Treatment use in a prospective naturalistic cohort of children and adolescents with catatonia

Abstract We aimed to (1) describe the treatment used in a large sample of young inpatients with catatonia, (2) determine which factors were associated with improvement and (3) benzodiazepine (BZD) efficacy. From 1993From to 2011 patients between the ages of 9 and 19 years were consecutively hospitalized for a catatonic syndrome. We prospectively collected sociodemographic, clinical and treatment data. In total, 51 (77 %) patients underwent a BZD trial. BZDs were effective in 33 (65 %) patients, who were associated with significantly fewer severe adverse events (p = 0.013) and resulted in fewer referrals for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) (p = 0.037). Other treatments included ECT (N = 12, 18 %); antipsychotic medications, mostly in combination; and treatment of an underlying medical condition, when possible. For 10 patients, four different trials were needed to achieve clinical improvement. When all treatments were combined, there was a better clinical response in acute-onset catatonia (p = 0.032). In contrast, the response was lower in boys (p = 0.044) and when posturing (p = 0.04) and mannerisms (p = 0.008) were present as catatonic symptoms. The treatment response was independent of the underlying psychiatric or systemic medical condition. As in adults, BZDs should be the first-line symptomatic treatment for catatonia in young patients, and ECT should be a second option. Additionally, the absence of an association between the response to treatment and the underlying psychiatric condition suggests that catatonia should be considered as a syndrome

The Demeter project. Eight millennia of agrobiodiversity changes in the northwest Mediterranean basin

The development of agricultural societies is closely entangled with that of domestic animals and plants. Local and traditional domestic breeds and varieties are the result of millennia of selection by farmers. DEMETER (2020-2025) is an international project which is aiming to characterize the changes in animal and plant agrobiodiversity (pigs, sheep, goats, and barley) in relation with environmental and socioeconomic factors in the northwestern Mediterranean basin since the beginnings of agriculture. The project is based on a combination of approaches including phenomics (through geometric morphometrics), databasing, zooarchaeology, archaeobotany, climate modeling, paleoproteins (ZooMs) and statistical analyses. Several hundreds of archaeological sites from the South of France and Catalonia will be studied, covering the maximum environmental, societal and cultural diversity of context over the course of the last eight millennia

Serological Evaluation of Mycobacterium ulcerans Antigens Identified by Comparative Genomics

A specific and sensitive serodiagnostic test for Mycobacterium ulcerans infection would greatly assist the diagnosis of Buruli ulcer and would also facilitate seroepidemiological surveys. By comparative genomics, we identified 45 potential M. ulcerans specific proteins, of which we were able to express and purify 33 in E. coli. Sera from 30 confirmed Buruli ulcer patients, 24 healthy controls from the same endemic region and 30 healthy controls from a non-endemic region in Benin were screened for antibody responses to these specific proteins by ELISA. Serum IgG responses of Buruli ulcer patients were highly variable, however, seven proteins (MUP045, MUP057, MUL_0513, Hsp65, and the polyketide synthase domains ER, AT propionate, and KR A) showed a significant difference between patient and non-endemic control antibody responses. However, when sera from the healthy control subjects living in the same Buruli ulcer endemic area as the patients were examined, none of the proteins were able to discriminate between these two groups. Nevertheless, six of the seven proteins showed an ability to distinguish people living in an endemic area from those in a non-endemic area with an average sensitivity of 69% and specificity of 88%, suggesting exposure to M. ulcerans. Further validation of these six proteins is now underway to assess their suitability for use in Buruli ulcer seroepidemiological studies. Such studies are urgently needed to assist efforts to uncover environmental reservoirs and understand transmission pathways of the M. ulcerans

Mapping genomic loci implicates genes and synaptic biology in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia has a heritability of 60-80%1, much of which is attributable to common risk alleles. Here, in a two-stage genome-wide association study of up to 76,755 individuals with schizophrenia and 243,649 control individuals, we report common variant associations at 287 distinct genomic loci. Associations were concentrated in genes that are expressed in excitatory and inhibitory neurons of the central nervous system, but not in other tissues or cell types. Using fine-mapping and functional genomic data, we identify 120 genes (106 protein-coding) that are likely to underpin associations at some of these loci, including 16 genes with credible causal non-synonymous or untranslated region variation. We also implicate fundamental processes related to neuronal function, including synaptic organization, differentiation and transmission. Fine-mapped candidates were enriched for genes associated with rare disruptive coding variants in people with schizophrenia, including the glutamate receptor subunit GRIN2A and transcription factor SP4, and were also enriched for genes implicated by such variants in neurodevelopmental disorders. We identify biological processes relevant to schizophrenia pathophysiology; show convergence of common and rare variant associations in schizophrenia and neurodevelopmental disorders; and provide a resource of prioritized genes and variants to advance mechanistic studies

