Nonverbal behavioral patterns predict social rejection elicited aggression.

Aggression elicited by social rejection is costly, prevalent, and often lethal. Attempts to predict rejection-elicited aggression using trait-based data have had little success. This may be because in-the-moment aggression is a complex process influenced by current states of attention, arousal, and affect which are poorly predicted by trait-level characteristics. In a study of young adults (N = 89; 18-25 years), machine learning tested the extent to which nonverbal behavioral indices of attention (eye gaze), arousal (pupillary reactivity), and affect (facial expressions) during a novel social interaction paradigm predicted subsequent aggression towards rejecting and accepting peers. Eye gaze and pupillary reactivity predicted aggressive behavior; predictions were more successful than measures of trait-based aggression and harsh parenting. These preliminary results suggest that nonverbal behavior may elucidate underlying mechanisms of in-the-moment aggression.

The MIDAS project at ASU: John Cowley's vision and practical results.

An overview of the conception and development of the MIDAS system at Arizona State University is given: a Microscope for Imaging, Diffraction and Analysis of Surfaces. John Cowley's vision in the early 1980s was ambitious and far-reaching, and it was because of him the authors came to ASU. We were centrally involved in the design and implementation of MIDAS from the mid 1980s onwards; the novel design features are briefly reviewed. Practical results obtained using this instrument are listed, and the scope for future development and applications are indicated. While it is clear that many new results have been demonstrated, even more possibilities still remain to be explored. Some comments are made about the feasibility of such developments in the light of competing instrumentation.

Selective nucleation and controlled growth: quantum dots on metal, insulator and semiconductor surfaces.

Nucleation and growth models are well developed for nucleation on homogeneous substrates, and they can typically be described in terms of three energy parameters. Nucleation on substrates containing point-defect traps has been investigated, at the cost of introducing more energy parameters. This paper outlines the quantitative description of such growth models, using rate and rate-diffusion equations, in terms of energies for individual surface processes, with examples taken from metal-metal, metal-insulator and semiconductor growth. The challenge to modelling is to describe the large range of length and time-scales in thin-film fabrication and degradation, without relying on too many (unknown) material parameters, which often occur in combination. Separating them into elementary processes often proves to be a challenge. One typically requires selective nucleation using patterned substrates, in combination with controlled, self-organized, growth for reliable nanotechnology. Reconstructed semiconductor surfaces offer both a further challenge to modelling and an opportunity for future technology; these paradoxes are discussed briefly.

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics in France : a public health priority.

For a few years, France has been faced to a rapid spread of anti-microbial resistance in hospitals and in general practice despite the many recommendations issued to solve this problem. In 1999, the Institut de Veille Sanitaire conducted a collective expe

Probable transmission of HIV from an orthopedic surgeon to a patient in France.

BACKGROUND: Transmission of HIV from infected health care workers to patients has been documented in only one cluster involving 6 patients of a dentist in Florida. In October 1995, the French Ministry of Health offered HIV testing to patients who had been operated on by an orthopedic surgeon in whom AIDS was recently diagnosed. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the surgeon transmitted HIV to patients during operations. DESIGN: Epidemiologic investigation. SETTING: The practice of an orthopedic surgeon in a French public hospital. PARTICIPANTS: 1 surgeon and 983 of his former patients. MEASUREMENTS: 3004 patients who had undergone invasive procedures were contacted by mail for counseling and HIV testing. One HIV-positive patient was interviewed, and DNA sequence analysis was performed to compare the genetic relation of the patient's and the surgeon's viruses. Infection-control precautions and the surgeon's practices were assessed. RESULTS: Of 983 patients in whom serologic status was ascertained, 982 were HIV negative and 1 was HIV positive. The HIV-positive patient, a woman born in 1925, tested negative for HIV before placement of a total hip prosthesis with bone graft (a prolonged operation) performed by the surgeon in 1992. She had no identified risk for HIV exposure. Molecular analysis indicated that the viral sequences obtained from the surgeon and the HIV-infected woman were closely related. Infection-control precautions were in accordance with recommendations, but blood contact between the surgeon and his patients occurred commonly during surgical procedures. CONCLUSIONS: An HIV-infected surgeon may have transmitted HIV to one of his patients during surgery.

Management of hepatitis C by European hepatologists.

In 1996, the French Réseau National de Santé Publique was funded by the Direction General V of the EU to perform a European survey on the epidemiology, the surveillance, the prevention and the management of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the EU member states. This study included two approaches: one consisting of a survey of public health authorities on all the implemented policies dealing with epidemiological status, surveillance and prevention of HCV infection; and the second, in which a large series of hepatologists were interviewed on their own practices with regard to hepatitis C.

A multifocal outbreak of trichinellosis linked to horse meat imported from North America to France in 1993.

