Parémie et Compétence Plurilingue en Afrique Francophone

L’objectif de cet article est d’analyser, à travers le prisme de déterminants socio-historiques et psychopédagogiques, l’apport des énoncés parémiques dans la construction d’une compétence plurilingue chez l’apprenant francophone. La francophonie est un espace hétérogène par la pluralité des langues et des cultures mais un espace qui s’homogénéise grâce au partage de la langue française, une langue à travers laquelle des identités se construisent et se reconstruisent, une langue qui, elle-même, est en pleine mutation parce que ne véhiculant plus seulement la culture française. Il est donc essentiel que le locuteur francophone fasse une place aux langues et cultures autres dans son rapport à sa propre langue et dans son rapport à l’autre. Pourquoi alors, malgré les valeurs prônées par la francophonie, l’apprenant francophone peine à s’approprier la langue de manière à en faire un outil de communication efficace ? Pourtant avec les nombreux travaux menés dans le cadre de la didactique du plurilinguisme, l’on dispose d’une diversité d’outils adaptés. En plus, au delà de la compétence communicative langagière, l’on vise la compétence plurilingue plus à même de mobiliser les ressources d’un répertoire plurilingue. A quels niveaux se situe alors le problème ? Au niveau de la sélection des contenus, de leur présentation ou des démarches et approches ? Nous posons l’hypothèse qu’en réalité, le lien entre langue et culture n’est pas assez soutenu dans les moments clés de la situation de classe notamment en ce qui concerne les supports textuels utilisés. En effet, quel meilleur support pour faire de la place à « l’autre » dans l’enseignement / apprentissage d’une langue étrangère en contexte multilingue que les énoncés parémiques, expressions dénominatives et stéréotypes linguistiques importés des langues locales ? Cet article est une analyse sur l’apport de tels outils linguistiques dans le développement d’une compétence plurilingue en Afrique francophone. En partant d’exemples sélectionnés en français et en haoussa, l’on démontre que l’apprenant est plus réceptif lorsque la langue étudiée lui permet de conserver et partager son patrimoine culturel. Celui-ci établit des passerelles de signifiances sociales entre la langue cible et d’autres langues. De même, la mise en parallèle des différentes langues-cultures lui permet de comprendre le fonctionnement sémantique des dires socialement construits.   The objective of this article is to analyze, through the prism of sociohistorical and psycho-pedagogical determinants, the contribution of paremic statements in the construction of a multilingual competence in the Francophone learner. The Francophonie is a heterogeneous space by the plurality of languages and cultures but it is homogenizing thanks to the sharing of French, a language through which identities are being constantly shaped and reshaped. A language which, itself, is dynamic because it does not only convey French culture. It is therefore essential that the Francophone speaker makes a place to other languages and cultures in his relationship to his own language and otherness. Why then, despite the values advocated by the Francophonie, the Francophone learner struggles to internalize the language so as to make it an effective communication tool? Yet with the various works carried out in the context of the didactics of multilingualism, there is a diversity of adapted tools. In addition, beyond the language communicative competence, the target is on multilingual competence which is more likely to mobilize the resources of a multilingual repertoire. Where exactly does the problem lie then? Is it with content selection and presentation or with approaches and methods? The hypothesis we put forward is that in reality, the link between language and culture is not highlighted enough in the key moments of the class situation, particularly with regard to the textual materials used. Indeed, what better support to make room for "the other" in the teaching/learning of a foreign language in a multilingual context is there than the paremic utterances, denominative expressions and linguistic stereotypes drawn from local languages? This article is an analysis on the contribution of such linguistic tools in the development of a multilingual competence in French-speaking Africa. Basing on examples drawn from French and Haoussa, we demonstrated that the learner is more receptive when the target language allows him to preserve and share his cultural heritage. The latter establishes gateways of social meanings between the target language and other languages. Similarly, the paralleling of different cultures allows him to understand the semantic functioning of socially constructed utterances

Small molecule-directed immunotherapy against recurrent infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis remains the biggest infectious threat to humanity with one-third of the population infected and 1.4 million deaths and 8.7 million new cases annually. Current tuberculosis therapy is lengthy and consists of multiple antimicrobials, which causes poor compliance and high treatment dropout, resulting in the development of drug-resistant variants of tuberculosis. Therefore, alternate methods to treat tuberculosis are urgently needed. Mycobacterium tuberculosis evades host immune responses by inducing T helper (Th)2 and regulatory T (Treg) cell responses, which diminish protective Th1 responses. Here, we show that animals (Stat-6−/−CD4-TGFβRIIDN mice) that are unable to generate both Th2 cells and Tregs are highly resistant to M. tuberculosis infection. Furthermore, simultaneous inhibition of these two subsets of Th cells by therapeutic compounds dramatically reduced bacterial burden in different organs. This treatment was associated with the generation of protective Th1 immune responses. As these therapeutic agents are not directed to the harbored organisms, they should avoid the risk of promoting the development of drug-resistant M. tuberculosis variants

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Reported speech, subjectivity and social influences in journalistic texts : the performance of discourse in the "news in brief” of Senegalese daily newspapers

