Three-dimensional recomposition of the absorption field inside a nonbuoyant sooting flame.

A remote scanning retrieval method was developed to investigate the soot layer produced by a laminar diffusion flame established over a flat plate burner in microgravity. Experiments were conducted during parabolic flights. This original application of an inverse problem leads to the three-dimensional recomposition by layers of the absorption field inside the flame.

(1)H, (13)C NMR and X-ray crystallographic studies of highly polyhalogenated derivatives of costunolide lactone.

The costunolide lactone, a sesquiterpene compound isolated from Zaluzania triiloba species, reacted with several dihalocarbene sources produced by trihaloform-NaOH under successive phase transfer reactions yielding mono-, bis- and tris-dihalocyclopropane adducts. The structures, as well as the configurational assignments of the different derivatives, were established by (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy and assisted by X-ray crystallographic and molecular modelling studies. The specific shielding of protons in the neighbourhood of different halogens on the cyclopropane moieties was correlated to the pseudocontact interactions.

Augmented cell survival in eutopic endometrium from women with endometriosis: expression of c-myc, TGF-beta1 and bax genes.

Background: Endometriosis is a common gynaecological disorder characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside of the uterus. The fragments in normal menstruation are composed of necrotic and living cells, which do not survive in ectopic locations because of programmed cell death. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis is changed in eutopic endometrium from women with endometriosis throughout the menstrual cycle by studying bax (pro-apoptotic), c-myc (regulator of cell cycle) and TGF-beta1 (involved in cell differentiation) genes.

Primate-to-human retroviral transmission in Asia.

We describe the first reported transmission to a human of simian foamy virus (SFV) from a free-ranging population of nonhuman primates in Asia. The transmission of an exogenous retrovirus, SFV, from macaques (Macaca fascicularis) to a human at a monkey temple in Bali, Indonesia, was investigated with molecular and serologic techniques. Antibodies to SFV were detected by Western blotting of serum from 1 of 82 humans tested.

Pharmacokinetics and endometrial tissue levels of levonorgestrel after administration of a single 1.5-mg dose by the oral and vaginal route.

Objective: To determine the pharmacokinetics and endometrial tissue levels of levonorgestrel when taken as a single dose of 1.5 mg either orally or vaginally by healthy women in the periovulatory phase of their menstrual cycle.

Design: Prospective randomized study.

Disproportionate participation by age/sex classes in aggressive interactions between long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) and human tourists at Padangtegal monkey forest, Bali, Indonesia.

We observed 420 aggressive interactions between tourists and Macaca fascicularis at the Padangtegal Wanara Wana Temple forest site in Bali, Indonesia, during the months of June and July 2001. The data collected included patterns of aggression, presence or absence of food, and demographic information on resident macaques and human visitors. Analyses of the interactions suggest that macaques respond differentially to humans according to the age/sex classes involved.

Differential expression of endometrial integrins and progesterone receptor during the window of implantation in normo-ovulatory women treated with clomiphene citrate.

Objective: To assess the effect of clomiphene citrate (CC) on endometrial epithelial integrins and P receptors (PR) during the window of implantation.

Design: Controlled, prospective, clinical study.

Setting: Teaching hospital and university research laboratory.

[P450Arom and estrogenic microenvironment of eutopic endometria in endometriosis].

Background: Endometriosis, a common gynecologic disorder characterized by endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterus, is diagnosed by direct visualization of peritoneal and ovarian implants during laparoscopy.

Aim: To study the estrogenic microenvironment in eutopic endometria of women with and without endometriosis.

Patients And Methods: Eutopic endometria, obtained during laparoscopy from 23 women with endometriosis and 20 fertile cyclic women undergoing tubal sterilization, was studied.

Early hepatitis C virus changes and sustained response in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with peginterferon alpha-2b and ribavirin.

Background: Interferon-based therapy induces changes in viral dynamics in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients.

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess early hepatitis C virus (HCV)-RNA changes and evaluate its predictive value to achieve sustained viral response (SVR) in patients with CHC treated with peginterferon alpha-2b weekly plus ribavirin daily for 48 weeks.

Methods: HCV-RNA was measured at baseline, 48 h, 4, 12, 24 and 48 weeks of treatment and 24 weeks after treatment.

Improvement of coagulation-flocculation process using anionic polyacrylamide as coagulant aid.

A physicochemical treatment (coagulation-flocculation) was applied to a slaughterhouse wastewater, using anionic polyacrylamide as coagulant aid to improve the settling velocity of the flocs formed with the coagulants used: ferric sulphate, aluminium sulphate and polyaluminium chloride. The optimum speed and stirring time for the flocculation stage were ascertained along with the optimum pH and coagulant and coagulant aid doses. The speed and coagulation time were initially set according to recommendations in the literature concerning the treatment of this type of water.

Development of a highly efficient system for assessing recombinant gene expression in plant cell suspensions via Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation.

A transient gene-expression system was developed and used to characterize promoter strength, to verify suitability of bacterial gene modifications for expression in plant cells, and to express active antibody molecules. The system is based on suspension tobacco cells transformed by Agrobacterium in a transient way. Conditions such as pre-culture of tobacco cells and the co-cultivation period were identified as determinants to achieve high expression levels.

