Ets-1 and Ets-2 transcription factors are essential for normal coronary and myocardial development in chicken embryos.

In the development of a functional myocardium and formation of the coronary vasculature, epicardium-derived cells play an essential role. The proepicardial organ contributes to the developing coronary system by delivering mural cells to the endothelium-lined vessels. In search of genes that regulate the behavior of (pro)epicardial cells, the Ets-1 and Ets-2 transcription factors stand out as strong candidates. In the present study, the hypothesis that Ets transcription factors have a role in proper coronary and myocardial development was tested via antisense technology, by targeting Ets-1 and Ets-2 mRNAs to downregulate protein expression in chicken embryos. The results suggest that hereby the development of the coronary system is hampered, primarily by defects in the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transformation of the mesothelia of the primary and secondary heart fields. This was indicated by a lack of periarterial and epicardial mesenchyme, of peripheral coronary smooth muscle cells, and changes in myocardial morphology. A defect in myocardial perfusion caused by the absence of one or both coronary ostia seems to be "solved" by the development of numerous small fistulae connecting the ventricular lumen with the subepicardially located coronary vessels. The presence of coronary vascular aberrations in the antisense-Ets phenotype enabled us for the first time to study abnormal coronary development in a model that is not lethal to the embryo.

Dental occlusion modifies gaze and posture stabilization in human subjects.

Repercussion of dental occlusion was tested upon postural and gaze stabilization, the latter with a visuo-motor task evaluated by shooting performances. Eighteen permit holders shooters and 18 controls were enrolled in this study. Postural control was evaluated in both groups according to four mandibular positions imposed by interocclusal splints: (i) intercuspal occlusion (IO), (ii) centric relation (CR), (iii) physiological side lateral occlusion and (iv) controlateral occlusion, in order to appreciate the impact of the splints upon orthostatism. Postural control and gaze stabilization quality decreased, from the best to the worst, with splints in CR, IO and lateral occlusion. In shooters, the improvement in postural control was parallel to superior shooting performance. A repercussion of dental occlusion upon proprioception and visual stabilization is suggested by these data.

Hypermnesia: the role of multiple retrieval cues.

We demonstrate that encoding multiple cues enhances hypermnesia. College students were presented with 36 (Experiment 1) or 60 (Experiments 2 and 3) sets of words and were asked to encode the sets under single- or multiple-cue conditions. In the single-cue conditions, each set consisted of a cue and a target. In the multiple-cue conditions, each set consisted of three cues and a target. Following the presentation of the word sets, the participants received either three cued recall tests (Experiments 1 and 2) or three free recall tests (Experiment 3). With this manipulation, we observed greater hypermnesia in the multiple-cue conditions than in the single-cue conditions. Furthermore, the greater hypermnesic recall resulted from increased reminiscence rather than reduced intertest forgetting. The present findings support the hypothesis that the availability of multiple retrieval cues plays an important role in hypermnesia.

Audiogenic seizure sensitivity in mouse lines genetically selected for high versus low blood magnesium levels.

The MGH and MGL mouse lines, genetically selected for high and low blood magnesium (Mg) levels, respectively, exhibit marked differences for characteristics expected to be related to blood Mg levels, such as increased stress sensitivity and stress-induced aggressivity in MGL mice. However, although Mg deficiency experimentally induced by low oral Mg intake has been shown previously to increase susceptibility to audiogenic seizures, MGL were less sensitive to audiogenic seizures than MGH mice. The MGH-MGL lines may, therefore, provide a beneficial and complementary model for the study of the relationships between audiogenic seizures and blood Mg levels.

[Malaria in expatriates in Abidjan]. / Le paludisme chez les expatriés à Abidjan.

This study was carried out in 1998 to assess attitudes and practices with regard to prophylaxis for malaria in expatriate families with children attending French and international schools in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. Data was obtained for a total of 4990 subjects of various ages. Forty point five percent of families reported use of drug prophylaxis. Use of drug prophylaxis decreased with age (69.2 p. 100 up to 1 year versus 34.5 p. 100 after 15 years). The proportion of subjects using bednets was 7.5 p. 100. Some subjects reported use of ineffective or dangerous substances such as pyrimethamin alone (17.5 p. 100) or amodiaquin. The incidence of reported malarial attacks increased in function of the length of stay in the country (50 p. 100 after 15 years). The most effective method of drug prophylaxis appeared to be a chloroquin and proguanil combination which was used by 25.4 p. 100 of subjects. The incidence of malarial attacks in subjects using this combination was 20.8 p. 100 as compared to 43.2 p. 100 in subjects using no drug prophylaxis. Forty-seven percent of the study population reported use of other preventive measures but none correlated with a decrease in the number of malaria attacks. Information concerning preventive measures is readily available but sometimes contradictory. Information provided locally seems to be the most effective but not always the best adapted. To increase the awareness among expatriates, it will be necessary to provide more accurate information about effective preventive measures especially regarding bed nets and drugs. The suggested optimal duration of chemoprophylaxis is unclear but this study shows that there is no difference between those that do or do not use it when the length of stay exceeds ten years.

