Constructional Features of a Multielectrode Electrocardiology Screening System.

The challenges of constructing a noninvasive screening system for electrocardiodiagnostics, focused on visualization of electric potential maps on the surface of the epicardium, is addressed. A functional diagram of a module for recording multiple-lead electrocardiosignals is proposed, the essential component of which is a vest (in several standard sizes) worn by the subject and carrying pre-installed electrodes. Results obtained from experimental verification of the operation of the recording module are presented. The issues of computer processing of electrocardiosignals were addressed and led to the ability to obtain 2D maps of the electric potential on a spherical quasi-epicardium, these 2D maps changing synchronously with changes in the position of the time marker on electrocardiograms familiar to cardiologists.

STochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (STORM) reveals the nanoscale organization of pathological aggregates in human brain.

AIMS: Histological analysis of brain tissue samples provides valuable information about the pathological processes leading to common neurodegenerative disorders. In this context, the development of novel high-resolution imaging approaches is a current challenge in neuroscience. METHODS: To this end, we used a recent super-resolution imaging technique called STochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (STORM) to analyse human brain sections. We combined STORM cell imaging protocols with neuropathological techniques to image cryopreserved brain samples from control subjects and patients with neurodegenerative diseases. RESULTS: This approach allowed us to perform 2D-, 3D- and two-colour-STORM in neocortex, white matter and brainstem samples. STORM proved to be particularly effective at visualizing the organization of dense protein inclusions and we imaged with a <50 nm resolution pathological aggregates within the central nervous system of patients with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Lewy body dementia and fronto-temporal lobar degeneration. Aggregated Aß branches appeared reticulated and cross-linked in the extracellular matrix, with widths from 60 to 240 nm. Intraneuronal Tau and TDP-43 inclusions were denser, with a honeycomb pattern in the soma and a filamentous organization in the axons. Finally, STORM imaging of α-synuclein pathology revealed the internal organization of Lewy bodies that could not be observed by conventional fluorescence microscopy. CONCLUSIONS: STORM imaging of human brain samples opens further gates to a more comprehensive understanding of common neurological disorders. The convenience of this technique should open a straightforward extension of its application for super-resolution imaging of the human brain, with promising avenues to current challenges in neuroscience.

[Organic troubles with psychiatric symptoms: What is the appropriate childhood and adolescence psychiatric care? Reflections on disimmune encephalitis cases]. / Troubles organiques à expression psychiatrique, quel soin pédopsychiatrique ? Réflexions autour de cas d'encéphalites dysimmunitaires.

Organic mental disorders are different and further revealed by increasingly advanced research. They are nevertheless misunderstood, without consensus, and raise clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic questions. These disorders require effective collaboration between practitioners such as pediatricians and child psychiatrists. The subject should not disappear behind the complexity related to the clinical expression of these symptoms. Based on three cases of autoimmune encephalitis, we offer a reflection on the management and assessment of these diseases by a multidisciplinary team with the intention of providing optimal management. The aim of this paper is to override an initial divide posed by a particular clinical presentation. We would like to shed light on the place and legitimacy of child psychiatrists and their clinical expertise. This does not exclude the need for care of the symptoms, considering each subject and her experience. Follow-up is necessary because of the possible, often traumatic, functional and psychological consequences. Finally, the presence of each professional should be specified when the psychiatric symptoms appear to be the result of an organic disease in order to better support the subject in his suffering body.

An energy-filtering device coupled to a quadrupole mass spectrometer for soft-landing molecular ions on surfaces with controlled energy.

We have developed an energy-filtering device coupled to a quadrupole mass spectrometer to deposit ionized molecules on surfaces with controlled energy in ultra high vacuum environment. Extensive numerical simulations as well as direct measurements show that the ion beam flying out of a quadrupole exhibits a high-energy tail decreasing slowly up to several hundred eV. This energy distribution renders impossible any direct soft-landing deposition of molecular ions. To remove this high-energy tail by energy filtering, a 127° electrostatic sector and a specific triplet lenses were designed and added after the last quadrupole of a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The results obtained with this energy-filtering device show clearly the elimination of the high-energy tail. The ion beam that impinges on the sample surface satisfies now the soft-landing criterion for molecular ions, opening new research opportunities in the numerous scientific domains involving charges adsorbed on insulating surfaces.

