Prophylaxis with resin in wood ants

Animals may use plant compounds to defend themselves against parasites. Wood ants, Formica paralugubris, incorporate pieces of solidified conifer resin into their nests. This behaviour inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi in nest material and protects the ants against some detrimental microorganisms. Here, we studied the resin-collecting behaviour of ants under field and laboratory conditions. First, we focused on an important assumption of the self-medication hypothesis, which is that the animals deliberately choose the active plant material. In field cafeteria tests, the ants indeed showed a strong preference for resin over twigs and stones, which are building materials commonly encountered in their environment. We detected seasonal variation in the choice of ants: the preference for resin over twigs was more pronounced in spring than in summer, whereas in autumn the ants collected twigs and resin at equal rates. Second, we found almost similar seasonal patterns when comparing the collecting rates of pieces of wood that had been impregnated with turpentine (a distillate of oleoresin) and untreated pieces of wood, which reveals that the preference for resin is based on odour cues. Third, we tested whether the collection of resin is prophylactic or therapeutic. We found that the relative collection rate of resin versus stones did not depend on an experimental infection with the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae in laboratory colonies. Together, these results show that the ants deliberately choose the resin and suggest that resin collection is prophylactic rather than therapeutic.

Insuffisance rénale terminale d'origine lithiasique : fréquence, causes et prévention [Nephrolithiasis-induced ESRD: frequency, causes and prevention].

Nephrolithiasis still remains a too frequent - and under-appreciated - cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and this is all the most unfortunate since such an untoward course is now preventable in most cases. Among 1391 patients who started maintenance dialysis at Necker hospital between 1989 and 2000, nephrolithiasis was identified as the cause of ESRD in 45 of them, an overall prevalence of 3.2%. Infection stones accounted for 42.2% of cases, calcium stones for 26.7%, uric acid stones for 17.8% and hereditary diseases for 13.3%. The proportion of nephrolithiasis-associated ESRD declined from 4.7% to 2.2% from the 1989-1991 to the 1998-2000 period, as a result of the decreased incidence of ESRD in patients with infection and calcium nephrolithiasis. Based on our observations and on published reports, it emerges that most cases of nephrolithiasis-associated ESRD were due to sub-optimal management (especially in the case of infection or cystine stones) or to late (or erroneous) etiologic diagnosis, precluding early institution of appropriate therapeutic measures. In particular, several patients with primary hyperoxaluria or 2,8-dihydroxyadeninuria were diagnosed while already on dialysis or after unsuccessful kidney transplantation, due to wrong initial diagnosis. In conclusion, thanks to recent advances in diagnosis and management of stone formers, ESRD should now be prevented in the great majority of patients, at the condition of early etiologic diagnosis based on accurate morphoconstitutional analysis of calculi and metabolic evaluation, and early implementation of appropriate preventive medical treatment.

Lithiase cystinique [Cysteine lithiasis].

Cystinuria is a common inherited amino-aciduria resulting in abnormal urinary excretion of cystine and the dibasic aminoacids, lysine, arginine and ornithine. Formation of cystine kidney stones, recurrent infections and subsequent renal failure are the main complications of the disease. Recently, the gene SLC3A1 and SLC7A9, encoding the two subunits rBAT et b0,+AT of the proximal renal transporter complex, have been identified. In this article, we report the medical history of a 30-year-old patient and discuss the recent molecular progress, the clinical evolution, and the medical treatment of the cystinuria.

