probability of recurrence or new tumors. Most recurrences are metastatic, particularly in patients with SDHB mutations or nonhereditary tumors. We recommend the determination of plasma or urinary metanephrines (normetanephrine and metanephrine) 1 month after surgery. In patients with sporadic, single tumors ≤5 cm in diameter, clinical and biochemical follow-up should be performed every 2 years. However, this follow-up period can be reduced to yearly, if it is more simple and more convenient for patients and physicians. Patients with larger or multiple but apparently benign tumors and/or inherited disease should be tested 6 months after surgery and then every year for the rest of their lives. Imaging follow-up is also required in patients with inherited or malignant tumors.

[Vascular involvement in Cogan's syndrome. A case report]. / Atteinte vasculaire et syndrome de Cogan. Une observation.

Vascular manifestations of Cogan's syndrome are rarely reported. We report the case of a young woman followed for typical Cogan's disease. Serious vascular involvement was found only during work-up for arterial hypertension. This case highlights potentially asymptomatic nature of extensive vasculitis affecting large and medium-sized vessels in Cogan's disease. Careful screening is required to prevent life-threatening complications.

[Endocrine hypertension]. / Hypertension artérielle endocrine.

Endocrine hypertension represents more than half of the causes of secondary hypertension. This entity encompasses several diseases including primary aldosteronism, paraganglioma/pheochromocytoma and Cushing's syndrome. The screening of endocrine hypertension should be performed in all the patients presenting with: (1) a resistant hypertension; (2) a severe hypertension; (3) the coexistence of hypertension with an adrenal adenoma, clinical or biological abnormalities. Clinical signs and symptoms, whenever present, lack specificity, especially for primary aldosteronism where hypertension is usually the unique symptom. Screening is performed by the measurement of several hormones and by a tomodensitometry to study the morphology of the adrenals: the presence of a solitary or multiples adenomas, or hyperplasia. Pheochromocytoma and Cushing's syndrome are very uncommon and should be referred to specialized centres. Primary aldosteronism is a frequent cause of secondary hypertension. Once the diagnosis is obtained, it is essential to differentiate whether it is a surgically correctable form or not. The patients with a bilateral adrenal hyperplasia can be managed effectively by mineralocorticoids receptor antagonist. The adrenalectomy will cure or improve hypertension for the majority of the patients with a lateralized secretion of aldosterone. The diagnosis and the treatment of these disorders can be challenging. However, the diagnosis of endocrine hypertension allows diagnosing surgical correctable form of hypertension, which is not possible in essential hypertension.

Intermittent outpatient ultrafiltration for the treatment of severe refractory congestive heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Patients with severe congestive heart failure (CHF) become refractory to conventional medical therapy, leading to recurrent rehospitalizations. We examined the impact of intermittent outpatient ultrafiltration (UF), using either peritoneal dialysis or hemofiltration, on long-term clinical outcomes in patients with refractory CHF. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed clinical and hemodynamic data in 19 consecutive patients with refractory CHF who received intermittent outpatient UF for at least 1 year between July 1998 and November 2002. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction of all 19 patients was 30.2 +/- 19.0%. All patients (100.0%) were New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV. Only 5 patients (26.3%) received peritoneal dialysis; the remaining 14 (73.7%) received hemofiltration. There were 6 patients with a normal left ventricular ejection fraction (45%). After UF was started, the number of patients that were considered inotrope-dependent was reduced from 86.4% to 36.8% (P < .005). Compared with the year before UF was initiated, the number of CHF hospitalizations during follow-up was reduced from 2.6 to 0.3 (P < .005), and the NYHA class was improved from 4 to 3.1 (P < .005). Among all patients, 2 deaths were related to complications of UF, and cumulative 1-year survival was 63.2%. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that UF is a safe, feasible therapy, but it needs further evaluation in carefully designed, prospective, randomized clinical trials. UF has the potential for offering another important therapeutic option for patients with severe and refractory CHF.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery as a first-line treatment for mediastinal parathyroid adenomas: strategic value of imaging.

OBJECTIVE: To present first-line thoracic surgery made possible by localization studies in three patients with ectopic parathyroid adenomas. DESIGN AND METHODS: Three patients with ectopic parathyroid tissue in the mediastinum were examined by ultrasound, technetium-99m sestamibi scintigraphy, computed tomography (CT), and venous catheterization with measurement of parathyroid hormone. Without previous cervical exploration, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) was used in all cases to avoid the need for thoracic open surgical procedures. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The mediastinal parathyroid glands were all detected at scintigraphy, and CT and venous catheterization were helpful in anatomic and functioning characterization. All pathologic glands were successfully resected, with only one minor complication. VATS can safely remove a deep mediastinal parathyroid adenoma and avoid more aggressive open approaches. In an experienced referral center, systematic and sophisticated imaging studies may accurately identify and localize rare ectopic parathyroid adenomas, and avoid cervical surgery.

Impact of beta-blocker therapy on functional capacity criteria for heart transplant listing.

BACKGROUND: Peak exercise oxygen consumption is a widely used parameter to determine the need for transplant listing in patients with severe heart failure. Currently, beta-blocker therapy is known to benefit patients with severe heart failure, although it has minimal or no effects on peak exercise oxygen consumption. This raises the hypothesis that peak exercise oxygen consumption transplant-listing criteria are not valid for patients with heart failure who receive beta-blocker therapy. METHODS: We compared outcomes in patients with chronic heart failure who underwent heart transplant evaluation with peak exercise oxygen consumption

[Diagnosis of ectopic mediastinal parathyroid adenomas: value of cardiac MRI]. / Diagnostic des adénomes parathyroïdiens ectopiques médiastinaux: apport de l'IRM cardiaque.

Primary hyperparathyroidism is due to an adenoma in 85% of cases. In 10% of cases, the parathyroid adenoma may be in an ectopic location. Ten per cent of these ectopic adenomas are located in the mediastinum. Imaging modalities performed in persistent or recurrent hyperparathyroidism include ultrasound, MIBI scintigraphy, venous blood sampling, helical CT and MRI. The authors report 3 cases of ectopic adenoma located in the mediastinum, where pre-operative diagnosis was confirmed using cardiac MRI sequences.

Control of DNA excision efficiency in Paramecium.

Programmed excision of internal eliminated sequences (IESs) occurs at thousands of sites in ciliate genomes. How this is controlled is largely unknown. Here, we report the characterization of the non-efficiently excised 156psiG-11 IES from Paramecium primaurelia strain 156 and that of the efficiently excised 168psiG-11 IES, an allelic variant from strain 168. Then, we report a genetic and molecular analysis of IES excision efficiency in F(1) progeny derived from interstrain crosses and in F(2) homozygous progeny derived from F(1) autogamy. IES 168psiG-11 excision efficiency was approximately 100% in all cases. IES 156psiG-11 excision efficiency was 19 +/- 13% in F(1) progeny and 0.6 +/- 1.1% in F(2) progeny. No trans-excision event between IESs 156psiG-11 and 168psiG-11 was detected within the F(1) progeny. These data demonstrate that the excision efficiency of this IES is variable and controlled by a cis-acting element. This should encompass positions 8 and/or 9 of the right IES end, which display allele differences. Finally, the 30-fold stimulation of IES 156psiG-11 excision efficiency within F(1) progeny relative to F(2) progeny demonstrates that Paramecium IES excision efficiency is sensitive either to a conjugation-specific trans-acting factor provided by the zygotic genome, or to homologous chromosome cross-talk.