Environmental behaviour of inorganic pollutants present in raw and desalinated French marine sediments

International audienceIn the frame of long-term management of contaminated dredged sediments, this paper is centered on determinating the mobility of inorganic contaminants. A methodology derived from waste characterization has been developed and applied to marine sediments from Lazaret bay (Toulon, southern France) to determine the potential mobilization of inorganic pollutants in specific conditions. It consists of mineral and textural analysis combined with leaching tests. This methodology was applied to untreated, 5.8 % organic matter, light sandy silt harbor sediment and to the same sediment after a desalinization treatment. In both untreated and desalinated sediments, the contaminant content was around 26.1, 0.18, 42.5, 34, 31, 35 and 99 mg kg-1 for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn, respectively. After 24 hours of time contact between deionized water and sediments, contaminant release of metals was very low (ca. <0.7 total mass %, for all studied elements) due to low solubility of the bearing solid phases (organic matter, carbonates and sulfides), while Mo and B were widely released. After 48 hours, Cd, As, Mo and B release was higher while more significant but no clear differences for other metal appeared

Functional Implication of Dp71 in Osmoregulation and Vascular Permeability of the Retina

Functional alterations of Müller cells, the principal glia of the retina, are an early hallmark of most retina diseases and contribute to their further progression. The molecular mechanisms of these reactive Müller cell alterations, resulting in disturbed retinal homeostasis, remain largely unknown. Here we show that experimental detachment of mouse retina induces mislocation of the inwardly rectifying potassium channels (Kir4.1) and a downregulation of the water channel protein (AQP4) in Müller cells. These alterations are associated with a strong decrease of Dp71, a cytoskeleton protein responsible for the localization and the clustering of Kir4.1 and AQP4. Partial (in detached retinas) or total depletion of Dp71 in Müller cells (in Dp71-null mice) impairs the capability of volume regulation of Müller cells under osmotic stress. The abnormal swelling of Müller cells In Dp71-null mice involves the action of inflammatory mediators. Moreover, we investigated whether the alterations in Müller cells of Dp71-null mice may interfere with their regulatory effect on the blood-retina barrier. In the absence of Dp71, the retinal vascular permeability was increased as compared to the controls. Our results reveal that Dp71 is crucially implicated in the maintenance of potassium homeostasis, in transmembraneous water transport, and in the Müller cell-mediated regulation of retinal vascular permeability. Furthermore, our data provide novel insights into the mechanisms of retinal homeostasis provided by Müller cells under normal and pathological conditions

Socializing One Health: an innovative strategy to investigate social and behavioral risks of emerging viral threats

In an effort to strengthen global capacity to prevent, detect, and control infectious diseases in animals and people, the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) PREDICT project funded development of regional, national, and local One Health capacities for early disease detection, rapid response, disease control, and risk reduction. From the outset, the EPT approach was inclusive of social science research methods designed to understand the contexts and behaviors of communities living and working at human-animal-environment interfaces considered high-risk for virus emergence. Using qualitative and quantitative approaches, PREDICT behavioral research aimed to identify and assess a range of socio-cultural behaviors that could be influential in zoonotic disease emergence, amplification, and transmission. This broad approach to behavioral risk characterization enabled us to identify and characterize human activities that could be linked to the transmission dynamics of new and emerging viruses. This paper provides a discussion of implementation of a social science approach within a zoonotic surveillance framework. We conducted in-depth ethnographic interviews and focus groups to better understand the individual- and community-level knowledge, attitudes, and practices that potentially put participants at risk for zoonotic disease transmission from the animals they live and work with, across 6 interface domains. When we asked highly-exposed individuals (ie. bushmeat hunters, wildlife or guano farmers) about the risk they perceived in their occupational activities, most did not perceive it to be risky, whether because it was normalized by years (or generations) of doing such an activity, or due to lack of information about potential risks. Integrating the social sciences allows investigations of the specific human activities that are hypothesized to drive disease emergence, amplification, and transmission, in order to better substantiate behavioral disease drivers, along with the social dimensions of infection and transmission dynamics. Understanding these dynamics is critical to achieving health security--the protection from threats to health-- which requires investments in both collective and individual health security. Involving behavioral sciences into zoonotic disease surveillance allowed us to push toward fuller community integration and engagement and toward dialogue and implementation of recommendations for disease prevention and improved health security

Structural sizing of a hydrogen tank for a commercial aircraft

International audienc

Additional Layer of Regulation via Convergent Gene Orientation in Yeasts

International audienc

Studies of CdTe thin films and solar cells grown by MOCVD

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Environmental Quality Assessment for Valorization of Raw and Desalinated Dredged Marine Sediment Contaminated by Potentially Toxic Elements

