Middle Solutrean engraved bone artefacts from Rochefort Cave (Saint-Pierre-sur-Erve, Mayenne, France)

Within the Solutrean portable corpus gathered from Rochefort cave, a series of twenty-five items was isolated. It is mainly made up of herbivore ribs but also of fragments of long bones and ivory that are showing different types of incisions. Their lay out does not indicate simple grooves related to butchering activities. Remarkable items such as an entire brown bear rib or a fragment of mammoth tusk are part of this series of incised pieces. These symbolic engraved decorations are known for the Solutrean period but the imprecise chronostratigraphic contexts of most of the older collections make them unreliable items of reference. As the search for comparisons has not really been fruitful, the Rochefort cave corpus singles out by the quantity and quality of the objects that have been inventoried

Pièces osseuses gravées du Solutréen moyen de la grotte Rochefort (Saint-Pierre-sur-Erve, Mayenne, France)

Au sein du corpus mobilier solutréen provenant de la grotte Rochefort, un lot de 25 pièces a été isolé. Il s’agit essentiellement de côtes d’herbivores mais aussi de fragments d’os longs et d’ivoire, présentant des incisions plus ou moins profondes pour lesquelles la disposition n’évoque pas de simples stries liées à la découpe. Des objets remarquables, comme une côte d’ours brun complète ou un fragment de défense de mammouth, font partie de cette série de pièces incisées. Symboliques, ces décors gravés sont connus dans le Solutréen mais les contextes chronostratigraphiques imprécis de la plupart des collections anciennes en font des pièces de référence peu fiables. La recherche de comparaisons portant peu ses fruits, le corpus de la grotte Rochefort se singularise donc par le nombre et la qualité des objets inventoriés.within the Solutrean portable corpus gathered from Rochefort cave, a series of approximately thirty items has been isolated. It is mainly made up of herbivore ribs but also of fragments of long bones and dentin which are showing some incisions with different degrees of depth, the disposition of which does not remind of simple grooves related to cutting activities. Amazing items such as an entire brown bear rib or a fragment of mammoth tusk are part of this series of incised pieces. These symbolic engraved decorations are known for the Solutrean period but the blurry chronostratigraphic contexts of most of the older collections make them unreliable items of reference. The search for comparisons has not been really fruitful, thus the Rochefort cave corpus distinguishes itself by the quantity and quality of the objects that have been listed

Sospel – Grotte de l’Albaréa

Identifiant de l'opération archéologique : 8239 Date de l'opération : 2000 - 2007 (SD) Inventeur(s) : Moullé Pierre-Élie (MUS) ; Arellano Almudena (MUS) ; Desclaux Emmanuel (SUP) ; Hanquet Constance (SUP) ; Bailon Salvador (SUP) Un sondage avait été commencé sous le porche d’entrée de la grotte de l’Albaréa à Sospel en 2000 (BSR PACA, 2000 : 59-60). Il a été achevé en 2007. L’étude préliminaire du matériel paléontologique découvert en 2007 a été réalisée avec la collaboration d’Almudena Arell..

Whole-Genome Sequences of Five Acinetobacter baumannii Strains From a Child With Leukemia M2

Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen and is one of the primary etiological agents of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). A. baumannii infections are difficult to treat due to the intrinsic and acquired antibiotic resistance of strains of this bacterium, which frequently limits therapeutic options. In this study, five A. baumannii strains (810CP, 433H, 434H, 483H, and A-2), all of which were isolated from a child with leukemia M2, were characterized through antibiotic susceptibility profiling, the detection of genes encoding carbapenem hydrolyzing oxacillinases, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multilocus sequence typing (MLST), adherence and invasion assays toward the A549 cell line, and the whole-genome sequence (WGS). The five strains showed Multidrug resistant (MDR) profiles and amplification of the blaOXA-23 gene, belonging to ST758 and grouped into two PFGE clusters. WGS of 810CP revealed the presence of a circular chromosome and two small plasmids, pAba810CPa and pAba810CPb. Both plasmids carried genes encoding the Sp1TA system, although resistance genes were not identified. A gene-by-gene comparison analysis was performed among the A. baumannii strains isolated in this study and others A. baumannii ST758 strains (HIMFG and INCan), showing that 86% of genes were present in all analyzed strains. Interestingly, the 433H, 434H, and 483H strains varied by 8–10 single-nucleotide variants (SNVs), while the A2 and 810CP strains varied by 46 SNVs. Subsequently, an analysis using BacWGSTdb showed that all of our strains had the same resistance genes and were ST758. However, some variations were observed in relation to virulence genes, mainly in the 810CP strain. The genes involved in the synthesis of hepta-acylated lipooligosaccharides, the pgaABCD locus encoding poly-β-1-6-N-acetylglucosamine, the ompA gene, Csu pili, bap, the two-component system bfms/bfmR, a member of the phospholipase D family, and two iron-uptake systems were identified in our A. baumannii strains genome. The five A. baumannii strains isolated from the child were genetically different and showed important characteristics that promote survival in a hospital environment. The elucidation of their genomic sequences provides important information for understanding their epidemiology, antibiotic resistance, and putative virulence factors

Dairy product consumption and changes in cognitive performance: two-year analysis of the PREDIMED-Plus Cohort

Scope: Dairy consumption has been suggested to impact cognition; however, evidence is limited and inconsistent. This study aims to longitudinally assess the association between dairy consumption with cognitive changes in an older Spanish population at high cardiovascular disease risk. Methods and results: Four thousand six hundred sixty eight participants aged 55–75 years, completed a validated food frequency questionnaire at baseline and a neuropsychological battery of tests at baseline and 2-year follow-up. Multivariable linear regression models are used, scaled by 100 (i.e., the units of β correspond to 1 SD/100), to assess associations between baseline tertile daily consumption and 2-year changes in cognitive performance. Participants in the highest tertile of total milk and whole-fat milk consumption have a greater decline in global cognitive function (β: –4.71, 95% CI: –8.74 to –0.69, p-trend = 0.020 and β: –6.64, 95% CI: –10.81 to –2.47, p-trend = 0.002, respectively) compared to those in the lowest tertile. No associations are observed between low fat milk, yogurt, cheese or fermented dairy consumption, and changes in cognitive performance. Conclusion:Results suggest there are no clear prospective associations between consumption of most commonly consumed dairy products and cognition, although there may be an association with a greater rate of cognitive decline over a 2-year period in older adults at high cardiovascular disease risk for whole-fat milk

Effect of a Nutritional and Behavioral Intervention on Energy-Reduced Mediterranean Diet Adherence Among Patients With Metabolic Syndrome: Interim Analysis of the PREDIMED-Plus Randomized Clinical Trial

