Interference of fetal hemoglobin in the determination of carboxyhemoglobin by spectrophotometry

Determination of carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) is routinely performed in suspected cases of carbon monoxide intoxication and unexplained deaths. However, some authors have suggested that measured HbCO may be falsely elevated in infants (0–12 months) due to the presence of fetal hemoglobin (HbF). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of fetal hemoglobin on the spectrophotometric determination of carboxyhemoglobin. The interference of HbF in the determination of HbCO in infants aged from 0 to 12 months was evaluated using 16 ante-mortem and 19 post-mortem blood samples. The %HbCO was quantified spectrophotometrically by calculating the 560 nm/530 nm absorbance ratio, using a dual beam spectrophotometer. The average measured HbCO in infants of 3 months of age or under was 17%, which is abnormally elevated. No significant difference in HbCO measurement was found between ante-mortem and post-mortem samples. These results highlight the fact that care must be taken in interpretation of carboxyhemoglobin measurements in infants when using a spectrophotometric method

Interférence de l’hémoglobine foetale dans la quantification de la carboxyhémoglobine par spectrophotométrie

La quantification de la carboxyhémoglobine (HbCO) est régulièrement effectuée lorsqu’une intoxication au monoxyde de carbone est soupçonnée, ainsi que dans les cas de morts inexpliquées. Cependant, certains auteurs ont soulevé la problématique de la fausse élévation de la HbCO mesurée chez les enfants (0 à 12 mois), due à la présence d’hémoglobine foetale (HbF). Le but de cette étude est d’évaluer l’impact de l’hémoglobine foetale sur la quantification de la carboxyhémoglobine par spectrophotométrie. L’interférence de l’HbF dans la quantification de la HbCO chez les enfants âgés de 0 à 12 mois a été évaluée en utilisant 16 échantillons de sang ante-mortem et 19 échantillons de sang post-mortem. Le pourcentage de HbCO (%HbCO) a été quantifié par spectrophotométrie en calculant le ratio d’absorbance 560 nm/530 nm, en utilisant un spectrophotomètre à double faisceau. La moyenne des mesures de HbCO chez les enfants de 3 mois et moins était de 17%, ce qui est anormalement élevé. Aucune différence significative dans la mesure de la HbCO n’a été déterminée entre les échantillons ante-mortem et post-mortem

Un regard québécois sur la nouvelle législation française relative aux personnes handicapées

This article examines French legislation on disabled persons, based essentially on the 1975 and 2005 laws. We conducted a rapid review of the literature related to the adoption of the law on “equal rights and opportunities, participation and citizenship of disabled persons” (2005). The opinion of a number of associations helped us to grasp the potential weaknesses of this law and its predecessor. To compare France and Québec, we underlined their common goals in terms of integration and participation, as well as the mechanisms envisaged by their governments to bring these goals up to date, such as disability compensation and fulfilment of a life plan. Not surprisingly, there was resistance to these new legislative provisions. A crucial difference should be noted, that is, whereas Québec’s status as a province within a confederation delimits its scope of action regarding the implementation of social legislation, France as a country enjoys a totally different latitude in the European context. Lastly, we described the involvement of disabled persons as well as the alliance of the third sector with the public administration in the process of developing current social policies.Cet article traite de la législation française sur les personnes handicapées, en s’appuyant essentiellement sur les lois de 1975 et de 2005. Nous avons effectué un dépouillement à chaud de la littérature relative à l’adoption de la loi concernant «l’égalité des droits et des chances, la participation et la citoyenneté des personnes handicapées» (2005). L’avis de certaines associations nous a permis d’appréhender les éventuelles failles de cette loi et de la précédente. Dans un objectif de comparaison entre la France et le Québec, nous mettons en exergue leurs buts communs sur le plan de l’intégration et de la participation, de même que les dispositifs que leur gouvernement envisage afin de les actualiser, comme la compensation du handicap et la réalisation d’un projet de vie. Nous observons sans surprise la manifestation de résistances face à ces nouvelles dispositions législatives. Une dissemblance cruciale est à noter: le statut de province du Québec au sein d’une confédération délimite son champ d’action quant à la mise en oeuvre d’une législation sociale. Alors que la France, un pays, bénéficie d’une toute autre latitude dans le contexte européen. Enfin, nous évoquons l’implication des personnes handicapées ainsi que l’alliance du tiers secteur avec l’administration publique dans le processus d’élaboration des politiques sociales actuelles.Vaillancourt Yves, Dumais Lucie, Mailhot Mélanie. Un regard québécois sur la nouvelle législation française relative aux personnes handicapées. In: Santé, Société et Solidarité, n°2, 2005. Handicaps et personnes handicapées. pp. 83-91

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Phenotypic Consequences Resulting from a Methionine-to-Valine Substitution at Position 48 in the HPr Protein of Streptococcus salivarius

In gram-positive bacteria, the HPr protein of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) can be phosphorylated on a histidine residue at position 15 (His(15)) by enzyme I (EI) of the PTS and on a serine residue at position 46 (Ser(46)) by an ATP-dependent protein kinase (His∼P and Ser-P, respectively). We have isolated from Streptococcus salivarius ATCC 25975, by independent selection from separate cultures, two spontaneous mutants (Ga3.78 and Ga3.14) that possess a missense mutation in ptsH (the gene encoding HPr) replacing the methionine at position 48 by a valine. The mutation did not prevent the phosphorylation of HPr at His(15) by EI nor the phosphorylation at Ser(46) by the ATP-dependent HPr kinase. The levels of HPr(Ser-P) in glucose-grown cells of the parental and mutant Ga3.78 were virtually the same. However, mutant cells growing on glucose produced two- to threefold less HPr(Ser-P)(His∼P) than the wild-type strain, while the levels of free HPr and HPr(His∼P) were increased 18- and 3-fold, respectively. The mutants grew as well as the wild-type strain on PTS sugars (glucose, fructose, and mannose) and on the non-PTS sugars lactose and melibiose. However, the growth rate of both mutants on galactose, also a non-PTS sugar, decreased rapidly with time. The M48V substitution had only a minor effect on the repression of α-galactosidase, β-galactosidase, and galactokinase by glucose, but this mutation abolished diauxie by rendering cells unable to prevent the catabolism of a non-PTS sugar (lactose, galactose, and melibiose) when glucose was available. The results suggested that the capacity of the wild-type cells to preferentially metabolize glucose over non-PTS sugars resulted mainly from inhibition of the catabolism of these secondary energy sources via a HPr-dependent mechanism. This mechanism was activated following glucose but not lactose metabolism, and it did not involve HPr(Ser-P) as the only regulatory molecule

New Borders, New Boundaries = Nouvelles frontières, nouvelles démarcations

Hickox outlines two trends in contemporary Québec photography: autobiography (originating in documentary) and the examination of culture, history, myth, and fact. Includes nine artists' statements and biographical notes

Human Organ-Specific 3D Cancer Models Produced by the Stromal Self-Assembly Method of Tissue Engineering for the Study of Solid Tumors

Cancer research has considerably progressed with the improvement of in vitro study models, helping to understand the key role of the tumor microenvironment in cancer development and progression. Over the last few years, complex 3D human cell culture systems have gained much popularity over in vivo models, as they accurately mimic the tumor microenvironment and allow high-throughput drug screening. Of particular interest, in vitrohuman 3D tissue constructs, produced by the self-assembly method of tissue engineering, have been successfully used to model the tumor microenvironment and now represent a very promising approach to further develop diverse cancer models. In this review, we describe the importance of the tumor microenvironment and present the existing in vitro cancer models generated through the self-assembly method of tissue engineering. Lastly, we highlight the relevance of this approach to mimic various and complex tumors, including basal cell carcinoma, cutaneous neurofibroma, skin melanoma, bladder cancer, and uveal melanoma