Positive Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation in Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

peer reviewedRetrospective studies showed a relationship between vitamin D status and COVID-19 severity and mortality, with an inverse relation between SARS-CoV-2 positivity and circulating calcifediol levels. The objective of this pilot study was to investigate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on the length of hospital stay and clinical improvement in patients with vitamin D deficiency hospitalized with COVID-19. The study was randomized, double blind and placebo controlled. A total of 50 subjects were enrolled and received, in addition to the best available COVID therapy, either vitamin D (25,000 IU per day over 4 consecutive days, followed by 25,000 IU per week up to 6 weeks) or placebo. The length of hospital stay decreased significantly in the vitamin D group compared to the placebo group (4 days vs. 8 days; p = 0.003). At Day 7, a significantly lower percentage of patients were still hospitalized in the vitamin D group compared to the placebo group (19% vs. 54%; p = 0.0161), and none of the patients treated with vitamin D were hospitalized after 21 days compared to 14% of the patients treated with placebo. Vitamin D significantly reduced the duration of supplemental oxygen among the patients who needed it (4 days vs. 7 days in the placebo group; p = 0.012) and significantly improved the clinical recovery of the patients, as assessed by the WHO scale (p = 0.0048). In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the clinical outcome of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization was improved by administration of vitamin D

Multi-performance experimental assessment of autogenous and crystalline admixture-stimulated self-healing in UHPFRCCs : validation and reliability analysis through an inter-laboratory study

The huge benefits brought by the use of Ultra High-Performance Fibre-Reinforced Cementitious Composites (UHPFRCCs) include their high “intrinsic” durability, which is guaranteed by (1) the compact microstructure and (2) the positive interaction between stable multiple-cracking response and autogenous self-healing capability. Hence, self-healing capability must be properly characterized addressing different performances, thus providing all the tools for completely exploiting such large potential. Within this context, the need is clear for a well-established protocol for self-healing characterization. To this end, in the framework of the Cost Action CA15202 SARCOS, six Round Robin Tests involving 30 partners all around Europe were launched addressing different materials, spanning from ordinary concrete to UHPFRCC, and employing different self-healing technologies. In this paper, the tailored experimental methodology is presented and discussed for the specific case of autogenous and crystalline-admixture stimulated healing of UHPFRCC, starting from the comparison of the results from seven different laboratories. The methodology is based on chloride penetration and water permeability tests in cracked disks together with flexural tests on small beams. The latter ones are specifically aimed at assessing the flexural performance recovery of UHPFRCCs, which stands as their signature design “parameter” according to the most recent internationally recognized design approaches. This multi-fold test approach allows to address both inherent durability properties, such as through-crack chloride penetration and apparent water permeability, and more structural/mechanical aspects, such as flexural strength and stiffness.peer-reviewe

Adherence to treatment in allergic rhinitis using mobile technology. The MASK Study

Background: Mobile technology may help to better understand the adherence to treatment. MASK-rhinitis (Mobile Airways Sentinel NetworK for allergic rhinitis) is a patient-centred ICT system. A mobile phone app (the Allergy Diary) central to MASK is available in 22 countries. Objectives: To assess the adherence to treatment in allergic rhinitis patients using the Allergy Diary App. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was carried out on all users who filled in the Allergy Diary from 1 January 2016 to 1 August 2017. Secondary adherence was assessed by using the modified Medication Possession Ratio (MPR) and the Proportion of days covered (PDC) approach. Results: A total of 12143 users were registered. A total of 6949 users reported at least one VAS data recording. Among them, 1887 users reported >= 7 VAS data. About 1195 subjects were included in the analysis of adherence. One hundred and thirty-six (11.28%) users were adherent (MPR >= 70% and PDC = 70% and PDC = 1.50) and 176 (14.60%) were switchers. On the other hand, 832 (69.05%) users were non-adherent to medications (MPR Conclusion and clinical relevance: Adherence to treatment is low. The relative efficacy of continuous vs on-demand treatment for allergic rhinitis symptoms is still a matter of debate. This study shows an approach for measuring retrospective adherence based on a mobile app. This also represents a novel approach for analysing medication-taking behaviour in a real-world setting.Peer reviewe

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

La lignee megacaryocytaire DAMI: du recepteur pour l'IFN-gamma a l'infection par le VIH-1

SIGLEAvailable from INIST (FR), Document Supply Service, under shelf-number : TD 84072 / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueFRFranc

Human E2F6 is alternatively spliced to generate multiple protein isoforms

E2F6 protein belongs to the family of the E2F transcription factors. Here, we showed that the human E2F6 gene contains nine exons distributed along 20.4kbp of genomic DNA on chromosome 2 leading to the transcription of six alternatively spliced E2F6 mRNAs that encode four different E2F6 proteins. Moreover, we identified an E2F6 pseudogene localized on chromosome 22 completely spliced and devoid of exons 2, 3, and 4, and part of exons 1 and 5. Definition of the transcriptional initiation site and sequence analysis show that the gene contains a TATA less, CAAT less, GC-rich promoter with multiple transcription start sites. Regulatory elements necessary for basal transcription reside within a 134bp fragment as determined by transient transfection experiments. © 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

De la ville aux grands territoires : les nouveaux enjeux du développement métropolitain à Lille et Belo Horizonte

