Investigating homicide offender typologies based on their clinical histories and crime scene behaviour patterns

The purpose of this paper is to identify offender typologies based on aspects of the offenders’ psychopathology and their associations with crime scene behaviours using data derived from the National Confidential Enquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health concerning homicides in England and Wales committed by offenders in contact with mental health services in the year preceding the offence (n=759). The authors used multiple correspondence analysis to investigate the interrelationships between the variables and hierarchical agglomerative clustering to identify offender typologies. Variables describing: the offenders’ mental health histories; the offenders’ mental state at the time of offence; characteristics useful for police investigations; and patterns of crime scene behaviours were included. Results showed differences in the offenders’ histories in relation to their crime scene behaviours. Further, analyses revealed three homicide typologies: externalising, psychosis and depression. These typologies may assist the police during homicide investigations by: furthering their understanding of the crime or likely suspect; offering insights into crime patterns; provide advice as to what an offender’s offence behaviour might signify about his/her mental health background. Findings suggest information concerning offender psychopathology may be useful for offender profiling purposes in cases of homicide offenders with schizophrenia, depression and comorbid diagnosis of personality disorder and alcohol/drug dependence. Empirical studies with an emphasis on offender profiling have almost exclusively focussed on the inference of offender demographic characteristics. This study provides a first step in the exploration of offender psychopathology and its integration to the multivariate analysis of offence information for the purposes of investigative profiling of homicide by identifying the dominant patterns of mental illness within homicidal behaviour.N/

Perspectives d'utilisation de l'imagerie par resonance magnetique nucleaire : analyse des structures adipeuses et des tissus irradies, etude du contraste en sequence rapide

SIGLECNRS T Bordereau / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueFRFranc

La chalarose du frêne en France

La chalarose, en progression vers l'ouest et le sud, entraîne le dépérissement de frênes en France. Les niveaux de dépérissement ou mortalité dépendent de la résistance génétique de l'individu, de son âge et de l'environnement. Après l'arrêt des plantations, il est recommandé de préserver les frênes peu dépérissants ; ils constitueront un réservoir d'individus résistants à la maladie

Modeling climate impact on an emerging disease, the Phytophthora alni-induced alder decline

Alder decline caused by Phytophthora alni is one of the most important emerging diseases in natural ecosystems in Europe, where it has threatened riparian ecosystems for the past 20years. Environmental factors, such as mean site temperature and soil characteristics, play an important role in the occurrence of the disease. The objective of the present work was to model and forecast the effect of environment on the severity of alder Phytophthora outbreaks, and to determine whether recent climate change might explain the disease emergence. Two alder sites networks in NE and SW France were surveyed to assess the crown health of trees; the oomycete soil inoculum was also monitored in the NE network. The main factors explaining the temporal annual variation in alder crown decline or crown recovery were the mean previous winter and previous summer temperatures. Both low winter temperatures and high summer temperatures were unfavorable to the disease. Cold winters promoted tree recovery because of poor survival of the pathogen, while hot summer temperature limited the incidence of tree decline. An SIS model explaining the dynamics of the P. alni-induced alder decline was developed using the data of the NE site network and validated using the SW site network. This model was then used to simulate the frequency of declining alder over time with historical climate data. The last 40years' weather conditions have been generally favorable to the establishment of the disease, indicating that others factors may be implicated in its emergence. The model, however, showed that the climate of SW France was much more favorable for the disease than that of the Northeast, because it seldom limited the overwintering of the pathogen. Depending on the European area, climate change could either enhance or decrease the severity of the alder decline

Vestibular impact of Friedreich ataxia in early onset patients.

Objective: Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is the most frequent form of inherited ataxias. Vestibular and auditory assessment is not commonly part of the check up for these patients despite hearing and balance complaints. Screening of vestibular and auditory function was performed in a large group of young patients with genetically confirmed FRDA. Methods: Our study included 43 patients (7-24 years of age). A complete vestibular assessment was performed including the canals function evaluation at 3 head velocities (bithermal caloric test, earth vertical axis rotation (EVAR) and head impulse test (HIT)) and otolith function evaluation (cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials). Information regarding the hearing evaluation of the patients were also retrieved including impedance tympanometry, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), air and bone conduction audiometry and auditory brainstem response (ABR). Results: Vestibular responses were impaired for canal responses (only at high and middle head velocities) and vestibulospinal otolithic responses. Oculomotor abnormalities were frequent, mostly hypermetric saccades and gaze instability. Inhibition of the vestibulo ocular reflex by fixation was normal. Abnormal neural conduction in the central auditory pathways was frequently observed. Conclusions: We show that Friedreich ataxia, even at onset, frequently associate saccadic intrusions, abnormal ABRs and decreased vestibulo ocular and vestibulospinal responses progressing over time. These sensory impairments combined with ataxia further impair patient’s autonomy. These vestibular, auditory and visual impairments could be used as markers of the severity and progression of the disease. Adding vestibular and auditory testing to ataxic patient’s evaluation may help physicians to distinguish Friedreich ataxia from other progressive ataxia syndromes and improve patient’s management

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knock-in of BRCA1/2 mutations restores response to olaparib in pancreatic cancer cell lines

Abstract Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive diseases with a very poor outcome. Olaparib, a PARP inhibitor, as maintenance therapy showed benefits in patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma bearing germline BRCA1/2 mutations. However, germline BRCA mutation has been described in only 4–7% of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. A CRISPR/Cas9-mediated system was used to knock-in the c.763G > T p.(Glu255*) and c.2133C > A p.(Cys711*) mutations in cell lines to obtain truncated BRCA1 and BRCA2 proteins, respectively. A CRISPR/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complex was assembled for each mutation and transfected into two pancreatic cell lines (T3M4 and Capan-2) and into a breast cancer cell lines (MCF7) as control. BRCA protein levels were significantly decreased in all BRCA-depleted cells (P < 0.05), proving the transfection efficiency of our CRISPR/Cas9 systems. As expected, the calculated olaparib IC50 were significantly reduced for all cell lines harbored BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations compared to wild-type BRCA1/2 cells (P < 0.01). Furthermore, we observed a higher induction of apoptosis after 72 h olaparib treatment in BRCA-depleted cells than in wild-type cells. This strategy might offer new insights into the management of patients with pancreatic cancer and open up new perspectives based on the in vivo use of CRISPR/Cas9 strategy