Statut phospho-calcique en hémodialyse chronique dans l’Oriental Marocain: évaluation de l’adhésion aux recommandations K/DOQI et KDIGO

Les troubles phosphocalciques sont fréquents en hémodialyse chronique. Leurs conséquences justifient une prévention et un traitement adaptés aux recommandations des sociétés savantes. L'objectif de notre étude était de déterminer le statut phosphocalcique de nos patients hémodialysés chroniques (HDC) et l'évaluation des taux de conformité des indicateurs aux recommandations K/DOQI et KDIGO. Ainsi, nous avons réalisé une étude transversale incluant les 83 patients HDC du centre d'hémodialyse de l'hôpital Al Farabi d'Oujda. L'âge moyen de nos patients était de 49.8±15.6 ans. Une prédominance masculine a été notée. La conformité des indicateurs du bilan phosphocalcique chez nos patients hémodialysés chroniques par rapport aux recommandations KDIGO était de l'ordre de 21.6%. Le pourcentage des patients ayant des données phosphocalciques conformes aux cibles recommandées par les K/DOQI était Les patients répondants simultanément aux quatres critères recommandés par les K/DOQI n'étaient que 8.4%

Le sujet âgé en hémodialyse chronique: expérience d’un centre hospitalier marocain

De plus en plus de patients âgés sont pris en charge en hémodialyse chronique. L'augmentation de l'incidence de la maladie rénale chronique, du diabète et l'amélioration de la survie cardio-vasculaire expliquent en grande partie ce constat. Les conséquences de la prise en charge de ces patients âgés en en hémodialyse chronique sont multiples. Elles sont dominées par les comorbidités et les troubles d'autonomie. Le but de notre étude est de décrire le profil épidémiologique et clinique des patients âgés traités par HDC dans notre centre. Nous avons réalisé une étude transversale, en Novembre 2011, incluant tous les patients hémodialysés chroniques de l'Hôpital Al Farabi d'Oujda, dans la région de l'Oriental Marocain. Nous avons analysé chez les patients âgés de 65 ans et plus les paramètres démographiques, clinico-biologiques et dialytiques. L'analyse statistique est réalisée par le logiciel SPSS 17,0. Parmi 94 patients hémodialysés chroniques actuellement pris en charge dans notre centre, 31patients sont âgés de 65 ans et plus (32,9%). La néphropathie causale était diabétique dans 6,4% des cas, vasculaire dans 19,35% des cas, et glomérulaire dans 20% des cas. Les comorbidités sont observées chez 65% de ces patients. 29% de patients avaient une comorbidité cardiovasculaire, 55% étaient hypertendus, alors que 6,4% avaient des troubles cognitifs. Les sujets âgés en hémodialyse chronique représentent une population de patients fragiles. Ils nécessitent une surveillance particulière et régulière afin de prévenir certaines complications propres au sujet âgé et améliorer ainsi leur qualité de vie.Key words: Sujet âgé, hémodialyse, insuffisance rénale chronique, comorbidité cardiovasculaire, troubles cognitif

Study of the nanocrystalline bulk Al alloys synthesized by high energy mechanical milling followed by room temperature high pressing consolidation

AbstractIn the present study high energy mechanical milling followed by high-pressing consolidation has been used to obtain bulk nanocrystalline Al-Fe-Si alloy. Quantitative XRD analysis and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the material evolution during thermal treatments in the temperature range 25–500∘C. The cold-worked structure have been synthesized with microstructure showing a mixture of a significant low size of crystallite (70 nm) and a high level of lattice strains (0.85%). Starting from the nanocrystalline specimens, isochronal experiments were carried out to monitor the reserve microstructure and transformations. The high temperature annealing is required for ameliorating the quality of room temperature consolidated materials by removing all porosity and obtaining good interparticle bonding. The thermal conductivity and the thermal diffusivity are investigated with the Photothermal deflection technique. These thermal parameters increase with the annealing temperatures. This behavior is attributed to the increase in the rate of diffusion coefficient of added elements inside the aluminum matrix

