The mass extinction characterizing the Permian/Triassic boundary (PTB; ~ 252 Ma) corresponds to a major faunal shift between the Palaeozoic and the Modern evolutionary fauna. The temporal, spatial, ...environmental, and ecological dynamics of the associated biotic recovery remain highly debated, partly due to the scarce, or poorly-known, Early Triassic fossil record. Recently, an exceptionally complex ecosystem dated from immediately after the Smithian/Spathian boundary (~ 3 myr after the PTB) was reported: the Paris Biota (Idaho, USA). However, the spatiotemporal representativeness of this unique assemblage remained questionable as it was hitherto only reported from a single site. Here we describe three new exceptionally diverse assemblages of the same age as the Paris Biota, and a fourth younger one. They are located in Idaho and Nevada, and are taxonomic subsets of the Paris Biota. We show that the latter covered a region-wide area and persisted at least partially throughout the Spathian. The presence of a well-established marine fauna such as the Paris Biota, as soon as the early Spathian, indicates that the post-PTB biotic recovery and the installation of complex ecosystems probably took place earlier than often assumed, at least at a regional scale.
Prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VA) is associated with an increased risk of congenital malformations, especially limb defects like radial ray defects. Tibial developmental field defect in VA ...embryopathy remains exceptional. We report on three patients presenting with tibial hypo/aplasia associated with either femoral bifurcation or radial ray defect following prenatal exposure to VA. Femoral bifurcation and tibial agenesis has been described in the Gollop-Wolfgang complex and in the tibial agenesis-ectrodactyly syndrome. Tibial agenesis has also been reported in VACTERL association. The relation between prenatal exposure to VA and tibial agenesis is discussed.
Multifragmentation of a "fused system" was observed for central collisions between 32 MeV/nucleon 129Xe and (nat)Sn. Most of the resulting charged products were well identified due to the high ...performances of the INDRA 4pi array. Experimental higher-order charge correlations for fragments show a weak but nonambiguous enhancement of events with nearly equal-sized fragments. Supported by dynamical calculations in which spinodal decomposition is simulated, this observed enhancement is interpreted as a "fossil" signal of spinodal instabilities in finite nuclear systems.
Summary Background Retinoblastoma is the most common malignant intraocular tumor in children. The current treatment gives a good vital prognostic but there are several drawbacks to the arsenal of ...“classical antitumoral” therapies. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) could be an exciting non-toxic and non-mutagenic alternative protocol. Method In this paper, we report about the screening of the in vitro photocytotoxicity of hydrophenylporphyrins and chlorins and their glycoconjugated derivatives in a human retinoblastoma cell line (Y79) and for comparison in a colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (HT29). Results Despite lower photodynamic activity than that observed for hydroxylated photosensitizers, in particular Foscan® glycoconjugated derivatives display phototoxicity (IC50 2.4–0.05 μM ±10%) against Y79 cells with examples of significant intrinsic cytotoxicity. Amongst them the triglucosyl porphyrin 10 is highly photocytotoxic (IC50 0.9 μM ±10%) but is fully devoid of cytotoxicity (IC50 > 15 μM). The photoactivity is highly modulated by the presence of a diethyleneglycol spacer between the chromophore and the glycoside (compounds 14 – 17 , IC50 0.5, 0.6, 0.05 and 0.35 μM ±10%) and by the anomeric configuration of the sugar (compound 15 and 17 , IC50 0.6 and 0.05 μM ±10% respectively). One of the main problems for the use of Foscan® is its poor solubility which might be improved by glycoconjugation. Moreover Foscan has been shown to induce necrosis after PDT leading to a possible ulceration of surrounding tissues unsuitable for a conservative treatment. A preferential mitochondrial subcellular localization which has been previously reported for some glycoconjugated photosensitizers could enhance the contribution of apoptosis process. Conclusion Tri-α- O -galactosyl porphyrin 16 is a better candidate than Foscan® for a clinical application of PDT for a conservative therapy of retinoblastoma.
