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Letter to the Editor gomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) During the course of the study, 5 patients were admitted with SLE and catatonia. These 5 patients, all female, met the inclusion criteria. All of them (or their families on their behalf) agreed to PE. Three of the patients were teenagers who had been hospitalized for several weeks without any improvement, receiving a treatment regimen combining psychotropic medications, corticoids and immunosuppressors. Three patients exhibited life-threatening complications: 2 were severely malnourished and the third had a pulmonary infection and skin lesions due to immobility. One patient showed a severe renal involvement. The last patient was included because of resistance after 3 weeks of treatment. The mean number of PE that patients received was 7.2 (range: 3-11). We found a significant improvement for all clinical variables. Mean CRS and SLEDAI scores before PE were 15 (range: 11-16) and 18.8 (range: 12-22), respectively. Both scores dramatically decreased after PE to a mean of 1.2 (range: 0-6) and 3.4 (range: 0-12), respectively (Wilcoxon paired test: Z = -2.032, p = 0.042). In particular, 3 patients very much improved on the Clinical Global Impression Scale after the first week of PE. The biological variables paralleled clinical improvement. At follow-up, 4 patients were still doing well; in particular, all the teenagers were able to return to school with minimal treatment for SLE. The last patient (case 4) died in her local hospital as a consequence of a septic shock 3 months after discharge. To date, only a few case studies have reported the possible use of PE in neuropsychiatric SLE The consecutive patients were recruited at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital from 2001 to 2004. For inclusion, the diagnosis of SLE was based on the revised criteria of the American College of Rheumatolog

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Epidemiology and Clinical Features of Patients with Visceral Leishmaniasis Treated by an MSF Clinic in Bakool Region, Somalia, 2004–2006

Our paper describes the epidemiological features of visceral leishmaniasis in the Bakool region, South Central Somalia, over the years 2004 to 2006. Since 2000, Médecins Sans Frontières has been providing care for patients suffering from visceral leishmaniasis in Huddur, located in a region endemic for visceral leishmaniasis. By the end of 2005, we witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of patients admitted to the Huddur centre with visceral leishmaniasis. In our paper, we provide a description of the profile of patients admitted, thus giving an insight into the epidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis in a part of the world where relatively little has been documented and where the true magnitude of this neglected disease remains unknown

A Semantic Approach for the Repurposing of Audiovisual Objects

International audienceIn this paper, we address the issue of audiovisual document modeling to promote its repurposing. It requires to identify the various components of the document that can be reused during professional production. We describe a use case which incorporates User Generated Content and considers various exploitation forms and medium. We define a conceptual model and present real applications using it. The main contribution of this paper is the conceptual model which distinguishes between editorial, encoding and sequencing aspect of an audiovisual document

Semantic audiovisual asset model

International audienceIn this article, we address the issue of audiovisual asset management and description through the scope of TV production in all its diversity. One specific ability desired by TV production is to enable content repurposing and thus to handle the technical, structural and editorial components of an asset separately while binding them together. Repurposing also implies to describe audiovisual content with a high-level vocabulary understandable by both production contributors and information systems. In the light of these specific requirements, we present a generic conceptual model to represent audiovisual asset. In addition, we define an asset annotation model based on the audiovisual scripting vocabulary as well as a new approach to asset description

Modèle termino-ontologique pour la collaboration entre communautés hétérogènes

National audienceDans cet article, nous traitons de la représentation de jargons métiers dans le cas d'une production collaborative de contenu audiovisuel. L'hétérogénéité de compréhension des concepts de la réalisation audiovisuelle aussi bien que les différences d'usages de la langue impliquent de documenter, d'illustrer et d'associer plusieurs terminologies à une même conceptualisation. Nous présentons un cas pratique servant à l'étude des modèles et normes existantes. Nous proposons un modèle termino-ontologique permettant de faciliter le partage et la gestion indépendante de terminologies et de modèles conceptuels

Mapping semantic script with image processing algorithms to leverage amateur video material in professional production

International audienceIn this paper, we investigate the issue of amateur production in order to leverage its integration in professional production. We define a conceptual model of the shooting script that represents information about the shooting realization. It enables us to provides the amateur cameraman with prior shooting guidance on an intelligent camcorder. We use image processing algorithms and methods to provide the amateur with real-time shooting feedbacks. After the shooting, these algorithms produce more accurate descriptions that can be compared to the initial prescription. The comparison is guided by satisfaction rules defined by the professional to sort out non conforming sequence. Such rules are also used as query during video shot reviewing. Eventually, we discuss our approach with related works

Performance of a New Global Chromogenic Assay for Protein C Pathway (HemosIL ThromboPath) in the Diagnosis of Lupus Anticoagulant and Antiphospholipid Antibodies.

