Mental health cost of terrorism: Study of the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris

This study examines whether a terrorist attack in a developed country, which does not cause major damage to its capital stocks, affects the mental health of its residents. By exploiting variations in survey dates of the European Social Survey, we use a difference‐in‐differences strategy to show that the attack adversely affects subjective well‐being and mental health measures of French respondents. These negative effects are stronger for immigrants and low‐income individuals. The impact is less dramatic for politically extreme right‐wing supporters. The distance from origin has little impact on these measures.     

Comparing the spatial attractiveness of hospitals using zero-inflated spatial models

Policy makers increasingly rely on hospital competition to incentivize patients to choose high-value care. Amongst all possible drivers, the travel distance without any doubt is one of the most important. In this paper we propose the use of a spatial Bayesian hierarchical model to assess the impact of distance on the number of patient admissions in hospitals, and thereby, compare hospital attractiveness. To this aim a MCMC sampler has been designed. We apply our methodology to patient admissions for asthma in four hospitals located in the Hérault department of France. Results indicate that the most attractive hospital is the CHU Montpellier.     

A rapid diagnosis of anaerobic infection in the oro-maxillary region by gas-liquid chromatography

The relationship between volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in pus and infecting bacterial species was examined in order to establish a rapid identification system for anaerobic microorganisms in purulent inflammation in the oro-maxillary region. VFAs were detected by the direct injection of pus into gas-liquid chromatography (GLC). Bacterial examination was carried out by anaerobic culture using blood agar plates. The bacterial identification was carried out mainly according to the VPI manual. Analysis of the direct VFA patterns of each sample resulted in 5 groups. The following bacterial species were the main isolates in each group: Streptococcus intermedius in Group A, Peptostreptococcus micros in Group B, Fusobacterium nucleatum in Group C, Bacteroides gingivalis in Group D, and Peptostreptococcus anaerobius in Group E. The profile of VFAs produced in the PYG culture medium of the above isolated bacteria was compared with the direct VFA patterns. Agreement ratios between direct and PYG VFA patterns were as follows: Group A, 47.1%; Groups B and C, 45.0%; Group D, 87.5%; and Group E, 62.9%. The acetic acid concentration was more than 14 x 10(-4) meq/ml in Group B, the butyric acid concentration was more than 7 x 10(-4) meq/ml in Group C, and the iso-caproic acid concentration was more than 14 x 10(-4) meq/ml in Group E. In these cases, it was found that the agreement ratios between the direct and PYG FVA pattern were high. In Group D, irrespective of the concentration of iso-valeric acid detected, the agreement ratio was very high. The antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was studied. Efficiency rates of ABPC, PIPC, CCL, CEZ, CMZ, SBT/CPZ, JM, CLDM, MINO and GM were relatively low and resistant rates were high for the gram-negative rods.     

Antimicrobial action of natural substances on oral bacteria

The antimicrobial action of natural substances was investigated in vitro against oral bacteria including Streptococcus sp., Actinomyces sp., Actinobacillus sp., Bacteroides sp., Capnocytophaga sp., Eikenella sp., Fusobacterium sp. and Propionibacterium sp. Among the natural substances tested, hinokitiol was the most inhibitory to oral bacteria. Cinnamon bark oil, papua-mace extracts, and clove bud oil in spice extracts were also inhibitory against many oral bacteria. Egg white lysozyme exhibited antimicrobial action against the periodontitis associated bacteria.     

Chondrosarcoma of the mandible. Report of case and a survey of 23 cases in the Japanese literature

A huge chondrosarcoma of the mandible (80 X 95 X 100 mm in size) with extension into the infratemporal fossa is described. The tumour was successfully treated by surgical removal and postoperative irradiation. A survey of the Japanese literature revealed 23 cases of chondrosarcoma with involvement of the mandible. The tumours occurred equally in males and females whose mean age was 38 years. The molar region was the site of predilection. The most common symptom was swelling and it was accompanied by pain in 7 cases and paraesthesia in 5 cases. Radiographically, the lesions were quite variable and with the exception of 3 cases in which information was not available, they consisted of a combination of irregular radiopacity and radiolucency in 9 cases, whereas the predominant feature was radiopacity in 6 cases and radiolucency in 4 cases. There was no radiographical abnormality in 2 cases. Root resorption of adjacent teeth was noted in 3 of 6 cases where information existed. Computed tomography was thought to be quite valuable in determining the nature and extent of the tumour. Although an elevation of serum alkaline phosphatase was observed in our case, results of laboratory tests were mostly of no diagnostic significance. Surgical removal was employed in 22 cases alone or in conjunction with irradiation and/or chemotherapy. Of 14 cases on whom information was available, local recurrence occurred in 6 cases in which radiotherapy was not given and distant metastasis in 2 of 10 cases on whom information was available. Of 20 patients on whom information was available on the postoperative course, 7 patients died 5 months to 6 years after the primary treatment.     

Molecular basis of salivary proline-rich protein and peptide synthesis: cell-free translations and processing of human and macaque statherin mRNAs and partial amino acid sequence of their signal peptides

Acidic proline-rich phosphoproteins and phosphopeptides are abundant components of parotid and submandibular salivary secretions in man and in the subhuman primate, Macaca fascicularis. The major acidic proline-rich proteins and the proline-rich phosphopeptide, statherin, of man and macaques have been shown to be potent inhibitors of calcium phosphate precipitation and are thought to function in the oral environment by maintaining saliva supersaturated with respect to calcium phosphate salts. Little is known about the biosynthesis of these proline-rich phosphoproteins and peptides, and the aim of the present work was to determine the structural relationship between statherin precursors and native human and macaque statherin. RNA was isolated from human submandibular gland, and poly(A+) mRNA was selected by affinity chromatography on oligo(dT) cellulose and translated in a reticulocyte lysate. Electrophoretic analysis of the translation products revealed that this mRNA directed the synthesis of a large number of polypeptides with Mrs ranging from 5000 to 70,000. Immunoprecipitates, prepared with an antiserum directed against human statherin, contained a single component with a Mr of 7800, approximately 2000 daltons larger than native statherin. Radiosequencing of the in vitro precursor of statherin in immunoprecipitates demonstrated the presence of a 19-residue signal peptide. These results suggest that statherin is derived from a unique structural gene, and does not result from proteolytic processing of a large polyprotein precursor.