[Neurologic diseases in a rural tropical area: experience at a primary health care center in the Boeny region of Madagascar].

There is, to our knowledge, no study reporting the demand for health care related to neurological diseases in rural tropical areas of developing countries. Neurology is nonetheless more or less closely related to the priority health issues in these countries. Over a 6-week period, 626 patients were seen at the primary health center in the town of Madirovalo, Madagascar.

Size-dependent optical properties of Si nanocrystals embedded in a silica matrix.

We report on a numerical investigation of the size distribution effect on the optical properties of Si nanocrystals embedded in a silica matrix. Firstly, the dielectric function of the composite film is accurately evaluated. Next, a modified version of the Maxwell-Garnett theory is introduced.

[Caring for a stroke victim: the emotional reactions of male and female caregivers].

The objective of this study was to assess the emotional response to caregiving among stroke caregivers and to assess the social and psychological impact of strokes on households two years after the event. Questionnaires were administered to 62 patient (64.4 years old)/caregiver (59.

Impact of dosimetric and clinical parameters on clinical side effects in cervix cancer patients treated with 3D pulse-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy.

Background And Purpose: To assess the association between dosimetric/clinical parameters and gastrointestinal/urinary grade 2-4 side effects in cervix cancer patients treated with 3D pulse dose rate brachytherapy.

Materials And Methods: Three hundred and fifty-two patients received brachytherapy associated with external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for 266 of them; 236 patients underwent surgery. The doses for the most exposed 2, and 0.

Solvable model for polymorphic dynamics of biofilaments.

We investigate an analytically tractable toy model for thermally induced polymorphic dynamics of cooperatively rearranging biofilaments-like microtubules. The proposed four-block model, which can be seen as a coarse-grained approximation of the full polymorphic tube model, permits a complete analytical treatment of all thermodynamic properties including correlation functions and angular Fourier mode distributions. Due to its mathematical tractability the model straightforwardly leads to some physical insights in recently discussed phenomena like the "length dependent persistence length.

Aurones: interesting natural and synthetic compounds with emerging biological potential.

Aurones [2-benzylidenebenzofuran-3(2H)-ones] are either natural or synthetic compounds, belonging to the flavonoid family. They are isomeric to flavones and provide a bright yellow color to the plants in which they occur. Today, a literature survey indicates that the related flavonoids have been studied not only for their physiological properties and effects on Nature, but also for their therapeutic potential.

Proton-induced single electron capture on DNA/RNA bases.

In this work, we report total cross sections for the single electron capture process induced on DNA/RNA bases by high-energy protons. The calculations are performed within both the continuum distorted wave and the continuum distorted wave-eikonal initial state approximations. The biological targets are described within the framework of self-consistent methods based on the complete neglect of differential overlap model whose accuracy has first been checked for simpler bio-molecules such as water vapour.

Ethical issues raised by the new orientations in ergonomics and living labs.

User Experience Theory (UXT) provides us with criteria for designing products and technical systems for everyday activities (playing, learning, working,…) so as to satisfy users. Living Labs (LL), are plateforms used for the design and evaluation of technical systems. As such, they constitute tools that bring to this process some constraints.

Analyzing Web pages visual scanpaths: between and within tasks variability.

In this paper, we propose a new method for comparing scanpaths in a bottom-up approach, and a test of the scanpath theory. To do so, we conducted a laboratory experiment in which 113 participants were invited to accomplish a set of tasks on two different websites. For each site, they had to perform two tasks that had to be repeated ounce.

Parasitism can be a confounding factor in assessing the response of zebra mussels to water contamination.

Biological responses measured in aquatic organisms to monitor environmental pollution could be also affected by different biotic and abiotic factors. Among these environmental factors, parasitism has often been neglected even if infection by parasites is very frequent. In the present field investigation, the parasite infra-communities and zebra mussel biological responses were studied up- and downstream a waste water treatment plant in northeast France.

Role of electrostatic interactions in the toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles toward Escherichia coli.

The increasing production and use of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (NP-TiO(2)) has led to concerns about their possible impact on the environment. Bacteria play crucial roles in ecosystem processes and may be subject to the toxicity of these nanoparticles. In this study, we showed that at low ionic strength, the cell viability of Escherichia coli was more severely affected at pH 5.

Host switch and infestation by Ligula intestinalis L. in a silver bream (Blicca bjoerkna L.) population.

Sampling of the fish community was carried out for 20 years in the Mirgenbach reservoir, in North-Eastern France. The prevalence and the mean intensity of Ligula intestinalis (Cestoda) were analysed in roach (Rutilus rutilus) and silver bream (Blicca bjoerkna) populations, the main two infected species. The aim of this study was to investigate the host switch from roach to silver bream and the consequences of L.

Cooperative lattice dynamics and anomalous fluctuations of microtubules.

