Prevalence of sarcopenia in the French senior population

Introduction A muscle mass normalized for height2 (MMI) or for body weight (SMI) below 2SD under the mean for a young population defines sarcopenia. This study aimed at setting the cutoffs and the prevalence of sarcopenia in the French elderly population. Another objective was to compare the results obtained with SMI and MMI.Methods: Muscle mass was assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis in 782 healthy adults (<40 years) to determine skeletal mass index (SMI, muscle mass*100/weight) and muscle mass index (MMI, muscle mass/height2). Prevalence was estimated in 888 middle aged (40–59 years) and 218 seniors (60–78 years). All were healthy people.Results: For women mean-2SD were 6.2 kg/m2 (MMI) and 26.6% (SMI); for men limits were 8.6 kg/m2 (MMI) and 34.4% (SMI). In middle aged persons a small number of them were identified as sarcopenic. In healthy seniors, 2.8% of women and 3.6% of men were sarcopenic (MMI). The prevalence was 23.6% in women and 12.5% in men with SMI. MMI and SMI identified different sarcopenic populations, leaner subjects for MMI while fatter subjects for SMI.Conclusion: Cutoff values for the French population were defined. Prevalence of sarcopenia was different from that in the US population

Pediatric Measles Vaccine Expressing a Dengue Antigen Induces Durable Serotype-specific Neutralizing Antibodies to Dengue Virus

Dengue disease is an increasing global health problem that threatens one-third of the world's population. Despite decades of efforts, no licensed vaccine against dengue is available. With the aim to develop an affordable vaccine that could be used in young populations living in tropical areas, we evaluated a new strategy based on the expression of a minimal dengue antigen by a vector derived from pediatric live-attenuated Schwarz measles vaccine (MV). As a proof-of-concept, we inserted into the MV vector a sequence encoding a minimal combined dengue antigen composed of the envelope domain III (EDIII) fused to the ectodomain of the membrane protein (ectoM) from DV serotype-1. Immunization of mice susceptible to MV resulted in a long-term production of DV1 serotype-specific neutralizing antibodies. The presence of ectoM was critical to the immunogenicity of inserted EDIII. The adjuvant capacity of ectoM correlated with its ability to promote the maturation of dendritic cells and the secretion of proinflammatory and antiviral cytokines and chemokines involved in adaptive immunity. The protective efficacy of this vaccine should be studied in non-human primates. A combined measles–dengue vaccine might provide a one-shot approach to immunize children against both diseases where they co-exist

Body mass index growth trajectories associated with the different parameters of the metabolic syndrome at adulthood

BACKGROUND: Growth trajectories have shown to be related to obesity and metabolic risks in later life, however body mass index (BMI) trajectories according to the presence or absence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its parameters in adulthood are scarce in literature. OBJECTIVES: To investigate BMI trajectories during childhood in relation to MS and its parameters in adult age. METHODS: A total of 1919 subjects (43.4% male, 20-60 y) participated in this retrospective cohort study. Height, weight, waist circumference (WC), blood glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure were measured at adulthood. Childhood weight and height were collected retrospectively from health booklets. Differences between BMI growth curves of subjects with and without MS were assessed using mixed models for correlated data. RESULTS: BMI trajectories differed according to the presence or not of MS at adulthood, from the age of 4 years forward (all P 94 cm (men) / 80 cm (women) compared to lower WC, at all ages (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: BMI growth curves differ according to the presence or not of MS at adulthood, but differences only appeared after the age of 4 years. Changes vary according to the MS parameters considered. Deviation of the MS-associated BMI curve from normal pattern could correspond to alteration in body composition. These differences in BMI trajectories during childhood support the theory of an early origin of the MS, justifying early prevention

Age at adiposity rebound: determinants and association with nutritional status and the metabolic syndrome at adulthood

