Annealing Temperature Effect on Structural and Luminescence Spectroscopy of Y2SiO5:Ce3+ Nanomaterial Synthesized by Sol–Gel Method

Ce3+ - doped Y2SiO5 nanophosphors were successfully produced by Sol-Gel process. To study the influence of the temperature on the structure and the luminescence of Y2SiO5:Ce3+, we annealed the xerogels at the temperatures 800, 900, 950, 1000, 1050 and 1250 °C. The X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and steady photoluminescence were used to characterize the samples. The crystallite size keeps the same value in the temperature range 950-1050 °C. The room temperature steady photoluminescence emission and excitation of Ce3+ in X1-Y2SiO5:Ce3+ nanomaterial with increasing temperature were measured and investigated. At the crystallization temperature of 1250 °C, we have a new structure X2- Y2SiO5:Ce3+ with grain sizes larger than the X1-Y2SiO5:Ce3+ and also intense violet-blue emission

Tumeur Germinale De L\'espace Para Pharynge : A Propos D\'un Cas

Les tumeurs germinales à localisation cervico-faciale sont rares. Nous rapportons l\'observation d\'une une fillette de 7 ans porteuse d\'une tumeur maligne à cellules germinales de l\'espace para-pharyngé droit traité par chimiothérapie. Les particularités étiopathogéniques, thérapeutiques, et pronostiques de cette tumeur sont rappelées après une revue des données de la littérature.Extragonadal germ cell tumors of the head and neck are very rare. We report the case of a 7-year-old girl with malignant germ cell tumor of the right parapharyngeal space treated by chemotherapy. Etiopathogenic, therapeutic, and prognostic characteristics of this tumour are recalled after a review of the literature data. Keywords: Extragonadal germ cell tumors, parapharyngeal tumors. Journal Tunisien d\'ORL et de chirurgie cervico-faciale Vol. 18 2007: pp. 61-6

Myxome Du Maxillaire A Propos D\'un Cas

Les myxomes des maxillaires sont des tumeurs bénignes rares dont la pathogénie reste encore controversée. Leur indolence et la pauvreté des manifestations qui les accompagnent rendent leur diagnostic souvent tardif et leur prise en charge difficile. Nous présentons un cas de myxome du maxillaire chez un nourrisson âgé de 12 mois suivi d\'une revue de la littérature permettant de synthétiser les données cliniques ainsi que la stratégie thérapeutique à adopter.Maxillary myxoma are rare benign tumours whose pathogenesis remains extremely discussed. The poor clinical picture and the absence of pain makes the diagnosis difficult. We report a pediatric case of maxillary myxoma of a 12- monthold infant and review the clinical features, radiographic evaluation and the appropriate treatment Keywords:Myxoma - maxillary - benign tumor. Journal Tunisien d\'ORL et de chirurgie cervico-faciale Vol. 18 2007: pp. 43-4

Promoting the use of Motor Function Measure (MFM) as outcome measure in patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) treated by corticosteroids

ObjectivesAssessing muscle function is a key step in measuring changes and evaluating the outcomes of therapeutic interventions in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Regarding the large use of corticosteroids (CS) in this population to delay the loss of function, our goal was to monitor the evolution of motor function in patients with DMD treated by corticosteroids (CS) and to study the responsiveness of Motor Function Measure (MFM) in this population in order to provide an estimation of the number of subject needed for a clinical trial.MethodA total of 76 patients with DMD, aged 5.9 to 11.8 years, with at least 6 months of follow-up and 2 MFM were enrolled, 30 in the CS treated group (8±1.62 y) and 46 in the untreated group (7.91±1.50 y).ResultsThe relationship between MFM scores and age was studied in CS treated patients and untreated patients. The evolution of these scores was compared between groups, on a 6-, 12- and 24-month period by calculating slopes of change and standardized response mean. At 6, 12 and 24 months, significant differences in the mean score change were found, for all MFM scores, between CS treated patients and untreated patients. For D1 subscore specifically, at 6 months, the increase is significant in the treated group (11.3±14%/y; SRM 0.8) while a decrease is observed in the untreated group (–17.8±17.7%/y; SRM 1). At 12 and 24 months, D1 subscore stabilized for treated patients but declined significantly for untreated boys (–15.5±15.1%/y; SRM 1 at 12 mo and–18.8±7.1%/y; SRM 2.6 at 24 mo). 21 patients lost the ability to walk during the study: 6 in the CS treated group (25% at 24 months, mean age: 10.74±1.28 y) and 15 in the untreated group (64.71% at 24 months, mean age: 9.20±1.78 y).Discussion and conclusionPatients with DMD treated by CS present a different course of the disease described in this paper using the MFM. Based on these results, an estimation of the number of patients needed for clinical trial could be done