À l’heure de la globalisation de l’économie, la métropole apparaît comme le lieu d’articulation entre le « global » et le « local-régional ». Le processus de métropolisation renvoie aux questions de « gouvernance métropolitaine » et de consolidation territoriale. C’est ici la question de la gouvernance de ces grands ensembles métropolitains qui est posée, à travers la confrontation des aires métropolitaines de Lille et Belo Horizonte, l’un issu de la vielle Europe en crise, pays émergent du nouveau monde, le Brésil. Les multiples cloisonnements territoriaux, des intérêts concurrentiels souvent divergents des territoires voisins constituent une limite à la cohérence du système. Surtout, la planification n’est pas mise en œuvre à l’échelle pertinente par rapport à celle où se déploie le système métropolitain, ce qui révèle les limites d’une action publique inscrite dans des cadres politico-administratifs hérités.Il s’agit de montrer, à travers ces deux exemples, que la gestion politique cohérente des grands territoires métropolitains constitue un enjeu important, mais que sa mise en œuvre est délicate, en raison de la distorsion entre les cloisonnements politiques locaux et la réalité d’un système métropolitain qui se développe hors de ces cadres.Da cidade aos grandes territórios : os novos desafios do desenvolvimento metropolitanoNa era da globalização da economia, a metrópole aparece como o lugar da articulação entre o “global” e o “local-regional”. O processo de metropolização diz respeito à questão da “governança metropolitana” e da consolidação territorial. A questão da governança destes grandes conjuntos metropolitanos é analisada aqui, através do paralelo estabelecido entre as áreas metropolitanas de Lille e de Belo Horizonte – uma originada da velha Europa em crise, outra uma potência econômica emergente do novo mundo, o Brasil. Os múltiplos limites territoriais e os interesses concorrentes muitas vezes divergentes dos territórios vizinhos constituem um entrave para a coerência do sistema. Acima de tudo, o planejamento não é implementado na dimensão pertinente com relação à escala onde o sistema metropolitano se desenrola, revelando os limites de uma participação pública inscrita nas estruturas administrativas e políticas herdadas. Este artigo busca mostrar, através destes dois exemplos, que a gestão política coerente dos grandes territórios metropolitanos constitui uma questão importante, mas cuja aplicação é difícil, em razão da distorção entre os limites políticos locais e a realidade de um sistema metropolitano que se desenvolve fora destas estruturas.From the city to the large territories : The new challenges in the metropolitan development in Lille and Belo Horizonte.In this time of the globalization of the economy, the metropolis appears as the articulation between “global” and “local-regional” scales. The process of metropolisation refers to the questions of the metropolitan governance and territorial consolidation. Here, the question concerns the governance of these big metropolitan systems, through the comparison of the metropolitan areas of Lille and Belo-Horizonte, the first from the “old Europe”, the other located in an emergent country of the new world, Brazil. The multiple territorial subdivisions and the often divergent competitive interests between the nearby territories are a limit to the coherence of the system. Particularly, planning is not implemented at the relevant scale, where the metropolitan system is developed

Genomic organization of the human e1af gene, a member of Ets transcription factors

The E1AF protein belongs to the family of Ets transcription factors and is involved in the regulation of metastasis gene expression. It has recently been reported in an undifferentiated child sarcoma that part of this gene could be fused by translocation to the ews gene. We show here that the human e1af gene, which is located in the q21 region of chromosome 17, is organized in 13 exons distributed along 19 kb of genomic DNA. Its two main functional domains, the acidic domain and the DNA-binding ETS domain, are each encoded by three different exons. The 3'-untranslated region of e1af is 0.7 kb. The 5'-untranslated region is about 0.3 kb and is composed of a first exon upstream from the exon containing the first methionine. These data could possibly accelerate an understanding of the molecular basis of putative inherited diseases linked to E1AF. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

An application oriented state-of-art and research-need perspective on self-healing fibre-reinforced cementitious composites

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

An application oriented state-of-art and research-need perspective on self-healing fibre-reinforced cementitious composites

The design of building structures and infrastructures is mainly based on four concepts: safety, serviceability, durability and sustainability. The latter is becoming increasingly relevant in the field of civil engineering. Reinforced concrete structures are subjected to conditions that produce cracks which, if not repaired, can lead to a rapid deterioration and would result in increasing maintenance costs to guarantee the anticipated level of performance. Therefore, self-healing concrete can be very useful in any type of structure, as it allows to control and repair cracks as soon as they to occur. As a matter of fact, the synergy between fibre-reinforced cementitious composites and selfhealing techniques may result in promising solutions. Fibres improve the self-healing process due to their capacity to restrict crack widths and enable multiple crack formation. In particular, cracks smaller than 30-50 μm are able to heal completely. Moreover, in the case of High Performance Fibre Reinforced Cementitious Composites (HPFRCC), high content of cementitious/pozzolanic materials and low water-binder ratios are likely to make the composites naturally conducive to self-healing. In this framework the main goal of this paper is twofold. On the one hand, a state-of-the-art survey on self-healing of fibre-reinforced cementitious composites will be provided. This will be analysed with the goal of providing a “healable crack opening based” design concept which could pave the way for the incorporation of healing concepts into design approaches for FRC and also conventional R/C structures. On the other hand, the same state-of-the-art will be instrumental in identifying research needs, which still have to be addressed for the proper use of self-healing fibre-reinforced cementitious composites in the construction field