OBJECTIVE: Early-life growth characteristics and in particular age at adiposity rebound (AR), have been shown to impact nutritional status later in life but studies investigating the association with long-term health remain scarce. Our aims were to identify determinants of age at AR and its relationship with nutritional status and cardiometabolic risk factors at adulthood. DESIGN: A total of 1465 subjects aged 20-60 years participated in this retrospective cohort study. Height, weight, waist circumference, blood glucose, lipids and blood pressure were measured at adulthood. Childhood weight, height, gestational age, birth weight and early nutrition were collected retrospectively from health booklets and age at AR was assessed. Participants self-reported parental silhouettes. Associations were assessed using multiple linear and logistic regression. RESULTS: An earlier AR was associated with higher body mass index and waist circumference at adulthood in both men and women (P<0.0001). In addition, women with an earlier occurrence of AR had higher triglyceride (P = 0.001), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (P = 0.001), systolic (P = 0.02) and diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.04) at adulthood. Both men (odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)): 0.82 (0.70-0.95)) and women (OR (95% CI): 0.84 (0.73-0.96) with an AR occurring earlier were more likely to develop a metabolic syndrome. Larger parental silhouette was associated with an earlier AR. CONCLUSIONS: This long-term study showed that age at AR was associated with nutritional status and metabolic syndrome at adulthood. These results highlight the importance of monitoring childhood growth so as to help identify children at risk of developing an adverse cardiometabolic profile in adulthood. AR determinants for use in overweight surveillance were identified

An Isogenic Cell Panel Identifies Compounds That Inhibit Proliferation of mTOR-Pathway Addicted Cells by Different Mechanisms

The mTOR pathway is a critical integrator of nutrient and growth factor signaling. Once activated, mTOR promotes cell growth and proliferation. Several components of the mTOR pathway are frequently deregulated in tumors, leading to constitutive activation of the pathway and thus contribute to uncontrolled cell growth. We performed a high-throughput screen with an isogenic cell line system to identify compounds specifically inhibiting proliferation of PTEN/mTOR-pathway addicted cells. We show here the characterization and mode of action of two such compound classes. One compound class inhibits components of the PTEN/mTOR signaling pathway, such as S6 ribosomal protein phosphorylation, and leads to cyclin D3 downregulation. These compounds are not adenosine triphosphate competitive inhibitors for kinases in the pathway, nor do they require FKBP12 for activity like rapamycin. The other compound class turned out to be a farnesylation inhibitor, blocking the activity of GTPases, as well as an inducer of oxidative stress. Our results demonstrate that an isogenic cell system with few specific mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes can identify different classes of compounds selectively inhibiting proliferation of PTEN/mTOR pathway-addicted isogenic clones. The identified mechanisms are in line with the known cellular signaling networks activated by the altered oncogenes and suppressor genes in the isogenic system

Plantes envahissantes pour les milieux naturels de Nouvelle-Calédonie

Menaces pour la biodiversité, contraintes pour les agriculteurs et les activités humaines, les plantes envahissantes constituent un problème de plus en plus évoqué à travers le monde. Partant de ce constat, l'APICAN (Agence pour la Prévention et l'Indemnisation des Calamités Agricoles ou Naturelles) et ses partenaires ont soutenu l'élaboration de ce guide dans le but de faire connaitre, du plus grand nombre, les problématiques liées aux plantes envahissantes, les moyens de les identifier et les techniques à mettre en oeuvre pour les contrôler. Il s'adresse aux services techniques des communes et des réserves naturelles terrestres, aux exploitants agricoles, aux professionnels des espaces verts mais aussi aux citoyens sensibilisés à la protection de l'environnement. Ce guide décrit 81 espèces végétales envahissantes principales des milieux naturels de Nouvelle-Calédonie (Grande Terre et îles Loyauté). Le texte donne la description, la biologie, la répartition et les moyens de contrôler chaque espèce. Des photographies accompagnent chaque fiche pour faciliter l'identification des plantes