Key PointsQuestionWhat is the effect of a nutritional and behavioral intervention focused on encouraging an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet and physical activity on the dietary pattern of participants after 12 months? FindingsIn this preliminary analysis of an ongoing randomized clinical trial involving 6874 participants, an intervention focused on encouraging an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet and promoting physical activity, compared with advice to follow an energy-unrestricted Mediterranean diet, resulted in a significant increase in a measure of diet adherence, the 17-item energy-reduced Mediterranean diet score, at 12 months (4.7 points vs 2.5 points; score range, 0-17; minimal clinically important difference, 1 point). MeaningA nutritional and behavioral intervention focused on encouraging an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet and physical activity led to a significant improvement in a measure of diet adherence at 12 months. Further evaluation of the effects on long-term cardiovascular and other health outcomes is needed. ImportanceHigh-quality dietary patterns may help prevent chronic disease, but limited data exist from randomized trials about the effects of nutritional and behavioral interventions on dietary changes. ObjectiveTo assess the effect of a nutritional and physical activity education program on dietary quality. Design, Setting, and ParticipantsPreliminary exploratory interim analysis of an ongoing randomized trial. In 23 research centers in Spain, 6874 men and women aged 55 to 75 years with metabolic syndrome and no cardiovascular disease were enrolled in the trial between September 2013 and December 2016, with final data collection in March 2019. InterventionsParticipants were randomized to an intervention group that encouraged an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet, promoted physical activity, and provided behavioral support (n=3406) or to a control group that encouraged an energy-unrestricted Mediterranean diet (n=3468). All participants received allotments of extra-virgin olive oil (1 L/mo) and nuts (125 g/mo) for free. Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcome was 12-month change in adherence based on the energy-reduced Mediterranean diet (er-MedDiet) score (range, 0-17; higher scores indicate greater adherence; minimal clinically important difference, 1 point). ResultsAmong 6874 randomized participants (mean [SD] age, 65.0 [4.9] years; 3406 [52%] men), 6583 (96%) completed the 12-month follow-up and were included in the main analysis. The mean (SD) er-MedDiet score was 8.5 (2.6) at baseline and 13.2 (2.7) at 12 months in the intervention group (increase, 4.7 [95% CI, 4.6-4.8]) and 8.6 (2.7) at baseline and 11.1 (2.8) at 12 months in the control group (increase, 2.5 [95% CI, 2.3-2.6]) (between-group difference, 2.2 [95% CI, 2.1-2.4]; P<.001). Conclusions and RelevanceIn this preliminary analysis of an ongoing trial, an intervention that encouraged an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet and physical activity, compared with advice to follow an energy-unrestricted Mediterranean diet, resulted in a significantly greater increase in diet adherence after 12 months. Further evaluation of long-term cardiovascular effects is needed. Trial Registrationisrctn.com Identifier: ISRCTN89898870 This preliminary exploratory analysis of the ongoing PREDIMED-Plus randomized trial reports dietary adherence among Spanish community-dwelling participants with metabolic syndrome randomized to an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet, physical activity, and behavioral support vs an energy-unrestricted Mediterranean diet alone

Impact of mediterranean diet promotion on environmental sustainability: a longitudinal analysis

[EN]This article aims to estimate the differences in environmental impact (greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions, land use, energy used, acidification and potential eutrophication) after one year of promoting a Mediterranean diet (MD). Methods Baseline and 1-year follow-up data from 5800 participants in the PREDIMED-Plus study were used. Each participant's food intake was estimated using validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires, and the adherence to MD using the Dietary Score. The influence of diet on environmental impact was assessed through the EAT-Lancet Commission tables. The influence of diet on environmental impact was assessed through the EAT-Lancet Commission tables. The association between MD adherence and its environmental impact was calculated using adjusted multivariate linear regression models.SIPublicación en abierto financiada por el Consorcio de Bibliotecas Universitarias de Castilla y León (BUCLE), con cargo al Programa Operativo 2014ES16RFOP009 FEDER 2014-2020 DE CASTILLA Y LEÓN, Actuación:20007-CL - Apoyo Consorcio BUCL

Photoreceptor glucose metabolism determines normal retinal vascular growth

Abstract The neural cells and factors determining normal vascular growth are not well defined even though vision‐threatening neovessel growth, a major cause of blindness in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (and diabetic retinopathy), is driven by delayed normal vascular growth. We here examined whether hyperglycemia and low adiponectin (APN) levels delayed normal retinal vascularization, driven primarily by dysregulated photoreceptor metabolism. In premature infants, low APN levels correlated with hyperglycemia and delayed retinal vascular formation. Experimentally in a neonatal mouse model of postnatal hyperglycemia modeling early ROP, hyperglycemia caused photoreceptor dysfunction and delayed neurovascular maturation associated with changes in the APN pathway; recombinant mouse APN or APN receptor agonist AdipoRon treatment normalized vascular growth. APN deficiency decreased retinal mitochondrial metabolic enzyme levels particularly in photoreceptors, suppressed retinal vascular development, and decreased photoreceptor platelet‐derived growth factor (Pdgfb). APN pathway activation reversed these effects. Blockade of mitochondrial respiration abolished AdipoRon‐induced Pdgfb increase in photoreceptors. Photoreceptor knockdown of Pdgfb delayed retinal vascular formation. Stimulation of the APN pathway might prevent hyperglycemia‐associated retinal abnormalities and suppress phase I ROP in premature infants