High prevalence of closely-related Acinetobacter baumannii in pets according to a multicentre study in veterinary clinics, Reunion Island

Our objective was to study the carriage of Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) in pets in Reunion Island (RI), a French territory in Indian Ocean. Overall, 138 pets were sampled (rectum, mouth, wounds if applicable) in 9 veterinary clinics (VC). The prevalence of AB carriage was 6.5% (95%CI; 2.4, 10.6) and 9 carriers were identified from 4 VC. Hospitalization in a VC and antimicrobial treatment administered within the 15 preceding days were significantly associated with AB carriage (P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively). Despite the VC in which animals have been sampled were located all around RI, most isolates (8/9) were closely-related (>90% similarity by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis). Additional studies are needed to improve the understanding about interactions between the different reservoirs of AB in RI

Developing a tool to assess trainees during crisis management training for major risks

International audienceOften based on simulation exercises, crisis management training helps prepare decision-makers to manage crises better. However, this training has definite limits in terms of trainee assessment and the feed-back given during the debriefing phase. This paper presents a method for better organising the assessment of trainees involved in a real time crisis management training exercises and for giving them feedback during the debriefing phase. The approach presented is based on creating a typology of training objectives in order to or-ganise the assessment. The assessment includes expected outcomes techniques as well as the human and or-ganisational factors that can be observed within a group. The assessment tools developed were then experi-mented within crisis management exercises completed with trainees. Beyond the basic results, these tools helped redefine the basic roles played by observers and trainers during training exercises

Modalités de recrutement des sujets dans la recherche en pédiatrie : étude prospective multicentrique

Contexte. - Une enquête qualitative exploratoire a montré que le nombre de patients éligibles et sollicités dans les essais en pédiatrie était peu objectivé ainsi que les refus. Objectif. - Estimer le nombre de refus de participation des familles dans les essais en pédiatrie et lier le taux de refus aux caractéristiques protocole, investigateur et patients. Matériel et méthodes. - Étude prospective multicentrique inter-CIC (réseau pédiatrique) d'une cohorte de protocoles. Pour chaque sollicitation à participer, des fiches patient, investigateur et protocole étaient remplies. Résultats. - L'étude a été réalisée de décembre 2005 à septembre 2007 sur quatre centres et a inclus 45 protocoles : 32 à promotion industrielle, 36 multicentriques, 19 essais cliniques, 33 avec prises de sang et six avec examens invasifs, 26 avec des déplacements spécifiques et 14 des hospitalisations supplémentaires. Sur ces protocoles, 170 investigateurs étaient référencés comme recruteurs et 86 (51 %) ont répondu au questionnaire : âge médian 42 ans, sex-ratio de 1, 13 sont investigateurs principal, 32 responsables pour le CIC et 50 investigateurs associés, 20 percevaient une rétribution versée au service dans 80 % des cas. La charge de travail médiane par investigateur était d'une heure par inclusion et 67 (78 %) bénéficiaient d'une aide d'une TEC. Au total, 1022 sollicitations ont été réalisées sur 36 protocoles (neuf protocoles n'ayant eu aucune sollicitation) et 334 refus (33 %) ont été enregistrés soit une médiane de 12 % (Q1Q3 : 0-28 %) de refus par protocole. Parmi les 36 protocoles, 16 n'ont enregistré aucun refus, représentant 147 sollicitations et les 20 autres protocoles ont eu un taux moyen de 38 % de refus. L'analyse explicative est en cours. Conclusion. - Le taux de refus de 12 % n'est pas différent de celui des essais adultes et semble dépendant du type d'étude. L'absence de sollicitation concerne 20 % des études

Genome wide analysis of gene expression changes in skin from patients with type 2 diabetes

Non-healing chronic ulcers are a serious complication of diabetes and are a major healthcare problem. While a host of treatments have been explored to heal or prevent these ulcers from forming, these treatments have not been found to be consistently effective in clinical trials. An understanding of the changes in gene expression in the skin of diabetic patients may provide insight into the processes and mechanisms that precede the formation of non-healing ulcers. In this study, we investigated genome wide changes in gene expression in skin between patients with type 2 diabetes and non-diabetic patients using next generation sequencing. We compared the gene expression in skin samples taken from 27 patients (13 with type 2 diabetes and 14 non-diabetic). This information may be useful in identifying the causal factors and potential therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of diabetic related diseases

MHCII-independent CD4(+) T cells protect injured CNS neurons via IL-4

A body of experimental evidence suggests that T cells mediate neuroprotection following CNS injury; however, the antigen specificity of these T cells and how they mediate neuroprotection are unknown. Here, we have provided evidence that T cell-mediated neuroprotection after CNS injury can occur independently of major histocompatibility class II (MHCII) signaling to T cell receptors (TCRs). Using two murine models of CNS injury, we determined that damage-associated molecular mediators that originate from injured CNS tissue induce a population of neuroprotective, IL-4-producing T cells in an antigen-independent fashion. Compared with wild-type mice, IL-4-deficient animals had decreased functional recovery following CNS injury; however, transfer of CD4+ T cells from wild-type mice, but not from IL-4-deficient mice, enhanced neuronal survival. Using a culture-based system, we determined that T cell-derived IL-4 protects and induces recovery of injured neurons by activation of neuronal IL-4 receptors, which potentiated neurotrophin signaling via the AKT and MAPK pathways. Together, these findings demonstrate that damage-associated molecules from the injured CNS induce a neuroprotective T cell response that is independent of MHCII/TCR interactions and is MyD88 dependent. Moreover, our results indicate that IL-4 mediates neuroprotection and recovery of the injured CNS and suggest that strategies to enhance IL-4-producing CD4+ T cells have potential to attenuate axonal damage in the course of CNS injury in trauma, inflammation, or neurodegeneration

