Restoration of Fertility after Removal of Extrauterine Mirena Coil: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

We present the case of a 27-year-old lady who was seen in the infertility clinic with a history of secondary infertility of a one-year duration. She had a hysteroscopy and Mirena insertion for heavy periods. Coil strings were not found by the GP during first coil check six weeks after insertion. A pelvic ultrasound scan did not show any coil, and it was not investigated further with a possible diagnosis of coil expulsion made. One year following that, she was seen in the infertility clinic. Initial investigations revealed anovulation, and HSG located the coil to be extrauterine. Mirena was removed laparoscopically, and a month following the removal she conceived. She is currently pregnant. This case highlights the effect of extrauterine mirena coils on fertility by possibly causing higher plasma levels of levonorgesterol and resulting suppression of ovulation. Laparoscopic removal of mirena coil can help in restoration of fertility

Shots fired! Why is switching between organisational practices so difficult?

Jan-Kees Schakel, Paul C. van Fenema and Samer Faraj study a covert operation by the Dutch polic

Trade-offs between precision and fluctuations in charging finite-dimensional quantum systems

Within quantum thermodynamics, many tasks are modelled by processes that require work sources represented by out-of-equilibrium quantum systems, often dubbed quantum batteries, in which work can be deposited or from which work can be extracted. Here we consider quantum batteries modelled as finite-dimensional quantum systems initially in thermal equilibrium that are charged via cyclic Hamiltonian processes. We present optimal or near-optimal protocols for $N$ identical two-level systems and individual $d$-level systems with equally spaced energy gaps in terms of the charging precision and work fluctuations during the charging process. We analyze the trade-off between these figures of merit as well as the performance of local and global operations.Comment: 14+2 pages, 7 figure

The crystal structure of Pneumolysin at 2.0 Å resolution reveals the molecular packing of the pre-pore complex

Pneumolysin is a cholesterol-dependent cytolysin (CDC) and virulence factor of Streptococcus pneumoniae. It kills cells by forming pores assembled from oligomeric rings in cholesterol-containing membranes. Cryo-EM has revealed the structures of the membrane-surface bound pre-pore and inserted-pore oligomers, however the molecular contacts that mediate these oligomers are unknown because high-resolution information is not available. Here we have determined the crystal structure of full-length pneumolysin at 1.98 Å resolution. In the structure, crystal contacts demonstrate the likely interactions that enable polymerisation on the cell membrane and the molecular packing of the pre-pore complex. The hemolytic activity is abrogated in mutants that disrupt these intermolecular contacts, highlighting their importance during pore formation. An additional crystal structure of the membrane-binding domain alone suggests that changes in the conformation of a tryptophan rich-loop at the base of the toxin promote monomer-monomer interactions upon membrane binding by creating new contacts. Notably, residues at the interface are conserved in other members of the CDC family, suggesting a common mechanism for pore and pre-pore assembly

Review of Temephos Discriminating Concentration for Monitoring the Susceptibility of Anopheles labranchiae (Falleroni, 1926), Malaria Vector in Morocco

In Morocco, the resistance monitoring of Anopheles labranchiae larvae to temephos is done using discriminating concentration of 0.125 mg, which is half of the WHO recommended dose for Anopheles. However, this dosage seemed to be too high to allow an early detection of the resistance and its revision was found necessary. The present study was carried out during May-June 2008 and 2009 in nine provinces from the north-west of the country. The aim was to determine the lethal concentrations LC100 of temephos for the most susceptible populations and to define the discriminating dosage as the double of this value. The bioassays were conducted according to WHO standard operating protocol to establish the dose-mortality relationship and deduct the LC50 and LC95. The results of this study indicated that the LC100 obtained on the most susceptible populations was close to 0.05 mg/L. Therefore, the temephos discriminating dosage for susceptibility monitoring of An. labranchiae larvae in Morocco was set to be 0.1 mg/L

Microscopic modulation and analysis of islets of Langerhans in living zebrafish larvae

Microscopic analysis of molecules and physiology in living cells and systems is a powerful tool in life sciences. While in vivo subcellular microscopic analysis of healthy and diseased human organs remains impossible, zebrafish larvae allow studying pathophysiology of many organs using in vivo microscopy. Here, we review the potential of the larval zebrafish pancreas in the context of islets of Langerhans and Type 1 diabetes. We highlight the match of zebrafish larvae with the expanding toolbox of fluorescent probes that monitor cell identity, fate and/or physiology in real time. Moreover, fast and efficient modulation and localization of fluorescence at a subcellular level, through fluorescence microscopy, including confocal and light sheet (single plane illumination) microscopes tailored to in vivo larval research, is addressed. These developments make the zebrafish larvae an extremely powerful research tool for translational research. We foresee that living larval zebrafish models will replace many cell line-based studies in understanding the contribution of molecules, organelles and cells to organ pathophysiology in whole organisms.ImPhys/Microscopy Instrumentation & Technique

