A new method to force-feed and rear adult newts on board a space station

We developed a force-feed method for the adults of the newt, Pleuradeles waltl (urodele amphibian) under microgravity conditions on board the Mir space station, because the animals cannot take food themselves under such conditions. A cosmonaut introduced a catheter through the mouth into the stomach. The catheter was connected to a syringe containing food and allowed him to dose the quantity of injected food. The selected food was a complete diet for dogs and cats called “Prescription diet Canine/Feline a/d" made in USA and produced by the Hill‘s Pet Nutrition SNC (Sofia-Antipolis, France). It was diluted, sterilized and conserved on board the Mir station at ambient temperature (20-30 C). The protocol of force-feeding was successfully performed on board the space station during five months. After the space mission, two females were in good health status. They laid fertilized eggs in flight and again in the ground laboratory after the landing. According to the results obtained with Pleurodeles females. such food could be used in future long space flights

Compaction timing but not magnitude is predictive of IVF embryos implantation potential

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Vitrification semi-automatique des ovocytes humains maturés in vitro

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Nanoscintillators to improve radiation therapy outcomes: doseenhancement effect induced in 3D models of glioblastoma uponsynchrotron radiation

International audienceRadiation therapy remains one of the more widely used cancer treatment, as it comprisesthe standard of care for more than 50% of cancer patients. However, this therapeutic modalityremains limited by an intrinsic toxicity caused by a lack of contrast between the dose depositedin the cancer tissue and the dose deposited in the surrounding healthy tissue.This limitation has particular relevance to glioblastoma, one of the most common typesof brain cancers in adults. Radiation therapy for glioblastoma is challenged by the presenceof sensitive surrounding tissues, which strongly limits the radiation doses that can safely bedelivered. Consequently, glioblastoma has a dismal prognosis: the median survival is approx-imately one year, despite the current standard of care.To improve the efficacy of radiation therapy, scintillating nanoparticles are emerging aspromising therapeutic agents. These nanoscintillators can act as both contrast enhancers forradiation therapy, while also functioning as a local light source to enable deep tissue photody-namic therapy to induce an additional, localized cytotoxic effect.To investigate this innovative concept in a physicochemical and biomedical context, weexplore the use of LaF3and LaF3:Ce nanoparticles to achieve radiation dose enhancement in3D models of glioblastoma using monochromatic synchrotron radiatio

Détection de la maladie résiduelle du sarcome d’Ewing dans le tissu ovarien et testiculaire par une méthode sensible et spécifique

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Radioluminescent nanomaterials to induce deep-tissue PDT: towards a complete description of the therapeutic contributions

International audiencePhotodynamic therapy (PDT) is intrinsically restricted by the low penetration depth of light in tissue and is therefore mostly used to treat superficial or optical-fiber accessible lesions. An elegant non-invasive approach to overcome this limitation is to conjugate the photosensitizers to radioluminescent nanomaterials, also called nanoscintillators, and to activate these with radiation therapy. Upon X-ray irradiation, nanoscintillators are “switched on” and emit light that can subsequently excite the photosensitizer and induce PDT. As X-rays penetrate deeply in tissues, radioluminescence can activate PDT non-invasively at depth and without being restricted by large tumor volumes and optical shielding by blood vessels. The feasibility of exciting photosensitizers using nanoscintillators has been demonstrated, but the effects of this complex concept may stem from several therapeutic contributions that remain under-investigated. In this presentation, we report on the investigation of two confirmed contributions: 1) a potential synergy between low dose PDT and radiation therapy, and 2) a radiation dose enhancement effect stemming from increased radiation absorption by nanoscintillators composed of high-Z elements. The combination between low dose PDT and radiation therapy was assessed on heterocellular spheroid models of pancreatic cancer. The ability of nanoscintillators to induce radiation dose enhancement was experimentally assessed on 3D models of glioma, using synchrotron radiation to deliver radiation therapy. For this research, synchrotron radiation offers the unique opportunity to monochromatize the beam and tune its energy to an optimal value

Accès à la préservation de la fertilité des adolescents et jeunes adultes de 15 à 24 ans atteints de cancers en Auvergne, France

International audienceCancers of adolescents and young adults have particular epidemiological specificities. The improvement in their survival should be accompanied by an increased consideration of the treatments' side effects, among which the potential decrease in fertility. The objective of the study was to describe the access to fertility preservation of these patients at the University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand over a period of 3 years

Nanoscintillators-Induced Deep-Tissue Photodynamic Therapy Upon X-Rays Irradiation

International audiencePhotodynamic therapy (PDT) is a cancer therapy that demonstrates promising results for the treatment of several cancers including brain, gastrointestinal and ovarian cancers, diseases associated with a dismal prognosis. The PDT efficacy derives from non-toxic molecules (photosensitizers) that generate reactive oxygen species upon light irradiation, inducing cytotoxicity. Although promising, PDT is limited by the shallow penetration of light in tissue and its application remains restricted to small and/or superficial tumors. Recently, it has been proposed to use nanoscintillators to induce deep tissue PDT. Nanoscintillators are down-converting nanoparticles that absorb high energy X-ray photons and emit visible light, that can subsequently excite nearby photosensitizers and induce PDT in deep tissue embedded tumors and across large tumor volumes. Through this mechanism, the RT/PDT combination efficacy is likely to benefit from three contributions: the RT, the PDT and the radiation dose enhancement effect that is observed when high-Z elements are accumulated within a tumor before the RT. Since the introduction of this idea, proofs of concept have been reported, yet many questions remain to be answered.In this communication, we will discuss the effect of low dose PDT combined with RT applied to 3D heterocellular models of pancreatic cancer. We will also present the ongoing project we are developing around X-PDT for brain and ovarian cancers using synchrotron radiation to deliver RT

Etude nationale multicentrique évaluant la présence du SARS-CoV-2 dans le sperme de patients pris en charge pour une préservation de la fertilité oncologique

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