ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Postpartum ovarian vein thrombosis (POVT) is a rare but serious postpartum complication that can be life-threatening due to its embolic and septic risks. The clinical and paraclinical diagnosis is difficult because of the non-specific signs and the absence of a gold standard for imaging. There is no consensus in the literature on the treatment and follow-up of these patients. The primary objective was to specify the clinical and paraclinical signs suggestive of POVT in order to improve the diagnostic delay. The secondary objectives were to describe the extent of POVT and the proposed immediate therapeutic management. METHODS: This was a 10-year retrospective study in a type III maternity hospital, from January 2010 to December 2019, where all patients with an imaging-confirmed diagnosis of POVT were included. We analysed the clinical and paraclinical data and the follow-up of the patients. RESULTS: We included 9 patients with a diagnostic confirmation by imaging. The mean time from first symptoms to diagnosis was 3.3 days (±3.5 days), and only 2 patients (22.2 %) had been diagnosed with POVT before imaging. All patients received curative anticoagulation and 77.8 % (n=7) received antibiotic therapy for POVT. Two patients had a complicated form, 1 with a pulmonary embolism and 1 with a urinary tract compression requiring a urinary diversion with a double J catheter. Five patients (55.6 %) had a thrombophilia check-up. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of POVT is difficult and needs to be evoked in front of a painful symptomatology or a fever in postpartum. It can be made by ultrasound, but the injected CT scan specifying the specific search for a POVT remains the imaging examination of choice in order to confirm the diagnosis and eliminate differential diagnoses. Under curative anticoagulation and broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, the clinical course is generally very favourable. A consultation with an internist makes it possible to define instructions for a subsequent pregnancy.
Subject(s)
Puerperal Disorders , Pulmonary Embolism , Thrombophlebitis , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Anticoagulants/therapeutic use , Delayed Diagnosis , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Ovary/blood supply , Postpartum Period , Pregnancy , Puerperal Disorders/diagnosis , Puerperal Disorders/therapy , Pulmonary Embolism/drug therapy , Retrospective Studies , Thrombophlebitis/drug therapyABSTRACT
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is a major cause of nongenetic mental retardation and can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), the most severe manifestation of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). FASD infants present behavioral disabilities resulting from neurodevelopmental defects. Both grey and white matter lesions have been characterized and are associated with apoptotic death and/or ectopic migration profiles. In the last decade, it was shown that PAE impairs brain angiogenesis, and the radial organization of cortical microvessels is lost. Concurrently, several studies have reported that tangential migration of oligodendrocyte precursors (OPCs) originating from ganglionic eminences is vascular associated. Because numerous migrating oligodendrocytes enter the developing neocortex, the present study aimed to determine whether migrating OPCs interacted with radial cortical microvessels and whether alcohol-induced vascular impairments were associated with altered positioning and differentiation of cortical oligodendrocytes. Using a 3D morphometric analysis, the results revealed that in both human and mouse cortices, 15 to 40% of Olig2-positive cells were in close association with radial cortical microvessels, respectively. Despite perinatal vascular disorganization, PAE did not modify the vessel association of Olig2-positive cells but impaired their positioning between deep and superficial cortical layers. At the molecular level, PAE markedly but transiently reduced the expression of CNPase and MBP, two differentiation markers of immature and mature oligodendrocytes. In particular, PAE inverted their distribution profiles in cortical layers V and VI and reduced the thickness of the myelin sheath of efferent axons. These perinatal oligo-vascular defects were associated with motor disabilities that persisted in adults. Altogether, the present study provides the first evidence that Olig2-positive cells entering the neocortex are associated with radial microvessels. PAE disorganized the cortical microvasculature and delayed the positioning and differentiation of oligodendrocytes. Although most of these oligovascular defects occurred in perinatal life, the offspring developed long-term motor troubles. Altogether, these data suggest that alcohol-induced oligo-vascular impairments contribute to the neurodevelopmental issues described in FASD.
