The epidemiology of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in community-living seniors: protocol of the MemoVie cohort study, Luxembourg

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are increasingly considered a major public health problem. The MemoVie cohort study aims to investigate the living conditions or risk factors under which the normal cognitive capacities of the senior population in Luxembourg (≥ 65 year-old) evolve (1) to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) – transitory non-clinical stage – and (2) to AD. Identifying MCI and AD predictors undeniably constitutes a challenge in public health in that it would allow interventions which could protect or delay the occurrence of cognitive disorders in elderly people. In addition, the MemoVie study sets out to generate hitherto unavailable data, and a comprehensive view of the elderly population in the country. METHODS/DESIGN: The study has been designed with a view to highlighting the prevalence in Luxembourg of MCI and AD in the first step of the survey, conducted among participants selected from a random sample of the general population. A prospective cohort is consequently set up in the second step, and appropriate follow-up of the non-demented participants allows improving the knowledge of the preclinical stage of MCI. Case-control designs are used for cross-sectional or retrospective comparisons between outcomes and biological or clinical factors. To ensure maximal reliability of the information collected, we decided to opt for structured face to face interviews. Besides health status, medical and family history, demographic and socio-cultural information are explored, as well as education, habitat network, social behavior, leisure and physical activities. As multilingualism is expected to challenge the cognitive alterations associated with pathological ageing, it is additionally investigated. Data relative to motor function, including balance, walk, limits of stability, history of falls and accidents are further detailed. Finally, biological examinations, including ApoE genetic polymorphism are carried out. In addition to standard blood parameters, the lipid status of the participants is subsequently determined from the fatty acid profiles in their red blood cells. The study obtained the legal and ethical authorizations. DISCUSSION: By means of the multidisciplinary MemoVie study, new insights into the onset of cognitive impairment during aging should be put forward, much to the benefit of intervention strategies as a whole

Magna Carta, the Rule of Law and the Limits on Government

This paper surveys the legal tradition that links Magna Carta with the modern concepts of the rule of law and the limits on government. It documents that the original understanding of the rule of law included substantive commitments to individual freedom and limited government. Then, it attempts at explaining how and why such commitments were lost to a formalist interpretation of the rule of law from 1848 to 1939. The paper concludes by arguing how a revival of the substantive commitments of the rule of law is central in a project of reshaping modern states

Accident vasculaire cérébral :De la prise en charge précoce à la rééducation

Stroke is a major health problem. The incidence of stroke in Belgium is estimated at 18,875 cases per year. Primary care needs to be fast in order to reduce mortality and disability. The European recommendations for the management of stroke are the following :1) stroke patients should be treated in specialized stroke units. Therefore, suspected stroke victims should be transported without delay to the nearest medical centre with an available stroke unit, or to a hospital providing organized acute stroke care if a stroke unit is not available ;2) stroke should be considered as a medical emergency requiring fast management. Once stroke symptoms are suspected, patients or their proxies should call emergency transportation or a similar system ;3) Stroke Unit should provide co-ordinated multidisciplinary care by medical, nursing and therapy staff who specialize in stroke care. Treating patient in a specialized stroke unit allows reducing the mortality by 20 % and improving the functional outcome of patients, regardless of age and/or stroke severity. Once the diagnosis of stroke is confirmed, causes and mechanisms should be clarified in order to prevent the recurrence of stroke. In case of ischemic stroke, less than 3 hours after the first symptoms, thrombolysis (which is the only curative treatment at present) may be proposed to the patient. The aims of neurological rehabilitation after stroke are :A) to enable the patient to recover a satisfactory quality of life considering the patient's status and environmental factors ;b) to coordinate all means to prevent (or minimize) the inevitable functional, physical, psychological, social consequences and economic impairment caused by disability (activity limitation). These objectives are pursued by stimulating maximally the residual abilities of the patient.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Epidermolyses bulleuses héréditaires :étude clinique et ultrastructurale de 21 cas: Hereditary epidermolysis bullosa :clinical and ultrastructural analysis of 21 cases

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Human umbilical cord blood-derived eosinophils cultured in the presence of IL-3 and IL-5 respond to fMLP with [Ca2+]i variation and O2- production

In the presence of interleukin-3 and interleukin-5, eosinophil precursors from human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells were regularly differentiated into mature eosinophil-like cells expressing normal morphology and cyanide-resistant peroxidase. O2- production and [Ca2+]i rise were measured in these in vitro differentiated eosinophils after fMLP stimulation; with dihydrorhodamine-123 and fura-2, respectively. Umbilical cord blood-derived eosinophils responded to fMLP (0.01 nM to 3 microM) with a concentration-dependent production of O2- (EC50 = 63.1 +/- 17.2 nM; Emax = 71.0 +/- 6.2 pmol/min/10(6) cells). O2- production was correlated with an fMLP concentration-dependent increase in [Ca2+]i (EC50 = 32.5 +/- 14.9 nM; Emax = 200.0 +/- 23.9 nM). These results indicate that human umbilical cord blood-derived eosinophils demonstrate functional characteristics similar to adult human peripheral blood eosinophils after activation by fMLP. Therefore, the large numbers of eosinophils (2-3 x 10(6)/ml cord blood) which can be obtained by culture of human cord blood mononuclear cells may serve as a useful model for future studies which will provide insight into the pathogenesis of diseases associated with eosinophils

Adhesion Properties of Polypropylene To Aluminum - Influence of Polymer Grafting and Thermal History

