332 research outputs found
Conformal invariance of crossing probabilities for the Ising model with free boundary conditions
We prove that crossing probabilities for the critical planar Ising model with
free boundary conditions are conformally invariant in the scaling limit, a
phenomenon first investigated numerically by Langlands, Lewis and Saint-Aubin.
We do so by establishing the convergence of certain exploration processes
towards SLE. We also construct an exploration tree
for free boundary conditions, analogous to the one introduced by Sheffield.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, v2: journal versio
De lâimperium Ă Rome et dans le monde romainÂ
Lâimperium, terme latin dĂ©signant en premier lieu le pouvoir Ă Rome, civil et militaire, puis la domination par la citĂ© dâun vaste territoire et partant le rĂ©gime politique Ă la tĂȘte duquel un imperator est placĂ©, permet de revenir sur les approches proposĂ©es depuis le siĂšcle des LumiĂšres jusquâau tournant des xxe et xxie siĂšcles, tant Ă propos du destin de la citĂ©-Ătat devenue la tĂȘte dâun vaste territoire mĂ©diterranĂ©en que de lâexpression des pouvoirs qui sâexercent dans lâVrbs et ce que lâon finira par nommer lâImperium Romanum. Par Ă©tapes, le propos se veut philologique et historiographique, et insiste notamment sur les expressions du pouvoir, de la Res publica mĂ©diane au iiie siĂšcle de notre Ăšre, ainsi que sur les notions dâempire rendant compte des façons romaines dâenvisager le rapport entre la citĂ© (Vrbs) et le monde explorĂ© puis contrĂŽlĂ© (lâOrbis terrarum).The Latin term Imperium signifies first of all the civilian and military power in Rome, then the domination by the city of a vast territory, and finally the political system governed by an imperator. It allows us to return to the approaches proposed since the Age of the Enlightenment until the turning point of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries AD, both about the fate of a city-state becoming the head of a vast Mediterranean territory, and the expression of the powers within the Vrbs and what would eventually be named the Imperium Romanum. Step by step, the paper aims to be philological and historiographical, and insists in particular on the expressions of power, from the middle of the Res publica to the third century AD, as well as on the notions of empire, taking into account Roman ways of considering the relationship between the city (Vrbs) and the exploredâand subsequently controlledâworld (Orbis terrarum)
Rectal cancer with synchronous unresectable metastases: arguments for therapeutic choice
Environ 4 000 patients sont pris en charge chaque année en
France pour un cancer du rectum avec des métastases synchrones
jugées non résécables en réunion de concertation pluridisciplinaire
(RCP). Il nâexiste pas de consensus sur la stratĂ©gie
thérapeutique à proposer et parmi les trois options possibles, les
critÚres de choix restent relativement imprécis.
â La chirurgie premiĂšre est certes le meilleur traitement pour
contrĂŽler les symptĂŽmes rectaux mais elle nâa pas dĂ©montrĂ©
quâelle augmentait la survie et la rĂ©sĂ©cabilitĂ© secondaire des
métastases par rapport aux autres options et comporte un
risque de résection incomplÚte, de complications pouvant
retarder ou empĂȘcher la chimiothĂ©rapie, de progression accĂ©lĂ©rĂ©e
de la maladie métastatique et de mortalité comprise
entre 1 et 5 %.
â La radio-chimiothĂ©rapie premiĂšre suivie dâune chirurgie permet
le contrÎle des symptÎmes rectaux mais retarde la chimiothérapie
pour les métastases qui dominent le pronostic ; elle
expose aux mĂȘmes risques de complications que la chirurgie
premiĂšre.
â La chimiothĂ©rapie premiĂšre nous paraĂźt intĂ©ressante en
absence de complications locales sévÚres (occlusion, hémorragie)
; elle est potentiellement efficace sur les mĂ©tastases Ă
distance qui conditionnent le pronostic et sur la tumeur primitive
qui répond souvent de maniÚre similaire ; elle ne fige pas
la stratĂ©gie et offre la possibilitĂ© de lâadapter Ă chaque Ă©valuation
selon la réponse, la tolérance et les possibilités de résection
(tumeur primitive et métastases).
Dans tous les cas, il est fondamental de discuter ces dossiers au
cas par cas en RCP pour adapter la stratégie thérapeutique aux
caractĂ©ristiques du patient, de la tumeur primitive et de lâextension
mĂ©tastatique, ainsi quâĂ la rĂ©ponse obtenue aux traitements
proposés successivement.Rectal cancers with synchronous unresectable metastases are
diagnosed in about 4 000 patients. There is yet no consensus on
the therapeutic strategy for these cases which must be discussed
during multidisciplinary meeting. Three options are available
and arguments of choice remain relatively weak.
