Metabolic and inflammatory profile in obese patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Overweight and obesity have been associated with better survival in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). On the other hand, excess body weight is associated with abnormal metabolic and inflammatory profiles that define the metabolic syndrome and predispose to cardiovascular diseases. This study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of overweight and obesity on the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and on the metabolic and inflammatory profiles in patients with COPD. Methods: Twenty-eight male patients with COPD were divided into an overweight/obese group [n 16, body mass index (BMI) 33.5 4.2 kg/m2] and normal weight group (n 12, BMI 21.1 2.6 kg/m2). Anthropometry, pulmonary function and body composition were assessed. The metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to waist circumference, circulating levels of triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, fasting glycemia and blood pressure. C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-), interleukin-6 (IL-6), leptin and adiponectin plasma levels were measured. Results: Airflow obstruction was less severe in overweight/obese compared with normal weight patients (forced expiratory volume1: 51 19% versus 31 12% predicted, respectively, P 0.01). The metabolic syndrome was diagnosed in 50% of overweight/obese patients and in none of the normal weight patients. TNF-, IL-6 and leptin were significantly higher in overweight/obese patients whereas the adiponectin levels were reduced in the presence of excess weight. Conclusions: The metabolic syndrome was frequent in overweight/obese patients with COPD. Obesity in COPD was associated with a spectrum of metabolic and inflammatory abnormalities

Hepatocyte and keratinocyte growth factors and their receptors in human lung emphysema

BACKGROUND: Hepatocyte and keratinocyte growth factors are key growth factors in the process of alveolar repair. We hypothesized that excessive alveolar destruction observed in lung emphysema involves impaired expression of hepatocyte and keratinocyte growth factors or their respective receptors, c-met and keratinocyte growth factor receptor. The aim of our study was to compare the expression of hepatocyte and keratinocyte growth factors and their receptors in lung samples from 3 groups of patients: emphysema; smokers without emphysema and non-smokers without emphysema. METHODS: Hepatocyte and keratinocyte growth factor proteins were analysed by immunoassay and western blot; mRNA expression was measured by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Hepatocyte and keratinocyte growth factors, c-met and keratinocyte growth factor receptor mRNA levels were similar in emphysema and non-emphysema patients. Hepatocyte growth factor mRNA correlated negatively with FEV1 and the FEV1/FVC ratio both in emphysema patients and in smokers with or without emphysema. Hepatocyte and keratinocyte growth factor protein concentrations were similar in all patients' groups. CONCLUSION: The expression of hepatocyte and keratinocyte growth factors and their receptors is preserved in patients with lung emphysema as compared to patients without emphysema. Hepatocyte growth factor mRNA correlates with the severity of airflow obstruction in smokers

Genome-wide association study of Tourette Syndrome

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a developmental disorder that has one of the highest familial recurrence rates among neuropsychiatric diseases with complex inheritance. However, the identification of definitive TS susceptibility genes remains elusive. Here, we report the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) of TS in 1285 cases and 4964 ancestry-matched controls of European ancestry, including two European-derived population isolates, Ashkenazi Jews from North America and Israel, and French Canadians from Quebec, Canada. In a primary meta-analysis of GWAS data from these European ancestry samples, no markers achieved a genome-wide threshold of significance (p<5 × 10−8); the top signal was found in rs7868992 on chromosome 9q32 within COL27A1 (p=1.85 × 10−6). A secondary analysis including an additional 211 cases and 285 controls from two closely-related Latin-American population isolates from the Central Valley of Costa Rica and Antioquia, Colombia also identified rs7868992 as the top signal (p=3.6 × 10−7 for the combined sample of 1496 cases and 5249 controls following imputation with 1000 Genomes data). This study lays the groundwork for the eventual identification of common TS susceptibility variants in larger cohorts and helps to provide a more complete understanding of the full genetic architecture of this disorder

Innovation et développement dans les systèmes agricoles et alimentaires

L’innovation est souvent présentée comme l’un des principaux leviers pour promouvoir un développement plus durable et plus inclusif. Dans les domaines de l’agriculture et de l’alimentation, l’innovation est marquée par des spécificités liées à sa relation à la nature, mais aussi à la grande diversité d’acteurs concernés, depuis les agriculteurs jusqu’aux consommateurs, en passant par les services de recherche et de développement. L’innovation émerge des interactions entre ces acteurs, qui mobilisent des ressources et produisent des connaissances dans des dispositifs collaboratifs, afin de générer des changements. Elle recouvre des domaines aussi variés que les pratiques de production, l’organisation des marchés, ou les pratiques alimentaires. L’innovation est reliée aux grands enjeux de développement : innovation agro-écologique, innovation sociale, innovation territoriale, etc. Cet ouvrage porte un regard sur l’innovation dans les systèmes agricoles et alimentaires. Il met un accent particulier sur l’accompagnement de l’innovation, en interrogeant les méthodes et les organisations, et sur l’évaluation de l’innovation au regard de différents critères. Il s’appuie sur des réflexions portées par différentes disciplines scientifiques, sur des travaux de terrain conduits tant en France que dans de nombreux pays du Sud, et enfin sur les expériences acquises en accompagnant des acteurs qui innovent. Il combine des synthèses sur l’innovation et des études de cas emblématiques pour illustrer les propos. L’ouvrage est destiné aux enseignants, professionnels, étudiants et chercheurs

