Changements climatiques, migrations et défis de la gestion de l’environnement : Le cas d’un village au coeur de la tourmente au Burkina Faso

Les changements globaux ont des conséquences délétères sur les conditions de vie, dans les pays sahéliens d’Afrique. L’expérience du village de Koumbili (Burkina Faso), recueillie à partir d’une évaluation rurale participative (ERP) conduite en 2005, apporte une compréhension de la façon dont les changements climatiques et politiques actuels peuvent enclencher des comportements susceptibles de menacer l’intégrité des écosystèmes déjà fragilisés. Elle permet aussi une mise en perspective des mécanismes qui opèrent en vue de renforcer les capacités de gestion durable et d’organisation locales dans la région considérée.L’ERP a révélé que l’exploitation du terroir de Koumbili a connu une intensification marquée suite à l’augmentation de l’effectif villageois résultant en grande partie des migrations liées à l’assèchement de régions voisines et de la crise ivoirienne. La conservation du potentiel productif du terroir et l’accès à l’eau, sont donc devenus source de tensions et de conflits.Cet enjeu peut être relevé en misant sur un rôle moteur des associations villageoises et sur un maillage organisationnel qui permette d’intégrer les différents types de compétences. La collaboration des universités de Moncton et Ouagadougou a joué un rôle central dans ce processus, et plus précisément dans le développement local durable et l’innovation sociale communautaire. Cette étude de cas vise à démontrer la pertinence de l’impact communautaire de la formation universitaire. S’appuyant sur l’interdisciplinarité, elle veut « rapprocher » l’université des communautés rurales pour développer des apprentissages mutuels et des interactions renforçant les capacités d’organisation et d’action des organisations villageoises.Global changes have detrimental consequences on the conditions of life in Sahelian countries. The experience of the village of Koumbili (Burkina Faso), documented through a participatory rural appraisal (PAR) conducted in 2005, brings a concrete understanding of how actual climatic and political changes can bring about human behaviours that jeopardize the integrity of fragile ecosystem. The case of Koumbili also allows an outlook on various mechanisms which aim at strengthening local sustainable management and local organization capacities in the region considered.PAR revealed that the exploitation of the village’s natural resources has intensified markedly, due to the rising of the population. A large part of the latter resulted from migrations related to the drying out of neighbouring regions and from displacements related to the Ivory Coast’s crisis. Conservation of land production potential and access to water, have thus become the cause of tensions and conflicts in the village populations. This issue can be addressed by enhancing village associations with educational institutions.Universities have an important role to play in this process, and more precisely in sustainable development and in community-based social innovation. This is the rational behind the institutional reinforcement partnership between Université de Moncton and Université de Ouagadougou. The present case study derives from this partnership. Its aim is to reinforce the pertinence and the impact of university teaching and research on local communities. It is based on interdisciplinarity and wishes to bring the university “closer” to rural communities in order to develop mutual learning and long-lasting interactions, in order to build the capacities of organisation and action at the local level

Enhancement of Calcium/Vitamin D Supplement Efficacy by Administering Concomitantly Three Key Nutrients Essential to Bone Collagen Matrix for the Treatment of Osteopenia in Middle-Aged Women: A One-Year Follow-Up

Two vitamins and proline (CB6Pro), three nutrients essential for bone collagen, were used in combination to a 1000 mg calcium/250 IU vitamin D (Ca/D) daily supplement to treat osteopenia as a preventive measure against osteoporosis later in life. Middle-aged women not using estrogen were screened for osteopenia using the WHO criteria and divided into three groups (n = 20 each): 1) placebo healthy controls with normal bone mineral density (BMD); 2) control Ca/D-treated osteopenic patients; and 3) Ca/D + CB6Pro-treated osteopenic patients. The three groups were comparable at baseline except for BMD. After one-year treatment, cortical diaphyseal BMD remained constant in each group, but trabecular bone loss persisted (at 5 lumbar sites) in osteopenic group 2. No further bone loss was detected in osteopenic group 3. A loss of 2% was evidenced in the placebo group at one lumbar site. Markers of bone formation (which increase in coupling to resorption) decreased significantly in both osteopenic groups. Although biomarkers of resorption did not change, hormone (PTH and 1,25(OH)2D3)-induced osteoclastic activity was significantly reduced. No decline in BMD occurred at any bone site in osteopenic group 3, highlighting the importance of improving the quality of bone matrix concomitantly to mineral replacement

