The micro-architecture estimation by TBS discriminate women with and without osteoporotic fracture independently of age, BMI and BMD: The Osteo-Mobile Vaud cohort study.

Introduction: « Osteo-Mobile Vaud » is a mobile osteoporosis (OP) screening program. The women > 60 years living in the region Vaud will be offered OP screening with new equipment installed in a bus. The main goal is to evaluate the fracture risk with the combination of clinical risk factors (CRF) and informations extracted by a single DXA: bone mineral density (BMD), vertebral fracture assessment (VFA), and micro-architecture (MA) evaluation. MA is yet evaluable in daily practice by the Trabecular Bone Score (TBS) measure. TBS is a novel grey-level texture measurement reflecting bone MA based on the use of experimental variograms of 2D projection images. TBS is very simple to obtain, by reanalyzing a lumbar DXA-scan. TBS has proven to have diagnosis and prognosis value, partially independent of CRF and BMD. A 55-years follow- up is planned. Method: The Osteo-Mobile Vaud cohort (1500 women, > 60 years, living in the region Vaud) started in July 2010. CRF for OP, lumbar spine and hip BMD, VFA by DXA and MA evaluation by TBS are recorded. Preliminary results are reported. Results: In July 31th, we evaluated 510 women: mean age 67 years, BMI 26 kg/m². 72 women had one or more fragility fractures, 39 had vertebral fracture (VFx) grade 2/3. TBS decreases with age (-0.005 / year, p<0.001), and with BMI (-0.011 per kg/m², p<0.001). Correlation between BMD and site matched TBS is low (r=0.4, p<0.001). For the lowest T-score BMD, odds ratio (OR, 95% CI) for VFx grade 2/3 and clinical OP Fx are 1.8 (1.1-2.9) and 2.3 (1.5-3.4). For TBS, age-, BMI- and BMD adjusted ORs (per SD decrease) for VFx grade 2/3 and clinical OP Fx are 1.9 (1.2-3.0) and 1.8 (1.2-2.7). The TBS added value was independent of lumbar spine BMD or the lowest T-score (femoral neck, total hip or lumbar spine). Conclusion: As in the already published studies, these preliminary results confirm the partial independence between BMD and TBS. More importantly, a combination of TBS and BMD may increase significantly the identification of women with prevalent OP Fx. For the first time we are able to have complementary information about fracture (VFA), density (BMD), and micro-architecture (TBS) from a simple, low ionizing radiation and cheap device: DXA. The value of such informations in a screening program will be evaluated.

Evaluating the Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stent Combined with Phacoemulsification Compared to Phacoemulsification Alone.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of iStent (trabecular micro-bypass stent) implantation in combination with phacoemulsification on IOP and glaucoma medications and to compare this to the outcome of phacoemulsification alone. Patients and Methods: A retrospective consecutive comparative review was undertaken. 131 eyes with ocular hypertension and medically controlled glaucoma underwent phacoemulsification alone (n = 78 group I) or combined with gonioscopic-guided implantation of one iStent (n = 31, group II) or two iStents (n = 22, group III). Patients were assessed at postoperative weeks 1, 3 and 6, and months 3 and 6. Pre- and post-operative measures included visual acuity, IOP and glaucoma medications. Results: Post-operatively at 6 months, mean IOP decreased from 16.3 mmHg to 14.2 mmHg in group I (p < 0.01), from 16.7 mmHg to 15.1 mmHg in group II (p < 0.16) and from 17.0 to 13.8 in group III (p = 0.05). Mean glaucoma medication decreased from 1.9 to 1.6 in group I (8 %, p = 0.12), from 2.5 to 0.8 in group II (27 %, p = 0.04), and from 2.1 to 1.0 in group III (45 %, p < 0.01). Conclusions: iStent implantation resulted in similar IOP reduction to phacoemulsification alone but achieved a significantly greater reduction in glaucoma medications. This may improve compliance and quality of life, and reduce health care costs in patients with early to moderate glaucoma.

