This review aims to summarize the latest developments with regard to physical fitness and several health outcomes in young people. The literature reviewed suggests that (1) cardiorespiratory fitness ...levels are associated with total and abdominal adiposity; (2) both cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness are shown to be associated with established and emerging cardiovascular disease risk factors; (3) improvements in muscular fitness and speed/agility, rather than cardiorespiratory fitness, seem to have a positive effect on skeletal health; (4) both cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness enhancements are recommended in pediatric cancer patients/survivors in order to attenuate fatigue and improve their quality of life; and (5) improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness have positive effects on depression, anxiety, mood status and self-esteem, and seem also to be associated with a higher academic performance. In conclusion, health promotion policies and physical activity programs should be designed to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, but also two other physical fitness components such us muscular fitness and speed/agility. Schools may play an important role by identifying children with low physical fitness and by promoting positive health behaviors such as encouraging children to be active, with special emphasis on the intensity of the activity.
Dry eye disease (DED) is a common, multifactorial ocular condition with major impact on vision and quality of life. It is now well recognized that the pathophysiology of chronic DED can include a ...cycle of inflammation involving both innate and adaptive immune responses. Recently, in vitro/in vivo models have been used to obtain a better understanding of DED‐related inflammatory processes at molecular/cellular levels although they do not truly reproduce the complex and chronic hallmarks of human DED. In clinical DED research, advanced techniques such as impression cytology, conjunctival biopsy, in vivo confocal microscopy and multiplex tear analyses have allowed an improved assessment of inflammation in DED patients. This was supported by the identification of reliable inflammatory markers including matrix metalloproteinase‐9, human leucocyte antigen‐DR or intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 in tears and impression cytology samples. One of the current therapeutic strategies focuses on breaking the inflammatory cycle perpetuating the ocular surface disease, and preclinical/clinical research has led to the development of promising anti‐inflammatory compounds. For instance, cyclosporine, already approved in the United States, has recently been authorized in Europe to treat DED associated with severe keratitis. In addition, other agents such as corticosteroids, doxycycline and essential fatty acids, through their anti‐inflammatory properties, show encouraging results. We now have a clearer understanding of the inflammatory processes involved in DED, and there is hope that the still emerging preclinical/clinical findings will be translated into new and highly effective therapies for patients in the near future.
This seminal work serves as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, as well as a working reference for specialists in stream ecology and related fields. This new edition is ...extensively rewritten, with hydrology and geomorphology now accorded chapter-length discussion.
Development of extruded films composed of biopolymers blended with synthetic polymers aims to minimize the environmental impact of plastic waste‐materials and lead to the sustainable plastic ...industry. To produce biodegradable polymeric blends, the weight content of biopolymers must be maximum without compromising the performance properties of the extruded films. Using a solvent‐free extrusion method, films composed of polypropylene, poly(lactic‐acid), and Chitosan, can be obtained with the use of polypropylene‐graft‐maleic anhydride and glycerol as compatibilizer and plasticizer, respectively. Extruded films with up to a 50 wt% content of biopolymers show acceptable thermal and mechanical properties, where the use of compatibilizer improves the processing characteristics and homogeneous distribution of chitosan throughout the films. Therefore, the extruded films can be considered as alternatives to conventional synthetic‐polymer films, due to their acceptable mechanical and thermal properties with direct potential applications in extrusion‐method mass production of biodegradable polymers.
