Piezoelectric and optical setup to measure an electrical field: Application to the longitudinal near-field generated by a tapered coax

We propose a new setup to measure an electrical field in one direction. This setup is made of a piezoelectric sintered lead zinconate titanate film and an optical interferometric probe. We used this setup to investigate how the shape of the extremity of a coaxial cable influences the longitudinal electrical near-field generated by it. For this application, we designed our setup to have a spatial resolution of 100 um in the direction of the electrical field. Simulations and experiments are presented

Comparison of the direct enzyme assay method with the membrane filtration technique in the quantification and monitoring of microbial indicator organisms - seasonal variations in the activities of coliforms and E.coli, temperature and pH

The aim of this project was to monitor variations and relationships between coliform and E. coli counts, the activities of their marker enzymes GAL and GUD, and temperature and pH over a period of 12 months in river samples obtained from the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Several polluted water samples were collected for direct coliform β-D-galactosidase (B-GAL) and Escherichia coli β-D-glucuronidase (B-GUD) assays and the membrane filtration technique. While all the samples showed enzyme activities, not all exhibited growth on CM1046 media. Variation in B-GAL activity (40%) was observed between November (highest activity month) and May (lowest activity month). The highest and lowest B-GUD activities were observed in the months of September and May/June, respectively. The sensitivity of the spectrophotometric assay method was indicated by a limit of detection (LOD) of 1 coliform forming unit (CFU)/100 mℓ and 2 CFU/100 mℓ for coliforms and E. coli, respectively. There was a significant (P < 0.05) positive correlation between E. coli counts and GUD activity (R2 = 0.8909). A correlation of R2 = 0.9151 was also observed between total coliforms and B-GAL activity, even though the CFUs were not evenly distributed. Direct enzyme assays were also shown to be more sensitive than the membrane filtration (MF) technique

Hodgkin Lymphoma at the Paediatric Oncology Unit of Gabriel Touré Teaching Hospital, Bamako, Mali: 5-Year Experience

Introduction. The aim of this retrospective, unicentric study over 5 years is to describe the epidemiologic, pathologic, clinic and therapeutic aspects of children treated for Hodgkin lymphoma in our paediatric oncology unit. Patients and Methods. From January 2005 to December 2009, all children under 18 years of age, with Hodgkin lymphoma were included in this study. The treatment protocol was the GFAOP (Groupe Franco—Africain d'Oncologie Pédiatrique) Hodgkin lymphoma treatment protocol. Results. During the study period, 217 cancer cases were diagnosed in our centre. Of these cases, 7 were Hodgkin Lymphoma (LH) (0.04%). The mean age was 11.7 years. The sex-ratio was 6/1. 4% (5/7) of patients were stage IIB and 28.6% (2/7) stage IIIB of Ann-Arbor classification. There were 3 cases (42.8%) of sclero-nodular subtype, 2 cases (28.6%) of lymphocyte-rich classical HL subtype, 1 case (14.3%) of mixed cellularity and 1 case (14.3%) of lymphocyte depleted subtype. With a median followup of 37 months, 5 patients (71.4%) are alive, and 2 patients (28.6%) died. Conclusion. Broader multicentric studies are needed for more accurate data on this malignancy

A novel biosensor for the detection and monitoring of -d-galactosidase of faecal origin in water

A voltammetric sensor prepared by the immobilization of metallophthalocyanine complexes onto a glassy carbon electrode has been developed for the detection of β-d-galactosidase (B-GAL) of faecal origin in water. Electrooxidation of chlorophenol red, a breakdown product of the chromogenic substrate chlorophenol red β-d-galactopyranoside, was used as a measure of β-d-galactosidase activity. At metallophthalocyanine modified electrodes, in particular copper(II) phthalocyanine, a decrease in electrode fouling was observed. The sensor was sensitive to fluctuations in pH, not significantly affected by temperature variations and could detect one colony forming unit/100 mL in 15 min. Loss of 40% sensitivity was observed over a period of 30 days. A strong correlation between sensor sensitivity and colony forming units was observed. The sensor is capable of detecting viable but nonculturable bacteria, overcoming this drawback of the use of culture media for detection of coliforms

Etude épidémiologique et clinique des détresses respiratoires aigues chez les enfants âgés de 1 à 59 mois admis dans le service des urgences pédiatriques au CHU Gabriel Toure

Introduction : Les détresses respiratoires sont une cause majeure de morbidité et de mortalité en pédiatrie ; l’objectif de notre étude était d’étudier les aspects épidemiocliniques des détresses respiratoires chez les enfants âgés de 1 à 59 mois dans le service de pédiatrie de CHU. Gabriel Toure. Méthodologie : Il s’agit d’une étude transversale descriptive sur douze mois du 1er au 31 décembre 2012 au service de pédiatrie du CHU Gabriel Touré Bamako Mali. Tous les enfants de 1 à 59 mois présentant une détresse respiratoire ont été inclus. Résultats : Ainsi 678 dossiers d’enfants en détresse respiratoire sur un total de 2241 hospitalisés en pédiatrie ont été analysés soit un taux d’admission de 30,25%. 64,75% des enfants avaient un âge compris entre 1 et 11 mois. Le sex-ratio était de 1,38 en faveur des garçons; les signes de lutte respiratoire (battement des ailes du nez, tirage intercostal et le geignement) étaient présents dans 96,22%. La pathologie pulmonaire la plus fréquente était la pneumonie (68,36%) celle extra-pulmonaire était le paludisme grave (11,80%). Le taux de mortalité était de 20,65%. Conclusion : les détresses respiratoires restent une importante cause de mortalité du nourrisson dans notre contexte avec des problèmes majeurs de prise en charg

