The horsebean (Vicia Faba L.) as a vegetable protein concentrate in chick diets

The objectives of this work were to study the relative nutritive value of horsebeans in diets for growing chicks: to study the horsebean seeds as a source of vegetable protein; to determine the supplements needed to make it a desirable feedstuff for growing chicks, and to determine the maximum amount of the horsebean seed that might be included in a satisfactory chick diet

Establishing a sorting protocol for healthcare databases

Background: Health information records in many countries, especially developing countries, are still paper based. Compared to electronic systems, paper-based systems are disadvantageous in terms of data storage and data extraction. Given the importance of health records for epidemiological studies, guidelines for effective data cleaning and sorting are essential. They are, however, largely absent from the literature. The following paper discusses the process by which an algorithm was developed for the cleaning and sorting of a database generated from emergency department records in Lebanon.Design and methods: Demographic and health related information were extracted from the emergency department records of three hospitals in Beirut. Appropriate categories were selected for data categorization. For health information, disease categories and codes were selected according to the International Classification of Disease 10th Edition.Results: A total of 16,537 entries were collected. Demographic information was categorized into groups for future epidemiological studies. Analysis of the health information led to the creation of a sorting algorithm which was then used to categorize and code the health data. Several counts were then performed to represent and visualize the data numerically and graphically.Conclusions: The article describes the current state of health information records in Lebanon and the associated disadvantages of a paper-based system in terms of storage and data extraction. Furthermore, the article describes the algorithm by which health information was sorted and categorized to allow for future data analysis using paper records

Epithelial cancers in the post-genomic era: should we reconsider our lifestyle?

The age-related epithelial cancers of the breast, colorectum and prostate are the most prevalent and are increasing in our aging populations. Epithelial cells turnover rapidly and mutations naturally accumulate throughout life. Most epithelial cancers arise from this normal mutation rate. All elderly individuals will harbour many cells with the requisite mutations and most will develop occult neoplastic lesions. Although essential for initiation, these mutations are not sufficient for the progression of cancer to a life-threatening disease. This progression appears to be dependent on context: the tissue ecosystem within individuals and lifestyle exposures across populations of individuals. Together, this implies that the seeds may be plentiful but they only germinate in the right soil. The incidence of these cancers is much lower in Eastern countries but is increasing with Westernisation and increases more acutely in migrants to the West. A Western lifestyle is strongly associated with perturbed metabolism, as evidenced by the epidemics of obesity and diabetes: this may also provide the setting enabling the progression of epithelial cancers. Epidemiology has indicated that metabolic biomarkers are prospectively associated with cancer incidence and prognosis. Furthermore, within cancer research, there has been a rediscovery that a switch in cell metabolism is critical for cancer progression but this is set within the metabolic status of the host. The seed may only germinate if the soil is fertile. This perspective brings together the different avenues of investigation implicating the role that metabolism may play within the context of post-genomic concepts of cancer

