Effect of dietary canthaxanthin and iodine on the production performance and egg quality of laying hens.

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of canthaxanthin (CX) and iodine (I) on the production of laying hens, on counteracting debilitation of the vitelline membrane, and on inhibiting Salmonella growth in eggs stored at 30°C. Three hundred hens were reared in cages. Birds were divided into six feeding groups (10 hens × 5 repetitions) that were administered 0, 3 or 6 ppm of CX and 1 or 10 ppm of I with their diets. Laying rate, egg weights, and feed conversion ratios were controlled. The quality of fresh eggs was assessed in wks 25-26, 48-50 and 62-63 of hens lives. An additional batch of eggs was incubated at the temperature of 30°C, and egg quality changes were monitored on days 3, 6 and 9 of storage. Additionally, eggs collected from four experimental groups of hens whose diets had been iodated with 1 or 10 ppm of I and supplemented with 0 or 6 ppm of CX were infected under laboratory conditions with Salmonella, and incubated for 5 and 10 d. The laying rate, egg weights, and feed conversion ratio were significantly improved. Dietary inclusion of CX contributed to a higher resistance of the vitelline membrane of egg yolks, but only for fresh eggs. Vitelline membrane degradation during egg storage at 30°C was significantly counteracted by dietary inclusion of I at a dose of 10 ppm. The same I dose resulted in the complete inhibition of Salmonella growth until day 10 of incubation, but exclusively for eggs collected from 40-week-old hens. Dietary supplementation with 10 ppm of I was found to impart high level of resistance to the vitelline membrane against the growth of Salmonella in case of eggs stored at 30°C; therefore, I was found to be more beneficial by ensuring longer preservation than that of CX. However, dietary supplementation with CX was found to increase the resistance of vitelline membrane in fresh eggs.

Effect of different levels of copper nanoparticles and copper sulphate on performance, metabolism and blood biochemical profiles in broiler chicken.

A study was conducted to investigate the influence of copper administration in ovo to chicken embryos and/or supplied in drinking water to growing chickens in the form copper nanoparticles (Cu-NP) or copper sulphate (CuSO4 ). The fertilised eggs were assigned to three groups (n = 50 per group): control (not injected), injected with 50 mg/kg Cu-NP or with 50 mg/kg CuSO4 at day 1 of incubation. Thereafter, 126 one-day-old broiler chickens were randomly assigned to seven post-hatched groups: control not injected and not provided with Cu in the drinking water, injected with 50 mg/kg Cu-NP + 20 mg/kg in water, not injected + 20 mg/kg Cu-NP in water, injected with 50 mg/kg CuSO4  + 20 mg/kg in water, not injected + 20 mg/kg CuSO4 in water, injected with 50 mg/kg Cu-NP and injected with 50 mg/kg CuSO4 . The experiment was carried out from day 1 to 35 post-hatching. The in ovo injection of Cu improved the final body weight, average daily gain and feed conversion ratio in relation to the control group. Conversely, the provision of Cu in the drinking water had less of an effect on growth performance in comparison with the injected groups. A significant improvement was shown in energy and nitrogen utilisation, being better for Cu-NP than CuSO4 . The cholesterol, urea and glucose levels in the blood were reduced by Cu-NP treatment in relation to the other groups. The relative weight of the liver was decreased, while bursa of Fabricius was increased in Cu groups in relation to the control group. Cu excretion was only reduced in chickens injected with 50 mg/kg Cu-NP + 20 mg/kg in water. The immune-related genes were not affected by the treatments. The in ovo injection of Cu-NP might improve broiler performance more efficiently than the injection of CuSO4 or the provision of Cu-NP and/or CuSO4 in drinking water.

Patient satisfaction with psychotropic drugs: Validation of the PAtient SAtisfaction with Psychotropic (PASAP) scale in patients with bipolar disorder.

PURPOSE: The PAtient SAtisfaction with Psychotropic (PASAP) scale is a self-completed questionnaire measuring satisfaction with psychotropic medication. The aim of the study was to describe its development in French and its psychometric properties. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Scale construction was based on an extensive search of the literature. The item reduction process required semi-structured interviews of psychiatric outpatients (n=30). The final version of the PASAP is a 9-item, 5-point Likert-type scale, covering the scope of effectiveness and adherence. To assess the psychometric properties of the scale, French patients with an acute manic episode (n=314) from a large European observational cohort completed the PASAP scale 3 months after psychotropic treatment initiation/change. Internal validity and reliability were assessed using principal component analysis (PCA). Concurrent validity was assessed using comparisons to physician-rated satisfaction with life, illness severity, mood relapse, compliance and side effects. RESULTS: Participation rate was 68.4%. PCA was in favour of uni-dimensionality. Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.85 (95%CI 0.83-0.88). All five concurrent measures were significantly associated with the PASAP score. CONCLUSION: The PASAP scale showed good psychometric properties in a large bipolar population and thus seems adequate for evaluating treatment satisfaction. Its short length and good acceptability makes it suitable for clinical research.