Azithromycin versus Sulfadiazine and Pyrimethamine for non-vision-threatening toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this pilot study is to compare the efficacy and tolerance of azithromycin alone as opposed to standard treatment with sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine for active, non-vision-threatening toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis. MATERIAL/METHODS: We conducted a prospective, randomized, institutional clinical study comparing azithromycin to sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine for active, non-vision-threatening toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis. Nineteen out of 75 patients fulfilled inclusion criteria and were randomized into 2 treatment regimens. Nine patients were treated with sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine and 10 patients with azithromycin at a dose of 500 mg qd. Main outcome measures assessed were time to sharpening of lesion borders, time to lesion scarring, time to disease inactivity, and treatment tolerance. RESULTS: Azithromycin monotherapy achieved lesion scarring and disease inactivity in all but 1 patient. Although no statistically significant difference was found between the 2 patient groups as regards main outcome measures for treatment efficacy, all median times to endpoints (days) were longer for the azithromycin group - time to sharpening of lesion borders on clinical evaluation (25.5 vs. 24) and masked evaluation of photographs (30.5 vs. 24), time to lesion scarring on clinical evaluation (73 vs. 47) and masked evaluation of photographs (71.5 vs. 36) and time to disease inactivity (73 vs. 49). Treatment tolerance was significantly better for the azithromycin group (p=0.0005). ConcluSIONS: Azithromycin monotherapy at a dose of 500 mg per day was shown to be effective and well-tolerated for the treatment of active, non-vision-threatening toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis. Duration of treatment was clinically longer for the azithromycin group.

Evaluación poblacional de Chondracanthus chamissoi (C. Agardh 1820) en las bahías de Pisco y Paracas, Otoño 2010.

Entre mayo y junio 2010, se desarrolló la evaluación poblacional de la macroalga Chondracanthus chamissoi “yuyo” de las praderas en las bahías de Pisco y Paracas. Las biomasas medias fluctuaron entre 2,2 y 67,0 g.m-2, con promedio de 43,6 g.m-2. Se estimó una biomasa total de 211,96 toneladas (±56,8%); de los cuales 179,74 t correspondieron a Atenas; 30,1 t a Puerto Nuevo y 2,1 t a Playa Lobería. El sustrato de fijación estuvo compuesto, principalmente, por piedras, conchuela y arena media. En las praderas de Atenas ocupó la mayor parte del área evaluada, en las praderas de Puerto Nuevo y Playa Lobería se encontraron reducidas, respecto al 2007. Se encontró ejemplares entre 1 y 25 cm de longitud. El peso total individual varió de 0,1 a 94,6 g. Se registró biodiversidad asociada conformada por moluscos. Las condiciones oceanográficas se registraron normales, lo que permite suponer que la disminución poblacional respondería a las actividades de extracción.

PTH and 1.25 vitamin D response to a low-calcium diet is associated with bone mineral density in renal stone formers.

BACKGROUND: Renal calcium stones and hypercalciuria are associated with a reduced bone mineral density (BMD). Therefore, the effect of changes in calcium homeostasis is of interest for both stones and bones. We hypothesized that the response of calciuria, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and 1.25 vitamin D to changes in dietary calcium might be related to BMD. METHODS: A single-centre prospective interventional study of 94 hyper- and non-hypercalciuric calcium stone formers consecutively retrieved from our stone clinic. The patients were investigated on a free-choice diet, a low-calcium diet, while fasting and after an oral calcium load. Patient groups were defined according to lumbar BMD (z-score) obtained by dual X-ray absorptiometry (group 1: z-score <-0.5, n = 30; group 2: z-score -0.5-0.5, n = 36; group 3: z-score >0.5, n = 28). The effect of the dietary interventions on calciuria, 1.25 vitamin D and PTH in relation to BMD was measured. RESULTS: An inverse relationship between BMD and calciuria was observed on all four calcium intakes (P = 0.009). On a free-choice diet, 1.25 vitamin D and PTH levels were identical in the three patient groups. However, the relative responses of 1.25 vitamin D and PTH to the low-calcium diet were opposite in the three groups with the highest increase of 1.25 vitamin D in group 1 and the lowest in group 3, whereas PTH increase was most pronounced in group 3 and least in group 1. CONCLUSION: Calcium stone formers with a low lumbar BMD exhibit a blunted response of PTH release and an apparently overshooting production of 1.25 vitamin D following a low-calcium diet.

Lithiases d'infection [Infective lithiasis].

We report the case of a 69-year-old woman, with a BMI of 42.9, suffering from bilateral struvite calculi and who raised end stage renal failure. Urease-synthesizing bacteria, leading to the hydrolysis of urea into ammonium and to an alkaline urine (pH > 7.2), are required for struvite stone formation in humans. Struvite component constitutes the majority of staghom calculi. Patients with struvite stones could lose renal function because of obstructive or pyelonephritic episodes and surgical interventions on the kidney. Therapeutic success needs a follow up by a specialized uro-nephrologist team as soon as possible.

ESRD caused by nephrolithiasis: prevalence, mechanisms, and prevention.

BACKGROUND: The contribution of nephrolithiasis-related end-stage renal disease (ESRD) to patients requiring renal replacement therapy has never been specifically evaluated. METHODS: Of the entire cohort of 1,391 consecutive patients who started maintenance dialysis therapy at our nephrology department between January 1989 and December 2000, a total of 45 patients (21 men) had renal stone disease as the cause of ESRD and constitute the study material. Type and cause of renal stone disease was determined in the 45 patients, as well as the change in prevalence of nephrolithiasis-related ESRD with time during this 12-year period. RESULTS: The overall proportion of nephrolithiasis-related ESRD was 3.2%. Infection (struvite) stones accounted for 42.2%; calcium stones, 26.7%; uric acid nephrolithiasis, 17.8%; and hereditary diseases (including primary hyperoxaluria type 1 and cystinuria), 13.3% of cases. Women were predominant among patients with infection and calcium stones, whereas men were predominant among patients with uric acid or hereditary stone disease. The proportion of patients with nephrolithiasis-related ESRD decreased from 4.7% in the triennial period 1989 to 1991 to 2.2% in the most recent period, 1998 to 2000 ( P = 0.07). This tendency to a decreasing prevalence mainly was caused by a rarefaction of infection and calcium stones with time, whereas frequencies of uric acid and hereditary stone disease remained essentially unchanged. CONCLUSION: Severe forms of nephrolithiasis remain an underestimated cause of potentially avoidable ESRD and need for renal replacement therapy. These findings highlight the crucial importance of accurate stone analysis and metabolic evaluation to provide early diagnosis and proper therapy for conditions that may lead to ESRD through recurrent stone formation and/or parenchymal crystal infiltration.

Evaluation of Cohesion and Swell Characteristics of Asphalt Treated Base Mixtures, R-223, 1968

This study was undertaken to evaluate the suitability of various stones which play an important role in the properties of compacted mixtures in asphalt treated bases. The determination of the effect of water temperature on the cohesion of the mixes is investigated. A number of stones were prepared for the test. Attention is paid to the particular source of stone with the corresponding test results. A preliminary study of the effect of lime when added to mixed aggregate was also conducted. The purpose of this study is to provide needed information on the cohesive characteristics of asphalt treated bases using a wide range of stones. This study is also to evaluate the suitability of the various stone sources.

El treball cooperatiu com a mètode d'experimentació en l'art : treballar l'educació artística a l'educació infantil

Els objectius de l’estudi realitzat en aquest treball són: comprovar que l’educació artística també pot ser una eina d’inclusió a l’escola, conèixer els beneficis de l’experimentació/exploració en l’art, i observar com aquests influeixen en l’aprenentatge dels infants, i finalment veure els beneficis del treball cooperatiu com a mètode d’experimentació en l’art. L’estudi s’ha realitzat a partir d’ una recerca teòrica i duent a terme una part pràctica de vàries sessions amb la col·laboració dels infants de P4 de l’escola Joan XXIII d’Hostalets de Balenyà. La pràctica s’ha anomenat “Art amb pedres”, que com el seu nom indica, les pedres eren l’element natural que han utilitzat els infants per a convertir-se en verdaders artistes!

Nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics: the emerging faces of nutrition.