Utilisation Des Caractères Biochimiques, Agronomiques Et Morphologiques Pour L’évaluation De La Diversité Génétique Des Variants D’orangers Dans La Région Du Gharb, Maroc

20 clones of orange trees, identified at the level of the collection of nucellar citrus varieties, have been the subject of several tests of behavior at the level of different citrus fruit sites in Morocco. Indeed, the present work aims to evaluate these variants on a clay soil at the Gharb region (INRA/Kenitra). The variants grafted on Citrange troyer were divided into three groups. Each group contains variants, genetically similar, from seedlings of the same parent variety. Clonal selection is based on the synthesis of the results of the study of the variability of the criteria of fruit quality and production. The average yield varies from 44.25 kg / tree to 217.30 kg / tree. While the average weight of a fruit varies from 95 g to 360 g. The results showed a predominance of juicy and medium-sized fruits with an equatorial diameter greater than 56 mm, acceptable for the fresh fruit market or the juice industry. The maturity coefficient study of the variants within each group, or between the three groups, showed that the harvest period extends over four months, from December to March. The final selection was focused on six productive and good quality variants. These promising variants have been described according to UPOV, and then presented for registration in the official catalog

Unusual Presentation of a Rare Tumor of the Dorsal Surface of the Foot

Calcifying aponeurotic fibroma (CAF) was originally described by Keasbey in 1953 as juvenile aponeurotic fibroma, most commonly occurring in the palms of the hands and soles of the feet in children and adolescents. It usually presents as a firm, painless mass without preceding trauma. We report a case of this rare condition with an unusual presentation in a 60-year-old woman affecting the dorsal surface of the foot. It is a relatively benign condition with a good prognosis following complete surgical excision. It may have a slightly increased incidence in males. The accurate diagnosis is based only on histology but it is essential to differentiate it from other sinister lesions such as fibrosarcoma that may lead to amputation

Photothermal Deflection Spectroscopy Study of Nanocrystalline Si (nc-Si) Thin Films Deposited on Porous Aluminum with PECVD

We have studied the optical properties of nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) film deposited by plasma enhancement chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) on porous aluminum structure using, respectively, the Photothermal Deflection Spectroscopy (PDS) and Photoluminescence (PL). The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of anodisation current on the optical properties of the porous aluminum silicon layers (PASL). The morphology characterization studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique has shown that the grain size of (nc-Si) increases with the anodisation current. However, a band gap shift of the energy gap was observed

Emerging properties of financial time series in the “Game of Life”

We explore the spatial complexity of Conway’s “Game of Life,” a prototypical cellular automaton by means of a geometrical procedure generating a two-dimensional random walk from a bidimensional lattice with periodical boundaries. The one-dimensional projection of this process is analyzed and it turns out that some of its statistical properties resemble the so-called stylized facts observed in financial time series. The scope and meaning of this result are discussed from the viewpoint of complex systems. In particular, we stress how the supposed peculiarities of financial time series are, often, overrated in their importance

Adenosine A2A receptor modulation of hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapse plasticity during associative learning in behaving mice

© 2009 Nature Publishing Group All rights reservedPrevious in vitro studies have characterized the electrophysiological and molecular signaling pathways of adenosine tonic modulation on long-lasting synaptic plasticity events, particularly for hippocampal long-term potentiation(LTP). However, it remains to be elucidated whether the long-term changes produced by endogenous adenosine in the efficiency of synapses are related to those required for learning and memory formation. Our goal was to understand how endogenous activation of adenosine excitatory A2A receptors modulates the associative learning evolution in conscious behaving mice. We have studied here the effects of the application of a highly selective A2A receptor antagonist, SCH58261, upon a well-known associative learning paradigm - classical eyeblink conditioning. We used a trace paradigm, with a tone as the conditioned stimulus (CS) and an electric shock presented to the supraorbital nerve as the unconditioned stimulus(US). A single electrical pulse was presented to the Schaffer collateral–commissural pathway to evoke field EPSPs (fEPSPs) in the pyramidal CA1 area during the CS–US interval. In vehicle-injected animals, there was a progressive increase in the percentage of conditioning responses (CRs) and in the slope of fEPSPs through conditioning sessions, an effect that was completely prevented (and lost) in SCH58261 (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.)-injected animals. Moreover, experimentally evoked LTP was impaired in SCH58261- injected mice. In conclusion, the endogenous activation of adenosine A2A receptors plays a pivotal effect on the associative learning process and its relevant hippocampal circuits, including activity-dependent changes at the CA3-CA1 synapse.This study was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Research (BFU2005-01024 and BFU2005-02512), Spanish Junta de Andalucía (BIO-122 and CVI-02487), and the Fundación Conocimiento y Cultura of the Pablo de Olavide University (Seville, Spain).B. Fontinha was in receipt of a studentship from a project grant (POCI/SAU-NEU/56332/2004) supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal), and of an STSM from Cost B30 concerted action of the EU

