Black leaf streak disease, or black Sigatoka, is caused by the fungus Pseudocercospora fijiensis, and has been identified as a major constraint to global production of banana and plantain. We fitted ...a climatic niche model (CLIMEX) for P. fijiensis to gain an understanding of the patterns of climate suitability, and hence hazard from this disease. We then calibrated the climate suitability patterns against the results of an expert elicitation of disease pressure patterns. We found a moderately strong non-linear relationship between modelled climate suitability for P.°fijiensis and the expert ratings for disease pressure. The strength of the relationship provides a cross-validation between the CLIMEX model and the expert elicitation process. The bulk of global banana production experiences high potential threat from P. fijiensis, and the higher yielding areas for banana and plantain production are at greatest threat. By explicitly considering the role of irrigation we have been able to identify how strategic irrigation could be used to support banana production in areas that are at low risk from P. fijiensis.
There are many differences between the hair from children and that of adult subjects, the hair being thinner, more porous with a different growth rate from the usual 1 cm/month observed in adults. In ...order to determine whether hair analysis could discriminate between chronic use and acute administration of a drug in children like in adults, we analyzed hair from 18 children aged between 1 day and 15 years in whom the administration of different drugs was known (single therapeutic administration or acute intoxication). A strand of hair was sampled within 1 to 45 days after treatment or intoxication. Analysis was conducted using LC/MS/MS. In the 10 youngest children, aged between 1 day and 29 months, the compounds administered in hospital or responsible for intoxication (lidocaine, ropivacaine, diazepam, midazolam, levetiracetam, morphine, ketamine, methadone, buprenorphine, THC, MDMA) were found in all segments of the hair independently of the time of sampling (1–45 days after ingestion). The concentrations detected were similar along the hair shaft, showing a radial diffusion and incorporation of the analytes in the hair of young children from the sebum. Concentrations could be very high when sampled shortly after administration (72 ng/mg for methadone, 75 ng/mg for MDMA after 3 days) and lower when sampling later (1.2 ng/mg for MDMA after 45 days). In these cases, hair analysis allowed to highlight the compounds responsible for intoxication even when they had disappeared from the blood or urine but should not be used to discriminate long-term exposure to a drug. In the eight remaining children aged from 34 months to 15 years, the drugs used in hospital (lidocaine, diazepam, morphine) or responsible for intoxication (THC, codeine, buprenorphine) were not found in any analyzed segments sampled 1 to 5 days after administration of the drugs, in agreement with the non-incorporation of the drugs from the sebum into the hair. For those children aged over 34 months, hair analysis allows to determine the chronic administration of a drug, like in adults.
In this paper, we present new results on the potential La Palma collapse event, previously described and studied in Abadie et al. (2012). Three scenarios (i.e., slide volumes of 20, 40 and 80 ...km.sup.3) are considered, modeling the initiation of the slide to the water generation using THETIS, a 3D Navier-Stokes model. The slide is a Newtonian fluid whose viscosity is adjusted to approximate a granular behavior. After 5 min of propagation with THETIS, the generated water wave is transferred into FUNWAVE-TVD (Total Variation Diminishing version of FUNWAVE) to build a wave source suitable for propagation models. The results obtained for all the volumes after 15 min of Boussinesq model simulation are made available through a public repository.
A case of chronic lymphoid leukaemia complicated by a nephrotic syndrome is reported. There was no evidence of amyloidosis or renal vein thrombosis. Percutaneous renal biopsy disclosed lobular ...membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis with subendothelial deposits of IgG, C3, C4 and C1q. Circulating immune complexes, IgG lambda cryoglobulin and low CH50 levels due to activation of the classical pathway were demonstrated in serum. Immunosuppressive treatment of the leukaemia resulted in complete regression of the nephrotic syndrome.
