VIZIR: The SEP high resolution laser beam recorder

A means for high density archiving of meteorological data on a photographic film is described. The data are stored on-line under a form accessible to interpretation. The VIZIR thus forms the final link of the receiving system of a ground station

Stealth nanoparticles coated with heparin as peptide or protein carriers.

International audienceNanoparticles (prepared from a mixture of polyester and a polycationic polymer) loaded with insulin were prepared by a double emulsion method followed by evaporation solvent. Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) was bound by electrostatic interactions onto the surface of the particles to confer Stealth properties. These nanoparticles were characterized in vitro (mean diameter, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and release kinetics) and compared with conventional (without LMWH) and unloaded nanoparticles. The pharmacokinetics of insulin were studied after intravenous injection into diabetic rats in the form of Stealth or conventional nanoparticles or as a solution. Stealth nanoparticles allowed an increase in the elimination half-life of insulin, showing that the hydrophilic layer of LMWH was able to limit recognition by the mononuclear phagocytosis system in vivo. However, complement activation studies (CH50) did not reveal significant difference between Stealth and conventional nanoparticles

Hypoxia-induced modulation of apoptosis and BCL-2 family proteins in different cancer cell types

Hypoxia plays an important role in the resistance of tumour cells to chemotherapy. However, the exact mechanisms underlying this process are not well understood. Moreover, according to the cell lines, hypoxia differently influences cell death. The study of the effects of hypoxia on the apoptosis induced by 5 chemotherapeutic drugs in 7 cancer cell types showed that hypoxia generally inhibited the drug-induced apoptosis. In most cases, the effect of hypoxia was the same for all the drugs in one cell type. The expression profile of 93 genes involved in apoptosis as well as the protein level of BCL-2 family proteins were then investigated. In HepG2 cells that are strongly protected against cell death by hypoxia, hypoxia decreased the abundance of nearly all the pro-apoptotic BCL-2 family proteins while none of them are decreased in A549 cells that are not protected against cell death by hypoxia. In HepG2 cells, hypoxia decreased NOXA and BAD abundance and modified the electrophoretic mobility of BIM(EL). BIM and NOXA are important mediators of etoposide-induced cell death in HepG2 cells and the hypoxia-induced modification of these proteins abundance or post-translational modifications partly account for chemoresistance. Finally, the modulation of the abundance and/or of the post-translational modifications of most proteins of the BCL-2 family by hypoxia involves p53-dependent and -independent pathways and is cell type-dependent. A better understanding of these cell-to-cell variations is crucial in order to overcome hypoxia-induced resistance and to ameliorate cancer therapy

From Negative to Positive Integration. European State Aid Control through Soft and Hard Law

European state aid control, a part of competition policy, typically follows the logic of negative integration. It constrains the potential for Member States to distort competition by reducing their ability to subsidize industry. In addition, this paper argues, ambiguous Treaty rules and heterogeneous Member States' preferences have enabled the European Commission to act as a supranational entrepreneur, not only enforcing the prohibition of distortive state aid, but also developing its own vision of “good” state aid policy. In order to prevent or to settle political conflict about individual decisions, the Commission has sought to establish more general criteria for the state aid which it still deems admissible. These criteria have been codified into a complex system of soft law and, more recently, hard state aid law. The Commission has thus created positive integration “from above” and increasingly influences the objectives of national state aid policies

Testosterone undecanoate – increase of oral bioavailability by nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC)

International audienceTestosterone undecanoate (TU) has a low oral bioavailability of about 3 % in beagle dogs and 7 % in men. To avoid administration of a single dose in two oral units and to increase lymphatic absorption to minimise side effects in the liver, TU was incorporated into nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) and formulated as drug nanocrystals. Testosterone (T) was run as nanocrystal formulation for reasons of comparison. NLC and drug nanocrystals were produced by high pressure homogenisation. The in vivo studies were performed in male Wistar rats. The drug absorbed was quantified as testosterone analysed by EIA assay. The nanocarriers were compared with the commercial product Andriol Testocaps®. The drug nanocrystals reached about half the AUC of Andriol Testocaps® (testosterone) or were just below (testosterone undecanoate). The best NLC formulations possessed a 2 times higher AUC compared to Andriol Testocaps®. Highest bioavailability was obtained with 200 nm NLC. Nature of the lipid for the particle matrix and the drug loading (15 %, 30 %) affected distinctly the shape of the serum profile (cmax, tmax, prolongation of serum levels). Modification of these parameters should allow controlled adjustment of the serum profile to therapeutic needs. Due to the reduced volume of the nanocarriers, application of a single dose in one unit is possible