Application of Nanotechnology Solutions in Plants Fertilization

Post-modern society is viewed nowadays as a technologized society, where the great solutions to human problems can be solved by the progress of technology in economics from classical industry to communications. In the last years, nanotechnology is called to play an important part in the global food production, food security and food safety in the sense that the use of nanoscale micronutrients conduced to suppressing crop disease and the relationship between nutritional status and plant diseases is investigated. Nanomaterials are capable to penetrate into cells of herbs; they can carry DNA and other chemical compounds in the cells extending the possibility in plant biotechnology to target special gene manipulation. It is important to note that the concentration, plant organ or tissue, exposure rate, elemental form, plant species, and exposure dosage (chronic/acute) affect the plant response and in particular the distinct stress response. The complex process of utilization nanoparticles in agriculture has to be monitored to a level that avoids further environmental contamination. The present and future use of nanoparticles as micronutrients is affected by different risks related to nanotoxicity of micronutrients, a problem to be solved by an appropriate and safe circuit of nanoparticles in soil, water, plants and at last in human organism

Imminent osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women: risk factors, development of prediction models and management - Personal contributions from the FRISBEE study

L'ostéoporose est une maladie chronique complexe caractérisée par une fragilité osseuse et un risque accru de fracture. Le risque de fractures récidivantes est maximal pendant les deux premières années après une fracture de fragilité (période dite de « fracture imminente »). Notre travail personnel visait principalement à développer des modèles de prédiction des fractures imminentes ainsi que d’identifier quels traitements seraient les plus efficaces pour éviter ces fractures secondaires à court terme mais aussi de déterminer si un traitement est effectivement entamé après une fracture de fragilité. Pour toutes les études, nous avons utilisé les données de la cohorte FRISBEE qui comprend 3560 femmes ménopausées suivies chaque année depuis leur inclusion, particulièrement pour la survenue de fractures de fragilité.Nous avons montré que la densité minérale osseuse, une fracture récente, l'âge, les comorbidités, les chutes et une fracture centrale comme fracture incidente sont des prédicteurs du risque pour une fracture imminente. En combinant ces facteurs de risque, nous avons créé trois modèles de prédiction d'une fracture imminente, selon le site de la fracture index (pour toutes les fractures, les fractures dites majeures et les fractures centrales) avec une bonne précision (scores Brier ≤ 0,1) et une bonne discrimination (AUC entre 0,6 et 0,8). Nous avons également effectué une validation interne en utilisant l'approche « bootstrap » pour chaque modèle. Par rapport au modèle FRAX® ajusté pour une fracture récente, dans notre modèle, moins de sujets ayant subi une fracture majeure n'auraient pas été sélectionnés pour entamer untraitement. Outre ces travaux originaux, nous avons déterminé quels sont les traitements optimaux pour prévenir une fracture imminente. Nous avons montré que chez les sujets à haut risque de fracture, un traitement par des agents anti-résorptifs puissants (zolédronate et dénosumab) ou des agents anabolisants semble le plus approprié pour réduire rapidement le risque fracturaire en raison de leur puissance plus élevée et de leur effet plus rapide sur la réduction du risque. Malheureusement, malgré la disponibilité de médicaments efficaces pour prévenir les fractures ostéoporotiques, seule une minorité de femmes reçoivent un traitement contre l'ostéoporose après une fracture. Nous avons montré que dans notre cohorte le taux de sujets non traités après une première fracture était de 85%.Utilisant seulement 5 variables, notre modèle de prédiction pour une fracture imminente seraun outil d'évaluation facile à utiliser qui permettra aux médecins d'identifier les sujets à haut risque d’une nouvelle fracture, ce qui devrait réduire le taux beaucoup trop élevé de patientes ne bénéficiant pas de thérapeutiques efficaces.Doctorat en Sciences médicales (Médecine)info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublishe

Swinging Thyroid Function Test Results in a Young Woman

SCOPUS: le.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Severe secondary osteoporosis in a premenopausal woman: Should a specific treatment for osteoporosis be started?

Introduction: Osteoporosis is one of the major complications in patients with endogenous Cushing's syndrome (CS). We present the case of a severe osteoporosis secondary to a cortisol-secreting adrenal adenoma in a premenopausal woman. We have monitored bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover markers (BTMs) over a 9-years period following the surgical cure of Cushing's syndrome. The Case: A 33-year-old woman was diagnosed with severe osteoporosis and vertebral fractures. The physical examination raised the suspicion of a Cushing's syndrome witch was further confirmed by various studies and proved to be caused by an adrenal adenoma. Osteoporosis was considered to be secondary to endogenous hypercortisolism. A dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan performed 2 months after successful surgery showed a significant spontaneous improvement in lumbar spine BMD. BTMs showed maximum values 5 months after surgery, followed by a gradual decrease to normal values. A 9-years follow-up with yearly DXA and BTMs evaluations showed complete spontaneous BMD recovery with normal and stable BTMs, in the absence of any specific therapy for osteoporosis. Over this long period the patient did not present any new vertebral fracture. Conclusion: Our case provides evidence that antiresorptive or teriparatide therapy might not be necessary in severe osteoporosis due to a cortisol-secreting adrenal adenoma after successful surgery, at least in premenopausal women.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia or Accidental Association?

