Physical activity and lung function association in a healthy community-dwelling European population.

The association of physical activity (PA) and lung function (LF) varies from no measurable effect to delayed LF decline. We assessed the association between accelerometery-assessed PA and LF in a sample of apparently healthy, community-dwelling subjects. We included two cross-sectional studies using data from the PneumoLaus study (2014-17 and 2018-21), conducted in Lausanne, Switzerland. PA was assessed by accelerometry and categorised as inactivity, light, moderate or vigorous. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV <sub>1</sub> ), forced volume capacity (FVC) and maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEF) were measured by spirometry and expressed in percentage of predicted value (PV). Overall, 1'910 (54.7% women, 62.0 ± 9.7 years) and 1'174 (53.4% women, 65.8 ± 9.5 years) participants were included in the first and the second surveys, respectively. In both surveys, moderate and vigorous PA showed a weak but significant correlation with FEV <sub>1</sub> in percentage (PV) (R = 0.106 and 0.132 for the first and 0.111 and 0.125 for the second surveys, p < 0.001). Similar correlations with FVC (p < 0.001) were found. Associations held irrespective of smoking status and remained after multivariable adjustment. Fewer associations were detected between LF and light PA or between MMEF and PA. Moderate and vigorous intensity PA are associated with increased LF regardless of smoking status in apparently healthy community-dwelling European population. These associations are statistically but not clinically significant due to the small correlation coefficients (R < 0.30), corresponding to a weak association

Significance of a new fluorodeoxyglucose-positive lesion on restaging positron emission tomography/computed tomography after induction therapy for non-small-cell lung cancer †

OBJECTIVES Restaging of patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is of paramount importance, since only patients with down-staging after induction therapy will benefit from surgery. In this study, we assessed the aetiology of new 18fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG)-positive focal abnormalities on restaging positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in patients with a good response after induction chemotherapy in the primary tumour and lymph nodes. METHODS Between 2004 and 2008, 31 patients with histological proven stage III NSCLC had a PET/CT prior and after induction chemotherapy. Their medical charts were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS Restaging PET/CT revealed a new FDG-positive lesion in 6 of 31 (20%) patients. The initial clinical stage of the disease was IIIA N2 in four and IIIB T4 in two patients. The maximal standard uptake value in the primary tumour (P=0.043) and in the initially involved mediastinal nodes (P=0.068) decreased after induction treatment in all patients. The new PET/CT findings were located in an ipsilateral cervical lymph node in two patients, a contralateral mediastinal in one patient and an ipsilateral mammary internal lymph node in one patient. Two other patients had a lesion on the contralateral lung. Malignant lymph node infiltrations were excluded following fine-needle puncture, intraoperative biopsy or follow-up PET/CT. Contralateral pulmonary lesions were diagnosed as benign following mini thoracotomy and pulmonary wedge resection. CONCLUSIONS New solitary FDG-positive lesions on restaging PET/CT after induction chemotherapy for NSCLC are not rare in good responders to chemotherapy. In our experience, all these lesions were not associated with malignanc

Saharan dust events at the Jungfraujoch: detection by wavelength dependence of the single scattering albedo and analysis of the events during the years 2001 and 2002

International audienceScattering and absorption coefficients have been measured continuously at several wavelengths since March 2001 at the high altitude site Jungfraujoch (3580 m a.s.l.). From these data, the wavelength dependences of the Ångström exponent and particularly of the single scattering albedo are determined. While the exponent of the single scattering albedo is usually positive, it becomes negative during Saharan dust events (SDE) due to the greater size of the mineral aerosols and to their different chemical composition. This change in the sign of the single scattering exponent turns out to be a simple means for detecting Saharan dust events. The occurrence of SDE detected by this new method was largely confirmed by visual inspection of filter colors and by studying long-range back-trajectories. An examination of SDE over a 22 months period shows that SDE are more frequent during the March?June period as well as during October and November. The trajectory analysis indicated a mean traveling time of 96.5 h with the most important source countries situated in the northern and north-western part of the Saharan desert. Most of the SDE do not lead to a detectable increase of the 48 h total suspended particulate matter (TSP) at the Jungfraujoch. During Saharan dust events, the average contribution of this dust to hourly TSP at the JFJ is 16 ?g/m3, which corresponds to an annual mean of 0.8 ?g/m3 or 24% of TSP