Répartition spatio-temporelle des principaux Lépidoptères au Tadla

Population dynamics of sorne Lepidoptera species has been monitored by means of adult sex and light pitfalls during 2 years in 2 sites. There are 3 kinds of Lepidoptera : the pests, the less harmfull and those of no harm for agriculture. Different Lepidoptera colonize the field through a weIl adapted calendar for a better exploitation according to the species behavior and adaptability and to climate conditions. These conditions impact on pitfall efficiency has been discussed. Spodoptera littoralis, Agrotis segetum and Earias insulana appear in MarchApril and disapear in October-November. Heliothis armigera activity period is shorter ; it spreads from June to October, while Vanessa cardui was active during Automn and spring. These Lepidopteran polyphagy and the polycrop present system are favoring generation overlapping. This biological data has to be considered in an actual biological control against these noctual Lepidoptera. Key words: Egg parasitoïd -Population dynamic Spodoptera littoralis -Heliothis armigera -Agrotis segetum -Earias insulana -Vanessa cardui -Nutritional adaptability -Generation ovelapping - TadlaLa dynamique des populations de certaines espèces de Lépidoptères a été suivie par piégeage (sexuel et lumineux) des adultes et par échantillonnage des chenilles dans 2 sites et durant 2 années. L'ensemble des Lépidoptères se répartit en 3 catégories: les nuisibles, les moins nuisibles et ceux qui ne présentent aucun danger pour l'agriculture. Les différents Lépidoptères colonisent le milieu suivant un calendrier bien adapté pour une meilleure exploitation selon le comportement, l'adaptabilité de l'espèce et les conditions climatiques. L'impact de ces ~onditions sur l'efficacité des piègeages a été discuté. Spodoptera littoralis, Agrotis segetum et Earias insulana apparaissent en mars-avril et disparaissent en octobre-novembre. La période d'activité de Heliothis. armigera est plus courte: elle s'étale de juin à octobre tandis que Vanessa cardui est actif en automne et au printemps. La polyphagie de ces Lépidoptères et la présence de la polyculture favorisent le chevauchement des générations. Cette donnée biologique doit être prise en considération lors de l'élaboration d'une éventuelle lutte biologique contre les Noctuelles. Mots clés: Parasitoïde oophage -Dynamique de population-Spodoptera littoralis -Heliothis armigera -Agrotis segetum -Earias insulana -Vanessa cardui -Adaptabilité alimentaire -Chevauchement des générations -Tadl

Evaluation of EIT systems and algorithms for handling full void fraction range in two-phase flow measurement

In the aqueous-based two-phase flow, if the void fraction of dispersed phase exceeds 0.25, conventional electrical impedance tomography (EIT) produces a considerable error due to the linear approximation of the sensitivity back-projection (SBP) method, which limits the EIT's wider application in the process industry. In this paper, an EIT sensing system which is able to handle full void fraction range in two-phase flow is reported. This EIT system employs a voltage source, conducts true mutual impedance measurement and reconstructs an online image with the modified sensitivity back-projection (MSBP) algorithm. The capability of the Maxwell relationship to convey full void fraction is investigated. The limitation of the linear sensitivity back-projection method is analysed. The MSBP algorithm is used to derive relative conductivity change in the evaluation. A series of static and dynamic experiments demonstrating the mean void fraction obtained using this EIT system has a good agreement with reference void fractions over the range from 0 to 1. The combination of the new EIT system and MSBP algorithm would significantly extend the applications of EIT in industrial process measurement

Impact des conditions semi-naturelles sur le potentiel biotique de Trichogramma bourarachae Pintureau et Babault (Hym.,Trichogrammatidae)

Les potentialités biotiques de Trichogramma bourarachae (Hym., Trichogrammatidae) étudiées sous des conditions semi-naturelles de deux régions différentes: côtière (Rabat) et continentale (Afourer) révèlent l'absence de tout arrêt de développement. Le seuil thermique est proche de 7°C et le taux d'émergence est normal. La longévité des femelles de la génération-fille oscille entre 7 et 13 jours sous le climat océanique et entre 4 et 24 jours dans le cas du continental. La fécondité est maximale en fin mai (42 oeufs) pour la côtière et en mi-juin (39) pour la continentale. Quant à la fértilité, elle suit le même schéma que la fécondité. Le taux de femelles dans la descendance se montre sensible à la température d'exposition