Structured fibrous carbon-based catalyst for continuous nitrate removal from natural water

[EN] Bimetallic (Pd–Cu, Pd–Sn) nanoparticles supported on structured fibrous carbons (activated carbon fibers and carbon nanofibers grown on sintered metal fibers) were tested in nitrate removal of natural polluted water by hydrogen (a batch and continuous mode). Dependence of the activity/selectivity on catalyst chemical composition, promoter nature and metal particle size was studied. Sn-modified Pd nanoparticles showed higher N2 selectivity as compared to Cu-modified ones. The structured (Pd–Sn) nanoparticles supported on carbon nanofibers grown on Inconel sintered metal fibers demonstrated the best catalytic performance in an open flow reactor, providing optimal hydrodynamics properties.This work was carried out with the financial support of the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. 226347.Yuranova, T.; Franch Martí, C.; Palomares Gimeno, AE.; García-Bordejé, E.; Kiwi-Minsker, L. (2012). Structured fibrous carbon-based catalyst for continuous nitrate removal from natural water. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental. 123-124:221-228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2012.04.007S221228123-12

Vaccine breakthrough hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia in patients with auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs

Life-threatening `breakthrough' cases of critical COVID-19 are attributed to poor or waning antibody response to the SARS- CoV-2 vaccine in individuals already at risk. Pre-existing autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I IFNs underlie at least 15% of critical COVID-19 pneumonia cases in unvaccinated individuals; however, their contribution to hypoxemic breakthrough cases in vaccinated people remains unknown. Here, we studied a cohort of 48 individuals ( age 20-86 years) who received 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine and developed a breakthrough infection with hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia 2 weeks to 4 months later. Antibody levels to the vaccine, neutralization of the virus, and auto- Abs to type I IFNs were measured in the plasma. Forty-two individuals had no known deficiency of B cell immunity and a normal antibody response to the vaccine. Among them, ten (24%) had auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs (aged 43-86 years). Eight of these ten patients had auto-Abs neutralizing both IFN-a2 and IFN-., while two neutralized IFN-omega only. No patient neutralized IFN-ss. Seven neutralized 10 ng/mL of type I IFNs, and three 100 pg/mL only. Seven patients neutralized SARS-CoV-2 D614G and the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) efficiently, while one patient neutralized Delta slightly less efficiently. Two of the three patients neutralizing only 100 pg/mL of type I IFNs neutralized both D61G and Delta less efficiently. Despite two mRNA vaccine inoculations and the presence of circulating antibodies capable of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2, auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs may underlie a significant proportion of hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia cases, highlighting the importance of this particularly vulnerable population

Management of COVID-19 in a French Nursing Home: Experiences from a Multidisciplinary Mobile Team

International audienceBackground: Long-term residential care facilities and nursing homes are known to be particularly vulnerable to viral respiratory diseases and have expressed the need for multidisciplinary collaboration to help manage outbreaks when they occur. Method: In April 2020, Tours University Medical Center created a multidisciplinary mobile team to help local nursing homes deal with outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The team included a geriatrician, infectious disease experts, and palliative care specialists. Results: On April 8th, 2020, the first intervention took place in a 100 residents nursing home with a total of 18 confirmed cases among 26 symptomatic residents and five deaths. The nursing home staffs’ main requests were a multidisciplinary approach, consensus decision-making, and the dissemination of information on disease management. Conclusion: Three lessons emerged from this collaboration: (i) intensify collaborations between hospitals and nursing homes, (ii) limit disease transmission through the use of appropriate hygiene measures, broad screening, and the isolation of sick residents and sick employees, and (iii) provide sufficient human resources

Reform of the third cycle of medical studies: One year after, what is the record concerning infectious diseases?

In 2017, the reform of the third cycle of medical studies (French acronym R3C) entailed a complete upheaval with, among other aspects, the creation of a new diploma of specialized studies (French acronym DES) including the creation of the infectious and tropical diseases specialty (French acronym MIT). The MIT specialty was integrated within a co-DES together with internal medicine and clinical immunology (French acronym MIIC) and allergolog

Influence of pedoclimatic factors on grapevine performance and berry ripening: Preliminary results of Chardonnay grown in Friuli Venezia Giulia region, Italy

The concept of terroir is widely used in the wine industry, and many studies are undertaken to better understand the influence of local terrain features on produced wines. In this context, this study monitored nine Chardonnay plots in the Fruili wine region of Italy to gather information on grapevine growth and berry ripening. The study objective was to define viticulture potentialities allowing to identify future strategies for the production of a \u201csingle vineyard\u201d Chardonnay wine at the Vie di Romans estate, Italy. During the growing season of 2017, relations were studied between terrain features and field observations on vine phenology and grape ripening. Stem water potential and gas exchange measurements were also effectuated. Results show that there are significant differences between the studied plots. Earliness of the grapevine cycle between the plots has been less evident to determine than the variation in berry characteristics. The latter were linked with identified pedoclimatic units, but the effect of the cultural practices should not be overlooked. The study should be perceived as a first monitoring campaign, highlighting the important differences between study plots. Further investigation in the following seasons should give a more accurate perception of individual plot characteristics and their impacts

Linezolid-Related Adverse Events Predictive Score (LAPS): Usefulness in Clinical Practice

International audienc

Multidisciplinary team meeting for complex bone and joint infections diagnosis: The PHICTOS study

International audienceBackground: In France, the most severe bone and joint infections (BJI), called "complex" (CBJI), are assessed in a multidisciplinary team meeting (MTM) in a reference center. However, the definition of CBJI, drawn up by the Health Ministry, is not consensual between physicians. The objective was to estimate the agreement for CBJI classification.Methods: Initially, five experts from one MTM classified twice, one-month apart, 24 cases as non-BJI, simple BJI or CBJI, using the complete medical record. Secondly, six MTMs classified the same cases using standardized information. Agreements were estimated using Fleiss and Cohen kappa (κ) coefficients.Results: Inter-expert agreement during one MTM was moderate (κ=0.49), and fair (κ=0.23) when the four non-BJIs were excluded. Intra-expert agreement was moderate (κ=0.50, range 0.27-0.90), not improved with experience. The overall inter-MTM agreement was moderate (κ=0.58), it was better between MTMs with professor (κ=0.65) than without (κ=0.51) and with longer median time per case (κ=0.60) than shorter (κ=0.47). When the four non-BJIs were excluded, the overall agreement decreased (κ=0.40).Conclusion: The first step confirmed the heterogeneity of CBJI classification between experts. The seemingly better inter-MTM than inter-expert agreement could be an argument in favour of MTMs, which are moreover a privileged place to enhance expertise. Further studies are needed to assess these results as well as the quality of care and medico-economic outcomes after a MTM