[The HIV/AIDS pandemic: African women at the heart of the control program or the difficulties with regard to gender]. / Pandémie VIH/SIDA: la femme africaine au coeur d'un programme de lutte ou la difficile prise en compte du concept de genre.

The AIDS pandemia in developing countries forces forth the question of women's rights in Africa and underscores their extreme physical and sociocultural vulnerability. Experience gained during a program designed to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the Ivory Coast highlights the socially imposed and therefore intricate nature of differences between men and women and of the resulting relationships. Defending a woman's right to know her serologic status empowers her in the fight for emancipation but can also make her more fragile by undermining support from medical staff and family environment. To prevent the risk of outcasting, exclusion, and fragilization, gender must be given greater emphasis in planning future programs. Careful consideration must be devoted to the special sociocultural factors that affect women in Africa.

Information management in national tuberculosis control programmes and national health information systems.

A good notification system is one of the key elements for the success of national tuberculosis programmes (NTPs). The national health information system (NHIS) in low income countries is often weak and unreliable. When restructuring this system, what circuit should be used to integrate TB data: the NTP or the NHIS? Experience from several countries shows that unlike the NHIS, only the data generated by the NTP are reliable and complete, and arrive rapidly enough to be used for programme management. It is therefore the duty of the NTP to collect this information and transmit it to the NHIS at each level of the health system. These were the conclusions of a seminar held in Cotonou, Benin, organised by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, which involved the leaders of the NHIS and of NTPs of six West African countries.

Unexpected association between reproductive longevity and blood magnesium levels in a new model of selected mouse strains.

Two recently described mouse strains, with high (MGH) and low (MGL) blood magnesium (Mg) levels were obtained by selection over 19 generations. Both strains exhibit strong differences for characteristics generally known to be related to blood Mg levels, such as increased stress sensitivity and stress-induced aggressivity in MGL mice. In contrast, while experimental Mg deficiency due to low oral Mg intake has been shown to shorten life span and lower reproductive ability, reproductive longevity was longer in the MGL than in the MGH strain. Interestingly, the life spans of the two strains are very similar. Although this character could have been fixed in the strains by chance, with no relationship to the blood Mg level, the possibility of a causal link with the selection cannot be ruled out and is discussed. Regardless of the mechanisms at stake, the MGH and MGL strains appear to constitute a new model for the study of the relationships between reproductive longevity and blood Mg levels.

Prospective memory and divided attention.

In three experiments, we manipulated the processing demands of a concurrent task to test the hypothesis that an event-based prospective memory task satisfies a criterion of automaticity proposed by Hasher and Zacks (1979). As in the previous studies, a prospective memory task (pressing a key whenever a target word was presented) was embedded within a short-term memory task (remembering seven words). In addition, participants performed a concurrent memory task which varied in difficulty. Participants repeated either 0 to 6 randomly generated digits or a single word. In all three experiments, short-term memory performance was influenced by the concurrent memory load. Prospective performance, in contrast, was not affected by the memory load even though an attempt was made to increase the difficulty of the prospective task by manipulating the specificity of the target instructions (Experiment 2) and the number of target words (Experiments 2 and 3). The results are discussed within the framework of automatic processing.

[Myocardial infarction following a bee sting. Apropos of a case and review of the literature]. / Infarctus du myocarde consécutif à une piqûre d'abeille. A propos d'un cas et revue de la littérature.

The authors report a case of limited inferior myocardial infarction in a young man following a bee sting. Coronary angiography, performed following the acute phase, showed angiographically healthy coronary arteries and minimal sequelae of myocardial necrosis in the inferior territory. The pathogenic role of the bee sting in myocardial necrosis was suggested by the timing of the events. The probable mechanism responsible for this myocardial infarction was severe coronary arterial spasm (partly mediated by psychological stress related to the intensity of the anaphylactic reaction) with secondary in situ thrombosis probably facilitated by cardiovascular collapse. The role of anaphylaxis, generating acute coronary insufficiency, is discussed in the light of this clinical case.