Structural Analysis of the Essential Resuscitation Promoting Factor YeaZ Suggests a Mechanism of Nucleotide Regulation through Dimer Reorganization

Extent: 8p.Background: The yeaZ gene product forms part of the conserved network YjeE/YeaZ/YgjD essential for the survival of many Gram-negative eubacteria. Among other as yet unidentified roles, YeaZ functions as a resuscitation promoting factor required for survival and resuscitation of cells in a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state. Methodology/Principal Findings: In order to investigate in detail the structure/function relationship of this family of proteins we have performed X-ray crystallographic studies of Vibrio parahaemolyticus YeaZ. The YeaZ structure showed that it has a classic actin-like nucleotide-binding fold. Comparisons of this crystal structure to that of available homologues from E. coli, T. maritima and S. typhimurium revealed two distinctly different modes of dimer formation. In one form, prevalent in the absence of nucleotide, the putative nucleotide-binding site is incomplete, lacking a binding pocket for a nucleotide base. In the second form, residues from the second subunit complete the nucleotide-binding site. This suggests that the two dimer architectures observed in the crystal structures correspond to a free and a nucleotide-bound form of YeaZ. A multiple sequence alignment of YeaZ proteins from different bacteria allowed us to identify a large conserved hydrophobic patch on the protein surface that becomes exposed upon nucleotide-driven dimer re-arrangement. We hypothesize that the transition between two dimer architectures represents the transition between the ‘on’ and ‘off’ states of YeaZ. The effect of this transition is to alternately expose and bury a docking site for the partner protein YgjD. Conclusions/Significance: This paper provides the first structural insight into the putative mechanism of nucleotide regulation of YeaZ through dimer reorganization. Our analysis suggests that nucleotide binding to YeaZ may act as a regulator or switch that changes YeaZ shape, allowing it to switch partners between YjeE and YgjD.Inci Aydin, Yumiko Saijo-Hamano, Keiichi Namba, Connor Thomas and Anna Roujeinikov

Mitochondrial Haplogroups and Control Region Polymorphisms in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Case-Control Study

Background: Onset and development of the multifactorial disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are highly interrelated with mitochondrial functions such as energy production and free radical turnover. Mitochondrial dysfunction and overproduction of reactive oxygen species may contribute to destruction of the retinal pigment epithelium, retinal atrophy and choroidal neovascularization, leading to AMD. Consequently, polymorphisms of the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) are postulated to be susceptibility factors for this disease. Previous studies from Australia and the United States detected associations of mitochondrial haplogroups with AMD. The aim of the present study was to test these associations in Middle European Caucasians. Methodology/Principal Findings: Mitochondrial haplogroups (combinations of mtDNA polymorphisms) and mitochondrial CR polymorphisms were analyzed in 200 patients with wet AMD (choroidal neovascularization, CNV), in 66 patients with dry AMD, and in 385 controls from Austria by means of multiplex primer extension analysis and sequencing, respectively. In patients with CNV, haplogroup H was found to be significantly less frequent compared to controls, and haplogroup J showed a trend toward a higher frequency compared to controls. Five CR polymorphisms were found to differ significantly in the two study populations compared to controls, and all, except one (T152C), are linked to those haplogroups. Conclusions/Significance: It can be concluded that haplogroup J is a risk factor for AMD, whereas haplogroup H seems t