Impact assessment of a high-speed railway line on species distribution : Application to the European tree frog (Hyla arborea) in Franche-Comté

International audienceThe aim of the present work is to assess the potential long-distance effect of a high-speed railway line on the distribution of the European tree frog (Hyla arborea) in eastern France by combining graph-based analysis and species distribution models. This combination is a way to integrate patch-level connectivity metrics on different scales into a predictive model. The approach used is put in place before the construction of the infrastructure and allows areas potentially affected by isolation to be mapped. Through a diachronic analysis, comparing species distribution before and after the construction of the infrastructure, we identify changes in the probability of species presence and we determine the maximum distance of impact. The results show that the potential impact decreases with distance from the high-speed railway line and the largest disturbances occur within the first 500 m. Between 500 m and 3500 m, the infrastructure generates a moderate decrease in the probability of presence with maximum values close to -40%. Beyond 3500 m the average disturbance is less than -10%. The spatial extent of the impact is greater than the dispersal distance of the tree frog, confirming the assumption of the long-distance effect of the infrastructure. This predictive modelling approach appears to be a useful tool for environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment. The results of the species distribution assessment may provide guidance for field surveys and support for conservation decisions by identifying the areas most affecte

An in vitro analysis model for investigating the staining effect of various chlorhexidine-based mouthwashes

There are different mouthwashes containing chlorhexidine in different concentrations, as well as various excipients. Chlorhexidine induce stains or discoloration in teeth and mucous membranes. The aim of this work was to design a model to reproduce in vitro staining associated with the use of different mouthwashes containing chlorhexidine. We used as substrates of natural teeth and elephant ivory slices. Different incubation baths were conducted over 21 days in culture dishes at 37°C. At the beginning of experiment before incubation (D0) and after 21 days (D21) of incubation with different mouthwashes, pictures of substrates were taken in a standardized manner and an image analysis software was used to analyse and quantify the staining under the various conditions by using the 3 main colours (Red, Green, Blue, RGB). The results of this work demonstrate a very good reproducibility of the protocol, and secondly, a different expression statistically significant of the primary blue colour. We suggest that for a given concentration of chlorhexidine, the staining effects may vary depending on the excipients used. This replicable model, easy to implement over a relatively short duration, can be used for evaluation of existing mouthwashes, and to test the excipients anti discoloration proposed by manufacturers

Perinatal Development of the Motor Systems Involved in Postural Control

Motor behaviors of some species, such as the rat and the human baby, are quite immature at birth. Here we review recent data on some of the mechanisms underlying the postnatal maturation of posture in the rat, in particular the development of pathways descending from the brain stem and projecting onto the lumbar enlargement of the spinal cord. A short-lasting depletion in serotonin affects both posture and the excitability of motoneurons. Here we try to extrapolate to human development and suggest that the abnormalities in motor control observed in childhood—e.g, deficits in motor coordination—might have their roots in the prenatal period, in particular serotonin depletion due to exposure to several environmental and toxicological factors during pregnancy

Early and long-standing rheumatoid arthritis: distinct molecular signatures identified by gene-expression profiling in synovia

International audienc

Gene profiling in white blood cells predicts infliximab responsiveness in rheumatoid arthritis