[Current status and management of patients with bipolar disorder in France: the MONTRA survey]. / Caractéristiques et modalités de prise en charge des patients présentant un trouble bipolaire en France : enquête MONTRA.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to assess the characteristics of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and to evaluate the prescribing practices. METHODS: MONTRA is a quantitative survey conducted between December 2010 and February 2011. Data were extracted by the psychiatrists from the medical files of BD patients seen on four consecutive days of consulting. RESULTS: Four hundred and thirty-nine psychiatrists included 2529 patients (inpatients, n=319; outpatients from mental clinics, n=1090; outpatients consulting in private practice, n=1020). In the total patient population (mean age: 47 years; women, 58%), BD was distributed as follows: BD type I, 56%; BD type II, 40%; other types of BD, 4%; rapid cyclers, 10%. The prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities was high (anxiety disorders, 48%; abuse and dependence on toxic substances, 17 and 10% respectively), 36% of the patients had a history of suicide attempt and the risk of suicide, when assessed, was 6%. In about half the patients (48%), the polarity of the initial bipolar episode was of the depressive type (versus 39% for the manic/hypomanic type). Outpatients were globally independent and did not require assistance in the management of their disease or its treatment whereas the social and professional lives of inpatients were negatively affected by their condition. Based on the psychiatrist's declarations, 39 to 50% of the outpatients were symptom-free, 36 to 40% were in the intercurrent phase with residual symptoms, 11 to 17% presented either a manic or depressive acute BP episode, and 3 to 4% were in a mixed state; among inpatients, 52% presented an acute episode either manic or depressive, 38% were in the intercurrent phase and 9% were in a mixed state. In the symptomatic patients from the total population (61%), the most prevalent symptoms were depressive and corresponded to acute symptoms (patients with a depressive episode, 14%) or residual symptoms (patients in the intercurrent phase, 27%). The predominant depressive polarity was observed in both hospitalized and outpatients. The pharmacological treatment of BD included polytherapy in 73% of the patients. In the manic episodes (n=126), the patients were treated with a Mood Stabilizer (MS, 56%) or an atypical antipsychotic (AAP, 52%) in association. In the depressive episodes (n=342), the patients received an antidepressant drug associated with a MS or an AAP (70%). In symptom-free or symptomatic intercurrent periods (n=1943), the patients were treated with a MS (49-58%) or an AAP (37-49%), in association. CONCLUSION: BD patients evaluated in our survey were in majority diagnosed with BD type I, associated with considerable comorbidity. In the symptomatic patients, the most prevalent symptoms, either acute or residual, were of the depressive type. In the majority of the patients, whatever the clinical status, polytherapy was prescribed for the BD.

[Management of patients with acute manic or mixed episodes and outcome at three months]. / Modalités de prise en charge de l'accès maniaque ou mixte aigu et évolution à trois mois.

METHODS: EMBLEM is a prospective, multicenter observational study on the management of patients with a manic or mixed episode in routine clinical practice (total of 3566 subjects included in 14 European countries). The study consisted of a 12-week acute phase and a 24-month maintenance phase. Subjects were included if they initiated or changed oral medication, according to the decision of the treating psychiatrist, with antipsychotics, anticonvulsants and / or lithium, for the treatment of a manic or mixed episode. The present report describes the acute phase outcomes of the French subgroup. RESULTS: Between December 2002 and June 2004, 126 investigators included a total of 795 subjects as in- or outpatients (450 women, 320 men, mean age: 45.6 years). The episode was most often recurrent (74.7 %) and patients were suffering from either a manic (65.8 %) or a mixed episode (34.2 % vs. EMBLEM Europe, 24 %). The intensity of manic symptoms was elevated (YMRS mean total score: 26.6) and functional impairment of the individuals was high, with 41.9 % experiencing moderate to severe work impairment and 23.6 % being unable to work. The prevalence of suicide attempts was 35.8 % (lifelong), close to the prevalence in the other French cohort EPIMAN (32 %). Abuse / dependence on alcohol and cannabis were present in 10.2 % and 11.1 % of subjects, respectively. At entry, 37.4 % were receiving monotherapy while 27.3 % received a combined therapy. All patients received treatment for their manic / mixed episode, either in combination (59.2 %) or in monotherapy (40.8 %). Atypical antipsychotics were more often prescribed in association (34.0 % of subjects) than in monotherapy (21.1 %). In patients treated in monotherapy, atypical antipsychotics were the most often prescribed drug (51.9 %). Results showed an improvement within both monotherapy and combination therapy in effectiveness measures at week 12. After 12 weeks, 31.3 % were considered recovered and 67.9 % did not relapse. These results confirm current data on co-morbidities and give information on treatment for bipolar patients at three months of follow-up. The long-term evaluation of the French EMBLEM cohort - 12, 24 months and up to five years - is presently ongoing.