BACKGROUND: The 2 major dietary sources of trans fatty acids (TFAs) are partially hydrogenated oils and ruminant-derived products. Epidemiologic data suggest that chronic consumption of industrial ...sources of TFAs could be damaging to insulin sensitivity, but intervention studies on this issue have remained inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: The trial was designed to compare the effects of dairy compared with industrial sources of TFAs on insulin sensitivity in overweight women. DESIGN: Sixty-three healthy women with abdominal obesity waist circumference >88 cm and a body mass index (in kg/m²) >28 were recruited. After a run-in period, the volunteers were randomly assigned to consume 1 of 3 four-week diets: 60 g low-TFA lipids/d (0.54 g/d; n = 21), ruminant TFA-rich lipids (4.86 g/d; n = 21), or industrial TFA-rich lipids (5.58 g/d; n = 21). Changes in peripheral insulin sensitivity were assessed by using hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps. RESULTS: After the intervention period, fasting glycemia and insulinemia and insulin sensitivity were not significantly modified in either group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that consumption of dairy- and industrial-source TFAs for 4 wk at nutritional levels do not impair peripheral insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant women. Our study may not preassess the effects of TFAs in normal insulin-sensitive individuals. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00617435.
Although intradialytic parenteral nutrition (IDPN) is a method used widely to combat protein-calorie malnutrition in hemodialysis patients, its effect on survival has not been thoroughly studied. We ...conducted a prospective, randomized trial in which 186 malnourished hemodialysis patients received oral nutritional supplements with or without 1 year of IDPN. IDPN did not improve 2-year mortality (primary end point), hospitalization rate, Karnofsky score, body mass index, or laboratory markers of nutritional status. Instead, both groups demonstrated improvement in body mass index and the nutritional parameters serum albumin and prealbumin (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that an increase in prealbumin of >30 mg/L within 3 months, a marker of nutritional improvement, independently predicted a 54% decrease in 2-year mortality, as well as reduced hospitalizations and improved general well-being as measured by the Karnofsky score. Therefore, although we found no definite advantage of adding IDPN to oral nutritional supplementation, this is the first prospective study demonstrating that an improvement in prealbumin during nutritional therapy is associated with a decrease in morbidity and mortality in malnourished hemodialysis patients.
Recent initiatives in Europe have encouraged the formalisation of research infrastructure to unify fragmented facilities, resources and services; and to facilitate world-class research of complex ...public health challenges, such as those related to non-communicable disease. How this can be achieved in the area of food and health has, to date, been unclear.
This commentary paper presents examples of the types of food and health research facilities, resources and services available in Europe. Insights are provided on the challenge of identifying and classifying research infrastructure. In addition, suggestions are made for the future direction of food and health research infrastructure in Europe. These views are informed by the EuroDISH project, which mapped research infrastructure in four areas of food and health research: Determinants of dietary behaviour; Intake of foods/nutrients; Status and functional markers of nutritional health; Health and disease risk of foods/nutrients.
There is no objective measure to identify or classify research infrastructure. It is therefore, difficult to operationalise this term. EuroDISH demonstrated specific challenges with identifying the degree an organisation, project, network or national infrastructure could be considered a research infrastructure; and establishing the boundary of a research infrastructure (integral hard or soft facilities/resources/services). Nevertheless, there are opportunities to create dedicated food and health research infrastructures in Europe. These would need to be flexible and adaptable to keep pace with an ever-changing research environment and bring together the multi-disciplinary needs of the food and health research community.
•Identifying and classifying research infrastructure is challenging.•Research infrastructure is dynamic and constantly developing.•Food and health research is a highly multi-disciplinary scientific domain.•Research infrastructure relevant to food and health remains fragmented and disparate.•There is a lack of infrastructure to facilitate research on both food and health.
The influence of the entrance channel mass asymmetry upon the fragmentation process is addressed by studying heavy-ion induced reactions around the Fermi energy. The data have been recorded with the ...INDRA 4π array. An event selection method called the Principal Component Analysis is presented and discussed. It is applied for the selection of central events and furthermore to multifragmentation of single source events. The selected subsets of data are compared to the Statistical Multifragmentation Model (SMM) to check the equilibrium hypothesis and get the source characteristics. Experimental comparisons show the evidence of a decoupling between thermal and compressional (radial flow) component of the excitation energy stored in such nuclear systems.
The properties of fragments and light charged particles emitted in multifragmentation of single sources formed in central 36
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MeV Gd+U collisions are reviewed. Most of the products are ...isotropically distributed in the reaction c.m. Fragment kinetic energies reveal the onset of radial collective energy. A bulk effect is experimentally evidenced from the similarity of the charge distribution with that from the lighter 32
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MeV Xe+Sn system. Spinodal decomposition of finite nuclear matter exhibits the same property in simulated central collisions for the two systems, and appears therefore as a possible mechanism at the origin of multifragmentation in this incident energy domain.
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