Effects of vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc gluconate, and selenomethionine supplementation on muscle function and oxidative stress biomarkers in patients with facioscapulohumeral dystrophy: a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial.

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by progressive weakness and atrophy of specific skeletal muscles. As growing evidence suggests that oxidative stress may contribute to FSHD pathology, antioxidants that might modulate or delay oxidative insults could help in maintaining FSHD muscle function. Our primary objective was to test whether oral administration of vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc gluconate, and selenomethionine could improve the physical performance of patients with FSHD.

[Facial asymmetries and their skeletal component].

The diagnosis and treatment of facial asymmetries is one of the most difficult challenges in orthognathic surgery. In some cases, the involvement of soft tissue defects or, in other cases, an associated basi-cranial asymmetry can complicate the management. The influence of various components of the cephalic end in the development of the face requires a thorough clinical and radiographic examination including the overall posture of the patient.

The role of tomosynthesis in breast cancer staging in 75 patients.

Objectives: Compare tomosynthesis to mammography, ultrasound, MRI, and histology for the detection and staging of BI-RADS 4-5 anomalies, as a function of breast composition, lesion location, size, and histology.

Patients And Methods: Seventy-five patients underwent mammography, tomosynthesis, ultrasound, and MRI. The diagnostic accuracy of the different examinations was compared.

Extraordinary transmission through subwavelength dielectric gratings in the microwave range.

We address the problem of the transmission through subwavelength dielectric gratings. Following Maurel et al. [Phys.

Preoperative prognostic value of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI-derived contrast transfer coefficient and plasma volume in patients with cerebral gliomas.

Background And Purpose: The prognostic value of dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging-derived plasma volume obtained in tumor and the contrast transfer coefficient has not been well-established in patients with gliomas. We determined whether plasma volume and contrast transfer coefficient in tumor correlated with survival in patients with gliomas in addition to other factors such as age, type of surgery, preoperative Karnofsky score, contrast enhancement, and histopathologic grade.

Materials And Methods: This prospective study included 46 patients with a new pathologically confirmed diagnosis of glioma.

A comprehensive rehabilitation program improves disease severity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a pilot randomized controlled study.

Background: Exercise training may improve components of metabolic syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). The objective of our pilot randomized controlled study was to determine the benefits of a short intensive inpatient individualized exercise training (IET) program in sedentary untreated OSAS patients.

Methods: Twenty-two sedentary patients with moderate to severe OSAS were randomly assigned either to one-month education activity sessions (n=11; control group) or to inpatient rehabilitation program (n=11), including IET, education activities sessions, and dietary management.

Evaluation of 18F-UCB-H as a novel PET tracer for synaptic vesicle protein 2A in the brain.

Unlabelled: Synaptic vesicle protein 2 isoforms are critical for proper nervous system function and are involved in vesicle trafficking. The synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) isoform has been identified as the binding site of the antiepileptic levetiracetam (LEV), making it an interesting therapeutic target for epilepsy. (18)F-UCB-H is a novel PET imaging agent with a nanomolar affinity for human SV2A.

Integrated care pathways for airway diseases (AIRWAYS-ICPs).

The objective of Integrated Care Pathways for Airway Diseases (AIRWAYS-ICPs) is to launch a collaboration to develop multi-sectoral care pathways for chronic respiratory diseases in European countries and regions. AIRWAYS-ICPs has strategic relevance to the European Union Health Strategy and will add value to existing public health knowledge by: 1) proposing a common framework of care pathways for chronic respiratory diseases, which will facilitate comparability and trans-national initiatives; 2) informing cost-effective policy development, strengthening in particular those on smoking and environmental exposure; 3) aiding risk stratification in chronic disease patients, using a common strategy; 4) having a significant impact on the health of citizens in the short term (reduction of morbidity, improvement of education in children and of work in adults) and in the long-term (healthy ageing); 5) proposing a common simulation tool to assist physicians; and 6) ultimately reducing the healthcare burden (emergency visits, avoidable hospitalisations, disability and costs) while improving quality of life. In the longer term, the incidence of disease may be reduced by innovative prevention strategies.

A general copper-mediated nucleophilic 18F fluorination of arenes.

Molecules labeled with fluorine-18 are used as radiotracers for positron emission tomography. An important challenge is the labeling of arenes not amenable to aromatic nucleophilic substitution (SNAr) with [(18)F]F(-). In the ideal case, the (18)F fluorination of these substrates would be performed through reaction of [(18)F]KF with shelf-stable readily available precursors using a broadly applicable method suitable for automation.

Propagation in waveguides with varying cross section and curvature: a new light on the role of supplementary modes in multi-modal methods.

We present an efficient multi-modal method to describe the acoustic propagation in waveguides with varying curvature and cross section. A key feature is the use of a flexible geometrical transformation to a virtual space in which the waveguide is straight and has unitary cross section. In this new space, the pressure field has to satisfy a modified wave equation and associated modified boundary conditions.

Effects of intermittent training on anaerobic performance and MCT transporters in athletes.