Polypropylene (PP) powder was hot-pressed between aluminium foils and the adhesion was examined by a peel test. A measurable adhesion was observed with the grafted polymer. By grafting 3-azido-sulphonyl benzoic acid onto PP, the chemical composition of the adhesion failure zones was monitored by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, using N and S as markers. Adhesion was improved by purifying the grafted polymer before pressing against aluminium. Purification eliminates ungrafted polar molecules which form a weak boundary layer at the interface with the Al adherend. Adhesion was also very much dependent on the thermal history of the hot-pressed aluminium/polypropylene/aluminium laminates. Quenching increased the peel strength dramatically, whereas annealing after quenching decreased it. This is interpreted in terms of the structure and ductility of the polymer. The adhesion of PP to aluminium thus depends on the interplay between the affinity of grafted macromolecules with the adherend, the formation of a weak boundary layer, and the bulk properties of the polymer

Chemical-composition and Physicochemical Properties of Polymer Surfaces

The analysis of polymer surfaces in terms of functional groups can be undertaken by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Correlations between chemical composition and water contact angle indicate the dependence of polymer wettability on the surface concentration of oxygen carrying a high electron density, whatever the specific functional groups present. Electrokinetic methods, which can be applied to plates or films, provide tools for examining the surface electric properties and for detecting ionizable groups at polymer surfaces. Surface characterization provides basic information for understanding the adhesion process through molecular interactions. However the study of polypropylene has shown that adhesiveness is not only influenced by surface properties but also by the deformability of the polymer and, consequently, by its crystallinity and its thermal history

NLRP3 Inflammasome Is Expressed and Functional in Mouse Brain Microglia but Not in Astrocytes.

Neuroinflammation is the local reaction of the brain to infection, trauma, toxic molecules or protein aggregates. The brain resident macrophages, microglia, are able to trigger an appropriate response involving secretion of cytokines and chemokines, resulting in the activation of astrocytes and recruitment of peripheral immune cells. IL-1β plays an important role in this response; yet its production and mode of action in the brain are not fully understood and its precise implication in neurodegenerative diseases needs further characterization. Our results indicate that the capacity to form a functional NLRP3 inflammasome and secretion of IL-1β is limited to the microglial compartment in the mouse brain. We were not able to observe IL-1β secretion from astrocytes, nor do they express all NLRP3 inflammasome components. Microglia were able to produce IL-1β in response to different classical inflammasome activators, such as ATP, Nigericin or Alum. Similarly, microglia secreted IL-18 and IL-1α, two other inflammasome-linked pro-inflammatory factors. Cell stimulation with α-synuclein, a neurodegenerative disease-related peptide, did not result in the release of active IL-1β by microglia, despite a weak pro-inflammatory effect. Amyloid-β peptides were able to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome in microglia and IL-1β secretion occurred in a P2X7 receptor-independent manner. Thus microglia-dependent inflammasome activation can play an important role in the brain and especially in neuroinflammatory conditions

Infarctus musculaire multifocal diabétique.

Diabetic muscle infarction is a rare and often unrecognized complication of diabetes. It typically occurs in patients with poorly controlled and multi-complicated diabetes. Typical clinical presentation is an indurate muscle pain, mainly localized in the lower limb with an acute onset. In most cases, diabetes myonecrosis is focal and sometimes can be recurrent. Diagnosis is clinical but can used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Muscle biopsy is sometimes necessary in cases of doubt or to confirm the imaging diagnosis. Elevation of muscle enzymes (CPK) is present in half of cases. Management is conservative and the clinical and imaging evolution is usually favourable. We report the case of a patient presenting a subacute hyperalgesic lomboradiculopathy.Case ReportsEnglish AbstractJournal ArticleSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Non traumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head is associated with low bone mass

Objective Osteoporosis (OP) and osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) share common clinical and pathophysiological features we sought to determine whether ONFH was associated with an increased prevalence of OP and whether the increased prevalence of OP was related to the stage of ONFH at diagnosis. Methods We included 243 patients with ONFH and 399 age and sex-matched healthy controls. Data was gathered including demography, risk factors, ARCO staging of ONFH and bone mineral density (BMD). Results Overall, BMD (defined by the T-score) was significantly lower in the ONFH group at both the femoral head (− 0.96 ± 1.11) and the lumbar spine (− 1.22 ± 1.47) compared to the control group (− 0.55 ± 0.97 and − 0.73 ± 1.31) (p < 0.01). The ONFH group depicted a significantly higher proportion of osteopenia (50.39% vs 40.87%, p = 0.027) and of OP (18.78% vs 7.33%, p < 0.001) relative to the control group. Stage 1 and 2 ONFH patients (53.86%, p = 0.0203; OR = 1.54 (95% CI: [1.04; 2.29])) were at a higher risk of osteopenia than the control group (40.88%), but not stages 3 or 4 (48.47%, p = 0.2569; OR = 1.27 (95% CI: [0.78; 2.06]). Patients with stage 3 or 4 ONFH (25.31%, p < 0.001; OR = 3.93 (95% CI: [1.63; 10.96])) were at a higher risk of osteoporosis than patients in the stage 1 and 2 ONFH (7.24%), and compared to the control group (7.33%, adj. p-value < 0.001; OR = 4.89 (95% CI: [2.77; 8.76]). Conclusions Non-traumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral heads is associated with low bone mineral density. This study showed that fractural stages ONFH were associated with a 5-fold risk of osteoporosis.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe