La Recherche en Chimie aux Frontières de la Connaissance

National audienceMixed research units are building blocks, flexible but permanent, in rapidly evolving fields of research. Several measures shape the activities of research teams and thus give rise to “poles of research”. They also help consolidate national networks, identify strong points, boost the sharing of top-level equipment and stimulate collaboration between academics and industrialists. Chemists’ diverse activities lie on a thematic continuum that reaches beyond disciplinary bounds and crisscrosses the industrial and academic spheres. The dichotomy between, on the one hand, the structure in terms of disciplines used by the authorities in charge and, on the other hand, the socioeconomic priorities set by funding agencies should enable scientists to pursue topnotch research. It should also lead to the emergence of new concepts corresponding to breakthroughs that will reshape chemistry in the future.L’Unité Mixte de Recherche est la brique élémentaire, souple et pérenne d’un paysage de la recherche en évolution rapide. De nombreux dispositifs viennent structurer l’activité de ces équipes pour faire émerger des pôles de recherche, consolider le maillage des réseaux nationaux, identifier les points forts, mutualiser des équipements de haut niveau et promouvoir les collaborations académiques et industrielles. La diversité de l’activité des chimistes se place dans un continuum thématique dépassant les frontières disciplinaires et traversant les mondes académiques et industriels. La dichotomie entre les structures disciplinaires de nos tutelles et l’affichage de défis socio-économiques par les agences de financement doivent permettre aux acteurs de mettre en œuvre des recherches de très haut niveau tout en favorisant l’émergence et la description de nouveaux concepts en rupture qui permettront de construire la chimie de demain

Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols in Carbon Dioxide with Silica-Supported Ionic Liquids Doped with Perruthenate

The replacement of toxic CrVI for O2 and of chlorinated solvents for supercritical carbon dioxide (or ionic liquids) in the oxidation of alcohols remains hindered by the low selectivity and activity of the current heterogeneous catalysts. Using an integrated approach that combines sol–gel entrapped perruthenate as aerobic catalyst, an encapsulated ionic liquid as solubility promoter, and scCO2 as the reaction solvent, we have developed a system capable of rapidly converting different alcohols into carbonyl compounds with complete selectivity, including substrates which are otherwise difficult to oxidise. The methodology is generally applicable and may easily be extended to other waste-free, catalytic syntheses of fine chemicals

Psychological distress among hospital caregivers during and after the first wave of COVID-19: Individual factors involved in the severity of symptoms expression

Coronavirus disease 2019 has spread rapidly over the globe and has put an unprecedent psychological pressure on health care workers (HCWs). The present study aimed at quantifying the psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on HCWs during and after the first wave and identify sociodemographic, situational, and psychological risk/protective factors for symptoms severity. An online survey was sent by e-mail to all nurses and physicians employed by a teaching hospital in Brussels, Belgium. 542 (20,62%) completed the survey. 47%, 55%, 32% and 52% of participants reported posttraumatic stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia symptoms, respectively, during the peak. Two to three months later, posttraumatic symptoms emerged de novo in 54% of HCWs. It persisted in 89% of those presenting severe symptoms initially. Neuroticism was the strongest predictor of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Work overload was the strongest predictor of depression and second predictor of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Other significant predictors included being a nurse, the number of past traumatic experiences, avoidant coping style, and expressive suppression of emotion

Linking Two Immuno-Suppressive Molecules: Indoleamine 2,3 Dioxygenase Can Modify HLA-G Cell-Surface Expression1

Nonclassical human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecule HLA-G and indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (INDO) in humans and mice, respectively, have been shown to play crucial immunosuppressive roles in fetal-maternal tolerance. HLA-G inhibits natural killer and T cell function by high-affinity interaction with inhibitory receptors, and INDO acts by depleting the surrounding microenvironment of the essential amino acid tryptophan, thus inhibiting T cell proliferation. We investigated whether HLA-G expression and INDO function were linked. Working with antigen-presenting cell (APC) lines and monocytes, we found that functional inhibition of INDO by 1-methyl-tryptophan induced cell surface expression of HLA-G1 by HLA-G1- negative APCs that were originally cell-surface negative, and that in reverse, the functional boost of INDO by high concentrations of tryptophan induced a complete loss of HLA-G1 cell surface expression by APCs that were originally cell-surface HLA-G1-positive. This mechanism was shown to be posttranslational because HLA-G protein cell contents remained unaffected by the treatments used. Furthermore, HLA-G cell surface expression regulation by INDO seems to relate to INDO function, but not to tryptophan catabolism itself. Potentia