Evaluation of plasma canine C-reactive protein concentrations in dogs with otitis media, healthy dogs and dogs with chronic otitis externa.

BACKGROUND: Otitis is characterised by inflammation of one or more of the structures of the ear. At present, to confirm or exclude otitis media (OM), it is most often necessary to perform a computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging. Inflammation is an immune defence response found in many conditions that can be detected and tracked by measuring biological markers of inflammation as the Canine C-reactive protein (CRP). OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine whether CRP measurement is useful as an adjunctive diagnostic tool in dogs with otitis and whether elevated concentrations correlated with disease severity/presence of OM. ANIMALS: Twenty-four client-owned dogs were recruited over 1 year. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The dogs were divided into three groups: chronic or recurrent otitis externa (CO), otitis media (OM) and H (healthy). The dogs with otitis underwent a CT scan of the head, measurement of the plasma CRP concentration and evaluation of a 0-3 Otitis Index Score 3 (OTIS3 score). RESULTS: No dog (0%) in group H had an increased CRP value, compared to 20% in the CO group (one of five dogs) and 23% in the OM group (3 of 13 dogs). Plasma CRP concentrations show a statistically significant positive relationship with the OTIS3 score (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Plasma CRP concentration is not reliable as a discriminatory tool in cases of otitis, although there is a trend for elevation in cases with more severe disease. However, a larger study may provide a statistically more reliable correlation between the severity of OM and CRP concentrations.

Alterations in sperm long RNA contribute to the epigenetic inheritance of the effects of postnatal trauma.

Psychiatric diseases have a strong heritable component known to not be restricted to DNA sequence-based genetic inheritance alone but to also involve epigenetic factors in germ cells. Initial evidence suggested that sperm RNA is causally linked to the transmission of symptoms induced by traumatic experiences. Here, we show that alterations in long RNA in sperm contribute to the inheritance of specific trauma symptoms. Injection of long RNA fraction from sperm of males exposed to postnatal trauma recapitulates the effects on food intake, glucose response to insulin and risk-taking in adulthood whereas the small RNA fraction alters body weight and behavioural despair. Alterations in long RNA are maintained after fertilization, suggesting a direct link between sperm and embryo RNA.

A dataset from a 3-year network of field measurements of soil organic nitrogen mineralization under a mild oceanic temperate climate.

Improved assessment and prediction of soil organic nitrogen (SON) mineralization is essential, as it contributes significantly to the nitrogen (N) nutrition of crops and remains a major economic and environmental challenge. SON mineralization is a function of soil properties, land use and climate, which led us to monitor a network of 137 cultivated fields covering the wide diversity of soils, crop rotations and cropping practices throughout Brittany (France). SON mineralization was quantified by the mineral N balance calculated for a maize crop not fertilized with N; it was determined by measuring soil mineral N (SMN) in the 0-90 cm soil profile in March (Ni) and October (Nf) and N uptake by the maize crop, and predicting nitrate leaching (Nleached) using the STICS model. SMN and plant N uptake were measured in triplicate. To predict Nleached, STICS was initialized at the date of Ni measurement. In addition, the experimental design was based on estimating SON for three consecutive years (2012-2014) to improve the accuracy of measuring mineralization. An indicator of the cropping system (I_Sys) was developed that integrated well the effects of crop rotation and the frequency of manure application; it can be considered a good index of effects of the cropping system on SON mineralization. This dataset may be used for a variety of applications, such as analysing effects of soil properties, cropping history and climatic conditions on SON mineralization, or evaluating the accuracy of soil-plant models (e.g. STICS, CERES).

Teaching and assessment of professional attitudes in UK dental schools - commentary.

The General Dental Council expects professionalism to be embedded and assessed through-out the undergraduate dental programme. Curricula need therefore to accommodate these recommendations. A stroll poll of UK dental schools provided a basis for understanding the current methods of teaching and assessing professionalism. All respondent schools recognised the importance of professionalism and reported that this was taught and assessed within their curriculum. For most the methods involved were largely traditional, relying on lectures and seminars taught throughout the course. The most common form of assessment was by grading and providing formative feedback after a clinical encounter. Whilst clinical skills and knowledge can perhaps be readily taught and assessed using traditional methods, those involved in education are challenged to identify and implement effective methods of not only teaching, but also assessing professionalism. A variety of standalone methods need to be developed that assess professionalism and this will, in turn, allow the effectiveness of teaching methods to be assessed.

