Myasthenie - spondylarthropathies: association fortuite ? A propos d’un cas et revue de la littérature

Propos Nous rapportons le cas d’un patient atteint d’une myasthénie associée à une spondylarthropathie. Cette observation est originale de part sa rareté, six cas seulement on été rapportés dans la littérature et le problème que pose cette association : est ce qu’elle est fortuite ou impliquerait-elle d’autres facteurs génétiques qui restent à prouver ?Observation Monsieur J.H. âgé de 32 ans, aux antécédents de myasthénie depuis 2002, était hospitalisé en avril 2004 pour polyarthrite chronique bilatérale et asymétrique évoluant depuis un an, touchant le poignet gauche, les inter phalangiennes proximales des 3ème et 5ème doigts droits et le genou droit associées à des talalgiesbilatérales et une douleur des articulations sacro-iliaques. La biologie montrait un syndrome inflammatoire modéré, des facteurs rhumatoïdes faiblement positifs et un typage HLA B7 et B17. Le bilan radiologiquemontrait une arthrite des mains, une enthésite calcanéenne et permettait de suspecter une sacro-iliite bilatérale qui était confirmée par un scanner. L’évolution était bonne sous anti- inflammatoires nonstéroïdiens pendant 6 mois. Il consulte en janvier 2006 pour le même tableau associé à une sècheresse buccale et oculaire. Le bilan trouvait une VS à 20, des facteurs rhumatoïdes faiblement positifs mais desAAN positifs à un taux 1/160 homogènes avec des anti SSA. Les radiographies standard montraient une carpite stade II gauche. L’examen ophtalmologique a confirmé le syndrome sec oculaire. La biopsie des glandes salivaires accessoires a montré un syndrome de Gougerot Sjögren grade 2 de Shisholm

Arthroscopically Assisted Comprehensive Double Cerclage Suture Fixation Technique for Acute Acromioclavicular Joint Separation

Acromioclavicular dislocations are some of the most frequently recorded and controversial injuries in the athletic population. These injuries have historically been a matter of disagreement between surgeons, particularly when it comes to the surgical technique used to treat them, its approach, or its timing. Consensus over the "gold standard" procedure to treat them is yet to be established. Even though numerous surgical techniques have already been described, the number of complications and loss of reduction remains a matter of concern for treating physicians. Here, we present an arthroscopically assisted coracoclavicular and horizontal acromioclavicular fixation technique in a modified figure-of-eight configuration using 2 strong FiberTape Cerclage sutures, with measurable tension, for the comprehensive treatment of acromioclavicular joint dislocations

Outcome of the ‘Drip-and-Ship’ Paradigm among Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke: Results of a Statewide Study

www.karger.com/cee This is an Open Access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License (www.karger.com/OA-license), applicable to the online version of the article only. Distribution for non-commercial purposes only.

Rapid Assessment Tool for Haemophilus influenzae type b Disease in Developing Countries1

Haemophilus influenzae type b disease prevalence in children provides estimates of national disease prevalence

Plasma Dynamics

Contains reports on six research projects.National Science Foundation (Grant ENG79-07047)U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Grant AFOSR77-3143D)U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Contract AFOSR82-0063)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract DE-ACO2-78-ET-51013)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract DE-AC02-78ET-53073.A002

Rising statin use and effect on ischemic stroke outcome

BACKGROUND: Statins (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors) have neuroprotective effects in experimental stroke models and are commonly prescribed in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to determine if patients taking statins before hospital admission for stroke had an improved clinical outcome. METHODS: This was an observational study of 436 patients admitted to the National Institutes of Health Suburban Hospital Stroke Program between July 2000 and December 2002. Self-reported risk factors for stroke were obtained on admission. Stroke severity was determined by the admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score. Good outcome was defined as a Rankin score < 2 at discharge. Statistical analyses used univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: There were 436 patients with a final diagnosis of ischemic stroke; statin data were available for 433 of them. A total of 95/433 (22%) of patients were taking a statin when they were admitted, rising from 16% in 2000 to 26% in 2002. Fifty-one percent of patients taking statins had a good outcome compared to 38% of patients not taking statins (p = 0.03). After adjustment for confounding factors, statin pretreatment was associated with a 2.9 odds (95% CI: 1.2–6.7) of a good outcome at the time of hospital discharge. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of patients taking statins when they are admitted with stroke is rising rapidly. Statin pretreatment was significantly associated with an improved functional outcome at discharge. This finding could support the early initiation of statin therapy after stroke