This study examined the effects of intermittent hypoxic training (IHT) on skeletal muscle monocarboxylate lactate transporter (MCT) expression and anaerobic performance in trained athletes. Cyclists were assigned to two interventions, either normoxic (N; n = 8; 150 mmHg PIO2) or hypoxic (H; n = 10; ∼3000 m, 100 mmHg PIO2) over a three week training (5×1 h-1h30 x week(-1)) period. Prior to and after training, an incremental exercise test to exhaustion (EXT) was performed in normoxia together with a 2 min time trial (TT).

[Parotid involvement in Churg-Strauss syndrome].

Introduction: Churg-Strauss syndrome is a rare systemic vascularitis. This disease causes eosinophilic tissue infiltration. The most frequent manifestations are cortico-dependent asthma, mono- or polyneuropathy, paranasal sinus polyposis, and digestive and renal dysfunction.

A report on radioactivity measurements of fish samples from the west coast of Canada.

Even though many studies have shown that radioactive caesium levels in fish caught outside of Japan were below experimental detection limits of a few Bq kg(-1), significant public concern has been expressed about the safety of consuming seafood from the Pacific Ocean following the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear accident. To address the public concerns, samples of commonly consumed salmon and groundfish harvested from the Canadian west coast in 2013 were analysed for radioactive caesium. None of the fish samples analysed in this study contained any detectable levels of (134)Cs and (137)Cs under given experimental setting with the average detection limit of ∼2 Bq kg(-1).

Sequential exercise in triathletes: variations in GH and water loss.

Growth hormone (GH) may stimulate water loss during exercise by activating sweating. This study investigated GH secretion and water loss during sequential cycling and running, taking postural changes into account. The two exercise segments had similar durations and were performed at the same relative intensity to determine their respective contributions to water loss and the plasma volume variation noted in such trials.

Improved multimodal admittance method in varying cross section waveguides.

An improved version of the multimodal admittance method in acoustic waveguides with varying cross sections is presented. This method aims at a better convergence with respect to the number of transverse modes that are taken into account. It is based on an enriched modal expansion of the pressure: the first modes are the local transverse modes and a supplementary (+1)th mode, called boundary mode, is a well-chosen transverse function orthogonal to the first modes.

Defects in TLR3 expression and RNase L activation lead to decreased MnSOD expression and insulin resistance in muscle cells of obese people.

Obesity is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress that blunt insulin response in its target tissues, leading to insulin resistance (IR). IR is a characteristic feature of type 2 diabetes. Skeletal muscle is responsible for 75% of total insulin-dependent glucose uptake; consequently, skeletal muscle IR is considered to be the primary defect of systemic IR development.

Systems medicine approaches for the definition of complex phenotypes in chronic diseases and ageing. From concept to implementation and policies.

Chronic diseases are diseases of long duration and slow progression. Major NCDs (cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, rheumatologic diseases and mental health) represent the predominant health problem of the Century. The prevention and control of NCDs are the priority of the World Health Organization 2008 Action Plan, the United Nations 2010 Resolution and the European Union 2010 Council.

Relationship between CT air trapping criteria and lung function in small airway impairment quantification.

Background: Small airways are regarded as the elective anatomic site of obstruction in most chronic airway diseases. Expiratory computed tomography (CT) is increasingly used to assess obstruction at this level but there is no consensus regarding the best quantification method. We aimed to evaluate software-assisted CT quantification of air trapping for assessing small airway obstruction and determine which CT criteria better predict small airway obstruction on single breath nitrogen test (SBNT).

Early inhaled nitric oxide at high dose enhances rat lung development after birth.

Rational: Inhaled nitric oxide (NO) is frequently administered to full term and preterm newborns in various clinical settings in order to alleviate pulmonary hypertension whilst improving oxygenation. However, the physiological effect of NO on early postnatal lung development has not yet been clearly described. We therefore investigated whether NO administered by inhalation affects lung development at early postnatal life.

Executive control modulates cross-language lexical activation during L2 reading: evidence from eye movements.

Models of bilingual reading such as Bilingual Interactive Activation Plus (Dijkstra & van Heuven, 2002) do not predict a central role for domain-general executive control during bilingual reading, in contrast with bilingual models from other domains, such as production (e.g., the Inhibitory Control Model; Green, 1998).

Discovery of heterocyclic nonacetamide synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) ligands with single-digit nanomolar potency: opening avenues towards the first SV2A positron emission tomography (PET) ligands.

The role of the synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) protein, target of the antiepileptic drug levetiracetam, is still mostly unknown. Considering its potential to provide in vivo functional insights into the role of SV2A in epileptic patients, the development of an SV2A positron emission tomography (PET) tracer has been undertaken. Using a 3D pharmacophore model based on close analogues of levetiracetam, we report the rationale design of three heterocyclic non-acetamide lead compounds, UCB-A, UCB-H and UCB-J, the first single-digit nanomolar SV2A ligands with suitable properties for development as PET tracers.

Wave propagation through penetrable scatterers in a waveguide and through a penetrable grating.

A multimodal method based on the admittance matrix is used to analyze wave propagation through scatterers of arbitrary shape. Two cases are considered: a waveguide containing scatterers, and the scattering of a plane wave at oblique incidence to an infinite periodic row of scatterers. In both cases, the problem reduces to a system of two sets of first-order differential equations for the modal components of the wavefield, similar to the system obtained in the rigorous coupled wave analysis.