An evaluation of the effect of the 2003 reform on the retirement behaviour - The case of public secondary-school teachers

While a new retirement pension reform is currently discussed in France, it is crucial to evaluate previous reforms. Up to now, no evaluation of the 2003 reform is available, particularly for civil servants. This article deals with the impact of this reform on the retirement behaviour of public secondary-school teachers. On the one hand, the reform has had an impact on the retirement behaviour of secondary-school teachers who still work at 60. The probability to retire between 60 and 61 years old for those who have paid their social contributions for 37.5 years at 60 years old drops by 9 points. On the other hand, the reform seems to have changed teachers willingness to get the so-called full-pension rate. When the number of missing quarters of social contributions required to benefit from the full pension rate at 60 years old is low, the reform is not found to induce teachers born after 1944 to postpone their retirement after 61 years old. But a large number of missing quarters has still the same effect before and after the reform.retirement pension reform, public secondary-school teachers, propensity score matching, regression-discontinuity

Gas permeation through a polymer network

We study the diffusion of gas molecules through a two-dimensional network of polymers with the help of Monte Carlo simulations. The polymers are modeled as non-interacting random walks on the bonds of a two-dimensional square lattice, while the gas particles occupy the lattice cells. When a particle attempts to jump to a nearest-neighbor empty cell, it has to overcome an energy barrier which is determined by the number of polymer segments on the bond separating the two cells. We investigate the gas current $J$ as a function of the mean segment density $\rho$, the polymer length $\ell$ and the probability $q^{m}$ for hopping across $m$ segments. Whereas $J$ decreases monotonically with $\rho$ for fixed $\ell$, its behavior for fixed $\rho$ and increasing $\ell$ depends strongly on $q$. For small, non-zero $q$, $J$ appears to increase slowly with $\ell$. In contrast, for $q=0$, it is dominated by the underlying percolation problem and can be non-monotonic. We provide heuristic arguments to put these interesting phenomena into context.Comment: Dedicated to Lothar Schaefer on the occasion of his 60th birthday. 11 pages, 3 figure

Neonates with SARS-CoV-2 infection: spectrum of disease from a prospective nationwide observational cohort study.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can be more severe in infants than in older children. To date, only a few case series have reported data on neonates with COVID-19, including mostly asymptomatic neonates who were tested because of exposure to maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study summarises nationwide epidemiological data, clinical characteristics, treatment and outcomes of neonates presenting with symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Data were prospectively collected through the Swiss Paediatric Surveillance Unit from hospitalised neonates with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (positive polymerase chain reaction on a respiratory sample) from 1 March 2020 to 31 September 2021. All 29 paediatric hospitals in Switzerland reported cases. In total, 73 neonates were included; 7 (10%) were preterm. The median age at presentation was 17 days (interquartile range [IQR] 11-23); 40 (55%) were female. The majority of neonates (64, 88%) were admitted from home. Nine (12%) had a pre-existing medical condition. Overall, the most common symptom recorded was fever in 52 (71%), followed by rhinorrhoea or nasal congestion in 32 (44%) and respiratory distress in 19 (26%). Twenty (27%) neonates presented with fever without a source. Seven (10%) neonates were admitted to an intensive care unit (5 for respiratory failure and 2 for monitoring). One (1%) neonate required inotropic support. The median length of hospital stay in term neonates was 4 days (IQR 3-5). Two (3%) were treated with corticosteroids and 1 (1%) with remdesivir. In total, 60 (82%) neonates had contact with a known or suspected SARS-CoV-2 index case. All of the 71 neonates for whom data were available were discharged to their homes without symptoms. In neonates, COVID-19 mainly presents with fever, and symptoms of upper and lower respiratory tract infection. The clinical course is mostly mild, requiring a short period of hospitalisation. COVID-19 needs to be added as a differential diagnosis in neonates who present with fever without a source. However, the presence of SARS-CoV-2 should not deter from the search for a serious bacterial infection. Further data from surveillance studies are needed to better understand COVID-19 in neonates, guide therapy and to evaluate whether the clinical spectrum is changing with new SARS-CoV-2 variants

The striatal dopamine transporter in first-episode, drug-naive schizophrenic patients: evaluation by the new SPECT-ligand[99mTc]TRODAT-1