Saharan dust events at the Jungfraujoch: detection by wavelength dependence of the single scattering albedo and first climatology analysis

International audienceScattering and absorption coefficients have been measured continuously at several wavelengths since March 2001 at the high altitude site Jungfraujoch (3580ma.s.l.). From these data, the wavelength dependences of the Ångström exponent and particularly of the single scattering albedo are determined. While the exponent of the single scattering albedo usually increases with wavelength, it decreases with wavelength during Saharan dust events (SDE) due to the greater size of the mineral aerosol particles and their different chemical composition. This change in the sign of the single scattering exponent turns out to be a sensitive means for detecting Saharan dust events. The occurrence of SDE detected by this new method was confirmed by visual inspection of filter colors and by studying long-range back-trajectories. An examination of SDE over a 22-month period shows that SDE are more frequent during the March-June period as well as during October and November. The trajectory analysis indicated a mean traveling time of 96.5h, with the most important source countries situated in the northern and north-western part of the Saharan desert. Most of the SDE do not lead to a detectable increase of the 48-h total suspended particulate matter (TSP) concentration at the Jungfraujoch. During Saharan dust events, the average contribution of this dust to hourly TSP at the Jungfraujoch is 16µg/m3, which corresponds to an annual mean of 0.8µg/m3 or 24% of TSP

Combined fluorescence and reflectance spectroscopy for in vivo quantification of cancer biomarkers in low - and high- grade glioma surgery

Biomarkers are indicators of biological processes and hold promise for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Gliomas represent a heterogeneous group of brain tumors with marked intra- and inter-tumor variability. The extent of surgical resection is a significant factor influencing post-surgical recurrence and prognosis. Here, we used fluorescence and reflectance spectral signatures for in vivo quantification of multiple biomarkers during glioma surgery, with fluorescence contrast provided by exogenously-induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) following administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid. We performed light-transport modeling to quantify multiple biomarkers indicative of tumor biological processes, including the local concentration of PpIX and associated photoproducts, total hemoglobin concentration, oxygen saturation, and optical scattering parameters.We developed a diagnostic algorithm for intra-operative tissue delineation that accounts for the combined tumor-specific predictive capabilities of these quantitative biomarkers. Tumor tissue delineation achieved accuracies of up to 94% (specificity=94%, sensitivity=94%) across a range of glioma histologies beyond current state-of-the-art optical approaches, including state-of-the-art fluorescence image guidance. This multiple biomarker strategy opens the door to optical methods for surgical guidance that use quantification of well-established neoplastic processes. Future work would seek to validate the predictive power of this proof-of-concept study in a separate larger cohort of patients

Investigation of the Planetary Boundary Layer in the Swiss Alps Using Remote Sensing and In Situ Measurements

The development of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) has been studied in a complex terrain using various remote sensing and in situ techniques. The high-altitude research station at Jungfraujoch (3,580m a.s.l.) in the Swiss Alps lies for most of the time in the free troposphere except when it is influenced by the PBL reaching the station, especially during the summer season. A ceilometer and a wind profiler were installed at Kleine Scheidegg, a mountain pass close to Jungfraujoch, located at an altitude of 2,061ma.s.l. Data from the ceilometer were analyzed using two different algorithms, while the signal-to-noise ratio of the wind profiler was studied to compare the retrieved PBL heights. The retrieved values from the ceilometer and wind profiler agreed well during daytime and cloud-free conditions. The results were additionally compared with the PBL height estimated by the numerical weather prediction model COSMO-2, which showed a clear underestimation of the PBL height for most of the cases but occasionally also a slight overestimation especially around noon, when the PBL showed its maximum extent. Air parcels were transported upwards by slope winds towards Jungfraujoch when the PBL was higher than 2,800ma.s.l. during cloud-free cases. This was confirmed by the in situ aerosol measurements at Jungfraujoch with a significant increase in particle number concentration, particle light absorption and scattering coefficients when PBL-influenced air masses reached the station in the afternoon hours. The continuous aerosol in situ measurements at Jungfraujoch were clearly influenced by the local PBL development but also by long-range transport phenomena such as Saharan dust or pollution from the south

