Association between combination antibiotic therapy as opposed as monotherapy and outcomes of ICU patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa ventilator-associated pneumonia: an ancillary study of the iDIAPASON trial.

BACKGROUND: The optimal treatment duration and the nature of regimen of antibiotics (monotherapy or combination therapy) for Pseudomonas aeruginosa ventilator­associated pneumonia (PA-VAP) remain debated. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a combination antibiotic therapy is superior to a monotherapy in patients with PA-VAP in terms of reduction in recurrence and death, based on the 186 patients included in the iDIAPASON trial, a multicenter, randomized controlled trial comparing 8 versus 15 days of antibiotic therapy for PA-VAP. METHODS: Patients with PA-VAP randomized in the iDIAPASON trial (short-duration-8 days vs. long-duration-15 days) and who received appropriate antibiotic therapy were eligible in the present study. The main objective is to compare mortality at day 90 according to the antibiotic therapy received by the patient: monotherapy versus combination therapy. The primary outcome was the mortality rate at day 90. The primary outcome was compared between groups using a Chi-square test. Time from appropriate antibiotic therapy to death in ICU or to censure at day 90 was represented using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and compared between groups using a Log-rank test. RESULTS: A total of 169 patients were included in the analysis. The median duration of appropriate antibiotic therapy was 14 days. At day 90, among 37 patients (21.9%) who died, 17 received monotherapy and 20 received a combination therapy (P = 0.180). Monotherapy and combination antibiotic therapy were similar for the recurrence rate of VAP, the number of extra pulmonary infections, or the acquisition of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria during the ICU stay. Patients in combination therapy were exposed to mechanical ventilation for 28 ± 12 days, as compared with 23 ± 11 days for those receiving monotherapy (P = 0.0243). Results remain similar after adjustment for randomization arm of iDIAPASON trial and SOFA score at ICU admission. CONCLUSIONS: Except longer durations of antibiotic therapy and mechanical ventilation, potentially related to increased difficulty in achieving clinical cure, the patients in the combination therapy group had similar outcomes to those in the monotherapy group. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02634411 , Registered 15 December 2015.

Does hyaluronic acid gel reduce intrauterine adhesions after dilation and curettage in women with miscarriage? A Multicentric randomized controlled trial (HYFACO Study).

BACKGROUND: Miscarriage is a frequent problem that requires dilation and curettage in 30% of cases. This routine surgery may lead to intrauterine adhesions and severe infertility. Hyaluronic acid gel is known to reduce intrauterine adhesions after hysteroscopic surgery. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the rate of intrauterine adhesions after dilation and curettage for miscarriage with and without hyaluronic acid gel. STUDY DESIGN: This was a multicentric (9 hospitals in France), prospective, open-label randomized trial. Patients who had a miscarriage between weeks 7 and 14 of gestation, required dilation and curettage, and wanted another pregnancy were eligible for the study. Women were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to surgery alone (control group) or surgery with intrauterine instillation of hyaluronic acid gel (gel group). An office hysteroscopy was planned at 6 to 8 weeks after surgery. The primary endpoint was the rate of intrauterine adhesions during this office follow-up hysteroscopy. Two different follow-up fertility surveys were sent at 6 months and 1 year after the end of the intervention, respectively. RESULTS: Among the 343 patients who had curettage, 278 had hysteroscopy. After multiple imputation, the rate of intrauterine adhesions was lower in the gel group than in the control group (9.1% vs 18.4%, respectively; P=.0171). Among the 110 responders to the surveys, the overall pregnancy rate at 12 months after surgery was 64.5% (71/110), and similar in both groups (57.4% [27/47] in the control group vs 69.8% [44/63] in the gel group; P=.1789). CONCLUSION: Intrauterine instillation of hyaluronic acid gel reduces the rate of intrauterine adhesions in women treated with dilation and curettage for miscarriage.