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

Emissions optiques et distributions angulaires de produits de pulvérisation de solide soumis a un bombardement ionique

Lorsqu'un faisceau d'ions d énergie cinétique de quelques keV interagit avec une cible solide, une pulvérisation se produit et des particules de différents types (e-, espèces neutres ou ioniques, agrégats ) sont éjectées de la cible. Ce type d interaction provoque aussi l éjection de particules dans des états électroniquement excités et des radiations électromagnétiques peuvent être émises. Le présent travail, mené dans le cadre d un thèse en co-tutelle, porte sur l étude expérimentale des produits de pulvérisations de cibles solides soumis à un faisceau d ions Kr+ d énergie de 5 keV. Nous avons utilisé deux appareils de recherche : Le premier est le spectromètre ASSO de l équipe SIAM de Marrakech et le second est le spectromètre ESSO du laboratoire STIM d Orsay. Nous avons mené les études suivantes : 1- Détection et analyse de photons émis lors de l impact d un faisceau d ions Kr+ de 5 keV sur six solides : Al, Si et V et sur leur oxydes à savoir : Al2O3, SiO2 et V2O5. Les spectres de luminescence consistent en une série de raies fines qui, dans certains cas, sont superposées à un continuum. Nous avons aussi examiné le comportement de ces spectres lorsqu on effectue un bombardement des échantillons sous une atmosphère d oxygène. La variation des intensités des raies spectrales est régie par une compétition entre transitions radiatives et non radiatives que nous avons interprétée dans le cadre du modèle d échange d électrons entre les états excités des particules éjectées et la bande d énergie du solide. 2- Détermination des distributions angulaires des produits de pulvérisation lors du bombardement d un échantillon du béryllium. Ces produits sont déposés sur une feuille de Mylar portée par un support cylindrique qui entoure la cible bombardée sous incidence 0 et 70 degrés par rapport à la normale. Le dépôt est analysé par la technique ICP-OES (émission atomique à source plasma couplé par induction) et l état final de la surface bombardée est examiné par microscopie électronique à balayage. Les résultats obtenus par ICP-OES sont simulés numériquement. 3- Possibilités analytiques de la méthode ESSO sur des alliages binaires de CuBe et CuAl à différentes concentrations. Par ce travail, nous pensons avoir apporté une contribution dans un domaine complexe et vaste qui est celui de la science des surfaces. Nous souhaitons approfondir ce travail par d autres expériences qui permettent d élucider l origine de la formation d espèces excitées et leur comportement au voisinage d une surface soumise à un bombardement ionique.When ion beam of some keV interact with a solid target, sputtering takes place given rise to the ejection of different particles (electrons, neutral and ionic species, aggregates ). Also, ion bombardment of solid targets can lead to the electronic excitation process with may result in the emission of light from the solid. In this work, we have studied experimental sputtering from a solid target during 5 keV Kr+ bombardment. Two apparatuses were used in this study. The first set-up is ASSO (Analyse de Surface par Spectroscopie Optique) of SIAM team installed in Marrakech. The second apparatus is ESSO (Etude de Surface par Spectroscopie Optique) from STIM laboratory located at Orsay. These apparatus were well known in the literature with the acronym BLE (Beam induced Light Emission). This work is subdivided in three parts: 1- Study of light emission from Al, Si, V and their oxides during 5 keV Kr+ bombardment. Typical optical spectra consist of a series of sharp lines, in some cases superposed on a broad continuum. We have also examined the behaviour of the spectral lines from clean and oxygen covered sample surfaces. The variation of intensities is discussed through the electron-transfer model between surface and ejected particles. Moreover, we examined the processes of atomic de-excitation and ionic neutralisation of ejected particles to explain the behaviour of excited particles located in the vicinity of a surface. 2- etermination of the angular distribution of sputtered particles during 5 keV Kr+ bombardment of Be target at incidence angles of 0 and 70. The uttered material is collected on a Mylar cylindrical foil surrounding the target, the foil is cut into pieces and the deposit on them is measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Experiment is combined with simulations. The method supplies accurate angular distributions of sputtered particles. The surface morphology is observed by scanning electron micrography. Depending on the incidence angle, sputtering forms craters and rippled areas or deep grooves. The resulting differences between simulations and experiment are explained qualitatively. 3- Analytical possibilities of the method ESSO on binary alloying of CuBe and CuAl with various concentrations. By this work, we think that we have contributed in a complex and wide field which is surface science. We wish to look further into this work by other experiments so as to elucidate more the origin of the excited species formation and their behaviour in the vicinity of a surface during ion beam bombardmentORSAY-PARIS 11-BU Sciences (914712101) / SudocSudocFranceF