[Chronic constrictive pericarditis: MR imaging features]. / Comment je fais une IRM pour péricardite chronique constrictive?

Chronic constrictive pericarditis is defined by an increase in the rigidity of the pericardium resulting in impairment of the ventricular filling conditions. Cardiac MR is both a morphological and functional study always complemented by multi-detector CT. Morphological analysis is based on axial, longitudinal long axis and short axis views on Turbo (fast) SE Dark Blood and CINE sequences. Functional analysis is based on real-time acquisitions in the short axis at the base of the ventricles by comparing spontaneous breathing and deep breathing. The excursion of the interventricular septum is a reliable sign of constriction. The study is supplemented by phase contrast acquisitions. In the setting of persistent inflammation or free pericardial fluid, delayed enhancement 3D and 2D sequences including Phase Sensitive Inversion Recovery (PSIR) are useful.

Variations of 210Po and 210Pb in various marine organisms from Western English Channel: contribution of 210Po to the radiation dose.

Measurements of (210)Po were carried out in various marine matrices (mussels, oysters, seaweed, fish, and abalones) and in seawater at several points along the French coast, over a period of 2 years (2003-2005). These measurements contribute to a better knowledge of this element, since few recent data exist for the French coast. Marked seasonal variations have been revealed in some species and there are differences according to the way of life of these species. Activities in mussels (Mytilus edulis) and oysters (Crassostrea gigas) are similar and varying between 90 and 600 Bq kg(-1) (d.w.). Activities in macroalgae (Fucus serratus) are lowest, between 4 and 16 Bq kg(-1) (d.w.). In oyster, abalone (Haliotis tuberculata) and fish (Solea solea, Sparus sp.), the strongest activities are measured in the digestive glands, the gills and the gonads. (210)Po/(210)Pb ratios in all cases have values of more than one for all species. From a significant number of measurements, CFs were calculated for seaweed (between 4.6 x 10(3) and 5.0 x 10(3)) and for molluscs, with highest CFs (>10(5)) found for the digestive gland and gills of the oysters, the digestive gland of the abalones and the liver of fish. Finally, the activities measured have made it possible to estimate the internal dose from chronic exposure due to (210)Po received by the marine organisms (0.05 microGh(-1) for macroalgae, between 0.70 and 1.5 microGh(-1) for mussels and oyster), and the contribution of seafood to the dose received by humans (46-129 microSvy(-1)).

[The clinical impact of treatment discrepancies recorded for 200 patients in an acute geriatric unit]. / Impact clinique des divergences de traitement constatées chez 200 patients conciliés dans un service de gériatrie aiguë.

INTRODUCTION: Medication reconciliation is a process used to identify and prevent medication errors at care transition points in hospitals. The present study's main objectives were to quantify the frequency of inadvertent discrepancies (IDs) per patient and estimate the seriousness of the IDs' clinical impact. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a prospective, single-center study performed in a 38-bed acute geriatric unit. All patients hospitalized over a 70-day period were included in the study. RESULTS: Over a 70-day period, 200 patients were included (mean±SD age: 85.5±5.9). A total of 316 IDs were recorded in 117 patients (58.5%, i.e. 1.58 per patient). One third of the IDs were considered to be serious or even life-threatening. Omission was the most common type of ID (58%). Cardiovascular drugs were most frequently involved in IDs (33%). CONCLUSION: We observed an average of more than one ID per patient, when comparing drug treatment at home and drug treatment upon admission to hospital. A third of these IDs may be clinically significant. Geriatric populations with polypharmacy and multiple comorbidities are particularly sensitive to this type of error. Medication reconciliation can detect and correct IDs. Collaboration between physicians and pharmacists will improve the quality of patient care and reduce the iatrogenic risk.

Nuclear receptor ligand-binding domains: three-dimensional structures, molecular interactions and pharmacological implications.

Nuclear receptors are members of a large family of ligand-inducible transcription factors that regulate gene programs underlying a plethora of (patho)physiological phenomena. The recent determination of the crystal structures of nuclear receptor ligand-binding domains has provided an extremely detailed insight into the intra- and intermolecular mechanisms that constitute the initial events of receptor activation and signal transduction. Here, a comprehensive mechanistic view of agonist and antagonist action will be presented. Furthermore, the novel class of partial agonists-antagonists will be described and the multiple challenges and novel perspectives for nuclear-receptor-based drug design will be discussed.

Biopsy and quantitative hepatobiliary scintigraphy in the evaluation of liver transplantation.