Efficacy of a combination of hypnosis and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for chronic non-cancer pain: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Chronic non-cancer pain, which persists for at least three months, seriously affects quality of life. Chronic non-cancer pain patients are usually managed by a multidisciplinary team using pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies. Nurses perform transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and hypnosis, which are widely used in France for the treatment of chronic pain in pain departments. OBJECTIVE: To assess pain relief at three months, comparing a simultaneous combination of hypnosis and TENS (intervention) with TENS alone (control). DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Patients aged 18-80 years, suffering from chronic peripheral neuropathic and/or nociceptive non-cancer pain were included (September 2013 to May 2017) and followed for six months. The primary outcome was the pain intensity difference (by visual analog scale score) between month 3 and baseline. The secondary outcomes, assessed at months 3 and 6, were SF36 score, analgesics consumption and number of TENS sessions performed at home (last seven days). RESULTS: Seventy-two patients were included, suffering from a combination of chronic non-cancer nociceptive and neuropathic pain, with a mean pain intensity of about sixty out of a hundred. The results show an important pain reduction (forty percent) in both groups at 3 months. No significant difference was observed between the control and intervention groups. Similarly, SF36 score, change in analgesic intake and patient compliance did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first randomized controlled study showing a decrease of pain intensity and a high level of compliance with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation alone or associated to hypnosis. The combination does not seem to be more efficient than transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation alone. Chronic non-cancer pain remains a major issue and a substantial proportion of patients do not appear to benefit from interventions. IMPACT: This study increases our understanding of the combination of two non-pharmacological methods in chronic non-cancer pain patients. The combination of the two non-pharmacological strategies did not appear to be more efficient than one alone. Further research on non-pharmacological treatments targeting to patient's characteristics are needed to find appropriate strategies in patients with complex multidimensional pain conditions. Clinical Trial Number: NCT01944150 (Sept. 17, 2013).

Respiratory multiplex PCR and procalcitonin to reduce antibiotic exposure in severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia: a multicentre randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed at assessing the efficacy and safety on antibiotic exposure of a strategy combining a respiratory multiplex PCR (mPCR) with enlarged panel and daily procalcitonin (PCT) measurements, as compared with a conventional strategy, in adult patients who were critically ill with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. METHODS: This multicentre, parallel-group, open-label, randomized controlled trial enrolled patients admitted to 13 intensive care units (ICUs) in France. Patients were assigned (1:1) to the control strategy, in which antibiotic streamlining remained at the discretion of the physicians, or interventional strategy, consisting of using mPCR and daily PCT measurements within the first 7 days of randomization to streamline initial antibiotic therapy, with antibiotic continuation encouraged when PCT was >1 ng/mL and discouraged if < 1 ng/mL or decreased by 80% from baseline. All patients underwent conventional microbiological tests and cultures. The primary end point was antibiotic-free days at day 28. RESULTS: Between April 20th and November 23rd 2020, 194 patients were randomized, of whom 191 were retained in the intention-to-treat analysis. Respiratory bacterial co-infection was detected in 48.4% (45/93) and 21.4% (21/98) in the interventional and control group, respectively. The number of antibiotic-free days was 12.0 (0.0; 25.0) and 14.0 (0.0; 24.0) days, respectively (difference, -2.0, (95% CI, -10.6 to 6.6), p=0.89). Superinfection rates were high (51.6% and 48.5%, respectively). Mortality rates and ICU lengths of stay did not differ between groups. DISCUSSION: In severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, the mPCR/PCT algorithm strategy did not affect 28-day antibiotics exposure nor the major clinical outcomes, as compared with routine practice.

Reviving vacuum-dried encapsulated ram spermatozoa via ICSI after 2 years of storage.

Introduction: Freeze-drying techniques give alternative preservation mammalian spermatozoa without liquid nitrogen. However, most of the work has been conducted in the laboratory mouse, while little information has been gathered on large animals that could also benefit from this kind of storage. Methods: This work adapted a technique known as vacuum-drying encapsulation (VDE), originally developed for nucleic acid conservation in anhydrous state, to ram spermatozoa, and compared it to canonical lyophilization (FD), testing long-term storage at room temperature (RT) and 4°C. Results and discussion: The results demonstrated better structural stability, namely lipid composition and DNA integrity, in VDE spermatozoa than FD ones, with outcomes at RT storage comparable to 4°C. Likewise, in VDE the embryonic development was higher than in FD samples (12.8% vs. 8.7%, p < 0.001, respectively). Our findings indicated that in large mammals, it is important to consider dehydration-related changes in sperm polyunsaturated fatty acids coupled with DNA alterations, given their crucial role in embryonic development.

