Official controls in veterinary public health in poultry production

Le Pottier Gilles. Les contrôles officiels en matière de santé publique vétérinaire dans la filière volaille. In: Bulletin de l'Académie Vétérinaire de France tome 171 n°3, 2018. pp. 234-235

French poultry production at a crossroads

Second largest animal production in France, poultry farming was able to overcome the crises of the last decade and is seeking to attract consumers who have become more careful about spending and who compare prices. With the liberalisation of global exchanges, competitiveness has become a strategic challenge to safeguard a market increasingly coveted by imported merchandise. The jewel of French agriculture at the end of the last century, poultry farming now seeks to build on its production standards, which guarantee food safety and animal welfare. This has lead to initiatives requesting a proper use of the precautionary principle and accurate consumer information on the origin of the products they are buying.Seconde production animale de l’Hexagone, la volaille a su surmonter les crises de la dernière décennie et cherche à séduire un consommateur plus regardant, et qui compare les prix. Avec la libéralisation des échanges au plan mondial, l’enjeu de la compétitivité est devenu stratégique pour sauvegarder un marché de plus en plus convoité par des marchandises importées. Fleuron de l’agriculture française à la fin du siècle dernier, l’aviculture cherche aujourd’hui à valoriser ses standards de production qui garantissent la sécurité alimentaire et la protection animale. D’où des initiatives pour demander l’usage, à bon escient, du principe de précaution et fournir des informations précises aux consommateurs sur l’origine des produits qu’ils achètent

Characterization of At- species in simple and biological media by high performance anion exchange chromatography coupled to gamma detector.

Astatine is a rare radioelement belonging to the halogen group. Considering the trace amounts of astatine produced in cyclotrons, its chemistry cannot be evaluated by spectroscopic tools. Analytical tools, provided that they are coupled with a radioactive detection system, may be an alternative way to study its chemistry. In this research work, High Performance Anion Exchange Chromatography (HPAEC) coupled to a gamma detector (γ) was used to evaluate astatine species under reducing conditions. Also, to strengthen the reliability of the experiments, a quantitative analysis using a reactive transport model has been done. The results confirm the existence of one species bearing one negative charge in the pH range 27.5. With respect to the other halogens, its behavior indicates the existence of negative ion, astatide At-. The methodology was successfully applied to the speciation of the astatine in human serum. Under fixed experimental conditions (pH 7.47.5 and redox potential of 250 mV) astatine exists mainly as astatide At- and does not interact with the major serum components. Also, the method might be useful for the in vitro stability assessment of 211At-labelled molecules potentially applicable in nuclear medicine

Modelling the distribution of the Ocellated Lizard in France : implications for conservation

The Ocellated Lizard, Timon lepidus (Daudin 1802) occupies the Mediterranean regions of southwestern Europe (Portugal, Spain, France, and the extreme northwest of Italy). Over the last decades, a marked decline in its population has been observed, particularly on the northern edge of its distribution. As a result, it is currently considered a threatened species, especially in France and Italy. In France, a national action plan for its conservation has been put in place. In this study, ecological niche modelling (ENM) was carried out over the entire area of France in order to evaluate the species' potential distribution, more accurately define its ecological niche, guide future surveys, and inform land use planning so this species can be better taken into consideration. The modelling used data representing 2,757 observation points spread over the known range of the species, and 34 ecogeographical variables (climate, topography, and vegetation cover) were evaluated. After removing correlated variables, models were fitted with several combinations of variables using eight species distribution model (SDM) algorithms, and then their performance was assessed using three model accuracy metrics. Iterative trials changing the input variables were used to obtain the best model. The optimized model included nine determining variables. The results indicate the presence of this species is linked primarily to three climate variables: precipitation in the driest month, precipitation seasonality, and mean temperature in the driest quarter. The model was checked by a sample dataset that was not used to fit the model, and this validation dataset represented 25% of the overall field observations. Of the known occurrence locations kept aside to check the results, 94% fell within the presence area predicted by the modelled map with a presence probability greater than 0.7, and 90% fell within the area with a presence probability ranging from 0.8 to 1, which represents a very high predictive value. These results indicate that the models closely matched the observed distribution, suggesting a low impact of either geographical factors (barriers to dispersal), historical factors (dispersal process), or ecological factors (e.g., competition, trophic resources). The overlap between the predicted distribution and protected areas for this species reveals that less than 1% of the potential distribution area is protected by strong regulatory measures (e.g., national parks and natural reserves). The knowledge obtained in this study allows us to recommend some guidelines that would favor the conservation of this species.Peer reviewe