Up, close and personal: the new Front National visual strategy under Marine Le Pen

Extensive analyses of Marine Le Pen’s media interventions as leader of the French Front National have revealed mostly rhetorical differences from her father’s discourse. In particular, despite Marine Le Pen’s professed openness toward women and their policy concerns, and despite her professed intention to transform the FN into party suitable for government, there has been little progress in these directions. However, the FN’s visual discourse has been all but ignored by the scholarly analysis, despite the fact that campaign visuals encode significant social and political information. This paper finds that the FN candidates’ visual presentation has undergone major transformations from the 2007 to the 2012 legislative elections. Specifically FN candidates in 2012 are more likely to visually portray themselves like mainstream party candidates. Compared to the 2007 elections, women candidates, in particular, were more likely to visually promote their personal qualities in 2012, in some respects more than 2012 men candidates

Vertical stratification of the air microbiome in the lower troposphere

The troposphere constitutes the final frontier of global ecosystem research due to technical challenges arising from its size, low biomass, and gaseous state. Using a vertical testing array comprising a meteorological tower and a research aircraft, we conducted synchronized measurements of meteorological parameters and airborne biomass (n = 480) in the vertical air column up to 3,500 m. The taxonomic analysis of metagenomic data revealed differing patterns of airborne microbial community composition with respect to time of day and height above ground. The temporal and spatial resolution of our study demonstrated that the diel cycle of airborne microorganisms is a ground-based phenomenon that is entirely absent at heights >1,000 m. In an integrated analysis combining meteorological and biological data, we demonstrate that atmospheric turbulence, identified by potential temperature and high-frequency three-component wind measurements, is the key driver of bioaerosol dynamics in the lower troposphere. Multivariate regression analysis shows that at least 50% of identified airborne microbial taxa (n = ∼10,000) are associated with either ground or height, allowing for an understanding of dispersal patterns of microbial taxa in the vertical air column. Due to the interconnectedness of atmospheric turbulence and temperature, the dynamics of microbial dispersal are likely to be impacted by rising global temperatures, thereby also affecting ecosystems on the planetary surface

Slc20a2, Encoding the Phosphate Transporter PiT2, Is an Important Genetic Determinant of Bone Quality and Strength.

Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD) and fragility fracture and affects over 200 million people worldwide. Bone quality describes the material properties that contribute to strength independently of BMD, and its quantitative analysis is a major priority in osteoporosis research. Tissue mineralization is a fundamental process requiring calcium and phosphate transporters. Here we identify impaired bone quality and strength in Slc20a2-/- mice lacking the phosphate transporter SLC20A2. Juveniles had abnormal endochondral and intramembranous ossification, decreased mineral accrual, and short stature. Adults exhibited only small reductions in bone mass and mineralization but a profound impairment of bone strength. Bone quality was severely impaired in Slc20a2-/- mice: yield load (-2.3 SD), maximum load (-1.7 SD), and stiffness (-2.7 SD) were all below values predicted from their bone mineral content as determined in a cohort of 320 wild-type controls. These studies identify Slc20a2 as a physiological regulator of tissue mineralization and highlight its critical role in the determination of bone quality and strength. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research Published by Wiley Periodicals Inc

Molecular Targets for 17α-Ethynyl-5-Androstene-3β,7β,17β-Triol, an Anti-Inflammatory Agent Derived from the Human Metabolome

HE3286, 17α-ethynyl-5-androstene-3β, 7β, 17β-triol, is a novel synthetic compound related to the endogenous sterol 5-androstene-3β, 7β, 17β-triol (β-AET), a metabolite of the abundant adrenal steroid dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). HE3286 has shown efficacy in clinical studies in impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes, and in vivo models of types 1 and 2 diabetes, autoimmunity, and inflammation. Proteomic analysis of solid-phase HE3286-bound bead affinity experiments, using extracts from RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cells, identified 26 binding partners. Network analysis revealed associations of these HE3286 target proteins with nodes in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways for type 2 diabetes, insulin, adipokine, and adipocyte signaling. Binding partners included low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (Lrp1), an endocytic receptor; mitogen activated protein kinases 1 and 3 (Mapk1, Mapk3), protein kinases involved in inflammation signaling pathways; ribosomal protein S6 kinase alpha-3 (Rsp6ka3), an intracellular regulatory protein; sirtuin-2 (Sirt2); and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (Hsd17β4), a sterol metabolizing enzyme