Lymphome de Burkitt pédiatrique à révélation orl : quelle prise en charge en milieu sub sahélien ? réflexion sur trois cas

Le lymphome de Burkitt dans sa forme Africaine peut se manifester sous des signes d’emprunt ORL à type de tuméfaction orbito-maxillo-faciale. Le diagnostic peut être fait par les ORL à travers un faisceau de signes cliniques et une cytoponction. La prise en charge se fait dans des unités d’oncologie médicale ou le bilan d’extension et le lancement de la chimiothérapie sont des impératifs incontournables. Actuellement cette tumeur à potentiel très agressif répond à une poly chimiothérapie bien conduite.Mots-clés : Lymphome de Burkitt, cancer, voies aérodigestives supérieures, oncologie pédiatriqu

MORBIDITE ET MORTALITE CHEZ LES ENFANTS DE 01 A 59 MOIS HOSPITALISES AU SERVICE DE PEDIATRIE GENERALE DU CHU GABRIEL TOURE DE JANVIER A DECEMBRE 2013

Objectif : Ce travail visait à étudier la morbidité et la mortalité chez les enfants âgés de 01 à 59 mois hospitalisés dans le service de pédiatrie générale du CHU Gabriel Touré. Matériels et Méthodes : Il s’agissait d’une étude rétrospective, descriptive, sur une période de 12 mois allant du 1er janvier au 31 décembre 2013. Résultats : Nous avons inclus 1625 enfants âgés de 01 à 59 mois soit 58% des patients hospitalisés. Le tiers des patients avait moins d’un an. Les garçons représentaient 57 % de notre échantillon avec un sex ratio de 1,33. La majorité des patients (83%) était issu de milieu social défavorisé. Les principaux diagnostics retrouvés étaient le paludisme (45%), les infections respiratoires aiguës (20,30%), et la malnutrition aiguë sévère (20,06%). Les patients guéris représentaient 82,3% et le taux de mortalité était estimé à 3,3%. La majorité des patients décédés était des filles (51%). Les décès étaient plus fréquents en juillet et aout. Les trois principales causes de décès étaient la malnutrition (47%), le paludisme (32%) et les infections respiratoires aigües (19%). Nous avons enregistré 48 sorties contre avis médical (3%) et 81 cas d’évasion (5%). Conclusion : La morbidité et la mortalité en pédiatrie restent préoccupantes dans notre pratique. Elles sont liées à des affections pour la plupart évitables par l’information, l’éducation et la communication

Annexin-A5 assembled into two-dimensional arrays promotes cell membrane repair

Eukaryotic cells possess a universal repair machinery that ensures rapid resealing of plasma membrane disruptions. Before resealing, the torn membrane is submitted to considerable tension, which functions to expand the disruption. Here we show that annexin-A5 (AnxA5), a protein that self-assembles into two-dimensional (2D) arrays on membranes upon Ca2+ activation, promotes membrane repair. Compared with wild-type mouse perivascular cells, AnxA5-null cells exhibit a severe membrane repair defect. Membrane repair in AnxA5-null cells is rescued by addition of AnxA5, which binds exclusively to disrupted membrane areas. In contrast, an AnxA5 mutant that lacks the ability of forming 2D arrays is unable to promote membrane repair. We propose that AnxA5 participates in a previously unrecognized step of the membrane repair process: triggered by the local influx of Ca2+, AnxA5 proteins bind to torn membrane edges and form a 2D array, which prevents wound expansion and promotes membrane resealing

A novel flexible field-aligned coordinate system for tokamak edge plasma simulation

Tokamak plasmas are confined by a magnetic field that limits the particle and heat transport perpendicular to the field. Parallel to the field the ionised particles can move freely, so to obtain confinement the field lines are “closed” (ie.form closed surfaces of constant poloidal flux) in the core of a tokamak. Towards, the edge, however, the field lines intersect physical surfaces, leading to interaction between neutral and ionised particles, and the potential melting of the material surface. Simulation of this interaction is important for predicting the performance and lifetime of future tokamak devices such as ITER. Field-aligned coordinates are commonly used in the simulation of tokamak plasmas due to the geometry and magnetic topology of the system. However, these coordinates are limited in the geometry they allow in the poloidal plane due to orthogonality requirements. A novel 3D coordinate system is proposed herein that relaxes this constraint so that any arbitrary, smoothly varying geometry can be matched in the poloidal plane while maintaining a field-aligned coordinate. This system is implemented in BOUT++ and tested for accuracy using the method of manufactured solutions. A MAST edge cross-section is simulated using a fluid plasma model and the results show expected behaviour for density, temperature, and velocity. Finally, simulations of an isolated divertor leg are conducted with and without neutrals to demonstrate the ion-neutral interaction near the divertor plate and the corresponding beneficial decrease in plasma temperature