Overweight, obesity and the metabolic syndrome are usual conditions treated in french balneotherapy care facilities. 42,507 patients were treated last year in France for metabolic conditions, most of them benefiting a social security reimbursed treatment. The therapeutic intervention core is made of hydro-thermal cares: drinking mineral water (alkaline sodium bicarbonated water), individual mineral water bathing, showers, massages under mineral water, mineral water pool collective exercise; education on nutritional concepts, adapted physical activity are also essential informations delivered in group or customized sessions. AFRETH promoted two clinical studies investigating the topic.   The randomised controlled trial Maathermes (1) assessed the benefit of the intervention on 257 overweight or obese patients randomized between balneotherapy (delivered in Brides, Capvern, Vals, Vichy, Vittel) and a control group (usual care and booklet on nutrition from the french health autorithy). At month 14th, the patients treated in the balneotherapy group showed a significant weight reduction (5.17 kg vs .54 kg ; p<.001) and they had more perspective to reach a stable weight loss of 5% (57.1% vs 18.6 % ; p<.001).   Prisme (2), a feasability cohort study, investigated the results of the intervention in 93 patients with a metabolic syndrome treated in Eugenie les Bains. At month 12th, 67 patients could be assessed. Metabolic syndrome had disappeared in 76% of the patients (glycemia normalised in 15%, waist circumference returned to acceptable in 15%, lipidic disorders disappeared in 33% ; blood pressure had acceptable values, without increased drug intake, in 67%.). 75 % of the patients were continuing the adapted physical activity, 65 % had a correct lipid intake.   Balneotherapy is useful for patients with overweight or obesity. Education during the stay is helpful for the weight and metabolic syndrome control. The medico-economic benefit of such an intervention remains to be established on scientific basis.

The aggressive and invasive nature of brain tumors has hampered progress in the design and implementation of efficacious therapies. The recent success of targeted therapies in other tumor types makes this an attractive area for research yet complicating matters is the ability of brain tumors to circumvent the targeted pathways to develop drug resistance. Effective therapies will likely need to target more than one signaling pathway or target multiple nodes within a given pathway. Key to identifying these targets is the elucidation of the driver and passenger molecules within these pathways. Animal models provide a useful tool with many advantages in the study of these pathways. These models provide a means to dissect the critical components of tumorigenesis, as well as serve as agents for preclinical testing. This review focuses on the use of the RCAS/tv-a mouse model of brain tumors and describes their unique ability to provide insight into the role of oncogene cooperation in tumor development and progression.
Animals ; Avian Leukosis Virus ; genetics ; Avian Proteins ; genetics ; Brain Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Disease Progression ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; methods ; Genetic Vectors ; Glioma ; genetics ; pathology ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Oncogenes ; genetics ; Receptors, Virus ; genetics

Hazardous work zones (i.e., hot, warm, and cold) are typically established by emergency response teams during hazardous materials (HAZMAT) callsbut less consistently for fire responses to segment personnel and response activities in the immediate geographic area around the fire. Despite national guidelines, studies have documented the inconsistent use of respiratory protective equipment by firefighters at the fire scene. In this case-series report, we describe warm zone gas levels using multigas detectors across five independent fire incident responses all occurring in a large South Florida fire department. Multigas detector data collected at each fire response indicate the presence of sustained levels of volatile organic compounds in the “warm zone” of each fire event. These cases suggest that firefighters should not only implement strategies for multigas detector use within the warm zone but also include respiratory protection to provide adequate safety from toxic exposures in the warm zone.
Emergencies ; Environmental Monitoring* ; Firefighters* ; Fires* ; Florida ; Hazardous Substances ; Humans ; Volatile Organic Compounds

OBJECTIVE: Considering the different prevalence rates of diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Asians relative to other races, Koreans may have unique airway structure and lung function. This study aimed to investigate unique features of airway structure and lung function based on quantitative computed tomography (QCT)-imaging metrics in the Korean Asian population (Koreans) as compared with the White American population (Whites). MATERIALS AND METHODS: QCT data of healthy non-smokers (223 Koreans vs. 70 Whites) were collected, including QCT structural variables of wall thickness (WT) and hydraulic diameter (Dh) and functional variables of air volume, total air volume change in the lung (ΔVair), percent emphysema-like lung (Emph%), and percent functional small airway disease-like lung (fSAD%). Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to compare the two groups. RESULTS: As compared with Whites, Koreans had smaller volume at inspiration, ΔVair between inspiration and expiration (p < 0.001), and Emph% at inspiration (p < 0.001). Especially, Korean females had a decrease of ΔVair in the lower lobes (p < 0.001), associated with fSAD% at the lower lobes (p < 0.05). In addition, Koreans had smaller Dh and WT of the trachea (both, p < 0.05), correlated with the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (R = 0.49, 0.39; all p < 0.001) and forced vital capacity (R = 0.55, 0.45; all p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Koreans had unique features of airway structure and lung function as compared with Whites, and the difference was clearer in female individuals. Discriminating structural and functional features between Koreans and Whites enables exploration of inter-racial differences of pulmonary disease in terms of severity, distribution, and phenotype.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Asthma ; Continental Population Groups ; Female ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Diseases ; Phenotype ; Prevalence ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Thorax ; Trachea ; Vital Capacity