Asthma and COPD Are Not Risk Factors for ICU Stay and Death in Case of SARS-CoV2 Infection

BACKGROUND: Asthmatics and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have more severe outcomes with viral infections than people without obstructive disease. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if obstructive diseases are risk factors for intensive care unit (ICU) stay and death due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19). METHODS: We collected data from the electronic medical record from 596 adult patients hospitalized in University Hospital of Liege between March 18 and April 17, 2020, for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) infection. We classified patients into 3 groups according to the underlying respiratory disease, present before the COVID19 pandemic. RESULTS: Among patients requiring hospitalization for COVID19, asthma and COPD accounted for 9.6% and 7.7%, respectively. The proportions of asthmatics, patients with COPD, and patients without obstructive airway disease hospitalized in the ICU were 17.5%, 19.6%, and 14%, respectively. One-third of patients with COPD died during hospitalization, whereas only 7.0% of asthmatics and 13.6% of patients without airway obstruction died due to SARS-CoV2. The multivariate analysis showed that asthma, COPD, inhaled corticosteroid treatment, and oral corticosteroid treatment were not independent risk factors for ICU admission or death. Male gender (odds ratio [OR]: 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1-3.2) and obesity (OR: 8.5; 95% CI: 5.1-14.1) were predictors of ICU admission, whereas male gender (OR 1.9; 95% CI: 1.1-3.2), older age (OR: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.6-2.3), cardiopathy (OR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.1-3.1), and immunosuppressive diseases (OR: 3.6; 95% CI: 1.5-8.4) were independent predictors of death. CONCLUSION: Asthma and COPD are not risk factors for ICU admission and death related to SARS-CoV2 infection

IMPACT OF ENHANCED RECOVERY PROGRAM FOR HEPATECTOMY ON POSTOPERATIVE MORBIDITY AND LENGTH OF HOSPITAL STAY

peer reviewedObjectives : Some studies using selected patients suggest that enhanced recovery programs for liver surgery is associated with a significant reduction in postoperative complications and a shorter length of hospital stay as compared to standard care. In December 2020, enhanced recovery programs was formally applied for all unselected hepatic surgery patients in our institution labelled as GRACE reference center. This study aimed at determining the impact of enhanced recovery programs on postoperative complications and length of hospital stay. Methods : Data (outcomes, length of hospital stay, adherence to protocol [21 items]) from our first 52 patients prospectively entered in our GRACE database were analysed and compared to the last 75 patients scheduled for hepatectomy before enhanced recovery programs implementation. Data (median [IQR] or count (%)) were compared using Mann Whitney test or chi2 when appropriate. P < 0.05 = significant. Results : Patients demographic data and indications for surgery were similar in both groups. Adherence to enhanced recovery programs was 14 [13-16] before program implementation and 17 [16-18] after (p < 0.001). Items whose adherence rates were the most optimized after program implementation were early mobilization (p < 0.001), early refeeding (p = 0.001) and the absence of a urinary catheter at the end of surgery (p < 0.001). Complication rate was 45.3% vs 25.5%, respectively before and after enhanced recovery programs implementation (p = 0.024). Length of hospital stay was 4 [2-7.5] vs 3 [1-6] days respectively before and after labelling (p = 0.09). Conclusions : Our results demonstrate that enhanced recovery programs for hepatectomy in unselected patients resulted in a 40-50% reduction of postoperative complications and probably in shorter length of stay (power currently insufficient)

The contribution of ancient admixture to reproductive isolation between European sea bass lineages

International audienceUnderstanding how new species arise through the progressive establishment of reproductive isolation (RI) barriers between diverging populations is a major goal in Evolutionary Biology. An important result of speciation genomics studies is that genomic regions involved in RI frequently harbor anciently diverged haplotypes that predate the reconstructed history of species divergence. The possible origins of these old alleles remain much debated, as they relate to contrasting mechanisms of speciation that are not yet fully understood. In the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), the genomic regions involved in RI between Atlantic and Mediterranean lineages are enriched for anciently diverged alleles of unknown origin. Here, we used haplotype‐resolved whole‐genome sequences to test whether divergent haplotypes could have originated from a closely related species, the spotted sea bass (Dicentrarchus punctatus). We found that an ancient admixture event between D. labrax and D. punctatus is responsible for the presence of shared derived alleles that segregate at low frequencies in both lineages of D. labrax. An exception to this was found within regions involved in RI between the two D. labrax lineages. In those regions, archaic tracts originating from D. punctatus locally reached high frequencies or even fixation in Atlantic genomes but were almost absent in the Mediterranean. We showed that the ancient admixture event most likely occurred between D. punctatus and the D. labrax Atlantic lineage, while Atlantic and Mediterranean D. labrax lineages were experiencing allopatric isolation. Our results suggest that local adaptive introgression and/or the resolution of genomic conflicts provoked by ancient admixture have probably contributed to the establishment of RI between the two D. labrax lineages

Far‐red light promotes Botrytis cinerea disease development in tomato leaves via jasmonate‐dependent modulation of soluble sugars

Plants experience a decrease in the red:far‐red light ratio (R:FR) when grown at high planting density. In addition to eliciting the shade avoidance response, low R:FR also enhances plant susceptibility to pathogens via modulation of defense hormone‐mediated responses. However, other mechanisms, also affected by low R:FR, have not been considered as potential components in FR‐induced susceptibility. Here, we identify FR‐induced accumulation of leaf soluble sugars as a novel component of FR‐induced susceptibility. We observed that phytochrome inactivation by FR or phytochrome B mutation was associated with elevated leaf glucose and fructose levels and enhanced disease severity caused by Botrytis cinerea. By experimentally manipulating internal leaf sugar levels, we found that the FR‐induced susceptibility in tomato was partly sugar‐dependent. Further analysis revealed that the observed sugar accumulation in supplemental FR occurred in a jasmonic acid (JA)‐dependent manner, and the JA biosynthesis mutant def1 also displayed elevated soluble sugar levels, which was rescued by exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) application. We propose that the reduced JA responsiveness under low R:FR promotes disease symptoms not only via dampened induction of defense responses, but also via increased levels of soluble sugars that supports pathogen growth in tomato leaves