The recognition that nutrients have the ability to interact and modulate molecular mechanisms underlying an organism's physiological functions has prompted a revolution in the field of nutrition. Performing population-scaled epidemiological studies in the absence of genetic knowledge may result in erroneous scientific conclusions and misinformed nutritional recommendations. To circumvent such issues and more comprehensively probe the relationship between genes and diet, the field of nutrition has begun to capitalize on both the technologies and supporting analytical software brought forth in the post-genomic era. The creation of nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics, two fields with distinct approaches to elucidate the interaction between diet and genes but with a common ultimate goal to optimize health through the personalization of diet, provide powerful approaches to unravel the complex relationship between nutritional molecules, genetic polymorphisms, and the biological system as a whole. Reluctance to embrace these new fields exists primarily due to the fear that producing overwhelming quantities of biological data within the confines of a single study will submerge the original query; however, the current review aims to position nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics as the emerging faces of nutrition that, when considered with more classical approaches, will provide the necessary stepping stones to achieve the ambitious goal of optimizing an individual's health via nutritional intervention.

Evaluation des technologies médicales : travaux présentés pendant le Congrès TEKMED 87 = Assessment of medical technologies : the papers presented during the TEKMED 87 Congress

[Table des matières] Technology assessment in health care in the United States: an historical review / S. Perry. - The aims and methods of technology assessment / JH Glasser. - Evaluation des technologies de la santé / A. Griffiths. - Les données nécessaires pour l'évaluation des technologies médicales / R. Chrzanowski, F. Gutzwiller, F. Paccaud. - Economic issues in technology assessment/DR Lairson, JM Swint. - Two decades of experience in technology assessment: evaluating the safety, performance, and cost effectiveness of medical equipment / JJ Nobel. - Demography and technology assessment / H. Hansluwka. - Méthodes expérimentale et non expérimentale pour l'évaluation des innovations technologiques / R. Chrzanowski, F. Paccaud. - Skull radiography in head trauma: a successful case of technology assessment / NT Racoveanu. - Complications associées à l'anesthésie: une étude prospective en France / L. Tiret et al. - Impact de l'information publique sur les taux opératoires: le cas de l'hystérectomie / G. Domenighetti, P. Luraschi, A. Casabianca. - The clinical effectiveness of acupuncture for the relief of chronic pain / MS Patel, F. Gutzwiller, F. Paccaud, A. Marazzi. - Soins à domicile et hébergement à long terme: à la recherche d'un développement optimum / G. Tinturier. - Economic evaluation of six scenarios for the treatment of stones in the kidney and ureter by surgery or ESWL / MS Patel et al. - Technology assessment and medical practice / F. Gutzwiller. - Technology assessment and health policy / SJ Reiser. - Global programme on appropriate technology for health, its role and place within WHO / K. Staehr Johansen.

IX ASMOSIA International Conference Interdisciplinary Studies on Ancient Stone: Tarragona, 8-13th June 2009 (Book of abstracts)

Aquesta obra recull els resums de les comunicacions orals i pòsters que es van presentar durant el IX Congrés Internacional de l’Association for the Study of Marbles and Other Stones in Antiquity (ASMOSIA), organitzat per l’ICAC en el marc del programa de recerca HAR2008-04600/HIST, amb el suport del programa d’Ajuts ARCS 2008 (referència expedient IR036826) de la Generalitat de Catalunya i del Ministeri de Ciència i Innovació (Accions Complementàries HAR2008-03181-E/HIST), i celebrat a Tarragona entre el 8 i el 13 de juny del 2009.

Place actuelle de la papillotomie chirurgicale transduodénale [Current status of surgical transduodenal papillotomy].