Predictors of acute ischemic cerebral lesions in immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and hemolytic uremic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The immune form of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) and the hemolytic and uremic syndrome (HUS) are two major forms of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). Their treatment has been recently greatly improved. In this new era, both the prevalence and predictors of cerebral lesions occurring during the acute phase of these severe conditions remain poorly known. AIM: The prevalence and predictors of cerebral lesions appearing during the acute phase of iTTP and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli-HUS or atypical HUS were evaluated in a prospective multicenter study. METHODS: Univariate analysis was performed to report the main differences between patients with iTTP and those with HUS or between patients with acute cerebral lesions and the others. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the potential predictors of these lesions. RESULTS: Among 73 TMA cases (mean age 46.9 ± 16 years (range 21-87 years) with iTTP (n = 57) or HUS (n = 16), one-third presented with acute ischemic cerebral lesions on magnetic resonance imagery (MRI); two individuals also had hemorrhagic lesions. One in ten patients had acute ischemic lesions without any neurological symptom. The neurological manifestations did not differ between iTTP and HUS. In multivariable analysis, three factors predicted the occurrence of acute ischemic lesions on cerebral MRI: (1) the presence of old infarcts on cerebral MRI, (2) the level of blood pulse pressure, (3) the diagnosis of iTTP. CONCLUSION: At the acute phase of iTTP or HUS, both symptomatic and covert ischemic lesions are detected in one third of cases on MRI. Diagnosis of iTTP and the presence of old infarcts on MRI are associated with the occurrence of such acute lesions as well as increased blood pulse pressure, that may represent a potential target to further improve the therapeutic management of these conditions.

Chain and conformation stability of solid-state DNA: implications for room temperature storage.

There is currently wide interest in room temperature storage of dehydrated DNA. However, there is insufficient knowledge about its chemical and structural stability. Here, we show that solid-state DNA degradation is greatly affected by atmospheric water and oxygen at room temperature. In these conditions DNA can even be lost by aggregation. These are major concerns since laboratory plastic ware is not airtight. Chain-breaking rates measured between 70 degrees C and 140 degrees C seemed to follow Arrhenius' law. Extrapolation to 25 degrees C gave a degradation rate of about 1-40 cuts/10(5) nucleotides/century. However, these figures are to be taken as very tentative since they depend on the validity of the extrapolation and the positive or negative effect of contaminants, buffers or additives. Regarding the secondary structure, denaturation experiments showed that DNA secondary structure could be preserved or fully restored upon rehydration, except possibly for small fragments. Indeed, below about 500 bp, DNA fragments underwent a very slow evolution (almost suppressed in the presence of trehalose) which could end in an irreversible denaturation. Thus, this work validates using room temperature for storage of DNA if completely protected from water and oxygen.

Analgesia Nociception Index-Guided Remifentanil versus Standard Care during Propofol Anesthesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

The clinical benefits to be expected from intraoperative nociception monitors are currently under investigation. Among these devices, the Analgesia Nociception-Index (ANI) has shown promising results under sevoflurane anesthesia. Our study investigated ANI-guided remifentanil administration under propofol anesthesia. We hypothesized that ANI guidance would result in reduced remifentanil consumption compared with standard management. This prospective, randomized, controlled, single-blinded, bi-centric study included women undergoing elective gynecologic surgery under target-controlled infusion of propofol and remifentanil. Patients were randomly assigned to an ANI or Standard group. In the ANI group, remifentanil target concentration was adjusted by 0.5 ng mL-1 steps every 5 min according to the ANI value. In the Standard group, remifentanil was managed according to standard practice. Our primary objective was to compare remifentanil consumption between the groups. Our secondary objectives were to compare the quality of anesthesia, postoperative analgesia and the incidence of chronic pain. Eighty patients were included. Remifentanil consumption was lower in the ANI group: 4.4 (3.3; 5.7) vs. 5.8 (4.9; 7.1) µg kg-1 h-1 (difference = -1.4 (95% CI, -2.6 to -0.2), p = 0.0026). Propofol consumption was not different between the groups. Postoperative pain scores were low in both groups. There was no difference in morphine consumption 24 h after surgery. The proportion of patients reporting pain 3 months after surgery was 18.8% in the ANI group and 30.8% in the Standard group (difference = -12.0 (95% CI, -32.2 to 9.2)). ANI guidance resulted in lower remifentanil consumption compared with standard practice under propofol anesthesia. There was no difference in short- or long-term postoperative analgesia.

