Composición, distribución y abundancia del ictioplancton. Crucero BIC Humboldt y BIC José Olaya Balandra 9808-09

Se colectaron muestras de zooplancton con red Hensen, en la columna de 0 a 50 metros, a lo largo del litoral peruano y hasta fuera de las 100 millas, con la finalidad de determinar la composición, distribución y abundancia del ictioplancton y verificar el desove de las especies pelágicas de mayor importancia en la pesca. Los resultados permitieron corroborar los cambios producidos en esta componente del ecosistema por efectos del fenómeno El Niño. Se verificó el desove de anchoveta Engraulis ringens de característica muy diferentes a las observadas en años precedentes, para el mismo periodo de estudio, en los cuales os huevos y larvas de esta especie cubrían todo el litoral, con varios núcleos de concentración.

Spurious hyperphosphatemia in a patient with alteplase-locked central venous catheter.

Alteplase has been shown to be effective in preventing central venous access clotting in patients on hemodialysis. Because of a high phosphorus content in its excipient, it can inadvertently contaminate blood samples, leading the physician in care of the patient to erroneously increase dialysis time or change diet in order to control the pseudo-hyperphosphatemia.

A highly sensitive LC-tandem MS assay for the measurement in plasma and in urine of salbutamol administered by nebulization during mechanical ventilation in healthy volunteers.

The new-generation nebulizers are commonly used for the administration of salbutamol in mechanically ventilated patients. The different modes of administration and new devices have not been compared. We developed a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of concentrations as low as 0.05 ng/mL of salbutamol, corresponding to the desired plasma concentration after inhalation. Salbutamol quantification was performed by reverse-phase HPLC. Analyte quantification was performed by electrospray ionization-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry using selected reaction monitoring detection ESI in the positive mode. The method was validated over concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 100 ng/mL in plasma and from 0.18 to 135 ng/mL in urine. The method is precise, with mean inter-day coefficient of variation (CV%) within 3.1-8.3% in plasma and 1.3-3.9% in urine, as well as accurate. The proposed method was found to reach the required sensitivity for the evaluation of different nebulizers as well as nebulization modes. The present assay was applied to examine whether salbutamol urine levels, normalized with the creatinine levels, correlated with the plasma concentrations. A suitable, convenient and noninvasive method of monitoring patients receiving salbutamol by mechanical ventilation could be implemented. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The career indecision profile : measurement equivalence in two international samples

This study tested for the measurement equivalence of a four-factor measure of career indecision (Career Indecision Profile-65 [CIP-65]) between a U.S. sample and two international samples; one composed of French-speaking young adults from France and Switzerland and the other of Italian ado- lescents. Previous research had supported the four-factor structure of the CIP-65 in both the United States and Iceland but also showed that items on two of the four scales may be interpreted differently by young adults growing up in these two countries. This study extends previous research by testing whether the four CIP-65 factors are measured equivalently in two additional international samples. Results largely supported the configural and metric invariance of the CIP-65 in the United States and international samples, but several scales showed a lack of scalar invariance. Some explanations are offered for these findings along with suggestions for future research and implications for practice.

Unlicensed and off-label drug use in a Swiss paediatric university hospital.

BACKGROUND: Many medicines used in newborns, infants, children and adolescents are not licensed ("unlicensed") or are prescribed outside the terms of the marketing authorization ("off-label"). Several studies have shown that this is a common practice in various healthcare settings in the USA, Europe and Australia, but data are scarce in Switzerland. OBJECTIVES: The aim of our prospective study was to determine the proportion of unlicensed or off-label prescriptions in paediatric patients. METHODS: This pilot study was conducted prospectively over a six month period in the department of paediatrics of a university hospital. RESULTS: Sixty patients aged from three days to 14 years were included in the study. A total of 483 prescriptions were written for the patients. More than half of all prescriptions (247; 51%) followed the terms of the marketing authorization. 114 (24%) were unlicensed and 122 (25%) off-label. All patients received at least one unlicensed or offlabel medicine. CONCLUSION: The use of unlicensed or off-label medicines to treat children was found to be common. Co-operation between the pharmaceutical industry, national regulatory authorities, clinical researchers, healthcare professionals and parents is required in order to ensure that children do not remain "therapeutic orphans".

Psychometric properties of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale in eight African countries and Switzerland

The purpose of this study was to assess the cross-cultural validity of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale short form C, in a large sample of French-speaking participants from eight African countries and Switzerland. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses suggested retaining a two-factor structure. Item bias detection according to country was conducted for all 13 items and effect was calculated with R2. For the two-factor solution, 9 items were associated with a negligible effect size, 3 items with a moderate one, and 1 item with a large one. A series of analyses of covariance considering the acquiescence variable as a covariate showed that the acquiescence tendency does not contribute to the bias at item level. This research indicates that the psychometric properties of this instrument do not reach a scalar equivalence but that a culturally reliable measurement of social desirability could be developed.

