Politics and Community-Based Research

Politics and Community-Based Research: Perspectives from Yeoville Studio, Johannesburg offers a substantive and compelling analysis for a diverse readership interested in urban politics, community mapping and the built environment. The book draws on a critical reflection of Yeoville Studio, a research project conducted by Wits University academics from a diversity of disciplinary backgrounds, together with community partners and postgraduate students. A collection of vignettes portraying people and places in Yeoville interwoven with theoretically analytical chapters, it explores the politics of community research at a neighbourhood scale in its multiple facets, and will resonate with similar contested and complex neighbourhoods across the world. The mix of analysis, vignettes, photographs, architectural design and graphics builds the discussion in engaging, rich and integrated ways, to capture the many participatory approaches taken to this city-community studio

Severe Asthma Standard-of-Care Background Medication Reduction With Benralizumab: ANDHI in Practice Substudy

Background: The phase IIIb, randomized, parallel-group, placebo-controlled ANDHI double-blind (DB) study extended understanding of the efficacy of benralizumab for patients with severe eosinophilic asthma. Patients from ANDHI DB could join the 56-week ANDHI in Practice (IP) single-arm, open-label extension substudy. Objective: Assess potential for standard-of-care background medication reductions while maintaining asthma control with benralizumab. Methods: Following ANDHI DB completion, eligible adults were enrolled in ANDHI IP. After an 8-week run-in with benralizumab, there were 5 visits to potentially reduce background asthma medications for patients achieving and maintaining protocol-defined asthma control with benralizumab. Main outcome measures for non-oral corticosteroid (OCS)-dependent patients were the proportions with at least 1 background medication reduction (ie, lower inhaled corticosteroid dose, background medication discontinuation) and the number of adapted Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) step reductions at end of treatment (EOT). Main outcomes for OCS-dependent patients were reductions in daily OCS dosage and proportion achieving OCS dosage of 5 mg or lower at EOT. Results: For non-OCS-dependent patients, 53.3% (n = 208 of 390) achieved at least 1 background medication reduction, increasing to 72.6% (n = 130 of 179) for patients who maintained protocol-defined asthma control at EOT. A total of 41.9% (n = 163 of 389) achieved at least 1 adapted GINA step reduction, increasing to 61.8% (n = 110 of 178) for patients with protocol-defined EOT asthma control. At ANDHI IP baseline, OCS dosages were 5 mg or lower for 40.4% (n = 40 of 99) of OCS-dependent patients. Of OCS-dependent patients, 50.5% (n = 50 of 99) eliminated OCS and 74.7% (n = 74 of 99) achieved dosages of 5 mg or lower at EOT. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate benralizumab's ability to improve asthma control, thereby allowing background medication reduction

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome associated with COVID-19: An Emulated Target Trial Analysis.

RATIONALE: Whether COVID patients may benefit from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) compared with conventional invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effect of ECMO on 90-Day mortality vs IMV only Methods: Among 4,244 critically ill adult patients with COVID-19 included in a multicenter cohort study, we emulated a target trial comparing the treatment strategies of initiating ECMO vs. no ECMO within 7 days of IMV in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (PaO2/FiO2 <80 or PaCO2 ≥60 mmHg). We controlled for confounding using a multivariable Cox model based on predefined variables. MAIN RESULTS: 1,235 patients met the full eligibility criteria for the emulated trial, among whom 164 patients initiated ECMO. The ECMO strategy had a higher survival probability at Day-7 from the onset of eligibility criteria (87% vs 83%, risk difference: 4%, 95% CI 0;9%) which decreased during follow-up (survival at Day-90: 63% vs 65%, risk difference: -2%, 95% CI -10;5%). However, ECMO was associated with higher survival when performed in high-volume ECMO centers or in regions where a specific ECMO network organization was set up to handle high demand, and when initiated within the first 4 days of MV and in profoundly hypoxemic patients. CONCLUSIONS: In an emulated trial based on a nationwide COVID-19 cohort, we found differential survival over time of an ECMO compared with a no-ECMO strategy. However, ECMO was consistently associated with better outcomes when performed in high-volume centers and in regions with ECMO capacities specifically organized to handle high demand. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

