Search

Résumé But de l’étude Les huiles essentielles sont de plus en plus utilisées et parfois recommandées par les industriels qui fabriquent les produits qui éliminent les allergènes. Patients et méthodes Le but de l’étude était de mesurer la concentration de composés organiques volatils et de limonène dans l’air après avoir pulvérisé un mélange de 41 huiles essentielles. La quantification du limonène a été appréciée suivant 3 procédures différentes. Dans la première, le contenu de limonène a été mesuré par pesage, sachant que le produit contient entre 4 et 5 % de limonène. Dans la deuxième procédure, 2 séries de 10 mesures de concentration de limonène dans l’air ont été réalisées par un appareil à photo-ionisation ppbRAE3000 ® Katrem ® (France) après 4 pulvérisations d’huiles essentielles dans une cabine de 9 m 3 . Au cours de la troisième procédure, la concentration aérienne de limonène a été mesurée par l’appareil de photo-ionisation et par spectrophotométrie après prélèvement sur des cartouches TENAX TA, après 8 pulvérisations dans une pièce de 42 m 3 . Résultats La masse de limonène mesurée par pesage était en moyenne de 57,7 mg (pour 4 pulvérisations). Dans la cabine de 9 m 3 , la concentration moyenne maximale de limonène était de 57,30 mg/m 3 . Dans la pièce de 42 m 3 , la concentration moyenne de limonène était respectivement de 15,0 mg/m 3 et 7,48 mg/m 3 sur 30 minutes et 3 heures par photo-ionisation. Ces données ont été confirmées par spectrophotométrie (> 4,87 mg/m 3 de limonène et > 38,97 mg/m 3 de COV terpéniques). Conclusion Nous avons démontré dans 3 situations différentes que l’utilisation d’huiles essentielles par pulvérisation entraîne une augmentation aérienne des COV totaux et du limonène supérieure aux normes. Aux vues des données de littérature, les concentrations élevées de COV totaux sont délétères pour les asthmatiques. Par conséquent, l’utilisation d’huiles essentielles sous forme de spray ne doit pas être recommandée chez les patients asthmatiques. Aim Essential oils are used more and more to fight against allergens, and they are sometimes recommended for that purpose by manufacturers. The aim of this study was to measure the concentration of limonene in ambient air after spraying a mixture of 41 essential oils. Methods The airborne limonene concentration was measured using three different protocols: in the first protocol, after four sprays the amount of limonene was measured by weighing, knowing that the mixture used contained 4–5 % limonene; in the second protocol, after two series with four sprays of the essential oils mixture into a 9 m 3 test cabin, ten assays of the concentration of airborne limonene were performed using a French photo-ionization detector (ppbRAE3000 ® Katrem ® ); in the third protocol, after 8 sprays of the essential oils mixture in a 42 m 3 test room, the limonene concentration was measured using the photo-ionization detector and mass spectrometry with a TENAX TA cartridge. Results The amount of airborne limonene measured by weighing was 57.7 mg (average of 4 sprays). In the 9 m 3 experimental chamber, the highest concentration of limonene was 57.3 mg/m 3 . In the 42 m 3 room, the mean concentration of limonene measured with the photo-ionization detector was 15.0 mg/42 m 3 after 30 minutes and 7.48 mg/42 m 3 after 3 hours. These results were confirmed using the mass spectrometry method, with > 4.87 mg/42 m 3 of limonene and > 38.97 mg/42 m 3 of VOC terpenes. Conclusion We have demonstrated with three different methods that spraying an essential oils mixture resulted in an increase of airborne VOCs and limonene higher than normal values. According to the literature, high total VOC concentrations above the standard values are harmful for patients with asthma. Consequently, spraying essential oils mixtures should not be recommended for asthmatic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim: The outcome of patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) after radical cystectomy (RC) shows remarkable variability. We evaluated the ability of artificial neural networks (ANN) to perform risk stratification in UCB patients based on common parameters available at the time of RC. Methods: Data from 2111 UCB patients that underwent RC in eight centers were analysed; the median follow-up was 30 months (IQR: 12–60). Age, gender, tumour stage and grade (TURB/RC), carcinoma in situ (TURB/RC), lymph node status, and lymphovascular invasion were used as input data for the ANN. Endpoints were tumour recurrence, cancer-specific mortality (CSM) and all-cause death (ACD). Additionally, the predictive accuracies (PA) of the ANNs were compared with the PA of Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: The recurrence-, CSM-, and ACD- rates after 5 years were 36%, 33%, and 46%, respectively. The best ANN had 74%, 76% and 69% accuracy for tumour recurrence, CSM and ACD, respectively. Lymph node status was one of the most important factors for the network''s decision. The PA of the ANNs for recurrence, CSM and ACD were improved by 1.6% (p = 0.247), 4.7% (p < 0.001) and 3.5% (p = 0.007), respectively, in comparison to the Cox models. Conclusions: ANN predicted tumour recurrence, CSM, and ACD in UCB patients after RC with reasonable accuracy. In this study, ANN significantly outperformed the Cox models regarding prediction of CSM and ACD using the same patients and variables. ANNs are a promising approach for individual risk stratification and may optimize individual treatment planning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Chromaffin cells from the adrenal medulla secrete catecholamines into the blood stream as part of the fight-or-flight response. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes from the immune system release cytotoxic substances to kill antigen-presenting cells. While at first glance these two cell types do not seem to have much in common, evidence from human diseases indicates that the molecular mechanisms of exocytosis of the respective granules share many similar features. In this review we highlight the similarities and differences of individual aspects of granule maturation and release in both cell types. In addition, we discuss established and putative molecules involved in distinct steps and suggest technical approaches which might facilitate future studies in chromaffin cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Purpose: To perform the first external validation of a recently identified association between disease-free survival at two years (DFS2) or three years (DFS3) and overall survival at five years (OS5) in patients after radical cystectomy (RC) for muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB). Methods and Methods: Records of 2483 patients who underwent RC for UCB at eight European centers between 1989 and 2008 were reviewed. The cohort included 1738 patients with pT2-4a tumors and negative soft tissue surgical margins (STSM) according to the selection criteria of the previous study (study group (SG)). In addition, 745 patients with positive STSM or other tumor stages (pT0-T1, pT4b) that were excluded from the previous study (excluded patient group (EPG)) were evaluated. Kappa statistic was used to measure the agreement between DFS2 or DFS3 and OS5. Results: The overall agreement between DFS2 and OS5 was 86.5% (EPG: 88.7%) and 90.1% (EPG: 92.1%) between DFS3 and OS5. The kappa values for comparison of DFS2 or DFS3 with OS5 were 0.73 (SE: 0.016) and 0.80 (SE: 0.014) respectively for the SG, and 0.67 (SE: 0.033) and 0.78 (SE: 0.027) for the EPG (all p-values <0.001). Conclusions: We externally validated a correlation between DFS2 or DFS3 and OS5 for patients with pT2-4a UCB with negative STSM that underwent RC. Furthermore, this correlation was found in patients with other tumor stages regardless of STSM status. These findings indicate DFS2 and DFS3 as valid surrogate markers for survival outcome with RC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]