Why do Italian people rate their health worse than French people do? An exploration of cross-country differentials of self-rated health

The prevalence of bad self-rated health (SRH) varies considerably across countries. Here we present the results of a cross-national comparative study based on the data of National Health Surveys conducted in France and Italy. According to these data, 11% of the Italian and 6% of the French adult population aged between 45 and 74 rate their health as bad or very bad. This gap may result from differences in population structure regarding the individual characteristics (sociodemographic characteristics, diseases and disabilities, lifestyle, and others) that impact on SRH i.e., a structural effect. It may also be that the link between these characteristics and SRH is “country-specific” i.e., a contextual effect. We use logistic regression models to assess the contribution of both explanations. We find that the structural effect plays a prominent role in the higher prevalence of bad SRH in Italy compared to France.     

Pregnancy and functional paraganglioma

The association of pregnancy with a catecholamine-secreting tumor is rare. The high maternal and fetal mortality rate is significantly reduced when the diagnosis is made antepartum and adequate management is started. In 1979 Burgess reviewed 42 cases with antepartum diagnosis, demonstrating the benefits of alpha-blockade (Obstet Gynecol 1979; 53:266-270). When diagnosis was made in the third trimester of pregnancy, a combined procedure of cesarean section and tumor resection was best. The best surgical approach in first- and second-trimester diagnosis, however, remains controversial. A case with second-trimester diagnosis is described. Following a period of alpha- and beta-blockade, a combined surgical procedure in the third trimester resulted in a healthy mother and infant. Follow-up procedures included a meta-iodobenzylguanidine scan of the mother. Postpartum, ultrasonography of the child's brain revealed periventricular leucomalacia. The prognosis associated with this finding is poor. Some more recent information about certain aspects of these tumors is also discussed.     

Two tyrosinase nonapeptides recognized on HLA-A2 melanomas by autologous cytolytic T lymphocytes

A number of cytolytic T lymphocyte (CTL) clones derived from several melanoma patients have been found to recognize a majority of melanomas from HLA-A2 patients. We have reported previously that two such CTL clones recognize a product of the tyrosinase gene that is presented by HLA-A2. Here we show that one of these CTL clones recognizes a peptide encoded by the first nine amino acids of the putative signal sequence of tyrosinase. The other CTL clone recognizes a different tyrosinase peptide corresponding to amino acids 368–376. Both peptides contain consensus motifs of HLA-A2 binding peptides.     

On the use of scaling and clustering in the study of semantic deficits

In the past decade, several studies have used scaling and clustering techniques to document semantic storage deficits in patients with Alzheimer's disease and in schizophrenia. In this article the authors argued that many of the conclusions drawn from these studies are unjustified by the data. They reviewed the methodology used in these studies and presented data from simulation studies to further investigate the validity of their conclusions. The authors elaborate on the criteria needed to exclude alternative accounts of the data and present empirical data from patients with Alzheimer's disease and normal control participants to demonstrate that analyses of the patients' proximity data do not provide unambiguous evidence for a generalized semantic storage deficit.     

Genomic Analysis of Novel Poxvirus Brazilian Porcupinepox Virus,Brazil, 2019

We obtained the complete sequence of a novel poxvirus, tentatively named Brazilian porcupinepox virus, from a wild porcupine (Coendou prehensilis) in Brazil that had skin and internal lesions characteristic of poxvirus infection. The impact of this lethal poxvirus on the survival of this species and its potential zoonotic importance remain to be investigated.     

Desempenho Diagnóstico da Angiotomografia Computadorizada e da Avaliação Seriada de Troponina Cardíaca Sensível em Pacientes com Dor Torácica e Risco Intermediário para Eventos Cardiovasculares

BackgroundCoronary tomography angiography (CTA) has been mainly used for chest pain evaluation in low-risk patients, and few data exist regarding patients at intermediate risk.ObjectiveTo evaluate the performance of serial measures of sensitive troponin and CTA in intermediate-risk patients.MethodsA total of 100 patients with chest pain, TIMI risk scores of 3 or 4, and negative troponin were prospectively included. All patients underwent CTA and those with coronary stenosis ≥ 50% were referred to invasive coronary angiography. Patients with coronary lesions <50% were discharged and contacted 30 days later by a telephone call to assess clinical outcomes. Outcomes were hospitalization, death, and myocardial infarction at 30 days. The comparison between methods was performed by Kappa agreement test. The performance of troponin measures and CTA for detecting significant coronary lesions and clinical outcomes was calculated. Results were considered statistically significant when p < 0.05.ResultsCoronary stenosis ≥ 50% on CTA was found in 38% of patients and significant coronary lesions on coronary angiography were found in 31 patients. Two clinical events were observed. Kappa agreement analysis showed low agreement between troponin measures and CTA in the detection of significant coronary lesions (kappa = 0.022, p = 0.78). The performance of CTA for detecting significant coronary lesions on coronary angiography or for predicting clinical events at 30 days was better than sensitive troponin measures (accuracy of 91% versus 60%).ConclusionCTA performed better than sensitive troponin measures in the detection of significant coronary disease in patients with chest pain and intermediate risk for cardiovascular events.     

Structural characterization and cytotoxic properties of a 4-O-methylglucuronoxylan from castanea sativa. 2. Evidence of a structure-activity relationship

Xylans were purified from delignified holocellulose alkaline extracts of Castanea sativa (Spanish chestnut) and Argania spinosa (Argan tree) and their structures analyzed by means of GC of their per-trimethylsilylated methylglycoside derivatives and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. The structures deduced were characteristic of a 4-O-methylglucuronoxylan (MGX) and a homoxylan (HX), respectively, with degrees of polymerization ranging from 182 to 360. In the case of MGX, the regular or random distribution of 4-O-methylglucuronic acid along the xylosyl backbone--determined by MALDI mass spectrometry after autohydrolysis of the polysaccharide--varied and depended both on the botanical source from which they were extracted and on the xylan extraction procedure. The MGX also inhibited in different ways the proliferation as well as the migration and invasion capability of A431 human epidermoid carcinoma cells. These biological properties could be correlated with structural features including values of the degree of polymerization, 4-O-MeGlcA to xylose ratios, and distribution of 4-O-MeGlcA along the xylosyl backbone, giving evidence of a defined structure-activity relationship.