125 research outputs found
Varicella paediatric hospitalisations in Belgium : a 1-year national survey
Background: Varicella universal vaccination (UV) has been implemented in many countries for several years. Nevertheless, varicella UV remains debated in Europe and few data are available on the real burden of infection. We assessed the burden of varicella in Belgium through analysis of hospitalised cases during a 1-year period.
Methods: Data on children admitted to hospital with varicella were collected through a national network from November 2011 to October 2012. Inclusion criteria were either acute varicella or related complications up to 3 weeks after the rash.
Results: Participation of 101 hospitals was obtained, covering 97.7% of the total paediatric beds in Belgium. 552 children were included with a median age of 2.1 years. Incidence of paediatric varicella hospitalisations reached 29.5/105 person-years, with the highest impact among those 0-4 years old (global incidence and odds of hospitalisation: 79/105 person-years and 1.6/100 varicella cases, respectively). Only 14% (79/552) of the cohort had an underlying chronic condition. 65% (357/552) of children had >= 1 complication justifying their admission, 49% were bacterial superinfections and 10% neurological disorders. Only a quarter of children (141/ 552) received acyclovir. Incidence of complicated hospitalised cases was 19/10(5) person-years. Paediatric intensive care unit admission and surgery were required in 4% and 3% of hospitalised cases, respectively. Mortality among Belgian paediatric population was 0.5/106 and fatality ratio 0.2% among our cohort.
Conclusions: Varicella demonstrated a substantial burden of disease in Belgian children, especially among the youngest. Our thorough nationwide study, run in a country without varicella UV, offers data to support varicella UV in Belgium
Développement d'outils d'aide à l'opération du systÚme de coagulation-floculation-décantation de l'usine de traitement des eaux de Sainte-Foy
Le procĂ©dĂ© de coagulation constitue la premiĂšre Ă©tape de traitement de la chaĂźne conventionnelle de production dâeau potable. La dĂ©termination du dosage optimal de coagulant Ă appliquer est relativement complexe puisquâelle requiert lâatteinte simultanĂ©e de plusieurs objectifs. Il est donc pertinent de dĂ©velopper des outils dâaide Ă la dĂ©cision pour assister les opĂ©rateurs dans le choix de la dose de coagulant. Lâobjectif de lâĂ©tude Ă©tait de fournir des outils aux opĂ©rateurs de lâusine de traitement des eaux (UTE) de Sainte-Foy pour les aider dans le choix du dosage de sulfate dâaluminium (alun). Dans le cadre de ce projet, quatre outils ont Ă©tĂ© ainsi dĂ©veloppĂ©s : un modĂšle de prĂ©diction du dosage dâalun Ă appliquer, deux modĂšles de prĂ©diction de la concentration en carbone organique dissous (COD) Ă lâeau dĂ©cantĂ©e et un capteur virtuel qui permet de prĂ©dire la concentration en COD aux eaux brute et dĂ©cantĂ©e. Dans tous les cas, il sâagit de modĂšles neuronaux. Le premier modĂšle permet de prĂ©dire le dosage dâalun Ă appliquer en reproduisant la bonne opĂ©ration antĂ©rieure effectuĂ©e Ă lâusine en termes de rĂ©duction de la turbiditĂ©. Les variables dâentrĂ©e du modĂšle sont le mois, la conductivitĂ©, la tempĂ©rature, la turbiditĂ© et le pH Ă lâeau brute. Lâajustement du modĂšle a Ă©tĂ© effectuĂ© Ă partir de donnĂ©es dâopĂ©rations rĂ©coltĂ©es aux 5 minutes pendant 4 annĂ©es (378 535 sĂ©ries de donnĂ©es). Les dosages prĂ©dits diffĂšrent en moyenne de 5,9% de ceux rĂ©ellement appliquĂ©s. Le second modĂšle permet de prĂ©dire la concentration en COD Ă lâeau dĂ©cantĂ©e Ă partir de lâabsorbance ultraviolet (UV) Ă 254 nm et du COD Ă lâeau brute, du pH de coagulation et de la dose dâalun appliquĂ©e. Les performances du modĂšle 2 ont Ă©tĂ© comparĂ©es Ă celles obtenues Ă partir de deux autres modĂšles empiriques provenant de la littĂ©rature et