Metacarpophalangeal Joint Impairment in Hand Osteoarthritis and Its Association With Mechanical Factors: Results From the Digital Cohort Osteoarthritis Design Hand Osteoarthritis Cohort.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence, distribution, and characteristics associated with radiographic metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of baseline data from the Digital Cohort Osteoarthritis Design, a French monocentric cohort including patients with symptomatic hand OA. We evaluated the prevalence of radiographic MCP joint OA, defined as ≥2 MCP joints with a Kellgren/Lawrence score of ≥2. We compared the prevalence of MCP joint OA in the dominant and nondominant hands. Associations between radiographic MCP joint OA and patient characteristics were studied using univariable and multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Radiographic MCP joint OA was present in 138 of the 425 patients (32.5%) but was not severe. Patients with MCP joint OA had a mean age of 69.2 ± 6.9 years, a body mass index of 25 ± 4.2 kg/m2 , and 86.2% were women. MCP joint OA was more frequent in the dominant hand and predominated at the first and second MCP joints. In the multivariable analysis, MCP joint OA was associated with older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.05 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.01, 1.10] for each year), manual occupation (OR 3.74 [95% CI 1.21, 11.54]), scaphotrapezial OA (OR 2.18 [95% CI 1.27, 3.72]), and a high number of proximal interphalangeal joints with radiographic OA. MCP joint OA was not associated with metabolic syndrome or hand OA symptoms. CONCLUSION: In this cross-sectional study using a hospital-based hand OA cohort, radiographic MCP joint OA was frequent and associated with structural hand OA features rather than with symptom severity. Our results suggest that the involvement of MCP joints in hand OA is predominantly related to mechanical rather than systemic factors in this population.

Efficacy of a nurse-led patient education intervention in promoting safety skills of patients with inflammatory arthritis treated with biologics: a multicentre randomised clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a nurse-led patient education on safety skills of patients with inflammatory arthritis treated with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs). METHODS: This is a multicentre, open-labelled, randomised controlled trial comparing an intervention group (face-to-face education by a nurse at baseline and 3 months later) with a control group (usual care) at the introduction of a first subcutaneous bDMARD. The primary outcome was score on the BioSecure questionnaire at 6 months (0-100 scale), a validated questionnaire assessing competencies in dealing with fever, infections, vaccination and daily situations. The secondary outcomes were disease activity, coping, psychological well-being, beliefs about medication, self-efficacy and severe infection rate. RESULTS: 129 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis were enrolled in nine rheumatology departments; 122 completed the study; 127 were analysed; and 64 received the intervention (mean duration: 65 min at baseline and 44 min at 3 months). The primary outcome was met: the BioSecure score was 81.2±13.1 and 75.6±13.0 in the education and usual care groups (difference: +6.2, 95% CI 1.3 to 11.1, p=0.015), demonstrating higher safety skills in the education group. Exploratory analyses showed better skills regarding infections, greater willingness for vaccinations and greater adherence-related behaviours in the education group. Coping was significantly more improved by education; other secondary outcomes were improved in both groups, with no difference. CONCLUSIONS: Educating patients was effective in promoting patient behaviours for preventing adverse events with bDMARDs. An education session delivered to patients starting a first bDMARD can be useful to help them self-manage safety issues. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02855320.

Comparison of 8 versus 15 days of antibiotic therapy for Pseudomonas aeruginosa ventilator-associated pneumonia in adults: a randomized, controlled, open-label trial.

PURPOSE: Duration of antibiotic therapy for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) due to non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli (NF-GNB), including Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) remains uncertain. We aimed to assess the non-inferiority of a short duration of antibiotics (8 days) vs. prolonged antibiotic therapy (15 days) in VAP due to PA (PA-VAP). METHODS: We conducted a nationwide, randomized, open-labeled, multicenter, non-inferiority trial to evaluate optimal duration of antibiotic treatment in PA-VAP. Eligible patients were adults with diagnosis of PA-VAP and randomly assigned in 1:1 ratio to receive a short-duration treatment (8 days) or a long-duration treatment (15 days). A pre-specified analysis was used to assess a composite endpoint combining mortality and PA-VAP recurrence rate during hospitalization in the intensive care unit (ICU) within 90 days. RESULTS: The study was stopped after 24 months due to slow inclusion rate. In intention-to-treat population (n = 186), the percentage of patients who reached the composite endpoint was 25.5% (N = 25/98) in the 15-day group versus 35.2% (N = 31/88) in the 8-day group (difference 9.7%, 90% confidence interval (CI) -1.9%-21.2%). The percentage of recurrence of PA-VAP during the ICU stay was 9.2% in the 15-day group versus 17% in the 8-day group. The two groups had similar median days of mechanical ventilation, of ICU stay, number of extra pulmonary infections and acquisition of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens during ICU stay. CONCLUSIONS: Our study failed to show the non-inferiority of a short duration of antibiotics in the treatment of PA-VAP, compared to a long duration. The short duration strategy may be associated to an increase of PA-VAP recurrence. However, the lack of power limits the interpretation of this study.