Phytotoxicity and heavy metals speciation of stabilised sewage sludges.

The presence of heavy metals in the sludges produced in wastewater treatment restricts plants growth and hence their use for agricultural purposes. This study looks at different types of sludges (aerobic, anaerobic, unstabilised and sludge from a waste stabilisation pond) and compares the distribution of the heavy metals that they contain according to the treatment that they have undergone. The sewage sludges were subjected to chemical characterisation and phytotoxicity testing (in absence of substrate) to provide a preliminary assessment of their suitability for land application.

Identification of the minimal sequence required for vascular-specific activity of Tomato mottle Taino virus Replication-associated protein promoter in transgenic plants.

A 597 nt fragment from Tomato mottle Taino virus (ToMoTV) DNA-A, with 459 nt located upstream of the Replication-associated protein translation start codon, was tested for promoter activity in solanaceous plants. The promoter activity of this fragment (pRep(459::Rep)) was demonstrated when it was introduced upstream the uidA reporter gene into tobacco, potato and tomato plants by genetic transformation. It became active in 7-day-old transgenic tobacco seedlings as revealed by a vascular-specific pattern of gene expression which was maintained during the continued growth of the plant.

Simple and sequential extractions of heavy metals from different sewage sludges.

The presence of heavy metals in the sludges produced in waste-water treatment plants restricts their use for agricultural purposes. This study looks at different types of sludges (aerobic, anaerobic, unstabilised and sludge from a waste stabilisation pond) and compares the distribution of the heavy metals they contain according to the treatment that they have undergone. Some agronomic parameters necessary for characterising a sludge as suitable for use as amendment were determined.

[Gastrointestinal bleeding after endoscopic treatment of polypoid hamartoma (adenoma of Brunner's glands)].

The incidence of polypoidal tumors in the duodenum is scarce and Brunner's gland tumors represent 11% of these proliferations. Brunner's gland polypoid hamartoma or adenoma is a highly infrequent benign polypoid proliferation of Brunner's glands that is usually asymptomatic, although gastrointestinal bleeding or intestinal obstruction may sometimes occur. We present the case of a woman with an incidental diagnosis of duodenal polypoid hamartoma.

Photodegradation pathways and the in vitro phototoxicity of pyrazinamide, a phototoxic antitubercular drug.

The phototoxic antitubercular drug pyrazinamide (1) is photolabile under irradiation with UV-A light as well as with a N2 laser (at 337 nm) in aerobic conditions. Irradiation in methanolic and in aqueous solutions of 1 produces four and three photoproducts, respectively. Their formation involves primary alpha-cleavage between the excited carbonyl of the amido group and the aromatic ring followed by hydrogen abstraction and dimerization.

Vitamins C and E downregulate vascular VEGF and VEGFR-2 expression in apolipoprotein-E-deficient mice.

Anti-angiogenic therapy reduces both plaque growth and intimal neovascularization in apolipoprotein-E-deficient mice (apoE-/-). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been suggested as playing a role in the development of atherosclerosis. We examined the hypothesis that VEGF and VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) expression is upregulated in apoE-/- and, since it could be driven by oxidative stress, tested whether dietary supplementation with vitamins C and E could downregulate it.

Genetic profiling of a central Venezuelan population using 15 STR markers that may be of forensic importance.

The AmpFlSTR Identifiler kit has recently been accepted for use in DNA databasing of forensic samples in the FBI's National DNA Index System. In the present study, we used this kit to analyze the allele distribution of 15 short tandem repeat markers (STR) in individuals living in Caracas city, Venezuela. The allele frequencies of two of these STR, D2S1338 and D19S433, have not previously been reported for this or any other Latin American population.

[Reaction surveillance: organization in public care/hospitals in Marseille].

For the French Drug Agency (AFSSAPS), the aim of the reactovigilance is to monitor the adverse effects resulting from the use of IVD-MD. More precisely, the goal is to evaluate all incidents and risks that can result in inadequate results or negative effects to the user and therefore for the patient. According to the French Law and before the transposition in the French Law of the European Guideline 98/79/CE, the University Hospital of Marseille has decided to organize its own reactovigilance network.

Diastereoselective synthesis of fluorinated, seven-membered beta-amino acid derivatives via ring-closing metathesis.

[reaction: see text] Cis and trans seven-membered gamma,gamma-difluorinated beta-amino acid derivatives (III) have been prepared with a sequence that starts with imidoyl halides (I), which are condensed with suitable ester enolates to give intermediates (II). These, in turn, can be cyclized by means of a ring-closing olefin metathesis reaction and the product stereoselectively reduced to yield compounds (III) in good overall yields.

Early HCV RNA changes in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with peginterferon alfa 2b and ribavirin.

Introduction: Currently, interferon alfa and ribavirin are the mainstay of therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C. Recently the pegylation of interferon has allowed a once weekly application, resulting in an increased sustained viral response rate. The analysis of serum HCV dynamics has been shown to be useful in predicting clinical effects and optimizing the treatment regimen.