Productivity and innovation spillovers: Micro evidence from Spain

This article analyses the impact that innovation expenditure and intrasectoral and intersectoral externalities have on productivity in Spanish firms. While there is an extensive literature analysing the relationship between innovation and productivity, in this particular area there are far fewer studies that examine the importance of sectoral externalities, especially with the focus on Spain. One novelty of the study, which covers the industrial and service sectors, is that we also consider jointly the technology level of the sector in which the firm operates and the firm size. The database used is the Technological Innovation Panel, PITEC, which includes 12,813 firms for the year 2008 and has been little used in this type of study. The estimation method used is Iteratively Reweighted Least Squares method, IRLS, which is very useful for obtaining robust estimations in the presence of outliers. The results confirm that innovation has a positive effect on productivity, especially in high-tech and large firms. The impact of externalities is more heterogeneous because, while intrasectoral externalities have a poitive and significant effect, especially in low-tech firms independently of size, intersectoral externalities have a more ambiguous effect, being clearly significant for advanced industries in which size has a positive effect.

The regional distribution of unemployment. What do micro-data tell us?

Regional disparities in unemployment rates are large and persistent. The literature provides evidence of their magnitude and evolution, as well as evidence of the role of certain economic, demographic and environmental factors in explaining the gap between regions of low and high unemployment. Most of these studies, however, adopt an aggregate approach and so do not account for the individual characteristics of the unemployed and employed in each region. This paper, by drawing on micro-data from the Spanish wave of the Labour Force Survey, seeks to remedy this shortcoming by analysing regional differentials in unemployment rates. An appropriate decomposition of the regional gap in the average probability of being unemployed enables us to distinguish between the contribution of differences in the regional distribution of individual characteristics from that attributable to a different impact of these characteristics on the probability of unemployment. Our results suggest that the well-documented disparities in regional unemployment are not just the result of regional heterogeneity in the distribution of individual characteristics. Non-negligible differences in the probability of unemployment remain after controlling for this type of heterogeneity, as a result of differences across regions in the impact of the observed characteristics. Among the factors considered in our analysis, regional differences in the endowment and impact of an individual’s education are shown to play a major role.

Micro-implant d'acétonide de fluocinolone (ILUVIEN(®)) pour l'oedème maculaire diabétique chronique [Fluocinolone acetonide (ILUVIEN®) micro-implant for chronic diabetic macular edema].

Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a frequent complication of diabetic retinopathy and may cause severe visual loss. In this article, we examine the pathophysiology of DME and review various treatment options, such as laser photocoagulation, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor antibodies, and steroids including ILUVIEN(®), which is a new sustained-release, non biodegradable, injectable, intravitreal micro-implant containing fluocinolone acetonide. The results of the FAME (Fluocinolone Acetonide in Diabetic Macular Edema) studies, conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ILUVIEN(®) in DME, are discussed.

Innovative milieu, micro firms and local development in Barcelona

Peer-reviewed

Modificação de um micro-extrator de vidro para pré-enriquecimento de traços de pesticidas organoclorados de água para análise por cromatografia gasosa

Two models of a glass micro-extractor were constructed after modification of a model proposed in the literature. The two models were used for the simultaneous extraction and enrichment of organochlorinated pesticides from aqueous matrixes to an organic solution appropriate for the gas chromatographic analysis of the pesticide. It was established that the performance of one of the modified micro-extractors permits the pre-concentration of the pesticides to a level that allow their quantitation at the trace level with electron capture detection. It is thus concluded that the glass micro-extractor is a suitable tool for the sample preparation step in the gas chromatographic analysis of environmental pollutants of the class of pesticides.

Aplicação de SPME (Solid Phase Micro-Extraction) na análise de águas potáveis de três localidades do estado de São Paulo

The technique of solid phase microextraction (SPME) was used for the extraction of halogenated contaminants of water samples from three cities of the State of São Paulo and the extracts were submitted to gas chromatographic analysis with electron capture detection (GC-ECD). In the samples of water collected at the city of São Paulo the detected level of trihalomethanes (THM) expressed as the sum of chloroform, dibromochloromethane and dichlorobromomethane, were higher than the permissible limit established by the Brazilian regulation. In the samples collected at the two other cities the level of any of the three THM remained below the sensitivity of the ECD.

Nitração do fenol, um método em escala semi-micro para disciplina prática de 4 horas

A procedure for the nitration of phenol in a semi-micro scale, followed by separation of the formed orto- and para-nitrophenol isomers by column chromatography, is described. All the experiment, including determination of the melting point of the isolated products, require a period of 4 hours, and it is suitable for organic chemistry laboratory undergraduate courses.