Long term conservation of DNA at ambient temperature. Implications for DNA data storage.

DNA conservation is central to many applications. This leads to an ever-increasing number of samples which are more and more difficult and costly to store or transport. A way to alleviate this problem is to develop procedures for storing samples at room temperature while maintaining their stability. A variety of commercial systems have been proposed but they fail to completely protect DNA from deleterious factors, mainly water. On the other side, Imagene company has developed a procedure for long-term conservation of biospecimen at room temperature based on the confinement of the samples under an anhydrous and anoxic atmosphere maintained inside hermetic capsules. The procedure has been validated by us and others for purified RNA, and for DNA in buffy coat or white blood cells lysates, but a precise determination of purified DNA stability is still lacking. We used the Arrhenius law to determine the DNA degradation rate at room temperature. We found that extrapolation to 25°C gave a degradation rate constant equivalent to about 1 cut/century/100 000 nucleotides, a stability several orders of magnitude larger than the current commercialized processes. Such a stability is fundamental for many applications such as the preservation of very large DNA molecules (particularly interesting in the context of genome sequencing) or oligonucleotides for DNA data storage. Capsules are also well suited for this latter application because of their high capacity. One can calculate that the 64 zettabytes of data produced in 2020 could be stored, standalone, for centuries, in about 20 kg of capsules.

Randomised trial of first-line bronchial artery embolisation for non-severe haemoptysis of mild abundance.

BACKGROUND: Whereas first-line bronchial artery embolisation (BAE) is considered standard of care for the management of severe haemoptysis, it is unknown whether this approach is warranted for non-severe haemoptysis. RESEARCH QUESTION: To assess the efficacy on bleeding control and the safety of first-line BAE in non-severe haemoptysis of mild abundance. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This multicentre, randomised controlled open-label trial enrolled adult patients without major comorbid condition and having mild haemoptysis (onset <72 hours, 100-200 mL estimated bleeding amount), related to a systemic arterial mechanism. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to BAE associated with medical therapy or to medical therapy alone. RESULTS: Bleeding recurrence at day 30 after randomisation (primary outcome) occurred in 4 (11.8%) of 34 patients in the BAE strategy and 17 (44.7%) of 38 patients in the medical strategy (difference -33%; 95% CI -13.8% to -52.1%, p=0.002). The 90-day bleeding recurrence-free survival rates were 91.2% (95% CI 75.1% to 97.1%) and 60.2% (95% CI 42.9% to 73.8%), respectively (HR=0.19, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.67, p=0.01). No death occurred during follow-up and no bleeding recurrence needed surgery.Four adverse events (one major with systemic emboli) occurred during hospitalisation, all in the BAE strategy (11.8% vs 0%; difference 11.8%, 95% CI 0.9 to 22.6, p=0.045); all eventually resolved. CONCLUSION: In non-severe haemoptysis of mild abundance, BAE associated with medical therapy had a superior efficacy for preventing bleeding recurrences at 30 and 90 days, as compared with medical therapy alone. However, it was associated with a higher rate of adverse events. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01278199.

The DIGICOD cohort: A hospital-based observational prospective cohort of patients with hand osteoarthritis - methodology and baseline characteristics of the population.

OBJECTIVE: Despite its prevalence, there are few worldwide hand osteoarthritis (HOA) cohorts. The main objective of DIGItal COhort Design (DIGICOD) cohort is to investigate prognostic clinical, biological, genetic and imaging factors of clinical worsening after 6years follow-up. METHODS: DIGICOD is a hospital-based prospective cohort including patients>35years-old with symptomatic HOA fulfilling: (i) ACR criteria for HOA with≥2 symptomatic joints among proximal/distal interphalangeal joints or 1st interphalangeal joint with Kellgren-Lawrence (KL)≥2; or (ii) symptomatic thumb base OA with KL≥2. Main exclusion criteria were inflammatory arthritis and crystal arthropathies. Annual clinical evaluations were scheduled with imaging (X-rays of the hands and of other OA symptomatic joints) and biological sampling every 3years. Hand radiographs are scored using KL and anatomical Verbruggen-Veys scores. Follow-up visits are ongoing. Cohort methodology and baseline characteristics are presented. RESULTS: Between April 2013 and June 2017, from the 436 HOA included patients, 426 have been analysed of whom 357 (84%) are women. Mean age±standard deviation was 66.7±7.3years and mean disease duration was 12.6±9.6years. Metabolic syndrome affected 151 (36.5%) patients. Mean Visual Analog Scale (VAS) hand pain (0-100mm) was 44.4±26.7mm at activity. Mean FIHOA (0-100) was 19.9±18.6. Elevated serum CRP level (≥5mg/L) involved 10% patients. Mean KL score (0-128) was 46.7±18 and the mean number of joint with KL≥2 was 15.1±6.3. Erosive HOA (defined as≥1 Erosive or Remodeling phase joint according to Verbruggen-Veys score) involved 195/426 (45.8%) patients and the median number (interquartile range) of erosive joints in erosive patients was 3.0 (1.0-5.0). CONCLUSION: DIGICOD is a unique prospective HOA cohort with a long-term 6years standardized assessment and has included severe radiologically HOA patients with a high prevalence of erosive disease.

