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Background Feather duvet lung (FDL) is an underestimated form of acute and chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Serological tests for FDL need to be validated. We investigated the ability of recombinant pigeon Proproteinase E (r-PROE) and Immunoglobulin-lambda-like-polypeptide-1 (r-IGLL1) proteins to support the serological diagnosis of FDL, and propose them as a serological tool for clinicians to differentiate cases from FDL and Bird fancier's lung (BFL). Methods Specific IgG antibodies against r-PROE and r-IGLL1, analyzed with ELISA, were measured in patients diagnosed with FDL (n = 31), BFL (n = 15) controls exposed (n = 15) and unexposed to feathers (n = 15). Results The sensitivity and specificity of the r-PROE ELISA for the serological diagnosis of FDL cases versus exposed and unexposed controls were 74.2% and 86.7% respectively, with an index threshold of 0.5 (AUC: 0.89). In addition, this serological test was effective to support the serological diagnosis of FDL and BFL cases with significantly different thresholds. The r-IGLL1 ELISA was only effective for the serological diagnosis of BFL. Also, these two serological tests were useful for the diagnosis of both chronic and acute forms. Conclusions The new diagnostic test for FDL using r-PROE protein should help to detect overt and hidden cases of FDL. The combination of both test will help the clinician in distinguish between the etiology of birds or feathers duvet.

Summary Objective This study aims to search for reliable serological biomarkers allowing the early prediction of cystic echinococcosis (CE) post-operative outcomes. Methods We applied immunoprecipitation (IP) of Echinococcus granulosus protoscolex antigens with pediatric CE patients' plasma collected at 1-month and 1-year post-surgery, followed by Liquid Chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). We compared IP proteomic content from relapsed patients within the first-year post-surgery (RCE) to cases with no relapses until 3 post-operative years (NRCE). Selected proteins were recombinantly synthesized and assessed for their prognostic performance by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results A total of 305 immunoreactive parasitic proteins were identified, 59 of which were significantly more abundant in RCE than NRCE for both time-points. Four proteins showed the most promising characteristics for predicting CE outcomes: cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase (Eg-cMDH), citrate synthase (Eg-CS), annexin A6 and severin. ELISA-IgG against the four markers were significantly lower at 1-year post-surgery than 1-month in NRCE, in contrast to RCE that displayed either stable or higher levels. The Eg-cMDH and Eg-CS showed the best prognostic performance, with respective probabilities of being “relapse-free” of 83% and 81%, if a decrease of IgG levels occurred between 1-month and 1-year post-surgery. Conclusion The Eg-cMDH and Eg-CS are promising biomarkers to predict early CE post-surgical outcomes.

The recommendations of international guidelines for the management of asymptomatic carotid stenosis (ACS) often vary considerably and extend from a conservative approach with risk factor modification and best medical treatment (BMT) alone, to a more aggressive approach with a carotid intervention plus BMT. The aim of the current multispecialty position statement was to reconcile the conflicting views on the topic. A literature review was performed with a focus on data from recent studies. Several clinical and imaging high-risk features have been identified that are associated with an increased long-term ipsilateral ischemic stroke risk in patients with ACS. Such high-risk clinical/imaging features include intraplaque hemorrhage, impaired cerebrovascular reserve, carotid plaque echolucency/ulceration/ neovascularization, a lipid-rich necrotic core, a thin or ruptured fibrous cap, silent brain infarction, a contralateral transient ischemic attack/stroke episode, male patients

Objective The benefit of preventive treatment for superior mesenteric artery (SMA) stenosis remains uncertain. The latest European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) guidelines remain unclear given the lack of data in the literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate asymptomatic SMA stenosis prognosis according to the presence of associated coeliac artery (CA) and/or inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) stenosis. Methods This was a single academic centre retrospective study. The entire computed tomography (CT) database of a single tertiary hospital was reviewed from 2009 to 2016. Two groups were defined: patients with isolated > 70% SMA stenosis (group A) and patients with both SMA and CA and/or IMA > 70% stenosis (group B). Patient medical histories were reviewed to determine the occurrence of mesenteric disease (MD) defined as development of acute mesenteric ischaemia (AMI) or chronic mesenteric ischaemia (CMI). Results Seventy-seven patients were included. Median follow up was 39 months. There were 24 patients in group A and 53 patients in group B. In group B, eight (10.4%) patients developed MD with a median onset of 50 months. AMI occurred in five patients with a median of 33 months and CMI in three patients with a median of 88 months. Patients of group B developed more MD (0% vs. 15.1%; p = .052). The five year survival rate was 45% without significant difference between groups. Conclusion Patients with SMA stenosis associated with CA and/or IMA seem to have a higher risk of developing mesenteric ischaemia than patients with isolated SMA stenosis. Considering the low life expectancy of these patients, cardiovascular risk factor assessment and optimisation of medical treatment is essential. Preventive endovascular revascularisation could be discussed for patients with non-isolated > 70% SMA stenosis, taking into account life expectancy.

