Implications of the spatial variability of infiltration-water chemistry for the investigation of a karst aquifer: a field study at Milandre test site, Swiss Jura

The Milandre test site is an ideal karstic aquifer for studying the spatial heterogeneity of groundwater chemistry. Numerous observation points can be sampled: the spring, the underground river and its tributaries, and boreholes at different depths. The main causes of the spatial variability of the chemical parameters are: nature and localisation of the input, the structure of the infiltration zone, chemical reactions (transit time vs. reaction kinetics) and mixing of different waters. Physico-chemical data on springs discharging from the karstic system represent the sum of this spatial heterogeneity. Therefore, it is difficult to interpret the global-chemical response with a simple mixing model of the aquifer subsystems (runoff, matrix reservoir, epikarst). Chemical constituents related to agricultural inputs show important seasonal variations (coefficient of variation approximately 15%) and parameters linked to rainfall (δ18O) and to the aquifer (Ca2+, HCO3 −) present variations of less than 5%. This result indicates the importance of water storage in the epikarstic aquifer for periods of a few month

A Case of Overlapping Choriocapillaritis Syndromes: Multimodal Imaging Appraisal

Purpose: To present a patient with overlapping choriocapillaritis syndromes who first presented as a typical case of multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) and later with characteristic findings compatible with multifocal choroiditis (MFC). Case Report: A 40-year-old myopic woman presented with a paracentral scotoma OS. Fundus examination revealed pale discolored areas around the optic disc corresponding to faintly hyperfluorescent areas on fluorescein angiography (FA). On indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) there was extensive peripapillary hypofluorescence and confluent hypofluorescent dots superiorly. According to the clinical picture, a diagnosis of MEWDS was made. In 4 weeks, the visual field reverted to normal together with almost complete regression of hypofluorescence on ICGA. However, 4 months later fundus examination revealed some scars, a finding not typical for MEWDS. Besides, she developed another scotoma 12 months later accompanied by photopsia and the fundus illustrated more numerous scars than one year earlier. ICGA showed hypofluorescent areas corresponding to the scotoma delineated by visual field testing. The pattern of this recurrence clearly corresponded to MFC. Conclusion: This case illustrates an overlap between two entities, MEWDS and MFC in two sequential episodes. FA and fundus autofluorescence accounted for the lesions and optical coherence tomography showed damage to the photoreceptor outer segments, but only ICGA correlated well with functional evolution

Correlates of extracurricular sport participation among Swiss adolescents

Background: Based on a large national survey on the health of adolescents, this paper focuses on the socio-demographic and lifestyle correlates of sport practice among Swiss adolescents. The SMASH2002 database includes 7428 vocational apprentices and high school students between the ages of 16 and 20 who answered a self-administered anonymous questionnaire containing 565 items targeting perceived health, health attitudes and behaviour. Weekly episodes of extracurricular sport activity were measured by a four-category scale, and the sample was dichotomised between active (≥two episodes of sport/week) and inactive (<two episodes of sport/week) respondents. Thirty percent of female respondents and 40.2% of male respondents reported engaging in sport activity at least two to three times a week; another 9.7% of the female and 19.4% of the male respondents reported participating in least one sport activity each day (p<0.01). The percentage of active respondents was higher among students than among vocational apprentices (p<.01), and the rates of sport activity decreased more sharply over time among the apprentices than among the students (p<0.01). Most active adolescents reported having a better feeling of well-being than their inactive peers [among male students: odds ratio (OR): 3.13; 95% confidence interval (95%CI): 1.28-7.70]. The percentage of active females who reported being on a diet was high, and female apprentices exhibited higher involvement in dieting than their inactive peers (OR: 1.68; 95%CI: 1.32-2.14). Relative to the inactive male respondents, the proportion of active male respondents smoking was lower; however, a lower proportion of the latter group did not report drunkenness, and the percentage of those who reported lifetime cannabis consumption was higher among active than inactive students (females, OR:1.57; 95%CI:1.09-2.25; males, OR:1.80; 95%CI: 20-2.69). Conclusion: Organised sport activities should be better tailored to the work schedules of apprentices. Practitioners should be aware of the potential for problematic behaviour in the area of dieting and substance use among a subset of sport-oriented adolescent

Appropriate counseling approach to disclose HIV status to HIV-infected children: Chiradzulu, Malawi

Mexico AIDS Conference 200

Response to Interferon-Beta Treatment in Afro-Caribbeans with Multiple Sclerosis

Background. Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients of African ancestry have a more aggressive disease course than white patients and could be resistant to interferon-beta (INFB). Methods. We studied the impact of INFB in treatment-naive Afro-Caribbean (AC) with clinically definite MS using our European Database for Multiple Sclerosis (EDMUS) (2003–2010). Main outcome measures were annual relapse rate after 2 years of treatment, proportion of exacerbation-free subjects 48 weeks after initiating INFB, and time to first relapse. Results. 76 AC-MS (59F/17M) were identified. Annual relapse rate of 1.29 decreased to 0.83 (−35.6%) after 2 years of treatment. The proportion of relapse-free patients at 48 weeks was 46.2%. Median time to first relapse was 52 weeks. Conclusion. INFB is not strong enough to control AC-MS patients in many cases which is problematic in a population of worse MS prognosis

Anti-trypanosomal antibodies in sequentially collected sera of N'Dama cattle under natural trypanosomiasis risk in The Gambia

Investigates the time of appearance and the persistence of antibodies in N'Dama cattle bitten by infected tsetse flies under controlled conditions, the serology of village animals exposed to natural trypanosomiasis risk and the time of appearance and duration of anti-trypanosomal antibodies through the monthly collection of serum samples from calves following birth