Prevalence and progression of aortic dilatation in adult patients with Turner syndrome: a cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Turner syndrome (TS) is a rare disorder affecting 1/2500 female newborn. Aortic dilatation (AD) and aortic dissection represent a major concern in TS. The aims of our study were to describe the aortic root growth, potential aortic dilatation (AD) risk factors and cardiovascular outcomes in a cohort of patients with TS. METHODS: Among 204 adult patients included, 197 were studied using a standardized 1.5 Tesla MRI protocol. AD was defined as an aortic diameter ≥20 mm/m2 at the Valsalva sinuses and/or at the ascending aorta, when indexed to body surface area. RESULTS: At baseline, AD was present in 81/197 (41.1%) and 32/197 (16.2%) of patients, at the levels of Valsalva and ascending aorta, respectively. The aortic Valsalva diameter was larger in patients treated for thyroiditis (P < 0.001). Potential risk factors of AD were aging (P < 0.001) and the presence of bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) (P = 0.002). The hazard ratio (HR) of AD occurrence in the presence of BAV was 2.2 (95% CI: 1.33-3.71). After a median follow-up period of 5.1 years (n = 143), AD was present in 58/143 (40.6%) and 25/143 (17.5%) of patients at the levels of Valsalva and ascending aorta, respectively. The median aortic growth of the Valsalva sinuses remained stable. At the ascending aorta, it increased by 0.14 ± 0.61 mm/year. Only one aortic-related death was observed. CONCLUSION: AD is common in adult patients with TS. However, our results are rather reassuring, as the median aortic diameters remained stable after 5.1 years and few aortic events were observed.

Simultaneous assessment of average fragment size and amount in minute samples of degraded DNA.

There is currently no method allowing routine characterization of minute amounts of degraded DNA samples such as those encountered in forensic science, archived tissues, ancient DNA, extracellular or stool DNA, and processed food. Here we describe and directly validate such a method based, on the one hand, on a generalized DNA random fragmentation model and, on the other, on two quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) experiments using two different target sizes. The model also makes it possible to determine the minimum sample amount, the minimum mass average fragment size, and the maximum degradation time necessary to obtain a positive PCR.

High DNA stability in white blood cells and buffy coat lysates stored at ambient temperature under anoxic and anhydrous atmosphere.

Conventional storage of blood-derived fractions relies on cold. However, lately, ambient temperature preservation has been evaluated by several independent institutions that see economic and logistic advantages in getting rid of the cold chain. Here we validated a novel procedure for ambient temperature preservation of DNA in white blood cell and buffy coat lysates based on the confinement of the desiccated biospecimens under anoxic and anhydrous atmosphere in original hermetic minicapsules. For this validation we stored encapsulated samples either at ambient temperature or at several elevated temperatures to accelerate aging. We found that DNA extracted from stored samples was of good quality with a yield of extraction as expected. Degradation rates were estimated from the average fragment size of denatured DNA run on agarose gels and from qPCR reactions. At ambient temperature, these rates were too low to be measured but the degradation rate dependence on temperature followed Arrhenius' law, making it possible to extrapolate degradation rates at 25°C. According to these values, the DNA stored in the encapsulated blood products would remain larger than 20 kb after one century at ambient temperature. At last, qPCR experiments demonstrated the compatibility of extracted DNA with routine DNA downstream analyses. Altogether, these results showed that this novel storage method provides an adequate environment for ambient temperature long term storage of high molecular weight DNA in dehydrated lysates of white blood cells and buffy coats.