Les métastases ovariennes d’origine biliaire: 2 cas avec revue de la littérature

Les ovaires constituent un site fréquent de métastases. L'origine gastrique prédomine. Les métastases ovariennes d'origine biliaire sont rarement rapportées dans la littérature. Les auteurs rapportent deux cas de   métastases ovariennes d'origine vésiculaire chez des patientes âgées respectivement de 63 et 40 ans. Le diagnostic de ces métastases ovariennes était concomitant avec le cancer d'origine dans le premier cas, et a survenu à distance de l'atteinte initiale dans le deuxième cas. Le diagnostic est suggéré sur les données radiologiques et confirmé histologiquement. Les métastases ovariennes d'origine biliaire sont rarement rapportées dans la littérature. L'atteinte ovarienne pose un problème de diagnostic différentiel avec une atteinte ovarienne primitive surtout si l'atteinte ovarienne précède les manifestations biliaires. L'imagerie joue un rôle important et oriente sur le caractère secondaire de l'atteinte ovarienne

Homogeneous Grafting of New Amido Groups onto Hydroxyethyl Cellulose Acetate Microfibrils: Solubility Study

Attempts to modify the surface of hydroxyethyl cellulose acetate (HECA-DSAC ~1.5) microfibrils were made using amine terminated molecules. First, the amine compounds were reacted with sebacoyl chloride in nonstoichiometry ratio in order to obtain a monoadduct chloride such as ClCO-(CH2)8-CONHR. Then the resulted derivatives were coupled with hydrophobic hydroxyethyl cellulose acetate (HECA) by a condensation reaction in homogenous medium using triethyl amine (N(C2H5)3) in THF. The products were characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and DRX, and thermal proprieties were also determined. The X-ray diffraction showed that the crystallinity of the amido esters obtained depends on both the degree of substitution and the nature of the graft moiety. The solubility study was based on the determination of the Flory–Huggins interaction parameters (χ) using the partial Hansen solubility parameters (HSP) and that were calculated from the Van Krevlen–Hoftyze (VKH) method and the T. Lindvig approximation. Keywords: cellulose; microfibrils; amidation; Hansen solubility; Flory–Huggins parameters

Méningo-vascularite bactérienne révélant un adénome hypophysaire

Un macroadénome à prolactine se présente généralement par un syndrome hormonal associé à un syndrome tumoral. Une méningite bactérienne compliquant un macroprolactinome en dehors de toute thérapie médicale ou chirurgicale est rarement rapporté dans la littérature. Mme R.C âgée de 48 ans s'est présentée aux urgences pour trouble de conscience fébrile. La ponction lombaire a révélé une méningite  bactérienne. L'imagerie cérébrale a mis en évidence un aspect de vascularite cérébrale et un processus de la loge sellaire avec lyse du plancher faisant évoquer une brèche ostéoméningée. Le bilan biologique a montré une hyperprolactinémie à 200 mg/dl. La patiente est mise sous antibiothérapie à dose méningée et une corticothérapie associée à un traitement par la Cabergoline. Le traitement chirurgical de la brèche ostéoméningée s'est fait par voie endonasale. L'évolution est marquée par une nette amélioration clinique et biologique et l'absence de récidive de la méningite après un recul de 14 mois. Un macroprolactinome peut  provoquer une brèche ostéoméningée en dehors de tout traitement médical ou chirurgical et avoir comme première manifestation une méningite infectieuse

Position resolution and particle identification with the ATLAS EM calorimeter

In the years between 2000 and 2002 several pre-series and series modules of the ATLAS EM barrel and end-cap calorimeter were exposed to electron, photon and pion beams. The performance of the calorimeter with respect to its finely segmented first sampling has been studied. The polar angle resolution has been found to be in the range 50-60 mrad/sqrt(E (GeV)). The neutral pion rejection has been measured to be about 3.5 for 90% photon selection efficiency at pT=50 GeV/c. Electron-pion separation studies have indicated that a pion fake rate of (0.07-0.5)% can be achieved while maintaining 90% electron identification efficiency for energies up to 40 GeV.Comment: 32 pages, 22 figures, to be published in NIM

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

Anaerobic Biodegradability Modelisation of Cellulose Auto-Catalytic Model

In this study, we described the biodegradation process of cellulose based on the Boltzmann distribution derived from autocatalytic kinetics. From the autocatalytic model (MAC) we concluded that the molecular weight, temperature, and the interaction parameter