Pediatric drug-related problems: a multicenter study in four French-speaking countries.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric intensive care patients represent a population at high risk for drug-related problems. There are few studies that compare the activity of clinical pharmacists between countries. OBJECTIVE: To describe the drug-related problems identified and interventions by four pharmacists in a pediatric cardiac and intensive care unit. SETTING: Four pediatric centers in France, Quebec, Switzerland and Belgium. METHOD: This was a six-month multicenter, descriptive and prospective study conducted from August 1, 2009 to January 31, 2010. Drug-related problems and clinical interventions were compiled from four pediatric centers in France, Quebec, Switzerland and Belgium. Data on patients, drugs, intervention, documentation, approval and estimated impact were compiled. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Number and type of drug-related problems encountered in a large pediatric inpatient population. RESULTS: A total of 996 interventions were recorded: 238 (24 %) in France, 278 (28 %) in Quebec, 351 (35 %) in Switzerland and 129 (13 %) in Belgium. These interventions targeted 270 patients (median 21 months old, 53 % male): 88 (33 %) in France, 56 (21 %) in Quebec, 57 (21 %) in Switzerland and 69 (26 %) in Belgium. The main drug-related problems were inappropriate administration technique (29 %), untreated indication (25 %) and supra-therapeutic dose (11 %). The pharmacists' interventions were mostly optimizing the mode of administration (22 %), dose adjustment (20 %) and therapeutic monitoring (16 %). The two major drug classes that led to interventions were anti-infectives for systemic use (23 %) and digestive system and metabolism drugs (22 %). Interventions mainly involved residents and all clinical staff (21 %). Among the 878 (88 %) proposed interventions requiring physician approval, 860 (98 %) were accepted. CONCLUSION: This descriptive study illustrates drug-related problems and the ability of clinical pharmacists to identify and resolve them in pediatric intensive care units in four French-speaking countries.

Gender stereotypes of personality : universal and accurate ?

Numerous studies have documented subtle but consistent sex differences in self-reports and observer-ratings of five-factor personality traits, and such effects were found to show well- defined developmental trajectories and remarkable similarity across nations. In contrast, very little is known about perceived gender differences in five-factor traits in spite of their potential implications for gender biases at the interpersonal and societal level. In particular, it is not clear how perceived gender differences in five-factor personality vary across age groups and national contexts and to what extent they accurately reflect assessed sex differences in personality. To address these questions, we analyzed responses from 3,323 individuals across 26 nations (mean age = 22.3 years, 31% male) who were asked to rate the five-factor personality traits of typical men or women in three age groups (adolescent, adult, and older adult) in their respective nations. Raters perceived women as slightly higher in openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness as well as some aspects of extraversion and neuroticism. Perceived gender differences were fairly consistent across nations and target age groups and mapped closely onto assessed sex differences in self- and observer-rated personality. Associations between the average size of perceived gender differences and national variations in sociodemographic characteristics, value systems, or gender equality did not reach statistical significance. Findings contribute to our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of gender stereotypes of personality and suggest that perceptions of actual sex differences may play a more important role than culturally based gender roles and socialization processes.

A 3-step therapeutic strategy for severe alveolar proteinosis.

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is characterized by accumulation of lipoproteinaceous material in the terminal airways. Whole lung lavage (WLL) remains the gold standard treatment but may be particularly challenging in cases of severe hypoxemia. We present a 3-step strategy that was used in a patient with PAP-associated refractory hypoxemia and that combined venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (vvECMO), double-lumen orotracheal intubation, and bilateral multisegmental sequential lavage (MSL). The procedure was well tolerated and permitted weaning from the ventilator.

Demonstration of the effectiveness of zinc in diarrhoea of children living in Switzerland.

We designed a double-blinded randomized clinical trial of zinc (10 or 20 mg of zinc sulphate for 2-5 month-old or 6-59 month-old children, respectively, during 10 days) vs. placebo in otherwise healthy children aged 2 months to 5 years who presented with acute diarrhoea (i.e. ≥3 stools/day for less than 72 h). Eighty-seven patients (median age 14 months; range 3.1-58.3) were analysed in an intention-to-treat approach. Forty-two patients took zinc and 45 placebo. There was no difference in the duration nor in the frequency of diarrhoea, but only 5% of the zinc group still had diarrhoea at 120 h of treatment compared to 20% in the placebo group (P = 0.05). Thirty-one patients (13 zinc and 18 placebo) were available for per-protocol analyses. The median (IQR) duration of diarrhoea in zinc-treated patients was 47.5 h (18.3-72) and differed significantly from the placebo group (median 76.3; IQR 52.8-137) (P = 0.03). The frequency of diarrhoea was also lower in the zinc group (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: zinc treatment decreases the frequency and severity of diarrhoea in children aged 2 months to 5 years living in Switzerland. However, the intention-to-treat analysis reveals compliance issues that question the proper duration of treatment and the choice of optimal pharmaceutical formulation.

L'Écho de Paris

1888/06/21 (Numéro 1552).

L'Écho de Paris

1888/09/01 (Numéro 1623).

Mémoire sur les ville et tour de Crest

Ancien possesseur : Argenson, Antoine-René de Voyer (1722-1787 ; marquis de Paulmy d')