Simplifying and optimising management of acute malnutrition in children aged 6 to 59 months: study protocol for a 3 arms community-based individually randomised controlled trial in decentralised Niger.

Background: Simplified approaches of acute malnutrition (AM) treatment have been conducted over the past 5 years intending to unify processes and increase coverage among children aged 6 to 59 months without medical complication. The Optimsing treatment for Acute Malnutrition (OptiMA) and the Combined Protocol for Acute Malnutrition Study (ComPAS) are mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC)-based approaches treating children with MUAC < 125 mm or oedema with one sole product-ready-to-use therapeutic food-at a gradually tapered doses. This trial aims to compare the OptiMA and ComPAS strategies to the standard nutritional protocol of Niger assessed by a favourable outcome in the treatment of uncomplicated AM at 6 months post-randomisation and in terms of recovery rate after treatment of uncomplicated SAM (WHZ < - 3 or MUAC < 115mm or oedema) and among the most vulnerable children (MUAC < 115mm or oedema).

Efficacy and safety of varenicline for smoking cessation in people living with HIV in France (ANRS 144 Inter-ACTIV): a randomised controlled phase 3 clinical trial.

Background: Tobacco smoking is common in people living with HIV, but high-quality evidence on interventions for smoking cessation is not available in this population. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of varenicline with counselling to aid smoking cessation in people living with HIV.

Methods: The ANRS 144 Inter-ACTIV randomised, parallel, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial was done at 30 clinical hospital sites in France.

DMSO reduces CSF-1 receptor levels and causes apoptosis in v-myc immortalized mouse macrophages.

We have investigated the antiproliferative potentialof dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on v-myc immortalized mouse macrophages on account of the cytotoxic effect induced by DMSO on myeloid cells. DMSO caused significant apoptosis in two immortalized macrophage celllines constitutively secreting colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1). In contrast to the results described for mouse erythroleukemia cells, DMSO did not markedly decrease the level of the Spi-1/PU.

Isolation and characterization of a chicken homologue of the Spi-1/PU.1 transcription factor.

Spi-1/PU.1 is a member of the Ets family of transcription factors important in regulation of hematopoiesis. We have isolated a chicken cDNA homologuous to the mammalian Spi-1/PU.