METHODS: Hepatobiliary scintigraphy with technetium-99m-mebrofenin including a first-pass study of 60 two-sec images and a functional phase of 40 one-min images was performed in 26 patients (42.5 +/- 12.5 yr) in the early postoperative period (9.1 +/- 4.3 days) after liver grafting. Needle biopsy was carried out within a mean of 0.5 +/- 2.2 days of the scintigraphy study. Considering only rejection and cholestasis, biopsy results were used to classify the patients in three groups: control group I (11 patients) with minimal lesions, group II (9 patients) with moderate histologic modifications, and group III (6 patients) with severe dysfunction showing important structural changes. First-pass time-activity curves were used to calculate arterial (alpha-A) and portal (alpha-P) angles as well as a portal perfusion index. Functional time-activity curves were used to define two blood retention indices (BRI1 and BRI2) and two liver uptake indices (LUI1 and LUI2). Excretion was not quantified. RESULTS: Simple linear regression analysis showed a significant correlation between portal perfusion index and BRI1 (p < 0.05, r = -0.43) and BRI2 (p = 0.01, r = -0.53). The validity of the histologic classification was assessed by the existence of significantly different (p < 0.05) mean values for alpha-P, portal perfusion index and LUI1 in the three groups. All other indices could distinguish significantly between groups I and II. Furthermore, arterial angle alpha-A allowed differentiation of group II from group III but not group I from group II; on the contrary, LUI2 and BRI1 distinguished group I from group II but not group II from group III. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a close correlation between early biopsy results and perfusion indices in patients with a liver graft as well as uptake parameters determined by hepatobiliary scintigraphy.

Myocardial bridging as a cause of acute transient left heart dysfunction.

The significance of myocardial bridging is still a matter of debate, and although several reports have underlined its pathologic potential, myocardial bridging is often considered to be a benign phenomenon. We present here the case of a 63-year-old woman with a history of acute left heart failure and ECG evidence of ischemia, and whose primary abnormality on extensive workup was myocardial bridging. This case further underlines that myocardial bridging can lead to significant cardiac events.

Influence of substrate carbon on the metabolism of Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum.

The concentration of carbon sources has a significant influence on the growth, carbohydrate uptake and metabolite distribution in Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum. The growing concentrations of glucose or starch increase the production of ethanol and lactate, the intracellular fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) and the specific activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), but decrease the ethanol/lactate ratio.

Physiological investigations by image analysis.

Modern quantitative image analysis has been extensively used to characterize the morphology of microorganisms, especially those of the filamentous type. More recently physiological features have been quantified, making use of classical stains as well as fluorescent dyes. The potential of the technique is illustrated by a detailed analysis of the differentiation of Streptomyces ambofaciens. Three different staining procedures have been used to monitor the thinning and septation of hyphae (with propidium iodide staining), the leakage of cellular components through the membrane (with carbol gentian violet staining) and the respiration (with INT staining) in a batch submerged culture.

Diltiazem slow-release and left-ventricular hypertrophy: a volumetric approach of left ventricular mass using magnetic resonance imaging.

AIMS: This study was designed to assess the changes in left ventricular mass (LVM) in hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy under drug therapy with once-daily slow-release diltiazem. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used for this purpose because of its higher reproducibility than M-mode or two-dimensional echocardiography. METHODS: Patients suffering from essential hypertension were included if their baseline LVM index (LVMI) was > or = 105 g/m2 in male or > or = 85 g/m2 in female patients, ie, equal or higher to the median values observed in hypertensive patients in our institution. MRI consisted in a true short-axis, electrocardiogram (ECG) gated spin-echo slice acquisition at baseline, after 3 and 6 months of therapy (M0, M3, and M6). Data were stored on magnetic tapes and read subsequently under blind conditions and the control of an external auditor. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients were included. Of these, 14 patients (40%) were not previously treated. Inter- and intra-observer variability for LVMI measurement were 5.6 +/- 4.3% and 2.1 +/- 3.0%, respectively. Mean baseline LVMI was 110 +/- 16 g/m2 in male and 96 +/- 16 g/m2 in female patients. It decreased by 3.6% at M3 (P = 0.05) and by 6.0% at M6 (P = 0.02). A trend towards a greater LVMI reduction was observed in previously untreated patients. CONCLUSION: This study confirms that MRI is a reproducible technique for the measurement of LVM. It demonstrates a significant reduction in LVMI as early as the 3rd month of therapy in hypertensive patients treated with once-daily sustained release (SR) diltiazem, although baseline LVMI in the majority of participating patients was only moderately increased.

