Communication de santé publique et prévention du sida. Une expérimentation sur l'influence de mini-actes engageants via Internet.

During a qualitative survey we made among AIDS prevention campaigners in France, respondents stated in particular that they believed in the effectiveness of activities that prompt subjects to accomplish " mini-acts " before and after receiving persuasive arguments. As their opinion does not derive from scientific literature, we carried out an experiment, in an everyday environment with 196 subjects chosen at random and based on theories of persuasive communication and commitment, to investigate the validity of representations concerning these " mini-acts " accomplished via the Internet. The results show, in particular, that the campaigners' intuitive beliefs are sound, since these mini-acts effectively contribute to AIDS prevention.Lors d'une enquête qualitative que nous avons menée en France auprès de producteurs de campagnes de prévention du sida, ceux-ci ont notamment indiqué qu'ils considèrent comme efficaces des dispositifs faisant réaliser des " mini-actes " aux personnes ciblées, avant et après la réception d'arguments persuasifs. Comme ils ne basent pas leur opinion sur de la littérature scientifique, nous avons réalisé une expérimentation, en milieu ordinaire, sur 196 sujets " tout venant " pour étudier, à partir des théories de la communication persuasive et de l'engagement, la validité des représentations concernant les " mini-actes " produits via Internet. Les résultats montrent notamment que ces producteurs de campagnes font preuve d'une bonne " intuition " puisque les mini-actes contribuent à effectivement favoriser la prévention du sida

Risques et communication de santé publique en contexte méditerranéen. Deux expérimentations en région PACA

Le chapitre décrit deux expérimentations menées dans un contexte méditerranéen dans le domaine de la communication de santé publique : lutte contre le cancer et prévention du SIDA

Le vin en bouteille : de l'emballage au packaging. Lecture sémiotique et marketing

International audienceThis paper aims at showing that the bottle of wine is not any more one simple pack where one affirms the cultural values of the product but becomes a real packaging, communication object which presents an identity and signs of recognition. We propose three research orientations: a semiotic reading of a "standard" bottle of wine in order to release the properties of this packaging; an analysis of the visual and verbal speech of the label like a promise of taste; a qualitative analysis carried out with wine experts. Four topics were approached: the knowledge of the consumers' profiles, characteristics of the bottles of wine, the influence of the label in the buying behaviour and the impact of the bottle on the promise of taste. The analysis of experts emphasizes that the design of the bottle of wine and the label plays a major strategic part

Les médias sociaux, régulateurs d’émotions collectives

International audienceAccording to Durkheim, when people face an important emotional event, they feel the fundamental anthropological need (1) to communicate and live it together, and (2) to refer to a supra-ordinate collective consciousness. When extraordinary social and media events occur, we show that social media play the role of « virtual collective consciousness» by regulating major collective emotions. This would be directly involved in the co-construction of a new socially shared meaning. From an extraordinary socio-emotional phenomenon (the death of Michael Jackson), we describe five processes involved in regulating negative collective emotions. This regulation would proceed differently depending on the identity of people. It would take place more rapidly in people whose identity is more « groupal ». On the contrary, social media favor a negative emotional rumination in people whose identity is more individualSelon Durkheim, pour gérer un phénomène émotionnel majeur, les sujets sociaux éprouvent le besoin anthropologique fondamental de communiquer, de vivre collectivement leurs émotions et de se référer à une conscience collective supra-ordonnée. Dans le cadre d'événements socio-médiatiques extraordinaires, nous montrons comment les médias sociaux contribuent à construire une « conscience collective virtuelle » en régulant des émotions collectives majeures. Celle-ci serait directement impliquée dans la co-construction d’un nouveau sens socialement partagé. A partir d’un phénomène socio-émotionnel hors du commun (le décès de Michael Jackson), nous détaillons cinq processus intervenant dans la régulation des émotions collectives négatives. Cette dernière se déroulerait différemment selon l'identité des personnes. Elle s'effectuerait de manière plus rapide chez les personnes dont l'identité est davantage « groupale ». À l'opposé, les médias sociaux favoriseraient une rumination émotionnelle néfaste chez les personnes dont l'identité est davantage individuelle

