[Relations between ethnicity and child malnutrition in rural Benin]. / Liens entre appartenance ethnique et malnutrition infantojuvénile en milieu rural béninois.

UNLABELLED: Relations between ethnicity and child malnutrition in rural Benin. RATIONALE: In a therapeutic feeding center in northern Benin, we found disparities between the three main ethnic groups in the proportions of children hospitalized; undernutrition seemed more frequent and severe in the Gando than in the Bariba and the Fulani groups. This survey sought to identify risk factors for malnutrition. METHODS: We used a standardized questionnaire to interview women from these three groups, all with a child aged 5 years or younger. RESULTS: The study included 165 mothers from the three main ethnic groups, 62 of whom had weaned a child. Children from the Bariba group seemed to have access to better sanitary and nutritional conditions than those from the Gando and Fulani groups: higher quality water (from boreholes), more frequent access to latrines, higher usage of bed nets, higher likelihood of birth in a medicalized environment, early breastfeeding, and progressive and voluntary weaning. During and after weaning, children from the Fulani group received more milk-based food than the other groups. In the Fulani group, therefore, the supply of milk of animal origin may compensate for some less favorable practices related to childbirth and breastfeeding. CONCLUSION: We identified several factors, probably influenced by socioeconomic and cultural conditions, that probably affect child undernutrition. Sanitary and nutritional education programs should be conducted to target specific ethnic groups of this region.

Gene expression profiling of isolated tumour cells from anaplastic large cell lymphomas: insights into its cellular origin, pathogenesis and relation to Hodgkin lymphoma.

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a main type of T-cell lymphomas and comprises three distinct entities: systemic anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) positive, systemic ALK(-) and cutaneous ALK(-) ALCL (cALCL). Little is known about their pathogenesis and their cellular origin, and morphological and immunophenotypical overlap exists between ALK(-) ALCL and classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). We conducted gene expression profiling of microdissected lymphoma cells of five ALK(+) and four ALK(-) systemic ALCL, seven cALCL and sixteen cHL, and of eight subsets of normal T and NK cells. The analysis supports a derivation of ALCL from activated T cells, but the lymphoma cells acquired a gene expression pattern hampering an assignment to a CD4(+), CD8(+) or CD30(+) T-cell origin. Indeed, ALCL display a down-modulation of many T-cell characteristic molecules. All ALCL types show significant expression of NFkappaB target genes and upregulation of genes involved in oncogenesis (e.g. EZH2). Surprisingly, few genes are differentially expressed between systemic and cALCL despite their different clinical behaviour, and between ALK(-) ALCL and cHL despite their different cellular origin. ALK(+) ALCL are characterized by expression of genes regulated by pathways constitutively activated by ALK. This study provides multiple novel insights into the molecular biology and pathogenesis of ALCL.

Effects of two fluoridation measures on erosion progression in human enamel and dentine in situ.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of fluoride on erosive mineral loss in human enamel and dentine using a cyclic de- and remineralisation model in situ. The study was a three-treatment (5 days each) crossover design involving 4 (enamel) or 6 (dentine) healthy volunteers. Samples were recessed in palatal mouth appliances and worn day and night except during meals and were demineralised extraorally with 0.05 M citric acid (pH 2.3) for 6 x 5 min daily. Fluoridation was performed with toothpaste (SnF2/Olaflur; 0.14% F-) for 3 x 5 min daily (toothpaste fluoridation) or with toothpaste in combination with a mouthrinse (SnF2/Olaflur; 0.025% F-) for 3 x 5 min daily and with a gel (NaF/Olaflur, 1.25% F-) on days 1 and 3 instead of the toothpaste (intensive fluoridation). In the control group no fluoridation was performed. Mineral loss (microm) was determined with the use of longitudinal microradiography. In enamel, mineral loss was 40.7 +/- 15.1 microm in the control group, 18.3 +/- 12.4 microm after toothpaste fluoridation and 5.0 +/- 12.2 microm after intensive fluoridation. The respective values for dentine were 49.0 +/- 15.4, 35.0 +/- 15.5 and 19.8 +/- 12.0 microm. All differences were statistically significant (p < or = 0.001). The results indicate that intensive fluoridation is effective in preventing enamel and dentine from mineral loss even under severely erosive conditions.