Imaging of non-operated cholesteatoma: Clinical practice guidelines

SummaryMiddle ear cholesteatoma is an aggressive form of chronic otitis media requiring surgical therapy. The surgical strategy depends on the location of the lesion, its extensions to the middle ear and mastoid, the anatomical conformation of the tympanomastoid cavities and the health status of the patient (as well as his or her interest in aquatic leisure activities). For several years, imaging of the ear has been a routine test in the preoperative work-up of the disease. National guidelines for the topic “Imaging of non-operated middle ear cholesteatoma” were prepared in October 2010, for the annual congress of the French Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (SFORL), by a panel of experts from the SFORL, represented by the French Association of Otology and Neuro-otology (AFON), and the French Radiological Society (SFR), represented by the French Society of Head and Neck Imaging (CIREOL). These guidelines are presented in the present article

Polysorbate 80 Inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Formation and Its Cleavage by the Secreted Lipase LipA

Surface-associated bacterial communities known as biofilms are an important source of nosocomial infections. Microorganisms such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa can colonize the abiotic surfaces of medical implants, leading to chronic infections that are difficult to eradicate. Our study demonstrates that polysorbate 80 (PS80), a surfactant commonly added to food and medicines, is able to inhibit biofilm formation by P. aeruginosa on a variety of surfaces, including contact lenses

Scintillating double beta decay bolometers

We present the results obtained in the development of scintillating Double Beta Decay bolometers. Several Mo and Cd based crystals were tested with the bolometric technique. The scintillation light was measured through a second independent bolometer. A 140 g CdWO_4 crystal was run in a 417 h live time measurement. Thanks to the scintillation light, the alpha background is easily discriminated resulting in zero counts above the 2615 keV gamma line of Thallium 208. These results, combined with an extremely easy light detector operation, represent the first tangible proof demonstrating the feasibility of this kind of technique.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure

A Comparison of Algorithms for the Construction of SZ Cluster Catalogues

We evaluate the construction methodology of an all-sky catalogue of galaxy clusters detected through the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect. We perform an extensive comparison of twelve algorithms applied to the same detailed simulations of the millimeter and submillimeter sky based on a Planck-like case. We present the results of this "SZ Challenge" in terms of catalogue completeness, purity, astrometric and photometric reconstruction. Our results provide a comparison of a representative sample of SZ detection algorithms and highlight important issues in their application. In our study case, we show that the exact expected number of clusters remains uncertain (about a thousand cluster candidates at |b|> 20 deg with 90% purity) and that it depends on the SZ model and on the detailed sky simulations, and on algorithmic implementation of the detection methods. We also estimate the astrometric precision of the cluster candidates which is found of the order of ~2 arcmins on average, and the photometric uncertainty of order ~30%, depending on flux.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A: 14 pages, 7 figures. Detailed figures added in Appendi

Component separation methods for the Planck mission

The Planck satellite will map the full sky at nine frequencies from 30 to 857 GHz. The CMB intensity and polarization that are its prime targets are contaminated by foreground emission. The goal of this paper is to compare proposed methods for separating CMB from foregrounds based on their different spectral and spatial characteristics, and to separate the foregrounds into components of different physical origin. A component separation challenge has been organized, based on a set of realistically complex simulations of sky emission. Several methods including those based on internal template subtraction, maximum entropy method, parametric method, spatial and harmonic cross correlation methods, and independent component analysis have been tested. Different methods proved to be effective in cleaning the CMB maps from foreground contamination, in reconstructing maps of diffuse Galactic emissions, and in detecting point sources and thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich signals. The power spectrum of the residuals is, on the largest scales, four orders of magnitude lower than that of the input Galaxy power spectrum at the foreground minimum. The CMB power spectrum was accurately recovered up to the sixth acoustic peak. The point source detection limit reaches 100 mJy, and about 2300 clusters are detected via the thermal SZ effect on two thirds of the sky. We have found that no single method performs best for all scientific objectives. We foresee that the final component separation pipeline for Planck will involve a combination of methods and iterations between processing steps targeted at different objectives such as diffuse component separation, spectral estimation and compact source extraction.Comment: Matches version accepted by A&A. A version with high resolution figures is available at http://people.sissa.it/~leach/compsepcomp.pd