The optimal management of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis (ACS) is the subject of extensive debate. According to the 2017 European Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines, carotid endarterectomy should (Class IIa; Level of Evidence: B) or carotid artery stenting may be considered (Class IIb; Level of Evidence: B) in the presence of one or more clinical/imaging characteristics that may be associated with an increased risk of late ipsilateral stroke (e.g., silent embolic infarcts on brain computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging, progression in the severity of ACS, a history of contralateral transient ischemic attack/stroke, microemboli detection on transcranial Doppler, etc.), provided documented perioperative stroke/death rates are 5 years. Besides these clinical/imaging characteristics, there are additional individual, ethnic/racial or social factors that should probably be evaluated in the decision process regarding the optimal management of these patients, such as individual patient needs/patient choice, patient compliance with best medical treatment, patient sex, culture, race/ethnicity, age and comorbidities, as well as improvements in imaging/operative techniques/outcomes. The present multispecialty position paper will present the rationale why the management of patients with ACS may need to be individualized.

Nd-doped ZnO thin films were grown by pulsed-electron beam deposition (PED) on c-cut sapphire substrates under oblique angle incidence, at 10-2 mbar oxygen pressure and for a substrate temperature of 500 °C. The films were smooth, compact and constituted with columnar grains inclined at about 17°±4° from the normal to the substrate surface. From X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy experiments, it was found that the wurtzite phase of Nd-doped ZnO thin films is observed with the c-axis inclined around 35° with respect to the normal axis of the substrate, with a three-fold azimuthal symmetry. Epitaxial relationships between Nd-doped ZnO films and sapphire substrate were determined from the asymmetric X-ray diffraction and are presented compared with those obtained for the films grown by non-oblique PED. The tilt of the ZnO c-axis has been explained by the epitaxy of the (2 2 9) ZnO plane on the (0 0 l) sapphire plane, such particular epitaxial growth having never been reported previously.

lenstronomy is an Astropy-affiliated Python package for gravitational lensing simulations and analyses. lenstronomy was introduced by Birrer and Amara (2018) and is based on the linear basis set approach by Birrer et a. (2015). The user and developer base of lenstronomy has substantially grown since then, and the software has become an integral part of a wide range of recent analyses, such as measuring the Hubble constant with time-delay strong lensing or constraining the nature of dark matter from resolved and unresolved small scale lensing distortion statistics. The modular design has allowed the community to incorporate innovative new methods, as well as to develop enhanced software and wrappers with more specific aims on top of the lenstronomy API. Through community engagement and involvement, lenstronomy has become a foundation of an ecosystem of affiliated packages extending the original scope of the software and proving its robustness and applicability at the forefront of the strong gravitational lensing community in an open source and reproducible manner., Comment: published by JOSS. Software available at https://github.com/sibirrer/lenstronomy. Comments, issues and pull requests welcome!

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In this paper, we present a comparative study of LIPSS formation on sub-stoichiometric titanium oxide thin films grown using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and Magnetron Sputtering (MS). Irradiation was performed using femtosecond lasers beams, emitting at wavelengths 266 and 1030 nm, and at different numbers of laser pulses and laser fluences. Conditions for the formation of LIPSS were determined for both types of films, at 266 nm. A variety of nanostructures such as LSFL, HSFL, spikes, dots were detected and their shapes and sizes were found to strongly depend on laser fluence and number of pulses, as essentially dictated by free-surface energy minimization. LIPSS appeared to follow similar formation pattern for both PLD and MS films, except for some delamination detected for the MS films. This was attributed to better adhesion and a lower stress state of the PLD films compared to their MS counterparts. Large surface nanostructuring experiments performed at 1030 nm showed less delamination with the increase of the laser fluence, resulting from a competition between the cracking and the melting of the layers.

