les plaies cranio-encephaliques: Aspects epidemic-Cliniques et Therapeutiques a Dakar(Senegal)

Objectif Le but de cette étude était de montrer les aspects épidémio-cliniques des plaies crânio-encéphaliques et d’évaluer leur prise en charge dans un pays Africain tel le Sénégal.Introduction La plaie crânio-encéphalique est une solution de continuité de tous les plans de couverture séparant le parenchyme cérébral du milieu extérieur. L’infection devient alors la hantise et motive la rapidité de la prise en charge.Malades et méthodes Nous avons fait une étude rétrospective de 14 dossiers colligés de janvier 2006 à janvier 2008. Tous les patients ont été admis au service d’urgence ont été évalué cliniquement par le score de Glasgow et un examen neurologique complet. Ils ont bénéficié d’un scanner cérébral avant une prise en charge médicale et chirurgicale. Ils ont été suivis sur une durée moyenne de 17 mois.Résultats L’âge moyen de nos patients était de 30 ans, avec une prédominance masculine 11cas. La principale cause était les accidents de la voie publique (8cas) suivi par les agressions (4cas). Le délai moyen avant l’hospitalisation était de 24 heures et le délai moyen de prise en charge chirurgicale était de 57 heures ; la majorité des patients avaient un bon état de conscience selon l’échelle de GLASGOW 6 cas (15 - 13) et 4 cas (12 - 9). Le scanner cérébral a permis de montrer les lésions osseuses et intra parenchymateuses : 12 cas de contusions, sept cas de pneumencéphalie, cinq cas d’hématome sous dural et 1un cas de présence de corps étranger. La prise en charge thérapeutique comportait un volet médical et un autre chirurgical (craniectomie, reconstruction de la dure mère et de la peau). La durée moyenne d’hospitalisation était de 12 jours L’évolution post opératoire immédiate était excellente était dans 12 cas. Un patient était décédé et un autre avait gardé une hémiparésie. Conclusion Les plaies crânio-encéphaliques constituent une entité neuro-traumatique assez fréquente dont la principale complication est l’infection méningée. Une prise en charge précoce avec parage et antibioprophylaxie permettraient d’obtenir des résultats satisfaisants surtout en Afrique

Effect of wearing a helmet on the occurrence of head injuries in motorcycle riders in Benin: a case-control study

BACKGROUND: In Benin, motorcycles are the main means of transport for road users and are involved in more than half of crashes. This study aims to determine the effect of wearing a helmet on reducing head injuries in road crashes in Benin. METHODS: This case-control study took place in 2020 and focused on road trauma victims. The sample, consisting of 242 cases (trauma victims with head injuries) for 484 controls (without head injuries), was drawn from a database of traffic crash victims recruited from five hospitals across the country from July 2019 to January 2020. Four groups of independent variables were studied: socio-demographic and economic variables, history, behavioural variables including helmet use and road-related and environmental variables. To assess the shape of the association between the independent variables and the dependent variable, a descending step-by-step binary logistic regression model was performed using an explanatory approach. RESULTS: Fewer of the subjects with a head injury were wearing a helmet at the time of the crash 69.8% (95% CI = 63.6-75.6) compared to those without a head injury 90.3% (95% CI = 87.3-92.8). Adjusting for the other variables, subjects not wearing helmets were at greater risk of head injuries (OR = 3.8, 95% CI (2.5-5.7)); the head injury rating was 1.9 (95% CI = 1.2-3.3) times higher in subjects who were fatigued during the crash than among those who were not and 2.0 (95% CI = 1.2-3.3) times higher in subjects with no medical history. CONCLUSION: Failure to wear a helmet exposes motorcyclists to the risk of head injuries during crashes. It is important to increase awareness and better target such initiatives at the subjects most at risk

Fondants chimiques et abrasifs : état des connaissances

Emploi des fondants chimiques et des abrasifs -- Caractéristiques des produits de déverglaçage -- Abrasifs -- Facteurs qui influencent la vitesse de fonte de neige et de glace -- Contrôle efficace de la neige et de la glace par les fondants chimiques -- Taux d'épandage des produits de déverglaçage -- Les effets néfastes des fondants chimiques

Development of a non-destructive micro-analytical method for stable carbon isotope analysis of transmission electron microscope (TEM) samples

The biogenicity of ancient morphological microfossil-like objects can be established by linking morphological (e.g. cell remnants and extracellular polymeric matrix) and chemical (e.g. isotopes, biomarkers and biominerals) evidence indicative of microorganisms or microbial activity. We have developed a non-destructive micro-analytical ion beam system capable of measuring with high spatial resolution the stable carbon isotope ratios of thin samples used for transmission electron microscopy. The technique is based on elastic scattering of alpha particles with an energy of 2.751 MeV. At this energy the C-13 cross section is enhanced relative to the pure Rutherford cross section for C-13, whereas the C-12 cross section is reduced relative to its pure Rutherford cross section. Here we report the initial results of this experimental approach used to characterize ultramicrotomed sections of sulfur-embedded graphite and microbial cells. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Association between schizophrenia and homozygosity at the dopamine D3 receptor gene.

Disturbances in dopamine neurotransmission have been postulated to underlie schizophrenia. We report data from two independent studies of a BalI polymorphism in the dopamine D3 receptor gene in patients with schizophrenia. In both studies, more patients than controls were homozygous (p = 0.005, p = 0.008). When pooled data were analysed, this difference was highly significant (p = 0.0001) with a relative risk of schizophrenia in homozygotes of 2.61 (95% confidence intervals 1.60-4.26)

Variability of sediment observations across the sand-mud inner shelf near Ocean City Inlet

Sediment samples were acquired along a cross-shore transect extending roughly 5 nautical miles offshore starting in 10 m water depth and ending in 17 m water depth near Ocean City Inlet, MD. Sediment sampling was repeated 3 times at 4 cross-shore stations during a series of cruises from May 2019 through July 2019. Diver push cores were logged, sectioned, and analyzed for grain size. A multibeam survey was conducted to map the bathymetry along the cross-shore transect. Additionally, regions around the sampling stations were surveyed with a side-scan sonar. Backscatter from the side-scan sonar correlates well with sediment observations. During one cruise in July 2019 water samples taken near the bed were analyzed with high-speed photogrammetry onboard the ship to estimate suspended sediments size and concentrations. Discussion will focus on understanding the hydrodynamic and geologic controls driving the strong sediment heterogeneity observed among the four stations along the cross-shore transect