Control of Salmonella environmental contamination during

This study aims at investigating Salmonella environmental contamination of trucks and lairage pens and evaluating the efficiency of an improved cleaning and disinfection protocol to reduce Salmonella environmental contamination. During four days, the lairage of two French pig slaughterhouses were sampled twice a day when pigs were present and once at the end of the week after the cleaning protocol. In parallel, six trucks per day were randomly selected and sampled at their arrival and after the cleaning procedure. The samples consisted of floor surface swabbing. Salmonella occurrence, level of contamination and serotypes were determined. The efficiency of different cleaning and disinfection procedures on the presence of Salmonella was also estimated. Salmonella was isolated in 97.7% of the lairage samples when pigs were present (contamination levels \u3e104UFC/m2) and in 65% of the truck samples (contamination levels from \u3c10 to \u3e104UFC/m2). An improved cleaning and disinfection procedure reduced efficiently the occurrence and the level of contamination in the trucks (almost 100%) compared to a simple wash with cold water (no effect), more partially in the lairage. This study showed the importance of a good cleaning and disinfection protocol to decrease the level of contamination or eliminate the bacteria in the trucks used for the transport of pigs

Arancou (Bourrouilla), Bilan scientifique 2005 du Service Régional de l'Archéologie Aquitaine

Bilan scientifique 2006 du Service Régional de l'Archéologie AquitaineBilan de la compagne de fouille à la grotte Bourrouilla à Arancou (64

Five distinct biological processes and 14 differentially expressed genes characterize TEL/AML1-positive leukemia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The t(12;21)(p13;q22) translocation is found in 20 to 25% of cases of childhood B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). This rearrangement results in the fusion of <it>ETV6 </it>(<it>TEL</it>) and <it>RUNX1 </it>(<it>AML1</it>) genes and defines a relatively uniform category, although only some patients suffer very late relapse. <it>TEL/AML1</it>-positive patients are thus an interesting subgroup to study, and such studies should elucidate the biological processes underlying TEL/AML1 pathogenesis. We report an analysis of gene expression in 60 children with B-lineage ALL using Agilent whole genome oligo-chips (44K-G4112A) and/or real time RT-PCR.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We compared the leukemia cell gene expression profiles of 16 <it>TEL/AML1</it>-positive ALL patients to those of 44 <it>TEL/AML1</it>-negative patients, whose blast cells did not contain any additional recurrent translocation. Microarray analyses of 26 samples allowed the identification of genes differentially expressed between the TEL/AML1-positive and negative ALL groups. Gene enrichment analysis defined five enriched GO categories: cell differentiation, cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell motility and response to wounding, associated with 14 genes -<it>RUNX1, TCFL5, TNFRSF7, CBFA2T3</it>, <it>CD9</it>, <it>SCARB1, TP53INP1, ACVR1C, PIK3C3, EGFL7</it>, <it>SEMA6A, CTGF, LSP1, TFPI </it>– highlighting the biology of the <it>TEL/AML1 </it>sub-group. These results were first confirmed by the analysis of an additional microarray data-set (7 patient samples) and second by real-time RT-PCR quantification and clustering using an independent set (27 patient samples). Over-expression of <it>RUNX1 (AML1) </it>was further investigated and in one third of the patients correlated with cytogenetic findings.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Gene expression analyses of leukemia cells from 60 children with <it>TEL/AML1</it>-positive and -negative B-lineage ALL led to the identification of five biological processes, associated with 14 validated genes characterizing and highlighting the biology of the <it>TEL/AML1</it>-positive ALL sub-group.</p

Risk of neonatal hypothyroidism in newborns from mothers exposed to CTPA during pregnancy: Ancillary data from a prospective outcome study

Background: Neonatal hypothyroidism is often raised as a potential concern for the use of computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) in pregnant women with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE). Objectives: To assess the incidence of neonatal hypothyroidism among newborns from mothers exposed to CTPA. Patients/methods: Pregnant women with clinically suspected PE were included in a multicenter, multinational prospective diagnostic management outcome study, based on pretest clinical probability assessment, high-sensitivity D-dimer testing, bilateral lower limb venous compression ultrasonography, and CTPA. Results of Guthrie tests were systematically collected for newborns of all women who required CTPA as part of the diagnostic strategy. A thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level above 15 U/ml was used to define hypothyroidism. Results: Out of the 166 women included in the Swiss participating centers, 149 underwent a CTPA including 14 with twin pregnancies. Eight women suffered a pregnancy loss and results of the Guthrie test could not be retrieved for four newborns. All TSH levels were reported as being below 15 U/ml. The incidence of neonatal hypothyroidism was 0/151 (0.0%, 95% confidence interval: 0.0%-2.5%). Conclusions: We did not identify any cases of neonatal hypothyroidism in our cohort of 149 pregnant women investigated for suspected PE using a CTPA. Along with previous literature data, this provides further reassuring data regarding the use of CTPA in this indication. Keywords: Guthrie test; diagnosis; hypothyroidism; pregnancy; pulmonary embolism