ObjectiveCarotid atherosclerotic plaques are a source of emboli for stroke. ‘Unstable’ carotid atherosclerotic plaques may have intraplaque haemorrhages, neovessels, prevalent macrophages, excessive calcium deposits, a large lipid core and a thin fibrous cap. Regular physical activity (PA) may lower the risk of plaques becoming unstable. We evaluated the association of both PA and sedentary behaviour (SB) with carotid plaque histopathology.Methods90 asymptomatic patients who were undergoing carotid endarterectomy for carotid artery narrowing identified on ultrasound reported their PA and SB by questionnaires. We calculated PA intensity in MET (metabolic equivalent of task)-min/week. For analysis, the population was divided into tertiles according to PA (T1PA: the less PA patients; T2PA: the intermediate PA patients; T3PA: the most physically active patients) (T1PAResultsIntraplaque haemorrhage was less frequent in the most physically active tertile (T3PA, 48%) versus T1PA (74%) and in the least sedentary tertile T1SB (50%) versus T3SB (71%). The intraplaque haemorrhage was less frequent in those who exercised more than 900 MET-min/week (59% vs 47% for >900 and ConclusionIn this cross-sectional study of asymptomatic patients who underwent endarterectomy (i) higher reported PA, (ii) intensity of PA and (iii) lower reported SB were associated with lower prevalence of intraplaque haemorrhage. This could be a mechanism whereby PA protects against cerebrovascular disease (stroke) and death.

Resume L’augmentation de la susceptibilite des animaux experimentaux immunodeprimes vis-a-vis de l’echinococcose alveolaire (EA) est connue depuis plus de 30 ans, ainsi que la progression rapide des lesions residuelles chez les patients transplantes pour EA. Cependant, ce n’est que depuis le debut des annees 2000 que des publications isolees ont fait etat de cas d’EA chez des patients atteints d’immunosuppression acquise. Une etude systematique des cas d’EA chez les transplantes d’organe et les patients atteints de sida ou d’affections malignes et/ou inflammatoires chroniques traites pas immunosuppresseurs a beneficie de l’existence d’un Registre Francais des cas d’EA (FrancEchino). Elle a confirme l’augmentation significative du nombre et du pourcentage de cas d’EA associes a une immunosuppression de 1992 a 2012, placant desormais l’EA au sein des infections « opportunistes ». Dans cette situation l’EA est generalement une decouverte fortuite lors du bilan de la pathologie sous-jacente. Le diagnostic est souvent retarde et son traitement parfois errone du fait de la confusion avec cette pathologie, en particulier en cas de cancer. Si l’EA est symptomatique, le caractere aigu des symptomes, simulant un abces hepatique, est aussi source d’errance diagnostique, d’autant que la serologie est plus souvent negative et l’imagerie plus souvent atypique que chez les patients sans immunosuppression. La strategie therapeutique de l’EA s’applique cependant : resection hepatique complete des lesions si elle est possible et si la maladie sous-jacente le permet, et traitement a vie par albendazole chez les patients inoperables ; dans ce dernier cas, l’amelioration peut etre spectaculaire, mais les effets secondaires semblent plus frequents. Des etudes complementaires permettront de dire si l’EA est due a une reactivation d’une infection ancienne ou a une contamination recente.

Background The classification of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) issued by the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer/Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium (EORTC/MSGERC) is used for immunocompromised patients. An alternative algorithm adapted to the intensive care unit (ICU) population has been proposed (AspICU), but this algorithm did not include microbial biomarkers such as the galactomannan antigen and the Aspergillus quantitative PCR. The objective of the present pilot study was to evaluate a new algorithm that includes fungal biomarkers (BM-AspICU) for the diagnosis of probable IPA in an ICU population. Patients and methods Data from 35 patients with pathology-proven IPA according to European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer/Mycosis Study Group (EORTC/MSGERC)-2008 criteria were extracted from the French multicenter database of the Invasive Fungal Infections Surveillance Network (RESSIF). The patients were investigated according to the AspICU algorithm, and the BM-AspICU algorithm in analyzing the clinical, imaging, and biomarker data available in the records, without taking into account the pathology findings. Results Eight patients had to be excluded because no imaging data were recorded in the database. Among the 27 proven IPAs with complete data, 16 would have been considered as putative IPA with the AspICU algorithm and 24 would have been considered as probable IPA using the new algorithm BM-AspICU. Seven out of the 8 patients with probable BM-AspICU IPA (and not classified with the AspICU algorithm) had no host factors and no Aspergillus-positive broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) culture. Three patients were non-classifiable with any of the two algorithms, because they did not have any microbial criteria during the course of the infection, and diagnosis of proven aspergillosis was done using autopsy samples. Conclusion Inclusion of biomarkers could be effective to identify probable IPA in the ICU population. A prospective study is needed to validate the routine application of the BM-AspICU algorithm in the ICU population.

