Quality of Life of Infants with Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: A Large Prospective Observational Study

Background: Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) are very common during infancy, leading to frequent medical consultations. The aim of this large, prospective study was to assess the quality of life (QoL) and clinical management of infants with FGID.Methods: Completely or partially bottle-fed infants under 5 months old, presenting one or more FGID (regurgitation, constipation, diarrhea, crying/fussing), were enrolled during initial consultation by 111 pediatricians in private practice throughout France and reassessed at one month. Parents were asked to complete the QUALIN QoL questionnaire at inclusion and at Day 15.Results: A total of 815 infants (mean age 2.1±1.2 months) were evaluable. Mean QoL score improved from +27.2±15.1 at inclusion to +38.0±12.9 at day 15 (p<0.0001) irrespective of FGID symptoms. Multivariate analysis indicated that younger age, dietary advice, and partial breastfeeding were associated with better QoL outcome. Gastrointestinal symptoms showed significant regression at Day 30. The number of bottle feeds followed by external reflux episodes decreased from 80.0±27.4% to 36.1±31.4% at Day 30 (p<0.0001), the weekly number of stools increasing from 3.9±4.0 to 8.0±3.7 (p<0.0001).Conclusion: Medical management based on information, reassurance, lifestyle advice and dietary intervention improved QoL in infants with FGID and led to a reduction in FGID symptoms

Effectiveness of a starch thickened infant formula with reduced lactose content, probiotics and prebiotics on quality of life and clinical outcome in infants with regurgitation and/or colic

BackgroundRegurgitation and colic are quite common in young infants, leading to a reduced quality of life (QoL) and to parental distress. Their management is challenging and aims to effectively reassure and relieve symptoms. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness over 30 days of a starch thickened formula with a reduced lactose content, Limosilactobacillus reuteri (Lactobacillus reuteri) DSM 17938 and FOS/GOS.MethodsA real-world prospective multicenter experimental study was conducted in a before-after design within subject. Full term infants 0−5 months with regurgitation or colic or both symptoms and without intercurrent illness were included after parental informed consent and received the studied formula. The primary endpoint was the improvement in QoL using the QUALIN infant’s questionnaire. Secondary endpoints were the symptoms outcome and the formula tolerance.ResultsOf the 101 infants included (age: 6.2 ± 4.3  weeks), 33 had regurgitation, 34 colic and 34 had both. At D30, the QoL score was improved in 75% of infants in per protocol analysis (n = 68; +8.2 ± 13.7; p < 0.001), more in those with colic or both symptoms. Meanwhile, in intention to treat analysis (all p < 0.001), the daily number of regurgitations decreased by 61% and the weekly number of days with colic by 63% while the daily cumulative duration of crying decreased by 82 ± 106 mn. These improvements were observed within the first week by 89 and 76% of parents, respectively.ConclusionThe study formula associated with reassurance is shown to be quickly effective in the management of infant’s regurgitation or/and colic in routine clinical practice.Clinical trial registrationhttps://clinicaltrials.gov/, identifier NCT04462640

An approach for measuring the human gesture learning ability in third-person view environment for motor rehabilitation

In this paper, we describe a novel and quantitative approach to assess the capability of performing training task in the third-person view virtual environment for motor rehabilitation. Our proposed approach is based on human gestures which are constructed from gesture-units according to levels of complexity. Experimented in a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment, human gestures are represented by a virtual human thus the training task of the subject is to memorize those gestures and then to reproduce them. Performance of executing this training task is measured by the similarity between the virtual human’s gesture and the subject one which is captured by an optical motion capture device. In practice, a combination of performance and the complexity of the gesture is carried out to evaluate the ability of learning the human gestures of the subject.SIMACTION projec

Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy of Thermoresponsive Polymers in Aqueous Solution

The behavior of highly concentrated aqueous solutions of two thermoresponsive polymers poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) and poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PVCL) have been investigated by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). Measurements have been performed for concentrations up to 20 wt %, over a frequency range from 0.3 to 1.5 THz and for temperatures from 20 to 45 °C including the zone for lower critical solution temperature (LCST). THz-TDS enables the study of the behavior of water present in the solution (i.e., free or bound to the polymer). From these measurements, in addition to phase transition temperature, thermodynamic data such as variation of enthalpy and entropy can be inferred. Thanks to these data, further insights upon the mechanism involved during the dehydration phenomenon were obtained. These results were compared to the ones issued from dynamic light scattering, spectroscopy, or microscopy techniques to underline the interest to use THz-TDS as a powerful tool to characterize the behavior of thermoresponsive polymers in highly concentrated solutions

