Getting to know about health and safety related to products used in painting, drawing and printmakin

Practicing art is not a high risk activity. This statement, along with the creative, expressive and intangible aims of this activity, as well as the lack of information, promotion of safety awareness and training of thepeople in charge of art studios, may have pushed the implications of practicing art as regards health, safety and environment into the background. Faced with this prospect, a comprehensive study of the facilities and the activities carried out in art studios becomes necessary. The study concerns experimental activities involving Health and Safety risks for both the artists and the teachers and students, especially those carried out in the studios located in educational institutions.

Copyright issues related to the implementation of Open Access policies

The presentation provides an overview of the copyright issues related to the implementation of Open Access policies. It focuses on the need to obtain permission to reproduce and disseminate a copy of any published paper taking into account any copyright transfer signed by authors. This permission is needed to implement Green Open Access policies through repositories. Moreover it explores the use of open content licenses in repositories and journals to move to the Gold Open Access model that offers not only free access to full text but full reuse of contributions.

Vascular dysfunction in offspring of preeclampsia is related to preeclampsia per se rather than genetically determined

Objectives: Epidemiological studies suggest that adverse events in utero may predispose to premature cardiovascular disease in adulthood, but the mechanisms are not known. Recently, we found that young apparently healthy offspring of mothers with preeclampsia (PE) display systemic endothelial dysfunction. This problem could be related to PE per se or to a genetic abnormality that predisposes the mother to PE and the offspring to vascular dysfunction. To distinguish between these two possibilities, we assessed vascular function in offspring of PE, their siblings who were born after a normal pregnancy, and in control subjects.Methods: We measured endothelium-dependent vasodilation (flow-mediated vasodilation, FMD), in 10 pairs of healthy normotensive siblings, one born after PE (age 15±6 y; mean±SD), the other after normal pregnancy (17±6y) and in 17 (16±7y) controls. All subjects were born at term.Results: The vascular function in siblings of PE who were born after normal pregnancy was normal and comparable to the one in controls (8.6±1.5% vs. 8.1±1.3%, P=0.32), whereas offspring of PE displayed a roughly 30% smaller FMD than the two other groups (5.9±1.6%, P<0.005 vs. both siblings and controls, Figure). The endothelial dysfunction in the offspring of PE was not related to a difference in the central arterial blood pressure or arterial oxygen saturation, because they were comparable in the 3 groups. Figure 1. FMD in the three groups.Conclusions: These findings provide the first evidence that vascular dysfunction in offspring of PE is caused by PE itself, rather than by a genetic abnormality that predisposes the mother to PE and the offspring to a vascular defect. Prevention of PE and/or its successful treatment is expected to prevent vascular dysfunction and premature cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the offspring.

The role of just world beliefs and justice perceptions in explaining undesirable attitudes and behaviors at work

Perceiving injustice is a key antecedent of a large range of undesirable employee attitudes and behaviors at work. For example, research has shown that employees who perceive their workplace as unfair are less satisfied, less committed and engage in more counterproductive behaviors. In this study, we suggest that justice motives like the belief in a just world (BJW) contribute to explaining relations between justice perceptions and undesirable behaviors. Specifically, we propose that individual differences in BJW (i.e, the belief that the world is just, where everyone is rewarded for his or her behavior) are related to work-related behaviors and attitudes by coloring perceptions of workplace fairness. We investigated our hypotheses in a survey study with 176 employees of various organizations (36% women; mean tenure 12.3 yeares). Results showed that after controlling for other influencing factors (e.g., neuroticism) BJW was negatively related to self-reported work deviant behaviors and to cynical, disillusioned attitudes toward the current job. Moreover, BJW was positively related to overall job satisfaction. Consistent with our expectations, relations of BJW with deviant behaviors and with attitudes were mediated by perceptions of interactional and procedural justice. These results suggest extending models of justice and deviance by including motives such as BJW.

Défis et opportunités liés a la création d'une société unique de spécialistes en médecine interne générale en 2015 [Challenges and opportunities related to the creation of a unique society of specialists in general internal medicine in 2015].

A common training plan in general internal medicine was a brave enterprise started in 2011 in accordance with the common objectives of the Swiss Society of General Medicine and the Swiss Society of Internal Medicine. The next challenge will be the dissolution of the two Societies and therefore the creation of an unique new association in 2015. This is an extraordinary opportunity to bring together the specific qualities of each association and to create a new society. Issues, objectives and secondary benefits expected from the creation of the largest national society of a medical discipline are explored as a joint discussion in this article.

Aspects of leaf anatomy of kudzu (Pueraria lobata, Leguminosae-Faboideae) related to water and energy balance

Kudzu is a cover crop that has escaped cultivation in some subtropical and warm temperate regions. Kudzu has previously demonstrated broad intraspecific physiological plasticity while colonizing new environments. The objective of this paper was to investigate characteristics of kudzu leaflet anatomy that might contribute to its successful growth in climatically distinct environments, and to escape cultivation as well. Fresh and fixed leaflet strips of field-grown plants were analyzed. The lower epidermis of kudzu showed a higher frequency of stomata (147 ± 19 stomata mm-2) than the upper epidermis (26 ± 17 stomata mm-2). The average number of trichomes per square milimeter was 8 for both the upper and the lower epidermis. The average trichome length was 410 ± 200 mum for the upper epidermis and 460 ± 190 mum for the lower epidermis. Cuticle thickness was not considerably different between lower and upper epidermis. The leaflet blade consisted basically of two layers (upper and lower) of unicellular epidermis, two layers of palisade parenchyma and one layer of spongy parenchyma. One layer of paraveinal mesophyll was found between palisade and spongy parenchyma. In conclusion, leaflets of kudzu present anatomical characteristics that might contribute to the broad physiological plasticity shown by kudzu.

