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Background: Compared with normotensive subjects, untreated hypertensive patients show a decrease of their aortic distensibility. Whether antihypertensive treatment, by reducing blood pressure and changing functional and/or structural abnormalities of the arterial wall, may prevent or reverse the arterial damage due to the accelerated ageing process remains unclear. The objective of the present study was to determine, using a cross-sectional approach, whether aortic distensibility as measured by pulse wave velocity, in treated hypertensive patients whose diastolic blood pressure had been normalised for several months, was significantly improved over that of untreated hypertensive patients.Methods: Carotid femoral pulse wave velocity was measured in 124 normotensive subjects and 388 hypertensive patients. The latter group included 164 treated patients with well controlled diastolic blood pressure and 224 untreated hypertensive subjects. The three groups did not differ in other cardiovascular risk factors.Results: In each group there was a significant relationship between age and pulse wave velocity. When compared with untreated hypertensives, treated hypertensives with well controlled diastolic blood pressure had significantly lower blood pressure and pulse wave velocity according to age. However, although diastolic blood pressure of well controlled hypertensives was not significantly different from that of normotensive subjects, the aortic distensibility of the controlled hypertensives remained reduced showing two characteristics: a faster increase in pulse wave velocity with age and a negative relationship with HDL-cholesterol.Conclusion: These results suggest that long-term antihypertensive treatment and control of blood pressure using only diastolic blood pressure criteria may not fully reverse arterial alteration associated with hypertensive vascular disease.

The sensitivity of single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in evaluating posterior mculation infarcts compared with that of computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) remains unknown. In a hospital‐based population, the authors studied SPECT, CT, and MRI in 35 consecutive patients presentmg with acute infarction clinically localized in the thalamus (7), posterior cerebral artery (PCA) territory (15), bramtem (19), and cerebellum (3) Multiple infarcts were noted m 8 patients. Overall, the SPECT sensitivity was lower than that of MRI (21% vs 93%, p ~ 0 004) and CT (42% vs 65%, p = 0 046) The SPECT and CT sensitivities were not Significantly different (67% vs 73%) for PCA Infarcts. Performed within 24 hours, SPECT showed a relevant hypoperfusion in all PCA mfarcts. For brainstem infarcts, CT (33%, p= 0 074) and MRI (91 %, p= 0.004) were more sensitive than SPECT, which showed no hemispheric hypoperfusion. The sensitivity of the three imaging techniques was 100% for large cerebellar infarcts. For the small group of thalamic infarcts, the SPECT, CT, and MRI sensitivities were 14, 71, and 100%, respectively. Thus, SPECT compared to CT and MRI is not helpful in the subacute phase to localize PCA and cerebellar infarcts and is of limited value for thalamic infarcts. In the first hours, the absence of cerebral hypoperfusion in brainstem mfarcts may help to differentiate them from hemispheric infarcts usually associated with profound hypoperfusion.

This paper is devoted to the extension, in the frame of coincidence degree theory in normed spaces, of the concept of Leray-Schauder index of an isolated fixed point. The generalization includes basic properties of the coincidence index, Krasnosel'skiĭ type theorems for the case of noninvertible linear part and a Leray-Schauder's type formula relating the index and spectral theory in the linear case. This last problem needs the introduction of the concept of characteristic value for some couples of linear mappings and of its multiplicity.

It is usually admitted that resources management has to be global. However implementing such a management is not easy, as it implies various partners, whose objectives and actions may be divergent, even competitive, especially when resources are limited. Managers nowadays require heterogeneous (qualitative, quantitative, administrative...), reliable and spatially distributed information. Two technologies today available can here be potentially used: remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS). Therefore, in the frame of the ICID Working Group on Decision Systems for Land and Water Management, AFEID (the French National Committee of ICID) constituted in 1994 a Working Group on Remote Sensing and GIS, whose objectives are, among others, the preparation of two ICID guides, on the use of remote sensing and GIS in irrigation and drainage. The originality of the presented approach, to be further used for the management of irrigation and/or drainage systems, results from the application of information systems analysis usually used in company auditing. This analysis has been adapted to specific constraints of geographic information, based on numerous experiences in councelling and in development of decision support systems for public authorities managing large territories.

