65 research outputs found

    Devenir quelqu’un

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    Dans cet article, l'auteur raconte en termes simples mais éloquents l'histoire de l'implantation d'une ferme destinée à accueillir des patients asilaires. Il illustre la vie à la ferme, les possibilités et difficultés d'intégration à l'aide d'une histoire de cas : celle de Real.The author in this article tells in simple but eloquent terms of the establishment of a farm designed to welcome asylum patients. With the help of a case history, Real's, he describes life at the farm, the possibilities and difficulties of integration

    Ailleurs et autrement

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    Le réseau des services de santé mentale est en constante évolution. Il est passé d'un modèle relativement simple à un réseau de service complexe, incomplet, à idéologie multiple et aux résultats incertains qu'il convient maintenant de réviser. Commentant le contexte de l'élaboration de la politique de santé mentale, les auteurs décrivent ensuite une expérience de diversification et de sous régionalisation des services de santé mentale dans la région de Montréal. Après une description de la situation, des objectifs visés, du mode d'organisation et des sous-régions, les auteurs identifient les principaux problèmes rencontrés, les enjeux et des perspectives d'action. Ils font ainsi connaître les particularités et les réalités différentes qui constituent le grand Montréal.The network of mental health services is constantly in movement. From a relatively simple model it has become a complex service with a multiple ideology, its results are indetermined and have now to be revised. While commenting on the elaboration of a politic in mental health, the authors describe an experience where the mental health services in a Montreal region were diversified and reorganised in sub-regions. They then give an idea of the situation, the arms hoped for, the organisational mode, and the sub-regions; the main problems encountered are identified as well as the stakes and the areas of action. They uncover the particularities and the different realities that are the mainstay of the Greater Montreal

    Le service d’information et d’aide à la communauté «L’Agent de quartier»

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    Cet article présente Ie cheminement vécu au cours de l'implantation d'un programme de prévention en santé mentale en milieu communautaire, qui origine d'une institution psychiatrique de troisième ligne. II raconte les différentes phases de la mise sur pied de ce projet autant du point de vue du vécu dés intervenants, de révolution idéologique, des modalités d'organisation que de son impact sur Ie réseau de distribution des services de santé mentale. L'implantation de ce système innovateur n'a pas été facile, pour la communauté et pour les initiateurs. Mais heureusement les efforts ont valu Ia peine car la nécessité d'un tel type de services est maintenant reconnue.This article describes the process of instituting in a community a mental health preventive program that had originated in a third line psychiatric institution. The author describe the different stages of the project as much from the point of view of the workers'experiences, the ideological evolution, the organisational modalities as from its impact on the network of the mental health distribution services. The implantation of this new service was not easy for the community nor for the initiators. Luckily, the efforts encountered were worth while since the need for such a service is now recognised

    Genome-wide gene expression profiling analysis of Leishmania major and Leishmania infantum developmental stages reveals substantial differences between the two species

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Leishmania </it>parasites cause a diverse spectrum of diseases in humans ranging from spontaneously healing skin lesions (e.g., <it>L. major</it>) to life-threatening visceral diseases (e.g., <it>L. infantum</it>). The high conservation in gene content and genome organization between <it>Leishmania major </it>and <it>Leishmania infantum </it>contrasts their distinct pathophysiologies, suggesting that highly regulated hierarchical and temporal changes in gene expression may be involved.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used a multispecies DNA oligonucleotide microarray to compare whole-genome expression patterns of promastigote (sandfly vector) and amastigote (mammalian macrophages) developmental stages between <it>L. major </it>and <it>L. infantum</it>. Seven per cent of the total <it>L. infantum </it>genome and 9.3% of the <it>L. major </it>genome were differentially expressed at the RNA level throughout development. The main variations were found in genes involved in metabolism, cellular organization and biogenesis, transport and genes encoding unknown function. Remarkably, this comparative global interspecies analysis demonstrated that only 10–12% of the differentially expressed genes were common to <it>L. major </it>and <it>L. infantum</it>. Differentially expressed genes are randomly distributed across chromosomes further supporting a posttranscriptional control, which is likely to involve a variety of 3'UTR elements.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study highlighted substantial differences in gene expression patterns between <it>L. major </it>and <it>L. infantum</it>. These important species-specific differences in stage-regulated gene expression may contribute to the disease tropism that distinguishes <it>L. major </it>from <it>L. infantum.</it></p

    Iron oxide minerals in dust-source sediments from the Bodélé Depression, Chad: Implications for radiative properties and Fe bioavailability of dust plumes from the Sahara

