Life-history evolution and the polyphenic regulation of somatic maintenance and survival.

Here we discuss life-history evolution from the perspective of adaptive phenotypic plasticity, with a focus on polyphenisms for somatic maintenance and survival. Polyphenisms are adaptive discrete alternative phenotypes that develop in response to changes in the environment. We suggest that dauer larval diapause and its associated adult phenotypes in the nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans), reproductive dormancy in the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and other insects, and the worker castes of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) are examples of what may be viewed as the polyphenic regulation of somatic maintenance and survival. In these and other cases, the same genotype can--depending upon its environment--express either of two alternative sets of life-history phenotypes that differ markedly with respect to somatic maintenance, survival ability, and thus life span. This plastic modulation of somatic maintenance and survival has traditionally been underappreciated by researchers working on aging and life history. We review the current evidence for such adaptive life-history switches and their molecular regulation and suggest that they are caused by temporally and/or spatially varying, stressful environments that impose diversifying selection, thereby favoring the evolution of plasticity of somatic maintenance and survival under strong regulatory control. By considering somatic maintenance and survivorship from the perspective of adaptive life-history switches, we may gain novel insights into the mechanisms and evolution of aging.

High amplitude contractions in the middle third of the esophagus: a manometric marker of chronic alcoholism?

BACKGROUND--Oesophageal motor abnormalities have been reported in alcoholism. AIM--To investigate the effects of chronic alcoholism and its withdrawal on oesophageal disease. PATIENTS--23 chronic alcoholic patients (20 men and three women; mean age 43, range 23 to 54). METHODS--Endoscopy, manometry, and 24 hour pH monitoring 7-10 days and six months after ethanol withdrawal. Tests for autonomic and peripheral neuropathy were also performed. Motility and pH tracings were compared with those of age and sex matched control groups: healthy volunteers, nutcracker oesophagus, and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. RESULTS--14 (61%) alcoholic patients had reflux symptoms, and endoscopy with biopsy showed oesophageal inflammation in 10 patients. One patient had an asymptomatic squamous cell carcinoma. Oesophageal motility studies in the alcoholic patients showed that peristaltic amplitude in the middle third was > 150 mm Hg (95th percentile (P95) of healthy controls) in 13 (57%), the ratio lower/ middle amplitude was < 0.9 in 15 (65%) (> 0.9 in all control groups), and the lower oesophageal sphincter was hypertensive (> 23.4 mm Hg, P95 of healthy controls) in 13 (57%). All three abnormalities were present in five (22%). Abnormal reflux (per cent reflux time > 2.9, P95 of healthy controls) was shown in 12 (52%) alcoholic patients, and was unrelated to peristaltic dysfunction. Subclinical neuropathy in 10 patients did not effect oesophageal abnormalities. Oesophageal motility abnormalities persisted at six months in six patients with ongoing alcoholism, whereas they reverted towards normal in 13 who remained abstinent; reflux, however, was unaffected. CONCLUSIONS--Oesophageal peristaltic dysfunction and reflux are frequent in alcoholism. High amplitude contractions in the middle third of the oesophagus seem to be a marker of excessive alcohol consumption, and tend to improve with abstinence.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of a European primary-care physician training in smoking cessation counseling.

BACKGROUND: Physician training in smoking cessation counseling has been shown to be effective as a means to increase quit success. We assessed the cost-effectiveness ratio of a smoking cessation counseling training programme. Its effectiveness was previously demonstrated in a cluster randomized, control trial performed in two Swiss university outpatients clinics, in which residents were randomized to receive training in smoking interventions or a control educational intervention. DESIGN AND METHODS: We used a Markov simulation model for effectiveness analysis. This model incorporates the intervention efficacy, the natural quit rate, and the lifetime probability of relapse after 1-year abstinence. We used previously published results in addition to hospital service and outpatient clinic cost data. The time horizon was 1 year, and we opted for a third-party payer perspective. RESULTS: The incremental cost of the intervention amounted to US$2.58 per consultation by a smoker, translating into a cost per life-year saved of US$25.4 for men and 35.2 for women. One-way sensitivity analyses yielded a range of US$4.0-107.1 in men and US$9.7-148.6 in women. Variations in the quit rate of the control intervention, the length of training effectiveness, and the discount rate yielded moderately large effects on the outcome. Variations in the natural cessation rate, the lifetime probability of relapse, the cost of physician training, the counseling time, the cost per hour of physician time, and the cost of the booklets had little effect on the cost-effectiveness ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Training residents in smoking cessation counseling is a very cost-effective intervention and may be more efficient than currently accepted tobacco control interventions.

