Maleimides are attractive systems for photopolymerize for two major reasons: (1) they follow a radical mechanism without requiring a photoinitiator and (2) their rate of polymerization corresponds ...similarly to acrylates, which are commonplace in the industry. In this work, bismaleimide polypropylene oxide was cured under UV light forming thin films. Their surface properties were modified by copolymerization them with fluorinated comonomers. To this goal, perfluoropolyalkylethers (PFPAEs) with maleimide groups were synthesized, varying their chain structure, their functionality degree and consequently their intrinsic viscosity. These PFPPAE comonomers were highlighted to segregate at the surface, assuring omniphobic properties and acting as a protective layer against oxygen inhibition. These phenomenon were observed even when added at a concentration ≤5% w/w with respect to the main polypropylene oxide monomer. XPS analyses confirmed the segregation of the fluorine atoms at the surface during the UV-curing process of the coatings.
Due to its high prevalence in dual-task paradigms, freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease is thought to be associated with dysexecutive syndrome and attentional disorders. However, the role of ...specific attentional disorders in patients with freezing of gait is still unclear.
Here, we sought to specifically determine which basic attentional modalities are impaired in patients with freezing of gait.
Seventy-eight parkinsonian patients performed a computer-controlled reaction-time paradigm designed to measure the different attentional subcomponents, controlled for visuospatial processing and motor participation.
The freezer (n = 42) and non-freezer (n = 36) groups were matched for age, educational level, MMSE and Mattis Dementia Rating Scale. There were no intergroup differences in simple reaction times, whereas choice reaction times were higher in the freezer group than in the non-freezer group for divided attention (p = 0.023).
At equivalent levels of overall cognitive efficiency, freezer patients showed a greater slowdown than non-freezer patients with a specific impairment in divided attention.
Psychotic disorders in children are more heterogeneous than is captured by categorical diagnoses. In a new cohort of children and adolescents, we evaluated the relationships among age at onset (AAO), ...clinical symptoms and developmental impairments. Patients with schizophrenia and other “spectrum” psychotic diagnoses (N = 88; AAO 6–17, mean 12.6) were evaluated with diagnostic interviews, a new clinical scale (Lifetime Dimensions of Psychosis Scale-Child and Adolescent), and neuropsychological and medical evaluations. Key findings were replicated in an adult cohort of 2420 cases, including 127 with retrospective AAO<13. Factor and cluster analyses were carried out to identify clinical profiles. Five clinical factors were identified in each cohort: Positive, Bizarre Positive, Negative/Formal Thought Disorder, Depression and Mania. Earlier AAO predicted severity of bizarre positive symptoms in children and of bizarre and other symptoms in adults. Four clinical clusters in the child cohort were characterized by: more severe bizarre positive symptoms (N = 31); negative symptoms (N = 15); premorbid autism spectrum features and developmental delay (N = 12); and depressive symptoms with heterogeneous diagnoses and mild positive/negative symptoms (N = 25). Previous factor-analytic studies of childhood psychosis did not specifically consider bizarre positive symptoms. Here, bizarre positive symptoms emerged as clinical markers of severe, childhood-onset psychosis similar to adult schizophrenia. The four clusters are clinically meaningful and useful for treatment planning and potentially for biological research. Childhood-onset cases are rare and thus difficult to study, but additional, larger cohorts may be useful in dissecting the biological and developmental heterogeneity of psychotic disorders.
To measure the prevalence of JCV-specific antibodies in a French cohort of MS patients treated with natalizumab and to identify risk factor(s) of JCV seropositivity. Progressive multifocal ...leukoencephalopathy (PML) risk may be stratified by anti-JCV antibody status, duration of natalizumab therapy (≥24 months) and prior exposure to immunosuppressive (IS) drugs. No data are available in France on the prevalence of anti-JCV antibodies and distribution of PML risk factors in patients treated with natalizumab. Sera of 361 patients under natalizumab therapy in two MS centers were analyzed using a previously validated ELISA test. We studied different characteristics: demographic, ethnic, radiological, clinical, prior use of immunomodulatory (IM) or IS drugs and natalizumab exposure duration. The JCV seropositivity rate was 51 % for the whole cohort. Mean natalizumab exposure duration was 27.27 months ± 15.57 (mean ± SD), and prior use of IS drugs was observed in 15.24 % of patients. Twenty-three patients (6.4 %) presented the three PML risk factors. By multivariate analysis, presence of anti-JCV antibodies was significantly linked to age, North African origin and natalizumab exposure duration. Anti-JCV antibody prevalence was similar to previously published data. Anti-JCV antibody status was linked to age. We also suggested that anti-JCV antibody status could be linked to natalizumab exposure duration and ethnic characteristics.