Purpose To evaluate the use of tear osmolarity in the diagnosis of dry eye disease. Design A prospective, observational case series to determine the clinical usefulness of tear osmolarity and ...commonly used objective tests to diagnose dry eye disease. Methods A multicenter, 10-site study consisting of 314 consecutive subjects between 18 and 82 years of age. Bilateral tear osmolarity, tear film break-up time (TBUT), corneal staining, conjunctival staining, Schirmer test, and meibomian gland grading were performed. Diagnostic performance was measured against a composite index of objective measurements that classified subjects as having normal, mild or moderate, or severe dry eye. The main outcome measures were sensitivity, specificity, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, and intereye variability. Results Of the 6 tests, tear osmolarity was found to have superior diagnostic performance. The most sensitive threshold between normal and mild or moderate subjects was found to be 308 mOsms/L, whereas the most specific was found at 315 mOsms/L. At a cutoff of 312 mOsms/L, tear hyperosmolarity exhibited 73% sensitivity and 92% specificity. By contrast, the other common tests exhibited either poor sensitivity (corneal staining, 54%; conjunctival staining, 60%; meibomian gland grading, 61%) or poor specificity (tear film break-up time, 45%; Schirmer test, 51%). Tear osmolarity also had the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.89). Intereye differences in osmolarity were found to correlate with increasing disease severity ( r2 = 0.32). Conclusions Tear osmolarity is the best single metric both to diagnose and classify dry eye disease. Intereye variability is a characteristic of dry eye not seen in normal subjects.
Introduction Les hallucinations auditives sont un des symptômes fréquent et invalidants demeurant persistantes dans 20 à 30 % des cas et ce malgré les traitements antipsychotiques. Certaines théories ...suggèrent que les caractéristiques des hallucinations seraient liées à des dimensions psychologiques et émotionnelles pouvant expliquer le phénomène hallucinatoire, mais aussi à la croyance que le sujet halluciné accorde à ces voix 1,2. Objectif L’objectif de cette étude est de mettre en évidence l’intérêt clinique des méthodes d’analyse de discours à travers des entretiens menés auprès de patients schizophrènes souffrant d’hallucinations auditives résistantes. Méthode Des entretiens semi-dirigés ont été menés auprès de 10 sujets schizophrènes souffrant d’hallucinations résistantes. L’entretien a été construit autour de 10 thèmes principaux se rapportant aux croyances du sujet en rapport à son vécu hallucinatoire, tels que les intentions des voix, le pouvoir qui leur est attribué ou encore les stratégies de contrôle mis en œuvre. L’analyse des données s’est faite à l’aide du logiciel Alceste 3 permettant d’effectuer de manière systématisée et automatisée l’analyse d’entretiens ou de textes. Elle repose sur une classification descendante hiérarchique conduisant à la mise en évidence de mondes lexicaux par la construction de classes de discours mettant en évidence les mots les plus récurrents et significatifs dans le discours du sujet. Résultats Les résultats de l’analyse sur 10 sujets ont permis de mettre en évidence des classes de discours renvoyant à des processus psychologiques particuliers, concernant le vécu et les relations qu’entretient le sujet avec ses voix. Nous pensons que ces processus, jusque-là sous-estimés et donc peu analysés pourraient constituer une piste d’exploration du caractère résistant des hallucinations.
In current practice, gadolinium-based contrast agents have been considered safe when used at clinically recommended doses in patients without severe renal insufficiency. The causal relationship ...between gadolinium-based contrast agents and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis in patients with renal insufficiency resulted in new policies regarding the administration of these agents. After an effective screening of patients with renal disease by performing either unenhanced or reduced-dose-enhanced studies in these patients and by using the most stable contrast agents, nephrogenic systemic fibrosis has been largely eliminated since 2009. Evidence of in vivo gadolinium deposition in bone tissue in patients with normal renal function is well-established, but recent literature showing that gadolinium might also deposit in the brain in patients with intact blood-brain barriers caught many individuals in the imaging community by surprise. The purpose of this review was to summarize the literature on gadolinium-based contrast agents, tying together information on agent stability and animal and human studies, and to emphasize that low-stability agents are the ones most often associated with brain deposition.