Progression to destructive insulitis in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice is linked to the failure of regulatory cells, possibly involving T helper type 2 (Th2) cells. Natural killer (NK) T cells might be involved in diabetes, given their deficiency in NOD mice and the prevention of diabetes by adoptive transfer of α/β double-negative thymocytes. Here, we evaluated the role of NK T cells in diabetes by using transgenic NOD mice expressing the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) α chain Vα14-Jα281 characteristic of NK T cells. Precise identification of NK1.1+ T cells was based on out-cross with congenic NK1.1 NOD mice. All six transgenic lines showed, to various degrees, elevated numbers of NK1.1+ T cells, enhanced production of interleukin (IL)-4, and increased levels of serum immunoglobulin E. Only the transgenic lines with the largest numbers of NK T cells and the most vigorous burst of IL-4 production were protected from diabetes. Transfer and cotransfer experiments with transgenic splenocytes demonstrated that Vα14-Jα281 transgenic NOD mice, although protected from overt diabetes, developed a diabetogenic T cell repertoire, and that NK T cells actively inhibited the pathogenic action of T cells. These results indicate that the number of NK T cells strongly influences the development of diabetes.

Ty and Ty-mediated gene expression observed in haploid cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae depends on several determinants, some of which are required for the expression of haploid-specific genes. We report here the cloning and molecular analysis of TEC1. TEC1 encodes a 486-amino-acid protein that is a trans-acting factor required for full Ty1 expression and Ty1-mediated gene activation. However, mutation or deletion of the TEC1 gene had little effect on total Ty2 transcript levels. Our analysis provides clear evidence that TEC1 is not involved in mating or sporulation processes. Unlike most of the proteins involved in Ty and adjacent gene expression, the product of TEC1 has no known cellular function. Although there was no mating-type effect on TEC1 expression, our results indicate that the TEC1 and the a/alpha diploid controls on Ty1 expression are probably not cumulative.

Contains an entry for each author and co-author included in this publication.

A method has been developed to improve the use of the RayIeigh-Ritz procedure. A criterion is established, which is a measure of the cumulative improvement due to the addition of more and more terms in the series expansion. Without calculating the exact roots of determinantal equations, the convergence is accelerated by skipping unnecessary intermediate steps. The computation time is drastically reduced because the final result is obtained after only a few (not more than 5 to 7) values of determinants of increasing order. Inhomogeneneously loaded waveguides are chosen as an application because the exact solution is available to check the validity of the method. The results obtained with the method described in this paper are compared with other approximate procedures. The comparison shows a definite advantage for the suggested technique.

The predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorusinvades and proliferates inside other bacteria by non-binary division. Here we describe a fluorescence-based technique for the immediate evaluation of predator density independently of plaque formation, an optimized setup to monitor predation in microplates, and the CuRveR package to quantify both prey killing and predator proliferation dynamics. This protocol allows to assess the impact of mutations or chemicals on predation. CuRveR also constitutes a user-friendly tool to analyze growth or decay data unrelated to predation.

Visual hallucinations on eye closure are very uncommon. The underlying mechanism remains controversial. We report on a new case after carotid endarterectomy and coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The hypothesis of a temporal lobe epilepsy is discussed.