Subject(s)
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders , Neocortex , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects , Animals , Ethanol , Female , Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders/pathology , Humans , Mice , Neocortex/metabolism , Oligodendroglia/metabolism , Pregnancy , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/metabolismABSTRACT
ZnMg alloys of certain compositions in the Zn-rich side of the phase diagram are particularly efficient, and widely used, as anticorrosive coatings, but a sound understanding of the physico-chemical properties behind such quality is still far from being achieved. The present work focuses on the first stage of the corrosion process, namely the initial growth of a sacrificial surface oxide layer, whose characteristics will condition the next stages of the corrosion. A comprehensive ab initio study, based on density functional theory, is carried out on ZnMg nanoalloys with 20 atoms and different compositions, which serve as model systems to simulate the complex processes that occur in extended granular surfaces. The structural and electronic properties, when progressive oxidation of the nanoalloys takes place, are analyzed in detail with the help of structural descriptors, energetic descriptors such as the oxygen adsorption energies and excess adsorption energies, as well as with electronic ones based on the topological analysis of the electron density and the electron localization function, from which a detailed analysis of the bonding patterns is extracted. We explain why small amounts of Mg create a very positive synergy between Zn and Mg that increases the reactivity to oxygen while reducing, at the same time, the stress induced on the cluster substrate, both facts working in favor of promoting the growth of the oxide crust whilst protecting the core. Moreover, we also show that stoichiometries close to the Mg2Zn11 and MgZn2 compositions are the best candidates to optimize the protection against corrosion in Zn-Mg alloys, in agreement with the experimental observations.
ABSTRACT
Peripartum cardiomyopathy occurs in women with no prior history of cardiac dysfunction, and is presented by left heart failure. It occurs late in pregnancy or in the months after delivery. Rare in Europe, it is not well-known by obstetricians. The prognosis can be good with restitutio in integrum of the maternal cardiac function but the outcome can be dramatic and lead to death of the patient as the case in this report.
Subject(s)
Cardiomyopathies/diagnosis , Cardiomyopathies/therapy , Puerperal Disorders/diagnosis , Puerperal Disorders/therapy , Adult , Cesarean Section , Fatal Outcome , Female , HELLP Syndrome/therapy , Heart Failure/etiology , Heart Failure/therapy , Heart Transplantation , Heart-Assist Devices , Humans , Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular/diagnosis , Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular/therapy , Pregnancy , Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/diagnosis , Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/therapyABSTRACT
The electronic structure and transport properties of monatomic Fe wires of different characteristics are studied within the density functional theory. In both equidistant and dimerized (more stable) isolated wires, magnetism plays an important role since it leads to different shapes of the transmission coefficients for each spin component. In equidistant wires, electron localization around the Fermi level leads to symmetry breaking between d(xy) and d(x(2)-y(2)) bands. The main effect of the structural dimerization is to decrease the number of channels available for the minority spin component. When anchored to the edges of a graphene nanoribbon, the dimerization of the chain is preserved, despite the hybridization of the d states of Fe with the C atoms which gives way to a reduction in the number of d channels around the Fermi level. Most conduction is then led by an electronic channel from the ribbon and the sp(z) bands from the Fe wires. Suggestions to improve the spintronic ability of Fe wires are proposed.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence and the etiologies of acute pulmonary edema (APE) and the diagnostic procedure used during pregnancy and immediate post-partum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed records from a search of codes of heart failure and APE as well as from the term "pulmonary edema" in computerized obstetric records from 2002 to 2010 in a university center of level 3. We identified maternal characteristics, the term of appearance and route of delivery, the time between symptoms and diagnosis, additional tests performed, and data from echocardiography. RESULTS: Fifteen patients had an APE during pregnancy or in the immediate post-partum period during the study period (0.05%). The mean age was 28.6 years and the mean term of appearance was 31.2±3.1 weeks of amenorrhea. The diagnosis was made in 11 cases (73.3%) before delivery and in four during post-partum. The main etiology was preeclampsia (46.6%) followed by heart disease (26.7%), then tocolysis and overfilling (13.3%). In 55% of cases, we found a diagnostic wander characterized by carrying out further unnecessary tests. The echocardiography has led to a change in management in 27.3% of cases. CONCLUSION: The APE is a rare event during pregnancy and the post-partum period and its main etiology is preeclampsia. Some other etiologies are avoidable like the use of beta-agonists by intravenous route. The diagnosis is sometimes difficult, but the realization of a chest X-ray, a simple and inexpensive test, is enough to confirm it.