Chapitre 1. La grotte

La grotte de Pergouset a été découverte en février 1964 par J.‑G. Astruc, C. Brillant, G. et M.‑T. Maury, C. Milhas et l’abbé Terret, tous membres du Groupe spéléologique du Quercy. Elle a fait l’objet d’une étude pluridisciplinaire qui a duré dix années, dont les résultats sont publiés ici. La grotte s’ouvre sur les berges du Lot, sur la commune de Saint‑Géry (Lot). Elle est formée d’un conduit unique et très étroit, long de 190 m, se terminant par une chatière conduisant à un petit cours d’eau souterrain. Elle constitue la galerie supérieure et le trop‑plein de ce ruisseau. Les secteurs ornés de gravures pariétales sont de petites salles dans lesquelles on peut se tenir assis. La partie profonde est par contre plus vaste. Une série de 16 sondages a permis d’étudier le remplissage de la cavité. Les sédiments sont principalement argilo‑limoneux et souvent finement feuilletés. Ils ont été déposés par la rivière souterraine et par le Lot. Ils sont épais de plusieurs mètres à l’entrée et de 1 à 2,50 m dans les galeries profondes où se trouvent les gravures. La cavité est régulièrement inondée en hiver par les crues du Lot : elle le fut également tout au long du passé et même dès le Paléolithique. Les sondages, complétés par des nettoyages du bas des parois couvert de limon d’inondation, n’ont révélé aucune gravure pariétale ensevelie sous le remplissage. Dans la zone d’entrée, les sondages ont permis de mettre en évidence l’importance de l’occupation médiévale, en relation probable avec une exploitation des ressources de la rivière (pêcherie). Aucun niveau paléolithique n’a été mis au jour. Les quelques menus charbons trouvés lors des fouilles dans les zones ornées de gravures (salle II) sont d’époque récente, probablement médiévale. Ils semblent avoir été introduits par les eaux du Lot, lors d’une crue exceptionnelle. Les zones intérieures explorées par les autres sondages se sont avérées archéologiquement stériles. Le seul indice possible de présence paléolithique au pied de la paroi ornée a été découvert dans la salle IV. Il s’agit d’un charbon de bois situé sur une corniche rocheuse et qui était recouvert par 5 cm de limon ; il a été daté de 32 850 ans ± 520 BP (Gif A96675) mais ne semble pas avoir de relation avec les gravures dont l’ensemble est très probablement magdalénien. La fréquentation paléolithique de la grotte lors de la production des gravures a dû être discrète et peu prolongée puisqu’aucun vestige n’a été mis au jour dans les sédiments malgré une recherche systématique incluant même des examens microscopiques. Les études géologique (J.‑G. Astruc), sédimentologique (C. Ferrier) pollinique (F. Diot), anthracologique (J.‑L. Vernet), ichtyologique (O. Le Gall) ainsi que l’étude anthropologique de restes humains découverts dans l’entrée (M. Escola) ont apporté des informations qui complètent les données des sondages et permettent de comprendre l’évolution du site ainsi que son utilisation par l’homme au cours du temps. En tenant compte de la localisation générale des gravures au‑dessus des niveaux d’inondation visibles dans les différents secteurs de la grotte et en s’appuyant également sur les résultats des sondages et de toutes les analyses scientifiques, l’ensemble du travail réalisé permet d’affirmer qu’au moment de l’exécution des gravures, le sol de la grotte était à peu près au niveau où il se trouve aujourd’hui. Presque toutes les gravures sont situées à l’emplacement et à la hauteur où un graveur les placerait aujourd’hui. L’ancienneté de la grande majorité du remplissage, sa stabilité actuelle et sa stérilité archéologique sont donc acquises. Même en acceptant l’existence hypothétique d’un dépôt récent de quelques centimètres dans divers secteurs de la galerie, la permanence topographique des lieux est établie. En réponse à la question qui se posait dès le début des recherches dans la grotte, il est maintenant possible d’affirmer que Pergouset fut bien au Paléolithique une cavité étroite, à peu près aussi étroite qu’aujourd’hui, renfermant un sanctuaire difficile d’accès.The cave of Pergouset was discovered in February 1964 by J.‑G. Astruc, C. Brillant, G. & M.‑T. Maury, C. Milhas and the abbé Terret, all members of the Quercy Spelaeological Group. It has now been the subject of a ten‑year multidisciplinary study, the results of which are presented in this monograph. Located on the bank of the River Lot, in the commune of Saint‑Géry (Lot), it comprises a single, very narrow passage, 190 m long, which ends in a crawlway leading to a small underground watercourse. This constitutes the upper gallery and overflow of this subterranean stream. The areas decorated with parietal engravings are small chambers in which one can only sit. The deep part, on the other hand, is more spacious. A series of sixteen test‑pits have made it possible to study the cave’s fill. The sediments are mostly clay and silt, often finely laminated, which were laid down by the underground river and the Lot. They are several metres thick at the entrance, and 1 to 2.5 m thick in the deep galleries where the engravings are located. The cave is regularly inundated in winter when the Lot floods: the same phenomenon occurred throughout the past, and even in the Palaeolithic. The test‑pits, together with cleaning of the bottom of the walls covered by flood silts, have not revealed a single parietal engraving buried beneath the fill. In the entrance zone, the test‑pits brought to light the importance of the medieval occupation, probably related to exploitation of the river’s resources (fisheries). No palaeolithic layer was discovered. The few small bits of charcoal produced by excavations in the zones decorated with engravings (chamber II) date to a recent period, probably medieval. They seem to have been brought in by the waters of the Lot during an exceptional flood. The interior zones explored by the other test‑pits proved to be archaeologically sterile. The only possible evidence of a palaeolithic presence at the base of the decorated wall was discovered in chamber IV. It was a piece of wood charcoal that lay on a rocky ledge and was covered by five centimetres of silt; it has been dated to 32,850 ± 520 BP (Gif A96675), but does not seem to have any relationship with the engravings, all of which are very probably magdalenian. Palaeolithic visits to the cave at the time when the engravings were produced must have been unobtrusive and of short duration, since no evidence has been found in the sediments despite a systematic search, including microscopic examinations. Geological (J.