Neuropathie optique lors d'un traitement par disulfirame [Optic neuropathy while taking disulfiram]

INTRODUCTION: Disulfiram has been used since the late 1940s to treat chronic alcoholism. This drug interferes with alcohol metabolism resulting in an acetaldehyde increase. This causes painful symptoms, encouraging abstinence. Side effects include rare cases of bilateral optic neuropathies. Visual recovery occurs frequently upon cessation of therapy. METHOD AND OBSERVATION: We retrospectively studied patients referred for visual loss while treated with disulfiram between 1987 and 2005. Fourteen patients (three females, 11 males; aged 35-62 years) complained of visual loss, but a toxic, disulfiram-related, optic neuropathy was diagnosed in only five patients. Following cessation of disulfiram therapy, visual acuity and field improved in all five patients. DISCUSSION: and conclusion: When disulfiram toxicity is suspected with optic neuropathy, cessation of treatment is mandatory. Visual prognosis is good in the majority of cases, as illustrated by our series. Disulfiram toxicity can be diagnosed only after excluding all other possible causes of visual loss.

Le sens des messages préventifs du sida: consensus et dissensions au sien de la population générale

La recherche « Le sens des messages préventifs du sida » a été dirigée par une équipe de spécialistes relevant de domaines distincts - linguistique (Pr Pascal Singy), santé publique (Dre Brenda Spencer), médecine psychosociale (Pr Patrice Guex). Partant du constat que les langues naturelles n'existent que sous la forme de variétés, il a été postulé que le registre lexical du VIH/sida et de sa prévention n'échappe pas au principe de variabilité sémantique qui veut que, séparés par la multiplicité de leurs identités (sexe, appartenance socioculturelle, âge, etc.), les membres d'une « même » communauté linguistique tendent à associer à une unité lexicale donnée des significations différentes, voire antagonistes. Menée entre 2004 et 2006 en Suisse romande, la recherche « Le sens des messages préventifs du sida » s'appuie sur une approche sémantique de la prévention. Elle interroge les limites d'une communication préventive différée - par voie d'affiches et de brochures, en particulier - qui suppose que le destinataire ou récepteur d'un message en prend connaissance en l'absence de celui qui l'a émis. Les différents mécanismes conversationnels d'ajustement faisant à l'évidence défaut dans ce type de situation de communication, la variabilité sémantique peut dès lors apparaître problématique. S'agissant de l'objectif de cette recherche, il a essentiellement tenu dans la mise en évidence du degré de consensus que montrent les récepteurs (la population générale) ainsi que les émetteurs des messages préventifs à propos des significations attachées à des unités constitutives du lexique du VIH/sida et de sa prévention. Cette mise en évidence a par ailleurs permis d'évaluer la convergence des résultats obtenus pour les premiers et pour les seconds. Du point de vue méthodologique, un corpus de documents préventifs a été constitué - des brochures, principalement, publiées en français entre 1996 et 2004 - et analysé. Soixante et une unités lexicales, relevant du français commun ou spécialisé, ont alors été sélectionnées. L'ensemble de ces unités a été soumis à soixante représentants de la population générale vaudoise ainsi qu'à trente professionnels vaudois de la prévention dans le cadre d'entretiens en face à face. Ces entretiens ont permis de dégager les significations que ces deux populations attachent à une partie des unités lexicales (N=21) et le niveau d'intelligibilité/utilisation de l' autre partie des unités (N=40) - cf. infra *. Sur la base des résultats obtenus pour la population générale vaudoise, quinze unités lexicales apparues particulièrement problématiques ont été sélectionnées et soumises par le moyen d'une enquête téléphonique (CATI) à cinq cents Romands. Mêlant techniques qualitatives et quantitatives, la recherche « Le sens des messages préventifs du sida » apporte des résultats intéressant non plus seulement les agents de la prévention du VIH/sida, mais également les patients de celle-ci, c'est-à-dire la population générale. Des résultats qui se trouvent susceptibles de renforcer la portée de la prévention du VIH/sida en particulier dans la partie francophone de la Suisse. *Les unités lexicales sélectionnées sont les suivantes : abstinence, anus, caresses, coït anal, contact sexuel, contamination par voie sexuelle, coucher avec, cunnilingus, dépistage, « évitez le contact de la bouche avec du sperme ou du sang », faire l'amour, fellation, fidèle, gai, gay, immunisé, infection sexuellement transmissible, IST, liquides biologiques, maladies vénériennes, menstruation, MST, muqueuses, muqueuse buccale, muqueuses génitales, « pas de sperme dans la bouche », pathogène, pénétration, plaie ouverte, préservatif, préservatif féminin, prophylaxie de post-exposition [PEP], rapport bucco-génital, rapport sexuel, rapports sexuels non protégés, rapports sexuels oraux, rectum, relation anale, relation stable, relation vaginale, safer sex, sécrétions sexuelles, sécrétions vaginales, séronégatif, séropositif, sexe à moindre risque, sexe anal, sida, sperme, surcontamination, symptôme, système immunitaire, test d'anticorps VIH, test VIH, traitements antirétroviraux combinés, traitement combiné, trithérapies, urètre, vaginal, VIH, virus IH.

