[An innovative position during skin-to-skin contact in neonatology]. / Une installation innovante lors du peau à peau en néonatologie.

Skin-to-skin is, by its very nature, the only relational care entirely devoted to the parent-baby relationship, from the infant's time in neonatal intensive care. However, current practice is unsuited to visual and tactile exchange. A simple change to the baby's positioning helps to improve the quality of the immediate interaction between the infant and the mother, benefiting the development of the baby and parenthood.

Measuring plasma conductivity to detect sodium load in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Sodium thiosulfate therapy has been proposed for calcific uremic arteriolopathy and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis in hemodialysis patients. The treatment brings 3.7 g (161 mmol) of sodium. How to counterbalance this sodium load was studied. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Plasma conductivity (Cp) and mass balance index were compared for 20 sessions without thiosulfate and 20 sessions with thiosulfate infusion. Subsequently, the dialysate conductivity was set to 13.8 mS/cm during the entire session. Next, dialysate conductivity was set to 14 mS/cm for the first 3 h and to 13 mS/cm for the last hour of thiosulfate infusion (n = 25). RESULTS: The Cp variation between beginning and end was equal to +0.005 +/- 0.13 mS/cm without thiosulfate, +0.24 +/- 0.13 mS/cm with thiosulfate, and 14 mS/cm dialysate conductivity (P < 0.001). The decrease in dialysate conductivity at 13.8 mS/cm did not counterbalance the sodium load. The last program adequately compensated the sodium load with a Cp increase of only +0.05 +/- 0.14 mS/cm (NS versus without thiosulfate). The total of the dialyzed sodium and the sodium load for this last program was equal to 603 mmol compared with 456 mmol for the sessions without thiosulfate, the difference of 147 mmol being close to the known content of 161 mmol in 25 g of infused thiosulfate. CONCLUSIONS: Thiosulfate infusion requires a decrease of dialysate conductivity of -1 mS/cm during the infusion to counterbalance the added 3.7 g (161 mmol) sodium load.

Anatomical and molecular reinvestigation of lamprey endostyle development provides new insight into thyroid gland evolution.

The thyroid gland of vertebrates is considered to be homologous to the endostyle of non-vertebrate chordates (cephalochordates, urochordates), a key character for understanding the origin and evolution of the chordate body plan. In lampreys, the larval endostyle transforms into an adult thyroid gland during metamorphosis, reflecting evolutionary changes that occurred in the vertebrate lineage. Focussing on thyroid-like cells in the endostyle, we here relate morphologically visible steps of lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis) endostyle differentiation to embryonic stages and determine the onset of thyroid-like function. Analysing lamprey endostyle development using semi-thin histological sections, immunohistochemical detection of thyroid hormone, and the molecular marker thyroid transcription factor1 (Ttf1) refines our current view of the homology between endostyle and thyroid gland. In contrast to earlier literature, we find that a duct always persists to connect the endostyle lumen to the pharynx, a structure that resembles the thyroglossal duct in thyroid development and could further support the homology between endostyle and thyroid. Before the onset of thyroid-like function, Ttf1 expression becomes restricted to the ventral part of the endostyle, on the one hand showing that dorsal thyroid-like cells produce thyroid hormone in the absence of Ttf1, and on the other suggesting that Ttf1 was initially involved in specifying ventral fates in the endostyle.

Relationship between soup consumption, folate, beta-carotene, and vitamin C status in a French adult population.

The relationship between soup consumption and folic acid, beta-carotene, and vitamin E and C status was assessed in adults who regularly consumed soup compared to those who did not or who were occasional eaters. Data were obtained for 2114 men and 2874 women living in France and participating in the SU.VI.MAX cohort, who reported twelve 24-hour dietary records during a two-year follow-up period. Six-point-seven percent of women and 8.7% of men were heavy consumers of soup (i.e., they consumed soup from 9-12 days out of 12 days). Respectively, 46 and 42.5% were regular soup consumers (3-8 days out of 12), and 47.3 and 48.8% were occasional or non-soup consumers (0-2 days or less out of 12). Total energy intake did not differ between soup consumers and non-consumers. In both genders, heavy consumers of soups had significantly higher intakes of carbohydrates and lower lipid intakes. Heavy consumers of soup had higher dietary intakes of folates, beta-carotene, vitamin C and, in men, of vitamin E. In heavy consumers, soups contributed 12.5% of total dietary intake of beta-carotene in men and 13% in women. For vitamin C, vitamin E, and folates, soups contributed to 4-5% of total vitamin intake. In heavy soup consumers, mean serum vitamin C levels were higher, but not significantly, than in occasional or non-soup consumers. This trend was also observed for red blood cell folate in women only. The present data suggest that consumption of soup may be beneficial in promotional programs to increase vegetable consumption, and may contribute to a balanced diet and a healthy nutritional status, and especially vitamin status, in the overall population.