‑G. Astruc), sedimentological (C. Ferrier), palynological (F. Diot), anthracological (J.‑L. Vernet) and ichthyological (O. Le Gall) studies, as well as the anthropological analysis of the human remains discovered in the entrance (M. Escola) have contributed a variety of information that completes the data from the test‑pits and makes it possible to understand the site’s evolution as well as its utilisation by people through time. If one takes into account the general location of the engravings above the flood levels visible in the cave’s different sectors, and also the results of the test‑pits and all the scientific analyses, then ail of the work carried out enables one to claim that, at the time when the engravings were made, the cave floor was more or less at today’s level. Almost all the engravings are placed in locations and at the height where an engraver would put them today. So the antiquity of most of the fill, its present stability and its archaeological sterility are definite facts. Even if one accepts the hypothetical existence of a recent deposit of a few centimetres in various sectors of the gallery, the cave’s topographic permanence is now well established. In answer to the question that our research posed from the start, it is now possible to affirm that Pergouset in the Palaeolithic was indeed a narrow cave, more or less as narrow as today, that contained a sanctuary which was difficult to reach.En febrero de 1964, J.‑G. Astruc, C. Brillant, G. y M.‑T. Maury, C. Milhas y el abate Terret, todos ellos miembros del Grupo Espeleológico de Quercy, descubrieron la gruta de Pergouset. Ésta, durante diez años fue objeto de un estudio monográfico pluridisciplinar, cuyos resultados se publican aqui. Abierta sobre las riberas del río Lot, en el término municipal de Saint‑Géry (Lot), está formada por un único y muy estrecho conducto de 190m de longitud terminado por una gatera que conduce a un pequeño arroyo subterráneo. La gruta constituye la galería superior y el desagüe de ese arroyo subterráneo. Los sectores decorados con grabados parietales son salas pequeñas en las que una persona puede mantenerse sentada. La parte profunda es más amplia. Una serie de dieciséis sondeos permitió estudiar el relleno de la cavidad. Los sedimentos, depositados por la corriente subterránea y por el Lot, son principalmente arcillo‑limosos, a menudo con finas laminaciones. Su espesor alcanza varios metros en la entrada y oscilan entre 1 y 2.50m en las galerías profundas, en las que se localizan los grabados. La cavidad se inunda regularmente en invierno por las crecidas del Lot ; lo mismo ocurrió en tiempos remotos, incluso en el Paleolítico. Completados con limpiezas de las partes bajas de las paredes cubiertas por limos de inundación, los sondeos no sacaron a la luz grabado parietal alguno que hubiera sido tapado por el relleno. En la zona de entrada, los sondeos pusieron de relieve la importancia de la ocupación medieval, relacionada con una explotación de los recursos ribereños (pesqueria). Ningún nivel paleolítico ha sido descubierto. Algunos diminutos carbones recuperados durante las excavaciones en las zonas decoradas con grabados (sala II) son de época reciente, probablemente medieval. Puede que hayan sido introducidos allí por las aguas del Lot, con ocasión de una crecida excepcional. Las zonas interiores, exploradas con otros sondeos, se han revelado arqueológicamente estériles. El único índice posible de una presencia paleolítica se descubrió en la sala IV al pie de la pared decorada. Se trata de un carbón de madera recubierto por cinco centímetros de limo que se hallaba en una cornisa rocosa. Se dato en 32850 años ± 520 BP (Gif A 96675), pero no parece tener relación con los grabados, cuyo conjunto es muy probablemente magdaleniense. Durante la realización de los grabados, la frecuencia de entrada en la gruta debió de ser discreta y poco prolongada, puesto que ningún vestigio ha sido descubierto en los sedimentos, pese a una búsqueda sistemática, incluso con estudios microscópicos. Los estudios geológico (J.‑G Astruc), sedimentológico (C. Ferrier), polinico (F. Diot), antracologico (J.‑L. Vernet) e ictiológico (O. Le Gall), así como el estudio antropológico de los restos humanos descubiertos en la entrada (M. Escola) han proporcionado informaciones variadas que complementan los datos de los sondeos y permiten comprender la evolución del sitio, así como su utilización por el hombre a lo largo del tiempo. Teniendo en cuenta la localización general de los grabados por encima de los niveles de inundación, visibles en los diferentes sectores de la gruta, y apoyándose igualmente en los resultados de los sondeos y demás análisis científicos, el conjunto del trabajo realizado permite afirmar que cuando se hicieron los grabados el suelo de la cueva estaba poco más o menos al nivel en que se encuentra hoy. Casi todos los grabados se sitúan en el emplazamiento y a la altura en los que hoy día los colocaría un grabador. Por lo tanto podemos considerar como datos reconocidos la antigüedad de la mayoría del relleno, su estabilidad y su esterilidad arqueológica. Incluso aún cuando aceptemos la existencia de un depósito de algunos centimètres de espesor en diversos sectores de la galeria, queda establecida la permanencia topográfica de los lugares. Ahora es posible afirmar que la gruta de Pergouset fue, ya desde el Paleolitico, una cavidad estrecha, poco más o menos como lo es hoy, que encerraba un santuario de dificil acceso

