Significance of hepatitis B virus genotypes A to E in a cohort of patients with chronic hepatitis B in the Seine Saint Denis District of Paris (France)

The aim of this study was to examine the genetic variability of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and its significance. HBV genotypes, core promoter and precore mutants were characterized in 109 consecutive patients with biopsy-proven HBV chronic hepatitis. Genotypes A (26.6%), B (12.8%), C (18.3%), D (18.3%), and E (14.7%) indicate a wide genotypic distribution. Patients were from Asia (30.3%), Europe (28.4%), Sub Saharan Africa (23.9%), the Caribbean (10.1%), North Africa (5.5%), and Madagascar (1.8%). HBV genotypes A and D (HBV/A and /D) infected all subgroups except Asian patients. HBV/B or /C were found in 97% of Asian patients, whereas HBV/E only infected sub-Saharan African and Caribbean patients. Differences according to genotypes were: an increased prevalence of anti-HBe antibodies in patients infected with HBV/D (P = 0.003), higher serum transaminases in patients infected with HBV/A and/D (P = 0.043), more severe liver fibrosis in patients infected with HBV/A, /C and/D (P = 0.02). Precore and core promoter mutants were found in 87% of anti-HBe positive patients, and were associated with HBV/D (P = 0.04) and severe liver fibrosis (P = 0.002). It is concluded that HBV genotypes A, B, C, D, and E circulate in the Seine Saint Denis District, reflecting the geographical origin of patients. HBV/A, /C and/D seem to be associated with more severe hepatic disease.     

Shelf life of predosed plates containing mefloquine, artemisinin, dihydroartemisinin, and artesunate as used for in vitro Plasmodium falciparum susceptibility assessment

The shelf lives of preserved antimalarial agent-predosed plates according to the type of wrapping and the temperature of storage were studied by measuring the 50% inhibitory concentrations of drug for Plasmodium falciparum 3D7. The shelf life of mefloquine was 8 weeks at 25 degrees C; and those of artesunate, artemisinin, and dihydroartemisinin were a minimum of 24, 12, and 8 weeks, respectively, at 4 degrees C.     

Increased radiation sensitivity of an eosinophilic cell line following treatment with epigallocatechin-gallate, resveratrol and curcuma

Ionizing radiation is widely used in radiotherapy, in order to promote an apoptotic response in cancerous cells. Since the need to find new substances that would enhance the radiation-induced apoptosis in cancerous cells is great, we studied the effect of epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG, a tea component), resveratrol (a wine component) and curcuma on cell proliferation and radiation-induced apoptosis in the human leukaemic cell line, EOL-1, derived from a patient with eosinophilic leukaemia. Cells were X-irradiated with 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 Gy and cultured in the presence of EGCG, resveratrol or curcuma (concentrations ranging from 0 to 200 microM) for 1, 2 or 3 days of culture. Cell proliferation was measured using trypan blue exclusion. Apoptosis was evaluated using light microscopy (morphology study after May-Grunwald Giemsa staining) and flow cytometry (annexin-V staining). Irradiation alone induced a dose-related reduction in cell proliferation and the appearance of polyploid cells in EOL-1 cells. Additionally, EOL-1 cells underwent a dose-related increase of apoptosis which, from the second day on, was accompanied by a dose-related increase of necrosis. When cells were exposed to EGCG, resveratrol or curcuma alone, a decrease in cell proliferation was observed, beginning from 25 microM EGCG and 50 microM resveratrol and curcuma, while an increase in the percentage of apoptotic cells was noted from 50 microM EGCG, 100 microM resveratrol and curcuma in EOL-1 cells, after only one day of culture. Simultaneous exposure to X-irradiation and, EGCG, resveratrol or curcuma resulted in a synergistic decrease of cell proliferation as well as in a synergistic increase of apoptosis and necrosis. These results suggest that, depending on the concentration, EGCG, resveratrol and curcuma enhance radiation-induced apoptosis in the leukaemic cell line, EOL-1 (EGCG >resveratrol >curcuma). In order to further characterise the radiation-induced apoptosis of this leukaemic cell line, other flow cytometrical analyses are in progress.     