As indicators of responsiveness to a tumour necrosis factor (TNF)α blocking agent (infliximab) are lacking in rheumatoid arthritis, we have used gene profiling in peripheral blood mononuclear cells to predict a good versus poor response to infliximab. Thirty three patients with very active disease (Disease Activity Score 28 >5.1) that resisted weekly methotrexate therapy were given infliximab at baseline, weeks 2 and 6, and every 8th week thereafter. The patients were categorized as responders if a change of Disease Activity Score 28 = 1.2 was obtained at 3 months. Mononuclear cell RNAs were collected at baseline and at three months from responders and non-responders. The baseline RNAs were hybridised to a microarray of 10,000 non-redundant human cDNAs. In 6 responders and 7 non-responders, 41 mRNAs identified by microarray analysis were expressed as a function of the response to treatment and an unsupervised hierarchical clustering perfectly separated these responders from non-responders. The informativeness of 20 of these 41 transcripts, as measured by qRT-PCR, was re-assessed in 20 other patients. The combined levels of these 20 transcripts properly classified 16 out of 20 patients in a leave-one-out procedure, with a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 70%, whereas a set of only 8 transcripts properly classified 18/20 patients. Trends for changes in various transcript levels at three months tightly correlated with treatment responsiveness and a down-regulation of specific transcript levels was observed in non-responders only. Our gene profiling obtained by a non-invasive procedure should now be used to predict the likely responders to an infliximab/methotrexate combination

Flint in its diverse natural occurrences: geo-­‐tools for a better definition of the sourcing of secondary outcrops

International audiencePrecise identification of siliceous geo-resources used during prehistory still poses many problems, and archaeologists make ever-increasing demands for this data. The purpose is to provide a database containing an exact and descriptive identity for each different type of geological flint found within a region. The parameters we have chosen to characterize are the mineralogical composition (by optical microscopy, SEM, microprobe, cathodo-luminescence), microfacies characteristics (identified during microscopy and SEM image analysis), porosity measurements (by image analysis and porosimeter), and the presence and distribution of major and trace elements (using ICP, LA-ICP-MS, XRF, PIXE, Raman and SEM-EDS) at the surface or in the cracks in the matrix

GWAS in the SIGNAL/PHARE clinical cohort restricts the association between the FGFR2 locus and estrogen receptor status to HER2-negative breast cancer patients

International audienceGenetic polymorphisms are associated with breast cancer risk. Clinical and epidemiological observations suggest that clinical characteristics of breast cancer, such as estrogen receptor or HER2 status, are also influenced by hereditary factors. To identify genetic variants associated with pathological characteristics of breast cancer patients, a Genome Wide Association Study was performed in a cohort of 9365 women from the French nationwide SIGNAL/PHARE studies (NCT00381901/RECF1098). Strong association between the FGFR2 locus and ER status of breast cancer patients was observed (ER-positive n=6211, ER-negative n=2516; rs3135718 OR=1.34 p=5.46x10-12). This association was limited to patients with HER2-negative tumors (ER-positive n=4267, ER-negative n=1185; rs3135724 OR=1.85 p=1.16x10-11). The FGFR2 locus is known to be associated with breast cancer risk. This study provides sound evidence for an association between variants in the FGFR2 locus and ER status among breast cancer patients, particularly among patients with HER2-negative disease. This refinement of the association between FGFR2 variants and ER-status to HER2-negative disease provides novel insight to potential biological and clinical influence of genetic polymorphisms on breast tumors

Optogenetic Activation of A11 Region Increases Motor Activity

Limbic brain regions drive goal-directed behaviors. These behaviors often require dynamic motor responses, but the functional connectome of limbic structures in the diencephalon that control locomotion is not well known. The A11 region, within the posterior diencephalon has been postulated to contribute to motor function and control of pain. Here we show that the A11 region initiates movement. Photostimulation of channelrhodopsin 2 (ChR2) transfected neurons in A11 slice preparations showed that neurons could follow stimulation at frequencies of 20 Hz. Our data show that photostimulation of ChR2 transfected neurons in the A11 region enhances motor activity often leading to locomotion. Using vGluT2-reporter and vGAT-reporter mice we show that the A11 tyrosine hydroxylase positive (TH) dopaminergic neurons are vGluT2 and vGAT negative. We find that in addition to dopaminergic neurons within the A11 region, there is another neuronal subtype which expresses the monoenzymatic aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC), but not TH, a key enzyme involved in the synthesis of catecholamines including dopamine. This monoaminergic-based motor circuit may be involved in the control of motor behavior as part of a broader diencephalic motor region