International audience

International audience

International audience

International audience; The severe acute respiratory syndrome novel coronavirus-2 pandemic is affecting almost every country in the world. Even if the major symptoms of coronavirus disease-2019 are respiratory, different symptoms at presentation are now recognized. Venous thromboembolism has been reported in infected patients and few but increasing cases of arterial thrombosis have been described. We report a case of acute aortoiliac and lower limb artery occlusions in a patient presenting with severe coronavirus disease-2019 infection. The mechanism of the occlusion seemed to be distal embolization from a floating thrombus in the aortic arch caused by a major inflammatory state and virus infection. The patient underwent aortoiliac and lower limb artery mechanical thrombectomy, but required unilateral major amputation.

Introduction Significant disparities are apparent in geographic areas and among racial/ethnic minority groups in Wisconsin. Cancer disparities are complex and multifactorial and require collaborative, multilevel efforts to reduce their impact. Our objective was to understand cancer disparities and identify opportunities to collaborate across community and research sectors to address them. Methods From May 2017 through October 2018, we assembled groups of community members and researchers and conducted 10 listening sessions and 29 interviews with a total of 205 participants from diverse backgrounds. Listening sessions and interviews were scheduled on the basis of participant preference and consisted of a brief review of maps illustrating the breast and lung cancer burden across Wisconsin, and a semistructured set of questions regarding causes, solutions, and opportunities. Interviews followed the same structure as listening sessions, but were conducted between a facilitator and 1 or 2 individuals. Major themes were summarized from all sessions and coded. We used the Model for Analysis of Population Health and Health Disparities to identify areas for collaboration and to highlight differences in emphasis between community participants and researchers. Results Participants identified the need to address individual behavioral risks and medical mistrust and to build equitable multilevel partnerships. Communities provided insights on the impact of environment and location on cancer disparities. Researchers shared thoughts about societal poverty and policy issues, biologic responses, genetic predisposition, and the mechanistic influence of lifestyle factors on cancer incidence and mortality. Conclusion Listening sessions and interviews provided insight into contributors to cancer disparities, barriers to improving outcomes, and opportunities to improve health. The unique perspectives of each group underscored the need for multisector teams to tackle the complex issue of cancer disparities.

Background: Feather duvet lung (FDL) is an underestimated form of acute and chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Serological tests for FDL need to be validated. We investigated the ability of recombinant pigeon Proproteinase E (r-PROE) and Immunoglobulin-lambda-like-polypeptide-1 (r-IGLL1) proteins to support the serological diagnosis of FDL, and propose them as a serological tool for clinicians to differentiate cases from FDL and Bird fancier’s lung (BFL). Methods: Specific IgG antibodies against r-PROE and r-IGLL1, analyzed with ELISA, were measured in patients diagnosed with FDL (n=31), BFL (n=15) controls exposed (n=15) and unexposed to feathers (n=15). Results: The sensitivity and specificity of the r-PROE ELISA for the serological diagnosis of FDL cases versus exposed and unexposed controls were 74.2% and 86.7% respectively, with an index threshold of 0.5. (AUC: 0.9). In addition, this serological test was effective to support the serological diagnosis of FDL and BFL cases with significantly different thresholds. The r-IGLL1 ELISA was only effective for the serological diagnosis of BFL. Also, these two serological tests were useful for the diagnosis of both chronic and acute forms. Conclusions: The new diagnostic test for FDL using r-PROE protein should help to detect overt and hidden cases of FDL. The combination of both test will help the clinician in distinguish between the etiology of birds or feathers duvet.

