Crecimiento y reproducción de la dorada, Sparus aurata en la laguna de Mellah (nordeste de Argelia)

Gilthead seabream Sparus aurata (L.), a protandrous hermaphrodite, was caught in Mellah lagoon (Algeria) from July 1997 to June 1998. Its age, growth and reproduction were studied. Fish ranged in size from 157 to 610 mm total length and weighed from 60 to 4000 g wet weight. There were fish aged 1+ to 7+ years old in the samples. Direct scale readings were made by counting the number of rings. These were compared with the data obtained by backcalculating the lengths at different ages. These two methods were in agreement and showed that the growth rate of gilthead seabream in Mellah lagoon is very high compared to other study areas. The growth parameters of the Von Bertalanffy equation were: L∞ = 55.33 cm, K = 0.513, t0 = - 0.282, with F’ = 7.359. The fitted length-weight relationship was W = 1.292. 10-2 L3.06. The reproductive season extended from October to January, with a peak in December. Sex inversion occurred at a total length of 44 cm. Sexual maturity was reached at 32.6 cm total length.Se capturaron ejemplares de dorada, Sparus aurata (L.), una especie hermafrodita proterándrica, en la laguna de Mellah (Argelia) entre Julio de 1997 y Junio de 1998. Se estudiaron la edad, el crecimiento y la reproducción. La talla de los ejemplares estudiados osciló entre 157 y 610 mm de longitud total, pesando entre 60 y 4000 g (peso fresco). Ejemplares de edades comprendidas entre 1+ y 7+ años estuvieron presentes en las muestras. La lectura directa de algunas escamas mediante el conteo del número de anillos fue comparada con los datos obtenidos por retrocálculo de las tallas a distintas edades. Los resultados de los dos métodos fueron similares y mostraron que la tasa de crecimiento de la dorada en la laguna de Mellah es muy alta en comparación con otras áreas de estudio. Los parámetros de crecimiento de la ecuación de Von Bertalanffy fueron los siguientes: L• = 55.33 cm, K = 0.513, t0 = - 0.282, con F’ = 7.359. El ajuste de la relación talla – peso fue el siguiente: W = 1.292. 10-2 L3.06. La estación reproductiva estuvo comprendida entre Octubre y Enero, con un pico en Diciembre. La inversión de sexo tuvo lugar a una longitud total de 44 cm. La madurez sexual se alcanzó a una longitud total de 32.6 cm.

Un service d'urgence en psychiatrie : quelle interface pour l'accès aux soins ?: Etude statistique de l'activité d'un service d'urgence de 1999 à 2003

Article en ligne : http://www.john-libbey-eurotext.fr/en/revues/medecine/ipe/e-docs/00/04/21/59/article.phtmlInternational audienceEmergency psychiatric services: what interface is needed to access care? Statistical study into the activities of an emergency ward from 1999 to 2003.Emergency reception is a core issue in the question of access to psychiatric care. Reception facilities are not restricted to an institution, but are rather an interface between the various types of demand and the array of possible courses of treatment in psychiatry. At the specialised hospital at Saint-Jean-de-Dieu in Lyon, the emergency ward and department for medical information inventoried arrivals in their emergency reception over a period of 5 years (1999-2003) asking doctors to fill in a form giving precise details on the profile of patients dealt with. The data compiled represents 14,689 emergency situations corresponding to 6,568 patients. Different patient profiles were established revealing differing demands on emergency care. In emergency reception a crisis reception service and chronicity reception service coexist. Emergency reception is a crucial interface for patients of the first category (crisis profile) to access care, but a “substitute” structure for the second group (chronic). This raises the idea of creating reception areas specifically directed at chronic mental distress.L'accueil des urgences est au cœur de la problématique de l'accès aux soins en psychiatrie. Loin d'être exclusivement un lieu de soin institutionnel, il se présente comme une interface entre une demande multiforme de prise en charge et la multiplicité des parcours de soin en psychiatrie. Au CHS Saint-Jean-de-Dieu à Lyon, le service des urgences et le DIM ont recensé, pendant 5 ans (de 1999 à 2003), les passages dans l'UAU de leur établissement grâce à une fiche remplie par les médecins et renseignant de façon précise le profil des patients reçus en urgence. Les données collectées représentent 14 689 situations d'urgences correspondant à 6 568 patients. Différents profils de patients ont pu être établis et amènent à constater une consommation différenciée de l'urgence. À l'UAU cohabitent un accueil de la crise et un accueil de la chronicité. L'urgence est une interface indispensable pour l'accès aux soins pour les patients de la première catégorie (profil de crise) mais une structure de « substitution » pour la deuxième population (chroniques). Cela amène à penser la création de lieux d'accueil spécifiques de la détresse psychique chroniqu