The treatment of biliary lithiasis has changed during the past 20 years. Cholecystectomy remains the gold standard for cholelithiasis, but many options are available for calculi of the common bile duct. Among them are surgical open or laparoscopic choledochotomy, biliary-enteric anastomosis, transduodenal sphincterotomy (TDS), endoscopic sphincterotomy. With the aim to describe the current place of TDS, we reviewed the patients operated on in our department between 1976 and 1992. We found 78 patients with a mean age of 58 years (26-89 years). 34 (43%) of them had acute cholecystitis, with 26 being operated on urgently. 47 (60%) were jaundiced, 15 (19%) had pancreatitis and 12 (15%) had cholangitis before operation. Indications for TDS have been impacted stone or absence of progression of the contrast medium on intraoperative cholangiography in 71 patients (91%). 3 patients died (1 pulmonary embolism, 1 sepsis of pulmonary origin, 1 MOF syndrome complicating preoperative necrotizing pancreatitis). 30 patients (38%) had complications, of which 20 were directly related to TDS. Hemorrhage occurred in 4 cases, and resolved spontaneously without transfusion. Hyperamylasemia occurred in 17 instances, but clinical pancreatitis developed in only 1 case, with complete resolution. 1 duodenal fistula healed after conservative therapy. No death is attributable directly to TDS. Today, the importance of endoscopic sphincterotomy is increasing. This retrospective study shows that TDS, if performed with caution, does not increase the operative risks even in emergent operations. During surgical exploration of the common bile duct, TDS is indicated to remove an impacted stone, or as a bilio-enteric anastomosis if multiple stones are present with a thin common duct.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Hiomon AI-järjestelmän toimivuuden arviointi

Työn tavoitteena oli uudentyyppisen hiontaprosessin ohjausjärjestelmän kehittäminen ja testaaminen UPM-Kymmene Kaukaan hiomossa. Uuden ohjausjärjestelmän perusajatuksena oli pitää yksittäistä hiomakiveä jatkuvasti optimaalisessa toimintapisteessä, ja hiomon kaikilla koneilla pyrittiin samaan kivenalusmassan laatuun. Uutta ohjaustapaa kutsuttiin Optimum operating point -strategiaksi (OOPS). Hiomakiven pitäminen optimaalisessa toimintapisteessä tapahtui pääosin vesiteräyskäsittelyllä, jonka intensiteettiä ohjasi asiantuntijajärjestelmä (AI-järjestelmä). Lisäksi testattiin ohjelmoidun anturan nopeussäädön vaikutusta hiomakoneen resurssien käyttöön. AI-järjestelmä päätteli vesiteräyskäsittelyn tarpeellisuuden CSF-mallin ja hiomakoneen resurssien perusteella. Seurannasta saatujen tulosten perusteella AI-järjestelmän käyttöönotto vesiteräyskäsittelyssä paransi tuotannon ja massan laadun tasaisuutta. Hiomakoneiden resurssien havaittiin pienenevän puunsyöttölinjan mukaisesti. Paksummat pöllit kerääntyvät linjan päähän, jolloin varsinkin hydrauliikkapaineiden tarve lisääntyy linjan päässä olevilla hiomakoneilla. Hiomakoneen resurssit saatiin paremmin käyttöön kuormittamalla konetta ohjelmoidulla anturan nopeussäädöllä (ONS) kuin vakioidulla anturan nopeussäädöllä (VNS). Kuitenkin hydraulipaineresurssien puutteellisuus rajoitti koeajon aikana ONS:n toimintaa. Resursseja ei optimoitu koeajon aikana, koska kiven pinnan haluttiin pysyvän mahdollisimman stabiilina. Kivelle ei suoritettu mekaanista käsittelyä, vaikka kivenpinnan massan kuljetuskapasiteetin havaittiin olevan huono. AI-järjestelmä otettiin ohjaamaan vesiteräyskäsittelyä vasta ONS - VNS -koeajon jälkeen. Mekaanisen rullateräyksen jälkeen massan ominaisuudet muuttuivat, koska kiven pinnan terävät särmät katkoivat kuituja alentaen massan sitoutumiskykyä. Heti rullakäsittelyn jälkeen mitattu CSF saattoi jopa alentua huomattavasti, mutta AI-järjestelmän laskema CSF nousi selvästi indikoiden energian ominaiskulutuksen (EOK) laskua. Muutaman päivän hionnan jälkeen mitattu ja laskettu CSF saavuttivat saman tason.