La verve

Sait-on ce que c’est que la verve ? Chacun peut la voir à l’œuvre, l’entendre, en parler, qu’il s’agisse de caractériser la manière d’être d’une parole vive ou le style d’un écrivain, voire d’un artiste en général. Si la notion ne revêt a priori aucune légitimité critique et brille par son absence dans la tradition rhétorique, elle affleure néanmoins avec insistance comme une possible catégorie esthétique dont on voudrait ici esquisser les contours. Car elle permet de penser et de dépasser une série d’oppositions binaires : verve orale (improvisée) ou verve écrite (réfléchie) ; bavardage ou parole inspirée ; verve de personnage ou verve d’auteur ; verve gaie ou verve sombre ; verve profuse ou « verve courte ». Au-delà de ces ambivalences, ce qui s’y joue relève peut-être de l’excès comme indissociable compensation d’un manque énigmatique. Il s’agit donc d’éprouver la valeur et l’efficacité de la notion dans le champ critique moderne

Hatching Induction of Cyst Nematodes in Bare Soils Drenched With Root Exudates Under Controlled Conditions

International audienceCyst nematodes account for substantial annual yield losses in crop production worldwide. Concerns over environmental and health issues due to the use of chemical nematicides mean alternative sustainable and integrated solutions are urgently required. Hatch induction of encysted eggs in the absence of host plants, i.e., ‘suicide-hatching,’ could be a sustainable alternative in reducing population densities of cyst nematodes in infested soils. Here we examined in situ hatching of encysted eggs of Globodera pallida, Heterodera carotae, and Heterodera schachtii at varying soil depths, following exogenous applications of host root exudates in repeated glasshouse experiments. Cysts were retrieved 30 or 43 days post-incubation depending on the nematode species and assessed for hatching rates relative to the initial number of viable eggs per cyst. Hatching of the potato cyst nematode G. pallida depended on both soil moisture and effective exposure to root exudates, and to a lesser extent on exudate concentration. The carrot cyst nematode H. carotae had over 75% hatched induced by root exudate irrespective of the concentration, with better hatch induction at 20 cm as compared with 10 cm soil depth. Hatching of the beet cyst nematode H. schachtii largely depended on the soil moisture level at constant temperature, rather than the type or concentration of root exudates applied. As a conclusion, exogenously applied host root exudates may play a major role in inducing in situ hatch of encysted eggs of potato and carrot cyst nematodes in the absence of host plant under favorable soil temperature/moisture conditions. To improve such strategy, the characterization of chemical profiles of the root exudate composition and field validation are currently ongoing

Heterogeneity of PNPT1 neuroimaging: Mitochondriopathy, interferonopathy or both?

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.Background: Biallelic variants in PNPT1 cause a mitochondrial disease of variable severity. PNPT1 (polynucleotide phosphorylase) is a mitochondrial protein involved in RNA processing where it has a dual role in the import of small RNAs into mitochondria and in preventing the formation and release of mitochondrial double-stranded RNA into the cytoplasm. This, in turn, prevents the activation of type I interferon response. Detailed neuroimaging findings in PNPT1-related disease are lacking with only a few patients reported with basal ganglia lesions (Leigh syndrome) or non-specific signs. Objective and methods: To document neuroimaging data in six patients with PNPT1 highlighting novel findings. Results: Two patients exhibited striatal lesions compatible with Leigh syndrome; one patient exhibited leukoencephalopathy and one patient had a normal brain MRI. Interestingly, two unrelated patients exhibited cystic leukoencephalopathy resembling RNASET2-deficient patients, patients with Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS) or congenital CMV infection. Conclusion: We suggest that similar to RNASET2, PNPT1 be searched for in the setting of cystic leukoencephalopathy. These findings are in line with activation of type I interferon response observed in AGS, PNPT1 and RNASET2 deficiencies, suggesting a common pathophysiological pathway and linking mitochondrial diseases, interferonopathies and immune dysregulations

Politics and Community-Based Research

Politics and Community-Based Research: Perspectives from Yeoville Studio, Johannesburg offers a substantive and compelling analysis for a diverse readership interested in urban politics, community mapping and the built environment. The book draws on a critical reflection of Yeoville Studio, a research project conducted by Wits University academics from a diversity of disciplinary backgrounds, together with community partners and postgraduate students. A collection of vignettes portraying people and places in Yeoville interwoven with theoretically analytical chapters, it explores the politics of community research at a neighbourhood scale in its multiple facets, and will resonate with similar contested and complex neighbourhoods across the world. The mix of analysis, vignettes, photographs, architectural design and graphics builds the discussion in engaging, rich and integrated ways, to capture the many participatory approaches taken to this city-community studio