An outbreak of 538 cases of trichinellosis occurred in France in December 1993. Seven cases developed neurotrichinosis and 23 had cardiologic complications. No deaths were recorded. Two patients had a positive muscle biopsy showing living Trichinella larvae. One of them was typed as Trichinella spiralis. A case-control study showed that horse meat was the only meat associated with illness (odds ratio = 80.7). The risk of illness increased with the amount of horse meat eaten and when it was consumed raw. The cases, which were spread out in five foci, bought horse meat from five butchers who had received parts of a single horse carcass imported in November 1993 from Canada. The Trichinella International Screening Program, implemented since 1985 after two similar episodes involving a thousand cases, failed to detect the incriminated horse carcass. This new horse meat-related outbreak led to modifications of the internationally recommended screening methods whereby the weight of meat samples tested was increased.

Epidemiology of pertussis in French hospitals in 1993 and 1994: thirty years after a routine use of vaccination.

BACKGROUND: Despite widespread vaccination during 30 years, the hypothesis of a resurgence of pertussis in France has been raised by outbreaks and sporadic case reports. No surveillance data were available after 1985. METHODS: A survey was undertaken in 1993 and 1994 in a pediatric hospital network able to confirm cases; the network (22 hospitals) represents 19.6% of pediatric admissions in France. Case definition included clinical (> or = 21 days of paroxysmal cough), laboratory-confirmed (culture or serology by immunoblot) or epidemiologically confirmed pertussis (documented contact with a laboratory-confirmed case). The pattern of transmission was studied in the household. Vaccine status was obtained from health records. RESULTS: during a 15-month period 560 cases (316 index cases, 244 household contact cases) were reported; 49% of index cases and 20% of contact cases were confirmed by culture and/or serology. Sixty-five percent of index cases were younger than 1 year of age (the incidence in this age group could be estimated to be 95/100000) and 66% were hospitalized for a mean duration of 2 weeks. Infection was acquired from parents (34%) and siblings (46%). Seventy-three percent of index cases were unvaccinated. CONCLUSIONS: Although pertussis vaccination coverage is very high in France, the organism is still circulating, affecting, within the pediatric population, mostly non- or incompletely vaccinated infants. These results strongly support the importance of adhering to the immunization schedule and suggest introducing booster dose(s) to prolong vaccine immunity and reduce the exposure to Bordetella pertussis of infants too young to be immunized.

Medical practices regarding hepatitis C virus infection in Europe.

Six hundred and ninety-three European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) members, belonging to one of the 15 European Union (EU) member-states, were surveyed, through a standardized 45-item questionnaire, on their medical practices regarding hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The response rate was 45%, roughly similar in all the countries concerned. Responders were classified into three groups according to their geographical origin: North, Centre and South. A consensus existed with regard to the necessity of HCV screening in well-defined situations, such as history of blood transfusion, haemodialysis, haemophilia or intravenous drug addiction (90% of positive answers) while opinions substantially differed for vertical and nosocomial transmission of HCV. For the prevention of sexual and vertical transmission, opinions differed greatly: 22% were in favour of barrier methods for HCV-positive subjects while 34% were against; 49% allowed breast-feeding for babies born to HCV-positive mothers while 14% were against. Conversely, there was relative homogeneity in the issue of domestic prevention (70% in favour of precautions). Algorithms for prescription of virological tests were inhomogeneous (recombinant immunoblot assay was used by 60%; polymerase chain reaction was requested by 77% when alanine amino-transferase (ALT) was elevated vs 89% when normal): medical evaluation varied according to ALT values: liver biopsy and liver ultrasonography were carried out in 90 and 91% vs 40 and 70% for increased and normal ALT, respectively. Thirty per cent of respondents advised patients to stop alcohol consumption and 60% advised moderation. Two-thirds of the responders did not take into account histological severity and virological parameters before initiating antiviral therapy. Eighty per cent of the participants claimed that they administered interferon (IFN) for 12 months. For most of the items studied, there was a large variation, not only between the three groups, but also within each group. Ninety-two per cent of the responders claimed that they were well trained on HCV but they were rather critical of the quality of the information diffused (satisfaction rate: 45%). Altogether, our survey demonstrates that preventive and medical practices towards HCV are not homogeneous throughout the EU; this suggests the need for a European consensus conference in this regard.

Real-time Observation of Aluminum Chemical Vapor Deposition in an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope.

: A technique has been developed to provide real-time imaging, with several nanometer resolution, of organometallic chemical vapor deposition (CVD) by scanning electron microscopy under conditions approaching those used in the microelectronics industry. The technique involves modifications to an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) to facilitate organometallic precursor gas handling and sample heating. To demonstrate the usefulness of this technique for studying the microstructural evolution of CVD-grown metal films, results of Al/SiO2 CVD experiments are presented.

[European Program for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET): a training epidemiologic intervention in Europe]. / EPIET: une formation à l'épidémiologie d'intervention en Europe.

