A rat model of early stage osteonecrosis induced by glucocorticoids

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Glucocorticoid (GC)-induced osteonecrosis (ON) is an important complication of medical therapy. The exact pathomechanisms of ON has not been clearly elucidated. There is a need for a reproducible animal model that better approximates the clinical scenario.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To determine the genetic susceptibility of rats to develop GC-induced femoral head ON, we evaluated 5 different inbred strains of rats (Spontaneous Hypertensive Rat, Wistar Kyoto, Wistar Furth, SASCO Fisher and Lewis). Prednisone pellets (dosage of 1.82-2.56 mg/kg/day) were implanted subcutaneously for 90. After 90 days, the femurs were resected and examined histologically and radiographically. Pathological and histological examination was performed. Hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) staining was used to delineate the femoral head osteonecrosis lesions as well as abnormalities of articular cartilage and growth plate.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The greatest differences in H & E staining were seen in the Wistar Kyoto and Wistar Furth groups. In these groups 4 out of 5 and 3 out of 5, respectively, steroid-induced rats revealed growth plate disruption with acellular areas. The TUNEL apoptosis staining assay for apoptosis revealed that 4 out of 5 of Wistar Kyoto rats, 5 out of 5 of Wistar Furth, 2 out of 4 of surviving Lewis and 2 out of 2 of the surviving spontaneous hypertensive rats had apoptotic osteocytes in trabeculae, whereas none of the Fisher rats showed apoptotic osteocytes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We postulate that Wistar Kyoto, Wistar Furth and spontaneous hypertensive rats may be strains of rats more susceptible to develop ON of the femoral head while Fisher rats were the most resistant.</p

C-fos and c-jun Proto-Oncogene Expression Is Decreased in Psoriasis: an In Situ Quantitative Analysis

Psoriasis is a common, sometimes sevcre, non-malignant skin disease characterized by hyperproliferation and abnormal differentiation of keratinocytes. Because proto-oncogenes are implicated in both cell proliferation and differentiation, their expression could be modified in skin diseases such as psoriasis. The c-fos and c-jun proto-oncogenes, whose products associate to form a heterodimeric transcription factor, are among the first genes to be expressed when certain cells are stimulated to either proliferate or differentiate. Recent studies in our laboratory have shown that the c-fos protooncogene is highly expressed in normal human adult skin. In the present study, we used in situ hybridization with RNA to compare the expression and localization of c-fos and c-jun transcripts in 15 lesional and non-lesional psoriatic skin samples. Two clinical variants of psoriasis were studied: the most severe and chronic form or plaque-type psoriasis (N = 10) and rapidly resolutive guttate-type psoriasis (N = 5). Quantitative analysis was performed using a semi-automatic image analyzer and the “Starwise grain” software program. Our control samples included 10 normal skins and eight specimens from other benign hyperproliferative non-psoriatic skin diseases, consisting of three with inflammation (seborrheic dermatitis and atopic dermatitis), and 5 without inflammation (seborrheic keratoses). Control genes we used for in situ hybridization and RNA integrity were keratin 14, which is expressed in the epidermis and was normally expressed in all tissue analyzed, and ribosomal RNA. Our data showed that c-fos and c-jun were expressed to an equivalent extent, both spatially and quantitatively, in all specimens tested. Expression was significantly decreased in plaque-type but not in guttate-type psoriasis. It was also decreased in the three other benign inflammatory cutaneous hyperproliferative disorders, but not in the five non-inflammatory cases. These results were surprising because hyperproliferation was here associated with a decrease in proto-oncogene expression, thus suggesting that c-fos and c-jun do not play a crucial role in the control of keratinocyte proliferation in vivo. However, their reduced expression in some abnormally differentiated skins indicates that both c-fos and c-jun proto-oncogenes may play a key role in keratinocyte differentiation. Their altered expression correlated with severity of the disease and the presence of an inflammatory infiltrate. These data offer a new insight into the role and regulation of these proto-oncogenes in vivo in humans

On passion and moral behavior in achievement settings: The mediating role of pride