permettant de prĂ©dire la concentration en COD aprĂšs coagulation. Le modĂšle neuronal 2 a de meilleures performances de prĂ©diction que ces deux autres modĂšles empiriques. Les concentrations en COD prĂ©dites par le modĂšle 2 diffĂšrent en moyenne de 9,6% de celles rĂ©elles. Le troisiĂšme modĂšle prĂ©dit la concentration en COD aux eaux brute et dĂ©cantĂ©e Ă partir de lâabsorbance UV, de la tempĂ©rature, de la turbiditĂ© et du pH. Il agit Ă titre de capteur virtuel de COD et permet de rendre compte de lâefficacitĂ© de lâenlĂšvement de la matiĂšre organique naturelle par les Ă©tapes de coagulation, floculation et dĂ©cantation. Les concentrations en COD prĂ©dites par le modĂšle 3 diffĂšrent en moyenne de 13,2% de celles rĂ©elles. Enfin, le quatriĂšme modĂšle permet de prĂ©dire la concentration en COD Ă lâeau dĂ©cantĂ©e Ă partir de lâabsorbance UV (254 nm) Ă lâeau brute plutĂŽt que du COD. Les concentrations prĂ©dites par ce dernier diffĂšrent en moyenne de 10,9% de celles rĂ©elles. La base de donnĂ©es utilisĂ©e pour lâajustement des modĂšles 2, 3 et 4 comprend une annĂ©e de suivi de COD et dâabsorbance UV (eaux brute et dĂ©cantĂ©e) Ă raison de 2 mesures par jour et les donnĂ©es dâopĂ©ration rĂ©coltĂ©es en continu pour la mĂȘme pĂ©riode. Les performances des quatre modĂšles sont prĂ©sentĂ©es et discutĂ©es en fonction de leur implantation possible Ă lâusine et des amĂ©liorations pouvant leur ĂȘtre apportĂ©es. De tous les modĂšles dĂ©veloppĂ©s, le seul qui pourrait ĂȘtre implantĂ© Ă court terme est le modĂšle 1. En effet, les modĂšles 2, 3 et 4 sont prĂ©liminaires et devraient ĂȘtre mis Ă jour Ă partir de bases de donnĂ©es plus grandes comprenant davantage de pĂ©riodes de variations et rendre de meilleures performances avant de pouvoir ĂȘtre implantĂ©s en usine. Les modĂšles dĂ©veloppĂ©s pourraient ĂȘtre intĂ©grĂ©s afin de permettre aux opĂ©rateurs de choisir le dosage de coagulant Ă appliquer qui permettrait de faire un compromis entre les diffĂ©rents objectifs du procĂ©dĂ© de coagulation. Cela pourrait amĂ©liorer encore davantage la qualitĂ© de lâeau produite.The coagulation process is the first step of the conventional drinking water treatment chain. It is an important treatment step since it affects the efficiency of the subsequent treatment steps namely flocculation, settling, filtration and disinfection. It is relevant to develop decision aid tools to assist operators in the choice of the coagulant dose. This project aims at developing such tools. More specifically, the objective of the study was to provide tools for the operators of the Sainte-Foy water treatment plant to help them in choosing the appropriate aluminum sulphate dose (alum). As part of this project, three tools were developed: a model for the prediction of the coagulant dose, two models for the prediction of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration of settled water and a virtual sensor which allows predicting DOC concentration of raw and settled waters. All models are neural network models. The first model allows the prediction of the alum dosage by mimicking the good previous operation performed at the plant in terms of turbidity reduction. The input variables of the model are the month, the conductivity, temperature, turbidity and pH of raw water. The model was developed from operation data collected every 5 minutes during 4 years (378 535 data sets). Dosages predicted vary by an average of 5,9% of those actually applied. The second model allows the prediction of the DOC of the settled water. The input variables are the UV absorbance and DOC of raw water, pH of coagulation and alum dosage applied. Performances of the second model are compared with those obtained from two others empirical models (from the literature) that allow the prediction of the DOC of the settled water. Compared to these models, the second neural model gives better prediction performance. DOC