Interleukin-6 and Cyclooxygenase-2 downregulation by fatty-acid fractions of Ranunculus constantinopolitanus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Medicinal plants represent alternative means for the treatment of several chronic diseases, including inflammation. The genus <it>Ranunculus</it>, a representative of the Ranunculaceae family, has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiviral, antibacterial, antiparasitic and antifungal activities, possibly due to the presence of anemonin and other. Different studies have shown the occurrence of unusual fatty acids (FAs) in Ranunculaceae; however, their therapeutic role has not been investigated. The purpose of this study is to characterize potential anti-inflammatory bioactivities in <it>Ranunculus constantinopolitanus </it>D'Urv., traditionally used in Eastern Mediterranean folk medicine.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The aerial part of <it>R. constantinopolitanus </it>was subjected to methanol (MeOH) extraction and solvent fractionation. The bioactive fraction (I.2) was further fractionated using column chromatography, and the biologically active subfraction (Y₂₊₃) was identified using infrared (IR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The effects of I.2 and Y₂₊₃on cell viability were studied in mouse mammary epithelial SCp2 cells using trypan blue exclusion method. To study the anti-inflammatory activities of I.2 and Y₂₊₃, their ability to reduce interleukin (IL)-6 levels was assessed in endotoxin (ET)-stimulated SCp2 cells using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, the ability of Y₂₊₃to reduce cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression was studied in IL-1-treated mouse intestinal epithelial Mode-K cells via western blotting. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Student-Newman-Keuls (SNK), Tukey HSD, two-sample t-test and Dunnett t-tests for multiple comparisons.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The chloroform fraction (I.2) derived from crude MeOH extract of the plant, in addition to Y₂₊₃, a FA mix isolated from this fraction and containing palmitic acid, C18:2 and C18:1 isomers and stearic acid (1:5:8:1 ratio), reduced ET-induced IL-6 levels in SCp2 cells without affecting cell viability or morphology. When compared to fish oil, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and to individual FAs as palmitic, linoleic, oleic and stearic acid or to a mix of these FAs (1:5:8:1 ratio), Y₂₊₃exhibited higher potency in reducing ET-induced IL-6 levels within a shorter period of time. Y₂₊₃ also reduced COX-2 expression in IL-1-treated Mode-K cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our studies demonstrate the existence of potential anti-inflammatory bioactivities in <it>R. constantinopolitanus </it>and attribute them to a FA mix in this plant.</p

Sequence determinants for the tandem recognition of UGU and CUG rich RNA elements by the two N—terminal RRMs of CELF1

CUGBP, Elav-like family member 1 (CELF1) is an RNA binding protein with important roles in the regulation of splicing, mRNA decay and translation. CELF1 contains three RNA recognition motifs (RRMs). We used gel retardation, gel filtration, isothermal titration calorimetry and NMR titration studies to investigate the recognition of RNA by the first two RRMs of CELF1. NMR shows that RRM1 is promiscuous in binding to both UGU and CUG repeat sequences with comparable chemical shift perturbations. In contrast, RRM2 shows greater selectivity for UGUU rather than CUG motifs. A construct (T187) containing both binding domains (RRM1 and RRM2) was systematically studied for interaction with tandem UGU RNA binding sites with different length linker sequences UGU(U)xUGU where x = 1–7. A single U spacer results in interactions only with RRM1, demonstrating both steric constraints in accommodating both RRMs simultaneously at adjacent sites, and also subtle differences in binding affinities between RRMs. However, high affinity co-operative binding (Kd ~ 0.4 µM) is evident for RNA sequences with x = 2–4, but longer spacers (x ≥ 5) lead to a 10-fold reduction in affinity. Our analysis rationalizes the high affinity interaction of T187 with the 11mer GRE consensus regulatory sequence UGUUUGUUUGU and has significant consequences for the prediction of CELF1 binding sites

Lung function associated gene Integrator Complex subunit 12 regulates protein synthesis pathways

Background: Genetic studies of human lung function and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease have identified a highly significant and reproducible signal on 4q24. It remains unclear which of the two candidate genes within this locus may regulate lung function: GSTCD, a gene with unknown function, and/or INTS12, a member of the Integrator Complex which is currently thought to mediate 3'end processing of small nuclear RNAs.Results: We found that, in lung tissue, 4q24 polymorphisms associated with lung function correlate with INTS12 but not neighbouring GSTCD expression. In contrast to the previous reports in other species, we only observed a minor alteration of snRNA processing following INTS12 depletion. RNAseq analysis of knockdown cells instead revealed dysregulation of a core subset of genes relevant to airway biology and a robust downregulation of protein synthesis pathways. Consistent with this, protein translation was decreased in INTS12 knockdown cells. In addition, ChIPseq experiments demonstrated INTS12 binding throughout the genome, which was enriched in transcriptionally active regions. Finally, we defined the INTS12 regulome which includes genes belonging to the protein synthesis pathways.Conclusion: INTS12 has functions beyond the canonical snRNA processing. We show that it regulates translation by regulating the expression of genes belonging to protein synthesis pathways. This study provides a detailed analysis of INTS12 activities on a genome-wide scale and contributes to the biology behind the genetic association for lung function at 4q24.</p

GTC Follow-up Observations of Very Metal-Poor Star Candidates from DESI

The observations from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) will significantly increase the numbers of known extremely metal-poor stars by a factor of ~ 10, improving the sample statistics to study the early chemical evolution of the Milky Way and the nature of the first stars. In this paper we report high signal-to-noise follow-up observations of 9 metal-poor stars identified during the DESI commissioning with the Optical System for Imaging and low-Intermediate-Resolution Integrated Spectroscopy (OSIRIS) instrument on the 10.4m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). The analysis of the data using a well-vetted methodology confirms the quality of the DESI spectra and the performance of the pipelines developed for the data reduction and analysis of DESI data.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, to be submitted to ApJ, data available from https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.802084