Quantification of cell behaviors and computational modelling show that cell directional behaviors drive zebrafish pectoral fin morphogenesis

Motivation: Understanding the mechanisms by which the zebrafish pectoral fin develops is expected to produce insights on how vertebrate limbs grow from a 2D cell layer to a 3D structure. Two mechanisms have been proposed to drive limb morphogenesis in tetrapods: a growth-based morphogenesis with a higher proliferation rate at the distal tip of the limb bud than at the proximal side, and directed cell behaviors that include elongation, division and migration in a nonrandom manner. Based on quantitative experimental biological data at the level of individual cells in the whole developing organ, we test the conditions for the dynamics of pectoral fin early morphogenesis. Results: We found that during the development of the zebrafish pectoral fin, cells have a preferential elongation axis that gradually aligns along the proximodistal axis (PD) of the organ. Based on these quantitative observations, we build a center-based cell model enhanced with a polarity term and cell proliferation to simulate fin growth. Our simulations resulted in 3D fins similar in shape to the observed ones, suggesting that the existence of a preferential axis of cell polarization is essential to drive fin morphogenesis in zebrafish, as observed in the development of limbs in the mouse, but distal tip-based expansion is not. Availability: Upon publication, biological data will be available at http://bioemergences.eu/modelingFin, and source code at https://github.com/guijoe/MaSoFin. Contact: [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected] Supplementary information: Supplementary data are included in this manuscript

An approach for measuring the human gesture learning ability in third-person view environment for motor rehabilitation

International audienceIn this paper, we describe a novel and quantitative approach to assess the capability of performing training task in the third-person view virtual environment for motor rehabilitation. Our proposed approach is based on human gestures which are constructed from gesture-units according to levels of complexity. Experimented in a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment, human gestures are represented by a virtual human thus the training task of the subject is to memorize those gestures and then to reproduce them. Performance of executing this training task is measured by the similarity between the virtual human’s gesture and the subject one which is captured by an optical motion capture device. In practice, a combination of performance and the complexity of the gesture is carried out to evaluate the ability of learning the human gestures of the subject

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International audienceMotivation: Understanding the mechanisms by which the zebrafish pectoral fin develops is expected to produce insights on how vertebrate limbs grow from a 2D cell layer to a 3D structure. Two mechanisms have been proposed to drive limb morphogenesis in tetrapods: a growth-based morphogenesis with a higher proliferation rate at the distal tip of the limb bud than at the proximal side, and directed cell behaviors that include elongation, division and migration in a nonrandom manner. Based on quantitative experimental biological data at the level of individual cells in the whole developing organ, we test the conditions for the dynamics of pectoral fin early morphogenesis.Results: We found that during the development of the zebrafish pectoral fin, cells have a preferential elongation axis that gradually aligns along the proximodistal axis (PD) of the organ. Based on these quantitative observations, we build a center-based cell model enhanced with a polarity term and cell proliferation to simulate fin growth. Our simulations resulted in 3D fins similar in shape to the observed ones, suggesting that the existence of a preferential axis of cell polarization is essential to drive fin morphogenesis in zebrafish, as observed in the development of limbs in the mouse, but distal tip-based expansion is not.Availability: Upon publication, biological data will be available at http://bioemergences.eu/modelingFin, and source code at https://github.com/guijoe/MaSoFin.

Viral and Bacterial Epibionts in Thermally-Stressed Corals

The periodic rise in seawater temperature is one of the main environmental determinants of coral bleaching. However, the direct incidence of these episodic thermal anomalies on coral-associated microbiota and their subsequent effects on coral health are still not completely understood. In this study, we investigated the dynamics of three main microbial communities of the coral holobiont (e.g., Symbiodinium, bacteria and viruses), during an experimental thermal stress (+4 °C) conducted on the scleractinian Fungia repanda. The heat-treatment induced coral bleaching after 11 days and resulted in a final elevation of ca. 9, 130 and 250-fold in the abundance of mucosal viruses, bacteria, and Symbiodinium, respectively. On the contrary, the proportion of actively respiring bacterial cells declined by 95% in heat-stressed corals. The community composition of epibiotic bacteria in healthy corals also greatly differed from bleached ones, which also exhibited much higher production rates of viral epibionts. Overall, our results suggest that the shift in temperature induced a series of microbial changes, including the expulsion and transfer of Symbiodinium cells from the coral polyps to the mucus, the collapse of the physiological state of the native bacterial associates, a substantial alteration in their community structure, and accompanied by the development of a cortege of highly active virulent phages. Finally, this study provides new insights into the environmentally-driven microbial and viral processes responsible for the dislocation of the coral holobiont