Conceptual adequacy of the neuropathic pain symptom inventory in six countries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neuropathic pain results from a nerve lesion or nerve damage. Because it is a subjective experience, patient-reported outcomes may measure both the symptoms and impact on the patient's life. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory (NPSI) adequately assesses neuropathic pain symptoms in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, post-herpetic neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, and sciatica across multiple cultures.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>From data collected from 132 subjects in 6 countries, qualitative research methods identified their most important symptoms (and verbal descriptions) associated with neuropathic pain. A core set of commonly described symptoms spanning multiple cultures was also described. Moderators using a semi-structured discussion guide conducted focus groups consisting of patients in the U.S., Brazil, Japan, China, Finland, and Spain to elicit concepts that were most important and relevant (concept elicitation phase). Study subjects ranked the importance of each neuropathic pain symptom, completed the NPSI, and commented on its ability to capture key symptoms (face and content validation phase).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Descriptive terms for sensations of neuropathic pain were similar in all countries; burning, electric shocks, and pins and needles were among the most-common sensations. Individuals with neuropathic pain experienced all sensations that were included in the NPSI. They also tended to describe pins and needles and numbness interchangeably, perhaps reflecting the relative number of DPN subjects on study.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Based on data from these focus groups, the NPSI is an acceptable instrument for assessing neuropathic pain.</p

La conservation des plantes cultivées et la gastronomie, une histoire mêlée

Les exemples du « lingot du Nord » et du « piment d’Espelette » démontrent l’importance des liens qui existent entre la conservation des plantes cultivées alimentaires et le patrimoine culinaire régional de la gastronomie française. La transmission des savoir-faire dans ces deux domaines en est la pierre angulaire. La gastronomie fait face, comme dans bien des domaines, à des grands changements de modes de consommation et de goût des consommateurs. Pour y répondre, elle s’appuie sur les terroirs français qui, par la diversité des plantes cultivées alimentaires, lui offre un potentiel énorme pour se diversifier et se réinventer. Afin d’organiser la conservation des ressources phytogénétiques, dont les plantes cultivées alimentaires, l’État français a mis en place en 2016 une Coordination nationale avec pour objectif d’assurer la pérennité des ressources ayant une importance pour la France et dont un grand nombre est emblématique d’une région ou d’une histoire. Les activités de la Coordination sont expliquées succinctement ; notamment le versement des ressources d’importance pour la France en une collection nationale, la contribution au système multilatéral du Traité international pour les ressources phytogénétiques pour l’alimentation et l’agriculture (TIRPAA) et les schémas de conservation des variétés dites orphelines, comme par exemple le haricot …Examples such as the white bean known as the ‘lingot du Nord’ or the espelette pepper give some idea of the importance of the connections that exist between plants that are cultivated as foodstuffs and the regional culinary heritage of French gastronomy. The key point in both fields is the way savoir-faire is transmitted. Gastronomy, like other cultural phenomena, is witnessing dramatic changes where patterns of consumption and the tastes of consumers are concerned. In response to these changes, gastronomy can take inspiration from the French ‘terroir’, the particular soils and products of its local territories. Considering the diversity of plants cultivated as food, there is tremendous potential for diversification and reinvention. In order to better organise the conservation of the country’s plant genetic resources, including plants cultivated as food, the French State, in 2016, set up a national coordinating body which aims at guaranteeing the sustainability of these resources which are of considerable importance for the country. Many of the pants identified are particularly significant for a region or its history. This article gives a brief account of the coordinating body’s activities: the assembling of important resources in a national collection, its contribution to a multilateral system under the terms of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and its various schemes for saving so-called orphaned varieties, such as the bean

Modulation of drug sensitivity in yeast cells by the ATP‐binding domain of human DNA topoisomerase IIα