Adjuvant Effect of Orally Applied Preparations Containing Non-Digestible Polysaccharides on Influenza Vaccination in Healthy Seniors: A Double-Blind, Randomised, Controlled Pilot Trial.

Senior individuals can suffer from immunosenescence and novel strategies to bolster the immune response could contribute to healthy ageing. In this double-blind, randomised, controlled pilot trial, we investigated the ability of non-digestible polysaccharide (NPS) preparations to enhance the immune response in a human vaccination model. In total, 239 subjects (aged 50-79 years) were randomised to consume one of five different NPS (yeast β-glucan (YBG), shiitake β-glucan (SBG), oat β-glucan (OBG), arabinoxylan (AX), bacterial exopolysaccharide (EPS)) or control (CTRL) product daily for five weeks. After two weeks of intervention, subjects were vaccinated with seasonal influenza vaccine. The post-vaccination increases in haemagglutination inhibition antibody titres and seroprotection rate against the influenza strains were non-significantly enhanced in the NPS intervention groups compared to CTRL. Specifically, a trend towards a higher mean log2 fold increase was observed in the AX group (uncorrected p = 0.074) combined with a trend for an increased seroprotection rate, AX group (48.7%) compared to CTRL (25.6%) (uncorrected p = 0.057), for the influenza A H1N1 strain. Subjects consuming AX also had a reduced incidence of common colds compared to CTRL (1 vs. 8; p = 0.029 in Fisher exact test). No adverse effects of NPS consumption were reported. The findings of this pilot study warrant further research to study AX as an oral adjuvant to support vaccine efficacy