International audienceWithin the framework of evaluating the long-term management of contaminated dredged sediments, we studied the mobility of inorganic contaminants contained marine sediment submitted to desalination and to leaching in an outdoor lysimeter. A set of complementary analytical techniques were used: mineral and textural analysis; simple selective extractions; sequential selective extractions; acid neutralization capacity tests and percolation dynamic leaching tests, using standardized procedures. The raw sediment presented a critical concentration of As, Hg and soluble salts compared to most European sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). Desalination allowed the leaching of soluble salts without significant leaching of most potentially toxic elements (PTEs), but greatly enhanced the mobility of Mo. Five months outdoor storage with natural cycles of wetting and drying increased the fraction bound to organic matter (OM) or sulfides of Cu, Pb, Cd, Mo, As and Pb. Cu and As mobility appeared highly related to OM dynamics. Na, Cl, B and Mo appeared highly mobile, but Mo release was lower at pH < 5. Zn, Pb, Mn, Al, Ni and Cr had behavior characteristic of species adsorbed on mineral oxides surfaces, being highly leachable at acid pH. Colloidal transport was significant for DOC, As, Ni and Co and was the main process for Pb. Drying the sediment greatly enhanced the mobility of a number of elements and compounds, particularly Cd, Pb, Mo, Ba, As. Mo mobility after drying turned the material unsuitable for technical embankment; the material may still be used in road engineering under impervious pavement

Rev Epidemiol Sante Publique

Contexte et objectif : Lors d'un accident vasculaire cérébral ischémique dû à une occlusion d'un gros vaisseau, plus la thrombectomie mécanique (TM) est réalisée rapidement, meilleur est le pronostic fonctionnel. Cependant, l'organisation des soins ne permet pas systématiquement un accès rapide à la TM. L'objectif de notre étude était de déterminer les facteurs cliniques et organisationnels associés au délai d'accès à la TM. Méthodes : Nous avons réalisé une étude de cohorte dans le département de la Gironde, en France. Les patients nécessitant une TM et régulés par les Services d'Aide Médicale Urgente (SAMU) de Gironde entre le 01/01/2017 et le 31/12/2018 ont été inclus. Le délai d'accès à la TM correspondait à la différence entre le premier appel au SAMU et la ponction de l'aine pour TM. Les principales variables explicatives étaient : le type de parcours de soins (mothership (MS), drip and ship (DS) avec imagerie cérébrale réalisée au centre hospitalier de proximité (CHP) et DS sans imagerie au CHP) ; le score NIHSS ; la distance kilométrique pour accéder à la TM ; le moment de survenue de l'AVC (week-end ou jour férié, vacances scolaires, autre) ; l'âge et le sexe. Des modèles de régression linéaire ont été utilisés pour expliquer le délai d'accès à la TM. Les données manquantes ont été gérées à l'aide d'une procédure d'imputation multiple (spécification conditionnelle complète, Mice R-Package) exécutée dans notre modèle de régression linéaire multivariable. Une analyse quantitative du biais a été réalisée en pondérant le délai imputé d'accès à la TM et en identifiant le poids qui modifie les conclusions de notre analyse. Résultats : Parmi les 314 patients inclus, 152 étaient des femmes (48,4 %), et le score NIHSS moyen à l'admission était de 16,4. Deux cent deux (64,3 %) patients ont été pris en charge dans parcours MS. Le délai moyen entre le premier appel au SAMU et la ponction fémorale pour TM était de 251 minutes. Dans l'analyse multivariable, le délai d'accès à la TM était plus long lorsque les patients étaient pris en charge dans le parcours DS avec imagerie dans le CHP (+106 min, p=0,03), et encore plus long dans le parcourd DS sans imagerie dans le CHP (+197 min, p=0,002), par rapport au parcours MS. Le délai d'accès à la TM diminuait avec l'augmentation du score NIHSS (-6 min par point NIHSS, p<.0001). Dans notre analyse quantitative des biais, nous avons multiplié le délai imputé d'accès à la TM dans les parcours DS uniquement (avec ou sans imagerie dans le CHP) par des poids variant de 0,9 à 0,2 (délais imputés réduits de 10 % à 80 %). Avec une réduction de 40 % ou plus, il n'y avait plus de différence de délai d'accès à la TM entre les trois parcours de soins étudiés. Conclusions : Le parcours DS peut encore être raccourci en généralisant l'accès à l'imagerie cérébrale au sein des CHP. L'optimisation de l'orientation pré-admission vers la TM est un point majeur dans la prise en charge des accidents vasculaires cérébraux ischémiques dûs à une occlusion d'un gros vaisseau.BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: When an ischaemic stroke due to a large vessel occlusion occurs, the sooner Mechanical Thrombectomy (MT) is performed, the better the functional prognosis. However, the organisation of care does not systematically allow rapid access to MT. The aim of our study was to determine the clinical and organisational factors associated with the time to access to MT. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study in Gironde County, France. Patients admitted for MT and regulated by the Gironde Emergency Medical Services (EMS) between 01/01/2017 and 31/12/2018 were included. The time to access to MT was the difference between the first call to EMS and groin puncture for MT. The main explanatory variables were: type of pathway (mothership (MS), drip and ship (DS) with cerebral imaging performed in the local hospital centre (LHC), and DS without imaging in the LHC); NIHSS score; driving distance to MT; time of stroke onset (weekend or holiday, school holidays, other); age and sex. Linear regression models were used to explain time to access to MT. Missing data were handled using a multiple imputation procedure (Full conditional specification, Mice R-Package) carried out in our multivariable linear regression model. A quantitative bias analysis was performed by weighing the imputed time to access to MT and identifying the weight changing the conclusions of our analysis. RESULTS: Among the 314 included patients, 152 were women (48.4%), and the mean NIHSS score was 16.4. Two hundred and two (64.3%) patients were managed through the MS pathway. The average time from onset to femoral puncture was 251 minutes. In the multivariate analysis, the time to MT was longer when patients were managed DS with imaging in the LHC pathway (+106 min, p = 0.03), and even longer in the DS without imaging in the LHC pathway (+197 min, p = 0.002), compared with MS. Time from onset to MT decreased with increasing NIHSS score (-6 min per NIHSS point, p <.0001). In our quantitative bias analysis, we multiplied the imputed time in access to MT in the DS pathways only (with or without imaging in the LHC) by weights varying from 0.9 to 0.2 (imputed delays reduced from 10% to 80%). With reduction of 40% or more, there was no longer any difference in time to access to MT between the three studied pathways. CONCLUSIONS: The DS pathway can be shortened by generalizing access to cerebral imaging in LHCs. Optimizing pre-admission orientation toward MT is a major issue in LVOS management

