Periode de recolte et taux de germination des semences de trois arbres fruitiers sauvages : AKPI, Choco et Bitei, autour du Parc National de Taï

Cette étude a été réalisée pour connaître les périodes de maturité et le degré de germination des fruits en vue de la domestication de trois espèces d’arbres fruitiers sauvages : Beilschmiedia mannii, Irvingia gabonensis et Ricinodendron heudelotii, autour du Parc national de Taï. Par la méthode d’interview semi-directe et de mise en place de la pépinière (création de germoirs et transferts des plants en sachets), il ressort que la fructification de Beilschmiedia mannii intervient entre octobre et décembre, celle de Ricinodendron heudelotii entre juillet et septembre et celle de Irvingia gabonensis a eu lieu entre le mois de décembre de l’année en cours et celui de mars de l’année suivante. Le degré de germination des graines est variable d’une espèce à une autre. Ainsi, Beilschmiedia mannii, Irvingia gabonensis et Ricinodendron heudelotii ont présenté respectivement les taux de germination moyen suivants 76,63 %, 34,35 % et 27,45 % ; le taux de germination de la première espèce étant statistiquement différent de ceux des deux autres espèces. Le délai de germination pour chacune des espèces est de plus ou moins 1,5 mois. Un taux de réussite des plants transférés en sachet de plus de 95 % a été enregistré pour chacune des espèces. Des cas de nécroses de feuilles ont été notés chez Ricinodendron heudelotii.   English title: Harvest period and seed germination rate of three wild fruit trees: Akpi, Choco and Bitei, around Taï National Park This study was carried out to determine the maturity periods and degree of fruit germination for the domestication of three species of wild fruit trees: Beilschmiedia mannii, Irvingia gabonensis and Ricinodendron heudelotii, around Taï national Park. By the method of semi-direct interview and setting up the nursery (creation of germiners and transfer of plants in bags), it appears that the fruiting of Beilschmiedia mannii occurs between October and December, that of Ricinodendron heudelotii between July and September and that of Irvingia gabonensis took place between December of the current year and March of the following year. The degree of seed germination varies from one species to another. Beilschmiedia mannii, Irvingia gabonensis and Ricinodendron heudelotii presented respectively the following average germination rates 76.63%, 34.35% and 27.45%; the germination rate of the first species being statistically different from those of the other two species. The germination time for each species is plus or minus one month a month and half. A success rate of plants transferred in sachet of more than 95% was recorded for each species. Leaf necrosis has been noted in Ricinodendron heudelotii

A prospective longitudinal study of Pasireotide in Nelson's syndrome

PURPOSE: Nelson's syndrome is a challenging condition that can develop following bilateral adrenalectomy for Cushing's disease, with high circulating ACTH levels, pigmentation and an invasive pituitary tumor. There is no established medical therapy. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of pasireotide on plasma ACTH and tumor volume in Nelson's syndrome. METHODS: Open labeled multicenter longitudinal trial in three steps: (1) a placebo-controlled acute response test; (2) 1 month pasireotide 300-600 μg s.c. twice-daily; (3) 6 months pasireotide long-acting-release (LAR) 40-60 mg monthly. RESULTS: Seven patients had s.c. treatment and 5 proceeded to LAR treatment. There was a significant reduction in morning plasma ACTH during treatment (mean ± SD; 1823 ± 1286 ng/l vs. 888.0 ± 812.8 ng/l during the s.c. phase vs. 829.0 ± 1171 ng/l during the LAR phase, p < 0.0001). Analysis of ACTH levels using a random intercept linear mixed-random effects longitudinal model showed that ACTH (before the morning dose of glucocorticoids) declined significantly by 26.1 ng/l per week during the 28-week of treatment (95% CI - 45.2 to - 7.1, p < 0.01). An acute response to a test dose predicted outcome in 4/5 patients. Overall, there was no significant change in tumor volumes (1.4 ± 0.9 vs. 1.3 ± 1.0, p = 0.86). Four patients withdrew during the study. Hyperglycemia occurred in 6 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Pasireotide lowers plasma ACTH levels in patients with Nelson's syndrome. A longer period of treatment may be needed to assess the effects of pasireotide on tumor volume. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials.gov ID, NCT01617733

Secondary education reform in Lesotho and Zimbabwe and the needs of rural girls: Pronouncements, policy and practice

