The price of Cinnamomum verum (Ceylon cinnamon) is higher than that of other cinnamon varieties known as cassia cinnamon and/or Cinnamon camphora, which can trigger fraudsters to perform partial or total substitution of the former by the latter types, especially in ground cinnamon products. In addition, substitution of cinnamon bark by different parts of the plant (e.g., root, leaves) and/or introduction of inorganic matter in any cinnamon variety can also occur, increasing the overall risk of fraud related to spices, which are among the most vulnerable food commodities. This work reports the development of a novel Fourier transform (FT) Raman spectroscopic method combined with principal component analysis (PCA) applied to ground cinnamon, as an analytical tool to detect suspicious samples related to the aforementioned fraudulent practices. The findings of this new analytical approach were supported by published results from experiments on these samples using confirmatory techniques, such as X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), cited in this paper.
225Ac is a promising candidate medical radionuclide for targeted alpha therapy of advanced stage cancers. One of the main production pathways is the high-energy proton spallation of thorium-based targets, that requires an efficient, nuclide-selective separation method to recover 225Ac from hundreds of co-produced spallation and fission products. The main radioactive contaminant of concern is 227Ac (T1/2 = 21.8 years), that could preclude extensive medical use if not significantly suppressed. In this work, 225Ac samples were produced by mass separation of radioactive ion beams extracted from proton-irradiated thorium-based targets. The activity of 225Ac and other possible contaminants of the samples were measured using complementary gamma- and alpha-decay spectrometry methods, while 227Ac activity was calculated by performing alpha-decay spectrometry of recoiled progeny from the sample. Using this novel method, accurate measurement of trace 227Ac activity in 225Ac samples was performed much faster than with conventional spectrometry techniques, thanks to its 10,000-fold increase in relative sensitivity. The end of collection activity ratio of 227Ac to 225Ac in two samples from irradiated targets were determined to be [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] respectively, three orders of magnitude below the 227Ac activity in 225Ac products obtained through radiochemical separation. The high separation factor of 225Ac over 227Ac suggests the suitability of mass-separated accelerator-based 225Ac for medical use.
There is a large person-to-person variability in ultrafiltration with peritoneal dialysis at the time of starting treatment. In this international cohort study, heritability of peritoneal ultrafiltration with peritoneal dialysis was estimated at 50%. In genome-wide association study, two single-nucleotide variants reached genome-wide significance—rs72631501 in CRK intron with European ancestry and rs1416265, intergenic, with South Asian ancestry. There is a large person-to-person variability in ultrafiltration volume with peritoneal dialysis (PD), most of which cannot be accounted for by demographic and clinical differences. In this article, we tested the hypothesis that common genetic variants are associated with peritoneal ultrafiltration and explored one mechanistic pathway identified by genetic studies. We generated estimates of heritability and undertook genome-wide and gene-wise association studies, adjusted for peritoneal solute transfer rate, to test associations of genetic variation with ultrafiltration on peritoneal equilibration test conducted at PD initiation in 2723 participants in the international Biological Determinants of PD (Bio-PD) study. We used a mouse model of PD to study the mechanistic basis for the association of PTGES gene with peritoneal ultrafiltration. The peritoneal equilibration test was conducted at a median of 61 (interquartile range, 38–118) days from PD start with a median 4-hour ultrafiltration volume of 250 (interquartile range, 25–465) ml. The heritability of peritoneal ultrafiltration was estimated to be 50% ( P = 0.001). In single-nucleotide variant–wise multiancestry genome-wide association study using TRACTOR software, one single-nucleotide variant reached genome-wide significance in participants with European local ancestry (rs72631501, CRK intron, P = 2.6×10 −8 ) and one in participants with South Asian local ancestry (rs1416265, intergenic, P = 4.2×10 −8 ). Gene-wise analyses showed significant association of 21 genes at false discovery rates (FDRs) <0.10 in the European strata, notably PTGES (FDR=0.053), SLC24A3 (FDR=0.0003), and CRK (FDR=0.04). SLC24A3 remained significant (FDR=0.03) in meta-analysis of the four ancestry strata. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, PTGES localized in peritoneal adipocytes. In a mouse PD model, pharmacologic modulation of prostaglandin E synthase altered dialysate PGE2 levels with changes in adipocyte volume, peritoneal small solute transfer rate, and ultrafiltration volume. Common genetic variants accounted for a substantial proportion of the variability in peritoneal ultrafiltration with potential associations with 21 genes, including CRK , PTGES , and SLC24A3 . Functional studies substantiated a potential role for prostaglandin E synthase/prostaglandin E2 in regulating peritoneal ultrafiltration. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02694068.
aissez-moi vous dire comment j' en suis arrivé là.Mon calendrier m'a rappelé l' échéance d'aujourd'hui il y a deux semaines.J'ai donc eu tout le loisir de me préparer.D'autant plus que je savais clairement quelle thématique je voulais traiter.Ce qui, avec le recul, est assez ironique.Je m' étais donc plongé dans le sujet, lisant nombre de publications, écoutant des podcasts.Mes notes ont été rapidement rassemblées.J'avais même les citations appropriées et les liens de référence.Habituellement -et cette fois n'a pas fait exception -, je laisse reposer mon travail quelques jours avant d' entamer la rédaction.Inconsciemment, les informations s' organisent, se priorisent autrement, et souvent même surgissent à mon esprit des phrases entières que je n'ai plus qu'à taper.J' étais donc une nouvelle fois prêt, lorsque tout a changé.La journée a pourtant été des plus normales.Je me suis levé -plus tôt que mon corps ne l'aurait souhaité -, j'ai procédé à mon rituel de gratitude, suivi d'une séance de méditation, douche, habillage, départ pour le travail et dégustation d'un cappuccino dans un café en lisant un livre.Au cabinet, rien d'anormal non plus: deux assistantes et une collègue, malades, ne peuvent pas venir.Les urgences sont donc redispatchées, des rendez-vous reportés et casés dans un agenda déjà surchargé.La journée de travail n' en est pas moins satisfaisante.Depuis que j'ai réaugmenté ma présence au cabinet, en début d'année, j'apprécie de suivre à nouveau plus de patientes et de patients.Pour m'assurer le temps et l' énergie nécessaires à l' écriture de ma chronique, je finis le travail deux heures plus tôt.Le bus qui me ramène chez moi passe devant le Hönggerberg.Une magnifique journée d'hiver s' offre à mon regard.Le soleil se rapproche de l'horizon et se teinte peu à peu d' orange.Je descends spontanément à l'arrêt suivant.Une marche d'une vingtaine de minutes me sépare de la maison.Cette promenade vallonnée est libératrice.À droite, un troupeau de moutons dont les cloches tintent dès qu'ils s'inclinent pour paître; à gauche, l'Uetliberg baigné de soleil; dans la vallée, la ville de Zurich et son lac; et au loin, les Alpes.Un banc m'invite irrésistiblement à faire halte.Je me laisse