An original phylogenetic approach identified mitochondrial haplogroup T1a1 as inversely associated with breast cancer risk in BRCA2 mutation carriers

Introduction: Individuals carrying pathogenic mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have a high lifetime risk of breast cancer. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are involved in DNA double-strand break repair, DNA alterations that can be caused by exposure to reactive oxygen species, a main source of which are mitochondria. Mitochondrial genome variations affect electron transport chain efficiency and reactive oxygen species production. Individuals with different mitochondrial haplogroups differ in their metabolism and sensitivity to oxidative stress. Variability in mitochondrial genetic background can alter reactive oxygen species production, leading to cancer risk. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that mitochondrial haplogroups modify breast cancer risk in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Methods: We genotyped 22,214 (11,421 affected, 10,793 unaffected) mutation carriers belonging to the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 for 129 mitochondrial polymorphisms using the iCOGS array. Haplogroup inference and association detection were performed using a phylogenetic approach. ALTree was applied to explore the reference mitochondrial evolutionary tree and detect subclades enriched in affected or unaffected individuals. Results: We discovered that subclade T1a1 was depleted in affected BRCA2 mutation carriers compared with the rest of clade T (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.34 to 0.88; P = 0.01). Compared with the most frequent haplogroup in the general population (that is, H and T clades), the T1a1 haplogroup has a HR of 0.62 (95% CI, 0.40 to 0.95; P = 0.03). We also identified three potential susceptibility loci, including G13708A/rs28359178, which has demonstrated an inverse association with familial breast cancer risk. Conclusions: This study illustrates how original approaches such as the phylogeny-based method we used can empower classical molecular epidemiological studies aimed at identifying association or risk modification effects.Peer reviewe

Identification of genetic variants associated with Huntington's disease progression: a genome-wide association study

Background Huntington's disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene, HTT. Age at onset has been used as a quantitative phenotype in genetic analysis looking for Huntington's disease modifiers, but is hard to define and not always available. Therefore, we aimed to generate a novel measure of disease progression and to identify genetic markers associated with this progression measure. Methods We generated a progression score on the basis of principal component analysis of prospectively acquired longitudinal changes in motor, cognitive, and imaging measures in the 218 indivduals in the TRACK-HD cohort of Huntington's disease gene mutation carriers (data collected 2008–11). We generated a parallel progression score using data from 1773 previously genotyped participants from the European Huntington's Disease Network REGISTRY study of Huntington's disease mutation carriers (data collected 2003–13). We did a genome-wide association analyses in terms of progression for 216 TRACK-HD participants and 1773 REGISTRY participants, then a meta-analysis of these results was undertaken. Findings Longitudinal motor, cognitive, and imaging scores were correlated with each other in TRACK-HD participants, justifying use of a single, cross-domain measure of disease progression in both studies. The TRACK-HD and REGISTRY progression measures were correlated with each other (r=0·674), and with age at onset (TRACK-HD, r=0·315; REGISTRY, r=0·234). The meta-analysis of progression in TRACK-HD and REGISTRY gave a genome-wide significant signal (p=1·12 × 10−10) on chromosome 5 spanning three genes: MSH3, DHFR, and MTRNR2L2. The genes in this locus were associated with progression in TRACK-HD (MSH3 p=2·94 × 10−8 DHFR p=8·37 × 10−7 MTRNR2L2 p=2·15 × 10−9) and to a lesser extent in REGISTRY (MSH3 p=9·36 × 10−4 DHFR p=8·45 × 10−4 MTRNR2L2 p=1·20 × 10−3). The lead single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TRACK-HD (rs557874766) was genome-wide significant in the meta-analysis (p=1·58 × 10−8), and encodes an aminoacid change (Pro67Ala) in MSH3. In TRACK-HD, each copy of the minor allele at this SNP was associated with a 0·4 units per year (95% CI 0·16–0·66) reduction in the rate of change of the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) Total Motor Score, and a reduction of 0·12 units per year (95% CI 0·06–0·18) in the rate of change of UHDRS Total Functional Capacity score. These associations remained significant after adjusting for age of onset. Interpretation The multidomain progression measure in TRACK-HD was associated with a functional variant that was genome-wide significant in our meta-analysis. The association in only 216 participants implies that the progression measure is a sensitive reflection of disease burden, that the effect size at this locus is large, or both. Knockout of Msh3 reduces somatic expansion in Huntington's disease mouse models, suggesting this mechanism as an area for future therapeutic investigation