Kyphoplasty versus vertebroplasty in osteoporotic thoracolumbar spine fractures. Short-term retrospective review of a multicentre cohort of 127 consecutive patients.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporotic spine fractures induce a heavy burden in terms of both general health and healthcare costs. The objective of this multicentre study by the French Society for Spine Surgery (SFCR) was to compare outcomes after vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty in the treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral fractures. HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesised that differences existed between vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty, notably regarding operative time and reduction efficacy, from which criteria for patient selection might be inferred. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective multicentre review of 127 patients with Magerl Type A low-energy fractures after a fall from standing height between 2007 and 2010; 85 were managed with vertebroplasty and 42 with kyphoplasty. Age was not a selection criterion. We recorded pain intensity, time to management, operative time, kyphosis angle, wedge angle, cement leakage rate, and degree of cement filling. RESULTS: Operative time was 43 minutes with kyphoplasty and 24 minutes with vertebroplasty (P=0.0002). Both techniques relieved pain, with no significant difference. Kyphoplasty significantly improved the wedge angle, by +6°, versus +2° with vertebroplasty (P=0.002). With kyphoplasty, the volume injected was larger and cement distribution was less favourable. Leakage rates were similar. DISCUSSION: Despite the heterogeneity of our study, our data confirm the effectiveness of kyphoplasty in alleviating pain and decreasing deformities due to osteoporotic vertebral fractures. Vertebroplasty is a faster and less costly procedure that remains useful; no detectable clinical complications occur with vertebroplasty, which ensures better anchoring of the cement in the cancellous bone.

The "peg test": a novel technique for dexterity evaluation in hand immobilized with a splint.

Manual dexterity tests are difficult to apply in the clinical practice. They are either destined for specific lesions, or are rather complicated and time-consuming. The aim of this study was to evaluate a new manual dexterity test for hand immobilized with a splint: the "peg test". Our series included 86 persons (without any hand trauma or disease) of mean age 42 years of which 77 were right-handed. Materials included five pegs, splints immobilizing the DIP joint, a desk and a stopwatch. Each subject moved the pegs from a horizontal to a vertical position using the thumb-ring pinch grip. This was repeated three times without a splint, with a palmar splint, with a simple dorsal splint and with a dorsal splint glued to the nail, then once more without a splint. A time score was recorded for each trial. A point was deduced at each fall of a peg for result analysis. Results showed that a learning curve affected performance, but that dominance and age before learning had no effect. After learning performance diminished with these variables in the following order: without splint, then more so with a glued splint, even more with a simple dorsal splint and most with a palmar one. The peg test fulfills metrological requirements of dexterity tests: test-retest (intra-observer) reliability (reproducibility), inter-observer reliability (both measured by correlation coefficient), and validity of instrument of measurement. Simple, rapid and reliable, it is perfectly adapted to manual dexterity evaluation in hand immobilized with a splint.

Bacterial cellulose as a potential vascular graft: Mechanical characterization and constitutive model development.

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a polysaccharide produced by Acetobacter Xylinum bacteria with interesting properties for arterial grafting and vascular tissue engineering including high-burst pressure, high-water content, high crystallinity, and an ultrafine highly pure fibrous structure similar to that of collagen. Given that compliance mismatch is one of the main factors contributing to the development of intimal hyperplasia in vascular replacement conduits, an in depth investigation of support mechanical properties of BC is required to further supporting its use in cardiovascular-grafting applications. The aim of this study was to mechanically characterize BC and also study its potential to accommodate vascular cells. To achieve these aims, inflation tests and uniaxial tensile tests were carried out on BC samples. In addition, dynamic compliance tests were conducted on BC tubes, and the results were compared to that of arteries, saphenous vein, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, and Dacron grafts. BC tubes exhibited a compliance response similar to human saphenous vein with a mean compliance value of 4.27 × 10(-2) % per millimeter of mercury over the pressure range of 30-120 mmHg. In addition, bovine smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells were cultured on BC samples, and histology and fluorescent imaging analysis were carried out showing good adherence and biocompatibility. Finally, a method to predict the mechanical behavior of BC grafts in situ was established, whereby a constitutive model for BC was determined and used to model the BC tubes under inflation using finite element analysis.

Identification and allergenic activity of hydroxyaldehydes - a new type of oxidation product from an ethoxylated non-ionic surfactant.

