First report of eprinomectin-resistant isolates of Haemonchus contortus in 5 dairy sheep farms from the Pyrénées Atlantiques département in France.

Infection of sheep by gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) in pastoral systems such as those found in the South Western area of France, the Pyrénées Atlantiques, is one of the main reasons for economic loss and degradation of their welfare. In the present study, the efficacy of eprinomectin (EPN) was monitored on farms from this area following suspicion of lack of anthelmintic efficacy. Suspicions were raised by veterinarians, based on clinical signs ranging from milk and body condition loss, to anaemia, and mortality. Resistance was evaluated according to the World Association for the Advancement for Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP) guidelines using fecal egg count reduction tests reinforced by individual analysis of drug concentration in the serum of all treated ewes by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). EPN was administered by subcutaneous (SC) and topical (T) route according to manufacturer's requirements, as well as by the oral route (O) with the topical solution according to off-labelled practices in the field. For the first time in France, the presence of resistant isolates of Haemonchus contortus to EPN was observed in 5 dairy sheep farms. The HPLC dosages showed exposure of worms to concentrations compatible with anthelmintic activity for animals treated by the SC and O routes. By contrast, they showed under exposure to the drug of most individuals treated by the T route. EPN is the only null milk withdrawal anthelmintic molecule currently available. The presence of resistant isolates of the pathogenic H. contortus to EPN in this important dairy region requires an urgent change in grazing, and sometimes production, systems.

Carbohydrase Complexes Rich in Xylanases and Arabinofuranosidases Affect the Autofluorescence Signal and Liberate Phenolic Acids from the Cell Wall Matrix in Wheat, Maize, and Rice Bran: An In Vitro Digestion Study.

The high fiber content of cereal coproducts used in animal feed reduces the digestibility and nutrient availability. Therefore, the aim of this study was to elucidate the ability of two carbohydrase complexes to degrade the cell wall of wheat, maize, and rice during in vitro digestion. One complex was rich in cell-wall-degrading enzymes (NSPase 1), and the other was similar but additionally enriched with xylanases and arabinofuranosidases (NSPase 2). Degradation of arabinoxylan, the main cereal cell wall polysaccharide, was followed directly by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) and indirectly through phenolic acid liberation as quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The effect was additionally visualized using a unique multispectral autofluorescence approach. Wheat fractions, in particular aleurone, were susceptible to degradation as judged from the redistribution of arabinoxylan (25% reduction in insoluble arabinoxylan), whereas the highest relative liberation of ferulic acid was observed in rice bran (6%). All cereal fractions, except for maize, had a higher release of ferulic acid with NSPase 2 than NSPase 1 (38% in rice and wheat bran, 30% in wheat whole grain, and 28% in wheat aleurone). Thus, the carbohydrase complexes were able to degrade important cell wall components during in vitro digestion but apparently through different mechanisms in wheat, maize, and rice.

Promoting sport and physical activity in Italy: a cost-effectiveness analysis of seven innovative public health policies.

BACKGROUND: Inactive lifestyles are a key risk factor underpinning the development of many chronic diseases, yet more than half of the Italian population does not meet WHO thresholds for at least moderate physical activity. This study aims to make the economic case to upscale investments in policy actions to promote exercise and physical activity. STUDY DESIGN: Modelling-based cost-effectiveness analysis in Italy. METHODS: The study assesses the impact on health and healthcare expenditure of seven public health policies to promote exercise and physical activity against a business as usual scenario. Assessed policies include: promotion of active transport, workplace sedentarily interventions, investments in sports and recreation, mass media campaigns, prescription of physical activity in primary care, school-based interventions and mobile apps. RESULTS: Public policies to promote exercise have the potential to improve population health and produce savings in healthcare expenditure. Assessed policies can avoid hundreds of cases of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes per year and tens of cases of cancer resulting in gains in DALYs in the order of thousands per year. In the medium-term, the vast majority of policies show excellent cost-effectiveness ratio, below internationally recognized thresholds. CONCLUSIONS: Investing in policies to promote active lifestyles is a good investment for Italy.

Assessing the potential outcomes of achieving the World Health Organization global non-communicable diseases targets for risk factors by 2025: is there also an economic dividend?