Analysis of the educational needs of rural girls in Lesotho and Zimbabwe suggests a number of shortcomings in the current form of secondary education, and ways in which it might be modified so as to serve this sizeable group of students better. Several of the shortcomings, notably in relation to curricular irrelevance and excessive focus on examinations, have long been recognised, including by politicians. Yet political pronouncements are seldom translated into policy, and even where policy is formulated, reforms are seldom implemented in schools. This paper makes use of interviews with educational decision-makers in the two southern African countries and a range of documentary sources to explore why, despite the considerable differences between the two contexts, much needed educational reforms have been implemented in neither

High multiplicity α-particle breakup measurements to study α-condensate states

An experiment was performed to investigate α-condensate states via high α-particle multiplicity breakup. The nucleus of interest was 28Si therefore to measure multiplicity 7 particle breakup events, a highly granular detector with a high solid angle coverage was required. For this purpose, the CHIMERA and FARCOS detectors at INFN LNS were employed. Particle identification was achieved through ΔE-E energy loss. The α-particle multiplicity was measured at three beam energies to investigate different excitation regimes in 28Si. At a beam energy where the energy is sufficient to provide the 7 α-particles with enough energy to be identified using the ΔE-E method, multiplicity 7 events can be seen. Given these high multiplicity events, the particles can be reconstructed to investigate the breakup of α-condensate states. Analysing the decay paths of these states can elucidate whether the state of interest corresponds to a non-cluster, clustered or condensed state

Linking disease epidemiology and livestock productivity: the case of bovine respiratory disease in France

Concerns are growing over the impact of livestock farming on environment and public health. The livestock industry is faced with the double constraint of limiting its use of natural resources and antimicrobials while ensuring its economic sustainability. In this context, reliable methods are needed to evaluate the effect of the prevention of endemic animal diseases on the productivity of livestock production systems. In this study, an epidemiological and productivity model was used to link changes in Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) incidence with the productivity of the beef and dairy cattle sectors in France. Cattle production parameters significantly affected by BRD were selected through literature review. Previous field study results and national cattle performance estimates were used to infer growth performances, mortality rates and carcass quality in the cattle affected and not affected by BRD. A steady-state deterministic herd production model was used to predict the productivity of the dairy and beef sector and their defined compartments (breeding-fattening, feedlot young bulls, and feedlot veal) in case of BRD incidence reduction by 20%, 50% or 100%. Results suggested that BRD should be controlled at a priority in beef breeding farms as eradication of BRD in beef calves would increase the whole beef sector’s productivity by 4.7–5.5% while eradication in other production stages would result in lower productivity gain in their respective sectors. However, the analysis performed at compartment level showed that, in both the beef and dairy sector, young bull and veal feedlot enterprises derive more economic benefits from BRD eradication for their own compartment (increase in productivity of 8.7–12.8% for beef young bulls) than the breeding farms (increase in productivity of 5.1–6% for beef calves), which may limit the investments in BRD control

Corticotroph tumor progression after bilateral adrenalectomy (Nelson’s syndrome):systematic review and expert consensus recommendations

Corticotroph tumor progression (CTP) leading to Nelson's syndrome (NS) is a severe and difficult-to-treat complication subsequent to bilateral adrenalectomy (BADX) for Cushing's disease. Its characteristics are not well described, and consensus recommendations for diagnosis and treatment are missing

Expression of the zinc-finger transcription factor Snail in adrenocortical carcinoma is associated with decreased survival

In this study, we evaluate whether Snail is expressed in adrenocortical cancer (ACC) and if its expression is related to patient outcome. One of the best known functions of the zinc-finger transcription factor Snail is to induce epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Increasing evidence suggests that EMT plays a pivotal role in tumour progression and metastatic spread. Snail and E-cadherin expression were assessed by immunohistochemistry in 26 resected ACCs and real-time quantitative RT–PCR expression analysis was performed. Data were correlated with clinical outcome and in particular with overall patient survival. Seventeen of 26 (65%) ACC tumour samples expressed Snail when assessed by immunohistochemistry. Snail expression was neither detected in normal adrenocortical tissue, nor in benign adrenocortical adenomas. Expression levels were confirmed on the mRNA level by Real-Time–PCR. Survival rates were significantly decreased in Snail-positive tumours compared to Snail-negative tumours: 10 out of 16 vs one out of eight patients succumbed to disease after a median follow up of 14.5 and 28.5 months, respectively (P=0.03). Patients with Snail-expressing ACCs presented in advanced disease (11 out of 12 vs 6 out of 14, P=0.01) and tend to develop distant metastases more frequently than patients with negative staining (7 out of 11 vs two out of eight, P=0.19). In conclusion, we describe for the first time that Snail is expressed in a large subset of ACCs. Furthermore, Snail expression is associated with decreased survival, advanced disease and higher risk of developing distant metastases