Heart rate variability in hypothyroid patients:a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: Hypothyroidism may be associated with changes in the autonomic regulation of the cardiovascular system, which may have clinical implications. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the impact of hypothyroidism on HRV. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed, Cochrane, Embase and Google Scholar were searched until 20 August 2021 for articles reporting HRV parameters in untreated hypothyroidism and healthy controls. Random-effects meta-analysis were stratified by degree of hypothyroidism for each HRV parameters: RR intervals (or normal to normal-NN intervals), SDNN (standard deviation of RR intervals), RMSSD (square root of the mean difference of successive RR intervals), pNN50 (percentage of RR intervals with >50ms variation), total power (TP), LFnu (low-frequency normalized unit), HFnu (high-frequency), VLF (very low frequency), and LF/HF ratio. RESULTS: We included 17 studies with 11438 patients: 1163 hypothyroid patients and 10275 healthy controls. There was a decrease in SDNN (effect size = -1.27, 95% CI -1.72 to -0.83), RMSSD (-1.66, -2.32 to -1.00), pNN50 (-1.41, -1.98 to -0.84), TP (-1.55, -2.1 to -1.00), HFnu (-1.21, -1.78 to -0.63) with an increase in LFnu (1.14, 0.63 to 1.66) and LF/HF ratio (1.26, 0.71 to 1.81) (p <0.001). HRV alteration increased with severity of hypothyroidism. CONCLUSIONS: Hypothyroidism is associated with a decreased HRV, that may be explained by molecular mechanisms involving catecholamines and by the effect of TSH on HRV. The increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic activity may have clinical implications

Effect of cerium on structure modifications of a hybrid sol–gel coating, its mechanical properties and anti-corrosion behavior

An organic–inorganic hybrid coating was developed to improve the corrosion resistance of the aluminum alloy AA 2024-T3. Organic and inorganic coatings derived from glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) and aluminum tri-sec-butoxide Al(OsBu)3, with different cerium contents, were deposited onto aluminum by dip-coating process. Corrosion resistance and mechanical properties were investigated by electrochemical impedance measurements and nano-indentation respectively. An optimal cerium concentration of 0.01 M was evidenced. To correlate and explain the hybrid coating performances in relation to the cerium content, NMR experiments were performed. It has been shown that when the cerium concentration in the hybrid is higher than 0.01 M there are important modifications in the hybrid structure that account for the mechanical properties and anti-corrosion behavior of the sol–gel coating

Une torsion de rate baladeuse révélée par un syndrome subocclusif intestinal : observation clinique: Wandering spleen torsion revealed by an acute abdomen: a case report

Wandering spleen is a rare condition brought about through laxity or absence of intraperitoneal ligaments. At 5 years old, a child was admitted in emergency for three-day history of abdominal colic, fever, bloated abdominal without stop of stool or gas. Clinical examen and sonography show ectopic spleen. Chirurgical intervention revealed wandering spleen torsion treated by splenectomy. Authors reported a rare case of spleen malformation complicated by torsion revealed by bowel subocclusion with complete resolution of symptoms after splenectomy. La rate baladeuse est une malformation rare due à une hyperlaxité ou à une agénésie des ligaments suspenseurs de la rate, relevant d'une anomalie congénitale ou acquise. A 5 ans, une fillette était admise pour une courte histoire de coliques abdominales, fièvre, ballonnement abdominal sans arrêt des matières et gaz. L’examen clinique et l’échographie abdominale ont montré une rate ectopique (flanc droit). L’intervention chirurgicale réalisée a montré une torsion splénique sur rate baladeuse traitée par une splénectomie. Les auteurs présentent ce cas inhabituel de malformation splénique compliquée de torsion revélée par un syndrome subocclusif intestinal opéré d’évolution favorable

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychotropic drug consumption

International audienceImportance Although the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on mental health, there is no comprehensive longitudinal study of the entire population of a country without selection bias. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the prescription of psychotropic drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic, using data from the French national health data system (SNDS). Design, settings, and participants Prescriptions for psychotropic drugs (antidepressants, anxiolytics, hypnotics, and antipsychotics) from 1 January 2015 to 30 September 2021 were collected from administrative data provided by the SNDS. This database includes more than 99% of the French population, i.e., 67 million people. The data were analyzed using an interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) model. Main outcomes and measures Consumption of psychotropic drugs was aggregated in months and expressed in number of boxes per thousand inhabitants. Results During the study period, more than 1.3 billion boxes of psychotropic medications were dispensed. Comparison of psychotropic drug dispensing before and after the pandemic showed a relative increase of 0.76 (95 CI 0.57 to 0.95, p &lt;0.001) boxes per month per thousand inhabitants, all classes of psychotropic drugs combined. Three classes saw their consumption increase in an almost similar proportion, respectively, by 0.23 (0.15 to 0.32, p &lt;0.001) boxes for antidepressants, 0.27 (0.20 to 0.34, p &lt;0.001) boxes for anxiolytics and 0.23 (0.17 to 0.30, p &lt;0.001) boxes for hypnotics. The change in antipsychotic consumption was very small, with an increase of 0.04 boxes (0.02 to 0.06, p = 0.001) per month per thousand population. Conclusion and relevance The COVID-19 pandemic had led to an increase in the consumption of psychotropic drugs, confirming the significant impact of the pandemic on the mental health of the general population

Pegasus Project Technical Report

This paper is a theoretical study about the implementation of a Global Navigation Satellite System around the Moon. The objective of the study is to investigate from the feasibility to the implementation of such a system within the framework of a broader project which aims to see humans activities back on the Moon in the next decade. In that order, the system is complying with technical specifications as defined by a client. The rationale behind the system is that to reach a satisfying level of performance - and therefore meet the client’s requirements - a constellation of twenty-one satellites spread out on three orbits around the Moon at a constant semi-major axis of 10,000 [km] is needed. The constellation is named after the Greek divinity Pegasus and in reference to the star constellation. Each orbit is set at an 80 [◦] inclination and respectively spaced at 120 [◦] from one another with regard to their Right Ascension of Ascending Node. There are seven satellites per orbit. Every Pegasus’s satellites carry on-board four atomic clocks, three Emergency Broadcast System antennas, two Tracking, Telecommand and Control antennas and one navigation antenna. Maneuvers for station-keeping and end-of-life are ensured by four 1500 [W] hall effect thrusters mounted on two robotic arms with six degrees of freedom. 150 [kg] of Xenon will be used as propellant so that the mission can be carried out for at least ten years. A Pegasus satellite has a dry mass of 711.04 [kg] and a wet mass of 860.64 [kg]. Regarding the service provided on the lunar surface and its low orbit, the Pegasus constellation guarantees a 100% GNSS and Emergency broadcast availability with a 6.80 [m] global precision at 3σ and a 33 [ns] time precision. All the subsystems are powered by a 50 [V] Power Conditioning Unit and 165 [Wh/kg] Li-on battery which will be recharged by 15 [m2] of solar panels and used during eclipses. The overall dimensions of one Pegasus spacecraft are 2.34 [m] × 1.480[m] × 1.284[m]. One full orbital plane of the constellation can be launched by one Ariane 64, which guarantees its implementation with only three launches, fulfilling a deployment time span inferior to a year

DATING THE MYANMAR BRONZE AGE: PRELIMINARY 14C DATES FROM THE OAKAIE 1 CEMETERY NEAR NYAUNG’GAN

Since 2014 the Mission Archéologique Française au Myanmar has been excavating a prehistoric cemetery, Oakaie 1, adjacent to the famous Nyaung’gan Bronze Age cemetery in Sagaing Division. Oakaie 1 (OAI1) was selected as a Nyaung’gan proxy in order to better understand the Neolithic-Bronze Age-Iron Age chronological transitions in upper-central Myanmar, for eventual regional-scale synthesis. An initial attempt to AMS 14C date 13 human femurs failed due to a lack of collagen but a subsequent effort using an apatite dating methodology on 5 femurs was successful. These preliminary data bracket part of the cemetery from the 9th to 6th c. BC with a 4th-3rd c. BC outlier. Typological and technological analogies between OAI1 and Nyaung’gan pottery grave goods likewise suggest an early 1st millennium BC date for the local Bronze Age

Citizen science for public deliberation of local environment policies

Broadening citizen participation in scientific knowledge production has become a priority of national and supra-national institutions and research agencies. Out of their interest for scientific research and public learning, citizen science projects are often presented as offering a unique opportunity to involve more directly the public in policy-making. However, despite twenty years of flourishment of participative scientific research, making citizen science a tool to foster participatory democracy remains a challenge. Political outputs of citizen science are indeed often restricted to its role in the production of data to inform policy making processes. In this paper, we propose an innovative theoretical model of democratization through citizen science, in which participative data collection is associated with public online deliberation. Drawing both on online political deliberation research and citizen science literature, we argue that citizens’ engagement in contributory science could help create the conditions of good-quality public deliberations. We then present a technical device (an online platform) that put this model into practice in the context of the regulation of public lighting in two French municipalities

Les pratiques funéraires de la fin du Néolithique à l’âge du Bronze de la partie centrale du Myanmar (c. 1300-500 cal BC) : définitions et évolutions

En Asie du Sud-est continentale, la fin de la préhistoire est surtout définie à travers l’étude des sites funéraires. Les données disponibles jusqu’à présent concernent presque essentiellement la partie sud et est de la péninsule indochinoise, représentée par le Viet Nam et la Thaïlande. Le Myanmar pâtit d’un état de la recherche beaucoup moins favorable. Pourtant son emplacement est crucial. Il est le seul territoire d’Asie du Sud-est à partager des frontières terrestres avec l’Inde et la Ch..