Following the current hypothesis that acute schizophrenic psychotic illness is associated with a triatal ‘hyperdopaminergic state’, presynaptic integrity and dopamine transporter (DAT) density in first-episode, neuroleptic-naive schizophrenic patients was measured by single-photonemission- tomography (SPECT) and compared with that in healthy control subjects. A new SPECT-ligand for assessment of the striatal DAT, the Technetium-99m-labelled tropane TRODAT-1 ([99mTc]TRODAT-1), was used. Ten inpatients suffering from a first acute schizophrenic episode and 10 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects underwent SPECT with [99mTc]TRODAT-1. On the day of SPECT, psychopathological ratings were performed with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Schedule for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). Patients had not previously received any neuroleptic or antidepressant medication. Mean specific TRODAT-1 binding in the striatum did not differ significantly between the patient and the age- and sex-matched control group (1.25 vs. 1.28). Variance was significantly higher in the patient group. The data obtained with the new ligand in first-episode, drug-naive schizophrenic patients are in line with the PET results from the group of Laakso et al. in a comparable patient sample. [99mTc]TRODAT-1 seems to be a valuable new SPECTligand in the evaluation of the presynaptic site of the striatal dopaminergic synapse in schizophrenia

Adultery and the Rumor Mill: les bourgeois de Molinchart and El gran galeoto

This article seeks to challenge interpretations of the adultery plot as a subversive current in nineteenth-century literature by examining two texts that are often dismissed by contemporary critics: Les bourgeois de Molinchart (1854), a novel by the French writer Champfleury (the pseudonym of Jules Husson), and El gran Galeoto (1881), a play by the Spanish playwright Jos, Echegaray. In each of these works, the rumor of the adultery precedes and to a large extent precipitates the infidelity at the end of the work. In committing adultery, therefore, the protagonists are not rising up against social norms so much as capitulating to the expectations of society, enacting a plot that has been projected upon them. The essay compares and contrasts the treatment of the rumor mill in the two works and examines the literary strategies that the writers use to undercut a transgressive reading of the infidelity plot

Case Report: Case Series of Children With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Switzerland.

Since the beginning of the severe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, an increasing number of countries reported cases of a systemic hyperinflammatory condition defined as multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). The clinical features of MIS-C can be an overlap of Kawasaki Disease (KD), Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS), or have often an acute abdominal presentation. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is recommended as first line therapy in KD. Recent evidence suggests intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) resistance in some cases of SARS-CoV-2 related MIS-C, thereby questioning the benefit of immunomodulators such as IL-1 or IL-6 blocking agents. We report on a cohort of 6 Swiss children with SARS-CoV2 related MIS-C presenting with clinical features compatible with Incomplete KD and Toxic Shock Syndrome associated to a cytokine storm. Serum cytokine profile investigations showed increased IL1RA levels (8 to 22-fold) in 5 of the 6 patients (one patient had not been tested), whereas, IL-6 serum levels were increased only in the 3 patients of the 6 who were tested. With exception of one patient who had only benefited by Anakinra, all patients received at least one dose of IVIG. One patient has only received Anakinra with favorable evolution, and three patients had also a steroid treatment. In addition to all this anti-inflammatory medication two patients have also received one dose of anti-IL6. In conclusion, our case series reports on clinical and laboratory findings of most of Swiss cases with MIS-C and suggests the use of Anakinra as an alternative to steroids in these children, most of whom presented with high IL-1RA levels

Comparing cortical signatures of atrophy between late-onset and autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease

Defining a signature of cortical regions of interest preferentially affected by Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology may offer improved sensitivity to early AD compared to hippocampal volume or mesial temporal lobe alone. Since late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) participants tend to have age-related comorbidities, the younger-onset age in autosomal dominant AD (ADAD) may provide a more idealized model of cortical thinning in AD. To test this, the goals of this study were to compare the degree of overlap between the ADAD and LOAD cortical thinning maps and to evaluate the ability of the ADAD cortical signature regions to predict early pathological changes in cognitively normal individuals. We defined and analyzed the LOAD cortical maps of cortical thickness in 588 participants from the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center (Knight ADRC) and the ADAD cortical maps in 269 participants from the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN) observational study. Both cohorts were divided into three groups: cognitively normal controls (nADRC = 381; nDIAN = 145), preclinical (nADRC = 153; nDIAN = 76), and cognitively impaired (nADRC = 54; nDIAN = 48). Both cohorts underwent clinical assessments, 3T MRI, and amyloid PET imaging with either 11C-Pittsburgh compound B or 18F-florbetapir. To generate cortical signature maps of cortical thickness, we performed a vertex-wise analysis between the cognitively normal controls and impaired groups within each cohort using six increasingly conservative statistical thresholds to determine significance. The optimal cortical map among the six statistical thresholds was determined from a receiver operating characteristic analysis testing the performance of each map in discriminating between the cognitively normal controls and preclinical groups. We then performed within-cohort and cross-cohort (e.g. ADAD maps evaluated in the Knight ADRC cohort) analyses to examine the sensitivity of the optimal cortical signature maps to the amyloid levels using only the cognitively normal individuals (cognitively normal controls and preclinical groups) in comparison to hippocampal volume. We found the optimal cortical signature maps were sensitive to early increases in amyloid for the asymptomatic individuals within their respective cohorts and were significant beyond the inclusion of hippocampus volume, but the cortical signature maps performed poorly when analyzing across cohorts. These results suggest the cortical signature maps are a useful MRI biomarker of early AD-related neurodegeneration in preclinical individuals and the pattern of decline differs between LOAD and ADAD.Fil: Dincer, Aylin. Washington University in St. Louis; Estados UnidosFil: Gordon, Brian A.. Washington University in St. Louis; Estados UnidosFil: Hari-Raj, Amrita. Ohio State University; Estados UnidosFil: Keefe, Sarah J.. Washington University in St. Louis; Estados UnidosFil: Flores, Shaney. Washington University in St. Louis; Estados UnidosFil: McKay, Nicole S.. Washington University in St. Louis; Estados UnidosFil: Paulick, Angela M.. Washington University in St. Louis; Estados UnidosFil: Shady Lewis, Kristine E.. University of Kentucky; Estados UnidosFil: Feldman, Rebecca L.. Washington University in St. Louis; Estados UnidosFil: Hornbeck, Russ C.. Washington University in St. Louis; Estados UnidosFil: Allegri, Ricardo Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fundación para la Lucha contra las Enfermedades Neurológicas de la Infancia; ArgentinaFil: Ances, Beau M.. Washington University in St. Louis; Estados UnidosFil: Berman, Sarah B.. University of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Brickman, Adam M.. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Brooks, William S.. Neuroscience Research Australia; Australia. University of New South Wales; AustraliaFil: Cash, David M.. UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; Reino UnidoFil: Chhatwal, Jasmeer P.. Harvard Medical School; Estados UnidosFil: Farlow, Martin R.. Indiana University; Estados UnidosFil: Fougère, Christian la. German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases; Alemania. University Hospital of Tübingen; AlemaniaFil: Fox, Nick C.. UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; Reino UnidoFil: Fulham, Michael J.. Royal Prince Alfred Hospital; Australia. University of Sydney; AustraliaFil: Jack, Clifford R.. Mayo Clinic; Estados UnidosFil: Joseph-Mathurin, Nelly. Washington University in St. Louis; Estados UnidosFil: Karch, Celeste M.. Washington University in St. Louis; Estados UnidosFil: Lee, Athene. University Brown; Estados UnidosFil: Levin, Johannes. German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases; Alemania. Ludwig Maximilians Universitat; Alemania. Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology; AlemaniaFil: Masters, Colin L.. University of Melbourne; AustraliaFil: McDade, Eric M.. Washington University in St. Louis; Estados UnidosFil: Oh, Hwamee. University Brown; Estados UnidosFil: Perrin, Richard J.. Washington University in St. Louis; Estados Unido

Pattern and degree of individual brain atrophy predicts dementia onset in dominantly inherited Alzheimer's disease

