Recognition-based memory through familiarity assessment in severe Alzheimer’s disease

peer reviewe

High-resolution imaging of the Pyrenees and Massif Central from the data of the PYROPE and IBERARRAY portable array deployments

International audienceThe lithospheric structures beneath the Pyrenees, which holds the key to settle long-standing controversies regarding the opening of the Bay of Biscay and the formation of the Pyrenees, are still poorly known. The temporary PYROPE and IBERARRAY experiments have recently filled a strong deficit of seismological stations in this part of western Europe, offering a new and unique opportunity to image crustal and mantle structures with unprecedented resolution. Here we report the results of the first tomographic study of the Pyrenees relying on this rich data set. The important aspects of our tomographic study are the precision of both absolute and relative traveltime measurements obtained by a nonlinear simulated annealing waveform fit and the detailed crustal model that has been constructed to compute accurate crustal corrections. Beneath the Massif Central, the most prominent feature is a widespread slow anomaly that reflects a strong thermal anomaly resulting from the thinning of the lithosphere and upwelling of the asthenosphere. Our tomographic images clearly exclude scenarios involving subduction of oceanic lithosphere beneath the Pyrenees. In contrast, they reveal the segmentation of lithospheric structures, mainly by two major lithospheric faults, the Toulouse fault in the central Pyrenees and the Pamplona fault in the western Pyrenees. These inherited Hercynian faults were reactivated during the Cretaceous rifting of the Aquitaine and Iberian margins and during the Cenozoic Alpine convergence. Therefore, the Pyrenees can be seen as resulting from the tectonic inversion of a segmented continental rift that was buried by subduction beneath the European plate

Exposure to negative socio-emotional events induces sustained alteration of resting-state brain networks in older adults

Basic emotional functions seem well preserved in older adults. However, their reactivity to and recovery from socially negative events remain poorly characterized. To address this, we designed a ‘task–rest’ paradigm in which 182 participants from two independent experiments underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while exposed to socio-emotional videos. Experiment 1 (N = 55) validated the task in young and older participants and unveiled age-dependent effects on brain activity and connectivity that predominated in resting periods after (rather than during) negative social scenes. Crucially, emotional elicitation potentiated subsequent resting-state connectivity between default mode network and amygdala exclusively in older adults. Experiment 2 replicated these results in a large older adult cohort (N = 127) and additionally showed that emotion-driven changes in posterior default mode network–amygdala connectivity were associated with anxiety, rumination and negative thoughts. These findings uncover the neural dynamics of empathy-related functions in older adults and help understand its relationship to poor social stress recovery

Effect of an 18-Month Meditation Training on Regional Brain Volume and Perfusion in Older Adults: The Age-Well Randomized Clinical Trial.

peer reviewedImportance: No lifestyle-based randomized clinical trial directly targets psychoaffective risk factors of dementia. Meditation practices recently emerged as a promising mental training exercise to foster brain health and reduce dementia risk. Objective: To investigate the effects of meditation training on brain integrity in older adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: Age-Well was a randomized, controlled superiority trial with blinded end point assessment. Community-dwelling cognitively unimpaired adults 65 years and older were enrolled between November 24, 2016, and March 5, 2018, in France. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to (1) an 18-month meditation-based training, (2) a structurally matched non-native language (English) training, or (3) no intervention arm. Analysis took place between December 2020 and October 2021. Interventions: Meditation and non-native language training included 2-hour weekly group sessions, practice of 20 minutes or longer daily at home, and 1-day intensive practices. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes included volume and perfusion of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and insula. Main secondary outcomes included a global composite score capturing metacognitive, prosocial, and self-regulatory capacities and constituent subscores. Results: Among 137 participants (mean [SD] age, 69.4 [3.8] years; 83 [60.6%] female; 54 [39.4%] male) assigned to the meditation (n = 45), non-native language training (n = 46), or no intervention (n = 46) groups, all but 1 completed the trial. There were no differences in volume changes of ACC (0.01 [98.75% CI, -0.02 to 0.05]; P = .36) or insula (0.01 [98.75% CI, -0.02 to 0.03]; P = .58) between meditation and no intervention or non-native language training groups, respectively. Differences in perfusion changes did not reach statistical significance for meditation compared with no intervention in ACC (0.02 [98.75% CI, -0.01 to 0.05]; P = .06) or compared with non-native language training in insula (0.02 [98.75% CI, -0.01 to 0.05]; P = .09). Meditation was superior to non-native language training on 18-month changes in a global composite score capturing attention regulation, socioemotional, and self-knowledge capacities (Cohen d, 0.52 [95% CI, 0.19-0.85]; P = .002). Conclusions and Relevance: The study findings confirm the feasibility of meditation and non-native language training in elderly individuals, with high adherence and very low attrition. Findings also show positive behavioral effects of meditation that were not reflected on volume, and not significantly on perfusion, of target brain areas. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02977819

Le personnel soignant des maisons de retraite de Basse-Normandie face à la fin de vie des résidents

CAEN-BU Médecine pharmacie (141182102) / SudocPARIS-BIUM (751062103) / SudocSudocFranceF

Recovery and physico-chemical characterization of dairy calcium phosphate as food ingredient