Microtubules have been in the focus of biophysical research for several decades. However, the confusing and mutually contradictory results regarding their elasticity and fluctuations have cast doubt on their present understanding. In this paper, we present the empirical evidence for the existence of discrete guanosine diphosphate (GDP)-tubulin fluctuations between a curved and a straight configuration at room temperature as well as for conformational tubulin cooperativity.

Is there a link between shell morphology and parasites of zebra mussels?

The shell morphology of zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha, was analyzed to determine if alterations in shell shape and asymmetry between valves were related to its infection status, i.e. infected or not by microparasites like ciliates Ophryoglena spp.

EPOTRAN: a full-differential Monte Carlo code for electron and positron transport in liquid and gaseous water.

Purpose: We describe here a novel full-differential Monte Carlo (MC) event-by-event simulation, for modelling electron and positron histories in liquid and gaseous water, with impact energies ranging from the water excitation threshold (7.4 eV) to 10 keV. This new track-structure code is named EPOTRAN, an acronym for Electron and POsitron TRANsport in water.

The trapezius muscle uniquely lacks adaptive process in response to a repeated moderate cognitive stressor.

The aim of this study was to examine the adaptive process of muscular responses in healthy subjects over two repeated exposures to the same moderate cognitive stressor. The electromyographic (EMG) activity of the flexor pollicis brevis, biceps brachii, triceps brachii, trapezius, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles was recorded in 35 males during video-recorded Stroop color-word interference tests. The results showed lower EMG activity in all muscles during the second exposure to the stressful task, but not in the trapezius muscle.

Physiological response and differential leaf proteome pattern in the European invasive Asteraceae Solidago canadensis colonizing a former cokery soil.

Derelict contaminated sites are often colonized spontaneously by plant species leading to a vegetal cover thought to limit particle dispersal and polluted water infiltration. Those plants must cope with soil pollutants through tolerance mechanisms that are not yet fully understood. Here, we focused our attention on a particular Asteraceae plant, Solidago canadensis, considered as invasive in Europe.

Cross-effects of nickel contamination and parasitism on zebra mussel physiology.

Aquatic organisms are exposed to pollution which may make them more susceptible to infections and diseases. The present investigation evaluated effects of nickel contamination and parasitism (ciliates Ophryoglena spp. and intracellular bacteria Rickettsiales-like organisms), alone and in combination, on biological responses of the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha, and also the infestation abilities of parasites, under laboratory controlled conditions.

Comparison of arsenate and cadmium toxicity in a freshwater amphipod (Gammarus pulex).

Cadmium is largely documented on freshwater organisms while arsenic, especially arsenate, is rarely studied. The kinetic of the LC50s values for both metals was realized on Gammarus pulex. Physiological [i.

Microsporidia parasites disrupt the responses to cadmium exposure in a gammarid.

Microsporidia parasites are commonly found in amphipods, where they are often asymptomatic, vertically-transmitted and have several effects on host sexuality and behaviour. As amphipods are often used as models in ecotoxicological studies, we investigated the effect of microsporidian infections on energy reserves and defence capacities of Gammarus roeseli under cadmium stress. Only females were infected by two microsporidia parasites: Dictyocoela roeselum or Dictyocoela muelleri.

Ecotoxicity of cyanide complexes in industrially contaminated soils.

This study deals with acute and chronic ecotoxicity of leachates from industrially contaminated soils. Analyses focused on cyanides (complex and free forms) to study their possible involvement in leachates toxicity. No acute toxicity on the Microtox and 48 h-Daphnia magna tests was found in leachates collected over 18 months, but a high chronic toxicity was recorded on the reproduction of Ceriodaphnia dubia (EC50-7d=0.

Theoretical ionization and capture cross sections for DNA nucleobases impacted by light ions.

Purpose: Although DNA lesions are considered of prime importance for describing the post-irradiation cellular survival, they still remain rarely studied on both experimental and theoretical sides. Under these conditions, we here propose different theoretical models for predicting the single ionization and single capture total cross sections for DNA bases impacted by protons.

Material And Methods: Three theoretical approaches are developed: a first classical one based on a classical trajectory Monte Carlo (CTMC) model and two quantum mechanical ones, namely, a Coulomb Born (CB1) and a continuum-distorted wave eikonal-initial-state (CDW-EIS) model.

New methodological improvements in the Microtox® solid phase assay.

The classic Microtox® solid phase assay (MSPA) based on the inhibition of light production of the marine bacteria recently renamed Aliivibrio fischeri suffers from various bias and interferences, mainly due to physico-chemical characteristics of the tested solid phase. To precisely assess ecotoxicity of sediments, we have developed an alternative method, named Microtox® leachate phase assay (MLPA), in order to measure the action of dissolved pollutants in the aqueous phase. Two hypotheses were formulated to explain the observed difference between MSPA and MLPA results: a real ecotoxicity of the solid phase or the fixation of bacteria to fine particles and/or organic matter.