Laboratory investigation of organic matter mineralization and nutrient leaching from earthworm casts produced by Amynthas khami

Earthworms are considered soil engineers due to their effects on soil properties including the creation of cast-aggregates which are usually enriched in organic matter compared to the surrounding soil. How earthworms influence the dynamics of soil organic matter (SUM) and mineral nutrients is still poorly understood, partly because the relationships between cast dynamics and SOM and mineral nutrient cycling are unknown. In this study, two laboratory experiments were carried out on free aggregates (casts or soil clods) sampled from the soil surface in a tropical fallow field before the rainy season (March 2008). In the first experiment, a 12 h rainfall simulation (intensity: 44 mm h(-1)) experiment was used to monitor fragmentation and nutrient leaching from Amynthas khami earthworm casts and soil clods. Control soil aggregates > 5000 mu m were rapidly (similar to 2 h) broken into large water-stable aggregates (> 500 mu m) and then into smaller water-stable aggregates (<500 mu m). Conversely, the fragmentation of earthworm casts was progressive and more than 12 h were needed to totally fragment the casts into small size aggregates (<500 mu m). Soil nutrient loss varied depending on aggregate size but it was always higher from cast than from control soil aggregates. NH4+ and NO3- releases showed linear dynamics vs. time, whereas K and P were tightly associated with the soil aggregates and their losses were significant only after 4 h of rainfall. The total amount of N-NH4+, N-NO3-, K and P losses were, respectively, 8-, 7-, 12- and 2-fold greater from casts than from the control soil aggregates. In the second experiment, different aggregate sizes (50-250, 250-500 and 500-2000 mu m) from casts and control soil aggregates were sampled during the rainfall simulation and incubated at 28 C for 21 days. The total amount of K and P was not affected by soil aggregate size. The aggregate hierarchy concept was not confirmed because more C was observed in the smaller aggregate size fractions. Organic C and N mineralization, however, increased with increasing aggregate size for casts, but the opposite trend was observed for the control soil aggregates. This study therefore highlights the importance of earthworm activity for the transfer of mineral nutrients and the protection of SUM within microaggregates

How do earthworms influence organic matter quantity and quality in tropical soils?

Earthworms are important regulators of soil structure and soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics; however, quantifying their influence on SOM cycling in tropical ecosystems remains little studied. Simulated rainfall was used to disrupt casts produced by Amynthas khami and their surrounding soil (control) into a range of small sized aggregates (50e250, 250e500, 500e2000 and 2000e5000 mm). To gain insight into how earthworms influence SOM biogeochemical composition in the aggregates, we carried out elemental and stable isotope analysis, and analytical pyrolysis (Py GC/MS). We also characterized their lignin component after oxidation with cupric oxide (CuO). The C content of smaller size fractions (<500 mm) in the control soil was higher than in the larger fractions. Our study therefore suggests that the aggregate hierarchy concept, which is used to understand soil aggregates and SOM dynamics in temperate soils, may not be applicable to the tropical Acrisol studied here. Earthworms modified SOM organization in soil aggregates. Although the isotope analyses were useful for highlighting SOM enrichment in the earthworm casts, aggregate fractions could not be classified according to particle size. Molecular analyses were necessary to indicate that SOM in all size fractions of casts consisted of relatively undecomposed material. Protection of the most labile SOM structures occurred in the smallest aggregate size fraction (50e250 mm). Py GC/MS showed that earthworm casts and control aggregates <2000 mm could be clearly distinguished according to the molecular properties of their SOM. Aggregates larger than 2000 mm, however, were most probably composed of all fractions and were not different. As a consequence, our results indicate that studies to determine the impact of earthworms on SOM turnover in soil are spatially dependant on the scale of observation