Pulse wave velocity, used as an indicator of arterial distensibility, was recorded in 123 young male subjects, 63 untreated patients with borderline hypertension and 60 control subjects. The measurement was made with a continuous Doppler unit coupled to an ECG. In both groups mean age was similar, but mean arterial pressure was increased in borderline hypertensive compared with control patients. In comparison with controls, borderline hypertensives showed an increased pulse wave velocity. A significant correlation was observed between mean arterial pressure and pulse wave velocity in both populations, but the two regression lines were significantly different (covariance analysis). This result suggests that pulse wave velocity modifications in borderline hypertensives are not solely due to the elevated pressure, but also reflect structural or functional changes in the arterial tree

Laloux: QIAGEN France S.A.S: Employment. Biglia:HalioDx: Employment. Bona:HalioDx: Employment. Lafi:HalioDx: Employment. Charifi:HalioDx: Employment. Larsen:QIAGEN Aarhus: Employment. Lueerssen:QIAGEN Manchester Ltd: Employment. Gupta:QIAGEN Aarhus: Employment. Lauber:QIAGEN GmbH: Employment. Hughes:QIAGEN Manchester Ltd: Employment.

Après un accident vasculaire cérébral (AVC), les changements de connectivité fonctionnelle (CF) en IRM fonctionnelle à l’état de repos (rs-fMRI) corrèlent avec la récupération. Le but de cette étude était de déterminer si la combinaison de l’apprentissage moteur avec la stimulation transcrânienne par courant direct (tDCS) appliquée en regard des aires motrices primaires (M1) modulait la CF après un AVC. Vingt-deux patients hémiparétiques en phase chronique de l’AVC ont participé à une évaluation de base par rs-fMRI. Une semaine après, la tDCS réelle/placebo a été appliquée durant un apprentissage moteur procédural (intervention). La session de rétention réalisée une semaine plus tard a débuté par une acquisition en rs-fMRI. Le bloc [intervention+rétention] a été réalisé une fois sous stimulation réelle et une fois sous stimulation placebo (essai randomisé, en groupes croisés balancés, et double insu). Une ANOVA n’a pas démontré de modification dans le réseau sensorimoteur (obtenu par analyse en composante indépendante sur l’entièreté du cerveau) une semaine après stimulation placebo, tandis que la CF était augmentée dans ce même réseau une semaine après tDCS réelle en comparaison à l’évaluation de base (qFDR<0,05, t[63]=4,15). Une analyse par régions d’intérêt (« seed-based ») a confirmé ces changements spécifiques après tDCS réelle au sein d’un réseau d’aires motrices et prémotrices dans les deux hémisphères. Lors de l’évaluation initiale et une semaine après stimulation placebo, la CF la plus forte reliait M1 au cortex prémoteur dorsal (dPM) dans l’hémisphère sain. Par contre, une semaine après tDCS réelle, la plus forte CF reliait M1 au dPM dans l’hémisphère lésé. En conclusion, une semaine après une session unique de tDCS combinée à un apprentissage moteur procédural avec le membre supérieur parétique, la CF dans le réseau sensori-moteur reste renforcée chez des patients AVC en phase chronique.

La proprioception est un flux sensoriel continu et habituellement inconscient qui provient des muscles, des tendons, des articulations et de la peau grâce auquels la tension musculaire, l’équilibre et le mouvement sont contrôlés [1]. La proprioception est habituellement testée cliniquement sur son versant fonctionnel. Ainsi, la scoliose idiopathique de l’adolescence (SIA) a pu être associée à des perturbations posturo-dynamiques lors de la station debout, de la marche, de l’initiation du pas et de la position assise [2]. En revanche, aucune étude ne semble avoir étudié la statesthésie alors que l’erreur positionnelle est affectée par certaines pathologies [3]et qu’une étude récente propose un test de sens positionnel rachidien présentant une reproductibilité inter-évaluateurs à 0,90 [4]. L’objectif était donc de comparer l’erreur positionnelle lors d’un test de repositionnement rachidien, pour des sujets atteints de SIA et des sujets asymptomatiques.