Objective The chimney technique (ChEVAR) allows for proximal landing zone extension for endovascular repair of complex aortic aneurysms. The aim of the present study was to assess ChEVAR national outcomes in French university hospital centres. Methods All centres were contacted and entered data into a computerised online database on a voluntary basis. Clinical and radiological data were collected on all consecutive ChEVAR patients operated on in 14 centres between 2008 and 2016. Patients were deemed unfit for open repair. Factors associated with early (30 day or in hospital) mortality and type 1 endoleak (Type I EL) were calculated using multivariable analysis. Results In total, 201 patients with 343 target vessels were treated. There were 94 juxtarenal (46.8%), 67 pararenal (33.3%), 10 Crawford type IV thoraco-abdominal (5%) aneurysms, and 30 (15.1%) proximal failures of prior repairs. The pre-operative diameter was 66.8 ± 16.7 mm and 28 (13.9%) ChEVAR were performed as an emergency, including six (2.9%) ruptures. There were 23 (11.7%) unplanned intra-operative procedures, mainly related to access issues. The rate of early deaths was 11.4% (n = 23). The elective mortality rate was 9.8% (n = 17). Nine patients (4.5%) presented with a stroke. The rate of early proximal Type I EL was 11.9%. Survival was 84.6%, 79.4%, 73.9%, 71.1% at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months, respectively. The primary patency of chimney stents was 97.4%, 96.7%, 95.2%, and 93.3% at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months, respectively. Performing unplanned intra-operative procedures (OR 3.7, 95% CI 1.3–10.9) was identified as the only independent predictor of post-operative death. A ChEVAR for juxtarenal aneurysm was independently associated with fewer post-operative Type I ELs (OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.05–0.58). Conclusion In this large national ChEVAR series, early results were concerning. The reasons may lie in heterogeneous practices between centres and ChEVAR use outside of current recommendations regarding oversizing rates, endograft types, and sealing zones. Future research should focus on improvements in pre-operative planning and intra-operative technical aspects.

International audience; No abstract available

BACKGROUND: Acute popliteal artery occlusion is a frequent clinical entity with a risk of major amputation. Several attitudes are possible and treatment is not standardized. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate safety and effectiveness of intra-arterial thrombolysis in acute popliteal artery occlusion. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of a prospective database of patients treated by intra-arterial thrombolysis for acute lower-limb ischemia due to popliteal artery occlusion between 2001 and 2014.The primary endpoint was technical and clinical success. Etiologies and etiologic treatment, amputation-free survival, in-hospital mortality and bleeding complications rates were secondary endpoints. RESULTS: Seventy-one patients, with a mean 6-day-old ischemic time before thrombolysis, were analyzed. Technical and clinical success was 90% and 87% respectively. Etiology was embolic in 33 patients (cardiac n = 14, aortic = 6, unknown = 13) and thrombotic in 38 (atheromatous n = 19, entrapment n= 4, popliteal aneurysm n = 11, Buerger n = 2, thrombophilia n = 1, hyperhomocysteinemia n = 1). Survival and amputation-free survival at 30 days were 97% and 94% respectively. There were no major bleeding complications. CONCLUSIONS: Intra-arterial thrombolysis of acute popliteal artery occlusion is an effective technique which reduces the rate of open surgery. The risk of bleeding complications is very low.

Author(s): Pogorzelski, David; Nguyen, Uyen; McKay, Paula; Thabane, Lehana; Camara, Megan; Ramsey, Lolita; Seymour, Rachel; Goodman, J Brett; McGee, Sheketha; Fraifogl, Joanne; Hudgins, Andrea; Tanner, Stephanie L; Bhandari, Mohit; Slobogean, Gerard P; Sprague, Sheila; PREP-IT Investigators Executive Committee:; Steering Committee; Adjudication Committee; Data and Safety Monitoring Committee; Research Methodology Core; Patient Centred Outcomes Core; Orthopaedic Surgery Core; Operating Room Core; Infectious Disease Core; Military Core; McMaster University Methods Center; University of Maryland School of Medicine Administrative Center; University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, The PATIENTS Program; PREP-IT Clinical Sites: Lead Clinical Site (Aqueous-PREP and PREPARE); Aqueous-PREP and PREPARE; Aqueous-PREP; PREPARE; PREP-IT Investigators Executive Committee | Abstract: IntroductionPragmatic trials in comparative effectiveness research assess the effects of different treatment, therapeutic, or healthcare options in clinical practice. They are characterized by broad eligibility criteria and large sample sizes, which can lead to an unmanageable number of participants, increasing the risk of bias and affecting the integrity of the trial. We describe the development of a sampling strategy tool and its use in the PREPARE trial to circumvent the challenge of unmanageable work flow.MethodsGiven the broad eligibility criteria and high fracture volume at participating clinical sites in the PREPARE trial, a pragmatic sampling strategy was needed. Using data from PREPARE, descriptive statistics were used to describe the use of the sampling strategy across clinical sites. A Chi-square test was performed to explore whether use of the sampling strategy was associated with a reduction in the number of missed eligible patients.Results7 of 20 clinical sites (35%) elected to adopt a sampling strategy. There were 1539 patients excluded due to the use of the sampling strategy, which represents 30% of all excluded patients and 20% of all patients screened for participation. Use of the sampling strategy was associated with lower odds of missed eligible patients (297/4545 (6.5%) versus 341/3200 (10.7%) p l 0.001).ConclusionsImplementing a sampling strategy in the PREPARE trial has helped to limit the number of missed eligible patients. This sampling strategy represents a simple, easy to use tool for managing work flow at clinical sites and maintaining the integrity of a large trial.

