One Week of Hospitalization Following Elective Hip Surgery Induces Substantial Muscle Atrophy in Older Patients

Objectives

Short successive periods of skeletal muscle disuse have been suggested to substantially contribute to the observed loss of skeletal muscle mass over the life span. Hospitalization of older individuals due to acute illness, injury, or major surgery generally results in a mean hospital stay of 5 to 7 days, during which the level of physical activity is strongly reduced. We hypothesized that hospitalization following elective total hip arthroplasty is accompanied by substantial leg muscle atrophy in older men and women.

Genotoxicity of synthetic amorphous silica nanoparticles in rats following short‐term exposure. Part 1: Oral route

Synthetic amorphous silica (SAS) in its nanosized form is now used in food applications although the potential risks for human health have not been evaluated. In this study, genotoxicity and oxidative DNA damage of two pyrogenic (NM‐202 and 203) and two precipitated (NM‐200 and ‐201) nanosized SAS were investigated in vivo in rats following oral exposure. Male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg b.w./day for three days by gavage. DNA strand breaks and oxidative DNA damage were investigated in seven tissues (blood, bone marrow from femur, liver, spleen, kidney, duodenum, and colon) with the alkaline and the (Fpg)‐modified comet assays, respectively. Concomitantly, chromosomal damage was investigated in bone marrow and in colon with the micronucleus assay. Additionally, malondialdehyde (MDA), a lipid peroxidation marker, was measured in plasma. When required, a histopathological examination was also conducted. The results showed neither obvious DNA strand breaks nor oxidative damage with the comet assay, irrespective of the dose and the organ investigated. Similarly, no increases in chromosome damage in bone marrow or lipid peroxidation in plasma were detected. However, although the response was not dose‐dependent, a weak increase in the percentage of micronucleated cells was observed in the colon of rats treated with the two pyrogenic SAS at the lowest dose (5 mg/kg b.w./day). Additional data are required to confirm this result, considering in particular, the role of agglomeration/aggregation of SAS NMs in their uptake by intestinal cells. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 56:218–227, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Respiratory muscle dysfunction in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy

Sleep and Breathing -     

Vers un rapprochement du syndrome de Klinefelter et de la psychopathie en psychiatrie légale

Klinefelter syndrome (KS) (47,XXY) is the most common aneuploidy (1/650) of sexual chromosome among male (0,1 à 0,2 % of male population) (Hong and Reiss, 2014). Because its large physical phenotypic variability (high tall, sparse hairiness, gynecomastia), this syndrome is largely underdiagnosed (less than 25 % of affected persons) (Samango-Sprouse et al., 2018). Nevertheless, cognitive variability is smaller. Normal to low average total IQ, low verbal IQ, social problems and high levels of psychiatric comorbidities including early aggressiveness are commonly described (Hong and Reiss, 2014). In Denmark, higher risks of committing sexual crime and arson (compared to criminal controls) was recently reported (Stochholm et al., 2012). Quite a few clinically relevant cases reports scattered in the literature, suggests the presence of a pattern of a specific subtype of KS inpatients among forensic population (Bénézech, 1975). However, very few studies provide quantitative or qualitative pertaining to robust results. KS well-documented neurobiological (van Rijn, 2018) (e.g. low levels of testosterone), neuropsychological (Bénézech, 1975; Hong and Reiss, 2014; Samango-Sprouse et al., 2018; Savic, 2012; Seara-Cardoso et al., 2016; Senon, 2005; Stochholm et al., 2012; van Rijn, 2018; van Rijn et al., 2008; van Rijn et al., 2018; van Rijn et al., 2014; van Rijn et al., 2012) [29] (e.g. alterations of both complex cerebral — attention, empathy — and behavioral regulation functions - inhibition, mental flexibility, emotional response modulation, control of own actions) and neuroanatomical (Hong and Reiss, 2014; Itti et al., 2003; Savic, 2012; van Rijn et al., 2008; van Rijn et al., 2012) [29] (e.g. limbic system and temporal lobe abnormal volume, hemispheric specialization shortcoming) features may be helpful to understand comorbid symptoms psychopathology. Numbers of recent studies conduct on KS pediatric or adult population provide interesting results on conduct, anxiety, psychotic and autism spectrum disorders. In addition, some authors use genetic and epigenetic specific features of sex chromosome aneuploidies (e.g. X genes neurodevelopmental role; imprinting) in order to clarify genotype-phenotype links of comorbid symptoms (Bruining et al., 2011; Zitzmann et al., 2004;). With Belgian colleagues from the Social Defense Research Center (CRDS, Tournai, Belgium), we are currently recruiting KS inpatients from security hospitals or psychiatric units in Belgium and France. We aim to assess psychopathic traits with the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R, Hare) (Hare, 2003). Our first results concerning 3 KS males outline that PCL-R is useful for the characterization of clinical phenotype among KS forensic sample. While three of them present psychopathic traits, two of them present categorical double diagnose “psychopathy-KS” (total PCL-R score > = 30/40 (Delannoy et al., 2017)). Moreover, dimensional analysis support our hypothesis of a higher prevalence of “explosive profile” in comparison to other psychopathic profiles in our sample (Delannoy et al., 2017). The present article summarizes historic background (e.g. “psychopathy” disappearance of mental disorder reference classification schemes, “crime chromosome” (Bénézech, 1975)) and current context argues (e.g. French psychiatrists court experts widely refer to psychopathy concept despite a lack of consensual definition (Senon, 2005), weak knowledge and training of PCL-R and its related biopsychological recent findings (Blair, 2013; de Oliveira-Souza et al., 2008; Dotterer et al., 2017; Glenn and Raine, 2014; Hosking et al., 2017; Korponay et al., 2017; Pham, 1995; Pham, 2005; Raine, 2008; Raine et al., 2003); stigma and discrimination apprehensions of KS and psychopath) that motivate our research project. Finally, we discuss the advantages of our research protocol on KS participants assessed with PCL-R, such as tackling stigma and discrimination, better understanding psychopathology, and clarifying murky interactions of biological, psychological and social factors entangled in the development of these two fascinating troubles.