[Knowledge, attitudes and practice of populations faced with culicidae nuisances: results of 6 surveys taken in Cameroon in 1994]. / Connaissances, perceptions et pratiques des populations face aux nuisances culicidiennes: résultats de six enquêtes menées au Cameroun en 1994.

In 1994, six KAP studies were carried out in Cameroon to assess the importance of protective methods used by different population groups against culicine nuisance. The objective of these surveys was to evaluate the importance of the use of preventive measures by family against the parasite. The results show that in spite of a strongly resistant parasite in a hyperendemic malaria zone, the use of average protection remains very heterogeneous. Mosquito nets, identified as efficient protection, are used to varying degrees depending on the sites. In Douala, mosquito nets were found in 47% of households visited, with 65% of the inhabitants regularly using them. These figures rose to 75% and 82% respectively in a particularly exposed area of the city. In rural areas very few mosquito nets were identified with an average of one inhabitant per residence using them. The report of the study on the free distribution of mosquito nets and the reimpregnation of the nets six months later in Mbebe-Kikot village, showed that three years after the distribution of the nets, only 68% of the residences still had one mosquito net. In addition, only 9% of these nets were still in good condition. The results of these surveys showed that mosquito nets are more widely used in urban areas, with a higher number of inhabitants per household sleeping under them. They also showed that the free distribution of nets alone does not improve the protection of the population as they are not educated on the maintenance and care of the nets. So we can suggest to use different promotion and distribution strategies in urban area, where lot of people has got the experience of bed nets, and in rural area.

Dynamique socio-geographique de l'infection a VIH1 : Region de Batouri (Cameroun) - Berberati (Centrafrique)

"Une enquete epidemiologique est realisee en 1992 sur la prevalence de l'infection a VIH dans cinq sites urbains et ruraux de la region de Batouri (Cameroun) - Berberati (Centrafrique). Les seroprevalences relevees varient sensiblement selon les collectivites et au sein de celles-ci. Une exploitation complementaire des resultats de cette enquete precise des aspects de la dynamique geographique et sociale de l'infection. Une etude descriptive de la population seropositive permet de caracteriser; pour chaque sexe; des erofils sociaux de l'infection. Une analyse comparee des groupes les plus et les moins exposes a une contamination souligne quelles sont les specificites des individus liees de facon significative a la diffusion du virus. Des aspects varies d'une ""vacance"" conjugale; une forme ou d'une autre de mobilite geographique tiendraient une place essentielle. Les discontinuites sociales et geographiques qui l'affectent; les discordances qu'elle presente par rapport a la syphilis; suggerent que la repartition de l'infection pourrait etre; a la date de l'enquete; principalement definie par la diversite des conditions offertes a l'introduction du virus"

Malnutrition proteino-energetique chez les enfants de moins de 5 ans de la region continentale de la Guinee Equatoriale; octobre 1992

Une evaluation de la situation nutritionnelle des enfants de moins 59 mois a ete realisee sur la partie continentale de la Guinee Equatoriale en 1992 a partir d'un echantillon representatif de 1200 enfants. Si la prevalence de la malnutrition aigue est moins elevee que dans les pays voisins; l'importance de la malnutrion deja decrite en 1987 reste un veritable probleme de sante publique. Ces elements soulignent la necessite de la mise en oeuvre d'un programme adapte de protection nutritionnelle de ces enfants

Dynamique socio-geographique de l'infection a VIH 1 en Afrique Centrale : regions de Batouri (Cameroun) - Berberati (Centrafique)

"Une enquete realisee en 1992 dans cinq sites urbains ruraux de la region de Batouri (Cameroun) - Berberati (Centrafrique) etablit que les seroprevalences de l'infection a VIH varient sensiblement selon les collectivites et au sein de celles-ci. Une exploitation complementaire des resultats de cette enquete precise des elements de la dynamique geographique et sociale de l'infection. Une analyse comparee des groupes les plus et les moins exposes a une contamination souligne quelles sont les specificites des individus liees de facon significative a la diffusion du virus. Des aspects varies d'une ""vacance"" conjugale; une forme ou une autre de mobilite geographique tiendraient une place essentielle. Les discontinuites geographiques qui affectent la diffusion de l'infection seraient; a la date de l'enquete; principalement l'effet de la diversite des conditions offertes par les collectivites a des apports du virus; par le biais de la mobilite de leurs membres"

[Cameroon, Africa in miniature: health situation in 1995]. / Le Cameroun, Afrique en miniature: bilan sanitaire en 1995.