ABSTRACTThe envelope of Gram-negative bacteria is an essential compartment that constitutes a protective and permeability barrier between the cell and its environment. The envelope also hosts the cell wall, a mesh-like structure made of peptidoglycan (PG) that determines cell shape and provides osmotic protection. Since the PG must grow and divide in a cell-cycle-synchronized manner, its synthesis and remodeling are tightly regulated. Here, we discovered that PG homeostasis is intimately linked to the levels of activation of the Cpx system, an envelope stress response system traditionally viewed as being involved in protein quality control in the envelope. We first show that Cpx is activated when PG integrity is challenged and that this activation provides protection to cells exposed to antibiotics inhibiting PG synthesis. By rerouting the outer membrane lipoprotein NlpE, a known Cpx activator, to a different envelope subcompartment, we managed to manipulate Cpx activation levels. We found that Cpx overactivation leads to aberrant cellular morphologies, to an increased sensitivity to β-lactams, and to dramatic division and growth defects, consistent with a loss of PG homeostasis. Remarkably, these phenotypes were largely abrogated by the deletion of ldtD, a Cpx-induced gene involved in noncanonical PG cross-linkage, suggesting that this transpeptidase is an important link between PG homeostasis and the Cpx system.Altogether our data show that fine-tuning of an envelope quality control system constitutes an important layer of regulation of the highly organized cell wall structure.IMPORTANCEThe envelope of Gram-negative bacteria is essential for viability. First, it includes the cell wall, a continuous polymer of peptidoglycan (PG) that determines cell morphology and protects against osmotic stress. Moreover, the envelope constitutes a protective barrier between the cell interior and the environment. Therefore, mechanisms called envelope stress response systems (ESRS) exist to monitor and defend envelope integrity against harmful conditions. Cpx is a major ESRS that detects and manages the accumulation of misfolded proteins in the envelope of Escherichia coli. We found that this protein quality control system also plays a fundamental role in the regulation of PG assembly. Strikingly, the level of Cpx response is critical, as an excessive activation leads to phenotypes associated with a loss of cell wall integrity. Thus, by contributing to PG homeostasis, the Cpx system lies at the crossroads between key processes of bacterial life, including cell shape, growth, division, and antibiotic resistance.

Some Ty1 transposable element insertion mutations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae activate transcription of adjacent genes in a cell-type dependent manner. This activation requires at least STE12 and TEC1 gene products. The binding site for the STE12 protein is located in the sterile responsive element (SRE), which is just downstream the 5′ LTR of Ty1 and contains one copy of the pheromone response element (PRE). This report defines the sequences in Ty1 required for TEC1-dependent activation using a TDH3::lacZ reporter gene in which the UAS was replaced by different portions of a Ty1 or Ty2 element. The Ty1 SRE seems to be sufficient to ensure the TEC1 and STE12-medlated activation whereas Ty2 SRE can activate the expression of the adjacent genes in the absence of both proteins. Adjacent to the PRE element, there is a region (PAE) with extensive sequence divergence in Ty1 and Ty2 SREs. Swapping experiments between Ty1 and Ty2 sequences show that Ty1 PAE is required for the activation of adjacent gene expression in a TEC1 and STE12-dependent manner. The use of a LexA::TEC1 construct indicates that the chimeric protein has no activation ability suggesting that TEC1 could act in conjunction with another factor.

To determine whether long-term treatment with cilazapril improves pulse pressure, arterial compliance and ankle-arm systolic index (AAI) in patients with lower-extremity arterial disease. An increase in pulse pressure has been attributed to reduced compliance in both systolic hypertension and lower-extremity arterial disease.

To study the effect of antihypertensive treatment on arterial wall hypertrophy, at the site of a muscular artery, the radial artery.

A small number of physicists have always worked on the financial markets. Employed by banks and other financial institutions, these so-called "rocket scientists" have been valued for their mathematical and computational skills, and their ability to analyse extremely complex problems. And as international finance has become even more complicated, the demand for rocket scientists - most of whom have PhDs - has increased, as have their famously high salaries.