Registration of 3D fetal neurosonography and MRI.

We propose a method for registration of 3D fetal brain ultrasound with a reconstructed magnetic resonance fetal brain volume. This method, for the first time, allows the alignment of models of the fetal brain built from magnetic resonance images with 3D fetal brain ultrasound, opening possibilities to develop new, prior information based image analysis methods for 3D fetal neurosonography. The reconstructed magnetic resonance volume is first segmented using a probabilistic atlas and a pseudo ultrasound image volume is simulated from the segmentation. This pseudo ultrasound image is then affinely aligned with clinical ultrasound fetal brain volumes using a robust block-matching approach that can deal with intensity artefacts and missing features in the ultrasound images. A qualitative and quantitative evaluation demonstrates good performance of the method for our application, in comparison with other tested approaches. The intensity average of 27 ultrasound images co-aligned with the pseudo ultrasound template shows good correlation with anatomy of the fetal brain as seen in the reconstructed magnetic resonance image

Efficacy of TIMOLOL nasal spray as a treatment for epistaxis in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial

International audienceHereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia is a rare vascular genetic disease. Epistaxis is the most frequent and disabling manifestation, and timolol appears to be a new therapeutic option as non-selective beta-blockers have in vitro and in vivo anti-angiogenic properties. Our main objective was to evaluate the efficacy of TIMOLOL nasal spray as a treatment for epistaxis in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. This study is a single-center, randomized, phase 2, double-blind placebo-controlled study with an allocation ratio of 1:1. It was proposed to patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia monitored at the French Reference Center, and we included patients aged over 18 years, diagnosed with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and epistaxis. The treatment was self-administered by the patient with a posology of one spray (50 microL) of timolol 0.5% or placebo in each nostril twice a day for 28 consecutive days. The primary efficacy endpoint was mean monthly epistaxis duration, assessed by monitoring epistaxis grids. A total of 58 patients were randomized and treated. The baseline characteristics were similar in the 2 groups. Mean monthly epistaxis duration measured at 3 months was not significantly different in the 26 patients receiving the drug in comparison with the placebo group (p = 0.54). Toxicity was low and no severe adverse events were reported. One limitation is that we included all HHT patients with nosebleeds and did not take into account history of nasal surgery or nasal crusts. Timolol, administered by nasal spray at a dose of 0.25 mg in each nostril twice a day for 28 consecutive days, did not improve epistaxis in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia at 4 months after the beginning of the treatment

Effect of constitutive inactivation of the myostatin gene on the gain in muscle strength during postnatal growth in two murine models

INTRODUCTION: The effect of constitutive inactivation of the gene encoding myostatin on the gain in muscle performance during postnatal growth has not been well characterized. METHODS: We analyzed 2 murine myostatin knockout (KO) models, (i) the Lee model (KO(Lee) ) and (ii) the Grobet model (KO(Grobet) ), and measured the contraction of tibialis anterior muscle in situ. RESULTS: Absolute maximal isometric force was increased in 6-month-old KO(Lee) and KO(Grobet) mice, as compared to wild-type mice. Similarly, absolute maximal power was increased in 6-month-old KO(Lee) mice. In contrast, specific maximal force (relative maximal force per unit of muscle mass was decreased in all 6-month-old male and female KO mice, except in 6-month-old female KO(Grobet) mice, whereas specific maximal power was reduced only in male KO(Lee) mice. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic inactivation of myostatin increases maximal force and power, but in return it reduces muscle quality, particularly in male mice. Muscle Nerve 55: 254-261, 2017

De nouvelles pommes pour demain ! Premiers résultats d'une expérimentation nationale en réseau

National audienc

De nouvelles pommes pour demain ! 1ers résultats d'une expérimentation nationale en réseau

National audienc

Assessment of serological techniques for screening patients for COVID-19 (COVID-SER): a prospective, multicentric study

International audienceINTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 threatens global public health, and there is an urgent public health need to assess acquired immunity to SARS-CoV-2. Serological tests might provide results that can be complementary to or confirm suspected COVID-19 cases and reveal previous infection. The performance of serological assays (sensitivity and specificity) has to be evaluated before their use in the general population. The neutralisation capacity of the produced antibodies also has to be evaluated. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We set up a prospective, multicentric clinical study to evaluate the performance of serological kits among a population of healthcare workers presenting mild symptoms suggestive of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Four hundred symptomatic healthcare workers will be included in the COVID-SER study. The values obtained from a control cohort included during the prepandemic time will be used as reference. A workflow was set up to study serological response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and to evaluate antibody neutralisation capacity in patients with a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. The sensitivity and specificity of the tests will be assessed using molecular detection of the virus as a reference. The measurement of IgM and IgG antibodies will be performed once per week for 6 consecutive weeks and then at 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months after the diagnosis. The kinetics of IgM and IgG will determine the optimal period to perform serological testing. The proportion of false negative PCR tests in symptomatic subjects will be determined on the basis of subsequent seroconversions. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been obtained from the national review board for biomedical research in April 2020 (Comité de Protection des Personnes Sud Méditerranée I, Marseille, France) (ID RCB 2020-A00932-37). Results will be disseminated through presentations at scientific meetings and publications in peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04341142