Multicentre prospective feasibility study on the repair of hernias and incisional ventral hernias with an innovative Tintrap mesh.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to assess an innovative prosthesis Tintrap Mesh and its inserter in the repair of hernias and incisional ventral hernias. The inserter helps the deployment of the mesh the same way an umbrella would open, which prevents the enlargement of the wound. METHOD: Four centres took part in this study. A questionnaire was completed preoperatively, postoperatively and after 1 month of surgery. Data on pain and complications, patients' satisfaction, as well as the ease of installation and the quality of deployment of the mesh was gathered and assessed. RESULTS: From January 2009 to December 2009, 80 patients were assessed. The prosthesis, ease of installation and the deployment quality were rated "very good" and "good". The average operating room time was 20.86 min (range: 10-50 min). Postoperative pain was rated level 0 and 3 on VAS score in 73 cases (91.25%). After 1 month, no occlusion or relapse were reported on 77 patients; 82.47% of patients had no pain. One seroma required the removal of the mesh. CONCLUSION: The first set of results on 80 cases is encouraging judging by the simplicity of implantation, low postoperative pain and patient's satisfaction.

[Complete heart block and myocardial ischaemia during a severe anaphylactic reaction]. / Bloc auriculoventriculaire complet peranesthésique et ischémie myocardique contemporains d'un choc anaphylactique grave.

An 83-year-old man had to be operated under general anaesthesia for a head skin tumor. The preanaesthetic exam of the cardiovascular function was reassuring but a cardiac arrest with a complete heart block occurred a few minutes after induction of anaesthesia. Resuscitation managing was successful but a myocardial ischaemia appeared. Biological tests confirmed severe anaphylactic reaction. The electrocardiographic expression, pathophysiology and management of cardiac anaphylaxis are discussed.

Elastolysis induces collagenolysis in a gingival lamina propria model.

Elastin peptides were previously reported to increase MMP expression in several cell types. We found binding of these peptides to their receptors led to enhanced MMP-3 and MMP-1 expression, but not activation, in human gingival fibroblasts cultured on plastic dishes. We hypothesized that these peptides, in a more physiological environment, might additionally trigger an MMP-3/MMP-1 activation cascade, leading to matrix lysis, as occurs in periodontitis. To test this hypothesis, we used contracted and attached lattices as gingival lamina propria equivalents. In such 3D models, supplementation of elastin peptides and plasminogen triggered an MMP-3/MMP-1 activation cascade and significant down-regulation of TIMPs production, further leading to intense collagen degradation. We propose that elastolysis, as occurs in periodontitis, potentiates collagenolysis, thus promoting disease progression.

Gamma-ray bursts: huge explosion in the early Universe.

Long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are bright flashes of high-energy photons that can last for tens of minutes; they are generally associated with galaxies that have a high rate of star formation and probably arise from the collapsing cores of massive stars, which produce highly relativistic jets (collapsar model). Here we describe gamma- and X-ray observations of the most distant GRB ever observed (GRB 050904): its redshift (z) of 6.29 means that this explosion happened 12.8 billion years ago, corresponding to a time when the Universe was just 890 million years old, close to the reionization era. This means that not only did stars form in this short period of time after the Big Bang, but also that enough time had elapsed for them to evolve and collapse into black holes.

Manual reaction time asymmetries in human subjects: the role of movement planning and attention.

Hemispheric asymmetries in spatial processing are generally considered to be responsible for the shorter reaction time (RT) of the left hand classically observed for right-handers when pointing at targets. Surprisingly, despite the special role which the right cerebral hemisphere is known to play in visual attention, the attentional hypothesis for hand movement preparation asymmetries is currently rejected. This study aims to test the respective roles of visual attention and movement planning in the left hand RT advantage for goal-directed movements. Two experiments were conducted with the same subjects, a simple visual detection task and a classical pointing task, using the same lateralized stimuli. Subjects used the left hand and the right hand alternatively in order to react to the stimuli. In the detection task, the reaction consisted of simply releasing a switch as quickly as possible after the appearance of a target, whereas in the pointing task, it consisted of performing lateralized reaching movements towards the same target. The main results of this study revealed left hand shorter RTs for both tasks, emphasizing the role which right hemisphere dominance for visuospatial attention plays in manual aiming asymmetries. Moreover, a direct comparison of the RTs obtained in both experiments showed that the specific cost of movement planning was lower when using the left hand, therefore also revealing right hemisphere dominance for movement planning.

Curcumin induces the mitochondrial permeability transition pore mediated by membrane protein thiol oxidation.

Curcumin is a natural compound showing antiproliferative properties. Recent studies suggest that these properties might be due to its ability to induce apoptosis in tumor cells. As mitochondria play a pivotal role in the induction of the apoptotic process, we analyzed the effect of curcumin on mitochondrial function. Curcumin induced an increase in rat liver mitochondrial membrane permeability, resulting in swelling, loss of membrane potential and inhibition of ATP synthesis. These effects were mediated by the opening of the permeability transition pore. Curcumin pore induction involved the oxidation of membrane thiol functions and required the presence of low Ca(2+) concentrations. These data suggest that mitochondria might be a target by which curcumin induces apoptosis of tumor cells.