Stable carbon isotope Composition of c9,t11-conjugated linoleic acid in cow's milk as related to dietary fatty acids

This study explores the potential use of stable carbon isotope ratios (delta C-13) of single fatty acids (FA) as tracers for the transformation of FA from diet to milk, with focus on the metabolic origin of c9,t11-18:2. For this purpose, dairy cows were fed diets based exclusively on C-3 and C-4 plants. The FA in milk and feed were fractionated by silver-ion thin-layer chromatography and analyzed for their delta C-13 values. Mean delta C-13 values of FA from C-3 milk were lower compared to those from C-4 milk (-30.1aEuro degrees vs. -24.9aEuro degrees, respectively). In both groups the most negative delta C-13 values of all FA analyzed were measured for c9,t11-18:2 (C-3 milk = -37.0 +/- A 2.7aEuro degrees; C-4 milk -31.4 +/- A 1.4aEuro degrees). Compared to the dietary precursors 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3, no significant C-13-depletion was measured in t11-18:1. This suggests that the delta C-13-change in c9,t11-18:2 did not originate from the microbial biohydrogenation in the rumen, but most probably from endogenous desaturation of t11-18:1. It appears that the natural delta C-13 differences in some dietary FA are at least partly preserved in milk FA. Therefore, carbon isotope analyses of individual FA could be useful for studying metabolic transformation processes in ruminants.

Development of a pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis activity index (ped-EEsAI): International experts propose dysphagia, whitish exudates on endoscopy , and intraepithelial eosinophili count as major items related to EoE activity

Background and Aims: The international EEsAI study group aims to develop, validate and evaluate the first pediatric EoE activity index (ped-EEsAI). We report on results of phase 1, which aims to generate candidate items. Methods: This study involves 3 phases: (1) item generation, (2) index derivation and testing on a first patient cohort, and (3) validation in a second cohort. In phase 1, item generation, weighting and reduction are achieved through a Delphi process with an international EoE expert group. The experts proposed and ranked candidate items on a 7-point Likert scale (0 = no, 6 = perfect relationship with EoE activity). Results: 23 international EoE experts proposed and ranked 39 items (20 clinical, 6 endoscopic, 8 histologic, 5 laboratory items). Rank order for clinical items: dysphagia related to food consistencies (median 5, range 2-6), severity of dysphagia (5, 3-6), frequency of dysphagia episodes (5, 3-6), regurgitation and vomiting (4, 2-5), response to dietary restrictions (4, 1-6); endoscopic items: whitish exudates (5, 3-6), furrowing (4, 3-6), corrugated rings (4, 2-6), linear shearing (4, 2-6), strictures (3, 2-6); histologic items: intraepithelial eosinophil count (5, 4-6), lamina propria fibrosis (3, 2-6), basal layer enlargement (3, 1-5); laboratory items: % blood eosinophils (3, 0-5). Conclusions: These items will now be reduced in further Delphi rounds, tested on a cohort of 100 pediatric EoE patients and validated in a second independent cohort, resulting in a robust, broadly accepted disease activity index for use in clinical trials and daily care.

A synchronous, middle early Aptian age for the demise of the Helvetic Urgonian platform related to the unfolding oceanic anoxic event 1a ("Selli event")

Un âge synchrone (partie moyenne de l'Aptien inférieur) de l'ennoiement de la plate-forme Urgonienne helvétique en relation avec l'événement océanique anoxique 1a ("événement Selli"). - La fin de la plate-forme urgonienne, calibrée par analyse des isotopes stables du carbone sur roche totale et par biostratigraphie basée sur les ammonites, est datée du milieu de l'Aptien inférieur (Près de la limite des zones weissi et deshayesi). Cet arrêt, synchrone dans des coupes représentatives du domaine helvétique alpin, est un événement environemental majeur renregistré en France, en Espagne, au Protugal, en Oman, au Mexique et dans le domaine Pacifique. En tenant compte des limites de résolution de la biostatrigraphie et des autres techniques de datation, cet épisode semble également être synchrone à l'échelle globale. Pour beaucoup d'auteurs, la disparition de récifs de coraux et de rudistes corrélée à la fin de la sédimentation urgonienne correspond à la mise en place de conditions anoxiques à l'Aptien inférieur. Celles-ci caractérisent un événement d'importance global: l'événement anoxique OAE 1a.

Trigeminal neuralgia related to megadolichobasilar artery compression: a prospective series of twenty-nine patients treated with gamma knife surgery, with more than one year of follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) secondary to megadolichobasilar artery (MBA) compression is considerably difficult to manage surgically. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the safety/efficacy of Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) in this special group of patients. METHODS: Between July 1992 and November 2010, 29 patients with >1 year of follow-up presenting with MBA compression were treated with GKS at Timone University Hospital. Radiosurgery was performed using a Gamma Knife (model B, C or Perfexion). A single 4-mm isocenter was positioned in the cisternal portion of the trigeminal nerve at a median distance of 9.1 mm (range: 6-18.2 mm) from the emergence. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 46.1 months (range: 12.9-157.9 months). Initially, all patients (100%) were pain free; the average time to complete pain relief was 13.5 days (range: 0-240 days). Their actuarial probability of remaining pain free without medication at 0.5, 1 and 2 years was 93.1, 79.3 and 75.7%, respectively, and remained stable until 13 years after treatment. The actuarial probability of hypoesthesia onset at 6 months was 4.3%; at 1 year it reached 13% and remained stable until 13 years after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: GKS proved to be reasonably safe and effective on a long-term basis as a first- and/or second-line surgical treatment for TN due to MBA compression.