L'astronomie en Europe à la fin du XVIIIè siècle (1789-1802)

Conference (2004)

Hiv-1 Gp41 And Gp160 Are Hyperthermostable Proteins In A Mesophilic Environment - Characterization Of Gp41 Mutants

in European Journal of Biochemistry (2004), 271(8), 1566-79

HIV gp41(24-157) unfolds cooperatively over the pH range of 1.0-4.0 with T(m) values of > 100 degrees C. At pH 2.8, protein unfolding was 80% reversible and the DeltaH(vH)/DeltaH(cal) ratio of 3.7 is ... [more ▼]

HIV gp41(24-157) unfolds cooperatively over the pH range of 1.0-4.0 with T(m) values of > 100 degrees C. At pH 2.8, protein unfolding was 80% reversible and the DeltaH(vH)/DeltaH(cal) ratio of 3.7 is indicative of gp41 being trimeric. No evidence for a monomer-trimer equilibrium in the concentration range of 0.3-36 micro m was obtained by DSC and tryptophan fluorescence. Glycosylation of gp41 was found to have only a marginal impact on the thermal stability. Reduction of the disulfide bond or mutation of both cysteine residues had only a marginal impact on protein stability. There was no cooperative unfolding event in the DSC thermogram of gp160 in NaCl/P(i), pH 7.4, over a temperature range of 8-129 degrees C. When the pH was lowered to 5.5-3.4, a single unfolding event at around 120 degrees C was noted, and three unfolding events at 93.3, 106.4 and 111.8 degrees C were observed at pH 2.8. Differences between gp41 and gp160, and hyperthermostable proteins from thermophile organisms are discussed. A series of gp41 mutants containing single, double, triple or quadruple point mutations were analysed by DSC and CD. The impact of mutations on the protein structure, in the context of generating a gp41 based vaccine antigen that resembles a fusion intermediate state, is discussed. A gp41 mutant, in which three hydrophobic amino acids in the gp41 loop were replaced with charged residues, showed an increased solubility at neutral pH. [less ▲]

Enantiomeric separation of ionisable compounds in non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis using charged cyclodextrins in combination with ion-pairing reagents

Conference (2004)

Evolution des techniques sidérurgiques pré-industrielles et aperçu des critères de localisation de la métallurgie en « Terre de Durbuy »

Article for general public (2004)

Strontium ranelate: a new paradigm in the treatment of osteoporosis.

in Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs (2004), 13(7), 857-64

In vitro, strontium ranelate increases collagen and non-collagenic protein synthesis by mature osteoblast-enriched cells. The effects of strontium ranelate on bone formation were confirmed as the drug ... [more ▼]

In vitro, strontium ranelate increases collagen and non-collagenic protein synthesis by mature osteoblast-enriched cells. The effects of strontium ranelate on bone formation were confirmed as the drug enhanced preosteoblastic cell replication. In the isolated osteoclast, a preincubation of bone slices with strontium ranelate induced a dose-dependent inhibition of the bone resorbing activity of treated rat osteoclast. Strontium ranelate dose-dependently inhibited preosteoclast differentiation. The drug was administered in 160 early postmenopausal women, in a 24-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled, prospective randomised study. At the conclusion of the study, the percentage variation of lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) from baseline was significantly different in the group receiving strontium ranelate 1000 mg/day as compared with placebo (+5.53 versus -0.75%, respectively). Increase in total hip and neck BMD averages were 3.2 and 2.5%, respectively. The effect of strontium ranelate in postmenopausal women with established osteoporosis was assessed during a multinational, prospective, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Strontium ranelate (500, 1000, 2000 mg/day) or placebo were given to 353 Caucasian women with prevalent vertebral osteoporosis. At the conclusion of this 2-year study, the annual increase in lumbar BMD of the group receiving strontium ranelate 2000 mg was 7.3% (p < 0.001). A significant increase in bone alkaline phophatase (p = 0.002) over a 6-month period and a significant decrease in N-telopeptide crosslinks (p = 0.004) throughout the 2-year period were seen in the group receiving 2000 mg of strontium ranelate. During the second year of treatment, the dose of 2000 mg was associated with a 44% reduction in the number of patients experiencing a new vertebral deformity. Bone histomorphometry showed no mineralisation defects. The primary analysis of the SOTI study, evaluating the effect of strontium ranelate 2000 mg on vertebral fracture rates, revealed a 41% reduction in the relative risk of patients experiencing a first new vertebral fracture with strontium ranelate throughout the 3-year study. The TROPOS study showed a significant reduction in the risk of experiencing a first non-vertebral fracture in the group treated with strontium ranelate throughout the 3-year study. A reduction in the risk of experiencing a hip fracture was also demonstrated in the patients treated for > or = 18 months. [less ▲]

