pH-Dependent behaviour of soluble protein aggregates formed during heat-treatment of milk at pH 6.5 or 7.2

Soluble (SA) and micelle-bound (MA) protein aggregatesformed during the heat-treatment of milk are thought toincrease the gelation pH and gel strength of acid milk gels.The ratio SA/MA increases as heat-treatment pH is increased and the resulting gels are stronger. The objective was to study the pH-dependent behaviour of SA produced by heattreatment at pH 6.5 (SA6.5) and 7.2 (SA7.2) in order to get a better understanding of their role in acid gelation of heated skim milk

Lac Blanc Pass: a natural wind-tunnel for studying drifting snow at 2700ma.s.l

International audienceThe investigation of the spatial variability of snow depth in high alpine areas is an important topic in snow hydrology, glacier and avalanche research and the transport of snow by wind is an important process for the distribution of snow in mountainous regions. That's why, for 25 years IRSTEA (previously Cemagref) and Météo France (Centre for the Study of Snow) have joined together in studying drifting snow at Col du Lac Blanc 2700 m a.s.l. near the Alpe d'Huez ski resort in the French Alps. Initially, the site was mainly equipped with conventional meteorological stations and a network of snow poles, in order to test numerical models of drifting snow Sytron (CEN) and NEMO (Cemagref). These models are complementary in terms of spatial and temporal scales: outputs of Sytron model will form the inputs of NEMO model. Then new sensors and technologies appeared which allow to develop new knowledge dealing with thresholds velocity according to morphological features of snow grains, snow flux profiles including parameters such as fall velocity and Schmidt number, histograms of particle widths, aerodynamic roughness, gust factors. More recently, the coupled snowpack/ atmosphere model Meso-NH/Crocus has been evaluated at the experimental site. At the same time, some tested sensors have been deployed in Adelie Land in Antarctica, where blowing snow accounts for a major component of the surface mass balance. Japanese and Austrian research teams have been accomodated at Lac Blanc Pass and new foreign teams are welcome. Initial observations continue. That's why Lac Blanc Pass is also a climatological reference for 25 years at 2700 m. Data are available

A new way of valorizing biomaterials: the use of sunflower protein for 1 a-tocopherol microencapsulation

Biopolymer based microparticles were efficiently prepared from sunflower protein (SP) wall material and a-tocopherol (T) active core using a spray-drying technique. Protein enzymatic hydrolysis and/or N-acylation were carried out to make some structural modifications to the vegetable protein. Native and hydrolyzed SP were characterized by Asymmetrical Flow Field-Flow Fractionation (AsFlFFF). Results of AsFlFFF confirmed that size of proteinic macromolecules was influenced by degree of hydrolysis. The effect of protein modifications and the influence of wall/core ratio on both emulsions and microparticle properties were evaluated. Concerning emulsion properties, enzymatic hydrolysis involved a decrease in viscosity, whereas acylation did not significantly affect emulsion droplet size and viscosity. Microparticles obtained with hydrolyzed SP wall material showed lower retention efficiency (RE) than native SP microparticles (62-80% and 93% respectively). Conversely, acylation of both hydrolyzed SP and native SP allowed a higher RE to be reached (up to 100%). Increasing T concentration increased emulsion viscosity, emulsion droplet size, microparticle size, and enhanced RE. These results demonstrated the feasibility of high loaded (up to 79.2% T) microparticles

SCN5A mutations in 442 neonates and children: genotype-phenotype correlation and identification of higher-risk subgroups.

