Antibiotiques chez le patient insuffisant rénal : actualisation des adaptations posologiques à la pratique clinique en infectiologie

Antibiotic prescription in chronic kidney disease patients poses a twofold problem. The appropriate use of antibacterial agents is essential to ensure efficacy and to prevent the emergence of resistance, and dosages should be adapted to the renal function to prevent adverse effects. SiteGPR is a French website for health professionals to help with prescriptions to chronic kidney disease patients. A working group of infectious disease specialists and nephrology pharmacists reviewed the indications, dosing regimens, administration modalities, and dose adjustments of antibiotics marketed in France for patients with renal failure. Data available on the SiteGPR website and detailed in the present article aims to provide an evidence-based update of infectious disease recommendations to health professionals managing patients with chronic kidney disease

Origins of ion selectivity in potassium channels from the perspective of channel block

Potassium channels play crucial roles in physiology, and one of their more important roles is to repolarize the membrane after an action potential in excitable cells (Hille, 2001). During an action potential, Na+ channels open first and depolarize the cell membrane, which is followed closely by their inactivation and subsequent opening of K+ channels that repolarize the cell membrane by allowing K+ to flow out of the cell. If Na+ were allowed to move through K+ channels, the influx of Na+ would compete with the outflow of K+, and the sharp membrane repolarization would no longer occur. It is then paramount that K+ channels select keenly against Na+ ions

Ultrasonography: a method used for pregnancy imaging of the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra)

Ultrasound imaging has more frequently been used in veterinary medicine of amphibians and reptiles. In this study, we have verified the usefulness of ultrasound imaging in pregnancy determination of the fire salamander Salamandra salamandra. We have also undertaken to estimate the number of larvae and their developmental stage directly in the oviducts. Three gravid females from Lower Silesia (southern Poland) were examined. Due to the small size of the scanned animals, and the particular arrangement of embryos in the oviducts and ultrasound beams dispersal, the method proved to be inaccurate. Therefore, the minimum number of well-visualized larvae was determined. The maximum number of larvae was established on the basis of the visible fragments of embryos. After birth, we found that the number of larvae born was included in the „min-max” range in only one case. In the remaining two salamanders the number of larvae was higher than estimated in 3 to 7 individuals. The results showed that ultrasound imaging allows the minimum number of larvae in salamander; oviducts to be specified. However, total length measurements were possible only for single and clearly visible embryos

Differential expression of two vasa/PL10-related genes during gametogenesis in the special model system Rana

Germline cell fate decisions are primarily controlled at the post-transcriptional level with DEAD-box RNA helicases playing a crucial role in germline development. In this study, we report the identification of two DEAD-box vasa/PL10 orthologues (RlVlg and RlPL10) in a species complex of the genus Rana, characterized by hybridogenetic reproduction, an enigmatic process that involves the exclusion of an individual genome, and endoreduplication events. Both genes were expressed during the early stages of gametogenesis of R. ridibunda, R. lessonae, and their natural hybrid R. esculenta. RlVlg expression was germline specific. On the other hand, RlPL10 was also expressed in somatic tissues, although only at low levels. The two genes were expressed in different phases of mitotic and meiotic spermatogenetic divisions as demonstrated by immunostaining with an anti-H3 phosphohistone antibody. The data indicate that RlVlg and RlPL10 may represent useful markers for dissecting the molecular aspects of genome exclusion and endoreduplication of the hybridogenetic gametogenesis