International audience; BACKGROUND: A distal approach in endovascular procedures for revascularization of lowers limbs can be considered in case of no re-entry in subintimal recanalization. The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of a medial approach to the infrageniculate popliteal artery (IPA) using existing computed tomography (CT) scan simulation and punctures performed on cadavers. METHODS AND RESULTS: CT angiographies of lower extremities were used to simulate IPA puncture and puncture trajectory. Tissues damaged during the trajectory between the puncture site and the access-related injuries were analyzed. Anatomical punctures on cadaverous model were also performed. Corpses were placed in supine position, the hip in slight flexion (40°) and abduction (external rotation of 60°). A 16 G needle was used for the IPA puncture. Twelve CT angiography simulations were made. Of these 12 simulations, 9 revealed an isolated lesion of the popliteal vein and 2 isolated lesions of the tibial nerve. A lesion of the tibial nerve and the popliteal vein on the same simulation was once observed. Damage to the medial gastrocnemius muscle could not be avoided in each case. Ten punctures were performed on cadavers with technical success. There were 6 popliteal vein lesions, 3 tibial nerve lesions, and 1 case without lesion. In all cases, damage to the medial gastrocnemius muscle was seen. CONCLUSIONS: This medial approach was feasible and is accompanied by trauma of elements of the popliteal pedicle. Preoperative CT angiography could anticipate best site of puncture and potential access-related injury.

International audience; Vulnerable carotid atherosclerotic plaques are characterised by several risk factors, such as inflammation, neovascularization and intraplaque haemorrhage (IPH). Vulnerable plaques can lead to ischemic events such as stroke. Many studies reported a relationship between IPH, plaque rupture, and ischemic stroke. Histology is the gold standard to evaluate IPH, but it required carotid endarterectomy (CEA) surgery to collect the tissue sample. In this context, several imaging methods can be used as a non-invasive way to evaluate plaque vulnerability and detect IPH. Most imaging studies showed that IPH is associated with plaque vulnerability and stroke, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) being the most sensitive and specific to detect IPH as a predictor of ischemic events. These conclusions are however still debated because of the limited number of patients included in these studies; further studies are required to better assess risks associated with different IPH stages. Moreover, IPH is implicated in plaque vulnerability with other risk factors which need to be considered to predict ischemic risk. In addition, MRI sequences standardization is required to compare results from different studies and agree on biomarkers that need to be considered to predict plaque rupture. In these circumstances, IPH detection by MRI could be an efficient clinical method to predict stroke. The goal of this review article is to first describe the pathophysiological process responsible for IPH, its histological detection in carotid plaques and its correlation with plaque rupture. The second part will discuss the benefits and limitations of imaging the carotid plaque, and finally the clinical interest of imaging IPH to predict plaque rupture, focusing on MRI-IPH.

The increasing complexity in today’s systems and the limited market times demand new development tools for FPGA. Currently, in addition to traditional hardware description languages (HDLs), there are high-level synthesis (HLS) tools that increase the abstraction level in system development. Despite the greater simplicity of design and testing, HLS has some drawbacks in describing hardware. This paper presents a comparative study between HLS and HDL for FPGA, using a Sobel filter as a case study in the image processing field. The results show that the HDL implementation is slightly better than the HLS version considering resource usage and response time. However, the programming effort required in the HDL solution is significantly larger than in the HLS counterpart. La creciente complejidad de los sistemas actuales y los tiempos limitados del mercado exigen nuevas herramientas de desarrollo para las FPGAs. Hoy en día, además de los tradicionales lenguajes de descripción de hardware (HDL), existen herramientas de síntesis de alto nivel (HLS) que aumentan el nivel de abstracción en el desarrollo de sistemas. A pesar de la mayor simplicidad de diseño y pruebas, HLS tiene algunos inconvenientes para describir hardware. Este documento presenta un estudio comparativo entre HLS y HDL para FPGA, utilizando un filtro Sobel como caso de estudio en el ámbito del procesamiento de imágenes. Los resultados muestran que la implementación HDL es levemente mejor que la versión HLS considerando uso de recursos y tiempo de respuesta. Sin embargo, el esfuerzo de programación en la implementación de HDL es significativamente mayor. Instituto de Investigación en Informática