Subject(s)
Pregnancy Complications/diagnosis , Pulmonary Edema/diagnosis , Acute Disease , Adult , Female , Gestational Age , Heart Diseases/complications , Humans , Pre-Eclampsia/physiopathology , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications/physiopathology , Puerperal Disorders/diagnosis , Puerperal Disorders/etiology , Pulmonary Edema/etiology , Tocolysis/adverse effectsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess whether wheezing and atopic dermatitis were associated with constipation in preschool children and to what extent shared risk factors contribute to this relationship. METHODS: A population-based sample of 4651 preschool children was used. At the age of 24, 36 and 48 months, a parental report of functional constipation was available according to the Rome II criteria, and data on atopic dermatitis and wheezing were available using age-adapted questionnaires from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. Stepwise multivariate analyses were performed to assess whether body mass index, infection exposure, food allergy and infant nutrition, and parental stress explained the association between wheezing, atopic dermatitis and constipation. RESULTS: Out of 4651 children, 12-17% had functional constipation between 24 and 48 months. Symptoms of wheezing decreased from 20% to 12% and atopic dermatitis decreased from 30% to 18% at the age of 24 and 48 months respectively. Between the age of 24 and 48 months, wheezing symptoms were significantly associated with functional constipation (OR 1.17; 1.02 to 1.34) but these results were mainly explained by the child's exposure to infections and use of antibiotics (adjusted odds ratio 1.08; 95% CI 0.95 to 1.24). No significant association was found between symptoms of atopic dermatitis and functional constipation (OR 1.08; 95% CI 0.94 to 1.23). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that functional constipation coexists with wheezing in childhood but is mainly explained by the child's infection exposure and use of antibiotics. Therefore, an independent association between respiratory symptoms and functional bowel disorders as suggested in previous studies is questionable.
ABSTRACT
Moraxella catarrhalis is an established bacterial pathogen, previously thought to be an innocent commensal of the respiratory tract of children and adults. The objective of this study was to identify significant risk factors associated with M. catarrhalis colonization in the first year of life in healthy Dutch children. This study investigated a target cohort group of 1079 children forming part of the Generation R Study, a population-based prospective cohort study following children from fetal life until young adulthood, conducted in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Nasopharyngeal swabs for M. catarrhalis culture were obtained at 1.5, 6 and 14 months of age, with all three swabs being available for analyses from 443 children. Data on risk factors possibly associated with M. catarrhalis colonization were obtained by questionnaire at 2, 6 and 12 months. M. catarrhalis colonization increased from 11.8% at age 1.5 months to 29.9% and 29.7% at 6 and 14 months, respectively. Two significantly important colonization risk factors were found: the presence of siblings and day-care attendance, which both increased the risk of being positive for M. catarrhalis colonization on two or more occasions within the first year of life. Colonization with M. catarrhalis was not associated with gender, educational level of the mother, maternal smoking, breast-feeding, or antibiotic use. Apparently, crowding is an important risk factor for early and frequent colonization with M. catarrhalis in the first year of life.
Subject(s)
Moraxella catarrhalis/growth & development , Moraxella catarrhalis/isolation & purification , Nasopharynx/microbiology , Age Distribution , Child Day Care Centers , Cohort Studies , Crowding , Environmental Exposure , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Netherlands , Risk Factors , Siblings , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
In order to develop novel antistaphylococcal strategies, understanding the determinants of carriage and how humans respond to Staphylococcus aureus exposure is essential. Here, the primary S. aureus-specific humoral immune response and its association with nasal colonization was studied in young children. Sera from 57 colonized or non-colonized children, serially collected at birth and at 6, 14 and 24 months, were analysed for IgG, IgA and IgM binding to 19 staphylococcal proteins, using flow cytometry-based technology. The antibody responses showed extensive inter-individual variability. On average, the levels of antistaphylococcal IgA and IgM increased from birth until the age of 2 years (p <0.05), whereas the levels of IgG decreased (p <0.001). Placentally transferred maternal IgG did not protect against colonization. In colonized children, IgG and IgA levels for a number of proteins were higher than in non-colonized children. At both 14 and 24 months, the levels of IgG against chemotaxis inhibitory protein of S. aureus (at 24 months; median fluorescence intensity, 4928 vs. 24, p <0.05), extracellular fibrinogen-binding protein (987 vs. 604, p <0.05), and iron-responsive surface determinant H (62 vs. 5, p <0.05) were significantly higher in colonized children. The levels of IgA against CHIPS, IsdH and IsdA were higher (p <0.05). Therefore, CHIPS, Efb, IsdA and IsdH seem to play a role in nasal colonization of young children.