To evaluate the mechanisms responsible for anergy in sarcoid patients, we studied the ability of highly purified lavage and blood T lymphocytes from control subjects and patients with sarcoidosis to ...proliferate in response to recall antigens, and compared the results of antigen-induced lymphocyte proliferation with the clinical characteristics of the patients. Both blood and lavage T lymphocytes from all control subjects proliferated in response to purified protein derivative (PPD) and candida antigens, and no significant difference was observed comparing the proliferation of lymphocytes from the two sources. The antigen-induced proliferation of blood and lavage T lymphocytes from sarcoid patients was reduced compared with that of the corresponding cell populations from normal subjects (p less than 0.01 for PPD, Candida, and tetanus), and the proliferative response of sarcoid lavage lymphocytes was significantly lower than that of blood T lymphocytes from these patients. No evidence for inhibition of T lymphocyte proliferation by accessory cells (blood monocytes) or CD8+ T lymphocytes was observed, and the refractory state could not be overcome by adding exogenous recombinant human IL-2 or IL-4. An inverse correlation was observed between the PPD-induced proliferation of sarcoid lavage T lymphocytes and criteria associated with "active" disease, including lymphocytes/ml lavage fluid (p less than 0.003), 67Ga uptake (p less than 0.005), and serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity (p less than 0.005). Lavage lymphocytes from patients studied early in the course of the disease proliferated better than those from patients with more long-standing disease.
The recovery of neoplastic cells by bronchoalveolar lavage is useful in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Abnormal epithelial cells can also be recovered from patients with interstitial lung diseases who ...do not have cancer, and therefore the usefulness of lavage in the diagnosis of malignancy in this setting is unknown. In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic significance of abnormal lavage cells recovered from patients with diffuse parenchymal abnormalities and compared the usefulness of standard cytologic assessment, correlation with clinical features, and immunocytochemical staining for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in identifying abnormal cells that are truly malignant. Thirty of 2,314 patients had atypical lavage cells, but in only nine was lung cancer demonstrated. Although most patients with clinical suspicion of malignancy had lung carcinoma (six of seven), one such patient did not have cancer, and three were shown to have unsuspected carcinoma. Cytologic criteria identified definitely malignant cells in only four of nine patients with lung cancer, indicating that the approach is not sensitive. Immunostaining of abnormal cells with anti-CEA antibodies proved helpful. All patients with lung malignancy had CEA+ cells (n = 9), and no patient whose abnormal cells were CEA- proved to have cancer (n = 17). Because only nine of 13 patients with CEA+ cells had lung malignancy, the test is not diagnostic, but it appears to limit the need for further evaluation to a smaller group of patients in whom cancer is likely to be present. When used together, cytopathologic findings, detection of CEA by immunocytochemical techniques, and clinical correlates proved useful in diagnosis of lung malignancy, but further improvements are still needed to improve diagnostic accuracy.
Most methods that promote carbohydrate production negatively affect cell growth and microalgal biomass production. This study explores, in a two-stage cultivation strategy, in
Chlamydomonas debaryana
...the optimization of certain culture conditions for high carbohydrate production without loss of biomass
.
In the first stage, the interaction between sodium bicarbonate supplementation, aeration, and different growth periods was optimized using the response surface methodology (RMS). The 3-factor Box-Behnken design (BBD) was applied, and a second-order polynomial regression analysis was used to analyze the experimental data. The results showed that 0.45 g L
−1
of sodium bicarbonate combined with a good aerated agitation (0.6 L min
−1
) and a cultivation period of 18 days are optimal to produce 5.02 g L
−1
of biomass containing 43% of carbohydrates.
Under these optimized growth conditions, accumulation of carbohydrates was studied using different modes of nutritional stress. The results indicated that carbohydrate content was improved and the maximum accumulation (about 60% of the dry weight) was recorded under sulfur starvation with only a 14% reduction in biomass as compared to control. This study showed promising results as to biomass production and carbohydrate yield by the microalgae
C. debaryana
in view of production of third-generation biofuels.
Amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) is a catastrophic syndrome typically occurring during labor and delivery or immediately postpartum. The pathophysiology of this entity is incompletely understood. The ...diagnosis of AFE is primarily based on the clinical observations even if not uniform. The classic triad of sudden hypoxia, hypotension, and coagulopathy forms the hallmark of AFE diagnosis. The primary management goal includes rapid maternal cardiopulmonary stabilization with treatment of hypoxia and maintenance of vascular perfusion. We describe the clinical case of a 36-year-old patient admitted for emergency caesarean section for acute fetal distress under spinal anaesthesia. She presents a few minutes after fetal extraction a cardiovascular collapse, sudden respiratory distress and disturbance of consciousness on a massive amniotic fluid embolism. We discuss also the modalities of management of this serious complication.