concentrations predicted by the second model vary by an average of 9,6% of those actually measured. The third model allows the prediction of the DOC of raw and settled water. The input variables are the UV absorbance, temperature, turbidity and pH. The model acts as a virtual sensor of DOC concentration and allows the evaluation of the removal efficiency of natural organic matter by the coagulation, flocculation and settling steps. DOC concentrations predicted by the third model vary by an average of 13,2% of those actually measured. Finally, the fourth model allows the prediction of the DOC of settled water from UV absorbance of raw water instead of DOC. Concentrations predicted by that model vary by an average of 10,7% of those actually measured. The database for the adjustment of the second, third, and fourth models includes one year of DOC and UV absorbance monitoring at raw and settled water performed twice daily and operation data continuously collected. The models performances are presented and discussed according to their implementation and use in the treatment plant. A way to improve developed models is also described. Actually, only the first model could be implemented on a short term basis. Models 2, 3 and 4 are actually preliminary models that would need to be updated with larger databases including more variation periods before implementation. Developed models could be integrated to allow the operators to choose the alum dosage that can afford to make a compromise between the different objectives of the coagulation process. This could further improve the treated water quality
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On Meaningful Human Control in High-Stakes Machine-Human Partnerships
Our team at the Summer Institute was diverse in both skills (including technical computer science, cognitive science, systems innovation, and radiology expertise) and career stage (including faculty, graduate students, and a medical student). We were brought together at the âpitchâ stage by a mutual interest in human-machine partnerships in complex, high-stakes domains such as healthcare, transport, and autonomous weapons. We began with a focus on the topic of âmeaningful human controlâ â a term most often applied in the autonomous weapons literature, which refers broadly to human participation in the deployment and operation of potentially autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) systems, such that the human has a meaningful contribution to decisions and outcomes
Trouble léger de la cognition : profils variés en compréhension de texte = Mild cognitive impairment: varied texts comprehension profiles
La comprĂ©hension de textes est une composante complexe qui requiert Ă la fois des compĂ©tences linguistiques et cognitives. Aussi, lâapparition dâun trouble lĂ©ger de la cognition (TLC) est susceptible de gĂ©nĂ©rer des difficultĂ©s en comprĂ©hension de textes. Toutefois, lâhĂ©tĂ©rogĂ©nĂ©itĂ© du profil cognitif de ces personnes suggĂšre un profil de comprĂ©hension en lecture tout aussi hĂ©tĂ©rogĂšne. Lâobjectif de cette Ă©tude est, dâune part, dâidentifier, chez des participants avec TLC, les atteintes de la comprĂ©hension de textes en fonction de la demande cognitive des textes et, dâautre part, dâĂ©tudier les liens prĂ©sents entre la comprĂ©hension de textes et leur profil cognitif.
MĂ©thodologie : Vingt participants avec TLC ont Ă©tĂ© inclus dans lâĂ©tude. Leur profil cognitif a Ă©tĂ© Ă©tabli Ă lâaide de diffĂ©rents tests neuropsychologiques. Leur comprĂ©hension de textes a Ă©tĂ© Ă©valuĂ©e Ă lâaide dâun test de comprĂ©hension de textes, le « T.C.T. », constituĂ© de trois textes dont la charge sĂ©mantique varie et de trois questionnaires. Une analyse descriptive et qualitative des rĂ©sultats a Ă©tĂ© faite ainsi quâune analyse de corrĂ©lation entre les rĂ©sultats aux tests neuropsychologiques et les rĂ©sultats au T.C.T.