Rearing the southern green stink bug using an artificial dry diet and an artificial plant

Laboratory and greenhouse studies were conducted with an artificial dry diet to rear nymphs, and with an artificial plant as substrate for egg laying by the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.). The artificial diet was composed of: soybean protein (15 g); potato starch (7.5 g); dextrose (7.5 g); sucrose (2.5 g); cellulose (12.5 g); vitamin mixture (niacinamide 1 g, calcium pantothenate 1 g, thiamine 0.25 g, riboflavin 0.5 g, pyridoxine 0.25 g, folic acid 0.25 g, biotin 0.02 mL, vitamin B12 1 g - added to 1,000 mL of distilled water) (5.0 mL); soybean oil (20 mL); wheat germ (17.9 g); and water (30 mL). Nymphs showed normal feeding behavior when fed on the artificial diet. Nymphal development time was longer than or similar to that of nymphs fed on soybean pods. Total nymphal mortality was low (ca. 30%), both for nymphs reared on the artificial diet, and for nymphs fed on soybean pods. At adult emergence, fresh body weights were significantly (P<0.01) less on the artificial diet than on soybean pods. Despite the lower adult survivorship and fecundity on artificial plants than on soybean plants, it was demonstrated for the first time that a model simulating a natural plant, can be used as a substrate for egg mass laying, in conjunction with the artificial diet.

L'éthylglucuronide: un marquer de la consommation d'alcool [Ethyl glucuronide: a biomarker of alcohol consumption]

Excessive alcohol consumption represents a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality. It is therefore indispensable to be able to detect at-risk drinking. Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) is a specific marker of alcohol consumption. The determination of ethyl glucuronide in urine or blood can be used to prove recent driving under the influence of alcohol, even if ethanol is no longer detectable. The commercialization of an EtG specific immunological assay now allows to obtain preliminary results rapidly and easily with satisfying sensitivity. Moreover, the detection of ethyl glucuronide in hair offers the opportunity to evaluate an alcohol consumption over a long period. The EtG concentration in hair is in correlation with the amount of ingested alcohol. Thus, the analysis of ethyl glucuronide can be used to monitor abstinence, to detect alcohol relapse and to identify at-risk drinkers. However, a cut off allowing to detect chronic alcohol abuser reliably still does not exist. Therefore, it is recommended to perform the analysis of ethyl glucuronide in complement to the existing blood markers. A study financed by the Swiss Foundation for Alcohol Research is actually conducted by the West Switzerland University Center of Legal Medicine in order to establish an objective cut-off.

