EPIQR-TOBUS: a new generation of refurbishment decision aid methods

In a large majority of European countries, the amount of maintenance and refurbishment works represents nearly 50% of the total amount spent in the building sector. New requirements are being added to the necessity of maintaining or re-establishing the building stock's usage value. They are linked to the determination to reduce energy consumption, pollutant emissions, work site wastes, to improve the Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) and all the modern conveniences inside buildings. Two European projects, EPIQR (réf. nr.: JOR3-CT96-0044) and TOBUS (réf. nr.: JOR3-CT98-Û235), developed in the IIIrd and IVth framework programs put the foundations of a new generation of refurbishment decision aid tools. A structured diagnosis scheme covering the state of deterioration of the building elements, energy performance, indoor environment quality, functional obsolescence offer a new concept which helps architects and engineers to approach the building refurbishment with a global view of the whole process, to take informed decisions, to construct coherent refurbishment scenarii and calculate a reasonable investment budget in the very first stage of the refurbishment project. EPIQR project addresses residential buildings and it has been finished in 1998, TOBUS addresses office buildings and it is still in course. The support of these methods is a multimedia computer program. Several modules help the users to treat the data collected during a diagnosis survey, to set up refurbishment scenarii and calculate their cost or energy performance, and finally to visualise the results in a comprehensive way and to prepare quality reports. This paper presents the structure and the main features of the method and softwar

Interdisciplinary Medication Adherence Program: The Example of a University Community Pharmacy in Switzerland.

The Community Pharmacy of the Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine (Policlinique Médicale Universitaire, PMU), University of Lausanne, developed and implemented an interdisciplinary medication adherence program. The program aims to support and reinforce medication adherence through a multifactorial and interdisciplinary intervention. Motivational interviewing is combined with medication adherence electronic monitors (MEMS, Aardex MWV) and a report to patient, physician, nurse, and other pharmacists. This program has become a routine activity and was extended for use with all chronic diseases. From 2004 to 2014, there were 819 patient inclusions, and 268 patients were in follow-up in 2014. This paper aims to present the organization and program's context, statistical data, published research, and future perspectives

Role of MUC1 rs4072037 polymorphism and serum KL-6 levels in patients with antisynthetase syndrome

Biomarkers; Idiopathic inflammatory myopathiesBiomarcadores; Miopatías inflamatorias idiopáticasBiomarcadors; Miopaties inflamatòries idiopàtiquesMucin 1/Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) is proposed as a serum biomarker of several interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), including connective tissue disorders associated with ILD. However, it has not been studied in a large cohort of Caucasian antisynthetase syndrome (ASSD) patients. Consequently, we assessed the role of MUC1 rs4072037 and serum KL-6 levels as a potential biomarker of ASSD susceptibility and for the differential diagnosis between patients with ILD associated with ASSD (ASSD-ILD +) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). 168 ASSD patients (149 ASSD-ILD +), 174 IPF patients and 523 healthy controls were genotyped for MUC1 rs4072037 T > C. Serum KL-6 levels were determined in a subgroup of individuals. A significant increase of MUC1 rs4072037 CC genotype and C allele frequencies was observed in ASSD patients compared to healthy controls. Likewise, MUC1 rs4072037 TC and CC genotypes and C allele frequencies were significantly different between ASSD-ILD+ and IPF patients. Additionally, serum KL-6 levels were significantly higher in ASSD patients compared to healthy controls. Nevertheless, no differences in serum KL-6 levels were found between ASSD-ILD+ and IPF patients. Our results suggest that the presence of MUC1 rs4072037 C allele increases the risk of ASSD and it could be a useful genetic biomarker for the differential diagnosis between ASSD-ILD+ and IPF patients.Study partially supported by a grant from Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR 474-2017) and from Euronanomed III / Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (AC17/00027) awarded to SC. SR-M is supported by funds of the RETICS Program (RD16/0012/0009) from the ISCIII, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. BA-M is recipient of a ‘López Albo’ Post-Residency Programme funded by Servicio Cántabro de Salud. VP-C is supported by a pre-doctoral grant from IDIVAL (PREVAL 18/01). LL-G is supported by funds from IDIVAL (INNVAL 20/06). RP-F is supported by funds of START project (FOREUM18/34). DP-P is a recipient of a Río Hortega programme fellowship from the ISCIII, co-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF, ‘Investing in your future’) (CM20/00006). OG is staff personnel of Xunta de Galicia (Servizo Galego de Saude (SERGAS)) through a research-staff stabilization contract (ISCIII/SERGAS) and his work is funded by ISCIII and the European Union FEDER fund (RD16/0012/0014 (RIER) and PI17/00409). He is beneficiary of project funds from the Research Executive Agency (REA) of the European Union in the framework of MSCA-RISE Action of the H2020 Programme, Project 734899—Olive-Net. RL-M is a recipient of a Miguel Servet type I programme fellowship from the ISCIII, co-funded by the ESF (CP16/00033)