Activité des facteurs bHLH TAL-1 et LYL dans les processus angiogeniques

La formation de nouveaux vaisseaux ou angiogenèse est requise par les tumeurs pour leur alimentation en oxygène et en éléments nutritifs, et favorise la propagation des cellules malignes dans l organisme (métastases). Mon travail a consisté en l étude de l'activité et le rôle des gènes bHLH TAL-1 et LYL dans le système endothélial. L expression de TAL-1 dans les tissus adultes est spécifiquement associée aux sites d angiogenèse active, notamment dans les tumeurs fortement vascularisées, et agit, in vitro et in vivo, comme régulateur positif de l angiogenèse en stimulant la morphogenèse des cellules endothéliales. La fonction de LYL est encore inconnue ; cependant, des résultats préliminaires du laboratoire suggèrent que LYL puisse exercer des fonctions antagonistes à celles de TAL-1 dans l angiogenèse. Pour tester cette hypothèse, nous avons développé différents systèmes expérimentaux ex vivo, utilisant des cellules endothéliales (CEs) humaines primaires, qui reproduisent certaines situations physiologiques (quiescence) ou certaines étapes de l angiogenèse. Nous avons développé différents outils (adénovirus, siRNA) pour modifier l expression ou l activité de ces deux facteurs dans les CEs. L ensemble des résultats obtenus montre que les facteurs LYL et TAL-1 exercent des effets opposés sur le comportement des cellules endothéliales dans différents modèles d angiogenèse, et suggèrent que leur activité soit requise pour des processus cellulaires distincts. Nous avons identifié le gène de la VE-cadhérine comme étant un gène cible de ces deux facteurs. Nous avons entamé une étude d un transcriptome qui a terme nous permettra d identifier d autres gènes cible probable de ces deux facteursForming new blood vessels is a must for tumor survival and progression, since tumor angiogenesis plays a major role in bringing oxygen and nutritive elements tout the tumor cells and specially helping them to progress and invade other organs and tissues (metastases). My thesis work consists on studying the role of two genes TAL-1 and LYL in the endothelial system. In adults, TAL-1 expression is strictly associated to active angiogenesis sites and acts as a positive regulator of angiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo. LYL function is still undiscovered but results from our team suggest that LYL might play an antagonist role with TAL-1 activity in angiogenesis. To test this hypothesis we developed different in vitro and in vivo systems using endothelial cells, adenoviruses siRNA technique All our results indicate that TAL-1 and LYL have antagonist effect on endothelial cells morphology within different angiogenesis models. We identified VE-cadherine as the first target gene under the control of both factorsMONTPELLIER-BU Sciences (341722106) / SudocSudocFranceF

Primary Mature Cystic Teratoma Compressing the Prostate in a 28-Year-Old Male: A Case Report and Literature Review

Primary mature retroperitoneal teratomas are rare tumors most commonly occurring in adult females. These tumors are usually asymptomatic since they have no attachments to specific organs. We present a rare case of a 28-year-old male with 2-month history of lower urinary tract symptoms, who was found to have a primary mature cystic teratoma abutting the prostate

Primary Carcinoid Tumor of the Testis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Carcinoid tumors usually arise in the gastrointestinal tract. Immunocytohistochemical and radiologic studies are important in detecting the primary tumor site. Primary carcinoid tumors of the testis are particularly rare with a high malignant potential warranting long-term follow-up. We present the case of a primary carcinoid tumor of the testis with long-term surveillance

The bHLH TAL-1/SCL regulates endothelial cell migration and morphogenesis.

International audienceThe basic helix-loop-helix tal-1 gene (or scl), known for its fundamental role in embryonic and adult hematopoiesis in vertebrates, is also required for embryonic vascular remodeling. In adults, TAL-1 protein is undetectable in quiescent endothelium but it is present in newly formed vessels including tumoral vasculature, indicating its involvement in angiogenesis. Here, we demonstrate that TAL-1 expression is tightly regulated during in vitro angiogenesis: it is low during the initial step of migration and is upregulated during formation of capillary-like structures. We investigated whether ectopic expression of either wild-type TAL-1 or a dominant-negative mutant lacking the DNA-binding domain (Delta-bas) modulates the activity of human primary endothelial cells in the angiogenic processes of migration, proliferation and cell morphogenesis. Overexpression of either wild-type or Delta-bas TAL-1 affected chemotactic migration of primary endothelial cells without modifying their proliferative properties. Ectopic expression of wild-type TAL-1 accelerated the formation of capillary-like structures in vitro and, in vivo, enhanced vascularisation in mice (Matrigel implants) associated with a general enlargement of capillary lumens. Importantly, transduction of the mutant Delta-bas completely impaired in vitro angiogenesis and strongly inhibited vascularisation in mice. Taken together, our data show that TAL-1 modulates the angiogenic response of endothelial cells by stimulating cell morphogenesis and by influencing their behavior in migration. This study highlights the importance of TAL-1 regulation in postnatal vascular remodeling and provides the first physiological evidence that links TAL-1 activity to endothelial cell morphogenic processes

Exposure to fine particulate matter and urticaria: an eco-epidemiological time-series analysis in Beirut

International audienc