â First-line resection of the primary rectal tumour is indeed
the best treatment to control rectal symptoms but it does
not seem to improve survival and secondary resectability
of metastases when compared to other options; moreover
incomplete resection or complications may delay chemotherapy, accelerate the metastastic process and mortality
rate ranges from 1 to 5%.
â First-line radio-chemotherapy followed by surgery allows for
controlling rectal symptoms but delays chemotherapy for
metastases dominating the prognosis; it exposes the patients
to the same morbidity and mortality as first-line surgery.
â First-line chemotherapy is the third valid option in the absence
of major rectal symptoms (occlusion, haemorrhage); chemotherapy
is potentially efficient on distant metastases bearing a
high prognosis impact and on the primary rectal tumour, which
often has a similar response. First-line chemotherapy allows
for adapting the therapeutic strategy after each evaluation
according to the tumour response, side effects and possibility
of resection (primary rectal tumour and metastases).
In all cases, medical records of such patients should be discussed
during a multidisciplinary meeting to adapt the therapeutic
strategy to the patientâs characteristics, primary rectal tumor,
metastases staging and evolution
Adipose Tissue Is a Neglected Viral Reservoir and an Inflammatory Site during Chronic HIV and SIV Infection
International audienceTwo of the crucial aspects of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are (i) viral persistence in reservoirs (precluding viral eradication) and (ii) chronic inflammation (directly associated with all-cause morbidities in antiretroviral therapy (ART)-controlled HIV-infected patients). The objective of the present study was to assess the potential involvement of adipose tissue in these two aspects. Adipose tissue is composed of adipocytes and the stromal vascular fraction (SVF); the latter comprises immune cells such as CD4+ T cells and macrophages (both of which are important target cells for HIV). The inflammatory potential of adipose tissue has been extensively described in the context of obesity. During HIV infection, the inflammatory profile of adipose tissue has been revealed by the occurrence of lipodystrophies (primarily related to ART). Data on the impact of HIV on the SVF (especially in individuals not receiving ART) are scarce. We first analyzed the impact of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection on abdominal subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissues in SIVmac251 infected macaques and found that both adipocytes and adipose tissue immune cells were affected. The adipocyte density was elevated, and adipose tissue immune cells presented enhanced immune activation and/or inflammatory profiles. We detected cell-associated SIV DNA and RNA in the SVF and in sorted CD4+ T cells and macrophages from adipose tissue. We demonstrated that SVF cells (including CD4+ T cells) are infected in ART-controlled HIV-infected patients. Importantly, the production of HIV RNA was detected by in situ hybridization, and after the in vitro reactivation of sorted CD4+ T cells from adipose tissue. We thus identified adipose tissue as a crucial cofactor in both viral persistence and chronic immune activation/inflammation during HIV infection. These observations open up new therapeutic strategies for limiting the size of the viral reservoir and decreasing low-grade chronic inflammation via the modulation of adipose tissue-related pathway
Juvenile neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus: identification of novel central neuroinflammation biomarkers
International audienceIntroduction Juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (j-SLE) is a rare chronic autoimmune disease affecting multiple organs. Ranging from minor features, such as headache or mild cognitive impairment, to serious and life-threatening presentations, j-neuropsychiatric SLE (j-NPSLE) is a therapeutic challenge. Thus, the diagnosis of NPSLE remains difficult, especially in pediatrics, with no specific biomarker of the disease yet validated. Objectives To identify central nervous system (CNS) disease biomarkers of j-NPSLE. Methods A 5-year retrospective tertiary reference monocentric j-SLE study. A combination of standardized diagnostic criteria and multidisciplinary pediatric clinical expertise was combined to attribute NP involvement in the context of j-SLE. Neopterin and interferon-alpha (IFN-α) protein levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were assessed, together with routine biological and radiological investigations. Results Among 51 patients with j-SLE included, 39% presented with j-NPSLE. J-NPSLE was diagnosed at onset of j-SLE in 65% of patients. No specific routine biological or radiological marker of j-NPSLE was identified. However, CSF neopterin levels were significantly higher in active j-NPSLE with CNS involvement than in j-SLE alone ( p =â0.0008). Neopterin and IFN-α protein levels in CSF were significantly higher at diagnosis of j-NPSLE with CNS involvement than after resolution of NP features (respectively p =â0.0015 and p =â0.0010) upon immunosuppressive treatment in all patients tested ( n =â10). Both biomarkers correlated strongly with each other ( R s =â0.832, p <â0.0001, n =â23 paired samples). Conclusion CSF IFN-α and neopterin constitute promising biomarkers useful in the diagnosis and monitoring of activity in j-NPSLE
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