A role for the mevalonate pathway in early plant symbiotic signaling

Rhizobia and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi produce signals that are perceived by host legume receptors at the plasma membrane and trigger sustained oscillations of the nuclear and perinuclear Ca(2+) concentration (Ca(2+) spiking), which in turn leads to gene expression and downstream symbiotic responses. The activation of Ca(2+) spiking requires the plasma membrane-localized receptor-like kinase Does not Make Infections 2 (DMI2) as well as the nuclear cation channel DMI1. A key enzyme regulating the mevalonate (MVA) pathway, 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl CoA Reductase 1 (HMGR1), interacts with DMI2 and is required for the legume-rhizobium symbiosis. Here, we show that HMGR1 is required to initiate Ca(2+) spiking and symbiotic gene expression in Medicago truncatula roots in response to rhizobial and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal signals. Furthermore, MVA, the direct product of HMGR1 activity, is sufficient to induce nuclear-associated Ca(2+) spiking and symbiotic gene expression in both wild-type plants and dmi2 mutants, but interestingly not in dmi1 mutants. Finally, MVA induced Ca(2+) spiking in Human Embryonic Kidney 293 cells expressing DMI1. This demonstrates that the nuclear cation channel DMI1 is sufficient to support MVA-induced Ca(2+) spiking in this heterologous system

Photoinduced HS state in the first spin-crossover chain containing a cyanocarbanion as bridging ligand

A new polymeric approach, based on cyanocarbanion ligands, for the design of spin crossover (SCO) compounds led us to the compound [Fe(abpt)2(tcpd)] (1) (tcpd^2 = (C[C(CN)2|3)^2 , abpt = 4-amino-3,5-bis(pyridin-2-yl)-1,2,4-triazole) which has been characterised as the first SCO molecular chain involving a cyanocarbanion as bridging ligand.Gomez Garcia, Carlos Jose, [email protected]

Participants' uptake of clinical trial results: a randomised experiment

BJC OPENInternational audienceBACKGROUND: Participants are showing great interest these days in obtaining the results of clinical trials. The aim of this study was to assess patients' uptake and understanding of the results of the trial in which they have participated and the impact of a letter offering patients the possibility of consulting the trial results on a specific website. METHODS: Breast cancer patients participating in a trial on the efficacy of Trastuzumab were randomly subdivided into an Internet group (who received the letter of invitation) and a control group (who did not receive it). Among 115 HER2-positive women from 21 centres, 107 (93%) answered a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: Most of the patients in both groups had access to the Internet (72.0%). The majority (97.2%) stated that receiving information about the trial results would be useful, and the oncologist was the most frequently preferred information provider. The Internet group's declared uptake of the trial results was only slightly higher (47.1% vs 33.9%; P=0.166); however, they understood the results significantly more accurately (18.8% vs 5.6%; P=0.039). INTERPRETATION: Although Internet was not the respondents' preferred source of information, the possibility of using this source slightly increased the uptake and understanding of the results