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Bacterial/blood , Carrier State/immunology , Nasal Mucosa/microbiology , Staphylococcal Infections/immunology , Staphylococcus aureus/immunology , Age Factors , Antigens, Bacterial/immunology , Bacterial Proteins/immunology , Carrier State/microbiology , Child, Preschool , Complement Inactivator Proteins/immunology , Flow Cytometry/methods , Humans , Immunity, Maternally-Acquired , Immunoglobulin A/blood , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Immunoglobulin M/blood , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Receptors, Cell Surface/immunology , Staphylococcal Infections/microbiology , Staphylococcus aureus/isolation & purificationABSTRACT
The electronic and magnetic properties of SrFeO(3-delta) single crystals with controlled oxygen content (0< or =delta< or =0.19) have been studied systematically by susceptibility, transport, and spectroscopic techniques. An intimate correlation between the spin-charge ordering and the electronic transport behavior is found. Giant negative as well as positive magnetoresistance are observed.
ABSTRACT
We investigated how the accessory molecule interactions encountered during T cell priming influence T cell-mediated destruction of insulin-producing beta cells and lead to type 1 diabetes. T cell receptor (TCR)-transgenic CD4+ T cells were primed under controlled conditions in vitro before being adoptively transferred into transgenic recipients expressing membrane ovalbumin under the control of the rat insulin promoter (RIP-mOVA). During priming, antigen-presenting cell expression of B7-1 without intracellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) led to the generation of effector cells that migrated to the pancreata of RIP-mOVA recipients but did not cause diabetes. In contrast, when T cells were primed with APCs expressing both B7-1 and ICAM-1, pronounced destruction of beta cells and a rapid onset of diabetes were observed. Pathogenicity was associated with T cell production of the macrophage-attracting chemokines CCL3 and CCL4. Thus, interactions of lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 with ICAM-1 during priming induce both qualitative and quantitative alterations in T effector function and induce potentially autodestructive responses.
Subject(s)
Inflammation/etiology , Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1/immunology , Animals , Antigen-Presenting Cells/immunology , B7-1 Antigen/metabolism , CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/etiology , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/immunology , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/pathology , In Vitro Techniques , Inflammation/immunology , Inflammation/pathology , Insulin/genetics , Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1/immunology , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Mice, Knockout , Mice, Transgenic , Promoter Regions, Genetic , Rats , Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/geneticsABSTRACT
PIP: Data on the characteristics of foreigners living in France in 1990 and 1991 are analyzed and compared. Consideration is given to place of birth, sending country or region, percent active in the labor force, refugees, seasonal visitors, and tourists.^ieng
Subject(s)
Emigration and Immigration , Employment , Refugees , Residence Characteristics , Seasons , Transients and Migrants , Demography , Developed Countries , Economics , Ethnicity , Europe , France , Health Workforce , Population , Population Characteristics , Population Dynamics , ResearchABSTRACT
PIP: Legal immigration in metropolitan France in 1988 is analyzed. A distinction is made between permanent and temporary migrants.^ieng
Subject(s)
Emigration and Immigration , Transients and Migrants , Demography , Developed Countries , Europe , France , Population , Population DynamicsABSTRACT
PIP: The size of the foreign population in the French labor force at the end of 1985 is investigated using data from official sources, including both the census and special surveys. Using data taken primarily from the Enquete ACEMO concerning manpower activity and employment conditions, the author estimates the 1985 foreign labor force to be between 1.5 and 1.6 million, a decrease of approximately 225,000 since 1973. The data are examined by professional status and by industry. (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA)^ieng
Subject(s)
Emigration and Immigration , Employment , Health Workforce , Industry , Occupations , Transients and Migrants , Demography , Developed Countries , Economics , Ethnicity , Europe , France , Population , Population Characteristics , Population Dynamics , Social Class , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
PIP: A general review of the foreign labor force in Europe, excluding Eastern Europe, is presented. Consideration is given to the countries of origin of foreign workers, changes over the decade 1975-1985, and comparisons among countries concerning types of activity performed by foreigners.^ieng
Subject(s)
Emigration and Immigration , Employment , Occupations , Transients and Migrants , Demography , Developed Countries , Economics , Europe , Health Workforce , Population , Population DynamicsABSTRACT