Ecological momentary assessment in addiction.

Numerous symptoms in psychiatry are subjective (e.g., sadness, anxiety, craving or fatigue), fluctuate and are environment dependent. Accurate measurement of these phenomena requires repeated measures, and ideally needs to be performed in the patient's natural environment rather than in an artificial laboratory environment or a protected hospital environment. The usual paper and pencil questionnaires do not meet these two conditions for reasons of logistics. A recently developed method, ecological momentary assessment (EMA), made it possible to implement these field assessments via ingenious use of various devices (most frequently an electronic diary) coupling an auditory signal with computerized data capture. The subject carries the device with him/her at all times, and data is recorded in vivo in real time. The programming of repeated measures in the form of a Likert scale or pull-down menu is easily achieved. A recall alarm system can help increase compliance. Compared with classical self-report, EMA improves the validity of the assessment of certain symptoms, which are the main evaluation criteria in clinical trials concerning certain pathologies (e.g., craving and treatment of addiction), where measurement was previously liable to bias. This article sets out to present this method, its advantages and disadvantages, and the interest it presents in psychiatry, in particular via three original applications developed by the authors including: measurement of reaction time without the knowledge of the subject in order to test certain cognitive models; use of a graphic solution for the data recorded for functional analysis of disorders; and the use of data collection via mobile phone and text messages, which also enables therapeutic interventions in real time by text messages, personalized on the basis of the situational data collected (e.g., in the case of craving, the associated mood, solitary or group consumption or concomitant occupations).

An in vivo study of the relationship between craving and reaction time during alcohol detoxification using the ecological momentary assessment.

BACKGROUND: To study cognitive interference associated with craving for alcohol, the Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) method was used to measure the relationship between craving and reaction time. A secondary aim was the study of the predictive factors for craving during alcohol detoxification. The EMA enables both repeated measures of craving in a natural setting and the recording of reaction time without the patient being aware of this. METHODS: Craving for alcohol, reaction time, sadness and anxiety were recorded 8 to 12 times a day, over three weeks of detoxification in 14 alcoholics (n=1767 measures), on an electronic diary issuing random prompts. Mixed models were used for statistical analysis (alpha=5%, 1-beta=88%). RESULTS: Reaction time was significantly increased in univariate analysis when a craving episode occurred but this difference did not persist after multivariate analysis. Craving episodes were more frequent and intense than previously reported. Predictive factors of craving during detoxification were: age, gender, sadness, anxiety and the number of previous detoxifications. Antidepressants, anti-craving medications but not benzodiazepines were negatively associated to craving.

Amyloid tumour (amyloidoma) of the mediastinum.

A unique case of a surgically treated primary amyloid tumour of the mediastinum has been reported in a 40-year-old man. Immunohistochemical examinations revealed the presence of transthyretin and amyloid AA within the amyloid masses.

[Evaluation of treatment of myasthenia with thymectomy (author's transl)]. / Appréciation du traitement de la myasthénie par la thymectomie.

The paper describes the effectiveness of treatment of myasthenia with thymectomy in 136 patients operated on, observed in hospital and 107 examined by questionnaire on late results after 10 years. Exclusive of myasthenia with thymoma, cures were obtained in 26.4%, marked improvement in 19.6%, moderate improvement in 21.4%, improved motor strength in 27.1%, and deterioration was observed in 3.8%. The assessment was based mainly on the amount of cholinergic drugs taken. Early mortality rate was 2,4%, and late mortality 1,9%. Relation of postoperative complications/respiratory and crisis of both kinds to mortality and intraoperative pleural injury also surgical approach and anatomic variants of the thymus were discussed. An influence of the number of proliferating centers on prognosis in myasthenia after thymectomy was nor demonstrated. Thymectomy in a generally accepted and most effective method of treatment in myasthenia.