Détection, localisation et caractérisation des évènements Very Low Frequency (VLF) de la crise sismo-volcanique de Mayotte (2018-2022)

Low frequency transient seismic signals are observed in volcanic context and reflects the dynamics of internal fluids inside the magmatic systems. Their study provides information on the state of the internal stresses and magmatic processes among which fluid transfers and resonances are involved. On November 11, 2018, a unique and atypical 15 s monochromatic signal is worldwide recorded. This Very Low Frequency (VLF) signal is first interpreted as surface waves of volcanic origin, then, as the migration of fluids in a pressurized conduit. It's signal originates from Mayotte island located in the Mozambique Channel (Indian Ocean) which separates Africa from Madagascar. Mayotte is the oldest volcanic island of the Comoros archipelago where the Karthala volcano remains active (Grande Comore), but whose the origin of volcanism is complex and still debated. The November 11, 2018 major event isn't an isolated case. Our catalog contains more than 750 similar events which are part of the seismic crisis initiated on May 10, 2018 at 50 km eastern coast of Mayotte. A new volcanic edifice of 6.55 km3, named Fani Maoré, was discovered by bathymetric surveys during the marine campaign (R/V Marion Dufresne) in May 2019. What is the physical phenomenon that produces VLF events? What information provides their seismic analysis on the state, geometry and volume of the storage zones located in the complex structure of the magmatic system of Mayotte? This thesis is an in-depth study of VLF magmatic signals specific to the context of the seismo-volcanic crisis of Mayotte. Tracing their origin is part of the general understanding of the dynamics of the Mayotte magmatic system reactivated since May 2018. The phenomenological analysis starts with the construction of a specific detector for VLF events based on the 15 s dominant spectral peak and the long decaying oscillation of the signals (up to more than 3000 seconds/50 minutes ). Then, a 3D spatial back-projection localization method is developed taking into account their unconventional character. Finally, a characterization based on the local network waveform inter-correlation is carried out, supported by the OBH [Ocean Bottom Hydrophones] deployed during the oceanographic campaigns supervised by the REVOSIMA [Réseau de Surveillance Volcanologique et Sismologique de Mayotte]. The detection, localization and seismic characterization of VLF events provide information on the source involved. VLF events are spatially located within the 15 km east proximal seismic activity but temporally they are precursors to it. The depth, poorly constrained, will be decisive to trace the source at the origin of the VLF events in the complex magmatic system of Mayotte. The reduction of the depth uncertainties will become the second challenge of this thesis. First, by the teleseismic modelling of the waveform, then, at the local scale, with the contribution of the OBHs, an exploration of the space of the hypocenters and the different types of source is carried out. The focal mechanism includes a non-negligible proportion of CLVD, meaning that a volumetric source inducing a non-brittle fracture dynamics produces VLF events. The source at the origin of the VLFs is located at intermediate depths, between the magmatic underplating equivalent to the MOHO and the seismicity. The physical phenomenon is then interpreted as the movements of fluids in resonance in a magmatic lens reactivated by the seismic crisis of Mayotte and the birth of the Fani Maoré.Les signaux sismiques transitoires au contenu basses fréquences sont observés en contexte volcanique et traduisent de la dynamique des fluides internes aux systèmes magmatiques. Leur étude permet de renseigner de l'état des contraintes et sur les phénomènes magmatiques internes parmi lesquels des transferts et des résonances de fluides sont impliqués. Le 11 Novembre 2018, un signal aussi unique qu'atypique, monochromatique à 15 s de période, est mondialement enregistré. Ce signal très basses fréquences (nommé Very Low Frequency, VLF) est d'abord interprété comme des ondes de surface d'origine volcanique, puis, comme la migration de fluides dans un conduit pressurisé. Ce signal émane de l'île de Mayotte située dans le canal du Mozambique (océan Indien) qui sépare l'Afrique de Madagascar. Mayotte est la plus ancienne île volcanique qui compose l'archipel des Comores où demeure, encore actif, le volcan du Karthala (Grande Comore) mais dont l'origine du volcanisme est complexe et toujours débattue. L'évènement majeur du 11 Novembre 2018 n'est pas un cas isolé. Notre catalogue recense plus de 750 évènements similaires qui s'intègrent comme une composante de la crise sismique initiée le 10 Mai 2018 à 50 km à l'est des côtes de Mayotte. Un nouvel édifice volcanique de 6.55 km3, nommé Fani Maoré y est découvert par relevés bathymétriques lors de la campagne marine (N/O Marion Dufresne) en Mai 2019. Quel est le phénomène physique qui produit les évènements VLF ? Quels renseignements offrent-ils sur l'état, la géométrie et le volume des zones de stockage présentent dans le système magmatique de Mayotte ? Cette thèse est une étude approfondie des signaux VLF, d'origine magmatique, et spécifiques au contexte de la crise sismo-volcanique de Mayotte. Retracer leur origine s'inscrit dans la compréhension générale de la dynamique du système magmatique de Mayotte réactivé depuis Mai 2018. L'analyse phénoménologique, en premier temps, passe par la construction d'un détecteur spécifique aux évènements VLF basé sur le pic spectral dominant à 15 s de période et de la longue durée des signaux (jusqu'à plus de 3000 secondes/50 minutes). Puis, une méthode de localisation par back-projection spatiale 3D est développée en prenant en compte le caractère non conventionnel de ces signaux. Enfin, une caractérisation basée sur l'inter-corrélation de la forme d'onde est réalisée au sein du réseau de stations locales, appuyées par les OBH [Ocean Bottom Hydrophones] déployés au cours des campagnes océanographiques supervisées par le REVOSIMA [Réseau de Surveillance Volcanologique et Sismologique de Mayotte]. La détection, la localisation et la caractérisation sismique des évènements VLF renseignent sur la source de ces signaux. Les évènements VLF sont associés géographiquement à la sismicité proximale à 15 km des côtes mahoraises mais temporellement ils sont précurseurs à celle-ci. La profondeur, alors peu contrainte, sera déterminante pour retracer la source à l'origine des évènements VLF dans le système magmatique complexe de Mayotte. La réduction des incertitudes sur la profondeur deviendra le second challenge de cette thèse. D'abord, par la modélisation télé-sismique de la forme d'onde, puis, à l'échelle locale, grâce à l'apport des OBH, une exploration de l'espace des hypocentres et des différents types de source est réalisée. Le mécanisme focal comprend une proportion non-négligeable de CLVD, soit une source volumétrique induisant une dynamique de rupture non cassante. La source à l'origine des VLF se localise à des profondeurs intermédiaires, entre le sous-placage magmatique équivalent au MOHO et la sismicité. Le phénomène physique est alors interprété comme les mouvements de fluides en résonance dans une lentille magmatique réactivée par la crise sismique de Mayotte et la naissance du Fani Maoré

