A quantification of the glacial imprint on relief development in the French western Alps

International audienceThe morphology of the western Alps has been strongly influenced by Quaternary glaciations. On the basis of observations of glacial morphology in the Belledonne, Grandes Rousses, Taillefer and Pelvoux-Ecrins Massifs (south-eastern France), we reconstitute the glacial trimline and Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) during the most extensive glaciation (MEG). Our best estimate of the MEG ELA is 1800 ± 100m. Using digital elevation models, we compare our glacial reconstruction with the relief structure of nine major catchments draining the massifs. Modal elevations of the largest catchments occur at 2000–2500m and coincide with minima in plots of mean slope angles as a function of elevation. Modal elevations and slope minima occur between the modern and MEG ELAs, confirming a strong glacial imprint on relief. In order to quantify glacial valley carving in the massifs, we isolated high-elevation, low-relief surfaces that form rock shoulders adjacent to the glacial valleys from a Digital Elevation Model and constructed an interpolated surface passing through these. Subtracting the present-day topography from this surface allows us to quantify the maximum glacial valley depths. Maximum valley depths determined in this manner are typically > 1000m, with spatial maxima occurring around the location of the MEG ELA in most valleys. These numbers do not take into account glacial valley widening and local glacial overdeepenings. The also neglect, however, potential pre-glacial fluvial valley incision, which could account for 20–50% of the measured valley depths. In spite of these problems, inferred valley depths are reasonably well correlated with the mean reconstructed ice thickness, and constitute about half of the sub-ridgeline relief of the studied catchments. These results lead us to propose a significant Quaternary increase in the relief of the French western Alps, controlled by climate and associated with the initiation of alpine glaciations. For reasonable values of the effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere, the isostatic response to glacial valley carving reaches values of not, vert, similar 300m across the massifs. This number is insufficient to substantially offset topographic lowering due to regional denudation, and we conclude that the isostatic response to glacial valley carving has not increased peak elevations significantly

Structural approach to design high carotene emulsions from exotic fruits Pitanga (Eugenia uniflora) and Buriti (Mauritia flexuosa)

The 19th Gums & Stabilisers for the Food Industry Conference: Hydrocolloid MultifunctionalityThis research seeks to better understand the food matrix microstructure that impacts on carotenoid bioaccessibility of two Brazilian native fruits Pitanga and Buriti while developing emulsioned oral delivery systems of its compounds. Buriti is a fruit produced by an Amazonia palm tree. Its pulp is very rich in β-carotene which is approximately 400 µg/g fresh weight1 . Pitanga originates from Atlantic forest and has high amounts of lycopene (approx. 71 µg/g in ripened fruit)1 . These hydrophobic plant pigments have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activity. However, these desired health benefits are limited by bioaccessibility aspects, mainly their physical location and structure in fresh fruits and its products2 . Emulsions have been largely studied as oral delivery systems for hydrophobic bioactives compounds such as β-carotene. Also, the concept of excipient foods is an innovation in food science and technology research2 . Buriti and Pitanga freeze dried pulps were submitted to the following experiments: 1) experimental design testing ultraturrax and ultrasound for carotene release; 2) emulsion formation by Tween 80 or Whey Protein Isolate at 1 % and 2 % surfactant concentration; 3) microstructure study of fresh pulps and emulsions. For carotene determination, it was applied a microscale extraction and HPLC-PDA analysis based on Porcu and Rodriguez-Amaya (2008)3 . Processed pulp and fruit emulsions microstructure was assessed by microscopy (brightfield, fluorescence and confocal), rheology and turbidity. Main results showed that ultrasound processing have more impact on tissue fragmentation, cell disruption and carotene release than ultraturrax (p<0.05) and is indispensable for fruit emulsion formation. Microscopy study clearly elucidate that most carotenes are entrapped inside cell walls and must be released for incorporation into lipid micelles. Ultraturrax (15000 rpm) and ultrasound (20 kHz, 40 % amplitude) treatment released up to 50 % of initial carotenoid. After emulsion formation, surfactant do not link only to the internal oil and external water, it also interacts with the carbohydrate from cell walls mainly cellulose that are in suspension – forming a gel-like structure – that was demonstrated by confocal microscopy. The obtained Buriti and Pitanga emulsions have high potential for the development new products with more bioaccessible β-carotene and lycopene.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

First-year French medical students consume antidepressants and anxiolytics while second-years consume non-medical drugs.

