Euro public debt and the markets: sovereign fundamentals and CDS market dynamics.

At the onset of the crisis, euro area – like all Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries – public finances have massively inflated, as is typical in financial crises. The major difference with the past is threefold: the synchronicity across countries of the increase, the debt levels which have been reached; and the existence of credit default swap (CDS) market which has influenced the dynamic of sovereign trading. In this note, we review quickly fundamentals before highlighting the role of the CDS market and the implications for sovereign trading.

Significance of amphibole compositional zoning in para-amphibolite.

peer reviewe

Two Cheers for Ritual:The UN Committee Against Torture

Fraipontite is a very rare mineral described by Cesàro and found in the Vieille Montagne mines, eastern Belgium. The morphology, observed by scanning electron microscope, especially shows a lamellar structure. Optical data are : Ng = Nm = 1.624 and (—) 2 V = 15-20°. The X-ray powder pattern is given and index for a monoclinic unit cell with a = 5.372, b = 9.246, c = 7.273 Å and β = 103°33'. A new chemical analysis, completed with microprobe outline, is compared with previous data. The phase changes are identified by X-ray diffraction after heating ; so, zincite, willemite and gahnite successively appear after destruction of fraipontite near 425° C. Thermal and infrared analyses show the presence of hygroscopic water and suggest a crystallochemical formula : (Zn₂.₃₅Al₀.₆₅) (Si₁.₃₅Al₀.₆₅) O₅ (OH)₄. All these data strengthen the position of fraipontite as a real species, for a natural zinc-bearing berthierine.Découverte par Cesàro, la fraipontite est un minéral très rare provenant des mines de la Vieille Montagne, dans l'est de la Belgique. La morphologie observée au microscope électronique à balayage révèle principalement une structure feuilletée. L'analyse optique fournit Ng = Nm = 1,624 et (—) 2 V = 15-20°. Le diagramme de poudre est donné avec une indexation qui conduit aux paramètres d'une maille monoclinique : a = 5,372, b = 9,246, c = 7,273 Å et β = 103°33'. Une nouvelle analyse chimique, complétée par des examens à la microsonde électronique, est comparée aux données antérieures. Les changements de phases, examinés par diffraction des rayons X après chauffage, conduisent, après destruction de la fraipontite vers 425° C, à l'apparition de zincite, willémite et gahnite. L'étude thermique et l'analyse par spectroscopie infrarouge montrent la présence d'eau hygroscopique et permettent de déduire une formule cristallochimique : (Zn₂,₃₅Al₀,₆₅) (Si₁,₃₅Al₀,₆₅) O₅ (OH)₄. L'ensemble de ces données renforce la position de la fraipontite en tant qu'espèce, désignant une berthiérine zincifère naturelle.Fransolet André-Mathieu, Bourguignon Pol. Données nouvelles sur la fraipontite de Moresnet (Belgique). In: Bulletin de la Société française de Minéralogie et de Cristallographie, volume 98, 4, 1975. pp. 235-244

Influence of mouse strain on ovarian tissue recovery after engraftment with angiogenic factor.

BACKGROUND: For women facing gonadotoxic treatment, cryopreservation of ovarian tissue with subsequent retransplantation during remission is a promising technique for fertility preservation. However, follicle loss within grafted ovarian tissue can be caused by ischemia and progressive revascularization. Several xenograft models using different immunodeficient rodent lines are suitable for studying ovarian tissue survival and follicular viability after frozen-thawed ovarian cortex transplantation. SCID mice, which are deficient for functional B and T cells, are the most commonly used mice for ovarian xenograft studies. However, due to incomplete immunosuppression, NOD-SCID mice displaying low NK cell function and an absence of circulating complement might be more appropriate. The present study aims to define the most appropriate immunodeficient mouse strain for ovarian tissue xenotransplantation by comparing ovarian graft recovery in SCID and NOD-SCID mice following engraftment in the presence of isoform 111 of vascular endothelial growth factor. METHODS: Sheep ovarian cortex fragments were embedded in a collagen matrix, with or without VEGF111, before being stitched onto the ovaries of SCID and NOD-SCID mice. Transplants were recovered after 3 days to study early revascularization or after 3 weeks to evaluate follicle preservation and tissue fibrosis through histological analyses. RESULTS: At day 3, vessels were largely reorganized in the ovarian grafts of both mouse strains. After 3 weeks, the cortical tissue was clearly identifiable in SCID mice but not in NOD-SCID mice. Upon VEGF111 treatment, vascularization was significantly improved 3 days after transplantation in SCID mice. This increase in vessel density was correlated with better follicular preservation in SCID mice 3 weeks after transplantation. Fibrosis was not decreased by VEGF treatment in either mouse strain. CONCLUSIONS: Tissue architecture and follicular morphology were better preserved in ovarian tissues grafted in SCID mice in comparison with NOD-SCID mice. Moreover, tissue revascularization was improved in SCID mice by VEGF111 graft treatment. Thus, we consider SCID mice to be the best murine model for studying ovarian tissue xenografts

Characterization of the role of TMEM45A in cancer cell sensitivity to cisplatin

TMEM45A is a transmembrane protein involved in tumor progression and cancer resistance to chemotherapeutic agents in hypoxic condition. It is correlated to a low breast cancer patient overall survival. However, little is known about this protein, in particular the mechanisms by which TMEM45A modulates cancer cell chemosensitivity. In this work, the messenger RNA expression of TMEM45A was assessed in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) biopsies. TMEM45A was upregulated in patients diagnosed for head and neck or renal cancer. Then, the implication of this protein in cisplatin sensitivity was explored in SQD9 and RCC4 + pVHL cells. TMEM45A inactivation decreased cell proliferation and modulated cell responses to cisplatin. Indeed, TMEM45A inactivation increased the sensitivity of SQD9 cells to cisplatin, whereas it rendered RCC4 + pVHL cells resistant to this anticancer agent. Through RNA-sequencing analysis, we identified several deregulated pathways that indicated that the impact on cisplatin sensitivity may be associated to the inhibition of DNA damage repair and to UPR pathway activation. This study demonstrated, for the first time, an anti or a pro-apoptotic role of this protein depending on the cancer type and highlighted the role of TMEM45A in modulating patient responses to treatment

Appropriate sequence for afatinib and cisplatin combination improves anticancer activity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Despite a better understanding in head and neck tumors pathogenesis as well as improvements in radiotherapy and surgery, locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains of poor prognosis. One promising target is the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is overexpressed in the majority of HNSCC and is associated to tumor progression and resistance to treatment. However, in several clinical trials, the combination of EGFR inhibitors with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy generates moderate results. In this study, we investigated the anti-tumor activity of afatinib, an irreversible pan-EGFR inhibitor, combined to cisplatin in different schedules of exposure. For that, we used two human EGFR wild-type HNSCC cell lines and we evaluated the cytotoxicity of the two drugs combined in different sequences. The efficiency of each strategy was assessed by evaluating the effects on cell cycle distribution, DNA damage, cell death and downstream pathways of ErbB family receptors. We demonstrated that cisplatin treatment followed by afatinib exposure displayed more cytotoxic effects than the opposite timing or than simultaneous association. This higher anticancer activity is probably due to afatinib-induced cell cycle arrest, which prevents the repair of cisplatin-induced DNA damage and promotes cell death by various mechanisms including apoptosis. These data suggest the importance of an appropriate timing administration between an EGFR inhibitor and a conventional chemotherapy in order to obtain the best clinical benefit for patients with a head and neck cancer