Eighteen insulin-dependent diabetic patients received insulin in a continuous subcutaneous infusion delivered by a portable pump. Short-term glycemic control was evaluated on the average glycemia ...(serum glucose was assayed seven times per 24 hours for three to five days), on the MAGE coefficient which gives an estimate of glycemic lability, and, in eight patients, on serum C-peptide concentrations. Results were compared to those recorded with two daily subcutaneous injections of a combination of regular and intermediate insulin. The average glycemia and the MAGE coefficient were 1.32 + 0.05 milligram (m + SEM) and 1 + 0.05 milligram respectively under continuous infusion, compared to 2.05 + 0.12 and 1.76 + 0.12 milligram respectively under insulin injections. Insulin requirements were significantly lower under continuous infusion (0.99 + 0.08 U/kg versus 1.35 + 0.11 U/kg). In three patients with brittle diabetes the use of the pump ensured rapid metabolic control. The advantages and drawbacks of portable insulin pumps are discussed in the light of this experience.
Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) is a rare and recalcitrant form of leukoplakia. The purpose of this review is to further characterize the risk factors, clinical course, and optimal ...treatment for this highly aggressive, premalignant lesion.
Twenty-six articles on PVL with a total of 329 PVL cases.
A systematic review of the literature using Ovid, PubMed, Cochrane Database, and gray literature was conducted of all PVL cases reported between 1985 and 2014. Inclusion criteria required reporting of patient follow-up and recurrence rates. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Student t test and Fisher exact test were used to identify factors associated with malignant transformation.
The mean patient age was 63.9 years. Most patients were female (66.9%) and nontobacco users (65.22%). Mean follow-up was 7.4 years, with an average of 9.0 biopsies per patient during this period. Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia exhibited histopathologic features along a progressive spectrum, evolving from leukoplakia to verrucous hyperplasia and ultimately invasive carcinoma. Surgery was the most common treatment implemented, but recurrence rates among 222 patients reached 71.2%. Subgroup analysis of 277 patients identified a 63.9% malignant transformation rate, and 39.6% of patients died of their disease. Age, sex, and tobacco use were not identified as risk factors associated with progression to cancer.
Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia is a rare form of leukoplakia with a high rate of malignant transformation. It necessitates high clinical suspicion, to include a lifetime of close follow-up and repeat biopsies by a health care provider well versed in oral carcinoma.
Among 208 cases of aseptic lymphocytic meningitis seen over a nine-year period, 24 were diagnosed as viral infections. Diagnosis was established by both isolation of the virus from one or several ...specimens (feces, pharyngeal mucus, CSF) and significant rise in specific antibody titres. The usual clinical and epidemiological characteristics of these benign infections were demonstrated in our series: prevalence in males; recrudescence in summer; infectious syndrome associated with an unequivocal, though moderately severe, meningeal syndrome, and occasionally with various visceral manifestations (exanthema, pharyngitis, acute respiratory disease, myalgia); clear CSF usually with pleiocytosis (relative but not absolute predominance of lymphocytes) and normal chemical findings. All the cases in our series were due to enteroviruses, Echo or coxsackie. Isolation of a poliovirus (type III) in one case deserves mention. Cases where clinical examination led to unequivocal diagnosis of mumps or herpes zoster were not included in our study.
Objective
The main function of skin is to protect the body from external aggressions. Over time, normal skin ageing is accelerated by external stresses such as smoking, pollution, chemical products ...and radiation. UV light, in particular UVA, causes DNA damage, apoptosis and morphological modifications, which are responsible for both premature ageing and cancer. The aim of this study was to establish a discriminatory and sufficiently reproducible cutaneous model for evaluating UVA damage, to enable testing for effectiveness of potentially protective compounds.
Methods
The cutaneous model is based on Human skin explants irradiated with UVA. Deleterious effects on epidermis were observed and quantified by haematoxylin–eosin staining and by immunofluorescence of ɣ‐H2Ax, cytokeratin 5, involucrin and loricrin protein. Dermis deterioration was evaluated by transmission electronic microscopy and zymography in situ.
Results
We were able to observe and quantify deleterious effects associated with UVA irradiation: epidermal and dermal disruption, appearance of Sunburn cells, increased DNA damage and induced apoptosis. The use of this model in the evaluation of protective compounds was first confirmed using sunscreens, then further validated with a panel of active ingredients which showed beneficial effects on epidermis morphology and DNA integrity after UVA exposure.