Epipodophyllotoxins are effective antitumour drugs that trap eukaryotic DNA topoisomerase II in a covalent complex with DNA. Based on DNA cleavage assays, the mode of interaction of these drugs was proposed to involve amino acid residues of the catalytic site. An in vitro binding study, however, revealed two potential binding sites for etoposide within human DNA topoisomerase IIα (htopoIIα), one in the catalytic core of the enzyme and one in the ATP‐binding N‐terminal domain. Here we have tested how N‐terminal mutations that reduce the affinity of the site for etoposide or ATP affect the sensitivity of yeast cells to etoposide. Surprisingly, when introduced into full‐length enzymes, mutations that lower the drug binding capacity of the N‐terminal domain in vitro render yeast more sensitive to epipodophyllotoxins. Consistently, when the htopoIIα N‐terminal domain alone is overexpressed in the presence of yeast topoII, cells become more resistant to etoposide. Point mutations that weaken etoposide binding eliminate this resistance phenotype. We argue that the N‐terminal ATP‐binding pocket competes with the active site of the holoenzyme for binding etoposide both in cis and in trans with different outcomes, suggesting that each topoisomerase II monomer has two non‐equivalent drug‐binding site

Additional Clues for a Protective Role ofVitamin D in Neurodegenerative Diseases: 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 Triggers an Anti-Inflammatory Response in BrainPericytes

International audienceEpidemiological and experimental studies suggest that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D) plays a neuroprotectiverole in neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease. Most of the experimental data regarding the genes regulatedby this hormone in brain cells have been obtained with neuron and glial cells. Pericytes play a critical role in brain function thatencompasses their classical function in blood-brain barrier control and maintenance. However, the gene response of brain pericyteto 1,25D remains to be investigated. Analyses of the transcriptomic response of human brain pericytes to 1,25D demonstrate thathuman brain pericytes in culture respond to 1,25D by regulating genes involved in the control of neuroinflammation. In addition,ericytes respond to the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor and Interferon by inducing the expression of theCYP27B1 gene which is involved in 1,25D synthesis. Taken together, these results suggest that neuroinflammation could triggerthe synthesis of 1,25D by brain pericytes, which in turn respond to the hormone by a global anti-inflammatory response. Thesefindings identify brain pericytes as a novel 1,25D-responsive cell type and provide additional evidence for the potential value ofvitamin D in the prevention or therapy of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative/neuropsychiatric diseases associatedwith an inflammatory component

Liposome retention in size exclusion chromatography

BACKGROUND: Size exclusion chromatography is the method of choice for separating free from liposome-encapsulated molecules. However, if the column is not presaturated with lipids this type of chromatography causes a significant loss of lipid material. To date, the mechanism of lipid retention is poorly understood. It has been speculated that lipid binds to the column material or the entire liposome is entrapped inside the void. RESULTS: Here we show that intact liposomes and their contents are retained in the exclusion gel. Retention depends on the pore size, the smaller the pores, the higher the retention. Retained liposomes are not tightly fixed to the beads and are slowly released from the gels upon direct or inverted eluent flow, long washing steps or column repacking. Further addition of free liposomes leads to the elution of part of the gel-trapped liposomes, showing that the retention is transitory. Trapping reversibility should be related to a mechanism of partitioning of the liposomes between the stationary phase, water-swelled polymeric gel, and the mobile aqueous phase. CONCLUSION: Retention of liposomes by size exclusion gels is a dynamic and reversible process, which should be accounted for to control lipid loss and sample contamination during chromatography

The PGR Networks in France: Collaboration of users and the genetic resources centre on small grain cereals

Plant genetic resources (PGR) have been used in breeding programs for many decades to produce modern varieties by introducing genes of interest, in particular, resistance genes. Nevertheless, these resources remain underestimated if we focus on abiotic stress tolerance or new agricultural techniques, which consider productivity with regard to the environment. In recent years, new users, such as scientists and farmers, have discovered diverse sources of interest for screening and exploiting natural diversity conserved in PGR collections.In the case of the French cereals PGR Network, a share of the responsibility, based on the knowledge and ability of network members, has been decided in order to better promote the use of PGR. The main species of Triticum (wheat), Hordeum (barley), Secale (rye), ×Triticosecale (triticale), Avena (oat) genera and their wild relatives are held in the collection. By combining phenotypic and genotypic data, the whole genetic resource collection has been structured into smaller functional groups of accessions, in order to facilitate the access and meet the increasing number of different requirements for the distribution of adapted samples of accessions.New panels are being processed to give breeders and scientists new useful tools to study, for instance, stress resistance or to develop association studies. All these data obtained from the French small grain cereal Network will be progressively available through the INRA Genetic Resource Website (http://urgi.versailles.inra.fr/siregal/siregal/welcome.do)