Success of referral for alcohol dependent patients from a general hospital : predictive value of patient and process characteristics

RESUME: Introduction L'objectif de cette étude prospective de cohorte était d'estimer l'efficacité d'un processus de prise en charge standardisé de patients dépendants de l'alcool dans le contexte d'un hôpital universitaire de soins généraux. Ce modèle de prise en charge comprenait une évaluation multidisciplinaire puis des propositions de traitements individualisées et spécifiques (« projet thérapeutique »). Patients et méthode 165 patients alcoolo-dépendants furent recrutés dans différents services de l'hôpital universitaire, y compris la policlinique de médecine. Ils furent dans un premier temps évalués par une équipe multidisciplinaire (médecin interniste, psychiatre, assistant social), puis un projet thérapeutique spécialisé et individualisé leur fut proposé lors d'une rencontre réunissant le patient et l'équipe. Tous les patients éligibles acceptant de participer à l'étude (n=68) furent interrogés au moment de l'inclusion puis 2 et 6 mois plus tard par une psychologue. Des informations standardisées furent recueillies sur les caractéristiques des patients, le processus de prise en charge et l'évolution à 6 mois. Les critères de succès utilisés à 6 mois furent: l'adhérence au traitement proposé et l'abstinence d'alcool. Résultats Lors de l'évaluation à 6 mois, 43% des patients étaient toujours en traitement et 28% étaient abstinents. Les variables prédictrices de succès parmi les caractéristiques des patients étaient un âge de plus de 45 ans, ne pas vivre seul, avoir un travail et être motivé pour un traitement (RAATE-A <18). Pour les variables dépendantes du processus de prise en charge, un sevrage complet de l'alcool lors de la rencontre multidisciplinaire ainsi que la présence de tous les membres de l'équipe à cette réunion étaient des facteurs associés au succès. Conclusion L'efficacité de ce modèle d'intervention pour patients dépendants de l'alcool en hôpital de soins généraux s'est montrée satisfaisante, en particulier pour le critère de succès adhérence au traitement. Des variables associées au succès ou à l'échec à 6 mois ont pu être mises en évidence, permettant d'identifier des populations de patients évoluant différemment. Des stratégies de prise en charge tenant compte de ces éléments pourraient donc être développées, permettant de proposer des traitements plus adaptés ainsi qu'une meilleure rétention des patients alcooliques dans les programmes thérapeutiques. ABSTRACT. To assess the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary evaluation and referral process in a prospective cohort of general hospital patients with alcohol dependence, alcohol-dependent patients were identified in the wards of the general hospital and its primary care center. They were evaluated and then referred to treatment by a multidisciplinary team; those patients who accepted to participate in this cohort study were consecutively included and followed for 6 months. Not included patients were lost for follow-up, whereas all included patients were assessed at time of inclusion, 2 and 6 months later by a research psychologist in order to collect standardized baseline patients' characteristics, process salient features and patients outcomes (defined as treatment adherence and abstinence). Multidisciplinary evaluation and therapeutic referral was feasible and effective, with a success rate of 43% for treatment adherence and 28% for abstinence at 6 months. Among patients' characteristics, predictors of success were an age over 45, not living alone, being employed and being motivated to treatment (RAATE-A score < 18), whereas successful process characteristics included detoxification of the patient at time of referral and a full multidisciplinary referral meeting. This multidisciplinary model of evaluation and referral of alcohol dependent patients of a general hospital had a satisfactory level of effectiveness. Predictors of success and failure allow the identification of subsets of patients for whom new strategies of motivation and treatment referral should be designed.

Euschistus heros mass rearing technique for the multiplication of Telenomus podisi

The objective of this work was to improve the mass rearing technique of Euschistus heros in laboratory. Nymphs and adults were reared at densities 100, 200, 300 and 400 eggs per Petri dish (9 cm diameter), and at 50, 100, 150 and 200 couples per rearing cages (900 mL), respectively. Survival rate of immature stages and survivorship and reproduction of adults were determinated. Survivorship of nymph to adult was the highest (89%) at density 100 eggs per dish. Adult survivorship was independent of density, and 100 couples per cage were the best to improve quality of the produced progeny. In these conditions, fecundity was 160.8±9.28 eggs per female, and a total of 8,950±456 eggs per cage per month was produced. Two hundred couples per cage showed a negative effect on reproduction, which decreased to 65%. With this technique, a colony of 35 cages with 100 couples per cage yields about 313.3 thousands eggs per month, which is enough to supply the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi to colonize about 35 ha of soybean field.