Introduction: Asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic dominantly inherited Alzheimer's disease mutation carriers (DIAD-MC) are ideal candidates for preventative treatment trials aimed at delaying or preventing dementia onset. Brain atrophy is an early feature of DIAD-MC and could help predict risk for dementia during trial enrollment. Methods: We created a dementia risk score by entering standardized gray-matter volumes from 231 DIAD-MC into a logistic regression to classify participants with and without dementia. The score's predictive utility was assessed using Cox models and receiver operating curves on a separate group of 65 DIAD-MC followed longitudinally. Results: Our risk score separated asymptomatic versus demented DIAD-MC with 96.4% (standard error = 0.02) and predicted conversion to dementia at next visit (hazard ratio = 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI: 1.15, 1.49]) and within 2 years (area under the curve = 90.3%, 95% CI [82.3%–98.2%]) and improved prediction beyond established methods based on familial age of onset. Discussion: Individualized risk scores based on brain atrophy could be useful for establishing enrollment criteria and stratifying DIAD-MC participants for prevention trials.Fil: Keret, Ophir. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Staffaroni, Adam M.. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Ringman, John M.. University of Southern California; Estados UnidosFil: Cobigo, Yann. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Goh, Sheng Yang M.. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Wolf, Amy. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Allen, Isabel Elaine. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Salloway, Stephen. Brown University; Estados UnidosFil: Chhatwal, Jasmeer. Harvard Medical School; Estados UnidosFil: Brickman, Adam M.. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Reyes Dumeyer, Dolly. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Bateman, Randal J.. University of Washington; Estados UnidosFil: Benzinger, Tammie L.S.. University of Washington; Estados UnidosFil: Morris, John C.. University of Washington; Estados UnidosFil: Ances, Beau M.. University of Washington; Estados UnidosFil: Joseph Mathurin, Nelly. University of Washington; Estados UnidosFil: Perrin, Richard J.. University of Washington; Estados UnidosFil: Gordon, Brian A.. University of Washington; Estados UnidosFil: Levin, Johannes. German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases; Alemania. Ludwig Maximilians Universitat; AlemaniaFil: Vöglein, Jonathan. Ludwig Maximilians Universitat; Alemania. German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases; AlemaniaFil: Jucker, Mathias. German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases; Alemania. Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; AlemaniaFil: la Fougère, Christian. Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; Alemania. German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases; AlemaniaFil: Martins, Ralph N.. Cooperative Research Centres Australia; Australia. University of Western Australia; Australia. Edith Cowan University; Australia. Australian Alzheimer's Research Foundation; Australia. Macquarie University; AustraliaFil: Sohrabi, Hamid R.. University of Western Australia; Australia. Macquarie University; Australia. Australian Alzheimer's Research Foundation; Australia. Cooperative Research Centres Australia; Australia. Edith Cowan University; AustraliaFil: Taddei, Kevin. Australian Alzheimer's Research Foundation; Australia. Edith Cowan University; AustraliaFil: Villemagne, Victor L.. Austin Health; AustraliaFil: Schofield, Peter R.. Neuroscience Research Australia; Australia. Unsw Medicine; AustraliaFil: Brooks, William S.. Neuroscience Research Australia; Australia. Unsw Medicine; AustraliaFil: Fulham, Michael. Royal Prince Alfred Hospital; AustraliaFil: Masters, Colin L.. University of Melbourne; AustraliaFil: Allegri, Ricardo Francisco. Fundación para la Lucha contra las Enfermedades Neurológicas de la Infancia. Instituto de Neurociencias - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Neurociencias; Argentin

Amino-acid PET versus MRI guided re-irradiation in patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GLIAA) – protocol of a randomized phase II trial (NOA 10/ARO 2013-1)

Background: The higher specificity of amino-acid positron emission tomography (AA-PET) in the diagnosis of gliomas, as well as in the differentiation between recurrence and treatment-related alterations, in comparison to contrast enhancement in T1-weighted MRI was demonstrated in many studies and is the rationale for their implementation into radiation oncology treatment planning. Several clinical trials have demonstrated the significant differences between AA-PET and standard MRI concerning the definition of the gross tumor volume (GTV). A small single-center non-randomized prospective study in patients with recurrent high grade gliomas treated with stereotactic fractionated radiotherapy (SFRT) showed a significant improvement in survival when AA-PET was integrated in target volume delineation, in comparison to patients treated based on CT/MRI alone. Methods: This protocol describes a prospective, open label, randomized, multi-center phase II trial designed to test if radiotherapy target volume delineation based on FET-PET leads to improvement in progression free survival (PFS) in patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) treated with re-irradiation, compared to target volume delineation based on T1Gd-MRI. The target sample size is 200 randomized patients with a 1:1 allocation ratio to both arms. The primary endpoint (PFS) is determined by serial MRI scans, supplemented by AA-PET-scans and/or biopsy/surgery if suspicious of progression. Secondary endpoints include overall survival (OS), locally controlled survival (time to local progression or death), volumetric assessment of GTV delineated by either method, topography of progression in relation to MRIor PET-derived target volumes, rate of long term survivors (> 1 year), localization of necrosis after re-irradiation, quality of life (QoL) assessed by the EORTC QLQ-C15 PAL questionnaire, evaluation of safety of FET-application in AA-PET imaging and toxicity of re-irradiation. Discussion: This is a protocol of a randomized phase II trial designed to test a new strategy of radiotherapy target volume delineation for improving the outcome of patients with recurrent GBM. Moreover, the trial will help to develop a standardized methodology for the integration of AA-PET and other imaging biomarkers in radiation treatment planning. Trial registration: The GLIAA trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01252459, registration date 02.12.2010), German Clinical Trials Registry (DRKS00000634, registration date 10.10.2014), and European Clinical Trials Database (EudraCT-No. 2012-001121-27, registration date 27.02.2012)