International audienc

Psychiatric and psychological follow-up of undergraduate and postgraduate medical students: prevalence and associated factors. Results from the national BOURBON study. Running title: mental health and addictive behavior of medical students

International audienceBackgroundPhysicians are at risk of burnout, anxiety and depression. Prevention is needed from the beginning of the medical studies to detect early poor mental health outcomes.ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence and associated of psychiatric or psychological follow-up in a national sample of undergraduate and postgraduate medical students (UPMS).MethodsUPMS of the 35 French Medicine faculties were recruited through mailing lists and social networks between December 2016 and May 2017 and fulfilled Internet anonymised questionnaires.ResultsOverall, 10,985 UPMS were included in the present study (2165 (19.7%) postgraduate, 31.6% males, mean aged 21.8 years). Overall, 1345 (12.2%) were followed-up by a psychiatrist and/or a psychologist, 20.5% of them were regular anxiolytic consumers and 17.2% of them were regular antidepressant consumers. In multivariate analyses, being followed-up by a psychiatrist and/or psychologist was associated with older age (aOR = 1.2[1.2–1.2], p < 0.0001), female gender (aOR = 0.5[0.5–0.7], p < 0.0001), current alcohol use disorder (aOR = 1.3[1.3–1.5], p < 0.0001), higher anxiolytic (aOR = 3.1[2.5–3.7],p < 0.0001) and antidepressant (aOR = 11.7[7.6–18.0],p < 0.0001) consumption, and with lower self-reported general health, social functioning and mental health quality of life (all aORs = 0.9, all p < 0.05). The UPMS followed-up by psychiatrist and/or psychologist reported to have been more frequently exposed to sexual assault (5.1% vs. 0.9%, aOR = 2.5[1.3–4.7], p < 0.0001), domestic violence (3.3% vs. 0.8% aOR = 2.1[1.2–4.0], p = 0.01) and parents divorce (11% vs. 6.4%, aOR = 1.5[1.2–1.9], p = 0.001). Students followed-up by a psychiatrist and/or psychologist reported more frequently to seek alleviating anxiety (aOR 1.9[1.6–2.3], p < 0.0001), depression (aOR 1.7[1.3–2.1],p < 0.0001), coping with studies difficulties (aOR 1.5[1.2–1.8],p < 0.0001), experiencing more stress at hospital (aOR = 2.3[1.6–3.5],p < 0.001) and more burnout syndrome (aOR = 1.4[1.1–1.8], p = 0.03).ConclusionsAround 12% of UPMS are followed-up by a psychiatrist and/or a psychologist. These students reported higher antidepressant and anxiolytic consumption, psychic suffering and altered quality of life, associated with professional pressure and personal issues. Public health programs should be developed to help these students through their studies to prevent later mental /addictive issues and professional suffering. Improving UPMS mental health may also improve the later quality of care of their patients and global stress at hospital

Familial hypercholesterolemia: Molecular characterization of possible cases from the Azores Islands (Portugal)

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant disorder of the cholesterol metabolism, which constitutes a risk factor for coronary arterial disease (CAD). In the Azores Islands (Portugal), where mortality from CAD doubles its rate comparatively to the rest of the country and where a high frequency of dyslipidemia has been reported, the prevalence and distribution of FH remain unknown. The molecular characterization of a group of 33 possible cases of FH of Azorean background was undertaken in this study. A DNA array was initially used to search mutations in the LDLR, APOB and PCSK9 loci in 10 unrelated possible cases of FH. No mutations were detected in the array; after sequencing the full LDLR gene, 18 variants were identified, corresponding to two missense (c.806G > A; c.1171G > A) and sixteen synonymous alterations. Six of the synonymous variants which are consistently described in the literature as associated with altered cholesterol levels were used to build haplotypes. The most frequent haplotype corresponded to TTCGCC (45%), a "risk" haplotype, formed exclusively by alleles that were reported to increase cholesterol levels. Some of the variants detected in the full sequencing of the LDLR gene fell within the ligand-binding domain of this gene, defined by exons 2 to 6. To add information as to the role of such variants, these exons were sequenced in the remaining 23 possible FH cases. Two missense alterations (c.185C > T; c.806G > A) were found in this subset of possible FH cases. The missense alteration c.185C > T, identified in one individual, is novel for the Portuguese population. In silico analysis was not conclusive for this alteration, whose role will have to be further investigated. This study represents the first approach to the establishment of the mutational profile of FH in the Azores Islands.This work was supported by the project entitled “High prevalence pathologies in the Azores: genetic and biochemical markers” with reference (M2.1.2/I/026/2008) funded by SRCTE. M. R. receives a PhD fellowship (M3.1.2/F/006/2011) from Fundo Regional para a Ciência. T.C. receives a post-doctoral fellowships from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BPD/38659/ 2007) and N. K. (M3.1.7/F/002/2008) and A. R. (M3.1.7/F/031/2011) both receives post-doctoral fellowships from Fundo Regional para a Ciência

Behavior of lactoferrin nanohydrogels incorporating curcumin as model compound into food simulants

Oscar L. Ramos acknowledge his Post-Doctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/80766/2011) to the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal). This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01- 0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. João F. Araújo acknowledge the Escola de Ciências and Centro de Engenharia Biológica from Universidade do Minho (Braga, Portugal) for their support, under the scope of the Biophysics and Bionanosystems Master program.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Open Ocean: Status and Trends, Summary for Policy Makers

