Electrically assisted ocular gene therapy.

Electrotransfer and iontophoresis are being developed as innovative non-viral gene delivery systems for the treatment of eye diseases. These two techniques rely on the use of electric current to allow for higher transfection yield of various ocular cell types in vivo. Short pulses of relatively high-intensity electric fields are used for electrotransfer delivery, whereas the iontophoresis technique is based on the application of low voltage electric current. The basic principles of these techniques and their potential therapeutic application for diseases of the anterior and posterior segments of the eye are reviewed. Iontophoresis has been found most efficient for the delivery of small nucleic acid fragments such as antisense oligonucleotides, siRNA, or ribozymes. Electrotransfer, on the other hand, is being developed for the delivery of oligonucleotides or custom designed plasmids. The wide range of strategies already validated and the potential for targeting specific types of cells confirm the promising early observations made using electrotransfer and iontophoresis. These two nonviral delivery systems are safe and can be used efficiently for targeted gene delivery to ocular tissues in vivo. At the present, their application for the treatment of ocular human diseases is nearing its final stages of adaptation and practical implementation at the bedside.

Incidence and types of illness when travelling to the tropics : a prospective controlled study of children and their parents

RESUME De plus en plus de familles se rendent vers des destinations tropicales, s'exposant à des agents infectieux et des maladies tropicales qu'ils ne rencontrent pas chez eux. Nous avons étudié 157 enfants (0-16 ans) et leurs parents partant pour les tropiques, qui ont tous consulté une clinique pré-voyage et qui étaient généralement compliants aux conseils prodigués. Les taux d'incidence de maladies communes chez les enfants et les adultes étaient respectivement de 16.9 (14.3-19.7) et 15.1 (12.7-17.8) épisodes/ 100 personnes-semaines. La diarrhée, les douleurs abdominales et la fièvre représentaient les plaintes les plus fréquentes. Il n'y avait pas de différence significative d'incidence des épisodes morbides entre les enfants et les adultes sauf pour la fièvre (plus fréquente chez les enfants). La plupart des épisodes avaient lieu dans les dix premiers jours du voyage. L'incidence de morbidité similaire chez les enfants et les adultes ainsi que l'aspect bénin des épisodes remet en question l'opinion selon laquelle il n'est pas sage de voyager avec des jeunes enfants.

Dosimetric aspects of a national survey of diagnostic and interventional radiology in Switzerland.

The effective dose delivered to the patient was determined, by modeling, for 257 types of examinations covering the different modalities of diagnostic and interventional radiology. The basic operational dosimetric quantities considered were obtained from the parameters of the examinations on the basis of dosimetric models. These models required a precise characterization of each examination. The operational dosimetric quantities were converted into doses to organs and effective doses using appropriate conversion factors. The determination of the collective effective dose to the Swiss population requires a number of corrections to account for the variability of several parameters: sensitivity of the detection system, age, gender, and build of the patient. The use of various dosimetric models is illustrated in this paper for a limited number of examination types covering the different radiological modalities, for which the established typical effective doses are given. With regard to individual doses, the study indicated that the average effective doses per type of examination can be classified into three levels: (a) the weakly irradiating examinations (less than 0.1 mSv), which represent 78% of the examinations and 4% of the collective dose, (b) the moderately irradiating examinations (between 0.1 mSv and 10 mSv), which represent 21% of the examinations and 72% of the collective dose, (c) the strongly irradiating examinations (more than 10 mSv), which represent 1% of the examinations and 24% of the collective dose.

Incidence and types of illness when traveling to the tropics: a prospective controlled study of children and their parents.

Increasingly, families travel to tropical destinations exposing them to infectious agents and tropical diseases not encountered at home. We studied 157 children (0-16 years) and their adult relatives traveling to the tropics, who attended a pretravel clinic and were generally adherent to prescribed advice. Incidence rates of common illness in children and adults were respectively 16.9 (14.3-19.7) and 15.1 (12.7-17.8) episodes/100 person-weeks. Diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever were the most frequent complaints. There was no significant difference in the incidence of morbid episodes between children and adults, except for fever (more frequent in children). Most episodes occurred in the first 10 days of travel. The similar incidence of morbidity in children and adults and the episodes' mildness challenge the view that it is unwise to travel with small children.