Pheochromocytoma, papillary thyroid carcinoma and hyperparathyroidism have rarely been reported together. Whether this association is coincidental or results from an unknown genetic predisposition is difficult to ascertain.We present the case of a patient who was diagnosed with pheochromocytoma, bilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma and parathyroid hyperplasia with primary hyperparathyroidism. A genetic mutation was hypothesized as the connection between these lesions. Previously described mutations were explored

Postfracture Risk Assessment: Target the Centrally Sited Fractures First! A Substudy of NoFRACT

SCOPUS: le.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Congenital hyperinsulinism—A case of mild hypoglycemia in an adult, detected by family testing

Abstract Symptoms of mild hypoglycemia are easily overlooked especially when there are no complaints from the patients, but it could be a warning sign of an underlying genetic disease. Genetic testing for the entire family is a key step in neonatal hypoglycemia workup

What is the validity of self-reported fractures?

We assessed the validity of self-reported fractures, over a median follow-up period of 6.2 years, in a well characterized population-based cohort of 3560 postmenopausal women, aged 60–85 years, from the Fracture Risk Brussels Epidemiological Enquiry (FRISBEE) study. Incident low-traumatic (falls from a standing height or less) or non-traumatic fractures, including peripheral fractures, were registered during each annual follow-up telephone interview. A self-reported fracture was considered as a true positive if it was validated by written reliable medical reports (radiographs, CT scans or surgical report). False positives fractures were considered to be those for which the radiology report indicated that there was no fracture at the reported site. Among self-reported fractures, false positive rates were 14.4% for all fractures. The rate of false positives of 11.2% (n = 48/429) was not negligible for the four classical major osteoporotic fractures (MOFs: hip, clinical spine, forearm or shoulder fractures). In terms of fracture site, we found the lowest false positive rate (4.4%) at the hip, and the highest (16.8%) at the spine, with the proximal humerus and the wrist in between, at about 10% each. The global rates of false positives were 12.5% (n = 22/176) for other major fractures and 22.3% (n = 49/220) for minor fractures. Younger subjects, individuals with fractures at sites other than the hip, with a lower education level, or with a higher BMI were more likely to report false positive fractures. Our data indicate that the inaccuracy of self-reported fractures is clinically relevant for several major fractures, which could influence any fracture risk prediction model.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Rare cause of a resistant hypertension in a middle‐aged man: A case report

Abstract Congenital adrenal hyperplasia associated to 11‐beta‐hydroxylase deficiency is a rare cause of secondary hypertension, usually discovered during childhood; however, a late diagnosis in adults has also been reported. Despite low cortisol levels, accumulated adrenal steroid precursors can activate the glucocorticoid receptor and thus protect the patient against adrenal crisis

Underevaluation of fractures by self-report: an analysis from the FRISBEE cohort

Summary: We assessed the rate of non-reported fractures in the FRISBEE cohort. Over a median follow-up period of 9.2 years, we registered 992 fractures. The global percentage of non-reported fractures was 21.3%. Underreporting of fracture event might influence any model of fracture risk prediction. Introduction: Most fracture cohort studies rely on participant self-report of fracture event. This approach may lead to fracture underreporting. The purpose of the study was to assess the rate of non-reported fractures in a well-characterized population-based cohort of 3560 postmenopausal women, aged 60–85 years, included in the Fracture Risk Brussels Epidemiological Enquiry (FRISBEE) study. Methods: Incident low-traumatic or non-traumatic fractures were registered annually during phone calls. In 2018, we reviewed the medical files of 67.9% of our study participants and identified non-reported fractures (“false negatives fractures (FN)”). We also evaluated whether the rate of FN was influenced by baseline patients’ characteristics and fracture risk factors. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to calculate odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI. Results: Over a median follow-up period of 9.2 years, we registered 992 fractures (781 by self-report, confirmed by a radiological report and 211 unreported). The global false negative rate for all fractures was 21.3%, including 22% for MOFs (major osteoporotic fractures), 13.1% for other major fractures, and 25.8% for minor fractures. The rate of non-reported fractures varied by fracture site: for MOFs, it was 2.7% (n = 2/73) at the hip, 5.3% at the proximal humerus (n = 5/94), 7.1% at the wrist (n = 11/154), and 46.5% at the spine (n = 100/215). For “other major” fractures, the highest rate of false negatives fractures was found at the pelvic bone (21%, n = 13/62), followed by the elbow (17.9%, n = 5/28), long bones (10.5%, n = 2/19), ankle (6.2%, n = 4/65), and knee (5.9%, n = 1/17). Older subjects (OR 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2–2.4; P = 0.003), subjects with early non-substituted menopause (OR 1.8; 95% CI, 1.0–3.3; P = 0.04), with a lower education level (OR 1.5; 95%CI, 1.1–2.2; P = 0.01), and those under drug therapy for osteoporosis (OR 1.5; 95% CI, 1.0–2.2; P = 0.05) were associated with a higher rate of FN. Conclusions: In conclusion, underreporting of a substantial proportion of fracture events will influence any model of fracture risk prediction and induce bias when estimating the associations between candidate risk factors and incident fractures.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe