First whole atmosphere night-time seeing measurements at Dome C, Antarctica

We report site testing results obtained in night-time during the polar autumn and winter at Dome C. These results were collected during the first Concordia winterover by A. Agabi. They are based upon seeing and isoplanatic angle monitoring, as well as in-situ balloon measurements 2 of the refractive index structure constant profiles Cn (h). Atmosphere is divided into two regions: (i) a 36 m high surface layer responsible of 87% of the turbulence and (ii) a very stable free atmosphere above with a median seeing of 0.36+-0.19 arcsec at an elevation of h = 30 m. The median seeing measured with a DIMM placed on top of a 8.5 m high tower is 1.3+-0.8 arcsec.Comment: accepted for publication in PASP (oct 2005

Intergenerational socioeconomic mobility and adult depression:the CONSTANCES study

Socioeconomic mobility from childhood onwards may predict depression risk in adulthood. Using data from the nationally representative CONSTANCES study in France (2012-2014, n=67,057), we assessed the relationship between intergenerational socioeconomic mobility and adult depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale, >=16 in men, >=20 in women) and antidepressant use. Socioeconomic position was ascertained by occupational grade (childhood: maternal and paternal measures prior to age 15 years combined; adult: participant own). Data were analyzed using logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, parental history of psychiatric disorders and suicide, health behaviors and chronic health problems. Compared to participants who had persistently high socioeconomic circumstances, those who experienced other socioeconomic trajectories had elevated levels of depression (multivariate Odds Ratios: upward mobility: 1.21, intermediate socioeconomic position: 1.28, downward mobility: 1.66, persistently low socioeconomic position: 1.82). Downward mobility and persistently low socioeconomic position were also associated with elevated odds of antidepressant use (multivariate Odds Ratios: 1.24 and 1.36 respectively). In supplementary analyses, socioeconomic mobility was more strongly associated with depression in women than in men and in younger participants (18-29 years) than other age groups. Factors that contribute to depression risk and socioeconomic inequalities in this area appear at play already in childhood; this should be acknowledged by clinicians and policymakers

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE EFFICACY OF STEM CELLS IN CORNEAL REGENERATION IN A CHEMICAL BURN IN RABBITS

Objectives: This study compares the efficacy of stem cell transplantation in corneal regeneration and restoration of the limbic deficit in an experimental chemical burn in rabbits. Methods: Biopsy was performed of the limbus and the chemical burns for all rabbits, and we collected the amniotic membranes from a pregnant female rabbit. We kept a control group without transplantation, to study spontaneous and natural healing, and we transplanted the stem cells produced in vitro under the corneal epithelium burned. To compare the result, we tested a group for amniotic stem cell transplantation, a group for limbal stem cell graft, and another group for combined transplantation of both types of stem cells. Results: Transplanted rabbits develop permanent unilateral blindness due to a severe limbic deficit. The group receiving only amniotic stem cells shows temporary anatomical improvement without functional recovery. The two groups receiving limbal stem cells alone or combined with amniotic stem cells showed anatomical and functional satisfaction with quick recovery time for the combined transplantation. Conclusions: A simple chemical burn can establish permanent blindness. When the limbic deficit is important, spontaneous healing is not available. Transplantation of stem cell transplant is the only way to repair this deficit and regenerate the cornea. Only limbic stem cells can be sufficient. Amniotic stem cells can support and speed up the healing time when it combined to limbal stem cells graft.               Peer Review History: Received 23 July 2020; Revised 14 August; Accepted 28 August, Available online 15 September 2020 Academic Editor: Essam Mohamed Eissa, Beni-Suef University, Egypt, [email protected] UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. Received file:                Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 5.0/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.5/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Dr. Mohamed Amin El-Emam, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy and Drug Manufacturing, Pharos University in Alexandria (PUA), Alexandria, Egypt, [email protected] Francesco Ferrara,USL Umbria 1, Perugia, Italy, [email protected] Maged Almezgagi, Department of Immunology, Medical College of Qinghai University, Qinghai Xining 810001, China, [email protected] Dr. Asia Selman Abdullah, University of Basrah, Iraq, [email protected]

Anticholinergic drug use and cognitive functions “CONSTANCES cohort”.