Monoacylglycerol lipase reprograms hepatocytes and macrophages to promote liver regeneration

Background &amp; Aims: Liver regeneration is a repair process in which metabolic reprogramming of parenchymal and inflammatory cells plays a major role. Monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) is an ubiquitous enzyme at the crossroad between lipid metabolism and inflammation. It converts monoacylglycerols into free fatty acids and metabolises 2-arachidonoylglycerol into arachidonic acid, being thus the major source of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins in the liver. In this study, we investigated the role of MAGL in liver regeneration. Methods: Hepatocyte proliferation was studied in vitro in hepatoma cell lines and ex vivo in precision-cut human liver slices. Liver regeneration was investigated in mice treated with a pharmacological MAGL inhibitor, MJN110, as well as in animals globally invalidated for MAGL (MAGL-/-) and specifically invalidated in hepatocytes (MAGLHep-/-) or myeloid cells (MAGLMye-/-). Two models of liver regeneration were used: acute toxic carbon tetrachloride injection and two-thirds partial hepatectomy. MAGLMye-/- liver macrophages profiling was analysed by RNA sequencing. A rescue experiment was performed by in vivo administration of interferon receptor antibody in MAGLMye-/- mice. Results: Precision-cut human liver slices from patients with chronic liver disease and human hepatocyte cell lines exposed to MJN110 showed reduced hepatocyte proliferation. Mice with global invalidation or mice treated with MJN110 showed blunted liver regeneration. Moreover, mice with specific deletion of MAGL in either hepatocytes or myeloid cells displayed delayed liver regeneration. Mechanistically, MAGLHep-/- mice showed reduced liver eicosanoid production, in particular prostaglandin E2 that negatively impacts on hepatocyte proliferation. MAGL inhibition in macrophages resulted in the induction of the type I interferon pathway. Importantly, neutralising the type I interferon pathway restored liver regeneration of MAGLMye-/- mice. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that MAGL promotes liver regeneration by hepatocyte and macrophage reprogramming. Impact and Implications: By using human liver samples and mouse models of global or specific cell type invalidation, we show that the monoacylglycerol pathway plays an essential role in liver regeneration. We unveil the mechanisms by which MAGL expressed in both hepatocytes and macrophages impacts the liver regeneration process, via eicosanoid production by hepatocytes and the modulation of the macrophage interferon pathway profile that restrains hepatocyte proliferation.The authors thank V. Fauveau, Institut Cochin, for help in surgery experiments; Olivier Thibaudeau of the Plateau de Morphologie Facility (INSERM UMR 1152, France) and Nicolas Sorhaindo of the Plateforme de Biochimie (CRI, INSERM UMR1149) for their help in the histology and liver function tests; and K. Bailly from the cytometry platform of Cochin Institute and H. Fohrer-Ting from the Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Paris University, for cell sorting analyses.Scopu

Annual and seasonal movements of migrating short-tailed shearwaters reflect environmental variation in sub-Arctic and Arctic waters

The marine ecosystems of the Bering Sea and adjacent southern Chukchi Sea are experiencing rapid changes due to recent reductions in sea ice. Short-tailed shearwaters Puffinus tenuirostris visit this region in huge numbers between the boreal summer and autumn during non-breeding season, and represent one of the dominant top predators. To understand the implications for this species of ongoing environmental change in the Pacific sub-Arctic and Arctic seas, we tracked the migratory movements of 19 and 24 birds in 2010 and 2011, respectively, using light-level geolocators. In both years, tracked birds occupied the western (Okhotsk Sea and Kuril Islands) and eastern (southeast Bering Sea) North Pacific from May to July. In August–September of 2010, but not 2011, a substantial proportion (68 % of the tracked individuals in 2010 compared to 38 % in 2011) moved through the Bering Strait to feed in the Chukchi Sea. Based on the correlation with oceanographic variables, the probability of shearwater occurrence was highest in waters with sea surface temperatures (SSTs) of 8–10 °C over shallow depths. Furthermore, shearwaters spent more time flying when SST was warmer than 9 °C, suggesting increased search effort for prey. We hypothesized that the northward shift in the distribution of shearwaters may have been related to temperature-driven changes in the abundance of their dominant prey, krill (Euphausiacea), as the timing of krill spawning coincides with the seasonal increase in water temperature. Our results indicate a flexible response of foraging birds to ongoing changes in the sub-Arctic and Arctic ecosystems