Sarah Schulman on ‘Conflict Is Not Abuse’: Rethinking community responsibility outside of the state apparatus

Sarah Schulman, a long-standing U.S. activist and author of internationally recognized novels, plays and films, was invited to participate in the 2015 Sexuality Summer School on queer art and activism, held in May at the University of Manchester. From her engagement with Act Up in New York in the late 1980s and onwards, to the creation of the Lesbian Avengers in post-Reagan America of the early 1990s, to her current engagement for the rights of Palestinians and endorsement of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, I like to think of Sarah Schulman as one of the most radical minds that I have had the opportunity to come across. By radical, I mean an activist who embraces critique as an integral dimension of political action, and who is able to rethink the foundations of her engagement through renewed paradigms and historicization of her own actions. Adorno’s expression according to which ‘open thinking points beyond itself’ (Adorno, 1998; p. 293) could fairly apply to Schulman’s intellectual and political profile

The success of the veterinary profession in controlling and eradicating zoonoses with animal reservoirs

Although the veterinary profession remains a major actor in any individual or joint action on animal health, it has undoubtedly also become a major actor in public health policies. This significant success is based on several factors: veterinary training which includes public health issues, veterinary networks working with a parallel organisation including breeders and veterinary surgeons associations, integrated scientific and technical backing, and the development of epidemiosurveillance networks. All these aspects were tried and tested and proved their relevance, as shown in at least two recent actions: the fight against transmissible spongiform encephalopathies and the prevention of avian influenza. However, these advantages are burdened by weaknesses which must be overcome to face new health issues, such as the emergence of unknown diseases or the ree-mergence of known diseases. Some of the latter include high-risk major zoonoses, which could lead to epizootics, as well as epidemics or even pandemics. A non-exhaustive analysis of these weaknesses is given here.Si la profession vétérinaire reste un acteur important de toute action individuelle ou collective de santé animale, elle est devenue sans conteste un acteur majeur des politiques de santé publique. Des atouts ont permis des succès significatifs : la formation vétérinaire intégrant les problématiques de santé publique, le maillage vétérinaire jumelé à une organisation parallèle des fédérations d'éleveurs et de vétérinaires, un appui scientifique et technique intégré et le développement de réseaux d'épidémio-surveillance. Ils ont été mis à l'épreuve et ont pu démontrer leur pertinence, au moins dans deux actions récentes : la lutte contre les encéphalopathies spongiformes transmissibles et la prévention de l'influenza aviaire. Des faiblesses sont cependant à surmonter, afin de faire face aux nouveaux enjeux sanitaires que représentent l'émergence de maladies inconnues ou la ré-émergence de maladies connues : certaines de ces dernières sont des zoonoses majeures à risque élevé, pouvant être à l'origine non seulement d'épizooties, mais aussi d'épidémies, voire de pandémies. Une analyse non exhaustive de ces faiblesses est présentée

Growth factors for clinical-scale expansion of human articular chondrocytes : Relevance for automated bioreactor systems

The expansion of chondrocytes in automated bioreactors for clinical use requires that a relevant number of cells be generated, starting from variable initial seeding densities in one passage and using autologous serum. We investigated whether the growth factor combination transforming growth factor beta 1/fibroblast growth factor 2/platelet-derived growth factor BB (TFP), recently shown to enhance the proliferation capacity of human articular chondrocytes (HACs), allows the efficiency of chondrocyte use to be increased at different seeding densities and percentages of human serum (HS). HACs were seeded at 1,000, 5,000, and 10,000 celIS/cm(2) in medium containing 10 bovine serum or 10,000 cells/cm(2) with 1 chondrogenic capacity of post-expanded HACs was then assessed in pellet cultures. Expansion with TFP allowed a sufficient number of HACs to be obtained in one passage even at the lowest seeding density and HS percentage and variability in cartilage-forming capacity of HACs expanded under the different conditions to be reduced. Instead, larger variations and insufficient yields were found in the absence of TFP. By allowing large numbers of cells to be obtained, starting from a wide range of initial seeding densities and HS percentages, the use of TFP may represent a viable solution for the efficient expansion of HACs and addresses constraints of automated clinical bioreactor systems

Les vecteurs viraux : outils modernes de vaccination

Les vaccins destinés aux animaux appartiennent à deux grandes catégories : les vaccins à agents vivants, et ceux à agents inertes. Depuis quelques années, dans chacune de ces catégories, les innovations technologiques ont considérablement amélioré et diversifié les stratégies vaccinales disponibles en fonction des contraintes liées à des préoccupations tant d’innocuité, que d’efficacité ou encore de nature économique. C’est dans ce cadre que l’INRA a depuis de nombreuses années orienté les efforts de recherche vers l’élaboration de nouveaux vaccins s’appuyant sur la mise au point de vecteurs viraux adaptés à diverses espèces animales et susceptibles de répondre aux exigences des filières animales. Dans cette revue, nous décrivons ainsi les principes d’obtention et le développement de vecteurs vaccinaux fondés sur l’emploi de poxvirus animaux à spectre d’hôte étroit (virus myxomateux), d’adenovirus humains ou animaux défectifs (c'est-à-dire ayant perdu toute capacité à se multiplier chez l’hôte) ainsi que de rhabdovirus de poissons modifiés par génétique inverse. Des exemples d’application de vaccination non seulement contre des maladies animales d’intérêt économique, mais aussi dans le cadre de modèles de pathologie comparée permettent d’illustrer le potentiel indiscutable de ces vecteurs viraux et d’envisager leur emploi pour le contrôle de maladies animales émergentes ou réémergentes en Europe

Borna disease virus infects human neural progenitor cells and impairs neurogenesis.