Résultats : Une atteinte de la compréhension (détails et idées principales) dépendante de la charge sémantique a été retrouvée chez 12 participants. Des corrélations significatives ont été observées entre le rappel des idées principales et des détails de deux textes sur trois et la mémoire épisodique.
Conclusion : Les rĂ©sultats de cette Ă©tude permettent dâapprĂ©hender la variabilitĂ© des profils en comprĂ©hension de textes engendrĂ©e par un TLC et donc de mieux cibler les interventions possibles en orthophonie.
Text comprehension is a complex component that requires both linguistic and cognitive abilities. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may cause difficulties in text comprehension. However, the heterogeneity of these individualsâ cognitive profiles also suggests heterogeneous reading comprehension profiles. The purpose of this study was, first, to identify the text comprehension impairments associated to the cognitive load of texts in participants with MCI, and second, to study the links between reading comprehension and cognitive profiles. Methods: Twenty participants with MCI were included in the study. The cognitive profile was assessed using various neuropsychological tests. Text comprehension was evaluated with the reading comprehension test, â T.C.T.â, that included three texts with varied semantic load, and three questionnaires. A descriptive and qualitative analysis of the results was done, as well as a correlation analysis between the results of the neurosphychological tests and the T.C.T. test. Results: Text comprehension impairments (details and main ideas) were found to be dependant upon the semantic load in 12 participants. Significant correlations were observed between episodic memory and the recall of the main ideas and details in two of the three texts. Conclusion: The results of this study make it possible to understand the variability of text comprehension profiles in individuals with MCI. This may allow better-targeted speech-language interventions
Risk perception and risk-taking among skateboarders
International audienceSkateboarding is considered to be a high risk activity. Although many studies have identified risk factors associated with skateboarding injuries, few have provided detailed in-depth knowledge on participants' psychological dispositions towards risk behaviors. The aim of this study was to identify individual factors associated with risk perception and risk-taking among skateboarders. Telephone interviews were conducted with 158 skateboarders (mean age = 18.1 years) recruited in 11 Montreal skateparks. Age, self-efficacy, previous injuries, fear of being injured, sensation seeking and experience level were all included in two linear regression models that were run for risk perception and risk-taking. Age, experience level, sensation seeking, and risk perception are significant explanatory variables of risk-taking. Results show that sensation seeking was the only significant factor associated with risk perception. These results allow for a better understanding of the behavior of skateboarders, they highlight the importance of impulsive sensation seeking in risk perception as well as risk-taking. This study characterizes skateboarders who take risks and provides additional information on interventions for injury prevention
Remodeling of Channel-Forming ORAI Proteins Determines an Oncogenic Switch in Prostate Cancer
SummaryORAI family channels have emerged as important players in malignant transformation, yet the way in which they reprogram cancer cells remains elusive. Here we show that the relative expression levels of ORAI proteins in prostate cancer are different from that in noncancerous tissue. By mimicking ORAI protein remodeling observed in primary tumors, we demonstrate in in vitro models that enhanced ORAI3 expression favors heteromerization with ORAI1 to form a novel channel. These channels support store-independent Ca2+ entry, thereby promoting cell proliferation and a smaller number of functional homomeric ORAI1-based store-operated channels, which are important in supporting susceptibility to apoptosis. Thus, our findings highlight disrupted dynamic equilibrium of channel-forming proteins as an oncogenic mechanism
Identification of epicatechin as one of the key bioactive constituents of polyphenol-enriched extracts that demonstrate an anti-allergic effect in a murine model of food allergy