Comité d'organisation:Prof Perla RELKIN, AgroParisTech-Centre de Massy (President)SPAB, Department of Engineering and Science of Food and Bioproducts1 Avenue des Olympiades, 91300 MASSY, FranceDr Monique AXELOS, INRA, France (Vice-President)Head of the division for Science and Process Engineering of Agricultural ProductsRue de la Géraudière BP 71627INRA_logo44316 NANTES, FranceIntroduction : Milk filtrates and wheys contain large amount of calcium phosphates. These minerals are poorly soluble salts at neutral and alkaline pH and they can be recovered by alkaline precipitation (Mekmene et al. 2012). However, the exact nature of these precipitates is not well known. These isolated precipitates can be used as Ca enrichment or for their functional properties (anti-caking agent, stabilizing agent…) in food products. The present work has been undertaken in order to study the influence of different parameters on calcium phosphate precipitation (pH, alkalizing agent, temperature). The final aim was to show if the nature and structure of recovered calcium phosphate from acidified milk ultrafiltrate (pH 4.6 obtained with lactic acid) were dependent on the physicochemical parameters. The calcium phosphate precipitates were obtained by alkalization at pH 7, 8 or 9 and at 4 or 50 °C and with four different alkalizing agents authorized as additive by codex alimentarius (NaOH, KOH, Ca(OH)2, MgO). Materials and methods : Preparation of milk ultrafiltrate: Raw skimmed milk (Entremont Alliance, Montauban de Bretagne, France) was acidified at 4°C by lactic acid (90%) under stirring in 45 minutes in order to solubilize completely Ca and Pi from caseins. Then the follow up of the pH under stirring were conducted during 2 hours. This acidified skimmed milk (ASM) was kept at 4°C in cold room during one night. Then, ASM was heated at 25°C under stirring during 30 minutes, the curd thus formed was separated from the serum on a filter-bag. The liquid was ultrafiltrated at 25°C using pilot (TAMI/Tech Sep) equipped with 6.65*2 m2 of membrane (molecular weight cut-off = 8kDa) (Tami Industries, Nyons, France). The ultrafiltrate was recovered and stored at 4°C in sterile bottles before the alkalization. It contained 1200 and 480 mg of Ca and inorganic phosphate (Pi) respectively. Precipitation of milk derived calcium phosphates (MDCP): The calcium phosphate precipitations from ultrafiltrates (800 mL) were performed in a FC6s flocculator from Velp Scientifica by adding alkalizing reagents (MgO, Ca(OH)2, NaOH and KOH, 2M). The addition was carried out under continuous stirring at 90 rpm and at 4 or 50°C. The increased pH values were recorded using a Multi pH Meter Cinac (Alliance Instruments, Frepillon, France). After two hours of precipitation, about 200 mL of the suspensions were filtered (Whatman 42 filters papers). The different MDCP precipitates were recovered on the filter and dried in an oven at 30°C for 4-6 days. The different solids were stored in flasks in a desiccator provided with drying agent (silica gel with hygroscopic indicator) before physico-chemical characterization. The filtrates were centrifuged to 1800 g for 30 min at 20°C using vivaspin TM for mineral analyses. Physico-chemical analyses of MDCP precipitates : Ionic concentration : Anions contents were measured in ultrafiltrate and filtrates by ionic chromatography (Dionex ICS 3000, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Villebon sur Yvette, France). Cations were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry (Varian, 220FS spectrometer, Les Ulis, France). Granulometric and zeta potential analysis : The particles analyses were carried out with a Master sizer 2000 (Malvern Instruments, Malvern, UK) to determine the size distributions by laser light scattering. The zeta potentials of the particles were measured by using a Zetasizer 3000HS (Malvern Instruments, Malvern, UK). FTIR and XRD analysis of solids : The FTIR spectra were obtained using a FTIR Bruker Vertex 70 spectrometer (400-4000 cm-1 spectral range) using the KBr pellet technique (1 mg of sample in 300 mg of KBr). The XRD patterns were recorded using a diffractometer Bruker D8 Advance equipped with a K780 generator and a 1-D Si detector (LynxEye)

Physico-chemical characterization of dairy calcium phosphate industrial powders

Dairy industry recovers calcium phosphates from dairy liquids by different technologies and proposes this mineralized ingredient (under powder forms) for several applications especially for the enrichment of different food products in calcium. The objective of this study was to characterize chemically and physically 6 calcium phosphate powders coming from different international industries. All powders were rich in minerals with important quantitative variations in calcium phosphate contents depending on the powder origin. Among the powders, two were different from others because they contained less minerals and were richer in proteins (about 10% of dry matter) identified as whey proteins and lactose (about 60% of dry matter). The chemical characterization of calcium phosphate indicated that the mass ratio calcium/phosphate was closed to 0.6-0.7, except for the two powders which have higher or smaller ratios than 0.6-0.7. The profiles of dry particles size determined by laser granulometry and electron microscopy indicated also differences between powders: their sizes varied between less than one μm to several hundred μm. These size differences were attributed to a step of micronisation during the manufacture of some powders. Analyses by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the precipitated calcium phosphate is a very poorly crystallized calciumdeficient apatite presenting typical PO4 vibrational bands in IR but no sharp diffraction peak. After the reconstitution of powders in water, all suspensions were at neutral pH and their zeta potentials (surface charge) were always negative (between -15 and -20mV). All these variations of physico-chemical properties between powders will be discussed to understand their functionalities with a special attention paid on their solubilities in different solutions

Does calprotectin level identify a subgroup among patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome? Results of a prospective study

International audienc

Using art to reveal preserved long- term encoding capacities in Alzheimer patients at a moderate to severe stage with extensive damages to the medial temporal lobe

peer reviewe

Recognition-based memory through familiarity assessment in severe Alzheimer’s disease using music and paintings

editorial reviewe