Idiopathic chronic eosinophilic pneumonia

Idiopathic chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (ICEP) is characterized by subacute or chronic respiratory and general symptoms, alveolar and/or blood eosinophilia, and peripheral pulmonary infiltrates on chest imaging. Eosinophilia is present in most cases, usually in excess of 1000/mm(3). In absence of significant blood eosinophilia, a diagnosis of ICEP is supported by the demonstration of bronchoalveolar lavage eosinophilia. ICEP is typically associated with eosinophil counts higher than lymphocyte counts in the bronchoalveolar lavage. ICEP is a rare disorder of unknown cause. Its exact prevalence remains unknown. ICEP may affect every age group but is rare in childhood. It is twice as frequent in women as in men. One third to one half of the ICEP patients have a history of asthma. The mainstay of treatment of ICEP is systemic corticosteroids. Response to oral corticosteroid therapy is dramatic and has led to the consideration of corticosteroid challenge as a diagnostic test for ICEP. Nevertheless, relapses or development of severe asthma are frequent when tapering or withdrawing treatment. Long-term oral corticosteroid therapy is necessary in up to half of the patients

Tuning the electromagnetic local density of states in graphene-covered systems via strong coupling with graphene plasmons

It is known that the near-field spectrum of the local density of states of the electromagnetic field above a SiC/air interface displays an intense narrow peak due to the presence of a surface polariton. It has been recently shown that this surface wave can be strongly coupled with the sheet plasmon of graphene in graphene-SiC heterosystems. Here, we explore the interplay between these two phenomena and demonstrate that the spectrum of the electromagnetic local density of states in these systems presents two peaks whose position depends dramatically both on the distance to the interface and on the chemical potential of graphene. This paves the way towards the active control of the local density of states.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Contribution of Word Meaning and Components of Familiarity to Lexical Decision: A Study With Pseudowords Constructed From Words With Known or Unknown Meaning

On a sélectionné des mots français appartenant à 3 catégories: mots connus des participants et de signification connue d'eux (KM-W), mots connus mais de signification inconnue (UM-W),  mots complètement inconnus (U-W).  Bien que les mots KM et UM fussent de fréquences linguistique et subjective équivalentes, des jugements de familiarité montrèrent que les premiers étaient plus familiers. Cela suggère qu'il existe deux composants principaux de la familiarité des mots: avec leur forme  et avec leur signification. On a construit à partir de là des pseudo-mots KM-Pwords, UM-Pwords et U-Pwords. Des jugements de familiarité montrèrent à nouveau que les KM-Pwords étaient plus familiers que les UM-Pwords. Ces pseudo-mots furent utilisés dans une tâche de décision lexicale en opposition à des mots usuels. Les temps de décision Non furent plus longs pour les KM-Pwords que pour les UM-Pwords. Cela corrobore l'hypothèse de deux composants de la familiarité des mots: ce fait devrait être pris en considération dans toute étude utilisant la décision lexicale.45 French words were selected: 15 of them were known by the participants who were also aware of their meaning (KM-W), 15 were known although their meaning was unknown (UM-W), and 15 were unknown (U-W). Although linguistic and experiential frequencies were equivalent for the KM and UM words, familiarity ratings indicated that the former were more familiar. This suggests that usual word familiarity involves two components: familiarity with the word form, and familiarity with the meaning. Pseudowords were constructed from the original words: the familiarity ratings also indicated that KM-Pwords were more familiar than UM-Pwords. These pseudowords were used in a lexical decision task which also made use of normal words. No responses were longer for KM-Pwords than UM-Pwords. This finding supports the assumption that two components are involved in the familiarity of normal words and that this fact should be taken into consideration in any experiment involving lexical decision

Contribution of Word Meaning and Components of Familiarity to Lexical Decision: A Study With Pseudowords Constructed From Words With Known or Unknown Meaning

On a sélectionné des mots français appartenant à 3 catégories: mots connus des participants et de signification connue d'eux (KM-W), mots connus mais de signification inconnue (UM-W),  mots complètement inconnus (U-W).  Bien que les mots KM et UM fussent de fréquences linguistique et subjective équivalentes, des jugements de familiarité montrèrent que les premiers étaient plus familiers. Cela suggère qu'il existe deux composants principaux de la familiarité des mots: avec leur forme  et avec leur signification. On a construit à partir de là des pseudo-mots KM-Pwords, UM-Pwords et U-Pwords. Des jugements de familiarité montrèrent à nouveau que les KM-Pwords étaient plus familiers que les UM-Pwords. Ces pseudo-mots furent utilisés dans une tâche de décision lexicale en opposition à des mots usuels. Les temps de décision Non furent plus longs pour les KM-Pwords que pour les UM-Pwords. Cela corrobore l'hypothèse de deux composants de la familiarité des mots: ce fait devrait être pris en considération dans toute étude utilisant la décision lexicale.45 French words were selected: 15 of them were known by the participants who were also aware of their meaning (KM-W), 15 were known although their meaning was unknown (UM-W), and 15 were unknown (U-W). Although linguistic and experiential frequencies were equivalent for the KM and UM words, familiarity ratings indicated that the former were more familiar. This suggests that usual word familiarity involves two components: familiarity with the word form, and familiarity with the meaning. Pseudowords were constructed from the original words: the familiarity ratings also indicated that KM-Pwords were more familiar than UM-Pwords. These pseudowords were used in a lexical decision task which also made use of normal words. No responses were longer for KM-Pwords than UM-Pwords. This finding supports the assumption that two components are involved in the familiarity of normal words and that this fact should be taken into consideration in any experiment involving lexical decision

