Classification of Non-Affine Non-Hecke Dynamical R-Matrices

A complete classification of non-affine dynamical quantum $R$-matrices obeying the ${\mathcal G}l_n({\mathbb C})$-Gervais-Neveu-Felder equation is obtained without assuming either Hecke or weak Hecke conditions. More general dynamical dependences are observed. It is shown that any solution is built upon elementary blocks, which individually satisfy the weak Hecke condition. Each solution is in particular characterized by an arbitrary partition ${{\mathbb I}(i), i\in{1,...,n}}$ of the set of indices ${1,...,n}$ into classes, ${\mathbb I}(i)$ being the class of the index $i$, and an arbitrary family of signs $(\epsilon_{\mathbb I})_{{\mathbb I}\in{{\mathbb I}(i), i\in{1,...,n}}}$ on this partition. The weak Hecke-type $R$-matrices exhibit the analytical behaviour $R_{ij,ji}=f(\epsilon_{{\mathbb I}(i)}\Lambda_{{\mathbb I}(i)}-\epsilon_{{\mathbb I}(j)}\Lambda_{{\mathbb I}(j)})$, where $f$ is a particular trigonometric or rational function, $\Lambda_{{\mathbb I}(i)}=\sum\limits_{j\in{\mathbb I}(i)}\lambda_j$, and $(\lambda_i)_{i\in{1,...,n}}$ denotes the family of dynamical coordinates

Analytical Performances of the Panther Fusion System for the Detection of Respiratory Viruses in the French National Reference Centre of Lyon, France

International audienceRespiratory infection are mainly caused by viral pathogens. During the 2017–2018 epidemic season, Panther Fusion® Respiratory kits (Influenza virus A&B (FluA&B), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus (ADV), metapneumovirus (MPV), rhinovirus (RV), parainfluenzae virus (PIV), were compared to the Respiratory MultiWells System r-gene. Respiratory clinical specimens were tested retrospectively (n = 268) and prospectively (n = 463). Analytical performances were determined (sensitivity –Sep-, specificity –Spe- and κ) considering concordances of ≥2 molecular testing specific to each viral target (discrepant results were verified at the National Reference Centres for Enteroviruses or Respiratory viruses, Lyon, France). After retrospective (and prospective) testing, Sep, Spe, and κ were 100% (97.7%), 100% (99%) and 100% (94%) for FluA: 100% (95.5%), 100% (99.3%) and 100% (94%) for FluB, and 100% (88.5%), 100% (98.7%) and 100% (89%) for RSV; 82.1% (41.7%), 100% (99.5%) and 86% (54%) for ADV; 94.7% (73.7%), 96.1% (98.0%) and 91% (65%) for MPV; 96.1% (94.6%), 90.2% (98.5%) and 86% (91%) for HRV; and 90% (72.7%), 100% (99.3%) and 91% (72%), respectively, for PIV. Analytical performances were above 85% for all viruses except for ADV, MPV and PIV, confirming the analytical performance of the Panther Fusion system, a high throughput system with reduced turn-around-time, when compared to non-automated systems

Decontamination of Intravaginal Probes Infected by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Using UV-C Decontamination System

International audienceBackground: This three-step study evaluated ultraviolet-C (UV-C) efficacy against human papillomavirus (HPV) found on vaginal ultrasound probes. Methods: The first two steps evaluated UV-C disinfection of vaginal ultrasound probes in routine condition. During the first phase, the probe (n = 100) was sampled after a complete cleaning and disinfection protocol, i.e., cleaning with chemically impregnated wipes, followed by UV-C. During the second phase, the probe (n = 47) was sampled after cleaning and UV-C. The final step consisted of applying mixes of HPV on a dedicated, covered probe (n = 15) then sampling the cover, the probe after removal of the cover, after cleaning, and after UV-C. HPV detection was performed using CLART ® HPV2 PCR (Genomica, Madrid, Spain). Results: In the first phase, no probes were found to be positive for both DNA after UV-C. In the second phase, eight probes were found to be positive after cleaning (seven with human DNA and one with HPV) and negative after UV-C. In the final phase, one probe was found to be positive for HPV for each sample except after UV-C. Conclusions: Covers followed by a chemically impregnated wipe are not sufficient to ensure patient safety during vaginal ultrasound examinations. UV-C is effective in routine conditions against contaminations found on vaginal ultrasound probes, especially HPV

Quality of life improvement in HIV-1 patients treated with raltegravir in a real-life observational study: RACING

International audienceBACKGROUND:Good efficacy and safety of raltegravir in person living with HIV was demonstrated in clinical trials over five years, but real-life data, particularly about quality of life (QoL), are lacking. QoL was evaluated over time in adult patients first treated or switched to regimens containing raltegravir in an observational cohort study.METHODS:Patient QoL was evaluated using the Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS) and the HIV Symptom Index (HSI). Data were collected at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Baseline FIS and HSI subscores were compared with the scores at each visit using the paired Wilcoxon test. The impact of time, sociodemographic and medical variables upon patient-perceived fatigue and symptoms was also assessed using mixed multivariate models.RESULTS:From baseline, all FIS and HSI subscores improved significantly after one month of treatment. In addition, psychosocial FIS subscores and both the frequency of bothersome symptoms and HSI subscores improved significantly at each visit. Physical FIS subscores also improved significantly, except at month 18, whereas both cognitive and total FIS subscores improved only after 6 months and 24 months, respectively. In multivariate analysis, employment was independently associated over time with improved improvement in both FIS and HSI subscores.CONCLUSION:Patient QoL improved significantly over a 24-month period of treatment with a raltegravir-containing regimen. FIS and HSI are sensitive tools to measure the impact of new antiretroviral combinations on a patient's perception of QoL