Ecology, evolution, and epidemiology of zoonotic and vector-borne infectious diseases in French Guiana: Transdisciplinarity does matter to tackle new emerging threats

International audienceFrench Guiana is a European ultraperipheric region located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It constitutes an important forested region for biological conservation in the Neotropics. Although very sparsely populated, with its inhabitants mainly concentrated on the Atlantic coastal strip and along the two main rivers, it is marked by the presence and development of old and new epidemic disease outbreaks, both research and health priorities. In this review paper, we synthetize 15 years of multidisciplinary and integrative research at the interface between wildlife, ecosystem modification, human activities and sociodemographic development, and human health. This study reveals a complex epidemiological landscape marked by important transitional changes, facilitated by increased interconnections between wildlife, land-use change and human occupation and activity, human and trade transportation, demography with substantial immigration, and identified vector and parasite pharmacological resistance. Among other French Guianese characteristics, we demonstrate herein the existence of more complex multi-host disease life cycles than previously described for several disease systems in Central and South America, which clearly indicates that today the greater promiscuity between wildlife and humans due to demographic and economic pressures may offer novel settings for microbes and their hosts to circulate and spread. French Guiana is a microcosm that crystallizes all the current global environmental, demographic and socioeconomic change conditions, which may favor the development of ancient and future infectious diseases

Unravelling the determinants of human health in French Polynesia: the MATAEA project

BackgroundFrench Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity in the Southeast Pacific, comprising 75 inhabited islands across five archipelagoes. The human settlement of the region corresponds to the last massive migration of humans to empty territories, but its timeline is still debated. Despite their recent population history and geographical isolation, inhabitants of French Polynesia experience health issues similar to those of continental countries. Modern lifestyles and increased longevity have led to a rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Likewise, international trade and people mobility have caused the emergence of communicable diseases (CDs) including mosquito-borne and respiratory diseases. Additionally, chronic pathologies including acute rheumatic fever, liver diseases, and ciguatera, are highly prevalent in French Polynesia. However, data on such diseases are scarce and not representative of the geographic fragmentation of the population. ObjectivesThe MATAEA project aims to estimate the prevalence of several NCDs and CDs in the population of the five archipelagoes, and identify associated risk factors. Moreover, genetic analyses will contribute to determinate the sequence and timings of the peopling history of French Polynesia, and identify causal links between past genetic adaptation to island environments, and present-day susceptibility to certain diseases. MethodsThis cross-sectional survey is based on the random selection of 2,100 adults aged 18-69 years and residing on 18 islands from the five archipelagoes. Each participant answered a questionnaire on a wide range of topics (including demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits and medical history), underwent physical measurements (height, weight, waist circumference, arterial pressure, and skin pigmentation), and provided biological samples (blood, saliva, and stool) for biological, genetic and microbiological analyses. ConclusionFor the first time in French Polynesia, the MATAEA project allows to collect a wide range of data to explore the existence of indicators and/or risk factors for multiple pathologies of public health concern. The results will help health authorities to adapt actions and preventive measures aimed at reducing the incidence of NCDs and CDs. Moreover, the new genomic data generated in this study, combined with anthropological data, will increase our understanding of the peopling history of French Polynesia

Construire en terre crue

Quel est le statut de la terre crue comme matériau de construction ? Son utilisation est-elle liée à des fonctions spécifiques du bâti ? Au statut social de l’habitant ? À des situations économiques et politiques ? À des milieux naturels particuliers ? À quels autres matériaux est-il associé et dans quels contextes ? Quelles évolutions et inventions techniques a-t-il permis ? What is the status of this building material compared to others? Is its use linked to specific functions of construction? To the social status of the resident? To economic and political situations? To particular natural environments? To what other materials is it associated to and in which contexts? What developments and technical inventions did it promote? ¿Cuál es la situación de la tierra cruda como material de construcción? ¿Está su uso vinculado a funciones específicas del edificio? ¿A la condición social del habitante? ¿A las situaciones económicas y políticas? ¿A entornos naturales concretos? ¿Con qué otros materiales se asocia y en qué contextos? ¿Qué avances técnicos e inventos ha permitido