Voluntary Explicit versus Involuntary Conceptual Memory Are Associated with Dissociable fMRI Responses in Hippocampus, Amygdala, and Parietal Cortex for Emotional and Neutral Word Pairs.

Although functional neuroimaging studies have supported the distinction between explicit and implicit forms of memory, few have matched explicit and implicit tests closely, and most of these tested perceptual rather than conceptual implicit memory. We compared event-related fMRI responses during an intentional test, in which a group of participants used a cue word to recall its associate from a prior study phase, with those in an incidental test, in which a different group of participants used the same cue to produce the first associate that came to mind. Both semantic relative to phonemic processing at study, and emotional relative to neutral word pairs, increased target completions in the intentional test, but not in the incidental test, suggesting that behavioral performance in the incidental test was not contaminated by voluntary explicit retrieval. We isolated the neural correlates of successful retrieval by contrasting fMRI responses to studied versus unstudied cues for which the equivalent "target" associate was produced. By comparing the difference in this repetition-related contrast across the intentional and incidental tests, we could identify the correlates of voluntary explicit retrieval. This contrast revealed increased bilateral hippocampal responses in the intentional test, but decreased hippocampal responses in the incidental test. A similar pattern in the bilateral amygdale was further modulated by the emotionality of the word pairs, although surprisingly only in the incidental test. Parietal regions, however, showed increased repetition-related responses in both tests. These results suggest that the neural correlates of successful voluntary explicit memory differ in directionality, even if not in location, from the neural correlates of successful involuntary implicit (or explicit) memory, even when the incidental test taps conceptual processes.

[7 phot. de types de Corfou, du Péloponnèse et d'Epire par A. Farruggia, phot. à Corfou, don P.P. Potagos en 1887]

Donateur : Potagos, Panagiotes (1839-1903)

Memoria de la elaboración de subtítulos para "Babel", primer capítulo de la serie documental Fry's Planet Word

This work tries to identify some of the skills an audio visual translator must develop, from a practical point of view, in order to pursue a career in this field, putting the stress on mastering subtitling-specific software. This report describes trial and error process during the making of the subtitles for a documentary and identifies some of the difficulties we might encounter while working on an assignment of this kind if we work with free licensing software. Moreover, it tries to contribute with some answers to these issues.

Estudi sobre el perfil de persones grans amb dependència del servei d'ajuda a domicili del Consell Comarcal d'Osona i el tipus de suport formal i informal

The aim of this study is to determine the profile of dependent elderly people users of the home care services (SAD) of the regional council in Osona (Consell Comarcal d´Osona) , and the characteristics of formal and informal types of support they use. Methodology. An observational study of a transversal format has been carried out, with retrospective and descriptive purposes. The target population is 63 people (26 men and 37 women) included in the program of the regional SAD They have a recognized dependence grade approved by the law 39 /2006, December 14th , promoting the individual autonomy and care of elderly people in a dependent situation. The data were collected by social workers of basic social services, first with a home visit and followed by handed out questionnaires, specifically designed for this study, in order to obtain information on socio-demographic characteristics, and the type of support formal and informal. The obtained results on the SAD users are women in a 58.7% and a 41.3 % are men. The 84% of the total sampling are 80 years old and more, being the average age of 85.2 years old. 45% of them are married, 41% are widows and widowers and 14% are single. 54% are rated with severe dependence (grade II), 42.8% with high dependence (grade III). 86% live accompanied. 100% have an informal caregiver and a 95% of the times, the caregiver is a relative who in 73% of the cases the dedication time is permanent. The coverage of the SAD has an average of 4.27 hours per week and per user. The formal services most used are the technical (62%), also the assessment of an occupational therapist at home (57%) and the telecare service in a (56%). Conclusions. The SAD is used primarily for women in an advanced age and severe dependence. The informal assistance structures have an informal caregiver, being a member of the family mostly, living with the dependent, and mainly in a permanent dedication basis. The SAD has a varied intensity in each case. The formal support services complementary to the SAD, are largely used in all cases.

