Angiotensin-converting enzyme defines matrikine-regulated inflammation and fibrosis

The neutrophil chemoattractant proline-glycine-proline (PGP) is generated from collagen by matrix metalloproteinase-8/9 (MMP-8/9) and prolyl endopeptidase (PE), and it is concomitantly degraded by extracellular leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4H) to limit neutrophilia. Components of cigarette smoke can acetylate PGP, yielding a species (AcPGP) that is resistant to LTA4H-mediated degradation and can, thus, support a sustained neutrophilia. In this study, we sought to elucidate if an antiinflammatory system existed to degrade AcPGP that is analogous to the PGP-LTA4H axis. We demonstrate that AcPGP is degraded through a previously unidentified action of the enzyme angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). Pulmonary ACE is elevated during episodes of acute inflammation, as a consequence of enhanced vascular permeability, to ensure the efficient degradation of AcPGP. Conversely, we suggest that this pathway is aberrant in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) enabling the accumulation of AcPGP. Consequently, we identify a potentially novel protective role for AcPGP in limiting pulmonary fibrosis and suggest the pathogenic function attributed to ACE in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) to be a consequence of overzealous AcPGP degradation. Thus, AcPGP seemingly has very divergent roles: it is pathogenic in its capacity to drive neutrophilic inflammation and matrix degradation in the context of COPD, but it is protective in its capacity to limit fibrosis in IPF

Evaluation of Electrical and Optical Plethysmography Sensors for Noninvasive Monitoring of Hemoglobin Concentration

Completely noninvasive monitoring of hemoglobin concentration has not yet been fully realized in the clinical setting. This study investigates the viability of measuring hemoglobin concentration noninvasively by evaluating the performance of two types of sensor using a tissue phantom perfused with a blood substitute. An electrical sensor designed to measure blood volume changes during the cardiac cycle was used together with an infrared optical sensor for detection of erythrocyte-bound hemoglobin. Both sensors demonstrated sensitivity to changes in pulse volume (plethysmography). The electrical sensor produced a signal referred to as capacitance plethysmograph (CPG) a quantity which was invariant to the concentration of an infrared absorbing dye present in the blood substitute. The optical sensor signal (photoplethysmograph) increased in amplitude with increasing absorber concentration. The ratio PPG:CPG is invariant to pulse pressure. This quantity is discussed as a possible index of in vivo hemoglobin concentration

LEAPdb: a database for the late embryogenesis abundant proteins

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Late Embryogenesis Abundant Proteins database (LEAPdb) contains resource regarding LEAP from plants and other organisms. Although LEAP are grouped into several families, there is no general consensus on their definition and on their classification. They are associated with abiotic stress tolerance, but their actual function at the molecular level is still enigmatic. The scarcity of 3-D structures for LEAP remains a handicap for their structure-function relationships analysis. Finally, the growing body of published data about LEAP represents a great amount of information that needs to be compiled, organized and classified.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>LEAPdb gathers data about 8 LEAP sub-families defined by the PFAM, the Conserved Domain and the InterPro databases. Among its functionalities, LEAPdb provides a browse interface for retrieving information on the whole database. A search interface using various criteria such as sophisticated text expression, amino acids motifs and other useful parameters allows the retrieving of refined subset of entries. LEAPdb also offers sequence similarity search. Information is displayed in re-ordering tables facilitating the analysis of data. LEAP sequences can be downloaded in three formats. Finally, the user can submit his sequence(s). LEAPdb has been conceived as a user-friendly web-based database with multiple functions to search and describe the different LEAP families. It will likely be helpful for computational analyses of their structure - function relationships.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>LEAPdb contains 769 non-redundant and curated entries, from 196 organisms. All LEAP sequences are full-length. LEAPdb is publicly available at <url>http://forge.info.univ-angers.fr/~gh/Leadb/index.php</url>.</p

Detection of obvious death by clinically trained emergency medical dispatchers in a criteria-based dispatch system.

More than a third of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the European Union do not benefit from cardiopulmonary resuscitation by emergency medical services (EMS), most often because the patient shows signs of obvious death. To preserve limited resources, it is crucial for dispatch centres to identify such cases and thereby reduce over-triage. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of clinically trained dispatchers to detect obvious deaths among all suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrests within a criteria-based dispatch system. This retrospective single-centre study was conducted from June 2020 to January 2022. All calls in which dispatchers suspected an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were included. Dispatchers’ decisions (priority versus non-priority dispatch) were used to determine whether obvious death was suspected. These were then compared to EMS’ decisions (resuscitation versus no resuscitation) to assess the appropriateness of the dispatch response. In total, 1,042 calls were included. Among the 335 patients confirmed as obviously dead by EMS, 80 received a non-priority dispatch (sensitivity: 23.9%). Among the 707 patients who were either resuscitated or not in cardiac arrest, 694 received a priority dispatch (specificity: 98.2%). Sensitivity increased to 33.1% when dispatchers actively searched for signs of obvious death. Of the 93 cases judged by dispatchers to be obvious deaths, 80 were confirmed (positive predictive value: 86.0%). Among the 949 patients in whom dispatchers did not suspect obvious death, 694 were resuscitated or not in cardiac arrest (negative predictive value: 73.1%). The sensitivity of dispatchers in detecting obvious death was 23.9%, increasing to 33.1% when signs of obvious death were actively sought. In the context of limited EMS resources, it is vital to develop and implement protocols that reduce over-triage. For unwitnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, a systematic search for clinical signs of obvious death appears essential. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12245-025-00919-y

Marie-Élisabeth Handman & Janine Mossuz-Lavau, eds, La Prostitution à Paris

Condensé d’un important matériau ethnographique réuni entre octobre 2002 et mars 2004, à la demande de la Mairie de Paris, cet ouvrage collectif réalisé par dix anthropologues et sociologues profile les réalités quotidiennes de la prostitution parisienne, en confrontant « des données, des faits, des histoires de vie ». À l’issue de ce travail de terrain sur les lieux mêmes de la prostitution parisienne, des longs et nombreux entretiens avec des personnes prostituées, ou avec des clients, les ..