Friches dʼhabitat et désurbanisation en Wallonie

in Géocarrefour (2004), (79), 153-162

Le phénomène des logements vides est en Wallonie un problème urbain de plus en plus sérieux. L’article vise à rendre compte des mécanismes qui concourent à cette multiplication des friches d’habitat. Une ... [more ▼]

Le phénomène des logements vides est en Wallonie un problème urbain de plus en plus sérieux. L’article vise à rendre compte des mécanismes qui concourent à cette multiplication des friches d’habitat. Une première partie est consacrée aux mutations territoriales et immobilières observées en Belgique lors des dernières décennies. En s’appuyant sur l’examen de trois enquêtes, la seconde partie porte ensuite sur les choix d’investissements qui expliquent pourquoi des propriétaires de plus en plus nombreux délaissent leur patrimoine immobilier. La première enquête a été réalisée auprès d’un échantillon représentatif des particuliers actifs sur le marché de la location, la deuxième auprès de propriétaires d’immeubles résidentiels vides et la troisième auprès de propriétaires d’immeubles commerciaux comportant des étages vides. [less ▲]

Vigny : poète antique ou moderne ?

in Bulletin de l’Association des Amis d’Alfred de Vigny (2004), 33

Is ethanol a pro-drug? The role of acetaldehyde in the central effects of ethanol

in Trends in Pharmacological Sciences (2004), 25(3), 130-134

Acetaldehyde, the first product of ethanol metabolism, has been speculated to be involved in many behavioral effects of ethanol. However, its precise role remains a matter of debate, with some researchers ... [more ▼]

Acetaldehyde, the first product of ethanol metabolism, has been speculated to be involved in many behavioral effects of ethanol. However, its precise role remains a matter of debate, with some researchers suggesting that acetaldehyde has no role in the effects of ethanol and others contending that ethanol is a pro-drug whose pharmacological action is mediated by acetaldehyde. Recent studies support a role for acetaldehyde in the stimulant, reinforcing, hypnotic and amnesic effects of ethanol, and, in particular, alcohol abuse and alcoholism. However, current evidence indicates that acetaldehyde is not involved in some of the major neurochemical effects of ethanol. It is therefore likely that ethanol and acetaldehyde molecules act synergistically to determine the multiple neurochemical and behavioral effects of alcohol consumption. [less ▲]

L'évolution législative et jurisprudentielle du régime des prestations familiales

in Actualité de la sécurité sociale - Evolution législative et jurisprudentielle (2004)

Kinetics of engraftment in patients with hematologic malignancies given allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation after nonmyeloablative conditioning.

in Blood (2004), 104(8), 2254-62

We analyzed the kinetics of donor engraftment among various peripheral blood cell subpopulations and their relationship to outcomes among 120 patients with hematologic malignancies given hematopoietic ... [more ▼]

We analyzed the kinetics of donor engraftment among various peripheral blood cell subpopulations and their relationship to outcomes among 120 patients with hematologic malignancies given hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) after nonmyeloablative conditioning consisting of 2 Gy total body irradiation (TBI) with or without added fludarabine. While patients rapidly developed high degrees of donor engraftment, most remained mixed donor/host chimeras for up to 180 days after HCT. Patients given preceding chemotherapies and those given granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-mobilized peripheral blood mononuclear cell (G-PBMC) grafts had the highest degrees of donor chimerism. Low donor T-cell (P = .003) and natural killer (NK) cell (P = .004) chimerism levels on day 14 were associated with increased probabilities of graft rejection. High T-cell chimerism on day 28 was associated with an increased probability of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) (P = .02). Of 93 patients with measurable malignant disease at transplantation, 41 achieved complete remissions a median of 199 days after HCT; 19 of the 41 were mixed T-cell chimeras when complete remissions were achieved. Earlier establishment of donor NK-cell chimerism was associated with improved progression-free survival (P = .02). Measuring the levels of peripheral blood cell subset donor chimerisms provided useful information on HCT outcomes and might allow early therapeutic interventions to prevent graft rejection or disease progression. [less ▲]