The non glycanated endocan polypeptide slows tumor growth by inducing stromal inflammatory reaction

Endocan expression is increasingly studied in various human cancers. Experimental evidence showed that human endocan, through its glycan chain, is implicated in various processes of tumor growth. We functionally characterize mouse endocan which is also a chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan but much less glycanated than human endocan. Distant domains from the O-glycanation site, located within exons 1 and 2 determine the glycanation pattern of endocan. In opposite to the human homologue, overexpression of mouse endocan in HT-29 cells delayed the tumor appearance and reduced the tumor growth rate. This tumor growth inhibition is supported by non glycanated form of mouse endocan. Non glycanated human endocan overexpressed in HT-29, A549 or K1000 cells also exhibited an anti-tumor effect. Moreover, systemic delivery of non glycanated human endocan also results in HT-29 tumor growth delay. In vitro, endocan polypeptide did not affect HT-29 cell proliferation, nor cell viability. In tumor tissue sections, a stromal inflammatory reaction was observed only in tumors overexpressing endocan polypeptide, and depletion of CD122+ cells was able to delete partially the anti-tumor effect of endocan polypeptide. These results reveal a novel pathway for endocan in the control of tumor growth, which involves inflammatory cells of the innate immunity.     

Recovery of aphasia after stroke: a 1-year follow-up study

Semantics, phonology, and syntax are essential elements of aphasia diagnosis and treatment. Until now, these linguistic components have not been specifically addressed in follow-up studies of aphasia recovery after stroke. The aim of this observational prospective follow-up study was to investigate semantic, phonological, and syntactic recovery in aphasic stroke patients. In addition, we investigated the recovery of verbal communication and of aphasia severity. We assessed 147 aphasic patients at 1, 2, and 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months, and 1 year after stroke with the ScreeLing, a screening test for detecting deficits on the three main linguistic components, the aphasia severity rating scale (ASRS), a measure of verbal communication, and the Token test, a measure of aphasia severity. We investigated the differences in scores between the six time points with mixed models. Semantics and syntax improved up to 6 weeks (p < 0.001) after stroke, and phonology up to 3 months (p ≤ 0.001). ASRS improved up to 6 months (p < 0.05) and the Token test up to 3 months (p < 0.001). We conclude that in aphasia after stroke, various linguistic components have a different recovery pattern, with phonology showing the longest period of recovery that paralleled aphasia severity, as measured with the Token test. The improvement of verbal communication continues after the stabilization of the recovery of the linguistic components.     

El triacetato de celulosa asimétrico es una alternativa segura y eficaz para la hemodiafiltración en línea

Background

In post-dilution haemodiafiltration only synthetic membranes have been used to date. Asymmetric cellulose triacetate (ATA?) is now available, whose characteristics are suitable for this technique.

Prediction of everyday verbal communicative ability of aphasic stroke patients after inpatient rehabilitation

Background: Early accurate prediction of verbal communicative ability at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation is essential for rehabilitation professionals to provide reliable prognostic information to the aphasic patient and family, and to make appropriate treatment decisions.

Aims: To develop a prediction model for verbal communicative ability at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation in stroke patients with moderate-to-severe aphasia at rehabilitation admission.

Methods & Procedures: Eighty-four stroke patients with moderate-to-severe aphasia were selected from a cohort of aphasic patients who enrolled in an inpatient rehabilitation programme from September 2010 to September 2013. From a group of eight candidate prognostic factors (demographic, neurological, and language variables, and the ictus-to-admission interval), those significantly associated with verbal communication (Amsterdam–Nijmegen Everyday Language Test scale A) at discharge were selected by means of multiple linear regression analyses.

Outcomes & Results: A prognostic model of verbal communication was constructed, including verbal communicative ability and the phonology score at admission as independent predictors, which explained 64% of the adjusted variance. The ictus-to-admission interval was a marginally significant predictor. Age, sex, stroke type, activities of daily living dependency, and semantics did not make significant contributions to the prediction model.

Conclusions: The results of this study represent a first step in the development of a prediction model for verbal communication outcome after inpatient rehabilitation in stroke patients with moderate-to-severe aphasia at admission. After the performance of the prognostic model has been externally validated, it can be used to inform patients with moderate-to-severe aphasia and their families about the expected recovery of verbal communicative ability after inpatient rehabilitation, and it may guide clinicians, patients, and their relatives in shared decisions on the most appropriate treatment approach to improve functional communication.