Ethoxylated alcohols, which are widely used as surfactants, are susceptible to oxidation on air exposure. A complex mixture of oxidation products is formed, among which alkylated aldehydes, alkylated formates, formaldehyde and peroxides have previously been identified by our group. In the present study, we have identified a new class of oxidation product from the nonionic ethoxylated surfactant C12E5. These oxidation products are highly water-soluble hydroxyaldehydes with the general formula HO(CH2CH2O)nCH2CHO, n=1-4. To facilitate the identification of the hydroxyaldehydes in oxidized C12E5, reference compounds were synthesized. The sensitizing potential of 1 of the identified hydroxyaldehydes, HO(CH2CH2O)3CH2CHO, was studied in guinea pigs and was found to be weak. A significant cross-reactivity between this aldehyde and the next shorter homologue, HO(CH2CH2O)2CH2CHO, was observed. Irritant components, present in the oxidation mixture, facilitate the skin penetration of allergens, which further accentuates the importance of controlling the conditions of storage and handling of ethoxylated surfactants, to reduce the formation of allergenic and irritant oxidation products.

Manual acupuncture reduces hyperemesis gravidarum: a placebo-controlled, randomized, single-blind, crossover study.

Hyperemesis gravidarum, severe vomiting, develops in about 1-2% of all pregnancies. Acupuncture on the point PC6 above the wrist on the palmar side has been found to prevent some types of nausea and vomiting. The purpose of the present study was to see if acupuncture, in addition to standard treatment, could hasten the improvement of hyperemesis gravidarum. Thirty-three women with hyperemesis were evaluated in a randomized, single-blind, crossover comparison of two methods of acupuncture, active (deep) PC6 acupuncture or placebo (superficial) acupuncture. The women estimated their degree of nausea on a visual analogue scale (VAS). The daily number of emesis episodes were documented. Crossover analyses showed that there was a significantly faster reduction of nausea VAS and more women who stopped vomiting after active acupuncture than after placebo acupuncture. This study suggests that active PC6 acupuncture, in combination with standard treatment, could make women with hyperemesis gravidarum better faster than placebo acupuncture.

Skin irritation from air-oxidized ethoxylated surfactants.

Surfactants are known to be skin irritants, but change in their irritant potential due to change in composition during handling and storage has not previously been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of oxidation products on the irritant potential of a non-ionic ethoxylated alcohol, C12E5. Pure and oxidized C12E5 were tested, using 2 different patch test procedures; 1 with a single 24 h exposure and 1 with repeated exposures. 18 healthy volunteers participated in each of these studies. Evaluations were made by visual scoring and by measurement of transepidermal water loss and skin blood flow. In the single exposure study, no significant difference in skin irritation was observed between pure C12E5 and a sample of oxidized C12E5 at the concentrations tested (1, 3, 9 and 27%). After repeated exposures, however, the oxidized C12E5 was significantly more irritant than pure C12E5 at the concentrations 9% and 27% (p<0.05). Non-ionic ethoxylated surfactants are known for their weak skin irritant effect and are, due to this, often included in products with prolonged contact with the skin, i.e., skin care products. An increased irritant potential after oxidation might be of importance due to the conditions of use.

Accident risks for suburban preschool Jordanian children.

This exploratory investigation of child accidents in suburban Jordan 1988-1991 indicated that children were daily exposed to fire, drugs, and chemical agents, and played in dangerous places. Children under 2 years of age were frequently burned, and those slightly older injured through falls and cuts. Boys were more accident-prone than girls in accordance with practically all previous world-wide studies. The overall accident picture was similar to European reports from 50 years ago. Many environmental hazards could be explained as being a consequence of relative poverty, but parent's awareness of accident risks for children was low, even among well educated people. Strategies to diminish accident risks for pre-school children are suggested.

Emergency psychology: a mobile service for police crisis calls.

The Emergency Treatment Center, a new program of crisis intervention services, has been in operation since February 1975. This seven-day-week, twenty-four-hour-a-day program backs up ten Northern California police departments to provide help to people who are experiencing psychological emergencies such as violent family fights, suicide attempts, and severe emotional disturbance; in addition, the Center responds to any kind of crisis call involving adolescents. The population of the area served is approximately 750,000 of whom approximately 110,000 are adolescents between 10 and 17 years of age.