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    Atmospheric mineral dust can influence climate and biogeochemical cycles. An important component of mineral dust is ferric oxide minerals (hematite and goethite) which have been shown to influence strongly the optical properties of dust plumes and thus affect the radiative forcing of global dust. Here we report on the iron mineralogy of dust-source samples from the Bodélé Depression (Chad, north-central Africa), which is estimated to be Earth’s most prolific dust producer and may be a key contributor to the global radiative budget of the atmosphere as well as to long-range nutrient transport to the Amazon Basin. By using a combination of magnetic property measurements, Mössbauer spectroscopy, reflectance spectroscopy, chemical analysis, and scanning electron microscopy, we document the abundance and relative amounts of goethite, hematite, and magnetite in dust-source samples from the Bodélé Depression. The partition between hematite and goethite is important to know to improve models for the radiative effects of ferric oxide minerals in mineral dust aerosols. The combination of methods shows (1) the dominance of goethite over hematite in the source sediments, (2) the abundance and occurrences of their nanosize components, and (3) the ubiquity of magnetite, albeit in small amounts. Dominant goethite and subordinate hematite together compose about 2% of yellow-reddish dust-source sediments from the Bodélé Depression and contribute strongly to diminution of reflectance in bulk samples. These observations imply that dust plumes from the Bodélé Depression that are derived from goethite-dominated sediments strongly absorb solar radiation. The presence of ubiquitous magnetite (0.002-0.57 wt. %) is also noteworthy for its potentially higher solubility relative to ferric oxide and for its small sizes, including PM<0.1m. For all examined samples, the average iron apportionment is estimated at about 33% in ferric oxide minerals, 1.4 % in magnetite, and 65% in ferric silicates. Structural iron in clay minerals may account for much of the iron in the ferric silicates. We estimate that the mean ferric oxides flux exported from the Bodélé Depression is 0.9 Tg/yr with greater than 50% exported as ferric oxide nanoparticles (<0.1m). The high surface-to-volume ratios of ferric oxide nanoparticles once entrained into dust plumes may facilitate increased atmospheric chemical and physical processing and affect iron solubility and bioavailability to marine and terrestrial ecosystems

    Genome sequencing of the lizard parasite Leishmania tarentolae reveals loss of genes associated to the intracellular stage of human pathogenic species

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    The Leishmania tarentolae Parrot-TarII strain genome sequence was resolved to an average 16-fold mean coverage by next-generation DNA sequencing technologies. This is the first non-pathogenic to humans kinetoplastid protozoan genome to be described thus providing an opportunity for comparison with the completed genomes of pathogenic Leishmania species. A high synteny was observed between all sequenced Leishmania species. A limited number of chromosomal regions diverged between L. tarentolae and L. infantum, while remaining syntenic to L. major. Globally, >90% of the L. tarentolae gene content was shared with the other Leishmania species. We identified 95 predicted coding sequences unique to L. tarentolae and 250 genes that were absent from L. tarentolae. Interestingly, many of the latter genes were expressed in the intracellular amastigote stage of pathogenic species. In addition, genes coding for products involved in antioxidant defence or participating in vesicular-mediated protein transport were underrepresented in L. tarentolae. In contrast to other Leishmania genomes, two gene families were expanded in L. tarentolae, namely the zinc metallo-peptidase surface glycoprotein GP63 and the promastigote surface antigen PSA31C. Overall, L. tarentolae's gene content appears better adapted to the promastigote insect stage rather than the amastigote mammalian stage

    Gene expression modulation is associated with gene amplification, supernumerary chromosomes and chromosome loss in antimony-resistant Leishmania infantum

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    Antimonials remain the first line drug against the protozoan parasite Leishmania but their efficacy is threatened by resistance. We carried out a RNA expression profiling analysis comparing an antimony-sensitive and -resistant (Sb2000.1) strain of Leishmania infantum using whole-genome 70-mer oligonucleotide microarrays. Several genes were differentially expressed between the two strains, several of which were found to be physically linked in the genome. MRPA, an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) gene known to be involved in antimony resistance, was overexpressed in the antimony-resistant mutant along with three other tandemly linked genes on chromosome 23. This four gene locus was flanked by 1.4 kb repeated sequences from which an extrachromosomal circular amplicon was generated in the resistant cells. Interestingly, gene expression modulation of entire chromosomes occurred in the antimony-resistant mutant. Southern blots analyses and comparative genomic hybridizations revealed that this was either due to the presence of supernumerary chromosomes or to the loss of one chromosome. Leishmania parasites with haploid chromosomes were viable. Changes in copy number for some of these chromosomes were confirmed in another antimony-resistant strain. Selection of a partial revertant line correlated antimomy resistance levels and the copy number of aneuploid chromosomes, suggesting a putative link between aneuploidy and drug resistance in Leishmania

    Gene Expression Profiling and Molecular Characterization of Antimony Resistance in Leishmania amazonensis

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    Leishmania are unicellular microorganisms that can be transmitted to humans by the bite of sandflies. They cause a spectrum of diseases called leishmaniasis, which are classified as neglected tropical diseases by the World Health Organization. The treatment of leishmaniasis is based on the administration of antimony-containing drugs. These drugs have been used since 1947 and still constitute the mainstay for leishmaniasis treatment in several countries. One of the problems with these compounds is the emergence of resistance. Our work seeks to understand how these parasites become resistant to the drug. We studied antimony-resistant Leishmania amazonensis mutants. We analyzed gene expression at the whole genome level in antimony-resistant parasites and identified mechanisms used by Leishmania for resistance. This work could help us in developing new strategies for treatment in endemic countries where people are unresponsive to antimony-based chemotherapy. The identification of common mechanisms among different species of resistant parasites may also contribute to the development of diagnostic kits to identify and monitor the spread of resistance
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