Sécheresse pluviométrique et tarissement dans le bassin de la Mékrou (Bénin, Afrique de l'Ouest)

International audienc

Variabilité climatique et pathologie dans le département du Mono (Bénin)

International audienc

Viticulture tropicale dans le monde : caractéristiques et limites climatiques.

La vitiviniculture tropicale affiche une expansion très rapide pour de multiples raisons (économiques, politiques, sanitaires, etc.). Dans l?espace intertropical, l?absence de saison froide permet une croissance continue de la vigne, offrant la possibilité de réaliser plusieurs récoltes par an. Tropical viticulture in the world: climatic characteristics and limits Tropical vitiviniculture is expanding rapidly for a variety of reasons (economic, political, health, etc.). Between the tropics, the absence of a cold season allows a continuous growth of the vine, offering the possibility of making several harvests a year. The beginning of each "vegetative cycle" of the vine is controlled by human intervention, which makes it possible to choose the time of year when the climatic conditions are most favorable to the oenological potential of the grape. But this "flexibility" is not systematic. Viticultura tropicale nel mondo : caratteristiche e limiti climatici La vitivinicultura tropicale mostra una espansione molto rapida a causa di molti fattori (economici, politici, sanitari, etc.). Nello spazio intertropicale , l?assenza della stagione fredda permette una crescita continua della vite, permettendo la realizzazione di piu? raccolti per anno.L?inizio di ogni «ciclo vegetativo» della vite é controllato a traverso l?intervento umano, permettendo quindi di ottimizzare la scelta del periodo,o deiperiodi,dell?anno con le condizioni climatiche il piu favorevole possibile per il potenziale enologico dell?uva.CONGRESO MUNDIAL DE LA VIÑA Y EL VINO, 41., ASEMBLE GENERAL DE LA ORGANIZACIÓN INTERNACIONAL DE LA VIÑA Y EL VINO, 16.,2018, Punta del Este, UR. Anais...Punta Del Este: OIV, 19 al 23 de noviembre 2018. http://www.oiv.int/es/la-organizacion-intenacional-de-la-vina-y-el-vino/congreso-oi

The CO dehydrogenase accessory protein CooT is a novel nickel-binding protein.

International audienceIn Rhodospirillum rubrum, maturation of Carbon Monoxide Dehydrogenase (CODH) requires three accessory proteins, CooC, CooT and CooJ, dedicated to nickel insertion into the active site, which is constituted by a distorted [NiFe$_3$S$_4$] cubane coordinated with a mononuclear Fe site. CooC is an ATPase proposed to provide the energy required for the maturation process, while CooJ is described as a metallochaperone with 16 histidines and 2 cysteines at the C-terminus, likely involved in metal binding and/or storage. Prior to the present study, no information was available on CooT at the molecular level. Here, the X-ray structure of RrCooT was obtained, which revealed that this protein is a homodimer featuring a fold that resembles an Sm-like domain, suggesting a role in RNA metabolism that was however not supported by experimental observations. Biochemical and biophysical evidence based on circular dichroism spectroscopy, light scattering, isothermal titration calorimetry and site-directed mutagenesis showed that RrCooT specifically binds a single Ni(ii) per dimer, with a dissociation constant of 9 nM, through the pair of Cys2, highly conserved residues, located at the dimer interface. Despite its role in the activation of RrCODH in vivo, CooT was thought to be a unique protein, found only in R. rubrum, with an unclear function. In this study, we extended the biological impact of CooT, establishing that this protein is a member of a novel Ni(ii)-binding protein family with 111 homologues, linked to anaerobic metabolism in bacteria and archaea, and in most cases to the presence of CODH

Phase I clinical and pharmacokinetic studies of the taxoid derivative RPR 109881A administered as a 1-hour or a 3-hour infusion in patients with advanced solid tumors

Purpose: To define the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), the recommended phase II dose, the optimal infusion duration and pharmacokinetics of the semisynthetic taxoid derivative RPR 109881A, given as a 1-h or 3-h infusion every 3 weeks. Patients and methods: RPR109881A was administered as a 1-h i.v. infusion to 34 patients (study 1) with oral steroids as pre-medication. In a subsequent study, 29 patients were treated at the recommended dose or at the dose immediately below (study 2); the first 14 patients received RPR 109881A as a 3-h infusion, while the subsequent 15 were randomized to receive the drug as a 1-h or 3-h infusion. The pharmacokinetics of RPR109881A was studied in plasma and urine and for selected patients in some biological fluids (cerebrospinal fluid, pleural effusion, ascitis). Results: In study 1, the dose was escalated from 15 to 105 mg/m2, at which dose two of five patients presented dose-limiting toxicities with febrile neutropenia (FN) after the first cycle, thus defining the MTD. The dose of 90 mg/m2, at which grade 3/4 neutropenia was almost universal with FN in 18%, was recommended for phase II. At 90 mg/m2 the incidence of diarrhea, fatigue and alopecia were 59, 29 and 70%, respectively. The results of study 2 were comparable to those of study 1, thus recommending the 1-h infusion duration for phase II evaluation. RPR 109881A exhibited a high total body clearance, a large distribution volume and long terminal half-life of 20 h. RPR 109881A was detected in cerebrospinal fluid shortly after the end of 1-h infusion. Three objective responses were observed in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, including a patient with brain metastases. Conclusions: The antitumor activity in NSCLC, the reproducible profile of toxicity and above all the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier make RPR 109881A worthy of further disease-oriented clinical developmen

Évolution climatique du Bénin de 1950 à 2010 et son influence sur les eaux de surface.