The Dualistic Model of Passion (Vallerand et al., 2003) distinguishes two types of passion: harmonious passion (HP) and obsessive passion (OP) that predict adaptive and less adaptive outcomes, respectively. In the present research, we were interested in understanding the role of passion in the adoption of moral behavior in achievement settings. It was predicted that the two facets of pride (authentic and hubristic; Tracy & Robins, 2007) would mediate the passion-moral behavior relationship. Specifically, because people who are passionate about a given activity are highly involved in it, it was postulated that they should typically do well and thus experience high levels of pride when engaged in the activity. However, it was also hypothesized that while both types of passion should be conducive to authentic pride, only OP should lead to hubristic pride. Finally, in line with past research on pride (Carver, Sinclair, & Johnson, 2010; Tracy et al., 2009), only hubristic pride was expected to negatively predict moral behavior, while authentic pride was expected to positively predict moral behavior. Results of two studies conducted with paintball players (N=163, Study 1) and athletes (N=296, Study 2) supported the proposed model. Future research directions are discussed in light of the Dualistic Model of Passion

Mémento 2 : Résidences 1999-2000

This richly illustrated catalogue documents the work of 35 artists who took part in six residencies (including two events - La Cueillette and La Ruche) that took place in 1999 and 2000 at Centre Est-Nord-Est. The centre’s director, F. Michel, describes the nature and purpose of the residencies as well as that of the catalogue : to reflect each participant’s experience. Includes brief comments by the artist on their work and on their stay. Text in French and English. Biographical notes

Description des comportements juges perturbateurs par le personnel soignant en CHSLD: Étude pilote

Cette étude descriptive transversale, visait à verifier les connaissances relatives à trois types d'aphasie (Broca, Wernicke et globale) et l'expression des comportements jugés perturbateurs par le personnel soignant en CHSLD auprès de résidents ayant des troubles de communication de type aphasique suite à un AVC selon la fréquence, le moment du jour et l'élément déclencheur. L'échantillon (N = 58) était subdivisé en professionnels et non professionnels. Les résultats fournissent des profils selon les données socio-démographiques, les connaissances et l'expression des comportements rapportés par les soignants en termes d'agressivité physique, verbale, cris, demandés et mouvements répétitifs. Les connaissances et des comportements perturbateurs rapportés ne diffèrent pas significativement selon les catégories de personnels soignant et les correlations entre l'expérience et les connaissances sont quasi nulle. L'implication de cette étude pour la pratique démontre l'importance de la formation du personnel afin de gérer et de prévenir l'expression des besoins des résidents par des comportements jugés perturbateurs

Étude des facteurs d’ajustement au deuil après un suicide et après un décès soudain non intentionnel

La question de savoir si le deuil après suicide est plus difficile qu’une autre forme de deuil est encore débattue dans la littérature contemporaine. Cependant, outre la nature du décès, d’autres variables peuvent expliquer la difficulté du processus d’ajustement au deuil. Parmi ces variables, il y a la satisfaction de couple, la satisfaction de vie et l’attachement. Cette étude a comparé des femmes veuves endeuillées après un suicide (n = 22) et des femmes veuves endeuillées à la suite d’un décès non intentionnel (n = 24). Les résultats indiquent que les femmes endeuillées par le suicide d’un proche, comparativement à celles ayant vécu un autre type de deuil à la suite d’un décès non intentionnel, rapportaient davantage de détresse psychologique et une plus grande insatisfaction face à la vie et au couple. En revanche, la détresse ressentie n’est pas associée à la nature du décès, mais le niveau de satisfaction de vie et de couple serait davantage lié à la difficulté du deuil vécu.Whether mourning after a suicide is more complex than other types of mourning remains a debated question in contemporary literature. However, apart from the nature of the death, other variables can also explain the complexity of the mourning-adjustment process. Among these variables, there is couple satisfaction, life satisfaction and attachment. This study has compared widows in mourning after a suicide (n = 22) and widows in mourning following a non-intentional death (n = 24). The results indicate that women mourning in relation to suicide, as opposed to those having experienced mourning due to other types of non-intentional death, have reported more psychological distress and a greater dissatisfaction towards life and the couple. On the other hand, the distress experienced is not associated with the nature of the death, but life and couple satisfaction would seem to be associated more importantly with the mourning difficulty