PIP: 12 million people of more than 250 ethnic groups speaking approximately 200 different languages comprise the population of Cameroon. Cameroon is therefore a highly diverse and complex country in which the health system and health status vary widely by region. Several systems coexist more or less well. The public sector is in disarray. Since 1992, the Minister of Public Health has promoted a national health policy of decentralization designed to maximize available resources at the district level. The nonprofit private sector has an important place in Cameroon's health system, offering a wide network of services throughout the country. While nonprofit organizations' effectiveness and importance are not in question, health program managers would like to see a more coordinated provision of services. The private, for-profit sector operates in the large cities, while traditional medicine is omnipresent. The country, population, economy, health system, mortality, nutritional status, infectious diseases, epidemics, and other diseases in Cameroon are discussed. Cameroon is far from providing Health for All by Year 2000.^ieng

Les equipes mobiles de l'an 2000

La degradation certaine et continue de l'etat sanitaire des populations dont temoigne; par exemple; la situation explosive de trypanosomiase humaine africaine eveille la conscience des decideurs nationaux. Cela se traduit par des concepts qui se veulent novateurs telles les strategies avancees ou les strategies mobiles. Les equipes mobiles de l'an 2000 ressortent moins d'une revolution conceptuelle que d'une evolution pour tenir compte au plus pres des modifications dans les moeurs et l'apport technologique. Leur succes repose cependant sur l'abnegation et la competence des hommes appeles a intervenir dans des conditions parfois difficiles

A study of forces originating from orthodontic appliances for splinting of teeth.

Management of dental trauma in children sometimes requires the use of a dental splint. This can be constructed with composite materials, kevlar, fiberglass, wire and composite or orthodontic wires and brackets. However, there have been no studies of the control of dental movement when orthodontic materials are used for a dental splint. The purpose of this study was to determine the forces exerted by an orthodontic appliance used as a dental splint. To measure such forces, a transducer with a detection of 0.01 N (+/- 5%) was inserted into a maxillary dental arch model. The results showed that the orthodontic wire was rarely passive and the forces developed ranged from 0 to 27 x 10(-2) N. The force developed was independent of the length of the dental splint (p < 0.05) and wire size (p < 0.05). The mean force developed by nickel-titanium wires (14.27 x 10(-2) N) was significantly greater (p < 0.05) than the mean force developed by stainless steel and cobalt-chromium wires. Moreover, the mean force developed by rectangular wires (12.07 x 10(-2) N) was significantly greater (p < 0.05) than the mean force developed by square and round wires. The results suggested that stainless steel or cobalt-chromium, square or round wires should be used for construction of a dental splint.

Treatment regimens of STD patients in Cameroon: a need for intervention.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The management of patients with STDs is an important element in the fight against AIDS. To define effective STD control strategies a survey was carried out to understand the attitudes of STD patients and the treatment regimens they follow. STUDY DESIGN: The study was based on interviews with male patients with typical symptoms of urethritis leaving private pharmacies in Douala and Yaoundé. Each case was asked to answer a questionnaire comprising the origin of the therapeutic choice, the nature and cost of the treatment and any advice received. RESULTS: Fifty-six men in Douala and 86 in Yaoundé were recruited. The sources of prescription were dispensary (38%, 54%) private MD (9%, 15%) pharmacist (7%, 9%), diverse (46%, 21%) in Douala and Yaoundé respectively. At least two medicines were recommended in three-quarters of the patients. The most frequently used antibiotics were aminoglycosides and penicillin. The cost of the treatment ranged from $3.50 to $110. The more "medical" the initial visit, the higher was the cost of the prescribed treatment. In Douala only 49% of the prescribers advised the patients to treat their partners and condom promotion was done by 21% of the prescribers. CONCLUSION: This survey provides useful data on the care of patients with urethritis. Such surveys are simple, rapid, reasonable inexpensive (about $10,000) and contribute to the efficient design of STD control strategies. In addition, repeat survey to monitor the impact of the strategies are simple to carry out.