Abstract Background: The HemosIL ThromboPath assay (Instrumentation Laboratory) is a new chromogenic assay designed to globally evaluate the functionality of the PC pathway. It is based on the ability of endogenous APC generated after activation of PC by a snake venom extract (Protac) to reduce the thrombin generation induced by a reagent containing tissue factor. Briefly, optical density is measured after addition of a thrombin-specific chromogenic substrate in the presence (OD A) or absence (OD B) of Protac. It is recommended by the test manufacturer to express results as the Protac-Induced Coagulation Inhibition percentage (PICI%) which corresponds to the ratio [OD B - OD A]/OD B x 100. Previous studies demonstrated a high sensitivity (over 96%) for PC pathway abnormalities i.e. PC/PS deficiency, and FV Leiden-related APC Resistance, but also for lupus anticoagulant (LA), known to be associated with acquired APC Resistance. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the sensitivity of that assay for antiphospholipid antibodies (APL), especially in connection with the occurrence of thrombotic complications. Actually, APL is a heterogeneous family of antibodies which have a significant impact on coagulation tests (LA) or could be detected using ELISA anticardiolipin assays (ACL). Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the frozen plasma samples from 178 patients previously diagnosed as positive for LA or as having high ACL levels. There were 48 M and 130 F with a mean age=43 years (range 14 – 87). None was on vitamin K-antagonist. Screening for LA, performed according to the ISTH criteria (Thromb Haemost1995;74:1185), was positive in 126 patients (LA+ patients) and negative in 52 patients, all of the latter having high ACL levels (LA- patients). Among LA+ patients, 41 had antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) i.e. 18 with a history of venous thrombosis (VT), 10 with arterial thrombosis (AT), 7 with obstetrical complication (OB) and 6 with combined vascular complications (CVC). The same applied to 39 LA- patients with high APL levels i.e. VT (n=13), AT (n=8), OB (n=12) and CVC (n=6). The control group consisted of 29 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects without a history of vascular or auto-immune disease. The HemosIL ThromboPath assay was performed by an operator blinded of the specific biological test results and of the clinical status of the patients. Results: Test result was significantly lower in LA+ patients than in LA- patients or in healthy controls (Table). Similarly, the percentage of abnormal test results i.e. PICI% below 85.0% as the cut-off value, was significantly higher in LA+ patients than in the two other groups (p&amp;lt;0.0001 in both cases). That cut-off value for the PICI% was determined, according to the recommendations of the reagent manufacturer, as the mean minus 1 SD of the values measured in the plasma of 29 healthy control subjects. Despite significantly lower PICI% in LA- patients than in controls (p&amp;lt;0.05), the proportion of abnormal test results was not significantly different (p&amp;lt;0.10) in these two groups. LA+ Patients (n=126) LA-Patients (n=52) Controls (n=29) Test Result (PICI%) 74.5 ± 13.1 86.7 ± 9.4 90.3 ± 5.3 PICI%&amp;lt;85% (n, %) 99 (78.6%) 15 (28.8%) 3 (10.3%) Moreover, test result was not significantly different in LA+ patients with and without a history of vascular thrombosis (PICI%=74.4 ± 12.9, n=51 vs. 74.5 ± 13.5 n=75, p=0.91) and the same applied for the percentage of abnormal test results (n=41/51 (80.4%) vs. n=58/75 (77.3%); p=0.83). There was no significant difference between LA+ patients with venous, arterial thrombosis and obstetrical complications. Conclusion: The HemosIL ThromboPath assay was highly sensitive for LA (78.6%) but it did not allow to distinguish between LA+ patients those with APS. It was found to be weakly sensitive (28.8%) to high ACL levels without LA activity, despite a higher percentage of abnormal test results. The potential interest of the HemosIL ThromboPath assay as part of the screening strategy of LA deserves to be further investigated prospectively.</jats:p