Conclusion
We have developed a model and a standardized protocol, based on the use of human skin explants, which allows us to explore the protective effect of active ingredients to environmental stresses such as UVA.
Résumé
Objectifs
La fonction principale de la peau est de protéger le corps des agressions externes. Au cours du temps, le vieillissement naturel de la peau est accéléré par des stress externes comme la cigarette, la pollution, les produits chimiques et les radiations solaires. Le rayonnement ultraviolet, en particulier les UVA, cause des dommages de l'ADN, l'apoptose et des modifications morphologiques qui sont responsables du vieillissement prématuré et de cancers. Le but de cette étude est d'établir un modèle cutané reproductible et discriminatoire pour évaluer les dommages créé par les UVA et tester l'efficacité de potentiels produits protecteurs.
Méthodes
Ce modèle cutané est basé sur un explant de peau humaine irradié aux UVA. Les effets délétères sur l'épiderme sont observés et quantifiés par coloration Hématoxyline‐éosine et par des immunofluorescence des protéines ɣ‐H2Ax, cytokératine 5, involucrine et loricrine. Le détérioration du derme est évaluée par microscopie électronique à transmission et par zymographie in situ.
Résultats
Nous avons observé et quantifié des effets délétères associés aux irradiation UVA: détérioration de l'épiderme et du derme, apparition de cellules "coup de soleil", augmentation des dommages de l'ADN et l'induction de l'apoptose. L'utilisation du modèle pour tester des nouveaux composés a été premièrement validée avec l'utilisation d'un filtre solaire puis validée par le test d'un panel d'ingrédients actifs qui ont montré des effets bénéfiques sur la morphologie de l'épiderme et l'intégrité de l'ADN après exposition aux UVA.
Conclusion
Nous avons développé un modèle et un protocole standardisé basé sur l'utilisation d'un explant de peau humaine qui permet d'explorer l'effet protecteur ingrédients actifs contre des stress environnementaux comme les UVA.
(a) Representative images of H&E staining acquired from sections of paraffin‐embedded human skin explants: control (foil protected), post UVA irradiation, or UVA irradiation with sunscreen (X40, scale bars 100μm, *stratum corneum, **epidermis, ***dermis). (b) Percentage of sunburn cells. ***P‐value < 0.001. Observation on 10 skin donors for control and irradiated skin, and 5 donors for irradiated with sunscreen skin.
Very little is known about the nature and strength of reproductive isolation (RI) in Quercus species, despite extensive research on the estimation and evolutionary significance of hybridization ...rates. We characterized postmating pre‐ and postzygotic RI between two hybridizing oak species, Quercus robur and Quercus petraea, using a large set of controlled crosses between different genotypes. Various traits potentially associated with reproductive barriers were quantified at several life history stages, from pollen–pistil interactions to seed set and progeny fitness‐related traits. Results indicate strong intrinsic postmating prezygotic barriers, with significant barriers also at the postzygotic level, but relatively weaker extrinsic barriers on early hybrid fitness measures assessed in controlled conditions. Using general linear modelling of common garden data with clonal replicates, we showed that most traits exhibited important genotypic differences, as well as different levels of sensitivity to micro‐environmental heterogeneity. These new findings suggest a large potential genetic diversity and plasticity of reproductive barriers and are confronted with hybridization evidence in these oak species.
This paper reports estimates of the effects of JTPA training programs on the distribution of earnings. The estimation uses a new instrumental variable (IV) method that measures program impacts on ...quantiles. The quantile treatment effects (QTE) estimator reduces to quantile regression when selection for treatment is exogenously determined. QTE can be computed as the solution to a convex linear programming problem, although this requires first-step estimation of a nuisance function. We develop distribution theory for the case where the first step is estimated nonparametrically. For women, the empirical results show that the JTPA program had the largest proportional impact at low quantiles. Perhaps surprisingly, however, JTPA training raised the quantiles of earnings for men only in the upper half of the trainee earnings distribution.
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