Changements climatiques, migrations et défis de la gestion de l’environnement : le cas d’un village au cœur de la tourmente au Burkina Faso

Les changements globaux ont des conséquences délétères sur les conditions de vie, dans les pays sahéliens d’Afrique. L’expérience du village de Koumbili (Burkina Faso), recueillie à partir d’une évaluation rurale participative (ERP) conduite en 2005, apporte une compréhension de la façon dont les changements climatiques et politiques actuels peuvent enclencher des comportements susceptibles de menacer l’intégrité des écosystèmes déjà fragilisés. Elle permet aussi une mise en perspective des mécanismes qui opèrent en vue de renforcer les capacités de gestion durable et d’organisation locales dans la région considérée. L’ERP a révélé que l’exploitation du terroir de Koumbili a connu une intensification marquée suite à l’augmentation de l’effectif villageois résultant en grande partie des migrations liées à l’assèchement de régions voisines et de la crise ivoirienne. La conservation du potentiel productif du terroir et l’accès à l’eau, sont donc devenus source de tensions et de conflits. Cet enjeu peut être relevé en misant sur un rôle moteur des associations villageoises et sur un maillage organisationnel qui permette d’intégrer les différents types de compétences. La collaboration des universités de Moncton et Ouagadougou a joué un rôle central dans ce processus, et plus précisément dans le développement local durable et l’innovation sociale communautaire. Cette étude de cas vise à démontrer la pertinence de l’impact communautaire de la formation universitaire. S’appuyant sur l’interdisciplinarité, elle veut  « rapprocher » l’université des communautés rurales pour développer des apprentissages mutuels et des interactions renforçant les capacités d’organisation et d’action des organisations villageoises.Global changes have detrimental consequences on the conditions of life in Sahelian countries. The experience of the village of Koumbili (Burkina Faso), documented through a participatory rural appraisal (PAR) conducted in 2005, brings a concrete understanding of how actual climatic and political changes can bring about human behaviours that jeopardize the integrity of fragile ecosystem. The case of Koumbili also allows an outlook on various mechanisms which aim at strengthening local sustainable management and local organization capacities in the region considered. PAR revealed that the exploitation of the village’s natural resources has intensified markedly, due to the rising of the population. A large part of the latter resulted from migrations related to the drying out of neighbouring regions and from displacements related to the Ivory Coast’s crisis. Conservation of land production potential and access to water, have thus become the cause of tensions and conflicts in the village populations. This issue can be addressed by enhancing village associations with educational institutions. Universities have an important role to play in this process, and more precisely in sustainable development and in community-based social innovation. This is the rational behind the institutional reinforcement partnership between Université de Moncton and Université de Ouagadougou. The present case study derives from this partnership. Its aim is to reinforce the pertinence and the impact of university teaching and research on local communities. It is based on interdisciplinarity and wishes to bring the university “closer” to rural communities in order to develop mutual learning and long-lasting interactions, in order to build the capacities of organisation and action at the local level