Résumé
Cet article traite des thérapeutiques hétérodoxes dans le champ de la santé et rend compte de l’évolution du soin conventionnel dans le recours aux médecines complémentaires et alternatives ...(MCA) chez les patients. Depuis plusieurs années, dans les centres de soins se développent de nombreuses pratiques non conventionnelles, communément nommées MCA. Ce constat répond à une demande grandissante des patients et interroge sur les bénéfices et les limites de ces pratiques complémentaires dans le domaine de la médecine standard. Bien que la communauté scientifique oppose les thérapeutiques conventionnelles et non conventionnelles, l’intégration de ces dernières dans le champ de la santé montre l’évolution du concept du soin et la meilleure prise en compte des aspects psychologiques des maladies somatiques. Cependant, le champ des MCA n’est pas structuré, sans doute, parce qu’il s’agit d’un domaine de recherche récent et pluridisciplinaire. Les principaux résultats de la revue de la littérature seront articulés avec le vécu des patients. Trente-deux patients atteints de cancer utilisant ou non les MCA ont été rencontrés. Une analyse des entretiens semi-directifs et du livret de questionnaires remis à chaque patient a été effectuée. L’analyse du contenu des 32 entretiens semi-directifs repose sur les classes de discours définies par la méthode de type Alceste (Iramuteq). Une liste de 24 MCA a été proposée et répertoriée en cinq catégories (MCA par le toucher, l’alimentation, pratiques spirituelles et/ou énergétiques, pratiques psychologiques, nouvelles pratiques psychocorporelles). Sur les 32 patients, 22 utilisent les MCA, dont 8, de façon alternative. Ces pratiques témoignent de nouveaux besoins des patients comme la nécessité d’intégrer des valeurs personnelles dans leur trajectoire de soin, que ces valeurs soient de nature religieuse, spirituelle, intellectuelle, etc. Comprendre ce mouvement est essentiel afin de ne pas opposer deux modèles de soins au risque d’une rupture de l’alliance thérapeutique, voire d’un abandon des traitements curatifs. Ainsi, il convient de ne pas oublier que le choc de la maladie et les répercussions des traitements rendent les personnes vulnérables. Elles sont alors plus en risque de se trouver prises dans une dérive confinant à l’embrigadement sectaire et/ou à l’arrêt des traitements standard.
Animals have always been important for human life due to the ecological, cultural, and economic functions that they represent. This has allowed building several kinds of relationships that have ...promoted different emotions in human societies. The objective of this review was to identify the main emotions that humans show toward wildlife species and the impact of such emotions on animal population management. We reviewed academic databases to identify previous studies on this topic worldwide. An analysis of the emotions on wildlife and factors causing them is described in this study. We identified a controversy about these emotions. Large predators such as wolves, coyotes, bears, big felids, and reptiles, such as snakes and geckos, promote mainly anger, fear, and disgust. This is likely due to the perceptions, beliefs, and experiences that societies have historically built around them. However, in some social groups these animals have promoted emotions such as happiness due to their values for people. Likewise, sadness is an emotion expressed for the threatening situations that animals are currently facing. Furthermore, we associated the conservation status of wildlife species identified in the study with human emotions to discuss their relevance for emerging conservation strategies, particularly focused on endangered species promoting ambiguous emotions in different social groups.
Sequencing of 16S rDNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplicons is the most common approach for investigating environmental prokaryotic diversity, despite the known biases introduced during PCR. ...Here we show that 16S rDNA fragments derived from Illumina‐sequenced environmental metagenomes (ₘᵢtags) are a powerful alternative to 16S rDNA amplicons for investigating the taxonomic diversity and structure of prokaryotic communities. As part of the Tara Oceans global expedition, marine plankton was sampled in three locations, resulting in 29 subsamples for which metagenomes were produced by shotgun Illumina sequencing (ca. 700 Gb). For comparative analyses, a subset of samples was also selected for Roche‐454 sequencing using both shotgun (ₘ₄₅₄tags; 13 metagenomes, ca. 2.4 Gb) and 16S rDNA amplicon (₄₅₄tags; ca. 0.075 Gb) approaches. Our results indicate that by overcoming PCR biases related to amplification and primer mismatch, ₘᵢtags may provide more realistic estimates of community richness and evenness than amplicon ₄₅₄tags. In addition, ₘᵢtags can capture expected beta diversity patterns. Using ₘᵢtags is now economically feasible given the dramatic reduction in high‐throughput sequencing costs, having the advantage of retrieving simultaneously both taxonomic (Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya) and functional information from the same microbial community.
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