Cette étude s’inscrit dans le cadre théorique de l’énonciation impliquant des aspects sociolinguistiques et communicatifs. Elle constitue un croisement du domaine de la linguistique avec celui des sciences de l’information, de la sociologie et de l’anthropologie. Elle est axée sur la communication médiatique, particulièrement la question de responsabilité dans l’écriture de presse. L’analyse concerne plus précisément l’exploitation d’un fait de langue (le discours rapporté) dans l’écriture de presse et l’impact que cela peut avoir sur la prise de position du locuteur rapportant. C’est une analyse des formes linguistiques de la subjectivité dans les textes journalistiques, l’objectif étant de déceler jusqu’à quel point la forme du discours rapporté influe sur la construction du point de vue du journaliste énonciateur. Il s’agit de distinguer, à travers des textes, que l’on pourrait qualifier d’objectifs en tant qu’écrits journalistiques répondant à la déontologie, des mécanismes par lesquels s’expriment des points de vue débouchant sur des prises de position subjectives. De manière transversale, l’analyse apporte des éléments de réponse à deux questions essentielles : qu’est-ce que c’est que le subjectif ? Comment ce concept est-il rendu dans le discours rapporté au sein des faits divers des quotidiens sénégalais ? Vu ses dimensions sociolinguistique, communicative et interactionnelle, l’analyse porte sur trois pôles principaux : le sujet énonciateur (traces évaluatives, axiologiques et socio-affectives de sa présence), le contenu (aspects morphosyntaxique et sémantique) et le contrat de communication médiatique (dispositif de production médiatique).This study falls in the theoretical framework of enunciation involving sociolinguistic and communicative aspects. It is a crossover field of linguistics with that of information science, sociology and anthropology. It focuses on media communication, particularly the issue of responsibility in news writing. The analysis relates more specifically to the facts of language (reported speech) in news writing and the impact it can have on the position of the reporting person. This is an analysis of linguistic forms of subjectivity in journalistic texts, the aim being to identify to what extent the form of reported speech shapes the point of view of the journalist utterer. The task is about distinguishing, through texts that can be said to be objective journalistic pieces of writing that meet the requirements of ethics, the mechanisms by which viewpoints are expressed and leading to subjective points of views. Transversally, the analysis provides answers to two key questions: what does subjective mean? How is this concept applied in reported speech with respect to miscellaneous events related in Senegalese daily newspapers? Given its sociolinguistic, communicative and interactional dimensions, the analysis focuses on three main areas: the speaking subject (research on evaluative, axiological and socio-emotional traces of its presence), the content (morphosyntactic and semantic exploration) and the media communication contract (media production device)

Discours rapporté, subjectivité et influences sociales dans les textes journalistiques : la mise en scène du discours dans les faits divers des quotidiens sénégalais.

Thèse en cotutelleThis study falls in the theoretical framework of enunciation involving sociolinguistic and communicative aspects. It is a crossover field of linguistics with that of information science, sociology and anthropology. It focuses on media communication, particularly the issue of responsibility in news writing. The analysis relates more specifically to the facts of language (reported speech) in news writing and the impact it can have on the position of the reporting person. This is an analysis of linguistic forms of subjectivity in journalistic texts, the aim being to identify to what extent the form of reported speech shapes the point of view of the journalist utterer. The task is about distinguishing, through texts that can be said to be objective journalistic pieces of writing that meet the requirements of ethics, the mechanisms by which viewpoints are expressed and leading to subjective points of views. Transversally, the analysis provides answers to two key questions: what does subjective mean? How is this concept applied in reported speech with respect to miscellaneous events related in Senegalese daily newspapers? Given its sociolinguistic, communicative and interactional dimensions, the analysis focuses on three main areas: the speaking subject (research on evaluative, axiological and socio-emotional traces of its presence), the content (morphosyntactic and semantic exploration) and the media communication contract (media production device).Cette étude s'inscrit dans le cadre théorique de l'énonciation impliquant des aspects sociolinguistiques et communicatifs. Elle constitue un croisement du domaine de la linguistique avec celui des sciences de l'information, de la sociologie et de l'anthropologie. Elle est axée sur la communication médiatique, particulièrement la question de responsabilité dans l'écriture de presse. L'analyse concerne plus précisément l'exploitation d'un fait de langue (le discours rapporté) dans l'écriture de presse et l'impact que cela peut avoir sur la prise de position du locuteur rapportant. C'est une analyse des formes linguistiques de la subjectivité dans les textes journalistiques, l'objectif étant de déceler jusqu'à quel point la forme du discours rapporté influe sur la construction du point de vue du journaliste énonciateur. Il s'agit de distinguer, à travers des textes, que l'on pourrait qualifier d'objectifs en tant qu'écrits journalistiques répondant à la déontologie, des mécanismes par lesquels s'expriment des points de vue débouchant sur des prises de position subjectives. De manière transversale, l'analyse apporte des éléments de réponse à deux questions essentielles : qu'est-ce que c'est que le subjectif ? Comment ce concept est-il rendu dans le discours rapporté au sein des faits divers des quotidiens sénégalais ? Vu ses dimensions sociolinguistique, communicative et interactionnelle, l'analyse porte sur trois pôles principaux : le sujet énonciateur (traces évaluatives, axiologiques et socio-affectives de sa présence), le contenu (aspects morphosyntaxique et sémantique) et le contrat de communication médiatique (dispositif de production médiatique)