1,3-Propanediol production in a two-step process fermentation from renewable feedstock

In this work, the production of 1,3-propanediol from glucose and molasses was studied in a two-step process using two recombinant microorganisms. The first step of the process is the conversion of glucose or other sugar into glycerol by the metabolic engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain HC42 adapted to high (>200 g l−1) glucose concentrations. The second step, carried out in the same bioreactor, was performed by the engineered strain Clostridium acetobutylicum DG1 (pSPD5) that converts glycerol to 1,3-propanediol. This two-step strategy led to a flexible process, resulting in a 1,3-propanediol production and yield that depended on the initial sugar concentration. Below 56.2 g l−1 of sugar concentration, cultivation on molasses or glucose showed no significant differences. However, at higher molasses concentrations, glycerol initially produced by yeast could not be totally converted into 1,3-propanediol by C. acetobutylicum and a lower 1,3-propanediol overall yield was observed. In our hand, the best results were obtained with an initial glucose concentration of 103 g l−1, leading to a final 1,3-propanediol concentration of 25.5 g l−1, a productivity of 0.16 g l−1 h−1 and 1,3-propanediol yields of 0.56 g g−1 glycerol and 0.24 g g−1 sugar, which is the highest value reported for a two-step process. For an initial sugar concentration (from molasses) of 56.2 g l−1, 27.4 g l−1 of glycerol were produced, leading to 14.6 g l−1 of 1.3-propanediol and similar values of productivity, 0.15 g l−1 h−1, and overall yield, 0.26 g g−1 sugar.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Octahedral niobium cluster-based solid state halides and oxyhalides: effects of the cluster condensation via an oxygen ligand on electronic and magnetic properties

International audienceThe influences of an oxygen ligand on the structural, magnetic and electronic properties of octahedral niobium cluster-based oxides and oxychlorides are reported. The Nb6 metal cluster is edge-bridged by twelve inner ligands and additionally bonded to six apical ligands to form Nb6Li12La6 units (L = Cl, O) wherein oxygen and chlorine are perfectly ordered. Oxygen favours the interconnection of clusters via double Oi-a/Oa-i bridges in a similar way to the double Si-a/Sa-i bridges found in Chevrel phases based on face capped Mo6Li8La6 units. Periodic density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm that increasing the number of inner oxygen ligands at the expense of chlorine atoms favours the 14 metal-electron (ME) count per octahedral cluster unit. It is also shown that weak interactions occur between neighbouring clusters. Indeed, magnetic measurements performed on AxNb6Cl12O2 (A = Rb, x = 0.816(8); A = Cs, x = 1) series containing 15-ME species evidence antiferromagnetic interactions at low temperatures. Broken-symmetry DFT calculations of exchange parameters within spin dimer analysis confirm the experimental results

Centrilobular emphysema combined with pulmonary fibrosis results in improved survival: a response

Better survival in combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema than in lone pulmonary fibrosis: bias or reality? A response to Centrilobular emphysema combined with pulmonary fibrosis results in improved survival by Todd et al., Fibrogenesis & Tissue Repair 2011, 4:6

Pyrethroid insecticide exposure and cognitive developmental disabilities in children: The PELAGIE mother–child cohort

International audiencePyrethroid insecticides are widely used in agriculture and in homes. Despite the neurotoxicity of these insecticides at high doses, few studies have examined whether lower-level exposures could adversely affect children's neurodevelopment. The PELAGIE cohort included 3421 pregnant women from Brittany, France between 2002 and 2006. When their children reached their sixth birthday, 428 mothers from the cohort were randomly selected, successfully contacted and found eligible. A total of 287 (67%) mothers agreed to participate with their children in the neuropsychological follow-up. Two cognitive domains were assessed by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children: verbal comprehension and working memory. Five pyrethroid and two organophosphate insecticide metabolites were measured in maternal and child first-void urine samples collected between 6 and 19 gestational weeks and at 6 years of age, respectively. Linear regression models were used to estimate associations between cognitive scores and urinary pyrethroid metabolite concentrations, adjusting for organophosphate metabolite concentrations and potential confounders. Maternal prenatal pyrethroid metabolite concentrations were not consistently associated with any children's cognitive scores. By contrast, childhood 3-PBA and cis-DBCA concentrations were both negatively associated with verbal comprehension scores (P-trend = 0.04 and P-trend < 0.01, respectively) and with working memory scores (P-trend = 0.05 and P-trend < 0.01, respectively). No associations were observed for the three other childhood pyrethroid metabolite concentrations (4-F-3-PBA, cis-DCCA, and trans-DCCA). Low-level childhood exposures to deltamethrin (as cis-DBCA is its principal and selective metabolite), in particular, and to pyrethroid insecticides, in general (as reflected in levels of the 3-PBA metabolite) may negatively affect neurocognitive development by 6 years of age. Whatever their etiology, these cognitive deficits may be of importance educationally, because cognitive impairments in children interfere with learning and social development. Potential causes that can be prevented are of paramount public health importanc

Association between prenatal exposure to traffic-related air pollution and preterm birth in the PELAGIE mother–child cohort, Brittany, France. Does the urban–rural context matter?