Aims To clarify the clinical characteristics and outcomes of children with SCN5A-mediated disease and to improve their risk stratification. Methods and results A multicentre, international, retrospective cohort study was conducted in 25 tertiary hospitals in 13 countries between 1990 and 2015. All patients ≤16 years of age diagnosed with a genetically confirmed SCN5A mutation were included in the analysis. There was no restriction made based on their clinical diagnosis. A total of 442 children {55.7% boys, 40.3% probands, median age: 8.0 [interquartile range (IQR) 9.5] years} from 350 families were included; 67.9% were asymptomatic at diagnosis. Four main phenotypes were identified: isolated progressive cardiac conduction disorders (25.6%), overlap phenotype (15.6%), isolated long QT syndrome type 3 (10.6%), and isolated Brugada syndrome type 1 (1.8%); 44.3% had a negative electrocardiogram phenotype. During a median follow-up of 5.9 (IQR 5.9) years, 272 cardiac events (CEs) occurred in 139 (31.5%) patients. Patients whose mutation localized in the C-terminus had a lower risk. Compound genotype, both gain- and loss-of-function SCN5A mutation, age ≤1 year at diagnosis in probands and age ≤1 year at diagnosis in non-probands were independent predictors of CE. Conclusion In this large paediatric cohort of SCN5A mutation-positive subjects, cardiac conduction disorders were the most prevalent phenotype; CEs occurred in about one-third of genotype-positive children, and several independent risk factors were identified, including age ≤1 year at diagnosis, compound mutation, and mutation with both gain- and loss-of-function

A Link among DNA Replication, Recombination, and Gene Expression Revealed by Genetic and Genomic Analysis of TEBICHI Gene of Arabidopsis thaliana

Spatio-temporal regulation of gene expression during development depends on many factors. Mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana TEBICHI (TEB) gene encoding putative helicase and DNA polymerase domains-containing protein result in defects in meristem maintenance and correct organ formation, as well as constitutive DNA damage response and a defect in cell cycle progression; but the molecular link between these phenotypes of teb mutants is unknown. Here, we show that mutations in the DNA replication checkpoint pathway gene, ATR, but not in ATM gene, enhance developmental phenotypes of teb mutants, although atr suppresses cell cycle defect of teb mutants. Developmental phenotypes of teb mutants are also enhanced by mutations in RAD51D and XRCC2 gene, which are involved in homologous recombination. teb and teb atr double mutants exhibit defects in adaxial-abaxial polarity of leaves, which is caused in part by the upregulation of ETTIN (ETT)/AUXIN RESPONSIVE FACTOR 3 (ARF3) and ARF4 genes. The Helitron transposon in the upstream of ETT/ARF3 gene is likely to be involved in the upregulation of ETT/ARF3 in teb. Microarray analysis indicated that teb and teb atr causes preferential upregulation of genes nearby the Helitron transposons. Furthermore, interestingly, duplicated genes, especially tandemly arrayed homologous genes, are highly upregulated in teb or teb atr. We conclude that TEB is required for normal progression of DNA replication and for correct expression of genes during development. Interplay between these two functions and possible mechanism leading to altered expression of specific genes will be discussed

Are Farm-Reared Quails for Game Restocking Really Common Quails (Coturnix coturnix)?: A Genetic Approach

The common quail (Coturnix coturnix) is a popular game species for which restocking with farm-reared individuals is a common practice. In some areas, the number of released quails greatly surpasses the number of wild breeding common quail. However, common quail are difficult to raise in captivity and this casts suspicion about a possible hybrid origin of the farmed individuals from crosses with domestic Japanese quail (C. japonica). In this study we used a panel of autosomal microsatellite markers to characterize the genetic origin of quails reared for hunting purposes in game farms in Spain and of quails from an experimental game farm which was founded with hybrids that have been systematically backcrossed with wild common quails. The genotypes of these quail were compared to those of wild common quail and domestic strains of Japanese quail. Our results show that more than 85% of the game farm birds were not common quail but had domestic Japanese quail ancestry. In the experimental farm a larger proportion of individuals could not be clearly separated from pure common quails. We conclude that the majority of quail sold for restocking purposes were not common quail. Genetic monitoring of individuals raised for restocking is indispensable as the massive release of farm-reared hybrids could represent a severe threat for the long term survival of the native species

Syndrome du muscle piriformis : un diagnostic différentiel de sciatalgie chez le sportif ? A propos de 3 cas et revue de la littérature

Syndrome du muscle pyramidal. Etiologie : conséquence d'une technopathie dans certains sports (course à pied, cyclisme). Diagnostic et traitement

Un test de Lachman douloureux : à propos d'un cas

Recherche d'une laxité antérieure du genou par la manoeuvre de Lachman : douleur ressentie lors du test amenant au diagnostic de fracture pseudoarthrosée d'une épine tibiale