Considerations about market surveillance and quality control of fireworks

International audienceMost fireworks that are used in Europe and North America are produced by manufacturers located in the Far East. Considering the results of tests performed by the Canadian Explosives Research Laboratory (CERL) and INERIS on fireworks imported into their jurisdictions (mainly from China), and taking into account that a new Directive has been published in 2007 in Europe for the certification of pyrotechnic articles (including fireworks), it has becomes apparent that it is necessary to implement an additional system for examining and certifying the fireworks, when importers themselves are not capable of testing the products in accordance with the existing or newly introduced standards. This system could be applied to manufacturers or control laboratories outside of the European Union, and could be applicable to any country wishing to improve the safety of use of fireworks (safety for consumers and safety during display). We present our views in this paper regarding the proposed system : - a comparison between the examination procedures applied by Canada to imported fireworks and their consequential results, and those applied by France (INERIS) to grab samples taken in the importers warehouses imported fireworks from the far east, and their results - some proposals on criteria of minimal competence (qualified or accredited testing laboratory, competent people, testing equipment, testing procedures, ...) to implement in order to qualify the manufacturers exporting into Europe, or local control bodies

Toxicity issues pertaining to burning pyrotechnics

International audienceWe all know that normal operations with pyrotechnic compositions or other energetic materials, apart from the desired effect (e.g.: controlled blast from high explosives, propulsive power resulting from propellant gas pressure, various visible or sound effects from fireworks...) lead to the release of various products (gases, vapours, aerosols) in the environment, in relation with the chemicals, the reactions involved and some physical parameters. Although discussed from time to time by experts, and contrary to the case of 'conventional' fires, toxicity and environmentally related questions associated with burning pyrotechnics, have received far less attention than they actually deserve. Therefore, this paper supports an analysis of our current understanding of the sole toxicity problems (acute toxicity, sub-acute toxicity concerns...) emerging with all types of burning pyrotechnics, at the light of what has been established to address 'normal' fires in built environments. The paper provides an analysis of the regulatory context, lessons from past accidents, typology of chemistry and reactions of pyrotechnics, and some contribution to the analysis is supported by experiments on smoke powders, one significant family of products belonging to pyrotechnics. Eventually, a discussion is proposed to envisage pathways to go further in learning on those important issues

Evaluation of Mitochondrial Functions and Dysfunctions in Muscle Biopsy Samples

Preface VII Part 3 Muscle Biopsy: Metabolic Diseases 83 Chapter 5Evaluation of mitochondrial functions and dysfunctions in muscle biopsy sample

Estudio de pre factibilidad para la industrialización de agua de coco y compuesto de bebidas a base de frutas embotelladas en la ciudad de Managua

Presenta la viabilidad de industrializar el proceso de elaboración de agua de coco y compuesto de bebidas a base de frutas en el cual se realizó un estudio de mercado que permitió conocer la demanda y un estudio técnico que permitió establecer el procedimiento adecuado de industrializar el proceso de producción

Emerging Biomarkers of Illness Severity: Urinary Metabolites Associated with Sepsis and Necrotizing Methicillin‐Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Pneumonia

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138419/1/phar1973.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138419/2/phar1973_am.pd

Near misses and unsafe conditions reported in a Pediatric Emergency Research Network

Objective Patient safety may be enhanced by using reports from front-line staff of near misses and unsafe conditions to identify latent safety events. We describe paediatric emergency department (ED) near-miss events and unsafe conditions from hospital reporting systems in a 1-year observational study from hospitals participating in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN). Design This is a secondary analysis of 1 year of incident reports (IRs) from 18 EDs in 2007–2008. Using a prior taxonomy and established method, this analysis is of all reports classified as near-miss (events not reaching the patient) or unsafe condition. Classification included type, severity, contributing factors and personnel involved. In-depth review of 20% of IRs was performed. Results 487 reports (16.8% of eligible IRs) are included. Most common were medication-related, followed by laboratory-related, radiology-related and process-related IRs. Human factors issues were related to 87% and equipment issues to 11%. Human factor issues related to non-compliance with procedures accounted for 66.4%, including 5.95% with no or incorrect ID. Handoff issues were important in 11.5%. Conclusions Medication and process-related issues are important causes of near miss and unsafe conditions in the network. Human factors issues were highly reported and non-compliance with established procedures was very common, and calculation issues, communications (ie, handoffs) and clinical judgment were also important. This work should enable us to help improve systems within the environment of the ED to enhance patient safety in the future