Immunomodulatory Hydrogels:Advanced Regenerative Tools for Diabetic Foot Ulcer

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is one of the most common complications of diabetes, bringing physical and mental challenges for patients due to the lack of efficient curative therapy. Despite considerable advances in pharmacological and surgical approaches, clinical trials for DFU patients remain disappointing due to the local overactive and excessive inflammation. Immunomodulatory hydrogels has significant advantages to overcome the clinical challenge of DFUs therapy. Here, recent fabrication and regenerative advances in the utilization of functional hydrogels for altering the immune microenvironment of DFUs are comprehensively reviewed. The pathological features and the healing processes of DFUs, followed by summarizing the physicochemical properties essential for the design of regenerative hydrogels for immunomodulation in DFUs, are briefly introduced. Then, the potential immuno-therapeutic modalities of hydrogels and emerging trends used to treat DFUs via multitherapeutic approaches and enhanced efficacy and safety are discussed. Taken together, by linking the structural properties of hydrogels to their functions in DFU therapy with a particular focus on immunomodulatory stimuli, this review can promote further advances in designing advanced hydrogels for DFUs, resulting in improved diabetic wound repair through translation into clinical setting in the near future.</p

The Designer Antimicrobial Peptide A-hBD-2 Facilitates Skin Wound Healing by Stimulating Keratinocyte Migration and Proliferation

Background/Aims: Antimicrobial peptides are effective promoters of wound healing but are susceptible to degradation. In this study, we replaced the GIGDP unit on the N-terminal of the endogenous human antimicrobial peptide hBD-2 with APKAM to produce A-hBD-2 and analyzed the effect on wound healing both in vitro and in vivo. Methods: The effects of A-hBD-2 and hBD-2 on cytotoxicity and proliferation in keratinocytes were assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. The structural stability and antimicrobial activity of hBD-2 and A-hBD-2 were evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus. RNA and proteins levels were evaluated by real-time PCR and western blotting, respectively. Cell migration was evaluated using a transwell assay. Cell cycle analysis was performed by flow cytometry. Wound healing was assessed in Sprague-Dawley rats. Epidermal thickness was evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Results: We found that hBD-2 exhibited cytotoxicity at high concentrations and decreased the structural stability in the presence of high sodium chloride concentrations. A-hBD-2 exhibited increased structural stability and antimicrobial activity, and had lower cytotoxicity in keratinocytes. A-hBD-2 increased the migration and proliferation of keratinocytes via phosphorylation of EGFR and STAT3 and suppressed terminal differentiation of keratinocytes. We also found that A-hBD-2 elicited mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ and stimulated keratinocytes to produce pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines via phospholipase C activation. Furthermore, A-hBD-2 promoted wound healing in vivo. Conclusion: Our data suggest that A-hBD-2 may be a promising candidate therapy for wound healing

High expression of gabarapl1 is associated with a better outcome for patients with lymph node-positive breast cancer

International audienceBACKGROUND: This study evaluates the relation of the early oestrogen-regulated gene gabarapl1 to cellular growth and its prognostic significance in breast adenocarcinoma. METHODS: First, the relation between GABARAPL1 expression and MCF-7 growth rate was analysed. Thereafter, by performing macroarray and reverse transcriptase quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) experiments, gabarapl1 expression was quantified in several histological breast tumour types and in a retrospective cohort of 265 breast cancers. RESULTS: GABARAPL1 overexpression inhibited MCF-7 growth rate and gabarapl1 expression was downregulated in breast tumours. Gabarapl1 mRNA levels were found to be significantly lower in tumours presenting a high histological grade, with a lymph node-positive (pN+) and oestrogen and/or progesterone receptor-negative status. In univariate analysis, high gabarapl1 levels were associated with a lower risk of metastasis in all patients (hazard ratio (HR) 4.96), as well as in pN+ patients (HR 14.96). In multivariate analysis, gabarapl1 expression remained significant in all patients (HR 3.63), as well as in pN+ patients (HR 5.65). In univariate or multivariate analysis, gabarapl1 expression did not disclose any difference in metastasis risk in lymph node-negative patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show for the first time that the level of gabarapl1 mRNA expression in breast tumours is a good indicator of the risk of recurrence, specifically in pN+ patients