A new electrocardiographic criteria for discriminating between Brugada types 2 and 3 patterns and incomplete right bundle branch block

Le syndrome de Brugada, une affection rythmique du sujet jeune potentiellement fatale, se manifeste sur l'ECG par un bloc de branche droit (BBD) complet, avec sus-décalage majeur du segment ST et inversion des ondes Τ de V1 à V3 appelé pattern de type 1. Cette présentation peut être intermittente. Les manifestations incomplètes du syndrome de Brugada sont appelées patterns de types 2 ou 3, et sont caractérisées par un BBD incomplet et un sus-décalage ST plus ou moins prononcé dans les dérivations V-, et V2 de l'ECG. Cette description, cependant, est aussi celle du BBD incomplet fréquemment rencontré chez les sujets jeunes, de moins de 40 ans, et présent dans 3% de la population. Bo nombre de ces sujets sont donc référés pour une recherche de syndrome de Brugada. Le but de cette thèse est donc d'évaluer de nouveaux critères permettant de discriminer les BBD incomplets, banals, des sujets porteurs d'un syndrome de Brugada de types 2 ou 3. Trente-huit patients avec un pattern de Brugada de types 2 et 3, référés pour un test médicamenteux utilisant un antiarythmique révélant un pattern de type 1 chez les sujets porteurs, ont été inclus dans l'étude. Avant le test médicamenteux, deux angles ont été mesurés sur les dérivations Vi et/ou V2 : a, l'angle entre une ligne verticale et la descente de l'onde r', et β, l'angle entre la montée de l'onde S et la descente de l'onde r'. Les mesure à l'état basai des deux angles, seules ou combinées avec la durée du QRS, on été comparées entre les patients avec une épreuve pharmacologique positive et ceux dont l'épreuve s'est révélée négative (i.e. servant de groupe contrôle car porteur d'un véritable BBD incomplet). Des courbes ROC ont été établies afin de déterminer les valeurs d'angles les plus discriminantes. La moyenne des angles β était significativement plus petite chez les 14 patients avec un test pharmacologique négatif comparé aux 24 patients avec un test positif. La valeur optimale pour l'angle β était de 58°, ce qui donnait une valeur prédictive positive de 73% et une valeur prédictive négative de 97% pour une conversion en pattern de type 1 lors du test pharmacologique. L'angle α était un peu moins sensible et spécifique que β. Quand les angles étaient combinés à la durée du QRS, on observait une discrète amélioration de la discrimination entre les deux populations. Notre travail permet donc, chez des patients suspects d'un syndrome de Brugada, de discriminer entre un BBD incomplet et les patterns de Brugada types 2 et 3 en utilisant un critère simple basé sur l'ECG de surface potentiellement applicable au lit du patient

Composition and cross-sectional area of muscle fibre types in relation to daily gain and lean and fat content of carcass in Landrace and Yorkshire pigs

Selostus: Lihassolutyypin ja lihassolun poikkipinta-alan yhteys sian kasvuun ja ruhon koostumukseen maatiaisessa ja yorkshiressa

Jackson County Sanitary Disposal Agency independent auditor's reports, basic financial statements and required supplementary information, schedule of findings, June 30, 2009

Audit report on the Jackson County Sanitary Disposal Agency for the year ended June 30, 2009

Mutational and computational analysis of the alpha(1b)-adrenergic receptor. Involvement of basic and hydrophobic residues in receptor activation and G protein coupling.

To investigate their role in receptor coupling to G(q), we mutated all basic amino acids and some conserved hydrophobic residues of the cytosolic surface of the alpha(1b)-adrenergic receptor (AR). The wild type and mutated receptors were expressed in COS-7 cells and characterized for their ligand binding properties and ability to increase inositol phosphate accumulation. The experimental results have been interpreted in the context of both an ab initio model of the alpha(1b)-AR and of a new homology model built on the recently solved crystal structure of rhodopsin. Among the twenty-three basic amino acids mutated only mutations of three, Arg(254) and Lys(258) in the third intracellular loop and Lys(291) at the cytosolic extension of helix 6, markedly impaired the receptor-mediated inositol phosphate production. Additionally, mutations of two conserved hydrophobic residues, Val(147) and Leu(151) in the second intracellular loop had significant effects on receptor function. The functional analysis of the receptor mutants in conjunction with the predictions of molecular modeling supports the hypothesis that Arg(254), Lys(258), as well as Leu(151) are directly involved in receptor-G protein interaction and/or receptor-mediated activation of the G protein. In contrast, the residues belonging to the cytosolic extensions of helices 3 and 6 play a predominant role in the activation process of the alpha(1b)-AR. These findings contribute to the delineation of the molecular determinants of the alpha(1b)-AR/G(q) interface.