Early neoplastic and metastatic mammary tumours of transgenic mice detected by 5-aminolevulinic acid-stimulated protoporphyrin IX accumulation

A photodynamic technique for human breast cancer detection founded upon the ability of tumour cells to rapidly accumulate the fluorescent product protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) has been applied to transgenic mouse models of mammary tumorigenesis. A major goal of this investigation was to determine whether mouse mammary tumours are reliable models of human disease in terms of PpIX accumulation, for future mechanistic and therapeutic studies. The haeme substrate 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) (200 mg kg−1) was administered to mouse strains that develop mammary tumours of various histological subtypes upon expression of the transgenic oncogenes HRAS, Polyoma Virus middle T antigen, or Simian Virus 40 large T antigen in the mammary gland. Early neoplastic lesions, primary tumours and metastases showed consistent and rapid PpIX accumulation compared to the normal surrounding tissues, as evidenced by red fluorescence (635 nm) when the tumours were directly illuminated with blue light (380–440 nm). Detection of mouse mammary tumours at the stage of ductal carcinoma in situ by red fluorescence emissions suggests that enhanced PpIX synthesis is a good marker for early tumorigenic processes in the mammary gland. We propose the mouse models provide an ideal experimental system for further investigation of the early diagnostic and therapeutic potential of 5-ALA-stimulated PpIX accumulation in human breast cancer patients

Characterization and intercomparison of aerosol absorption photometers: Result of two intercomparison workshops

Absorption photometers for real time application have been available since the 1980s, but the use of filter-based instruments to derive information on aerosol properties (absorption coefficient and black carbon, BC) is still a matter of debate. Several workshops have been conducted to investigate the performance of individual instruments over the intervening years. Two workshops with large sets of aerosol absorption photometers were conducted in 2005 and 2007. The data from these instruments were corrected using existing methods before further analysis. The inter-comparison shows a large variation between the responses to absorbing aerosol particles for different types of instruments. The unit to unit variability between instruments can be up to 30% for Particle Soot Absorption Photometers (PSAPs) and Aethalometers. Multi Angle Absorption Photometers (MAAPs) showed a variability of less than 5%. Reasons for the high variability were identified to be variations in sample flow and spot size. It was observed that different flow rates influence system performance with respect to response to absorption and instrumental noise. Measurements with non absorbing particles showed that the current corrections of a cross sensitivity to particle scattering are not sufficient. Remaining cross sensitivities were found to be a function of the total particle load on the filter. The large variation between the response to absorbing aerosol particles for different types of instruments indicates that current correction functions for absorption photometers are not adequate

Effect of hosts on competition among clones and evidence of differential selection between pathogenic and saprophytic phases in experimental populations of the wheat pathogen Phaeosphaeria nodorum

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Monoculture, multi-cropping and wider use of highly resistant cultivars have been proposed as mechanisms to explain the elevated rate of evolution of plant pathogens in agricultural ecosystems. We used a mark-release-recapture experiment with the wheat pathogen <it>Phaeosphaeria nodorum </it>to evaluate the impact of two of these mechanisms on the evolution of a pathogen population. Nine <it>P. nodorum </it>isolates marked with ten microsatellite markers and one minisatellite were released onto five replicated host populations to initiate epidemics of Stagonospora nodorum leaf blotch. The experiment was carried out over two consecutive host growing seasons and two pathogen collections were made during each season.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 637 pathogen isolates matching the marked inoculants were recovered from inoculated plots over two years. Genetic diversity in the host populations affected the evolution of the corresponding <it>P. nodorum </it>populations. In the cultivar mixture the relative frequencies of inoculants did not change over the course of the experiment and the pathogen exhibited a low variation in selection coefficients.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results support the hypothesis that increasing genetic heterogeneity in host populations may retard the rate of evolution in associated pathogen populations. Our experiment also provides indirect evidence of fitness costs associated with host specialization in <it>P. nodorum </it>as indicated by differential selection during the pathogenic and saprophytic phases.</p