The Prosthetic Obturator Appliance In The Treatment Of Cleft Lip And Palate In Newborns: Series Of Cases

Cleft lip and cleft palate are common defects in head and neck area. The treatment is mainly surgical but while waiting for the primary surgery which is not immediate, a pre-surgical management must be undertaken for the success of the diet and the surgery. In the present study, the use of the passive palatal obturator was chosen to demonstrate its efficacy in the pre-surgical management of cleft lip and/or palate in newborns.This is a serial case report of newborns with cleft lip and / or palate aged 2 to 27- day-old. Two suffered from BCLP (bilateral cleft palate), one from UCLP (unilateral cleft palate) and one IBCP (incomplete bilateral cleft palate). The conventional palatal obturator design-manufacturing stages was adopted. The impression was made with Polyvinyl siloxane impression material and flexible thermal-forming (ethylene vinyl acetate sheet) material was used for manufacturing the feeding obturator. A combined method (feeding obturator and lactation education) has been adopted for feeding success.As results, with palatal obturator in the mouth, each newborn exhibited good sucking-swallowing-breathing coordination at the time of suckling. During the 3-month follow-up period, weight gain was observed in the reported infants in which those affected by UCLP and CP gained more (1920g, 2200g) than others (700g, 1100g).The combined use of a palatal obturator and lactation education was associated with weight gain

Molecular mechanisms of the cardiovascular protective effects of polyphenols

Epidemiological studies have reported a greater reduction in cardiovascular risk and metabolic disorders associated with diets rich in polyphenols. The antioxidant effects of polyphenols are attributed to the regulation of redox enzymes by reducing reactive oxygen species production from mitochondria, NADPH oxidases and uncoupled endothelial NO synthase in addition to also up-regulating multiple antioxidant enzymes. Although data supporting the effects of polyphenols in reducing oxidative stress are promising, several studies have suggested additional mechanisms in the health benefits of polyphenols. Polyphenols from red wine increase endothelial NO production leading to endothelium-dependent relaxation in conditions such as hypertension, stroke or the metabolic syndrome. Numerous molecules contained in fruits and vegetables can activate sirtuins to increase lifespan and silence metabolic and physiological disturbances associated with endothelial NO dysfunction. Although intracellular pathways involved in the endothelial effects of polyphenols are partially described, the molecular targets of these polyphenols are not completely elucidated. We review the novel aspects of polyphenols on several targets that could trigger the health benefits of polyphenols in conditions such as metabolic and cardiovascular disturbances

Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018): A Position Statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and Update of the MISEV2014 Guidelines

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (“MISEV”) guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these “MISEV2014” guidelines based on evolution of the collective knowledge in the last four years. An important point to consider is that ascribing a specific function to EVs in general, or to subtypes of EVs, requires reporting of specific information beyond mere description of function in a crude, potentially contaminated, and heterogeneous preparation. For example, claims that exosomes are endowed with exquisite and specific activities remain difficult to support experimentally, given our still limited knowledge of their specific molecular machineries of biogenesis and release, as compared with other biophysically similar EVs. The MISEV2018 guidelines include tables and outlines of suggested protocols and steps to follow to document specific EV-associated functional activities. Finally, a checklist is provided with summaries of key points

PPARα Is Essential for Microparticle-Induced Differentiation of Mouse Bone Marrow-Derived Endothelial Progenitor Cells and Angiogenesis

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are critical for neovascularization. We hypothesized that microparticles (MPs), small fragments generated from the plasma membrane, can activate angiogenic programming of EPCs. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We studied the effects of MPs obtained from wild type (MPs(PPARalpha+/+)) and knock-out (MPs(PPARalpha-/-)) mice on EPC differentiation and angiogenesis. Bone marrow-derived cells were isolated from WT or KO mice and were cultured in the presence of MPs(PPARalpha+/+) or MPs(PPARalpha-/-) obtained from blood of mice. Only MPs(PPARalpha+/+) harboring PPAR(alpha) significantly increased EPC, but not monocytic, differentiation. Bone marrow-derived cells treated with MPs(PPARalpha+/+) displayed increased expression of pro-angiogenic genes and increased in vivo angiogenesis. MPs(PPARalpha+/+) increased capillary-like tube formation of endothelial cells that was associated with enhanced expressions of endothelial cell-specific markers. Finally, the effects of MPs(PPARalpha+/+) were mediated by NF-kappaB-dependent mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results underscore the obligatory role of PPARalpha carried by MPs for EPC differentiation and angiogenesis. PPARalpha-NF-kappaB-Akt pathways may play a pivotal stimulatory role for neovascularization, which may, at least in part, be mediated by bone marrow-derived EPCs. Improvement of EPC differentiation may represent a useful strategy during reparative neovascularization

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018):a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (“MISEV”) guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these “MISEV2014” guidelines based on evolution of the collective knowledge in the last four years. An important point to consider is that ascribing a specific function to EVs in general, or to subtypes of EVs, requires reporting of specific information beyond mere description of function in a crude, potentially contaminated, and heterogeneous preparation. For example, claims that exosomes are endowed with exquisite and specific activities remain difficult to support experimentally, given our still limited knowledge of their specific molecular machineries of biogenesis and release, as compared with other biophysically similar EVs. The MISEV2018 guidelines include tables and outlines of suggested protocols and steps to follow to document specific EV-associated functional activities. Finally, a checklist is provided with summaries of key points

Potential effects on ozone of future supersonic aircraft/2D simulation

In a previous work, the stratospheric effect of a future supersonic aircraft fleet on ozone has been simulated, by using a photochemical diffusive 1D model and a 2D photochemical, radiative dynamical model. The fleet scenario was defined by Aerospatiale and Snecma for a current technology Mach-2 aircraft; the models were limited to simplified homogeneous phase reactions. The results indicated a global ozone decrease of about 1.5% in steady-state conditions. Now the 2D model has been upgraded and includes the classical heterogeneous reactions with Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSC) and aerosol. It also takes into account the natural or anthopogenic evolution of the background atmosphere. The scenario has been optimized to meet more realistic conditions. Thus, new results are presented. The main conclusion concerning the calculated impact of a realistic fleet for the next 20-50 years is still weaker than in the previous work: the decrease for the total ozone would always be lower than 0.3%. These results are commented, with the help of a parametric study, pointing out the importance of the background atmosphere and especially the total chlorine loading and the aerosol surface area

Contribution à l’amélioration des techniques du forgeage libre des outils agricoles à Madagascar. Effet de l’oxydation à haute température sur l’état de surface et la structure d’une lame d’acier C45E déformée au marteau pilon

Cette étude porte sur la contribution à l’amélioration des techniques de forgeages des outils agricoles à Madagascar. Afin de mieux comprendre les vrais problèmes techniques des artisans, nous étions descendus sur site pour répertorier sous forme d’enquête les problèmes rencontrés par ces forgerons et noter les procédures d’élaboration de pièces forgées. L’objectif principal est d’identifier l’ensemble des maillons de la chaîne opératoire et de reconstituer les savoirs faire traditionnels des artisans de façon scientifique dans un laboratoire équipé en appareil de contrôle, de caractériser, pour les échantillons forgés, les structures métallurgiques, les distributions, les morphologies des phases et des constituants présents ainsi que leurs propriétés mécaniques. Il est, dès lors, possible de rectifier les protocoles d’élaboration et les traitements thermomécaniques développés par ces forgerons