Entre logiques d’Etat et autochtonie: dynamiques de la territorialité mapuche à l’heure du droit à l’autodétermination des Peuples Autochtones

Libre jusqu’à la fin du XIXème siècle, le territoire mapuche est combattu militairement et juridiquement pendant plus d’un siècle par l’Etat chilien et toute forme de territorialité indigène est ignorée du droit positif chilien. Les atteintes portées au territoire chilien au cours du XXème siècle du fait de son insertion au sein de l’économie mondiale et de sa soumission à un droit international chaque jour plus spécialisé ne seront pas sans influence sur la territorialité mapuche. Tandis que le territoire chilien s’offre à la logique des marchés et de l’économie néolibérale, la territorialité mapuche réapparait aujourd’hui, dans sa dimension collective et sous une polyvalence de formes, allant du territoire d’une Nation mapuche, à celle du lof, en passant par celui des titres communautaires, des « identités territoriales » et de la « communauté fonctionnelle ». Prônant un processus de décolonisation marqué par la reconnaissance du droit à l’autodétermination des peuples autochtones, le droit international réinstaure la territorialité indigène, en termes de démarcation mais aussi de mode de vie. Cet article propose d’explorer les dynamiques et différentes dimensions de la territorialité mapuche dans les rapports qu’entretiennent leurs populations avec le droit national et international

An Integrated Review of Psychological Stress in Parkinson’s Disease: Biological Mechanisms and Symptom and Health Outcomes

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by complex symptoms and medication-induced motor complications that fluctuate in onset, severity, responsiveness to treatment, and disability. The unpredictable and debilitating nature of PD and the inability to halt or slow disease progression may result in psychological stress. Psychological stress may exacerbate biological mechanisms believed to contribute to neuronal loss in PD and lead to poorer symptom and health outcomes. The purpose of this integrated review is to summarize and appraise animal and human research studies focused on biological mechanisms, symptom, and health outcomes of psychological stress in PD. A search of the electronic databases PubMed/Medline and CINAHL from 1980 to the present using the key words Parkinson’s disease and stress, psychological stress, mental stress, and chronic stress resulted in 11 articles that met inclusion criteria. The results revealed significant associations between psychological stress and increased motor symptom severity and loss of dopamine-producing neurons in animal models of PD and between psychological stress and increased symptom severity and poorer health outcomes in human subjects with PD. Further research is needed to fully elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms responsible for these relationships, for the ultimate purpose of designing targeted interventions that may modify the disease trajectory

Homogeneous and digital proximity ligation assays for the detection of Clostridium difficile toxins A and B

Background: The proximity ligation assay (PLA) detects proteins via their interaction with pairs of proximity probes, which are antibodies coupled to noncomplementary DNA oligonucleotides. The binding of both proximity probes to their epitopes on the target protein brings the oligonucleotides together, allowing them to be bridged by a third oligonucleotide with complementarity to the other two. This enables their ligation and the detection of the resulting amplicon by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), which acts as a surrogate marker for the protein of interest. Hence PLA has potential as a clinically relevant diagnostic tool for the detection of pathogens where nucleic acid based tests are inconclusive proof of infection. Methods: We prepared monoclonal and polyclonal proximity probes targeting Clostridium difficile toxins A (TcdA) and B (TcdB) and used hydrolysis probe-based qPCR and digital PCR (dPCR) assays to detect antibody/antigen interactions. Results: The performance of the PLA assays was antibody-dependent but both TcdA and TcdB assays were more sensitive than comparable ELISAs in either single- or dualplex formats. Both PLAs could be performed using single monoclonal antibodies coupled to different oligonucleotides. Finally, we used dPCR to demonstrate its potential for accurate and reliable quantification of TcdA. Conclusions: PLA with either qPCR or dPCR readout have potential as new diagnostic applications for the detection of pathogens where nucleic acid based tests do not indicate viability or expression of toxins. Importantly, since it is not always necessary to use two different antibodies, the pool of potential antibodies useful for PLA diagnostic assays is usefully enhanced

Les droits des peuples autochtones dans les processus constituants au Chili. Un enjeu historique, international et continental

Conférence de Leslie Cloud et de Zérah Brémond, dans le cadre de la matinée "Comment garantir les droits des opprimés au moment d’écrire une Constitution – L’exemple et le contre-exemple du Chili" organisée par Carolina Cerda-Guzman.Depuis la révolte sociale de 2019, le Chili cherche à élaborer une nouvelle Constitution. L’objectif est de remplacer la Constitution léguée par la dictature d’Augusto Pinochet, mais aussi de consacrer de nouveaux droits et libertés, notamment sociaux. Un premier texte, particulièrement progressiste et protecteur des minorités, a été écrit en 2022, mais il a finalement été rejeté par le peuple par référendum. Un second est en cours de rédaction depuis 2023, et il se présente au contraire comme un texte particulièrement conservateur.Étudier le cas chilien permettra de mieux comprendre les difficultés que l’on rencontre au moment de garantir dans une Constitution de nouveaux droits, et en particulier les droits des groupes traditionnellement opprimés, qu’il s’agisse des femmes ou des communautés autochtones