Phosphorylation of histone deacetylase 7 by protein kinase D mediates T cell receptor–induced Nur77 expression and apoptosis

The molecular basis of thymocyte negative selection, a crucial mechanism in establishing central tolerance, is not yet resolved. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) have emerged as key transcriptional regulators in several major developmental programs. Recently, we showed that the class IIa member, HDAC7, regulates negative selection by repressing expression of Nur77, an orphan nuclear receptor involved in antigen-induced apoptosis of thymocytes. Engagement of the T cell receptor (TCR) alleviates this repression through phosphorylation-dependent nuclear exclusion of HDAC7. However, the identity of the TCR-activated kinase that phosphorylates and inactivates HDAC7 was still unknown. Here, we demonstrate that TCR-induced nuclear export of HDAC7 and Nur77 expression is mediated by activation of protein kinase D (PKD). Indeed, active PKD stimulates HDAC7 nuclear export and Nur77 expression. In contrast, inhibition of PKD prevents TCR-mediated nuclear exclusion of HDAC7 and associated Nur77 activation. Furthermore, we show that HDAC7 is an interaction partner and a substrate for PKD. We identify four serine residues in the NH2 terminus of HDAC7 as targets for PKD. More importantly, a mutant of HDAC7 specifically deficient in phosphorylation by PKD, inhibits TCR-mediated apoptosis of T cell hybridomas. These findings indicate that PKD is likely to play a key role in the signaling pathways controlling negative selection

Deep sleep maintains learning efficiency of the human brain

It is hypothesized that deep sleep is essential for restoring the brain's capacity to learn efficiently, especially in regions heavily activated during the day. However, causal evidence in humans has been lacking due to the inability to sleep deprive one target area while keeping the natural sleep pattern intact. Here we introduce a novel approach to focally perturb deep sleep in motor cortex, and investigate the consequences on behavioural and neurophysiological markers of neuroplasticity arising from dedicated motor practice. We show that the capacity to undergo neuroplastic changes is reduced by wakefulness but restored during unperturbed sleep. This restorative process is markedly attenuated when slow waves are selectively perturbed in motor cortex, demonstrating that deep sleep is a requirement for maintaining sustainable learning efficiency

Investigation and Management of Apparently Sporadic Central Nervous System Haemangioblastoma for Evidence of Von Hippel-Lindau Disease.

Haemangioblastomas are rare, highly vascularised tumours that typically occur in the cerebellum, brain stem and spinal cord. Up to a third of individuals with a haemangioblastoma will have von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. Individuals with haemangioblastoma and underlying VHL disease present, on average, at a younger age and frequently have a personal or family history of VHL disease-related tumours (e.g., retinal or central nervous system (CNS) haemangioblastomas, renal cell carcinoma, phaeochromocytoma). However, a subset present an apparently sporadic haemangioblastoma without other features of VHL disease. To detect such individuals, it has been recommended that genetic testing and clinical/radiological assessment for VHL disease should be offered to patients with a haemangioblastoma. To assess "real-world" clinical practice, we undertook a national survey of clinical genetics centres. All participating centres responded that they would offer genetic testing and a comprehensive assessment (ophthalmological examination and CNS and abdominal imaging) to a patient presenting with a CNS haemangioblastoma. However, for individuals who tested negative, there was variability in practice with regard to the need for continued follow-up. We then reviewed the results of follow-up surveillance in 91 such individuals seen at four centres. The risk of developing a potential VHL-related tumour (haemangioblastoma or RCC) was estimated at 10.8% at 10 years follow-up. The risks of developing a recurrent haemangioblastoma were higher in those who presented <40 years of age. In the light of these and previous findings, we propose an age-stratified protocol for surveillance of VHL-related tumours in individuals with apparently isolated haemangioblastoma.NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, VHL Alliance UK, NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (IS-BRC-1215-20007