Modulation of the estradiol-17 beta mitogenic effect on human breast cancer MCF-7 cells by serum albumin in defined medium.

The influence of bovine serum albumin on estradiol-17 beta growth and responsiveness of human mammary cancer MCF-7 cells was studied and compared to that of dextran-coated charcoal-treated fetal calf serum and other bovine serum proteins. To reveal the protein factor role, a culture defined medium was used. It was composed of minimal essential medium without phenol red, added with human iron saturated tranferrin (10 mg/ml) and porcine insulin (5 mg/ml). An estradiol-17 beta mitogenic effect was noticed only in the present of bovine serum albumin or of dextran-coated charcoal-treated fetal calf serum. A protein concentration increase provokes a greater responsiveness of MCF-7 cells submitted to an estrogenic treatment. The obtained results suggest that serum albumin participates in the estradiol-17 beta mode of action on the target cells and modulates its effect. The culture conditions appear essential for the study of the effect of estrogens and antiestrogens on the growth of estrogen-dependent cells.

Use of a biotinyl-estradiol derivative to demonstrate estradiol-membrane binding sites on adherent human breast cancer MCF-7 cells.

A biotinyl-derivative of 17 beta-estradiol has been used to demonstrate a site of recognition and binding of estradiol located on the plasma membrane of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells by using the biotin/avidin-FITC system. The specificity of this binding has been shown by a displacement of the fluorescent label by 17 beta-estradiol. No displacement was observed when testosterone was added. Quantification of this phenomenon has been shown by laser scanning cytometry while preserving the cells adhesiveness to their growth support as well as their membrane integrity. An analysis by confocal laser scanning microscopy suggested that the fluorescence distribution on MCF-7 cells treated with estradiol-biotin was on the cell periphery. The results obtained are in favour of the recognition and binding site of 17 beta-estradiol located on the plasma membrane of MCF-7 cells and they would indicate that the biological activity of estradiol, among others, could be initiated by an interaction with the membrane.

Magnetic resonance imaging in congenital heart disease of newborns: preliminary results in 23 patients.

Until now little attention has been paid to the potential of MR imaging in congenital heart disease of the newborn. ECG-gated MRI was therefore performed at 0.5 tesla in 23 newborns (mean age 7.5 days) with suspected congenital heart disease. Two newborns were controlled after surgery (switch, Blalock-Taussig procedure). All had undergone prior evaluation by two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography (2-D DE). MR imaging was of a satisfying quality in all but one newborn. The aim of this study was to assess complementary information provided by MRI in comparison to 2-D DE. Pre-operatively MRI missed some abnormalities shown by 2-D DE: one coartaction, one ductus arteriosus and one pulmonary atresia. MRI demonstrated lesions that echocardiography had either failed to visualize or found inconclusive, including double aortic arch (one patient), muscular ventricular septum defect (two patients) and severe ductus arteriosus (one patient). In one of the two patients with a ventricular septum defect, angiography was avoided and in the other patient it merely confirmed the MRI results. Post-operatively, MRI demonstrated information complementary to that obtained from to 2-D DE: (1) clearly visualizing the reinsertion of the coronary arteries in the 'switched' transposition of the great vessels, (2) appreciating the diameter and patency of the palliative shunt in the Blalock-Taussig procedure.

A colorimetric assay for measuring cell-free and cell-bound cholesterol oxidase.

Cholesterol oxidase (cholesterol:oxygen oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.3.6) catalyzes the conversion of sterol delta 5-3 beta-alcohol to the corresponding delta 4-3-ketone with the reduction of oxygen to hydrogen peroxide. Rhodococcus species GK 1, a soil isolated microbe, produces an extracellular and a membrane-bound cholesterol oxidase; the latter is bound to the outer surface of the microbial cell membrane. A simple and sensitive assay is described to measure the two enzyme types; no enzyme extraction is needed for measuring the membrane-bound cholesterol oxidase. In this assay, hydrogen peroxide is reduced by the chromogen 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) in the presence of horseradish peroxidase, and the increased absorbance is followed continuously at 600 nm (epsilon m = 1.82 x 10(4) M-1.cm-1 at pH 7.0 and 30 degrees C). The standardized assay medium contained 46.9 mM sodium-potassium phosphate buffer pH 7.0, 0.16% Triton X-100, 312.5 microM ABTS, 50 micrograms peroxidase (12.5 units at 25 degrees C), 6.25% isopropanol, 306.3 microM cholesterol or other sterols (kept in solution with isopropanol), and cholesterol oxidase. Oxidation of one molecule of cholesterol by cholesterol oxidase gives one molecule of hydrogen peroxide which reacts with two molecules of ABTS. The method is reproducible and the results correlate well with those obtained by measuring the absorbance of delta 4-cholest-3-one at 240 nm (epsilon m = 1.40 x 10(4) M-1.cm-1 at pH 7.0 and 30 degrees C) and by the method of Allain et al. (Clin. Chem. 20, 470-475, 1974).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cholesterol crystal embolization simulating focal myositis.