The author examines the impact of migrant workers in Europe on such demographic developments as declining fertility, population decrease, and demographic aging. Official government and U.N. data are used to contrast age distributions of migrant and native populations in selected receiving countries in Europe. "In his analysis of the impact of second-generation migrants on demographic development in the principal European employment countries, the author shows that in all of these countries the foreign population improves the age distribution of the population as a whole by way of reinforcing the weight of the younger age groups in relation to the older groups. The ageing of the national populations...is thus countered by the presence of second-generation migrants." (summary in ENG)
Subject(s)
Age Distribution , Age Factors , Demography , Emigration and Immigration , Employment , Fertility , Population Dynamics , Transients and Migrants , Developed Countries , Economics , Europe , Health Workforce , Population , Population CharacteristicsABSTRACT
PIP: An overview of foreign populations in selected European countries is presented using data for the early 1980s from government and international agency sources. Among the topics discussed are the foreign population as a percentage of the total population, the economically active population, and the population under age 19. Particular attention is given to the situation in France, including developments in net migration, the distribution of young foreign workers by type of economic activity, and the labor force participation of female foreigners.^ieng
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Age Distribution , Age Factors , Emigration and Immigration , Employment , Ethnicity , Minority Groups , Occupations , Transients and Migrants , Culture , Demography , Developed Countries , Economics , Europe , France , Health Workforce , Population , Population Characteristics , Population DynamicsABSTRACT
PIP: The authors elaborate a method for the indirect estimation of the number of foreigners departing France during the intercensal period 1975-1982. The estimation procedure is twofold. First, the actual count of the foreign population is taken from the first census and adjusted to account for natural increase, the entrance of new foreigners, and the acquisition and loss of French citizenship. Second, the count of foreign residents from the subsequent census is subtracted from this estimated figure in order to derive the volume of departures. The analysis indicates that approximately 530,000 foreigners, or 75,000 annually, left France in the years studied, representing a decline from the preceding intercensal period. Information concerning the nationalities of those departing is included.^ieng
Subject(s)
Emigration and Immigration , Ethnicity , Methods , Minority Groups , Population Growth , Statistics as Topic , Transients and Migrants , Culture , Demography , Developed Countries , Europe , France , Population , Population Characteristics , Population Dynamics , ResearchABSTRACT
PIP: The present migration situation in Europe is reviewed. Particular attention is paid to the impact of migrants on the native populations in the countries concerned, with special reference to young people. Efforts being taken by governments to assist the integration of migrants are described, as are steps taken to reabsorb return migrants. Consideration is also given to illegal migration, the lack of coordination among governments at the international level, and the inadequacies of schooling and training for migrants. Priorities for action by governments in the field of migration are suggested.^ieng
Subject(s)
Demography , Emigration and Immigration , Public Policy , Transients and Migrants , Developed Countries , Education , Europe , International Cooperation , Population , Population Dynamics , TeachingABSTRACT
PIP: This report, prepared at the request of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), examines how remittances flow from employing countries to migrants' countries of origin and how they are used. The migrants examined largely come from Morocco, Turkey, Tunisia, Yugoslavia, Algeria, Portugal, Spain, and Italy, and work in France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Sweden, and The Netherlands. Part 1 of the paper collects basic data on the finance flows formed by migrants' remittances, as measured by the balances of payment of the countries exporting and receiving manpower. These flows are related to such concepts as savings for real tranfers. The article also analyzes their composition, evolution over the past decade, and economic significance. Part 2 examines the use to which funds transverred and brought home from abroad are put by the income-producing migrants. Reports, field surveys, and expert communications supply data to examine whether such capital is invested to aid economic development. Part 3 explains how financial and economic flows from employing countries can play a positive role in the the development of the countries of origin and how international cooperation can assist. Recent changes in the migration policies of the main countries of employment, which now offer incentives to foreign manpower to encourage their return to emigrating nations, make the topic of this report especially timely.^ieng