Cancer-selective, single agent chemoradiosensitising gold nanoparticles

Two nanometre gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), bearing sugar moieties and/or thiol-polyethylene glycol-amine (PEG-amine), were synthesised and evaluated for their in vitro toxicity and ability to radiosensitise cells with 220 kV and 6 MV X-rays, using four cell lines representing normal and cancerous skin and breast tissues. Acute 3 h exposure of cells to AuNPs, bearing PEG-amine only or a 50:50 ratio of alpha-galactose derivative and PEG-amine resulted in selective uptake and toxicity towards cancer cells at unprecedentedly low nanomolar concentrations. Chemotoxicity was prevented by co-administration of N-acetyl cysteine antioxidant, or partially prevented by the caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK. In addition to their intrinsic cancer-selective chemotoxicity, these AuNPs acted as radiosensitisers in combination with 220 kV or 6 MV X-rays. The ability of AuNPs bearing simple ligands to act as cancer-selective chemoradiosensitisers at low concentrations is a novel discovery that holds great promise in developing low-cost cancer nanotherapeutics

Multiple glacial refugia and contemporary dispersal shape the genetic structure of an endemic amphibian from the Pyrenees

Historical factors (colonization scenarios, demographic oscillations) and contemporary processes (population connectivity, current population size) largely contribute to shaping species’ present-day genetic diversity and structure. In this study, we use a combination of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers to understand the role of Quaternary climatic oscillations and present-day gene flow dynamics in determining the genetic diversity and structure of the newt Calotriton asper (Al. Dugès, 1852), endemic to the Pyrenees. Mitochondrial DNA did not show a clear phylogeographic pattern and presented low levels of variation. In contrast, microsatellites revealed five major genetic lineages with admixture patterns at their boundaries. Approximate Bayesian computation analyses and linear models indicated that the five lineages likely underwent separate evolutionary histories and can be tracked back to distinct glacial refugia. Lineage differentiation started around the Last Glacial Maximum at three focal areas (western, central and eastern Pyrenees) and extended through the end of the Last Glacial Period in the central Pyrenees, where it led to the formation of two more lineages. Our data revealed no evidence of recent dispersal between lineages, whereas borders likely represent zones of secondary contact following expansion from multiple refugia. Finally, we did not find genetic evidence of sex-biased dispersal. This work highlights the importance of integrating past evolutionary processes and present-day gene flow and dispersal dynamics, together with multilocus approaches, to gain insights into what shaped the current genetic attributes of amphibians living in montane habitats.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Articuler le fantasme et l'histoire

Le présent volume qui rassemble les contributions au séminaire Approches Interdisciplinaires de la Lecture pour l'année 2013-2014 s’est donné pour objet, dans le prolongement de la réflexion sur « le corps à l’œuvre », d’interroger les articulations du fantasme et de l’Histoire. Corps, obsessions et histoire, personnelle et collective, sont en effet des éléments indissociables. Les études portent, dans la tradition de la collection, sur des romans de différentes aires culturelles, de l’Antiquité à nous jours. Il s’agit toujours d’explorer l’arrière-texte à l’œuvre chez l’auteur et le lecteur, autrement dit d’arpenter à notre façon « les sentiers de la création »