Polyphenols are naturally derived bioactive compounds with numerous reported health benefits. We have previously reported on the beneficial effect of a polyphenol-enriched apple extract in a murine model of food allergy. The objectives of the present study were to elucidate the class of bioactive polyphenols that exhibit a beneficial anti-allergic effect and to assess whether the protective effect matches the in vivo bioavailable metabolite concentrations. Female BALB/c mice were sensitised to ovalbumin (OVA) following the protocol of a well-established murine model of food allergy. They were fed diets containing polyphenol-enriched extracts or purified epicatechin for 8d after the last sensitisation. The sensitised mice were orally challenged with OVA after the intervention. The allergy symptoms, in addition to allergen-specific serum Ig concentrations and gene expression profiles in the intestine, of the control and treated mice were compared. Plasma samples were collected to compare the concentrations of bioavailable epicatechin metabolites in the treatment groups. Polyphenol-enriched fruit extracts containing epicatechin exhibited a significant anti-allergic effect in vivo. This effect was unambiguously attributed to epicatechin, as oral administration of this purified polyphenol to sensitised mice by inclusion in their diet modulated allergy symptoms in a dose-dependent manner. Immune parameters were also affected by the administration of epicatechin. Bioavailability measurements in plasma indicated that the attenuation of allergy symptoms could be due to the higher concentrations of bioavailable epicatechin metabolites. In conclusion, epicatechin is a key bioactive polyphenol that has the ability to modulate allergy outcomes in sensitised mic
Analysis of the P. lividus sea urchin genome highlights contrasting trends of genomic and regulatory evolution in deuterostomes
Sea urchins are emblematic models in developmental biology and display several characteristics that set them apart from other deuterostomes. To uncover the genomic cues that may underlie these specificities, we generated a chromosome-scale genome assembly for the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus and an extensive gene expression and epigenetic profiles of its embryonic development. We found that, unlike vertebrates, sea urchins retained ancestral chromosomal linkages but underwent very fast intrachromosomal gene order mixing. We identified a burst of gene duplication in the echinoid lineage and showed that some of these expanded genes have been recruited in novel structures (water vascular system, Aristotle's lantern, and skeletogenic micromere lineage). Finally, we identified gene-regulatory modules conserved between sea urchins and chordates. Our results suggest that gene-regulatory networks controlling development can be conserved despite extensive gene order rearrangement
Pandemic A/H1N1v influenza 2009 in hospitalized children: a multicenter Belgian survey
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>During the 2009 influenza A/H1N1v pandemic, children were identified as a specific "at risk" group. We conducted a multicentric study to describe pattern of influenza A/H1N1v infection among hospitalized children in Brussels, Belgium.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>From July 1, 2009, to January 31, 2010, we collected epidemiological and clinical data of all proven (positive H1N1v PCR) and probable (positive influenza A antigen or culture) pediatric cases of influenza A/H1N1v infections, hospitalized in four tertiary centers.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During the epidemic period, an excess of 18% of pediatric outpatients and emergency department visits was registered. 215 children were hospitalized with proven/probable influenza A/H1N1v infection. Median age was 31 months. 47% had â„ 1 comorbid conditions. Febrile respiratory illness was the most common presentation. 36% presented with initial gastrointestinal symptoms and 10% with neurological manifestations. 34% had pneumonia. Only 24% of the patients received oseltamivir but 57% received antibiotics. 10% of children were admitted to PICU, seven of whom with ARDS. Case fatality-rate was 5/215 (2%), concerning only children suffering from chronic neurological disorders. Children over 2 years of age showed a higher propensity to be admitted to PICU (16% vs 1%, p = 0.002) and a higher mortality rate (4% vs 0%, p = 0.06). Infants less than 3 months old showed a milder course of infection, with few respiratory and neurological complications.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although influenza A/H1N1v infections were generally self-limited, pediatric burden of disease was significant. Compared to other countries experiencing different health care systems, our Belgian cohort was younger and received less frequently antiviral therapy; disease course and mortality were however similar.</p
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