CD81 is a cell surface protein which belongs to the tetraspanin family. While in multiple myeloma its expression on plasma cells is associated with worse prognosis, this has not yet been explored in ...acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We measured membrane expression of CD81 on AML cells at diagnosis, evaluated its association with AML characteristics and its influence on patient outcome after intensive chemotherapy in a cohort of 134 patients. CD81 was detected in 92/134 (69%) patients. Patients with AML expressing CD81 had elevated leukocyte count (P=0.02) and were more likely classified as intermediate or adverse-risk by cytogenetics (P<0.001). CD81 expression had a negative impact on survival (event-free survival, overall survival and relapse-free survival) in univariate (P<0.001) and in multivariate analyses (P=0.003, 0.002 and <0.001, respectively). CD81 has a negative impact on OS in patients with NPM1 mutation (P=0.01) and in patients ELN-favorable (P=0.002). In conclusion, this cell surface marker may be a new prognostic marker for diagnostic risk classification and a potential therapeutic target for drug development in AML.
The isotopic ratio of hydrogen was measured in an iron meteorite and terrestrial native iron using an IMS 3f ion microprobe. The extraterrestrial D/H ratio (93 ± 9 × 10−6) was close to the ...terrestrial value (105 ± 6 × 10−6), and both samples had low H concentrations (7 ± 4 and 33 ± 11 ng g−1 for the iron meteorite and the terrestrial sample, respectively). Experiments on artificially D‐enriched samples showed that the measured hydrogen signal is a combination of indigenous H and terrestrial atmospheric contamination. This contamination comes from the isotope exchange reaction between water adsorbed on the sample surface and atmospheric water, and would be continuously added to the indigenous H in the ion crater by the adsorbed water sinking into the crater during sputtering. Experiments showed that this contamination represents up to 20% of the signal but was within the uncertainty of the measured D/H ratio.
Le rapport isotopique de l'hydrogène a été mesuré dans une météorite de fer et un échantillon de fer métallique terrestre avec une sonde ionique IMS 3f. Les résultats montrent que le rapport D/H des météorites de fer est similaire au rapport terrestre (de 93 ± 9 × 10−6 contre 105 ± 6 × 10−6 pour l'échantillon de métal terrestre) et que la concentration en hydrogène est très faible (7 ± 4 ng g−1 mesuré dans la météorite de fer et 33 ± 11 ng g−1 pour l'échantillon terrestre). Des expériences où des échantillons ont été artificiellement enrichis en D montrent que le signal en hydrogène est une combinaison du H propre à l'échantillon et d'une contamination atmosphérique terrestre. Cette contamination provient de la réaction d'échange entre l'eau adsorbée à la surface de l'échantillon et l'eau atmosphérique ainsi que de la contamination du cratère lors du processus de pulvérisation. Les expériences montrent que la contamination représente jusqu'à 20% du signal, ce qui reste dans l'incertitude des mesures.
Background We observed an increased rate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia in our hematology unit in 2004-2007 without an identified environmental source. Methods We conducted a matched ...case-control study to investigate factors associated with P aeruginosa bacteremia in patients with hematologic malignancies. Results Forty-two episodes of P aeruginosa bacteremia were identified. At presentation, 26 patients (62%) had pneumonia and 9 patients (21%) were in shock. Twenty-five patients (60%) were aplastic. The clinical cure rate was 40%. Comparing the 42 cases with 84 matched controls identified the following independent risk factors for P aeruginosa bacteremia: hospitalization in the previous 3 months (odds ratio OR, 12.84; 95% confidence interval CI, 2.98-55.18), antibiotic therapy in the previous 3 months (OR, 5.34; 95% CI, 2.14-13.30), receipt of ceftriaxone in the previous 3 months (OR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.08-5.27), receipt of aminoglycosides in the previous 3 months (OR, 6.65; 95% CI, 1.15-38.25) and receipt of fluoroquinolones in the previous 3 months (OR, 3.22; 95% CI, 1.48-7.00). Conclusions Local antibiotic therapy algorithms were modified to decrease prescriptions of ceftriaxone and combination therapy with aminoglycosides and fluoroquinolones in an effort to decrease the risk of P aeruginosa bacteremia.
