Relationship between water quality, watermilfoil frequency, and weevil distribution in the State of Washington

During the summer of 1997, we surveyed 50 waterbodies in Washington State to determine the distribution of the aquatic weevil Euhrychiopsis lecontei Dietz. We collected data on water quality and the frequency of occurrence of watermilfoil species within selected watermilfoil beds to compare the waterbodies and determine if they were related to the distribution E. lecontei . We found E. lecontei in 14 waterbodies, most of which were in eastern Washington. Only one lake with weevils was located in western Washington. Weevils were associated with both Eurasian ( Myriophyllum spicatum L.) and northern watermilfoil ( M. sibiricum K.). Waterbodies with E. lecontei had significantly higher ( P < 0.05) pH (8.7 ± 0.2) (mean ± 2SE), specific conductance (0.3 ± 0.08 mS cm -1 ) and total alkalinity (132.4 ± 30.8 mg CaCO 3 L -1 ). We also found that weevil presence was related to surface water temperature and waterbody location ( = 24.3, P ≤ 0.001) and of all the models tested, this model provided the best fit (Hosmer- Lemeshow goodness-of-fit = 4.0, P = 0.9). Our results suggest that in Washington State E. lecontei occurs primarily in eastern Washington in waterbodies with pH ≥ 8.2 and specific conductance ≥ 0.2 mS cm -1 . Furthermore, weevil distribution appears to be correlated with waterbody location (eastern versus western Washington) and surface water temperature

Retinitis pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited retinal dystrophy caused by the loss of photoreceptors and characterized by retinal pigment deposits visible on fundus examination. Prevalence of non syndromic RP is approximately 1/4,000. The most common form of RP is a rod-cone dystrophy, in which the first symptom is night blindness, followed by the progressive loss in the peripheral visual field in daylight, and eventually leading to blindness after several decades. Some extreme cases may have a rapid evolution over two decades or a slow progression that never leads to blindness. In some cases, the clinical presentation is a cone-rod dystrophy, in which the decrease in visual acuity predominates over the visual field loss. RP is usually non syndromic but there are also many syndromic forms, the most frequent being Usher syndrome. To date, 45 causative genes/loci have been identified in non syndromic RP (for the autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, X-linked, and digenic forms). Clinical diagnosis is based on the presence of night blindness and peripheral visual field defects, lesions in the fundus, hypovolted electroretinogram traces, and progressive worsening of these signs. Molecular diagnosis can be made for some genes, but is not usually performed due to the tremendous genetic heterogeneity of the disease. Genetic counseling is always advised. Currently, there is no therapy that stops the evolution of the disease or restores the vision, so the visual prognosis is poor. The therapeutic approach is restricted to slowing down the degenerative process by sunlight protection and vitaminotherapy, treating the complications (cataract and macular edema), and helping patients to cope with the social and psychological impact of blindness. However, new therapeutic strategies are emerging from intensive research (gene therapy, neuroprotection, retinal prosthesis)

Simplified placement and management of cutting setons in the treatment of transsphincteric anal fistula: technical note

Background: We report one safe and standardized technique of seton placement and management. Conclusions: A simplified way to manage cutting setons helps to minimize manipulation and may reduce pain. In most patients our technique can be used with no additional anesthesia and in an outpatient settin

Ethical reflection in dentistry: first steps at the Faculty of Dental Surgery of Toulouse.

International audienceThe goal of this work is to contribute to ethical reflection in the dental profession through the example of a survey of ethical reflection and ethical issues in dentistry conducted at the dental school of Toulouse. A written survey was given to the heads of departments and to the sixth-year students and also to the dental faculty at the hospital dental clinic in order to estimate their level of understanding and concern about these topics

Gene structure and chromosomal localization of mouse Opa1 : its exclusion from the Bst locus

BACKGROUND: Autosomal dominant optic atrophy type 1 (DOA) is the most common form of hereditary optic atrophy in human. We have previously identified the OPA1 gene and shown that it was mutated in patients with DOA. OPA1 is a novel member of the dynamin GTPase family that play a role in the distribution of the mitochondrial network. The Bst (belly spot and tail) mutant mice show atrophy of the optic nerves and previous mapping data raise the possibility that Bst and OPA1 are orthologs. In order to analyse the Bst mouse as a model for DOA, we therefore characterized mouse Opa1 and evaluated it as a candidate for the Bst mutant mouse. RESULTS: Comparison of mouse and human OPA1 sequences revealed 88% and 97% identity at the nucleotide and amino acid levels, respectively. Presence of alternatively spliced mRNAs as seen in human was conserved in the mouse. Screening of the whole mRNA coding sequence and of the 31 exons of Opa1 did not reveal any mutation in Bst. Using a radiation hybrid panel (T31), we mapped Opa1 to chromosome 16 between genetic markers D16Mit3 and D16Mit124, which is 10 cM centromeric to the Bst locus. CONCLUSION: On the basis of these results we conclude that Opa1 and Bst are distinct genes and that the Bst mouse is not the mouse model for DOA

Multislice CT in adult colocolic intussusception: case report and review of the literature

Intussusception in adults is generally a rare diagnosis and generally different from intussusception in children in terms of clinical presentation, etiology, and incidence (Begos et al., Am J Surg, 173:88-94, 1997; Watson and Bisset, Clin Radiol, 49:723-726, 1994; Felix et al., Am J Surg, 131:723-726, 1976). One third of these affect the large bowel. Adult intussusception shows clinically uncharacteristic symptoms of bowel obstruction; thus, the diagnosis is often clinically missed. We report the case of a 39-year-old woman suffering from long-term abdominal pain. This case report discusses the clinical advantages of multislice computed tomography for the diagnosis of adult intussusception and shows a comprehensive overview of the literatur

Performance on a Virtual Reality Angled Laparoscope Task Correlates with Spatial Ability of Trainees

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether trainees' performance on a virtual reality angled laparoscope navigation task correlates with scores obtained on a validated conventional test of spatial ability. 56 participants of a surgery workshop performed an angled laparoscope navigation task on the Xitact LS 500 virtual reality Simulator. Performance parameters were correlated with the score of a validated paper-and-pencil test of spatial ability. Performance at the conventional spatial ability test significantly correlated with performance at the virtual reality task for overall task score (p < 0.001), task completion time (p < 0.001) and economy of movement (p = 0.035), not for endoscope travel speed (p = 0.947). In conclusion, trainees' performance in a standardized virtual reality camera navigation task correlates with their innate spatial ability. This VR session holds potential to serve as an assessment tool for trainee

Bretton Woods et l’ordre économique international d’après-guerre

01. Introduction Les problèmes concrets, je le sais par expérience, ne sont jamais insolubles à partir du moment où ils sont abordés du point de vue d’une grande idée. Jean Monnet  En préparant cet atelier sur les cinquante ans de Bretton Woods, nous nous étions donné trois objectifs : le premier de nous pencher sur la nature et le contenu de l’ordre économique international qui a vu le jour à la faveur de la Seconde Guerre mondiale ; le second de prendre la mesure de la distance qui nous sép..