International audienceIntroduction Evidence has accumulated that exposure to ambient air pollution during pregnancy may influence preterm birth (PTB) in urban settings. Conversely, this relation has barely been investigated in rural areas where individual characteristics (demographic, socioeconomic, and psychosocial factors) and environmental co-exposures may differ. Objective We examined the association between prenatal exposure to traffic-related air pollution and PTB among pregnant women from the PELAGIE mother–child cohort (Brittany, France, 2002–2006) living in urban (n=1550) and rural (n=959) settings. Methods Women’s residences were classified as either urban or rural according to the French census bureau rural–urban definitions. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations at home addresses were estimated from adjusted land-use regression models as a marker of traffic-related pollution. Associations between NO2 concentrations and PTB were assessed with logistic regression models. Results Prevalence of PTB was similar among women living in urban (3.2%) and in rural (3.5%) settings. More positive socioeconomic characteristics and health behaviors but more single-parent families were observed among urban women. NO2 exposure averaged 20.8±6.6 µg m−3 for women residing in urban areas and 18.8±5.6 µg m−3 for their rural counterparts. A statistically significant increased risk of PTB was observed among women exposed to NO2 concentrations ≥16.4 µg m−3 and residing in urban areas but not among their rural counterparts. Discussion The results of this study, conducted in a region with interspersed urban–rural areas, are in line with previous findings suggesting an increased risk of PTB associated with higher NO2 concentrations for women living in urban areas. The absence of association among their rural counterparts for whom exposure levels were similar suggests that environmental mixtures and psychosocial inequalities might play a role in this heterogeneit

Quantifier les matières premières utilisées par l'alimentation animale en France et segmenter les flux jusqu'aux filières consommatrices

International audienceSocietal expectations linked to the feeding of farm animals (without GMOs, without imported deforestation, less competition with food crops...) are intensifying and are appearing more and more as an access condition to the market for some animal products. It appeared necessary to have a complete overview of the flows of feed materials (grains, by-products and forages) through the French feed supply chain, from resources to different ways of use (human consumption, animal feed, export, energy, etc.). GIS Avenir Elevages mobilized a network of experts with the aim of constructing a methodology to detail the segmentation of feed material consumption by animal sector. A method of data reconciliation with constraint optimization was used to bring the different available data sources into coherence. Thus, for the year 2015, the total grains and by-products used by the animal feed sector was evaluated around 34 Mt standardized to 85% dry matter while those of forages was evaluated between 70 and 72.5 Mt of 100% dry matter (losses and refusals deducted). Dairy and mixed cattle were the second consumers of feed grains and by- products (24%), after poultry (34%) and before pigs (23%) and beef cattle (12%). Dairy and mixed cattle consumed 36% of the volume of soybean meal available in France, after poultry (44%), and before pigs (6%). These results give precise indicators on feed use, its sustainability, the importance of livestock in the consumption of by-products from the food industry, and self-sufficiency in protein of the French livestock sector.Les attentes sociétales relatives à l'alimentation des animaux d'élevage s'intensifient (sans OGM, sans déforestation importée, limitant la compétition avec l'alimentation humaine…) et deviennent parfois une condition d'accès au marché pour certaines productions animales. Il est ainsi apparu nécessaire de disposer d'un panorama complet des flux de matières premières (grains, coproduits et fourrages) dans le système alimentaire français depuis les ressources jusqu'à leurs différentes voies de valorisation (alimentation humaine ou animale, export, énergie…). L'étude du GIS Avenir Elevages a mobilisé un réseau d'experts des différentes filières dans l'objectif de construire une méthodologie permettant une segmentation détaillée des consommations de matières premières par filière animale. Une méthode de réconciliation des flux avec optimisation sous contraintes a été utilisée pour mettre en cohérence les différentes sources de données disponibles. Ainsi, pour l'année 2015, le total des utilisations animales de matières premières concentrées a été évalué autour de 34 Mt standardisées à 85% de matière sèche et celles de fourrages entre 70 et 72,5 Mt de matière sèche (pertes et refus déduits). Les bovins laitiers et mixtes ont été les deuxièmes utilisateurs de matières premières concentrées (24%), derrière les filières volailles (34%), et devant les porcs (23%) et les bovins à viande (12%). L'utilisation du tourteau de soja serait encore plus ciblée : 36% pour les bovins laitiers et mixtes contre 44% pour les volailles et 6% pour les porcs. Ces résultats permettent de fixer des repères précis sur l'alimentation des animaux d'élevage, sa durabilité, l'importance de l'élevage dans la valorisation des coproduits issus de l'agro-alimentaire ou encore l'autonomie alimentaire et protéique de l'élevage français