Optimized nested PCR enhances biological diagnosis and phylogenetic analysis of human parvovirus B19 infections

International audienceDiagnosis and epidemiological analysis of human parvovirus B19 (hB19V) infections are essential for disease management in severely ill patients. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of an optimized NS1-VP1u nested PCR for detection and sequencing of viruses in clinical samples using 224 clinical and five reference samples. PCR sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were perfect (100%). While phylogenetic analysis of a 615 bp-long fragment demonstrated that the viruses in all of the samples belonged to genotype 1, this study confirmed that this optimized PCR could detect all known hB19V with high performance

The Human Polycomb Group EED Protein Interacts with the Integrase of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1

Human EED, a member of the superfamily of WD-40 repeat proteins and of the Polycomb group proteins, has been identified as a cellular partner of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) matrix (MA) protein (R. Peytavi et al., J. Biol. Chem. 274:1635-1645, 1999). In the present study, EED was found to interact with HIV-1 integrase (IN) both in vitro and in vivo in yeast. In vitro, data from mutagenesis studies, pull-down assays, and phage biopanning suggested that EED-binding site(s) are located in the C-terminal domain of IN, between residues 212 and 264. In EED, two putative discrete IN-binding sites were mapped to its N-terminal moiety, at a distance from the MA-binding site, but EED-IN interaction also required the integrity of the EED last two WD repeats. EED showed an apparent positive effect on IN-mediated DNA integration reaction in vitro, in a dose-dependent manner. In situ analysis by immunoelectron microscopy (IEM) of cellular distribution of IN and EED in HIV-1-infected cells (HeLa CD4(+) cells or MT4 lymphoid cells) showed that IN and EED colocalized in the nucleus and near nuclear pores, with maximum colocalization events occurring at 6 h postinfection (p.i.). Triple colocalizations of IN, EED, and MA were also observed in the nucleoplasm of infected cells at 6 h p.i., suggesting the ocurrence of multiprotein complexes involving these three proteins at early steps of the HIV-1 virus life cycle. Such IEM patterns were not observed with a noninfectious, envelope deletion mutant of HIV-1

Sciences de la nature, sciences de la société

La gestion « durable » des ressources naturelles renouvelables et des milieux est une question vive, plus que jamais actuelle. Les bases de la démarche véritablement interdisciplinaire qu’elle requiert restent à construire. Tel est l’objet de la réflexion menée ici par des spécialistes de disciplines aussi différentes que l’écologie, l’ethnologie, l’agronomie, la géographie, le droit, la sociologie ou l’économie. Cet ouvrage porte témoignage de la façon inhabituelle dont un certain nombre de connaissances et de démarche disciplinaires ont été sollicitées et mobilisées dans des programmes interdisciplinaires traitant de cette question. Il balise le champ scientifique ouvert, repère les questions théoriques et méthodologiques qui y ont une importance particulière, voire qui lui sont spécifiques, clarifie langages et procédures. Travail de synthèse, il tire de l’expérience réalisée les termes et les règles d’un questionnement clair et rigoureux qui peut servir de cadre aux recherches nouvelles. À travers les problèmes méthodologiques dont il traite, cet ouvrage aborde quelques-uns des grands débats contemporains sur la science tels que déterminisme et causalité, rapports sciences et société, interdisciplinarité et complexité, observation et expérience.« Il existe certes un devenir abstrait des théories scientifiques… Mais les innovations décisives dans l'évolution de la science ne sont pas de cet ordre… Ces innovations répondent à l'influence du contexte culturel, et même “idéologique”, ou pour mieux dire, elles expriment l'ouverture effective de la science au milieu où elle se développe… » Ilya Prigogine, Isabelle Stengers, La Nouvelle Alliance. Métamorphose de la science, Paris, Gallimard, 1979

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant, Lineage BA.1, Is Associated with Lower Viral Load in Nasopharyngeal Samples Compared to Delta Variant

Objectives: High viral load in upper respiratory tract specimens observed for Delta cases might contribute to its increased infectivity compared to the other variant. However, it is not yet documented if the Omicron variant’s enhanced infectivity is also related to a higher viral load. Our aim was to determine if the Omicron variant’s spread is also related to higher viral loads compared to the Delta variant. Methods: Nasopharyngeal swabs, 129 (Omicron) and 85 (Delta), from Health Care Workers were collected during December 2021 at the University Hospital of Lyon, France. Cycle threshold (Ct) for the RdRp target of cobas® 6800 SARS-CoV-2 assay was used as a proxy to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 viral load. Variant identification was performed using a screening panel and confirmed by whole genome sequencing. Results: Herein, we showed that the RT-PCR Ct values in Health Care Workers sampled within 5 days after symptom onset were significantly higher for Omicron cases than Delta cases (21.7 for Delta variant and 23.8 for Omicron variant, p = 0.008). This difference was also observed regarding patient with complete vaccination. Conclusions: This result supports the studies showing that the increased transmissibility of Omicron is related to other mechanisms than higher virus excretion