Religious significance of suffering and psychological position in faith

Estuda-se o vínculo psicológico entre a experiência existencial do sofrimento e a posição do sujeito em relação à fé religiosa. A investigação foi realizada com 80 enfermeiros, de ambos os sexos, com várias modalidades de adesão ao cristianismo. A hipótese foi a de que essas pessoas são obrigadas a estruturar para si mesmas uma atitude mais ou menos estável, consciente ou refletida, em relação ao sofrimento. Foi construído um questionário com uma pergunta acerca do sofrimento, (dimensões, apreensão psicológica, sentido), uma pergunta acerca da posição religiosa (central ou periférica, segura ou hesitante) e uma pergunta acerca da atribuição de conotações religiosas ao sofrimento. Os resultados não permitem enunciar uma teoria unívoca da relação entre religião e sofrimento, mas a existência de configurações singulares mais ou menos estáveis e evolutivas, segundo a orientação básica da atitude religiosa, o contexto meramente humano do sofrimento e a contextualização religiosa do sofrimento.The psychological bond between the existencial experience of suffering and the position of the subject in relation to religious faith are studied. The investigation comprised 80 nurses, from both sexes, with various degrees of adherence to Christianism. The hypothesis was that these persons are impelled to structure for themselves a more or less stable, conscious or reflected attitude towards suffering. A questionnaire was elaborated including a question concerning suffering (dimensions, psychological aprehension, meaning), a question about the religious position (central or peripheric, certain or hesitant) and a question concerning the atribution of religious conotations to suffering. Results do not allow one to enunciate a homogeneous theory on the relation between religion and suffering, but the existence of singular configurations more or less stable and evolving, according to the religious attitude basic orientation, the merely human context of suffering and the religious contextualization of suffering

Religious significance of suffering and psychological position in faith

The psychological bond between the existencial experience of suffering and the position of the subject in relation to religious faith are studied. The investigation comprised 80 nurses, from both sexes, with various degrees of adherence to Christianism. The hypothesis was that these persons are impelled to structure for themselves a more or less stable, conscious or reflected attitude towards suffering. A questionnaire was elaborated including a question concerning suffering (dimensions, psychological aprehension, meaning), a question about the religious position (central or peripheric, certain or hesitant) and a question concerning the atribution of religious conotations to suffering. Results do not allow one to enunciate a homogeneous theory on the relation between religion and suffering, but the existence of singular configurations more or less stable and evolving, according to the religious attitude basic orientation, the merely human context of suffering and the religious contextualization of suffering.Estuda-se o vínculo psicológico entre a experiência existencial do sofrimento e a posição do sujeito em relação à fé religiosa. A investigação foi realizada com 80 enfermeiros, de ambos os sexos, com várias modalidades de adesão ao cristianismo. A hipótese foi a de que essas pessoas são obrigadas a estruturar para si mesmas uma atitude mais ou menos estável, consciente ou refletida, em relação ao sofrimento. Foi construído um questionário com uma pergunta acerca do sofrimento, (dimensões, apreensão psicológica, sentido), uma pergunta acerca da posição religiosa (central ou periférica, segura ou hesitante) e uma pergunta acerca da atribuição de conotações religiosas ao sofrimento. Os resultados não permitem enunciar uma teoria unívoca da relação entre religião e sofrimento, mas a existência de configurações singulares mais ou menos estáveis e evolutivas, segundo a orientação básica da atitude religiosa, o contexto meramente humano do sofrimento e a contextualização religiosa do sofrimento

False-negative HIV tests using oral fluid tests in children taking antiretroviral therapy from Harare, Zimbabwe.

INTRODUCTION: Rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) for HIV infection have high sensitivity and specificity, but in the setting of longstanding antiretroviral therapy (ART), can give false results that can lead to misinterpretation, confusion and inadequate management. The objective of this study was to evaluate the proportion of falsely negative results of a RDT performed on oral fluid in HIV-infected children on longstanding ART. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-nine children with known HIV infection and receiving ART were recruited from the HIV Clinic at the Harare Central Hospital, Zimbabwe. HIV testing was performed on oral fluid and on finger-stick blood. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Children included in the study had a median age of 12 years (IQR 10-14) and 67 (51.9%) were female. Median age at HIV diagnosis was 5 years (IQR 3-6) and the median time on ART was 6.3 years (IQR 4.3-8.1). The oral fluid test was negative in 11 (8.5%) patients and indeterminate in 2 (1.6%). Finger-stick blood test was negative in 1 patient. Patients with a negative oral fluid test had a higher CD4 cell count (967 vs. 723 cells/mm3, p = 0.016) and a longer time on ART (8.5 vs. 6 years, p = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: This study found that a substantial proportion of false-negative HIV test results in children on longstanding ART when using an oral fluid test. This could lead to misinterpretation of HIV test results and in the false perception of cure or delayed diagnosis