Targeted Stakeholder Consultation in the context of a Fitness Check of the EU legislation with regard to Endocrine Disruptors - Factual Summary Report

Under the European Commission's Better Regulation initiative the JRC is leading a Fitness Check of the EU legislation for the identification and control of endocrine disrupting substances. Stakeholder consultation is an important part of any Fitness Check. This report provides a brief factual overview of the responses received over an 8 week period from 06/12/19 to 31/01/20 to over 30 questions addressed to stakeholder organisations such as businesses, public authorities, academia, research organisations, or civil society organisations. The aims of the consultation were to collect views on effectiveness, efficiencies and possible legislative incoherencies of EU legislation with respect to EDs and possible impacts on stakeholders. Two other types of consultations conducted under this Fitness Check, one focused on citizens and the other on small and medium-sized enterprises will be reported separately. Responses will provide an essential input to the Fitness Check analysis carried out by the JRC. A more detailed analysis of the responses to each of consultations will be published in a synopsis report along with Fitness Check evaluation at the end of the process.JRC.F.3-Chemicals Safety and Alternative Method

A Survey on Monitoring Innovation and Societal Impact of EU-funded Research: Factual Summary Report

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission (EC), in collaboration with the EC Directorate General for Research and Innovation initiated an activity to define suitable indicators to retrospectively assess the impact of European Union (EU)-funded research. To this aim, the JRC conducted a survey addressed to current and former participants of EC-funded research projects in the fields of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. This summary report provides a brief factual overview of the replies received, with information on the respondents as well as the number of responses and range of opinions. The replies gathered through this survey will help the European Commission assess how EU-funded research activities have contributed to innovation and impact.JRC.F.3-Chemicals Safety and Alternative Method

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

Pelvic-Spinal Analysis and the Impact of Onabotulinum toxin A Injections on Spinal Balance in one Child With Cerebral Palsy

Background: In children with cerebral palsy, primary (eg, abnormal muscle tone and weakness) and secondary impairments (eg, contractures) can modify pelvic-spinal alignment. The main aim of this article was to establish a new approach to pelvic-spinal analysis in children with cerebral palsy, taking into account the whole pelvis-spine complex, illustrated by a case study. Methods: This is a case study of an ambulatory child with cerebral palsy (spastic diplegia) who underwent analysis of the pelvic-spine complex from X-ray images taken in standing position from C2 to the proximal femur. Pelvic shape was characterized by the pelvic incidence angle, which is the sum of sacral slope and pelvic tilt, before and after the treatment by regular onabotulinumtoxinA injections into the hip flexors, and the use of soft lumbar brace over 5 years. Results: The sagittal balance of the spine was improved following the treatment, with a reduction in lumbar lordosis and sacral slope. The reduction in lumbar hyperextension likely reduced the risk of spondylolysis, low back pain, and degenerative spondylolisthesis in adulthood. Conclusion: A biomechanical approach to the evaluation of the pelvic-spinal complex offers new perspectives to increase the understanding of spinal balance in children with cerebral palsy, providing more options for treatment, such as onabotulinumtoxinA

Alzheimer’s disease, and breast and prostate cancer research: Translational failures and the importance to monitor outputs and impact of funded research

Dementia and cancer are becoming increasingly prevalent in Western countries. In the last two decades, research focused on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cancer, in particular, breast cancer (BC) and prostate cancer (PC), has been substantially funded both in Europe and worldwide. While scientific research outcomes have contributed to increase our understanding of the disease etiopathology, still the prevalence of these chronic degenerative conditions remains very high across the globe. By definition, no model is perfect. In particular, animal models of AD, BC, and PC have been and still are traditionally used in basic/fundamental, translational, and preclinical research to study human disease mechanisms, identify new therapeutic targets, and develop new drugs. However, animals do not adequately model some essential features of human disease; therefore, they are often unable to pave the way to the development of drugs effective in human patients. The rise of new technological tools and models in life science, and the increasing need for multidisciplinary approaches have encouraged many interdisciplinary research initiatives. With considerable funds being invested in biomedical research, it is becoming pivotal to define and apply indicators to monitor the contribution to innovation and impact of funded research. Here, we discuss some of the issues underlying translational failure in AD, BC, and PC research, and describe how indicators could be applied to retrospectively measure outputs and impact of funded biomedical research.JRC.F.3-Chemicals Safety and Alternative Method

Préface : L'industrialisation de la formation : émergence d'un champ d'investigation

International audienc

L'intégration du numérique dans les formations du supérieur

Études de communication édite ce numéro spécial consacré aux analyses d’un ensemble de chercheurs sur la problématique de l’intégration du numérique – pris au sens large de l’informatique, des réseaux et de la médiatisation – dans les formations du supérieur et plus particulièrement dans les projets de campus numériques français mis en place sous forme de consortiums d’établissements au début des années 2000. Différentes dimensions du processus sont abordées à travers les contributions : son archéologie en tant qu’initiative ministérielle ; une dimension socio-économique concernant les trajectoires du numérique dans l’enseignement supérieur ; une dimension « ressources virtuelles » rapportée à différentes problématiques (la logique en émergence du « courtage », la figure d’« éditeur de ressources hors marché », la relation entre ressources numérisées et logiques d’innovation, le rapport des ressources au travail relationnel « vivant ») ; une dimension liée aux usages des dispositifs et enfin une dimension évaluative ouvrant un questionnement sur les notions de « succès » ou d’« échec » des campus numériques

Comparison of fractional flow reserve of composite Y-grafts with saphenous vein or right internal thoracic arteries.