Les droits des peuples autochtones dans les processus constituants au Chili. Un enjeu historique, international et continental

Conférence de Leslie Cloud et de Zérah Brémond, dans le cadre de la matinée "Comment garantir les droits des opprimés au moment d’écrire une Constitution – L’exemple et le contre-exemple du Chili" organisée par Carolina Cerda-Guzman.Depuis la révolte sociale de 2019, le Chili cherche à élaborer une nouvelle Constitution. L’objectif est de remplacer la Constitution léguée par la dictature d’Augusto Pinochet, mais aussi de consacrer de nouveaux droits et libertés, notamment sociaux. Un premier texte, particulièrement progressiste et protecteur des minorités, a été écrit en 2022, mais il a finalement été rejeté par le peuple par référendum. Un second est en cours de rédaction depuis 2023, et il se présente au contraire comme un texte particulièrement conservateur.Étudier le cas chilien permettra de mieux comprendre les difficultés que l’on rencontre au moment de garantir dans une Constitution de nouveaux droits, et en particulier les droits des groupes traditionnellement opprimés, qu’il s’agisse des femmes ou des communautés autochtones

Tardive Syndromes are Rarely Reversible after Discontinuing Dopamine Receptor Blocking Agents: Experience from a University-based Movement Disorder Clinic

Background: Several studies have examined reversibility of tardive syndromes (TS), primarily in psychotic patients who are maintained on dopamine receptor blocking drugs. The results have varied widely. However, few have assessed remission rates after discontinuing the offending agents. This study evaluated reversibility of TS in patients who permanently withdrew the causative agent(s). We also examined for any possible clinical predictors of reversibility. Methods: A retrospective cohort of 108 TS patients was studied. Most of the patients were not psychotic; most patients were being treated either for a mood disorder with atypical antipsychotics or for a gastrointestinal disturbance with metoclopramide. Patients were stratified on the basis of reversibility, and statistical tests were used for subgroup comparisons of relevant clinical variables. Logistic regression was undertaken to identify clinical variables predictive of reversibility.Results: Only 13% of the cohort experienced reversibility of the TS, 2% without medical intervention. When stratified by reversibility, there were no significant differences in any study variables between subgroups. None of the study variables predicted reversibility in the logistic regression. Discussion: Our study demonstrated a low remission rate for TS in a cohort of psychiatric and non-psychiatric patients seen in a movement disorder clinic after the offending agents were completely withdrawn. Such a finding has significant prognostic implications. It is possible that limitations of the retrospective design may have resulted in an underestimation. There is a clear need for prospective, multicenter, clinical trials in populations that can be safely withdrawn from dopamine receptor blocking agents so that true remission rates can be measured.</p

An Integrated Review of Psychological Stress in Parkinson’s Disease: Biological Mechanisms and Symptom and Health Outcomes

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by complex symptoms and medication-induced motor complications that fluctuate in onset, severity, responsiveness to treatment, and disability. The unpredictable and debilitating nature of PD and the inability to halt or slow disease progression may result in psychological stress. Psychological stress may exacerbate biological mechanisms believed to contribute to neuronal loss in PD and lead to poorer symptom and health outcomes. The purpose of this integrated review is to summarize and appraise animal and human research studies focused on biological mechanisms, symptom, and health outcomes of psychological stress in PD. A search of the electronic databases PubMed/Medline and CINAHL from 1980 to the present using the key words Parkinson’s disease and stress, psychological stress, mental stress, and chronic stress resulted in 11 articles that met inclusion criteria. The results revealed significant associations between psychological stress and increased motor symptom severity and loss of dopamine-producing neurons in animal models of PD and between psychological stress and increased symptom severity and poorer health outcomes in human subjects with PD. Further research is needed to fully elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms responsible for these relationships, for the ultimate purpose of designing targeted interventions that may modify the disease trajectory

Determination of optimal vibration dose to treat Parkinson's disease gait symptoms: A clinical trial

Introduction: Most people with Parkinson's disease (PD) will experience gait problems. Previous studies demonstrated improved gait and balance after vibration stimulation was applied to the feet of PD patients. However, not all study participants showed improvement, perhaps due to sub-optimal vibration stimulus. Thus far, the optimal frequency and amplitude of vibration for mitigating gait dysfunction in PD have yet to be systematically explored. This study aimed to deliver vibration to the feet of 26 people with PD gait disturbances. We hypothesized that a global frequency, amplitude, and minimum duration of vibration therapy are required to improve PD gait issues. Methods: This was a phase Ib trial to identify optimal vibration parameters. Thirteen participants were recruited at Hoehn &amp; Yahr (H&Y) stage II and 13 participants at stage III. Each group was randomly assigned to different frequency and amplitude settings prescribed by the central composite design methodology. Each participant received vibration for 18 min per walking session, for eight sessions spread over one week. Results: Results showed an optimal response to treatment for frequency (Hz) and amplitude (mm) of vibration based on the Functional Ambulation Performance score for stages II and III. In the H&Y stage II group, stabilization of outcomes occurred after the 4th treatment. This stabilization was not seen in stage III participants. Conclusions: A global frequency and vibration amplitude have been identified for treating PD gait disorders. Patients with more advanced disease may require a longer duration of therapy