Comparison of (68)Ga-PSMA-617 PET/CT and (68)Ga-RM2 PET/CT in patients with localized prostate cancer candidate for radical prostatectomy: a prospective, single arm, single center, phase II study

Considering the wide range of therapeutic options for localized prostate cancer (active surveillance, radiation beam therapy, focal therapy, radical prostatectomy, etc), accurate assessment of the aggressiveness and localization of primary prostate cancer lesion are essential for treatment decision making. National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recognize Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) for the initial staging of high risk primary prostate cancer. The Gastrin-Releasing Peptide Receptor (GRP-R) is a neuropeptide receptor over-expressed by low-risk prostate cancer cells. We aim to perform the first prospective head-to-head comparison of PSMA and GRP-R targeted imaging at the initial staging to understand how PSMA-PET and GRP-R-PET could be used or combined in clinical practice Methods: This was a prospective, single-center, diagnostic cross-sectional imaging study using anonymized, masked and independent interpretations of PET/CT paired studies in 22 patients with (68)Ga-PSMA-617 (a radiolabelled PSMA-inhibitor) and (68)Ga-RM2 (a radiolabelled GRP-R-antagonist). We enrolled patients with newly diagnosed, biopsy-proven, prostate cancer. No patient had received neoadjuvant hormone therapy or chemotherapy. All patients underwent extended pelvic lymph node dissection. Histology served as reference. Results: On a lesion-based analysis (including lesions <0.1cc), (68)Ga-PSMA-617 PET/CT detected 74.3% (26/35) of all tumor lesions and (68)Ga-RM2 PET/CT detected 78.1% (25/32; one patient could not be offered (68)Ga-RM2 PET/CT). Paired examinations showed positive uptake with the two tracers in 21/32 lesions (65.6%), negative uptake in 5/32 lesions (15.6%), and discordant uptake in 6/32 lesions (18.8%). Uptake of (68)Ga-PSMA-617 was higher in ISUP ≥ 4 vs ≥ 1 (P < 0.0001); and ISUP ≥ 4 vs 2 (P = 0.002). There were no significant differences in uptake between ISUP scores for (68)Ga-RM2. Median (68)Ga-RM2 SUV(max) was significantly higher than median (68)Ga-PSMA-617 SUV(max) in the ISUP 2 subgroup (P = 0.01). Conclusion: (68)Ga-PSMA-617 PET/CT is useful to depict higher, more clinically significant, ISUP score lesions and (68)Ga-RM2 PET/CT has higher detection rate for low-ISUP tumors. Combining PSMA-PET and GRP-R PET allows to better classify intraprostatic lesions

Clin Otolaryngol

During multidisciplinary tumor board meetings, practitioners did not assess local extension in the same way. 76% of pre-operative T stages of adenocarcinoma were overestimated. 73% of patients underwent skull base removal for pT1 and T2 previously classified as cT3 and T4. The concordance of extension assessment between radiologist and pathologist was poor whereas it was good between surgeon and pathologist. These findings point to the opportunity to improve patient care and avoid therapeutic escalation