Evolution of specialization: a phylogenetic study of host range in the red milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetraophthalmus).

Specialization is common in most lineages of insect herbivores, one of the most diverse groups of organisms on earth. To address how and why specialization is maintained over evolutionary time, we hypothesized that plant defense and other ecological attributes of potential host plants would predict the performance of a specialist root-feeding herbivore (the red milkweed beetle, Tetraopes tetraophthalmus). Using a comparative phylogenetic and functional trait approach, we assessed the determinants of insect host range across 18 species of Asclepias. Larval survivorship decreased with increasing phylogenetic distance from the true host, Asclepias syriaca, suggesting that adaptation to plant traits drives specialization. Among several root traits measured, only cardenolides (toxic defense chemicals) correlated with larval survival, and cardenolides also explained the phylogenetic distance effect in phylogenetically controlled multiple regression analyses. Additionally, milkweed species having a known association with other Tetraopes beetles were better hosts than species lacking Tetraopes herbivores, and milkweeds with specific leaf area values (a trait related to leaf function and habitat affiliation) similar to those of A. syriaca were better hosts than species having divergent values. We thus conclude that phylogenetic distance is an integrated measure of phenotypic and ecological attributes of Asclepias species, especially defensive cardenolides, which can be used to explain specialization and constraints on host shifts over evolutionary time.

Egg parasitoid wasps as natural enemies of the neotropical stink bug Dichelops melacanthus

The objective of this work was to determine the potential of five species of Scelionidae wasps - Telenomus podisi, Trissolcus basalis, Trissolcus urichi, Trissolcus teretis and Trissolcus brochymenae - as natural enemies of the neotropical stink bug Dichelops melacanthus, and to determine if the presence of eggs of other stink bug species influences the parasitism and development of the parasitoids. Two kinds of experiments were done in laboratory: without choice of hosts (eggs of D. melacanthus) and with choice (eggs of D. melacanthus and of Euschistus heros). Biological parameters, including proportion of parasitism, immature survivorship, progeny sex ratio, immature stage development period, and host preference were recorded. All the evaluated parasitoids can parasitize and develop on D. melacanthus eggs. The first choice of eggs did not influence the proportion of D. melacanthus eggs parasitized by Tr. basalis, Tr. teretis or Tr. brochymenae. However, D. melacanthus eggs as the first choice of Te. podisi and Tr. urichi increased, respectively, 9 and 14 times the chance for parasitism on eggs of this species. Behavioral and ecological aspects of parasitoids should be considered prior to their use in biological control programs.

Latin 12229

Contient : Extraits de S. Augustin, S. Ambroise, S. Jérôme, Cassien et S. Basile ; Traité de S. Anselme sur la béatitude éternelle, précédé d'une lettre d'Eadmer ; Lettres sur l'abstinence adressées aux moines de Préaux

Involuntary treatment of alcohol-dependent patients: a study of 17 consecutive cases of civil commitment.

AIM: To investigate the baseline and follow-up characteristics of a group of alcohol-dependent patients being treated under civil commitment. METHODS: This study involved a cross-sectional comparative analysis of baseline characteristics and a follow-up survey of a group of committed alcoholic patients. The study was undertaken in the Alcohol Unit of a 1,000-bed general and university hospital. The study included 17 consecutive cases of civil commitment (representing 15 patients, of whom 2 were committed twice) and a comparative group of 34 randomly selected age- and sex-matched patients. Baseline characteristics of the cases (at the time of commitment) and of patients from the comparative group were collected from medical records, including sociodemographic data, medical condition, patterns of drinking and number and dates of previous treatments for alcohol-related problems. A structured follow-up interview of the cases provided information on their medical condition, social status, patterns of alcohol use, type and duration of residential treatment as well as their perceptions of commitment. RESULTS: During a 4-year period, our Unit referred 23 cases of alcohol-dependent patients (out of 367) to the Guardianship Authority, requesting civil commitment. On 17 occasions, patients were committed to residential treatment, including 2 patients who underwent commitment on two separate occasions, thus representing a total of 15 different patients. In comparison with age- and sex-matched patients seen at the Unit, the cases were characterized by multiple medical, social and psychological alcohol-related impairments. At the time of follow-up, 14 out of 15 patients were alive, among whom 10 agreed to be interviewed. Eight of these reported complete abstinence, whereas 9 considered their alcohol problem as less severe than before. The average duration of commitment was 29 weeks. The majority of patients retrospectively considered the measure as having been justified and useful. The patients' satisfaction with the decision to commit was higher among women than among men. Health-related quality of life at the time of follow-up, as assessed by the MOS 36-Item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire, was good on average and better than that usually reported by other cohorts of alcoholics undergoing treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The usefulness of residential civil commitment of certain severely impaired alcohol-dependent patients is underscored. This study suggests that civil commitment not only may save the lives of endangered patients but could also be a health-promoting measure that may sometimes allow for recovery from dependence. Unexpectedly, this measure was retrospectively well accepted by many patients, who considered the commitment decision as having been justified and useful.