Le lien entre l’usage des médicaments ayant des propriétés anticholinergiques (AC) et les fonctions cognitives a été montré dans plusieurs études. Cependant ces études ont considéré l’ensemble des médicaments étudiés comme un groupe homogène sans prendre en considération le potentiel AC et la classe thérapeutique. La population étudiée dans nos travaux s’appuie sur les participants âgés de 45 ans et plus de la cohorte CONSTANCES ayant passé une batterie de tests neuropsychologiques. Les données concernant la délivrance de médicaments ayant des propriétés AC sont extraites à partir de la base de données du Système National des Données de Santé (SNDS).Les résultats de la 1ère partie de ces travaux montrent que l’association entre l’usage des médicaments ayant des propriétés AC et les fonctions cognitives est hétérogène selon les classes thérapeutiques. En outre, les antipsychotiques contribuent à une grande partie de cette association. Suite à ces résultats, la 2ème partie de ces travaux comparant des psychotropes ayant des propriétés AC avec ceux qui n’en ont pas a conclu qu'il n'y a pas de lien substantiel entre l'activité AC des antidépresseurs et des anxiolytiques et les fonctions cognitives. Ainsi, pour ces deux classes thérapeutiques, le choix du médicament en fonction de son activité AC n’est pas cliniquement pertinent sur le plan du fonctionnement cognitif. Nos résultats sont moins clairs pour les antipsychotiques pour lesquels il pourrait exister un lien entre l'activité AC et les fonctions exécutives basses. Enfin, dans la 3ème partie nous avons pu développer un référentiel cognitif en utilisant une approche multidimensionnelle. Les analyses focalisées sur l’impact de l’usage des benzodiazépines (BZD) sur les fonctions cognitives sont détaillées dans cette partie.The relationship between the use of drugs with anticholinergic (AC) properties and cognitive function has been shown in several studies. However, these studies considered all the studied drugs as a homogeneous group without taking into consideration the AC potential and the therapeutic class. The population studied in our work is based on participants aged 45 and over in the CONSTANCES cohort who have undergone a battery of neuropsychological tests. Data concerning the dispensing of drugs with AC properties are extracted from the database of the French National System of Health Data (SNDS).The results of the first section of this work showed that the association between the use of drugs with AC properties and cognitive functions is heterogeneous across therapeutic classes. In addition, antipsychotics contribute to a large part of this association. Based on these results, the second section comparing psychotropic drugs with AC properties with those without, concluded that there is no substantial relationship between the AC activity of antidepressants and anxiolytics and cognitive functions. Thus, for these two therapeutic classes, the choice of drug based on its AC activity is not clinically relevant in terms of cognitive functioning. Our results are less clear for antipsychotics for which there may be a link between AC activity and lower executive functions. Finally, in the 3rd section we were able to develop a cognitive referential using a multidimensional approach. Analyses focusing on the impact of benzodiazepine (BZD) use on cognitive functions are detailed in this section

Usage des médicaments anticholinergiques et fonctions cognitives « cohorte CONSTANCES »