BACKGROUND: Composite Y-grafts, using the left internal thoracic artery as the inflow, allow a more efficient use of conduits without the need to touch a diseased ascending aorta. Among other conduits, the saphenous vein graft may be an alternative to the radial artery in elderly patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated the hemodynamic characteristics of 17 composite Y-grafts made with the left internal thoracic artery anastomosed to the left anterior descending coronary artery in all cases and with either the free right internal thoracic artery (RITA group, n = 10) or a saphenous vein graft (SVG group, n = 7) implanted proximally to the left internal thoracic artery and distally to the circumflex territory 6 months after the operation. RESULTS: At baseline, the pressure gradient measured with a 0.014-inch pressure wire was minimal between the aorta and the internal thoracic artery stem (2 +/- 1 mm Hg), the internal thoracic artery and left anterior descending (4 +/- 2 mm Hg), the internal thoracic artery and left circumflex (3 +/- 1 mm Hg), and the saphenous vein graft and left circumflex (2 +/- 2 mm Hg). During hyperemia induced by adenosine, the pressure gradient increased significantly to 6 +/- 2 mm Hg in the internal thoracic artery stem, 9 +/- 4 mm Hg in the internal thoracic artery and left anterior descending artery, 9 +/- 3 mm Hg in the internal thoracic artery and left circumflex, and 7 +/- 4 mm Hg in the saphenous vein graft and left circumflex. Fractional flow reserve was 0.94 +/- 0.02 in internal thoracic artery stem, 0.90 +/- 0.04 mm Hg in the internal thoracic artery and left anterior descending, 0.91 +/- 0.03 mm Hg in the internal thoracic artery and left circumflex, and 0.92 +/- 0.06 mm Hg in the saphenous vein graft and left circumflex. No difference between the two types of composite Y-grafts was observed for pressure gradients or fractional flow reserve measured in internal thoracic artery stem or in distal branches. CONCLUSION: Composite Y-grafts with saphenous vein or right internal thoracic arteries allow similar and adequate reperfusion of the left system with minimal resistance to maximal flow and an even distribution of flow in both distal branches

Intravenous adenosine to predict conduction recurrence in cavotricuspid isthmus early after ablation of typical atrial flutter: myth or reality?

Early recovery of conduction (ER) after cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) ablation for typical atrial flutter (AFl) occurs in approximately 10% of the patients. If not recognized, ER might lead to AFl recurrences. In this study, we hypothesized that intravenous adenosine (iADO) can be used to predict ER in the CTI immediately after RF ablation and distinguish functional block from the complete destruction of the CTI myocardium

Parallel assessment of the effects of bisphenol A and several of its analogs on the adult human testis

International audienceStudy question - Are bisphenol A (BPA) and BPA analogs (BPA-A) safe for male human reproductive function? Summary answer - The endocrine function of human testes explants [assessed by measuring testosterone and insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3)] was impacted by exposure of the human adult testis explants to BPA/BPA-A. What is known already - The few epidemiologic studies performed suggest that bisphenols have potential endocrine disruptive properties, but they did not identify clear and direct patterns of endocrine disruption. Study design, size, duration - Adult human testis explants in culture were exposed to BPA and the analogs bisphenol F (BPF), bisphenol S (BPS), bisphenol E (BPE), bisphenol B (BPB) and bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) at 10-9-10-5 M for 24 or 48 h. Participants/materials, setting, methods - Human adult testes were obtained from prostate cancer patients who had no hormone therapy, or from multiorgan donors. After ex vivo exposure to the investigated bisphenols, the measured outcomes were related to histopathology (gross morphology and germ cell viability determined by anti-caspase three immunohistochemistry), and the levels of testosterone, INSL3 and inhibin B were measured using immunoassays. The levels of mRNA encoding key enzymes of bisphenol biotransformation were investigated by quantitative PCR: UGT2B15 UDP (glucuronosyltransferase two family, polypeptide B15), GUSB (glucuronidase beta), SULT1A1 and 3 (sulfotransferase family 1 A member 1 and 3) and STS (steroid sulfatase). Main results and the role of chance - A significant dose-dependent inhibition was found between testosterone levels measured in the culture medium and concentrations of BPA (P = 0.00778 at 24 h and P = 0.0291 at 48 h), BPE (P = 0.039) and BPF (P = 0.00663). The observed BPA and BPA-A-induced inhibition of testosterone production varied according to duration of exposure and BPA/BPA-A concentrations. BPA (10-9 M; P < 0.05), BPB (10-9 M; P < 0.05), BPS (10-9 and 10-8 M; P < 0.05) and BADGE (10-5 M; P < 0.05) increased Leydig cell INSL3 production. By contrast, BPE dose dependently inhibited INSL3 (P = 0.0372). Conversely, Sertoli cell function (inhibin B) and germ cell viability were not significantly affected by either bisphenols. Large scale data - N/A. Limitations, reasons for caution - Environmental compounds cannot be deliberately administered to men, justifying the use of an ex vivo approach. A relatively low number of testes samples were available for analysis (n = 3, except for testosterone secretion with n = 5). The active concentrations of BPA and BPA-A used in the study were higher than those found in human biological fluids. Wider implications of the findings - Under our experimental conditions, direct exposure to BPA or BPA-A can result in endocrine disturbance in the adult human testis. Study funding/competing interest(s) - This study was funded by Inserm (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale), EHESP-School of Public Health, University of Rennes1, by grants from the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR; grant#ANR-13-CESA-0012-03 NEWPLAST) and Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l'Alimentation, de l'Environnement et du Travail (ANSES; grant#EST-2010/2/046 (BPATESTIS)). All authors declare they have no current or potential competing financial interests