Ultra-rapid opiate detoxification using deep sedation and prior oral buprenorphine preparation: long-term results.

BACKGROUND: New methods of ultra-rapid opiate detoxification (URD) under intravenous sedation have been criticized because of limited data on safety and long-term follow-up. Premedication with buprenorphine has been advocated to improve safety by decreasing vomiting. Prior research has not explored URD in socially impaired patients. METHOD: Sixteen patients were detoxified with URD and prospectively evaluated over at least 30 months. Data of this procedure were compared with those of our previous study without buprenorphine preparation (Drug Alcohol Depend. 52(3) (1998) 243). The 16 patients were followed up by a general practitioner (GP) before and after URD. The GPs also supervised the 7-day course of buprenorphine treatment prescribed for the 16 patients prior to URD. RESULTS: During the procedure, only one episode of vomiting occurred instead of 13 out of 20 in our previous study. Post-procedure, only two patients experienced moderate withdrawal symptoms, such as persistent nausea, abdominal cramps and vomiting lasting from 24 to 48 h, in comparison with most patients in the previous study without buprenorphine. After a period of at least 30 months (36.0+/-6.38), the 16 patients were still alive and were regularly monitored by their GP. Only two of the 16 never relapsed after URD and reported total opiate abstinence. Fourteen patients relapsed; 12 of these were prescribed a licensed methadone substitution program and two were still using heroin. CONCLUSION: In this small sample, the data indicated that URD with buprenorphine preparation was safe and that it markedly decreased post-procedure morbidity. No patient died over a minimum 30-month follow-up period. Furthermore, the procedure was employed with socially impaired patients. In the long term, a few patients were still free of opiates, while the majority opted for a methadone maintenance program, showing that URD can serve as one possible step in a long-term treatment program.

The Persistence of Finnish Equity Fund Performance

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvittää, esiintyykö suomeen sijoittavilla osakerahastoilla menestyksen pysyvyyttä. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu kaikista suomalaisista osakerahastoista, jotka toimivat ajanjaksolla 15.1.1998-13.1.2005. Aineisto on vapaa selviytymisvinoumasta. Suorituskyvyn mittareina käytetään CAPM-alfaa sekä kolmi- ja nelifaktori-alfaa. Empiirisessä osassa osakerahastojen menestyksen pysyvyyttä testataan Spearmanin järjestyskorrelaatiotestillä. Evidenssi menestyksen pysyvyydestä jäi vähäiseksi, vaikkakin sitä esiintyi satunnaisesti kaikilla menestysmittareilla joillakin ranking- ja sijoitusperiodin yhdistelmillä. CAPM-alfalla tarkasteltuna tilastollisesti merkitsevää menestyksen pysyvyyttä esiintyi selvästi useammin kuin muilla menestysmittareilla. Tulokset tukevat viimeaikaisia kansainvälisiä tutkimuksia, joiden mukaan menestyksen pysyvyys riippuu usein mittaustavasta. Menestysmittareina käytettyjen regressiomallien merkitsevyystestit osoittavat multifaktorimallien selittävän osakerahastojen tuottoja CAPM:a paremmin. Lisätyt muuttujat parantavat merkittävästi CAPM:n selitysvoimaa.