6 pagesInternational audienceIn West Africaand Benin in particular, variability / climate change affects the availability of surface water resources. Thus,this study aims to analyze the rainfall field of Benin from the fifty three (53) meteorological stations from 1950to 2010 and to detect the rainfall amounts and the average temperature of six synoptic stations and thehydrometric stations of Niger river in, Benin, Pendjari, Ouémé, Mono and Couffo. From the analysis a trend ofdeclining precipitation and of rising temperatures have been highlighted. This decrease is more pronounced inthe Sudanese area (north of 8 ° N) and in the sub-equatorial area (south of 8 ° N). This decrease of precipitationin the past thirty years has amplified 2-3 times or even four times the flow deficit in the course of Benin river.This decrease added to the environmental problems generates a rapid drying up of water resources, damagingthe availability and management of the surface water

Structural and functional studies of the metalloregulator Fur identify a promoter-binding mechanism and its role in Francisella tularensis virulence.

International audienceFrancisella tularensis is a Gram-negative bacterium causing tularaemia. Classified as possible bioterrorism agent, it may be transmitted to humans via animal infection or inhalation leading to severe pneumonia. Its virulence is related to iron homeostasis involving siderophore biosynthesis directly controlled at the transcription level by the ferric uptake regulator Fur, as presented here together with the first crystal structure of the tetrameric F. tularensis Fur in the presence of its physiological cofactor, Fe2+. Through structural, biophysical, biochemical and modelling studies, we show that promoter sequences of F. tularensis containing Fur boxes enable this tetrameric protein to bind them by splitting it into two dimers. Furthermore, the critical role of F. tularensis Fur in virulence and pathogenesis is demonstrated with a fur-deleted mutant showing an attenuated virulence in macrophage-like cells and mice. Together, our study suggests that Fur is an attractive target of new antibiotics that attenuate the virulence of F. tularensis

Using the framework of corporate culture in “mergers” to support the development of a cultural basis for integrative medicine – guidance for building an integrative medicine department or service

Claudia M Witt,1–3 Marion Pérard,2 Brian Berman,3,4 Susan Berman,4 Timothy C Birdsall,5 Horst Defren,6 Sherko Kümmel,7 Gary Deng,8 Gustav Dobos,9 Atje Drexler,10 Christine Holmberg,2 Markus Horneber,11 Robert Jütte,9 Lori Knutson,12 Christopher Kummer,13 Susanne Volpers,14 David Schweiger15 1University Hospital Zurich, Institute for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Zurich, Switzerland; 2Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany; 3University of Maryland School of Medicine, Center for Integrative Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; 4The Institute for Integrative Health, Baltimore, USA; 5Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Goodyear, Arizona, USA, 6Kliniken Essen Mitte, Evang, Huyssen-Stiftung/Knappschaft GmbH Patientenmanagement, Essen, Germany; 7Department of Senology, Breast Center, Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Evang. Huyssens Stiftung, Knappschaft GmbH, Essen, Germany; 8Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA; 9Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Academic Teaching Hospital of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany; 10Robert Bosch Foundation GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany; 11Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology and Hematology, Paracelsus Medical University, Klinikum Nürnberg, Germany; 12Integrative Healthcare Solutions, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; 13Institute of Mergers, Acquisitions and Alliances (IMAA), Zurich, Switzerland; 14Frauenselbsthilfe nach Krebs, Bonn, Germany; 15Schweiger, Schweiger & Associates, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA Background: An increasing number of clinics offer complementary or integrative medicine services; however, clear guidance about how complementary medicine could be successfully and efficiently integrated into conventional health care settings is still lacking. Combining conventional and complementary medicine into integrative medicine can be regarded as a kind of merger. In a merger, two or more organizations - usually companies - are combined into one in order to strengthen the companies financially and strategically. The corporate culture of both merger partners has an important influence on the integration.Purpose: The aim of this project was to transfer the concept of corporate culture in mergers to the merging of two medical systems.Methods: A two-step approach (literature analyses and expert consensus procedure) was used to develop practical guidance for the development of a cultural basis for integrative medicine, based on the framework of corporate culture in “mergers,” which could be used to build an integrative medicine department or integrative medicine service.Results: Results include recommendations for general strategic dimensions (definition of the medical model, motivation for integration, clarification of the available resources, development of the integration team, and development of a communication strategy), and recommendations to overcome cultural differences (the clinic environment, the professional language, the professional image, and the implementation of evidence-based medicine).Conclusion: The framework of mergers in corporate culture provides an understanding of the difficulties involved in integrative medicine projects. The specific recommendations provide a good basis for more efficient implementation. Keywords: integrative medicine, mergers, corporate cultur