The relationship between the use of drugs with anticholinergic (AC) properties and cognitive function has been shown in several studies. However, these studies considered all the studied drugs as a homogeneous group without taking into consideration the AC potential and the therapeutic class. The population studied in our work is based on participants aged 45 and over in the CONSTANCES cohort who have undergone a battery of neuropsychological tests. Data concerning the dispensing of drugs with AC properties are extracted from the database of the French National System of Health Data (SNDS).The results of the first section of this work showed that the association between the use of drugs with AC properties and cognitive functions is heterogeneous across therapeutic classes. In addition, antipsychotics contribute to a large part of this association. Based on these results, the second section comparing psychotropic drugs with AC properties with those without, concluded that there is no substantial relationship between the AC activity of antidepressants and anxiolytics and cognitive functions. Thus, for these two therapeutic classes, the choice of drug based on its AC activity is not clinically relevant in terms of cognitive functioning. Our results are less clear for antipsychotics for which there may be a link between AC activity and lower executive functions. Finally, in the 3rd section we were able to develop a cognitive referential using a multidimensional approach. Analyses focusing on the impact of benzodiazepine (BZD) use on cognitive functions are detailed in this section.Le lien entre l’usage des médicaments ayant des propriétés anticholinergiques (AC) et les fonctions cognitives a été montré dans plusieurs études. Cependant ces études ont considéré l’ensemble des médicaments étudiés comme un groupe homogène sans prendre en considération le potentiel AC et la classe thérapeutique. La population étudiée dans nos travaux s’appuie sur les participants âgés de 45 ans et plus de la cohorte CONSTANCES ayant passé une batterie de tests neuropsychologiques. Les données concernant la délivrance de médicaments ayant des propriétés AC sont extraites à partir de la base de données du Système National des Données de Santé (SNDS).Les résultats de la 1ère partie de ces travaux montrent que l’association entre l’usage des médicaments ayant des propriétés AC et les fonctions cognitives est hétérogène selon les classes thérapeutiques. En outre, les antipsychotiques contribuent à une grande partie de cette association. Suite à ces résultats, la 2ème partie de ces travaux comparant des psychotropes ayant des propriétés AC avec ceux qui n’en ont pas a conclu qu'il n'y a pas de lien substantiel entre l'activité AC des antidépresseurs et des anxiolytiques et les fonctions cognitives. Ainsi, pour ces deux classes thérapeutiques, le choix du médicament en fonction de son activité AC n’est pas cliniquement pertinent sur le plan du fonctionnement cognitif. Nos résultats sont moins clairs pour les antipsychotiques pour lesquels il pourrait exister un lien entre l'activité AC et les fonctions exécutives basses. Enfin, dans la 3ème partie nous avons pu développer un référentiel cognitif en utilisant une approche multidimensionnelle. Les analyses focalisées sur l’impact de l’usage des benzodiazépines (BZD) sur les fonctions cognitives sont détaillées dans cette partie

Extended equivalent linear model (X-ELM) to assess liquefaction triggering: Application to the City of Urayasu during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake

International audienc

Anticholinergic Activity of Psychotropic Drugs and Cognitive Impairment Among Participants Aged 45 and Over: The CONSTANCES Study

INTRODUCTION: Psychotropic drugs such as anxiolytics, antidepressants and antipsychotics may have anticholinergic properties that could directly affect patients' cognition. OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to assess the relationship between exposure to anticholinergic-positive (AC+) psychotropic drugs and cognitive impairment compared with psychotropic drugs without anticholinergic activity (AC-). METHODS: This analysis included participants (aged 45-70 years) enrolled between January 2012 and October 2017 in the CONSTANCES cohort treated with psychotropic drugs (antidepressants n = 2602, anxiolytics n = 1195, antipsychotics n = 197) in the 3 years preceding cognitive assessment. Within each drug class, the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden scale was used to classify drugs as either AC+ or AC-. Cognitive impairment was defined as a score below - 1 standard deviation from the standardized mean of the neuropsychological score. We used multiple logistic regression models and matching on propensity score to estimate the relationship between anticholinergic activity and cognitive impairment. RESULTS: Our analyses did not show any increased risk of cognitive impairment for AC+ antidepressants and anxiolytics, with the exception of a slight increase for AC+ antidepressants in episodic memory (odds ratio [OR] 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05-1.36). Conversely, we found a more marked increase in risk with AC+ antipsychotics on executive function (Trail Making Test-A [TMT-A], OR 4.49 [95% CI 2.59-7.97] and TMT-B, OR 3.62 [95% CI 2.25-5.89]). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest there is no clinically relevant association between the anticholinergic activity of antidepressant and anxiolytic drugs and cognitive impairment in middle-aged adults. An association could exist between AC+ antipsychotics and executive function.La cohorte CONSTANCES - Infrastructure épidémiologique ouverte pour la recherche et la surveillanc

WINTER SITE TESTING AT DOME C, ANTARCTICA: FIRST RESULTS

International audienc

Site testing at Dome C: history and present status

International audienceThe idea of starting an astronomical site testing in Antarctica began during a congress organized by French Académie des Sciences, in 1992, and entitled ‘Recherches polaires-Une Stratégie pour l'an 2000’. At this time, one of us (Vernin 1994) gave a proposal for an astronomical site testing in Antarctica. This proposal was rapidly followed by a meeting between Al Harper (from ‘Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica’, Chicago), Peter Gillingham (from the Anglo Australian Observatory, Australia) and Jean Vernin (from Nice University) at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in 1993. It was decided to investigate what was the astronomical quality of South Pole station, each institute bringing its own participation: CARA, the South Pole infrastructure, University of New South Wales, a PhD student and Nice University its expertise and instruments