Influence of the movement parameter to be controlled on manual RT asymmetries in right-handers.

In this experiment we test whether the effects of manual asymmetries on movement preparation depend on the parameter (amplitude or direction) to be programmed. In two experiments, only the amplitude, or the direction, of aiming movements was constrained. Reaction and movement times were measured. Results show that RTs are always shorter for left-hand than for right-hand movements. There is an effect of target extent in the amplitude condition, but not in the direction one. RTs for ipsilateral movements are shorter than RTs for contralateral movements. These results are discussed in the light of the processes involved in setting the amplitude or direction of the movement and with regard to the competency of the two hemispheres regarding these processes.

Curcumin and curcumin derivatives inhibit Tat-mediated transactivation of type 1 human immunodeficiency virus long terminal repeat.

The transcription of HIV1 provirus is regulated by both cellular and viral factors. Various evidence suggests that Tat protein secreted by HIV1-infected cells may have additional action in the pathogenesis of AIDS because of its ability to also be taken up by non-infected cells. Curcumin [diferuloylmethane or 1,7-bis-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione] is the yellow pigment in turmeric Curcuma longa (Linn). It exhibits a variety of pharmacological effects including antiinflammatory and antiretroviral activities. Here, we demonstrated that curcumin used at 10 to 100 nM inhibited Tat transactivation of HIV1-LTR lacZ by 70 to 80% in HeLa cells. In order to develop more efficient curcumin derivatives, we synthesized and tested in the same experimental system the inhibitory activity of reduced curcumin (C1), which lacks the spatial structure of curcumin; allyl-curcumin (C2), which possesses a condensed allyl derivative on curcumin that plays the role of metal chelator; and tocopheryl-curcumin (C3), which enhances the antioxidant activity of the molecule. Results obtained with C1, C2 and C3 curcumin derivatives showed a significant inhibition (70 to 85%) of Tat transactivation. Despite the fact that tocopheryl-curcumin (C3) failed to scavenge O2.-, this curcumin derivative exhibited the most activity; 70% inhibition was obtained at 1 nM, while only 35% inhibition was obtained with the curcumin.

Protective effects of the lipophilic redox conjugate tocopheryl succinyl-ethyl ferulate on HIV replication.

Previously, we demonstrated that ferulate ethyl and tocopherol reduced HIV replication. In this study, we investigate whether the conjugation of both compounds (O-tocopheryl succinyl O-ethyl ferulate) can increase HIV inhibition. We show here for the first time that O-tocopheryl succinyl O-ethyl ferulate inhibits 80% of HIV replication (HIV-1 acute infection and HIV transmission), inhibits cell lipoperoxidation and prevents cellular glutathione consumption. Compared to ferulate ethyl and tocopheryl succinyl, O-tocopheryl succinyl O-ethyl ferulate inhibits more HIV replication. This may be due in part to the great increase in the lipophilicity of this compound.

[Dynamics of egg maturation in the parasitoid Lixophaga diatraeae (Diptera, Tachinidae) raised in a substitute host, Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae)]. / Dynamique de la maturation des oeufs chez le parasitoïde Lixophaga diatraeae (Diptera, Tachinidae) élevé dans un hôte de substitution Alleria mellonella (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae).

The content of the uterus and ovaries of L. diatraeae (an ovolarviparous tachinid fly) was studied by dissecting 121 females 0 to 25 days old. Several size classes of flies (p: small; m: medium; g: big) were used, weighing 10 to 12.5 mg, 12.5 to 13.5 mg, and 13.5 to 16 mg, respectively. The mean number of ovarioles per ovary, correlated to female size, was 12.1 for p as against 12.9 for m + g females. The total mean number of eggs and oocytes changed with female age and weight. For 0, 5, 10 and 15-day old females, this number was 56, 149, 158 and 202, respectively in g flies and 51, 128, 141 and 139, respectively, in p ones. To study egg maturation dynamics, we counted the total number of eggs + oocytes per p female (Y1), the eggs in the uterus (Y2), partially embryonated eggs (Y3), and entirely embryonated eggs (Y4). The experimental results were fitted to various age functions using a non-linear adjustment program. The models fitting each datum best were asymptotic functions of the form, Y = A [1-e-K(x-D)], where A is the asymptotic value, K a speed constant of the studied phenomenon and D age at the beginning of the phenomenon. At emergence time, each female contained a mean of 50 oocytes which passed into the uterus immediately after mating. Egg production continued for at least 10 days after emergence. The rate of embryogenesis seemed to be influenced by the number of eggs in the uterus and/or the age of the fly; it was high for the first eggs then decreased progressively. In our conditions, the first eggs with a planidium ready to hatch appeared at 10 days post-emergence. To obtain a maximum number of larvae in good health, it is better to dissect 12 to 18-day old females. The egg volume increases slightly during embryogenesis.