L’aventura cosmopolita de l'Agret

Una planta familiar amb curiositats sorprenent

Factores predictivos de localización dificultosa del espacio epidural: Faitot V, Ourchane R, Dahmani S, Magheru M, Nebout S, Gomas F, Katz A, Salomon L, Keïta-Meyer H. An observational study of factors leading to difficulty in resident anaesthesiologists identifying the epidural space in obstetric patients. Int J Obstet Anesth 2011, 20:124-127

Los múltiples intentos en la colocación de una aguja epidural ocasionan molestias a las pacientes y pueden provocar complicaciones: cefalea postpunción dural, punción traumática de un nervio o hematoma espinal. El objetivo de este estudio es identificar los factores que dificultan la canulación del espacio epidural en residentes sin experiencia en anestesia obstétrica. En estudios previos la experiencia del anestesiólogo resultaba controvertida

Evaluation of a lime-mediated sewage sludge stabilisation process. Product characterisation and technological validation for its use in the cement industry

This paper describes an industrial process for stabilising sewage sludge (SS) with lime and evaluates the viability of the stabilised product, denominated Neutral, as a raw material for the cement industry. Lime not only stabilised the sludge, raised the temperature of the mix to 80-100 °C, furthering water evaporation, portlandite formation and the partial oxidation of the organic matter present in the sludge. Process mass and energy balances were determined. Neutral, a white powder consisting of portlandite (49.8%), calcite (16.6%), inorganic oxides (13.4%) and organic matter and moisture (20.2%), proved to be technologically apt for inclusion as a component in cement raw mixes. In this study, it was used instead of limestone in raw mixes clinkerised at 1400, 1450 and 1500 °C. These raw meals exhibited greater reactivity at high temperatures than the limestone product and their calcination at 1500 °C yielded clinker containing over 75% calcium silicates, the key phases in Portland clinker. Finally, the two types of raw meal (Neutral and limestone) were observed to exhibit similar mineralogy and crystal size and distribution. © 2011.Peer Reviewe

The effects on population health status of using dedicated property taxes to fund local public health agencies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In the United States, a dedicated property tax describes the legal authority given to a local jurisdiction to levy and collect a tax for a specific purpose. We investigated for an association of locally dedicated property taxes to fund local public health agencies and improved health status in the eight states designated as the Mississippi Delta Region.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed the difference in health outcomes of counties with and without a dedicated public health tax after adjusting for a set of control variables using regression models for county level data from 720 counties of the Mississippi Delta Region.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Levying a dedicated public health tax for counties with per capita income above $28,000 is associated with improved health outcomes of those counties when compared to counties without a dedicated property tax for public health. Alternatively, levying a dedicated property tax in counties with lower per capita income is associated with poor health outcomes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>There are both positive and negative consequences of using dedicated property taxes to fund public health. Policymakers should carefully examine both the positive association of improved health outcomes and negative impact of taxation on poor populations before authorizing the use of dedicated local property tax levies to fund public health agencies.</p

Heterogeneity within AML with CEBPA mutations; only CEBPA double mutations, but not single CEBPA mutations are associated with favourable prognosis

CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (CEBPA) mutations in AML are associated with favourable prognosis and are divided into N- and C-terminal mutations. The majority of AML patients have both types of mutations. We assessed the prognostic significance of single (n=7) and double (n=12) CEBPA mutations among 224 AML patients. Double CEBPA mutations conferred a decisively favourable overall (P=0.006) and disease-free survival (P=0.013). However, clinical outcome of patients with single CEBPA mutations was not different from CEBPA wild-type patients. In a multivariable analysis, only double – but not single – CEBPA mutations were identified as independent prognostic factors. These findings indicate heterogeneity within AML patients with CEBPA mutations

Gene regulation in parthenocarpic tomato fruit

Parthenocarpy is potentially a desirable trait for many commercially grown fruits if undesirable changes to structure, flavour, or nutrition can be avoided. Parthenocarpic transgenic tomato plants (cv MicroTom) were obtained by the regulation of genes for auxin synthesis (iaaM) or responsiveness (rolB) driven by DefH9 or the INNER NO OUTER (INO) promoter from Arabidopsis thaliana. Fruits at a breaker stage were analysed at a transcriptomic and metabolomic level using microarrays, real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and a Pegasus III TOF (time of flight) mass spectrometer. Although differences were observed in the shape of fully ripe fruits, no clear correlation could be made between the number of seeds, transgene, and fruit size. Expression of auxin synthesis or responsiveness genes by both of these promoters produced seedless parthenocarpic fruits. Eighty-three percent of the genes measured showed no significant differences in expression due to parthenocarpy. The remaining 17% with significant variation (P <0.05) (1748 genes) were studied by assigning a predicted function (when known) based on BLAST to the TAIR database. Among them several genes belong to cell wall, hormone metabolism and response (auxin in particular), and metabolism of sugars and lipids. Up-regulation of lipid transfer proteins and differential expression of several indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)- and ethylene-associated genes were observed in transgenic parthenocarpic fruits. Despite differences in several fatty acids, amino acids, and other metabolites, the fundamental metabolic profile remains unchanged. This work showed that parthenocarpy with ovule-specific alteration of auxin synthesis or response driven by the INO promoter could be effectively applied where such changes are commercially desirable

Lichen rehydration in heavy metal polluted environments: Pb modulates the oxidative response of both Ramalina farinacea thalli and its isolated microalgae

Lichens are adapted to desiccation/rehydration and accumulate heavy metals, which induce ROS especially from the photobiont photosynthetic pigments. Although their mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance are still to be unravelled, they seem related to symbionts' reciprocal upregulation of antioxidant systems. With the aim to study the effect of Pb on oxidative status during rehydration, the kinetics of intracellular ROS, lipid peroxidation and chlorophyll autofluorescence of whole Ramalina farinacea thalli and its isolated microalgae (Trebouxia TR1 and T. TR9) was recorded. A genetic characterization of the microalgae present in the thalli used was also carried out in order to assess possible correlations among the relative abundance of each phycobiont, their individual physiological responses and that of the entire thallus. Unexpectedly, Pb decreased ROS and lipid peroxidation in thalli and its phycobionts, associated with a lower chlorophyll autofluorescence. Each phycobiont showed a particular pattern, but the oxidative response of the thallus paralleled the TR1's, agreeing with the genetic identification of this strain as the predominant phycobiont. We conclude that: (1) the lichen oxidative behaviour seems to be modulated by the predominant phycobiont and (2) Pb evokes in R. farinacea and its phycobionts strong mechanisms to neutralize its own oxidant effects along with those of rehydration