Previous studies have suggested the role of microcalcifications in plaque vulnerability. This exploratory study sought to assess the potential of hybrid positron-emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using 18F-sodium fluoride (18F-NaF) to check simultaneously 18F-NaF uptake, a marker of microcalcifications, and morphological criteria of vulnerability. We included 12 patients with either recently symptomatic or asymptomatic carotid stenosis. All patients underwent 18F-NaF PET/MRI. 18F-NaF target-to-background ratio (TBR) was measured in culprit and nonculprit (including contralateral plaques of symptomatic patients) plaques as well as in other arterial walls. Morphological criteria of vulnerability were assessed on MRI. Mineral metabolism markers were also collected. 18F-NaF uptake was higher in culprit compared to nonculprit plaques (median TBR 2.6 [2.2-2.8] vs 1.7 [1.3-2.2]; P = 0.03) but was not associated with morphological criteria of vulnerability on MRI. We found a positive correlation between 18F-NaF uptake and calcium plaque volume and ratio but not with circulating tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) activity and inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) levels. 18F-NaF uptake in the other arterial walls did not differ between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. 18F-NaF PET/MRI may be a promising tool for providing additional insights into the plaque vulnerability.

Objective A crucial step in designing fenestrated stent grafts for treatment of complex aortic abdominal aneurysms is the accurate positioning of the fenestrations. The deployment of a fenestrated stent graft prototype in a patient-specific rigid aortic model can be used for design verification in vitro, but is time and human resources consuming. Numerical simulation (NS) of fenestrated stent graft deployment using the finite element analysis has recently been developed; the aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of fenestration positioning by NS and in vitro. Methods All consecutive cases of complex aortic abdominal aneurysm treated with the Fenestrated Anaconda (Terumo Aortic) in six European centers were included in a prospective, observational study. To compare fenestration positioning, the distance from the center of the fenestration to the proximal end of the stent graft (L) and the angular distance from the 0° position (C) were measured and compared between in vitro testing (L1, C1) and NS (L2, C2). The primary hypothesis was that ΔL (|L2 – L1|) and ΔC (|C2 – C1|) would be 2.5 or less mm in more than 80% of the cases. The duration of both processes was also compared. Results Between May 2018 and January 2019, 50 patients with complex aortic abdominal aneurysms received a fenestrated stent graft with a total of 176 fenestrations. The ΔL and ΔC was 2.5 mm or less for 173 (98%) and 174 (99%) fenestrations, respectively. The NS process duration was significantly shorter than the in vitro (2.1 days [range, 1.0-5.2 days] vs 20.6 days [range, 9-82 days]; P Conclusions Positioning of fenestrations using NS is as accurate as in vitro and could significantly decrease delivery time of fenestrated stent grafts.

Atherosclerosis, a complex cardiovascular disease, is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Oxidative stress and inflammation are both involved in the development of atherosclerotic plaque as they increase the biological processes associated with this pathology, such as endothelial dysfunction and macrophage recruitment and adhesion. Atherosclerotic plaque rupture leading to major ischemic events is the result of vulnerable plaque progression, which is a result of the detrimental effect of oxidative stress and inflammation on risk factors for atherosclerotic plaque rupture, such as intraplaque hemorrhage, neovascularization, and fibrous cap thickness. Thus, both are key targets for primary and secondary interventions. It is well recognized that chronic physical activity attenuates oxidative stress in healthy subjects via the improvement of antioxidant enzyme capacities and inflammation via the enhancement of anti-inflammatory molecules. Moreover, it was recently shown that chronic physical activity could decrease oxidative stress and inflammation in atherosclerotic patients. The aim of this review is to summarize the role of oxidative stress and inflammation in atherosclerosis and the results of therapeutic interventions targeting them in both preclinical and clinical studies. The effects of chronic physical activity on these two key processes are then reviewed in vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques in both coronary and carotid arteries.