Layer stripping approach to reconstruct shape defects in waveguides using locally resonant frequencies

This article present a new method to reconstruct slowly varying width defects in 2D waveguides using one-side section measurements at locally resonant frequencies. At these frequencies, locally resonant modes propagate in the waveguide up to a "cut-off" position. In this particular point, the local width of the waveguide can be recovered. Given multi-frequency measurements taken on a section of the waveguide, we perform an efficient layer stripping approach to recover shape variations slice by slice. It provides an L infinite-stable method to reconstruct the width of a slowly monotonous varying waveguide. We validate this method on numerical data and discuss its limits

Reconstruction of smooth shape defects in waveguides using locally resonant frequencies

This article aims to present a new method to reconstruct slowly varying width defects in 2D waveguides using locally resonant frequencies. At these frequencies, locally resonant modes propagate in the waveguide under the form of Airy functions depending on a parameter called the locally resonant point. In this particular point, the local width of the waveguide is known and its location can be recovered from boundary measurements of the wavefield. Using the same process for different frequencies, we produce a good approximation of the width in all the waveguide. Given multi-frequency measurements taken at the surface of the waveguide, we provide a L \infty-stable explicit method to reconstruct the width of the waveguide. We finally validate our method on numerical data, and we discuss its applications and limits

Layer stripping approach to reconstruct shape defects in waveguides using locally resonant frequencies

This article present a new method to reconstruct slowly varying width defects in 2D waveguides using one-side section measurements at locally resonant frequencies. At these frequencies, locally resonant modes propagate in the waveguide up to a "cut-off" position. In this particular point, the local width of the waveguide can be recovered. Given multi-frequency measurements taken on a section of the waveguide, we perform an efficient layer stripping approach to recover shape variations slice by slice. It provides an L infinite-stable method to reconstruct the width of a slowly monotonous varying waveguide. We validate this method on numerical data and discuss its limits