Understanding the complex mechanisms by which infectious agents can disrupt behavior represents a major challenge. The Borna disease virus (BDV), a potential human pathogen, provides a unique model to study such mechanisms. Because BDV induces neurodegeneration in brain areas that are still undergoing maturation at the time of infection, we tested the hypothesis that BDV interferes with neurogenesis. We showed that human neural stem/progenitor cells are highly permissive to BDV, although infection does not alter their survival or undifferentiated phenotype. In contrast, upon the induction of differentiation, BDV is capable of severely impairing neurogenesis by interfering with the survival of newly generated neurons. Such impairment was specific to neurogenesis, since astrogliogenesis was unaltered. In conclusion, we demonstrate a new mechanism by which BDV might impair neural function and brain plasticity in infected individuals. These results may contribute to a better understanding of behavioral disorders associated with BDV infection

Viromics on honey-baited FTA cards as a new tool for the detection of circulating viruses in mosquitoes

Worldwide, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are a major burden on public and animal health. Arthropod vectors, with mosquitoes being the main contributors of global disease, transmit more than 70% of the recognized EIDs. To assess new alternatives for arthropod-borne viral diseases surveillance, and for the detection of new viruses, honey-baited Flinders Technology Associates (FTA) cards were used as sugar bait in mosquito traps during entomological surveys at the Llobregat River Delta (Catalonia, Spain). Next generation sequencing (NGS) metagenomics analysis was applied on honey-baited FTA cards, which had been exposed to field-captured mosquitoes to characterize their associated virome. Arthropod- and plant-infecting viruses governed the virome profile on FTA cards. Twelve near-complete viral genomes were successfully obtained, suggesting good quality preservation of viral RNAs. Mosquito pools linked to the FTA cards were screened for the detection of mosquito-associated viruses by specific RT-PCRs to confirm the presence of these viruses. The circulation of viruses related to Alphamesonivirus, Quaranjavirus and unclassified Bunyavirales was detected in mosquitoes, and phylogenetic analyses revealed their similarities to viruses previously reported in other continents. To the best our knowledge, our findings constitute the first distribution record of these viruses in European mosquitoes and the first hint of insect-specific viruses in mosquitoes’ saliva in field conditions, demonstrating the feasibility of this approach to monitor the transmissible fraction of the mosquitoes’ virome. In conclusion, this pilot viromics study on honey-baited FTA cards was shown to be a valid approach for the detection of viruses circulating in mosquitoes, thereby setting up an alternative tool for arbovirus surveillance and control programs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comparison between Transcriptome Sequencing and 16S Metagenomics for Detection of Bacterial Pathogens in Wildlife

Background Rodents are major reservoirs of pathogens responsible for numerous zoonotic diseases in humans and livestock. Assessing their microbial diversity at both the individual and population level is crucial for monitoring endemic infections and revealing microbial association patterns within reservoirs. Recently, NGS approaches have been employed to characterize microbial communities of different ecosystems. Yet, their relative efficacy has not been assessed. Here, we compared two NGS approaches, RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) and 16S-metagenomics, assessing their ability to survey neglected zoonotic bacteria in rodent populations.Methodology/Principal Findings : We first extracted nucleic acids from the spleens of 190 voles collected in France. RNA extracts were pooled, randomly retro-transcribed, then RNA-Seq was performed using HiSeq. Assembled bacterial sequences were assigned to the closest taxon registered in GenBank. DNA extracts were analyzed via a 16S-metagenomics approach using two sequencers: the 454 GS-FLX and the MiSeq. The V4 region of the gene coding for 16S rRNA was amplified for each sample using barcoded universal primers. Amplicons were multiplexed and processed on the distinct sequencers. The resulting datasets were de-multiplexed, and each read was processed through a pipeline to be taxonomically classified using the Ribosomal Database Project. Altogether, 45 pathogenic bacterial genera were detected. The bacteria identified by RNA-Seq were comparable to those detected by 16S-metagenomics approach processed with MiSeq (16S-MiSeq). In contrast, 21 of these pathogens went unnoticed when the 16S-metagenomics approach was processed via 454-pyrosequencing (16S-454). In addition, the 16S-metagenomics approaches revealed a high level of coinfection in bank voles. Conclusions/Significance :We concluded that RNA-Seq and 16S-MiSeq are equally sensitive in detecting bacteria. Although only the 16S-MiSeq method enabled identification of bacteria in each individual reservoir, with subsequent derivation of bacterial prevalence in host populations, and generation of intra-reservoir patterns of bacterial interactions. Lastly, the number of bacterial reads obtained with the 16S-MiSeq could be a good proxy for bacterial prevalence