3D Photogrammetry Modeling Highlights Efficient Reserve Effect Apparition After 5 Years and Stillness After 40 for Red Coral (Corallium rubrum) Conservation in French MPAs

International audienceImaging the marine environment is more and more useful to understand relationships between species, as well as natural processes. Developing photogrammetry allowed the use of 3D measuring to study populations dynamics of sessile organisms at various scales: from colony to population. This study focuses on red coral (Corallium rubrum) , as known as precious coral. Metrics measured at a colony scale (e.g., maximum height, diameter and number of branches) allowed population understanding and a comparison between an old (Cerbère-Banyuls reserve) vs. a new (Calanques National Park) MPA. Our results suggested a 5-year time step allows the appearance of a significant difference between populations inside vs. outside the Calanques National Park no-take zones. Red coral colonies were taller and had more branches inside no-take zones. A significant difference was still observable for the populations inside the Cerbère-Banyuls reserve after 40 years of protection, reflecting the sustainability and effectiveness of precautionary measures set by the reserve. The impacts at the local level (mechanical destruction) and those presumed to occur via global change (climatic variations) underline the need to develop strategies both to follow the evolutions of red coral populations but also to understand their resilience. Photogrammetry induced modeling is a time and cost effective as well as non-invasive method which could be used to understand population dynamics at a seascape scale on coralligenous reefs

Far‐red light promotes Botrytis cinerea disease development in tomato leaves via jasmonate‐dependent modulation of soluble sugars

Plants experience a decrease in the red:far‐red light ratio (R:FR) when grown at high planting density. In addition to eliciting the shade avoidance response, low R:FR also enhances plant susceptibility to pathogens via modulation of defense hormone‐mediated responses. However, other mechanisms, also affected by low R:FR, have not been considered as potential components in FR‐induced susceptibility. Here, we identify FR‐induced accumulation of leaf soluble sugars as a novel component of FR‐induced susceptibility. We observed that phytochrome inactivation by FR or phytochrome B mutation was associated with elevated leaf glucose and fructose levels and enhanced disease severity caused by Botrytis cinerea. By experimentally manipulating internal leaf sugar levels, we found that the FR‐induced susceptibility in tomato was partly sugar‐dependent. Further analysis revealed that the observed sugar accumulation in supplemental FR occurred in a jasmonic acid (JA)‐dependent manner, and the JA biosynthesis mutant def1 also displayed elevated soluble sugar levels, which was rescued by exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) application. We propose that the reduced JA responsiveness under low R:FR promotes disease symptoms not only via dampened induction of defense responses, but also via increased levels of soluble sugars that supports pathogen growth in tomato leaves

A genetic screen identifies BEND3 as a regulator of bivalent gene expression and global DNA methylation

International audienceEpigenetic mechanisms are essential to establish and safeguard cellular identities in mammals. They dynamically regulate the expression of genes, transposable elements and higher-order chromatin structures. Consequently, these chromatin marks are indispensable for mammalian development and alterations often lead to disease, such as cancer. Bivalent promoters are especially important during differentiation and development. Here we used a genetic screen to identify new regulators of a bivalent repressed gene. We identify BEND3 as a regulator of hundreds of bivalent promoters, some of which it represses, and some of which it activates. We show that BEND3 is recruited to a CpG-containg consensus site that is present in multiple copies in many bivalent promoters. Besides having direct effect on the promoters it binds, the loss of BEND3 leads to genome-wide gains of DNA methylation, which are especially marked at regions normally protected by the TET enzymes. DNA hydroxymethylation is reduced in Bend3 mutant cells, possibly as consequence of altered gene expression leading to diminished alpha-ketoglutarate production, thus lowering TET activity. Our results clarify the direct and indirect roles of an important chromatin regulator, BEND3, and, more broadly, they shed light on the regulation of bivalent promoters

Les spins nucléaires : des espions pour explorer la structure des matériaux

National audienceThis article illustrates how solid state NMR, which is by nature a local spectroscopic technique, is also able to establish dialogs between nuclear spins over distances up to few nanometers. Access to such length scales is possible through one-dimensional and multidimensional experiments that give chemical signatures not only from one unique atom in relation with its environment, but from groups of atoms chemically bonded or spatially close. In that sense, solid state NMR appears as a perfect investigation tool for materials with more and more complex compositions and structures. The selected examples belong to families of materials that have been developed for applications in the fields of energy (glasses for nuclear waste management), health (hybrid materials for controlled release of drugs) and sustainable development (heterogeneous catalysts).Cet article illustre combien la RMN du solide, qui est par nature une technique spectroscopique locale, est aussi capable de faire dialoguer les spins nucléaires entre eux sur des distances allant au-delà du nanomètre. L’accès à ces échelles de distances est rendu en particulier possible par des expériences mono- ou multidimensionnelles qui enregistrent la signature non pas d’un atome unique témoignant de la nature de son environnement, mais d’un groupe d’atomes chimiquement liés ou proches spatialement. En ce sens, elle apparaît comme un outil d’investigation parfait pour des matériaux aux compositions et structures de plus en plus complexes. Les exemples choisis appartiennent à des familles de matériaux développés pour répondre à des applications relevant des domaines de l’énergie (verres pour le stockage de déchets nucléaires), de la santé (matériaux hybrides pour le relargage de principes actifs) et du développement durable (catalyseurs hétérogènes)