Wood polymer composites (WPC) have well proven their applicability in several fields of the plasturgy sector, due to their aesthetics and low maintenance costs. However, for plasturgy applications, ...the characterization of viscoelastic behavior and thermomechanical and thermophysical properties of WPC with the temperature and wood filler contents is essential. Therefore, the processability of polymer composites made up with different percentage of wood particles needs a better understanding of materials behaviors in accordance with temperature and wood particles contents. To this end, a numerical analysis of the viscoelastic, mechanical, and thermophysical properties of composite composed of high density polyethylene (HDPE) reinforced with soft wood particles is evaluated.
Normetanephrine is a marker for pheochromocytoma, a rare catecholamine-secreting and neuroendocrine tumor, that arises from sympathetic and parasympathetic paraganglia. In this work, a novel ...carbon/chitosan electrode paste was used for sensitive voltammetric determination of normetanephrine and dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid and uric acid. The modified electrode has shown an increase in the effective area of up to 68%, well-separated oxidation peaks, and an excellent electrocatalytic activity. The electrochemical response characteristics were investigated by cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry. Interestingly, high sensitivity and selectivity in the linear range of normetanephrine, dopamine, ascorbic acid, and uric acid concentrations were observed. The present method was applied in the urine sample and satisfactory results were obtained showing that this electrode is very suitable in pharmaceutical and clinical preparations.
The diet of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis was studied for the first time in the Southern Moroccan Atlantic waters during an annual cycle between September 2013 and October 2014. Samples were ...collected from bottom trawl surveys and commercial artisan catches taken between cap Boujdour to cap Blanc (26°N-21°N latitude). A total of 479 individuals (252 male and 227 female), ranging between 4 and 40 cm DML and of total weight (W) ranging between 18 and 4,750 g are studied. A qualitative and quantitative analysis was realized according to sex, size and sampling season. The stomach contents were analyzed using five indices: frequency of occurrence (F%), percentage by number (Cn%), percentage by weight (Cp%), Index of Relative Importance (IRI %) and Feeding Coefficient (Q). Trophic activity was assessed using the stomach vacuity coefficient (v%). A MANOVA test was used to compare the quantitative composition of the diet according to seasons, size and sexes. According to the results of the index of relative importance (IRI%) of the stomach contents (which takes into account weight, number and frequency of occurrence), fish and crustaceans are the most consumed prey category representing respectively 51.36% and 42.56% and are considered as a principally prey of S. officinalis. Cephalopods occurring in 13.78% of non-empty stomachs, accounting for 7.71 % of preys in number and 18.79% in weight are considered as a secondary prey for S. officinalis. The evolution of the vacuity coefficient shows that this index varies according to the sexual cycle and season. Significant seasonal variations in the diet were observed. It is proposed that seasonal differences in diet composition are caused by spatial and temporal variations in abundance and distribution of some of the major prey species. No significant differences in the diet between males and females were found. Differences in food composition between jveniles and adult individuals appeared to be influenced by the S. officinalis size and the reproduction period. In specimens with dorsal mantle lengths up to 15 cm crustaceans dominated, occurring in 54.63% of examined stomachs and made up (57.27%) of (IRI%). Important prey categories of the adults (>15 cm DML) were fish with (IRI%= 54.49%), followed by crustaceans (IRI%=37.86%) and cephalopods (IRI%=5.73%). The variations of S.officinalis diet in the studied area indicate an opportunistic character of this predator as cited in many studies in other regions of the world.
To present the results of the diagnostic and the management of entero-urinary fistulae.
we performed a retrospective study on 18 patients with entero-urinary fistulas that had been diagnosed and ...treated at the Hospital Ibn Sina Rabat during the period spanning 1989-2006
The surgery was the main etiology of fistulas. The location was colo-vesical in 2 cases, prostato-rectal in 7 cases, vesico-rectal in 2 cases, uretero-colic in 3 cases, uretro-rectal in 3 cases and uretero-ileal in 1 case. The clinical manifestations were principally urological in the form of recurrent urinary infection, pneumaturia and fecaluria. The most useful diagnostic techniques were voiding retrograde cystourethrography and abdominal CT scan showing the fistulae in 12 cases. Treatment was by surgery in 15 cases. The transperitoneal way was adopted for the upper tract fistulas and the way of York Mason preferred for the lower urinary tract fistulas. No complications have been reported in the follow-up of these patients.
Although the diagnosis of entero-urinary fistulae seems easy, the management remains difficult. It depends on its location and on the general state of the patient. He must be appropriate to avoid a recurrence which the management would be more complicated.
Tazi Mohamed Azzedine, Bazi Abdellatif. Tanger dans l'imaginaire de l'écriture. In: Horizons Maghrébins - Le droit à la mémoire, N°31-32, 1996. Tanger au miroir d'elle-même. pp. 170-174.
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