OBJECTIVES: This study assesses the change in premature mortality and in morbidity under the scenario of meeting the World Health Organization (WHO) global targets for non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors (RFs) by 2025 in France. It also estimates medical expenditure savings because of the reduction of NCD burden. STUDY DESIGN: A microsimulation model is used to predict the future health and economic outcomes in France. METHODS: A 'RF targets' scenario, assuming the achievement of the six targets on RFs by 2025, is compared to a counterfactual scenario with respect to disability-adjusted life years and healthcare costs differences. RESULTS: The achievement of the RFs targets by 2025 would save about 25,300 (and 75,500) life years in good health in the population aged 25-64 (respectively 65+) years on average every year and would help to reduce healthcare costs by about €660 million on average per year, which represents 0.35% of the current annual healthcare spending in France. Such a reduction in RFs (net of the natural decreasing trend in mortality) would contribute to achieving about half of the 2030 NCD premature mortality target in France. CONCLUSIONS: The achievement of the RF targets would lead France to save life years and life years in good health in both working-age and retired people and would modestly reduce healthcare expenditures. To achieve RFs targets and to curb the growing burden of NCDs, France has to strengthen existing and implement new policy interventions.

Cartography of cell morphology in tomato pericarp at the fruit scale.

In fleshy fruits, the variability of cell morphology at the fruit scale is largely unknown. It presents both a huge variability and a high level of organization. Better knowledge of cell morphology heterogeneity within the fruit is necessary to understand fruit development, to model fruit mechanical behaviour, or to investigate variations of physico-chemical measurements. A generic approach is proposed to build cartographies of cell morphology at the fruit scale, which depict regions corresponding to different cell morphologies. The approach is based on: (1) sampling the whole fruit at known positions; (2) imaging and quantifying local cell morphology; (3) pooling measurements to take biological variability into account and (4) projecting results in a morphology model of the whole fruit. The result is a synthetic representation of cell morphology variations within the whole fruit. The method was applied to the characterization of cell morphology in tomato pericarp. Two different imaging scales that provided complementary descriptions were used: 3D confocal microscopy and macroscopy. The approach is generic and can be adapted to other fruits or other products.

Host-specific differentiation among populations of Venturia inaequalis causing scab on apple, pyracantha and loquat.

Patterns of multilocus DNA sequence variation within and between closely related taxa can provide insights into the history of divergence. Here, we report on DNA polymorphism and divergence at six nuclear loci in globally distributed samples of the ascomycete Venturia inaequalis, responsible for scab on apple, loquat, and pyracantha. Isolates from different hosts were differentiated but did not form diagnosable distinct phylogenetic species. Parameters of an Isolation-with-Migration model estimated from the data suggested that the large amount of variation shared among groups more likely resulted from recent splitting than from extensive genetic exchanges. Inferred levels of gene flow among groups were low and more concentrated toward recent times, and we identified two potentially recent one-off shifters from apple and pyracantha to loquat. These findings support a scenario of recent divergence in allopatry followed by introgression through secondary contact, with groups from loquat and pyracantha being the most recently differentiated.

Stereological estimation for layered structures based on slabs perpendicular to a surface.

This paper deals with the characterization of layered structures sampled with respect to a reference surface. A scheme where thick slabs are sampled perpendicular to a curved surface is considered, resulting in a non-uniform sampling of the structure. We present an estimation procedure based on the Horvitz-Thompson principle. An approximation of the sampling probability is proposed, which depends on the local surface curvatures, on the slab dimensions and on the intensity function of slab anchors. The practical determination of local parameters is detailed for the case of a revolution surface. The procedure is applied to the estimation of surface area density of cell walls in tomato pericarp.

[Does breast density have an impact on the indications for MRI?]. / La densité mammaire change-t-elle les indications d'IRM du sein?

MRI indications in breast imaging in breast imaging are now well codified. In diagnostic and screening, MRI in recommended in patients with likely metastatic lymph nodes and in metastasis of unknown cause, and in women with high risk family. In characterisation MRI is recommend in non-calcified subtle findings, non suitable for biopsy. In the staging of a diagnosed breast cancer, MRI has a great impact both for the diagnosis and for the treatment, event if group of women for whom MRI is recommended is still discussed. In follow-up of patients with an history of breast cancer, MRI permits to differentiate recurrence from scarr and to monitor the response to a neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. Dense breast don't constitute a MRI indication by itself, but strengthen recognized MRI indications. Fatty breast easily readable on mammogram don't justify not to perform MRI in the screening of women with high risk family. Conservely in the staging of a breast cancer in an woman or in the monitoring of a neo-adjuvant chemotherapy fatty breast may make US sufficient.