The European programme for interventional epidemiology training (EPIET) offers a two year practical training in European national institutes mandated for the surveillance and control of communicable diseases. The training, closely supervised by senior epidemiologists, allows each EPIET fellow to learn while serving and conducting tasks devoted to intervention epidemiologists (surveillance, investigation, research, aid to decision making, and communication with the public, the media, the health authorities and the scientific community). The programme is equally funded by the European Commission, the 15 member states, Norway and the World Health Organisation. This training, derived from the North American and British experiences offers a practical complement to knowledge acquired from European universities. EPIET fellows, their supervisors and colleagues from training institutes have rapidly formed a network of intervention epidemiologists necessary for conducting and coordinating the surveillance of communicable diseases in Europe.

[Epidemiological estimation of the effectiveness of the pertussis vaccination during outbreaks in a community. Les pédiatres et bactériologistes du réseau RENACOQ]. / Estimation épidémiologique de l'efficacité de la vaccination anticoquelucheuse au cours d'épidémies en collectivité. Les pédiatres et bactériologistes du réseau RENACOQ.

BACKGROUND: With the recent pertussis vaccine trials, the efficacy of acellular vaccines is now well known, estimated at 85% for multicomponent vaccines. On the other hand, the estimates of whole cell vaccines efficacy varies from 36% to 98% with the different vaccines used. We evaluated the field effectiveness of the French whole cell pertussis vaccine during outbreaks in schools and centers for disabled children. METHODS: Four limited outbreaks between 1993 and 1995 were investigated using a retrospective cohort study design. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) was assessed for the following case definition: clinical pertussis, laboratory-confirmed pertussis, epidemiologically confirmed pertussis (documented contact with a laboratory confirmed case). Immunization history was obtained by reviewing the child health record book. Effectiveness of a whole vaccination (four injections) and of a partial vaccination (one to three injections) were estimated as 1-(attack rate among vaccinated/attack rate among non-vaccinated). RESULTS: A whole immunization conferred good protection against pertussis with an estimated VE higher than 92% in three surveys, lower in the fourth survey (84%) in which antibiotic prophylaxis was set up very rapidly. A partial immunization conferred a mild protection (median: 60%). CONCLUSIONS: These results are consistent with a previous report about the effectiveness of this whole cell vaccine using the screening method in a hospital network survey in France. In the same way, a large efficacy trial in Senegal comparing it with an acellular bivalent vaccine estimated its efficacy at 96%. This high efficacy together with a satisfactory vaccine coverage leads to the current epidemiological profile of pertussis in childhood in France: majority of cases occurring before 6 months of age, limited outbreaks in school children, many of whom being unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.

[Inactivated vaccines: characteristics and principles of use]. / Les vaccins inactivés: caractéristiques et principes d'utilisation.

Inactivated vaccines are non infectious, which makes them remarkably innocuous, but implies to repeat their injections, with variable periodicity according to each vaccine, in order to maintain protective immunity. Inactivated vaccines include either complete microbial agents or purified antigenic fractions. The potency of inactivated vaccines is usually reinforced by adjuvants. Although inactivated vaccines induce a strong individual protective immunity, their use requires a high vaccine coverage among the target population in order to obtain a good herd immunity necessary to reach ambitious public health objectives such as elimination or eradication of infectious diseases.

[Transmission of hepatitis C viruses: certainties and hypotheses]. / Transmission du virus de l'hépatite C: certitudes et hypothèses.

Since the identification of the hepatitis C virus in 1989, much progress has been made in understanding viral transmission. It is now known that the major route of contamination occurs via parenteral transmission (blood transfusion, injections, intravenous drug abuse, haemodialysis...). We are however less certain about sexual, mother-child, and person to person transmission. Several cofactors have been suggested as influencing transmission including the stage of the disease, coinfection with the human immunodeficiency virus, level of the viral load, and type of virus. There are also still some questions as to the level of the residual post transfusion HCV infection risk since the implementation of HCV screening of blood donors. Based on scientific data currently available, parenteral transmission can be prevented, but it is still difficult to elaborate clearcut recommendations to reduce non-parenteral transmission, especially in couples with an infected partner. Emphasis must be placed on reducing the transmission of hepatitis C virus (and the human immunodeficiency virus) in drug abusers and on controlling nosocomial transmission through the strict implementation of universal precautions.

[Rubella vaccine coverage and seroprotection in 11-year-old children in the Indre-et-Loire department]. / Couverture vaccinale et séroprotection vis-à-vis de la rubéole chez les enfants de 11 ans dans le département de l'Indre-et-Loire.

To determine the current rates of vaccination and seroprotection against rubella of French preadolescents, a survey was conducted among children in their first year of junior schools of the department of Indre-et-Loire (prefecture: Tours). The rate of vaccination against rubella during infancy or childhood was 58.8% for the girls and 9.4% for the boys, as compared with 99.5% for both sexes for the vaccination against diphteria, tetanus and poliomyelitis. An effective seroprotection against rubella was found more frequently in girls than in boys (90.4% vs 78%), and was also more frequent among vaccinated than non vaccinated preadolescents (98% vs 77%). From these data the authors recommend that a stronger policy of vaccination against rubella should be be adopted, ie. order to obtain the eradication of rubella in France.