Cholesterol crystal embolization usually produces characteristic skin lesions. We report a case responsible for myositis of the calf without suggestive skin lesions. The outcome in this 58-year-old patient was spontaneously favorable. Cholesterol crystal embolization can produce a range of clinical symptoms, with the skin, kidneys, and eyes being the most common targets. Generalized forms can result in systemic disease. The diagnosis rests on histological findings, and the treatment is symptomatic. Anticoagulants have been shown to worsen the manifestations, whereas antiplatelet therapy may be useful.

Degradation of pentachlorophenol in cyclodextrin extraction effluent using a photocatalytic process.

This work evaluates a process for the elimination of pentachlorophenol (PCP) from effluents provided by a cyclodextrin-assisted flushing of contaminated soils. The effectiveness of photocatalytic degradation of PCP in several cyclodextrin (CD) solutions was evaluated using TiO2 as a photocatalyst. Effects of CD type on PCP degradation rate were studied at two pH values. A similar effect was observed for all CDs used on degradation rate of PCP and the decay of PCP was found to be less extensive at pH 11 than at pH 7. The kinetic orders of the photocatalytic reactions of PCP for all of the solutions have been determined. The first-order rate constants were found to be 0.0884, 0.0362, 0.0197 and 0.0053 min(-1) in CD solutions, respectively, at 0, 1, 2 and 5 mmol l(-1) of CD. Batch experiments were performed in order to study the CD extraction enhancement of PCP previously adsorbed on soil. The results show that the removal capacity of PCP from soil increases with CD concentration (from 0 to 5 mmol l(-1)). When the CD concentration was 5 mmol l(-1), an extraction of about 70% of PCP adsorbed on soil was observed, whereas only 37% was removed when water was used as the flushing solution. The optimal conditions for such a coupled method depend on the nature and concentration of the extracting agent and also on the photocatalytic experimental conditions. This work revealed that the coupling of cyclodextrin-enhanced solubilization and photocatalytic treatment is a promising method for contaminated soil remediation.

Enhanced solubilization of arsenic and 2,3,4,6 tetrachlorophenol from soils by a cyclodextrin derivative.

The application of extracting aqueous solutions with cyclodextrins in several soil remediation technologies has been increasingly studied but little is known about their removal capacities toward the inorganic species. Herein, the effectiveness of cyclodextrins (CDs) in extracting arsenic, copper, and iron from a mining soil is presented. In a preliminary test of four types of CD aqueous solutions, only the addition of carboxylmethyl-beta-cyclodextrin CMCD (a cyclodextrin derivative) led to a significant enhancement in arsenic removal. An increase in the concentration of copper and iron in the leachates was also observed with CMCD. Kinetic study of arsenic release was carried out at two temperatures (20 and 35 degrees C). The arsenic concentration in the leachates increases with increasing cyclodextrin concentration. At an 80 mM CMCD concentration, arsenic, copper, and iron released in filtrates were about 20-, 1,000-, and 4,000-fold greater, respectively, than that obtained using deionized water. In the soil system, the CMCD capacity removal was found to be higher for cations than for arsenic. Because the tetrachlorophenol can co-occur with arsenic and copper in several contaminated sites, its solubilization by CMCD was also investigated. Extraction experiments were performed to extract 2,3,4,6 tetrachlorophenol (TeCP) in spiked soil with CMCD. The results of batch experiments have shown that CMCD could significantly increase the TeCP extraction from soil. CD sorption on soils as quantified by a fluorescence technique was low, indicating no significant loss of CD during the leaching experiments. The use of CMCD as a flushing agent to enhance the removal of both inorganic and organic pollutants from mixed-contaminated soils appears as a promising remediation method.