Effect of flour minor components on bubble growth in bread dough during proofing assessed by magnetic resonance imaging.

Fermentation of dough made from standard flour for French breadmaking was followed by nuclear magnetic resonance imaging at 9.4 T. The growth of bubbles (size > 117 microm) was observed for dough density between 0.8 and 0.22 g cm(-3). Cellular structure was assessed by digital image analysis, leading to the definition of fineness and rate of bubble growth. Influence of composition was studied through fractionation by extraction of soluble fractions (6% db), by defatting (< 1% db) and by puroindolines (Pin) addition (< or = 0.1%). Addition of the soluble fraction increased the dough specific volume and bubble growth rate but decreased fineness, whereas defatting and Pin addition only increased fineness. The role of molecular components of each fraction could be related to dough elongational properties. A final comparison with baking results confirmed that the crumb cellular structure was largely defined after fermentation.

[Unilateral primary adrenal lymphoma: a case report]. / Lymphome primitif unilatéral de la surrénale: a propos d'un cas.

The authors report a case of unilateral primary adrenal lymphoma presenting with abdominal and dorsal pain. Primary lymphoma of the genitourinary tract, specifically adrenal localisation, is a rare disease. CT is the current best imaging modality for evaluating retroperitoneal masses and improving detection, characterization as well as assessing extension. Diagnosis is based on histology.

Development of an in vitro system simulating bucco-gastric digestion to assess the physical and chemical changes of food.

The release of nutrients from solid food depends on the physical and chemical characteristics of substrates, and on dynamic physiological events including pH, gastric emptying and enzymatic secretion. Our laboratory has developed an in vitro digestive system mimicking mouth and stomach processes to determine physical and chemical changes of bread during digestion. To simulate oral-phase digestion, bread was minced and subjected to in vitro amylase digestion, releasing 219 +/- 11 g oligosaccharides/kg total carbohydrate. During the gastric phase, bread proteins, which are converted into insoluble aggregated proteins during breadmaking, were emptied in various states of peptic digestion: undigested aggregated proteins and degraded proteins of intermediate and low molecular weight. The mean particle size of ground bread decreased progressively to the end of the gastric digestion (from 292 to 109 microm). The in vitro digestive system proved to be a useful tool for understanding the dynamic digestion of various food components held within the structure of a food matrix.

Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction Identification of Venturia nashicola Using Internally Transcribed Spacer Region in the Ribosomal DNA.

ABSTRACT A technique based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was developed for the identification of Venturia nashicola using nucleotide sequence information of the ribosomal DNA region. The complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of V. nashicola strains and phylo-genetically related species was amplified with the two universal ITS1 and ITS4 primers, sequenced, and digested with five restriction enzymes. The alignment of nucleotide sequences and analyses of digestion patterns indicated constant polymorphisms between V. nashicola and related species at nucleotides 126 and 127, which overlapped a TaqI restriction site. An oligonucleotide primer named A126 was designed for identifying this variable region. A primer set (A126 and ITS4) that allowed the amplification of a 391-bp DNA fragment within the ITS region by PCR was specific to V. nashicola when it was checked against fungal genomic DNAs of related fungi. This primer set was a good candidate for a species-specific reagent in a procedure for identification of V. nashicola by PCR.

Particle size of solid food after human mastication and in vitro simulation of oral breakdown.

