Ecological comparison of the risks of mother-to-child transmission and clinical manifestations of congenital toxoplasmosis according to prenatal treatment protocol

We compared the relative risks of mother-to-child transmission of Toxoplasma gondii and clinical manifestations due to congenital toxoplasmosis associated with intensive prenatal treatment in Lyon and Austria, short term treatment in 51% of Dutch women, and no treatment in Danish women. For each cohort, relative risks were standardized for gestation at seroconversion. In total, 856 mother–child pairs were studied: 549 in Lyon, 133 in Austria, 123 in Denmark and 51 in The Netherlands. The relative risk for mother-to-child transmission compared to Lyon was 1·24 (95% CI: 0·88, 1·59) in Austria; 0·59 (0·41, 0·81) in Denmark; and 0·65 (0·37, 1·01) in The Netherlands. Relative risks for clinical manifestations compared with Lyon (adjusted for follow-up to age 3 years) were: Austria 0·19 (0·04, 0·51); Denmark 0·60 (0·13, 1·08); and The Netherlands 1·46 (0·51, 2·72). There was no clear evidence that the risk of transmission or of clinical manifestations was lowest in centres with the most intensive prenatal treatment

Duration of the IgM response in women acquiring Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy: implications for clinical practice and cross-sectional incidence studies

We followed up a cohort of 446 toxoplasma-infected pregnant women to determine the median and variability of the duration of positive toxoplasma-IgM (immunoglobulin M) results measured by an immunofluorescence test (IFT) and an immunosorbent agglutination assay (ISAGA). IgM antibodies were detected for longer using the ISAGA test [median 12(.)8 months, interquartile range (IQR) 6(.)9-24(.)9] than the IFT (median 10(.)4, IQR 7(.)1-14(.)4), but the variability between individuals in the duration of IgM positivity was greatest for the ISAGA test. IgM-positive results persisted beyond 2 years in a substantial minority of women (27(.)1% ISAGA, 9(.)1% IFT). Variation in the duration of the IgM response measured by ISAGA and IFT limit their usefulness for predicting the timing of infection in pregnant women. However, measurement of IgM and IgG antibodies in a cross-sectional serosurvey offers an efficient method for estimating the incidence of toxoplasma infection

Chants

Qu’elle soit fruste ou recherchée, de caractère amateur ou professionnel, la poésie berbère se manifeste principalement sous une forme chantée. Cela revient à dire que la notion de chant est indissociable de celle de poésie. Dans le but d’éviter double-emplois et redites, ne seront traités ci-après que les chants ne donnant pas lieu à la danse. Les formes chantées et dansées qui s’exécutent en milieu berbère feront l’objet d’une notice ultérieure, (Danse*). Chants berbères du Maroc (M. Peyron..

Chants

Qu’elle soit fruste ou recherchée, de caractère amateur ou professionnel, la poésie berbère se manifeste principalement sous une forme chantée. Cela revient à dire que la notion de chant est indissociable de celle de poésie. Dans le but d’éviter double-emplois et redites, ne seront traités ci-après que les chants ne donnant pas lieu à la danse. Les formes chantées et dansées qui s’exécutent en milieu berbère feront l’objet d’une notice ultérieure, (Danse*). Chants berbères du Maroc (M. Peyron..

Danse

La danse tient incontestablement une place de choix dans la culture berbère. Phénomène essentiellement rural, il s’agit habituellement d’une manifestation d’un haut niveau esthétique, à la mise en scène aussi symbolique que suggestive, sans doute liée à quelque thème de fécondité issu du fond des âges. Exutoire commode, en tout cas, pour des populations menant une existence rude, elle ne peut laisser l’observateur indifférent. Au mieux, elle le charmera grâce à son « mysticisme immanent » se ..

Digestion of Raw and Roasted Almonds in Simulated Gastric Environment

Knowledge of digestion kinetics of solid foods in human stomach, as affected by food processing methods, is critical in establishing processing conditions at the manufacturing stage to achieve desirable release of nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract. The objective of this study was to investigate how roasting affected disintegration and solid release properties of almond in simulated gastric environment. In vitro trials were performed for raw and roasted almonds by using static soaking method and a model stomach system. The changes in sample weight, dry mass, and moisture during the trials were determined. Both compression and penetration tests were used to investigate the texture of almonds with a focus on the influence of absorption of gastric juice. Light microscopy and transmission electronic microscopy were used to study the change in microstructure of the raw and roasted almonds after simulated digestion. The results suggested that the slow disintegration rate and the high amount of swelling of the almonds in the stomach may contribute to their high satiety property. Roasting significantly improved the disintegration rates of almonds and increased loss of solids during simulated digestion, which is well correlated with the decrease in the rigidity of almond samples after absorbing gastric juice. Microstructure of digested almonds showed breakage and breach of cell walls due to acid hydrolysis. Intercellular and intracellular channels formed in almonds during roasting are important for penetration of gastric juice that may facilitate an effective digestion