Efficacy of Adjunctive Tofacitinib Therapy in Mouse Models of Tuberculosis

The global tuberculosis (TB) epidemic and the spread of multi- and extensively-drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) have been fueled by low adherence to following lengthy treatment protocols, and the rapid spread of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). Persistence of the infection in immunocompetent individuals follows from the ability of M.tb to subvert host immune responses in favor of survival within macrophages. Alternative host-directed strategies are therefore being currently sought to improve treatment efficacy and duration. In this study, we evaluated tofacitinib, a new oral Janus kinase (JAK) blocker with anti-inflammatory properties, in shortening tuberculosis treatment. BALB/c mice, which are immunocompetent, showed acceleration of M.tb clearance achieving apparent sterilization after 16 weeks of adjunctive tofacitinib therapy at average exposures higher than recommended in humans, while mice receiving standard treatment alone did not achieve clearance until 24 weeks. True sterilization with tofacitinib was not achieved until five months. C3HeB/FeJ mice, which show reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines during M.tb infection, did not show improved clearance with adjunctive tofacitinib therapy, indicating that the nature of granulomatous lesions and host immunity may influence responsiveness to tofacitinib. Our findings suggest that the JAK pathway could be explored further for host-directed therapy in immunocompetent individuals

Pirfenidone Exacerbates Granulomatous Inflammation and Disease Progression in Tuberculosis

10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2016.193.1_MeetingAbstracts.A2640American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine193A101A2640-A2640United State

The antifibrotic drug pirfenidone promotes pulmonary cavitation and drug resistance in a mouse model of chronic tuberculosis

Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio ([email protected]) on 2016-10-17T12:06:00Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Ahidjo BA The antifibrotic....pdf: 2168068 bytes, checksum: b8a4ff8bbb712343a8af6858f83f9cf9 (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio ([email protected]) on 2016-10-17T12:32:58Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Ahidjo BA The antifibrotic....pdf: 2168068 bytes, checksum: b8a4ff8bbb712343a8af6858f83f9cf9 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-17T12:32:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ahidjo BA The antifibrotic....pdf: 2168068 bytes, checksum: b8a4ff8bbb712343a8af6858f83f9cf9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-09-08NIHJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Center for Tuberculosis Research. Baltimore, MD, USA / Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Chevy Chase, Maryland, USAJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Center for Tuberculosis Research. Baltimore, MD, USA / Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Chevy Chase, Maryland, USAJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Center for Tuberculosis Research. Baltimore, MD, USA / Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology. Baltimore,MD, USAJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Center for Tuberculosis Research. Baltimore, MD, USA / Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako. Bamako, MaliJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Center for Tuberculosis Research. Baltimore, MD, USA / Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Center for Infection and Inflammation Imaging Research. Baltimore, MD, USA / Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Department of Pediatrics. Baltimore, MD, USAJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Center for Tuberculosis Research. Baltimore, MD, USAJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology. Baltimore, MD, USAFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. 7Unidade de Medicina Investigativa, Laboratório Integrado de Microbiologia e Imunorregulação. Salvador, BA, Brasil / Fundação José Silveira. Instituto Brasileiro para a Investigação da Tuberculose. Salvador, BA, BrasilJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Center for Tuberculosis Research. Baltimore, MD, USA / Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Center for Infection and Inflammation Imaging Research. Baltimore, MD, USA / Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Department of Pediatrics. Baltimore, MD, USAJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Center for Tuberculosis Research. Baltimore, MD, USA / Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Chevy Chase, Maryland, USAPirfenidone is a recently approved antifibrotic drug for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Because tuberculosis (TB) is characterized by granulomatous inflammation in conjunction with parenchymal destruction and replacement fibrosis, we sought to determine whether the addition of pirfenidone as an adjunctive, host-directed therapy provides a beneficial effect during antimicrobial treatment of TB. We hypothesized that pirfenidone's antiinflammatory and antifibrotic properties would reduce inflammatory lung damage and increase antimicrobial drug penetration in granulomas to accelerate treatment response. The effectiveness of adjunctive pirfenidone during TB drug therapy was evaluated using a murine model of chronic TB. Mice treated with standard therapy 2HRZ/4HR (H, isoniazid; R, rifampin; and Z, pyrazinamide) were compared with 2 alternative regimens containing pirfenidone (Pf) (2HRZPf/4HRPf and 2HRZPf/4HR). Contrary to our hypothesis, adjunctive pirfenidone use leads to reduced bacterial clearance and increased relapse rates. This treatment failure is closely associated with the emergence of isoniazid monoresistant bacilli, increased cavitation, and significant lung pathology. While antifibrotic agents may eventually be used as part of adjunctive host-directed therapy of TB, this study clearly demonstrates that caution must be exercised. Moreover, as pirfenidone becomes more widely used in clinical practice, increased patient monitoring would be required in endemic TB settings