Mastication, the first step in food digestion, results in the breakdown of solid food and its lubrication with saliva. Although the rate and extent of starch digestion are closely dependent on the way food is chewed, this factor has not been adequately considered in the preparation of food for in vitro digestion experiments. The purpose of this study was to determine the size distribution of starchy food particles before swallowing and to use an in vitro mincing procedure to simulate how food is divided up during chewing. Foods differing in texture and size (bread, spaghetti and tortiglioni) were chewed by 12 healthy subjects and spat out before swallowing. Chewing time and saliva impregnation were measured for each mouthful. The particle sizes resulting from experiments with chewed and minced bread and pasta were analysed respectively by light laser diffraction and image analysis. Chewing time was longer for bread than pasta, resulting in higher saliva impregnation. Chewed bread showed a bimodal distribution of particle size (30 microns, 500 microns), whereas both kinds of pasta produced particles of similar size (0.5 to 30 mm2) after mastication. Mincing reproduced the division of bread and pasta as achieved by chewing in an acceptable way. From our results it seems that the size of particles resulting from mastication depends on food texture. We succeeded by wetting and mincing food to prepare food in a similar bolus-like form before swallowing. Mincing provides a simple means of simulating the reduction of food into particles for in vitro digestion studies.

Physical and chemical transformations of cereal food during oral digestion in human subjects.

Chemical and physical transformations of solid food begin in the mouth, but the oral phase of digestion has rarely been studied. In the present study, twelve healthy volunteers masticated mouthfuls of either bread or spaghetti for a physiologically-determined time, and the levels of particle degradation and starch digestion before swallowing were compared for each food. The amounts of saliva moistening bread and spaghetti before swallowing were, respectively, 220 (SEM 12) v. 39 (SEM 6) g/kg fresh matter. Particle size reduction also differed since bread particles were highly degraded, showing a loss of structure, whereas spaghetti retained its physical structure, with rough and incomplete reduction of particle size. Starch hydrolysis was twice as high for bread as for spaghetti, mainly because of the release of high-molecular-mass alpha-glucans. The production of oligosaccharides was similar after mastication of the two foods, respectively 125 (SEM 8) and 92 (SEM 7) g/kg total starch. Starch hydrolysis, which clearly began in the mouth, depended on the initial structure of the food, as in the breakdown of solid food. These significant physical and chemical degradations of solid foods during oral digestion may influence the entire digestive process.

Influence of pancreatic ducts on saturation of juice with calcium carbonate in dogs.

In several species, bicarbonate and calcium concentrations of pancreatic juice are known to vary during the different phases of pancreatic secretion. The effects of these variations on the saturation of juice with calcium carbonate, a critical factor for the formation of pancreatic stones, are not known. In this work, we studied the saturation degree of pancreatic juice with calcium carbonate in six unanesthetized beagle dogs equipped with Thomas cannulae during basal secretion and after bolus injections of cerulein (30 ng/kg) or secretin (0.25 units/kg). In the different samples of pure pancreatic juice, pH, PCO2, bicarbonate, and proteins were measured by standard methods. Total calcium (CaT) and ionized calcium (Ca2+) were determined using calcium-specific electrodes. Saturation with calcium carbonate was calculated by reference to the solubility product of calcite at 37 degrees C. Almost all the samples were found to be supersaturated with calcium carbonate but large variations of the saturation index were observed. In basal samples, obtained during periods of low secretion rate, the mean saturation index (3.35 +/- 3.01) was significantly lower than under secretion (12.10 +/- 5.14) or cerulein (18.01 +/- 8.42). This low basal saturation index, in spite of a high Ca2+ content, was explained by a low bicarbonate concentration (37.6 +/- 18.9 mmol/liter) and a high PCO2 (13.4 +/- 7.5 kPa). In contrast, in juice obtained after hormonal stimulation, PCO2 (4.8 +/- 1.6 kPa) was similar to plasma PCO2 (5.5 +/- 1.2 kPa).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Dog gastric lipase: stimulation of its secretion in vivo and cytolocalization in mucous pit cells.

Dog gastric lipase (DGL) secretion is stimulated in vivo by urecholine, pentagastrin, histamine, 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2, and secretin. Under fasting conditions, DGL is irreversibly inactivated by gastric acid below pH 1.5; consequently, DGL output can be underestimated. This problem has been resolved by buffering the acid or by using an antisecretory drug such as omeprazole during stimulation. There is a clear parallelism between the secretion of DGL and of gastric mucus. This observation led to the present investigation of the cellular localization of DGL using immunofluorescence techniques. Results showed that DGL is cytolocalized in mucous pit cells of gastric glands. Pepsinogen is found in chief cells. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first description of an enzyme (gastric lipase) secreted by mucous-type gastric cells. In contrast to other species, gastric lipase of the dog is located in cardiac, fundic, and antral mucosae.