Navisio: Towards an integrated reading aid system for low vision patients

International audienceWe propose the Navisio software as a new integrated system to help low vision patients read complex electronic documents (here, PDF files) with more comfort. Navisio aims at taking into account main psychophysical results on reading performance of visually impaired patients. To do this, we analyze what are the main factors in uencing reading performance, and review some existing reading aid systems, dealing with printed and electronic documents. Then, we show how Navisio allows to extend the capabilities of existing reading systems, focusing on the facilitation to navigate in complex documents, and on the highly customizable display. Navisio performance was evaluated against a standard CCTV magnifier tool, with 26 low vision patients. Two kinds of texts were proposed (simple and complex documents) elaborated from a standardised text database. Results show a clear advantage of Navisio in terms of reading speed and comfort. Navisio is intended to evolve: we discuss how it could be extended to any scanned document, thanks to recent computer vision approaches in document layout analysis. Further challenging perspectives are also mentioned

SOFA: A modular yet efficient simulation framework

International audienceSOFA is a new open source framework primarily targeted at medical simulation research and industry. It is based on a scene graph data structure extended to physical models and abstract algorithms. Additionally, multiple models of the same objects can easily be used to optimize different tasks such as force computation, collision handling, and rendering. This results in a highly flexible architecture able to model and animate a wide range of simulated objects. We explain the main concepts of SOFA and detail an example of application to a surgery procedure

Socio-Cultural Perceptions and Representations of Dementia in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo: The EDAC Survey

Background: Dementia will concern more and more people in the developing countries, but the perception people have of dementia in these areas has not yet been studied. Method: During a general population survey (EDAC) carried out in Brazzaville (Republic of Congo), 27 elderly persons suspected of having dementia and 31 of their relatives, 90 cognitively impaired elderly persons and 92 of their relatives, as well as 33 hospital workers were interviewed according to the Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue. Results: Item prominence ratings indicate that the attention was mainly on the emotional and socio-economic consequences (scores >1.0 out of 5 points). Ageing and mental stress are the main perceived causes. Hospital workers are more aware of public stigma. Conclusion: The socio-cultural components of the dementia phenomenon have to be taken into account to enforce public health and social measures

Biotransformations of bisphenol A in a mammalian model: answers and new questions raised by low-dose metabolic fate studies in pregnant CD1 mice.

We investigated the metabolic fate of a low dose (25 micro g/kg) of bisphenol A [2,2-bis(4-hydroxy-phenyl)propane] (BPA) injected subcutaneously in CD1 pregnant mice using a tritium-labeled molecule. Analytic methods were developed to allow a radio-chromatographic profiling of BPA residues in excreta and tissues, as well as in mothers' reproductive tracts and fetuses, that contained more than 4% of the administered radioactivity. BPA was extensively metabolized by CD1 mice. Identified metabolite structures included the glucuronic acid conjugate of BPA, several double conjugates, and conjugated methoxylated compounds, demonstrating the formation of potentially reactive intermediates. Fetal radioactivity was associated with unchanged BPA, BPA glucuronide, and a disaccharide conjugate. The latter structure, as well as that of a dehydrated glucuronide conjugate of BPA (a major metabolite isolated from the digestive tract), showed that BPA metabolic routes were far more complex than previously thought. The estrogenicity of the metabolites that were identified but not tested for hormonal activity cannot be ruled out; however, in general, conjugated BPA metabolites have significantly lower potency than that of the parent compound. Thus, these data suggest the parental compound is responsible for the estrogenic effects observed in fetuses exposed to BPA during gestation in this mammalian model

Navisio: Towards an integrated reading aid system for low vision patients

International audienceWe propose the Navisio software as a new integrated system to help low vision patients read complex electronic documents (here, PDF files) with more comfort. Navisio aims at taking into account main psychophysical results on reading performance of visually impaired patients. To do this, we analyze what are the main factors in uencing reading performance, and review some existing reading aid systems, dealing with printed and electronic documents. Then, we show how Navisio allows to extend the capabilities of existing reading systems, focusing on the facilitation to navigate in complex documents, and on the highly customizable display. Navisio performance was evaluated against a standard CCTV magnifier tool, with 26 low vision patients. Two kinds of texts were proposed (simple and complex documents) elaborated from a standardised text database. Results show a clear advantage of Navisio in terms of reading speed and comfort. Navisio is intended to evolve: we discuss how it could be extended to any scanned document, thanks to recent computer vision approaches in document layout analysis. Further challenging perspectives are also mentioned