Benralizumab in severe eosinophilic asthma in real life: confirmed effectiveness and contrasted effect on sputum eosinophilia versus exhaled nitric oxide fraction - PROMISE.

peer reviewedBACKGROUND: Randomised controlled trials have shown that benralizumab, an anti-interleukin-5 receptor monoclonal antibody, reduces exacerbations and oral corticosteroid dose and improves asthma control and lung function in severe eosinophilic asthma. The aim of this study was to confirm results of randomised controlled trials in real life in a population of 73 patients with severe eosinophilic asthma treated with benralizumab for at least 12 months. METHODS: Patients underwent careful monitoring of asthma exacerbations, exhaled nitric oxide fraction, lung function, asthma control and quality of life questionnaire responses and sputum induction, and gave a blood sample at baseline, after 6 months and then every year. RESULTS: We found significant reductions in exacerbations (by 92%, p<0.0001) and oral corticosteroid dose (by 83%, p<0.001) after 6 months that were maintained over time, with 78% of patients able to stop oral corticosteroid therapy. Patients improved their Asthma Control Test (ACT) score (from 11.7±5.1 to 16.9±5.35, p<0.0001), Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) score (from 2.88±1.26 to 1.77±1.32, p<0.0001) and Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire score (+1.04, p<0.0001) at 6 months and this was maintained during follow-up. Only 35% and 43% of patients reached asthma control according to an ACT score ≥20 and ACQ score <1.5, respectively. We observed stable post-bronchodilation lung function over time and a significant reduction in sputum eosinophil count, with 85% of patients exhibiting sputum eosinophil counts <3% after 6 months (p<0.01) with no effect on exhaled nitric oxide fraction. CONCLUSION: In our real-life study, we confirm the results published in randomised controlled trials showing a sharp reduction in exacerbations and oral corticosteroid therapy, an improvement in asthma control and quality of life, and a dramatic reduction in sputum eosinophil count

Neurology

The question of the long-term safety of pregnancy is a major concern in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), but its study is biased by reverse causation (women with higher disability are less likely to experience pregnancy). Using a causal inference approach, we aimed to estimate the unbiased long-term effects of pregnancy on disability and relapse risk in patients with MS and secondarily the short-term effects (during the perpartum and postpartum years) and delayed effects (occurring beyond 1 year after delivery). We conducted an observational cohort study with data from patients with MS followed in the Observatoire Français de la Sclérose en Plaques registry between 1990 and 2020. We included female patients with MS aged 18-45 years at MS onset, clinically followed up for more than 2 years, and with ≥3 Expanded Disease Status Scale (EDSS) measurements. Outcomes were the mean EDSS score at the end of follow-up and the annual probability of relapse during follow-up. Counterfactual outcomes were predicted using the longitudinal targeted maximum likelihood estimator in the entire study population. The patients exposed to at least 1 pregnancy during their follow-up were compared with the counterfactual situation in which, contrary to what was observed, they would not have been exposed to any pregnancy. Short-term and delayed effects were analyzed from the first pregnancy of early-exposed patients (who experienced it during their first 3 years of follow-up). We included 9,100 patients, with a median follow-up duration of 7.8 years, of whom 2,125 (23.4%) patients were exposed to at least 1 pregnancy. Pregnancy had no significant long-term causal effect on the mean EDSS score at 9 years (causal mean difference [95% CI] = 0.00 [-0.16 to 0.15]) or on the annual probability of relapse (causal risk ratio [95% CI] = 0.95 [0.93-1.38]). For the 1,253 early-exposed patients, pregnancy significantly decreased the probability of relapse during the perpartum year and significantly increased it during the postpartum year, but no significant delayed effect was found on the EDSS and relapse rate. Using a causal inference approach, we found no evidence of significantly deleterious or beneficial long-term effects of pregnancy on disability. The beneficial effects found in other studies were probably related to a reverse causation bias.Observatoire Français de la Sclérose en Plaque