Les comportements face au VIH/sida parmi les migrants originaires d'Afrique subsaharienne en Suisse : Enquête ANSWER 2013-2014

L'enquête Internet ANSWER (African Net Survey WE Respond!) auprès des migrants provenant d'Afrique subsaharienne (ASS) a été menée entre septembre 2013 et février 2014, sur mandat de l'OFSP et avec la collaboration de l'ASS. Cette enquête s'inscrit dans le cadre du mandat de surveillance épidémiologique de deuxième génération du VIH et des autres IST auquel l'IUMSP participe activement. Le but de cette enquête a été de décrire dans cette population les connaissances, attitudes et comportements (en particulier, les comportements sexuels, l'usage de préservatifs et la réalisation de tests de dépistage du VIH) en lien avec la prévention du VIH et des autres infections sexuellement transmissibles. Une analyse exploratoire de facteurs associés à certains comportements (partenaires multiples, utilisation de préservatifs, réalisation de tests) a également été menée. Il s'agissait d'une enquête par Internet auto-administrée disponible en 7 langues, à laquelle les personnes originaires d'Afrique subsaharienne étaient invitées à participer. Un groupe d'accompagnement composé de professionnels de la prévention du VIH et de médiateurs culturels de différents pays africains a participé activement à toutes les étapes du projet (conception du questionnaire, traductions, cognitive testing, promotion de l'enquête, mobilisation communautaire)

How to identify and recruit nurses to a survey 14 and 24 years after graduation in a context of scarce data: lessons learnt from the 2012 nurses at work pilot study on nurses' career paths.

BACKGROUND: Nursing workforce data are scarce in Switzerland, with no active national registry of nurses. The worldwide nursing shortage is also affecting Switzerland, so that evidence-based results of the nurses at work project on career paths and retention are needed as part of the health care system stewardship; nurses at work is a retrospective cohort study of nurses who graduated in Swiss nursing schools in the last 30 years. Results of the pilot study are presented here (process and feasibility). The objectives are (1) to determine the size and structure of the potential target population by approaching two test-cohorts of nursing graduates (1988 and 1998); (2) to test methods of identifying and reaching them 14 and 24 years after graduation; (3) to compute participation rates, and identify recruitment and participation biases. METHODS: Graduates' names were retrieved from 26 Swiss nursing schools: 488 nurses from the 1988 cohort and 597 from 1998 were invited to complete a web-based questionnaire. Initial updated addresses (n = 278, seed sample) were found using the Swiss Nursing Association member file. In addition, a snowball method was applied for recruitment, where directly-contacted respondents provided additional names of graduate mates or sent them the invitation. The study was further advertized through the main employers, study partners, and a press release. RESULTS: Participation rate was 26.5% (n = 287), higher for the older cohort of 1988 (29.7%, n = 145) than for 1998 (15.6%, n = 93). Additional nurses (n = 363) not belonging to the test cohorts also answered. All schools were represented among respondents. Only 18 respondents (6%) worked outside nursing or not at all. Among respondents, 94% would 'probably' or 'maybe' agree to participate in the main study. CONCLUSION: The pilot study demonstrated that targeted nurses could be identified and approached. There is an overwhelming interest in the project from them and from policymakers. Recommendations to increase nurses' participation rate for nurses at work include: (1) to open nurses at work recruitment to all nurses in Switzerland, while recreating cohorts post-hoc for relevant analysis; (2) to define a comprehensive communication strategy with special attention to graduate nurses who are harder to reach

LISA ON TABLE: AN OPTICAL SIMULATOR FOR LISA

LISA, the first space project for detecting gravitational waves, relies on two main technical challenges: the free falling masses and an outstanding precision on phase shift measurements (a few pm on 5 Mkm in the LISA band). The technology of the free falling masses, i.e. their isolation to forces other than gravity and the capability for the spacecraft to precisely follow the test masses, will soon be tested with the technological LISA Pathfinder mission. The performance of the phase measurement will be achieved by at least two stabilization stages: a pre-stabilisation of the laser frequency at a level of 10-13 (relative frequency stability) will be further improved by using numerical algorithms, such as Time Delay Interferometry, which have been theoretically and numerically demonstrated to reach the required performance level (10-21). Nevertheless, these algorithms, though already tested with numerical model of LISA, require experimental validation, including 'realistic' hardware elements. Such an experiment would allow to evaluate the expected noise level and the possible interactions between subsystems. To this end, the APC is currently developing an optical benchtop experiment, called LISA On Table (LOT), which is representative of the three LISA spacecraft. A first module of the LOT experiment has been mounted and is being characterized. After completion this facility may be used by the LISA community to test hardware (photodiodes, phasemeters) or software (reconstruction algorithms) components

IL-6 and leukemia-inhibitory factor are involved in the generation of tumor-associated macrophage: regulation by IFN-γ

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), the most abundant immunosuppressive myeloid cells in the tumor microenvironment, exhibit an IL-10highIL-12low profile called M2, opposite to the immunostimulatory M1. We reported that ovarian cancer ascites switched monocyte differentiation into TAM-like cells that exhibit most phenotypic and functional characteristics of TAMs, suggesting that soluble mediators are involved in the differentiation of monocytes into TAM-like cells. We observed that leukemia-inhibitory factor and IL-6, present at high concentrations in ovarian cancer ascites, skew monocyte differentiation into TAM-like cells by increasing macrophage colony-stimulating factor consumption. Moreover, we observed that IFN-γ switches established TAMs into immunostimulatory M1 cells and skews monocyte differentiation from TAM-like cells to M1s. In addition to revealing a new tumor-escape mechanism associated with TAM generation via leukemia-inhibitory factor and IL-6, these findings offer novel therapeutic perspectives to subvert TAM-induced immunosuppression and to improve antitumor immunotherapy efficacy