The Open Ocean Assessment provides a baseline review of issues linking human well-being with the status of the open ocean through the themes of governance, climate change, ocean ecosystems, fisheries, pollution, and integrated assessment of the human-ocean nexus. It uses indices and indicators where data exist, in many cases with future projections due to global climate change, complemented by expert scientific assessment of numerous low certainty but potentially high impact issues where global ocean monitoring is inadequate

Inflammatory cytokines, goblet cell hyperplasia and altered lung mechanics in Lgl1+/- mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neonatal lung injury, a leading cause of morbidity in prematurely born infants, has been associated with arrested alveolar development and is often accompanied by goblet cell hyperplasia. Genes that regulate alveolarization and inflammation are likely to contribute to susceptibility to neonatal lung injury. We previously cloned <it>Lgl1</it>, a developmentally regulated secreted glycoprotein in the lung. In rat, O₂toxicity caused reduced levels of <it>Lgl1</it>, which normalized during recovery. We report here on the generation of an <it>Lgl1 </it>knockout mouse in order to determine whether deficiency of <it>Lgl1 </it>is associated with arrested alveolarization and contributes to neonatal lung injury.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An <it>Lgl1 </it>knockout mouse was generated by introduction of a neomycin cassette in exon 2 of the <it>Lgl1 </it>gene. To evaluate the pulmonary phenotype of <it>Lgl1</it>^+/-mice, we assessed lung morphology, <it>Lgl1 </it>RNA and protein, elastin fibers and lung function. We also analyzed tracheal goblet cells, and expression of mucin, interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 as markers of inflammation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Absence of <it>Lgl1 </it>was lethal prior to lung formation. Postnatal <it>Lgl1</it>^+/-lungs displayed delayed histological maturation, goblet cell hyperplasia, fragmented elastin fibers, and elevated expression of T_H2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-13). At one month of age, reduced expression of <it>Lgl1 </it>was associated with elevated tropoelastin expression and altered pulmonary mechanics.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our findings confirm that <it>Lgl1 </it>is essential for viability and is required for developmental processes that precede lung formation. <it>Lgl1</it>^+/-mice display a complex phenotype characterized by delayed histological maturation, features of inflammation in the post-natal period and altered lung mechanics at maturity. <it>Lgl1 </it>haploinsufficiency may contribute to lung disease in prematurity and to increased risk for late-onset respiratory disease.</p

Use of electrospinning to develop antimicrobial biodegradable multilayer systems: encapsulation of cinnamaldehyde and their physicochemical characterization

In this work, three active bio-based multilayer structures, using a polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate film with a valerate content of 8 % (PHBV8) as support, were developed. To this end, a zein interlayer with or without cinnamaldehyde (CNMA) was directly electrospun onto one side of the PHBV8 film and the following systems were developed: (1) without an outer layer; (2) using a PHBV8 film as outer layer; and (3) using an alginate-based film as outer layer. These multilayer structures were characterized in terms of water vapour and oxygen permeabilities, transparency, intermolecular arrangement and thermal properties. The antimicrobial activity of the active bio-based multilayer systems and the release of CNMA in a food simulant were also evaluated. Results showed that the presence of different outer layers reduced the transport properties and transparency of the multilayer films. The active bio-based multilayer systems showed antibacterial activity against Listeria monocytogenes being the multilayer structure prepared with CNMA and PHBV outer layers (PHBV + zein/CNMA + PHBV) the one that showed the greater antibacterial activity. The release of CNMA depended on the multilayer structures, where both Fick's and Case II transport-polymer relaxation explained the release of CNMA from the multilayer systems.Acknowledgments: Miguel A. Cerqueira (SFRH/BPD/72753/2010) andAnaI.Bourbon(SFRH/BD/73178/2010)arerecipientofafellowship from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, POPH-QREN and FSE Portugal). J.L. Castro-Mayorga is supported by the Administrative Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (Colciencias) of Colombian Government. M. J. Fabra is a recipient of a Ramon y Cajal contract (RyC-2014-158) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) and of the Project RECI/BBB-EBI/ 0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462). The support of EU Cost Action MP1206 is gratefully acknowledged

Cohesive versus Flexible Evolution of Functional Modules in Eukaryotes

Although functionally related proteins can be reliably predicted from phylogenetic profiles, many functional modules do not seem to evolve cohesively according to case studies and systematic analyses in prokaryotes. In this study we quantify the extent of evolutionary cohesiveness of functional modules in eukaryotes and probe the biological and methodological factors influencing our estimates. We have collected various datasets of protein complexes and pathways in Saccheromyces cerevisiae. We define orthologous groups on 34 eukaryotic genomes and measure the extent of cohesive evolution of sets of orthologous groups of which members constitute a known complex or pathway. Within this framework it appears that most functional modules evolve flexibly rather than cohesively. Even after correcting for uncertain module definitions and potentially problematic orthologous groups, only 46% of pathways and complexes evolve more cohesively than random modules. This flexibility seems partly coupled to the nature of the functional module because biochemical pathways are generally more cohesively evolving than complexes