Background All patients with lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (LE-PAD) should benefit from recommended pharmacologic therapies including antiplatelet agents, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), and HMG-CoA-reductase inhibitors (statins). In the present study, this triple therapy was defined as the best medical treatment. This study was designed to determine the current risk of cardiovascular (CV) events and mortality and also to evaluate the effect of pharmacologic treatment on patient's survival, CV events, and additional vascular surgery in vascularized LE-PAD patients. This observational, cohort study analyzed prospectively collected data of 140 consecutive patients after hospitalization for LE-PAD revascularization in the vascular surgery department of our university hospital, between January 1 and June 30, 2013. Methods Data from guideline-recommended classes of medications (ACE, ARB, statins, and antiplatelet agents or anticoagulation) were collected at the time of discharge to hospitalization and at the end of the follow-up. Information about mortality, CV events, and additional vascular surgery was collected during follow-up. Results The mean follow-up of patients was 41 months. Mortality and CV events concerned 24% and 12% of the patients, respectively, and additional vascular surgery was performed in 33% of the patients. There was no difference in mortality and CV event rates according to pharmacologic treatment. Additional vascular surgery rate of LE-PAD patients with best medical treatment tended to be lower than without (incidence rate ratio = 0.5777; 95% confidence interval, 0.3101–1.06; P = 0.08). Best medical treatment was prescribed in 54% of patients at discharge of hospitalization. This proportion (54%) was statistically unchanged at the end of follow-up. Conclusions In this small cohort, we failed to show that best medical treatment decreased mortality or CV event rates, but it tended to be associated with decreased additional vascular surgery rate. Further studies taking into consideration the control of CV risk factors could be interesting to demonstrate better outcome from LE-PAD patients with best medical treatment compared with LE-PAD patients without. There is an urgent need for a more effective implementation of currently recommended medication and a continued search after more effective pharmacologic treatment options in LE-PAD.

International audience; There has been a great deal of research activity in computer- and robot-assisted surgeries in recent years. Some of the advances have included robotic hip surgery, image-guided endoscopic surgery, and the use of intra-operative MRI to assist in neurosurgery. However, most of the work in the literature assumes that all of the expert surgeons are physically present close to the location of a surgery. A new direction that is now worth investigating is assisting in performing surgeries remotely. As a first step in this direction, this chapter presents a system that can detect movement of hands and fingers, and thereby detect gestures, which can be used to control a catheter remotely. Our development is aimed at performing remote endovascular surgery by controlling the movement of a catheter through blood vessels. Our hand movement detection is facilitated by sensors, like LEAP, which can track the position of fingertips and the palm. In order to make the system robust to occlusions, we have improved the implementation by optimally integrating the input from two different sensors. Following this step, we identify high-level gestures, like push and turn, to enable remote catheter movements. To simulate a realistic environment we have fabricated a flexible endovascular mold, and also a phantom of the abdominal region with the endovascular mold integrated inside. A mechanical device that can remotely control a catheter based on movement primitives extracted from gestures has been built. Experimental results are shown demonstrating the accuracy of the system.

International audience; Previous studies have mainly focused on bat mortality through collision by wind turbines, and very few studies have assessed the indirect impacts on bat activity and on foraging habitat availability. Also, there is a global lack of knowledge on the vulnerability of tropical bat fauna due to wind energy production, even though it is well known that windpower can affect bat communities and biodiversity hotspots are widespread in the tropics. We present one of the first studies to quantify the indirect impact of wind farms on insectivorous bats in tropical hotspots of biodiversity. Bat activity was compared between wind farm sites and control sites, via ultrasound recordings at stationary points. The activity of bent winged bats (Miniopterus sp) and wattled bats (Chalinolobus sp) were both significantly lower at wind turbine sites. The result of the study demonstrates a large effect on bat habitat use at wind turbines sites compared to control sites. Bat activity was 20 times higher at control sites compared to wind turbine sites, which suggests that habitat loss is an important impact to consider in wind farm planning We strongly recommend that the loss of the foraging habitat loss is considered in mitigation hierarchy (avoiding, reducing, offsetting) when compensating or negative impacts of wind farms.

This paper examines the relation between the degree and type of strategic interaction among industry firms and firm performance. As a measure of firm performance, we use data envelopment analysis (DEA) to estimate the efficiency of a firm relative to the ‘best practice’ firms in its industry. We find that firms in industries with higher levels of strategic interaction are less efficient and the negative relation is more pronounced in industries where firms compete in strategic substitutes. This finding is consistent with the idea that there is significantly more cooperation (tacit collusion) under strategic complements than strategic substitutes. We also find that frontier efficiency methodology outperforms other measures of firm performance in explaining the relation between strategic interaction and firm performance.