Oriental lacquer has been used in Asian countries for thousands of years as a durable and aesthetic coating material for its adhesive, consolidating, protective and decorative properties. Although ...these objects are made from an unusual material in Occident, Western museum collections host many lacquerwares. Curators, restorers and scientists are daily confronted with questions of their conservation and their alteration. The characterization of their conservation state is usually assessed through visual observations. However deterioration often starts at the microscopic level and cannot be detected by a simple visual inspection. Often, ageing and deterioration of artworks are connected to physical, mechanical and chemical transformations. Thus new insight into alteration of lacquer involves the monitoring of macro-, microscopic and molecular modifications, and this can be assessed from physico-chemical measurements. Non-invasive (microtopography and Scanning Electron Microscopy - SEM) and micro-invasive (infrared micro-spectroscopy using a synchrotron source - SR-μFTIR) investigations were performed to study the degradation processes of lacquers and evaluate their level of alteration. In particular, spectral decomposition and fitting procedure were performed in the 1820-1520 cm
−1
region to follow the shift of the C&z.dbd;O and C&z.dbd;C band positions during lacquer ageing. The present work proves the potential of this physico-chemical approach in conservation studies of lacquers and in the quantification of the state of alteration. It evidences chemical phenomena of alteration such as oxidation and decomposition of a lacquer polymeric network. It also demonstrates for the first time the degradation front of artificially aged lacquer and the chemical imaging of a more than 2000 years old archaeological lacquer by using SR-μFTIR.
A new approach was developed as a probe for alteration of Asian lacquer using SEM, microtopography and SR micro-FTIR.
TALEN is one of the most widely used tools in the field of genome editing. It enables gene integration and gene inactivation in a highly efficient and specific fashion. Although very attractive, the ...apparent simplicity and high success rate of TALEN could be misleading for novices in the field of gene editing. Depending on the application, specific TALEN designs, activity assessments and screening strategies need to be adopted. Here we report different methods to efficiently perform TALEN-mediated gene integration and inactivation in different mammalian cell systems including induced pluripotent stem cells and delineate experimental examples associated with these approaches.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most common infection in intubated critically ill patients. Microaspiration of the contaminated gastric and oropharyngeal secretions is the main mechanism ...involved in the pathophysiology of VAP. Tracheal cuff plays an important role in stopping the progression of contaminated secretions into the lower respiratory tract. Previous in vitro studies suggested that conical cuff shape might be helpful in improving tracheal sealing. However, clinical studies found conflicting results. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of conical tracheal cuff shape on the microaspiration of gastric contents in critically ill patients.
This prospective cluster randomized controlled crossover open-label trial is currently being conducted in ten French intensive care units (ICUs). Patients are allocated to intubation with a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) standard (barrel)-shaped or a PVC conical-shaped tracheal tube. The primary objective is to determine the impact of the conical shaped tracheal cuff on abundant microaspiration of gastric contents. Secondary outcomes include the incidence of microaspiration of oropharyngeal secretions, tracheobronchial colonization, VAP and ventilator-associated events. Abundant microaspiration is defined as the presence of pepsin at significant level (>200 ng/ml) in at least 30 % of the tracheal aspirates. Pepsin and amylase are quantitatively measured in all tracheal aspirates during the 48 h following inclusion. Quantitative tracheal aspirate culture is performed at inclusion and twice weekly. We plan to recruit 312 patients in the participating ICUs.
BEST Cuff is the first randomized controlled study evaluating the impact of PVC tracheal-cuff shape on gastric microaspirations in patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation. Enrollment began in June 2014 and is expected to end in October 2015.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01948635 (registered 31 August 2013).
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