3-T MR neurography of lumbo-sacral plexus in hereditary transthyretin-related amyloidosis with polyneuropathy

International audienceObjectives: Our aim was to evaluate the ability of magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) of the lumbo-sacral plexus (LSP) to distinguish patients with hereditary transthyretin-related amyloidosis with polyneuropathy (ATTRv-PN) from asymptomatic variant carriers (AVC) and healthy controls and to assess its prognostic value.Methods: Three-Tesla MRN was performed in 25 consecutive ATTRv-PN patients, 18 AVC, and 10 controls including T2-w DIXON and DWI MR sequences. Two blinded readers independently assessed LSP root diameter and intraneural signal on the MRN images of each subject. MRN findings were compared between groups and correlated with clinical impairment scored on the Neuropathy Impairment Score (NIS) and the modified Polyneuropathy Disability score (mPND).Results: The agreement between readers on MRN images was excellent (Cohen’s kappa = 0.82). LSP root enlargement was significantly more frequent in ATTRv-PN patients compared to AVC (ratio = 4.38, p = 0.038). Increased LSP root intraneural signal on T2-w images was significantly more frequent in ATTRv-PN patients compared to AVC (ratio = 3.4, p = 0.016). In contrast, there were no MRN abnormalities in controls. In ATTRv-PN patients, LSP root enlargement was associated with higher mPND scores (p = 0.03) and increased intraneural signal on T2-w images was associated with significantly higher NIS and mPND scores (p = 0.004 and 0.02, respectively).Conclusions: MRN of the LSP can help differentiate ATTRv-PN patients from AVC. LSP root enlargement and increased intraneural signal are significantly associated with clinical impairment, suggesting potential implications for patient care

Comparison of ketoprofen, oxymorphone hydrochloride, and butorphanol in the treatment of postoperative pain in dogs

OBJECTIVE: To compare analgesic effects of ketoprofen, oxymorphone hydrochloride, and butorphanol when used to control postoperative pain associated with elective orthopedic surgery in dogs. DESIGN: Prospective randomized clinical trial. ANIMALS: 70 dogs undergoing orthopedic surgery on a hind limb. PROCEDURE: Dogs were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 postoperative analgesic treatment groups: ketoprofen alone, oxymorphone alone, butorphanol alone, or ketoprofen-oxymorphone. Drugs were given IM at the end of anesthesia. Pain score, sedation score, arterial blood pressures, arterial blood gas partial pressures, and plasma cortisol concentration were measured for 12 hours after surgery. If the pain score was > or = 9, supplemental oxymorphone was administered IM. RESULTS: The proportion of dogs that did not require supplemental treatment with oxymorphone was significantly higher for the ketoprofen alone and ketoprofen-oxymorphone groups than for the oxymorphone alone group. During the first hour after surgery, pain score was lower for oxymorphone alone and ketoprofen-oxymorphone groups than for ketoprofen or butorphanol alone groups. Significant differences were not detected among groups in regard to pain score 2 and 3 hours after surgery or in regard to arterial blood pressures at any time. From 4 to 12 hours after surgery, pain score was significantly lower for the ketoprofen alone group than for other groups. Plasma cortisol concentration was significantly higher for the oxymorphone alone group 6 and 8 hours after surgery, compared with other groups. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Except during the first hour after surgery, dogs given ketoprofen alone after elective orthopedic surgery had a greater level of, and longer-lasting, analgesia than did dogs given oxymorphone or butorphanol alon

Estimating cancer risk in HNPCC by the GRL method.: GRL and cancer risk in HNPCC

International audienceHereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is an autosomal dominant syndrome caused by germline mutations of the mismatch repair (MMR) genes. Only a few studies have taken into account the selection of families tested for these mutations in estimating colorectal cancer (CRC) risk in carriers. They found much lower estimates of CRC risks than previous ones, but these estimates lacked precision despite the large number of families. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of the 'genotype restricted likelihood' (GRL) method that provides unbiased estimates of risks whatever the ascertainment process of families, and to estimate CRC and endometrial cancer risk for carriers of the MMR genes. Efficiency of the GRL method was evaluated using simulations. Risks were estimated from a sample of 36 families diagnosed with HNPCC and carrying a mutation of MSH2 or MLH1, ascertained through a cancer family clinic in Lyon (France). The efficiency of the GRL method was found to be strongly dependent on the proportion of family members tested. By age 70 years, CRC risk was estimated at 47% (95% confidence interval: 12-98%) for men and 33% (95% confidence interval: 24-54%) for women. The endometrial cancer risk was only 14% (confidence interval: 6-20%). As methods allowing for the selection of families lack efficiency, large-scale family studies should be undertaken and data should be pooled to provide reliable and precise estimates of risks for an optimal familial management

Sexe et genre des mondes culturels

Dans les mondes de la culture, les références sont nombreuses au geste artistique, à la vocation, au travail du corps ainsi qu’au désir. Que ce soit dans le travail des professionnels de l’art (comédiens, scénographes, musiciens, danseurs, plasticiens, designers, etc.), dans celui des médiateurs ou dans l’activité des amateurs, le corps – à la fois sexué et genré – occupe une place centrale, y compris lorsqu’il est absent ou recomposé numériquement via les pseudos et avatars. Ces mondes qui se veulent à l’avant-garde sur le plan artistique le sont-ils aussi sur le plan du genre ? Le talent a t-il un sexe, et si oui, est-il le même dans tous les domaines artistiques et culturels ? Comment expliquer les différences de carrière entre femmes et hommes dans des domaines où seuls le talent et la passion individuelle devraient compter ? Cet ouvrage rassemble les contributions d’une trentaine de chercheuses et chercheurs des sciences humaines et sociales, qui apportent des éclairages novateurs issus de secteurs aussi variés que ceux de la musique (jazz, rap, musiques de jeux vidéo, etc.), des arts plastiques, du livre ou encore de la danse et de l’artisanat d’art.In the “cultural worlds”, recurring references to the artistic gesture, to the incarnation of vocation and to the work on and with the body and the desire also indicate how much sex and gender are intertwined. From music “to dance” that engages the body, to erotic works, to body work done by visual artists, scenographers, dancers, but also by amateurs (including with an absent or digitally recomposed sexual body via pseudos and avatars), sex and gender are central, from production to reception and mediation. 30 humanities and social sciences researchers have joined forces to provide innovative insights on this issue by drawing on sectors as varied as music (jazz, rap, video game music, etc.), visual arts, reading, dance and crafts