Disruption of the MDM2–p53 interaction strongly potentiates p53-dependent apoptosis in cisplatin-resistant human testicular carcinoma cells via the Fas/FasL pathway

Wild-type p53 has a major role in the response and execution of apoptosis after chemotherapy in many cancers. Although high levels of wild-type p53 and hardly any TP53 mutations are found in testicular cancer (TC), chemotherapy resistance is still observed in a significant subgroup of TC patients. In the present study, we demonstrate that p53 resides in a complex with MDM2 at higher cisplatin concentrations in cisplatin-resistant human TC cells compared with cisplatin-sensitive TC cells. Inhibition of the MDM2–p53 interaction using either Nutlin-3 or MDM2 RNA interference resulted in hyperactivation of the p53 pathway and a strong induction of apoptosis in cisplatin-sensitive and -resistant TC cells. Suppression of wild-type p53 induced resistance to Nutlin-3 in TC cells, demonstrating the key role of p53 for Nutlin-3 sensitivity. More specifically, our results indicate that p53-dependent induction of Fas membrane expression (∼threefold) and enhanced Fas/FasL interactions at the cell surface are important mechanisms of Nutlin-3-induced apoptosis in TC cells. Importantly, an analogous Fas-dependent mechanism of apoptosis upon Nutlin-3 treatment is executed in wild-type p53 expressing Hodgkin lymphoma and acute myeloid leukaemia cell lines. Finally, we demonstrate that Nutlin-3 strongly augmented cisplatin-induced apoptosis and cell kill via the Fas death receptor pathway. This effect is most pronounced in cisplatin-resistant TC cells

Allele specific repair of splicing mutations in cystic fibrosis through AsCas12a genome editing.

Funder: Fondazione Fibrosi Cistica - FFC#1/2017Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in the CFTR gene. The 3272-26A>G and 3849+10kbC>T CFTR mutations alter the correct splicing of the CFTR gene, generating new acceptor and donor splice sites respectively. Here we develop a genome editing approach to permanently correct these genetic defects, using a single crRNA and the Acidaminococcus sp. BV3L6, AsCas12a. This genetic repair strategy is highly precise, showing very strong discrimination between the wild-type and mutant sequence and a complete absence of detectable off-targets. The efficacy of this gene correction strategy is verified in intestinal organoids and airway epithelial cells derived from CF patients carrying the 3272-26A>G or 3849+10kbC>T mutations, showing efficient repair and complete functional recovery of the CFTR channel. These results demonstrate that allele-specific genome editing with AsCas12a can correct aberrant CFTR splicing mutations, paving the way for a permanent splicing correction in genetic diseases

Modelling and Performance Analysis of Electric Car-Sharing Systems Using Petri Nets

Car sharing systems emerged as a new answer to mobility challenges in smart and sustainable cities. Despite their apparent success, design and exploitation of such systems raise crucial strategic and operational challenges. To help planners and decision makers, simulation, analysis and optimization models are unavoidable. Based on the formal modelling and analysis power of stochastic Petri nets, this paper proposes a discrete event simulation model for electric car sharing systems for performance and analysis purposes, taking into account their complex dynamic behaviour, organization and parameters including capacities of the stations, battery and energy availability, locations of charging stations and also their car maintenance activities, not negligible compared to the case of bike-sharing systems