De la nutrition à l’écologie nutritionnelle : essai de mise en perspective

La recherche d’une alimentation « saine et équilibrée » ne peut se faire sans considérations allocentriques, à l’égard d’autrui ou d’autres formes de vie. Pourtant, la satisfaction de besoins individuels (réels ou fabriqués, à l’échelle d’une personne ou de groupes restreints) tend à prédominer. Le paradigme dominant en sciences alimentaires et nutrition-nelles étant fondamentalement anthropocentré, orienté vers les besoins/intérêts individuels, il apporte peu de réponses aux questions complexes de dégradation de l’environnement et d’utilisation équitable des ressources nourricières. Nous introduisons cette problématique puis nous proposons une mise en perspective des positions épistémologiques pouvant aider à promouvoir une alimentation qui contribuerait davantage au « développement durable » (satisfaction de besoins élargis). Nous soulignons l’intérêt heuristique du paradigme écosystémique pour envisager une évolution dans ce sens. L’alimentation étant un facteur structurant majeur de l’organisation sociale, une évolution vers plus de viabilité et d’équité au plan mondial nécessitera sans doute des adaptations d’ordre alimentaire et nutritionnel.The quest for a “balanced and healthy” diet should not be devoid of considerations for others and other forms of life. Yet, the satisfaction of individual needs (be they real or fabricated, at the level of a person or small groups) tends to overshadow these considerations. The dominant paradigm in food and nutrition sciences, being largely anthropocentric and self-centered, struggles to provide answers to the complex questions of environmental degradation and equitable use of food resources. This paper outlines the issues at hand, then draws a perspective of the epistemological positions that may help evolve diets and food ways that would be more conducive to “sustainable development” (satisfaction of a broader range of needs). The heuristic value of the ecosystemic paradigm for fostering this evolution is underlined. Given the key role of food in shaping social organisation, it is likely that any progress toward more viability and equity worldwide will entail dietary adaptations

Le « prendre soin » de la santé (PSS) : une conception transdisciplinaire et inclusive de la pratique soignante et son intérêt pour améliorer les résultats de santé des jeunes aux prises avec le diabète

La prévalence accrue des maladies chroniques, dont celles pour lesquelles la prévention est possible, met en relief certaines limites des perspectives de soins de santé couramment déployées. Nous soutenons qu’une meilleure compréhension du « prendre soin », qui ne se limite pas aux actes médicaux et infirmiers, ni à la science infirmière, est nécessaire pour améliorer les pratiques et les résultats de santé. Prendre soin de la santé (PSS), comprenant le « prendre soin de soi », est un concept plus large que l’observance du traitement et l’autogestion de la maladie ou de la santé. Cet article vise à explorer l’intérêt du PSS. Une recherche documentaire a été réalisée pour mieux cerner les particularités du PSS, en examinant les fondements philosophiques, théoriques et pratiques du « prendre soin » par rapport à d’autres approches, dont le caring, et aux défis rencontrés. La problématique de santé des jeunes diabétiques et de leur famille sert d’ancrage à la réflexion proposée. Pour cette problématique, entre autres, la recension des écrits suggère que le PSS est porteur de possibilités pour améliorer l’accompagnement et la qualité de vie des personnes atteintes et pour développer l’agir préventif.The rising prevalence of chronic diseases, including those that are preventable, underlines important limitations of the healthcare perspectives commonly used. We argue that a better understanding of “prendre soin” (caring), which is not limited to medical or nursing procedures, nor to nursing science, is necessary to improve health practices and outcomes. “Prendre soin de la santé” or PSS (taking care of health or caring), which includes “prendre soin de soi” (taking care of oneself or self-care), is a concept broader than compliance to treatment and disease or health management. This paper aims at exploring the interest of PSS for healthcare. A literature review was conducted to examine the philosophical, theoretical and practical underpinnings of “prendre soin” in relation to other approaches, including caring, and current challenges. The proposed analysis is situated within the context of diabetic youth and their families’ health care. For this particular situation and others, PSS carries possibilities for improving the assistance and quality of life of the persons affected and to foster prevention

Influence of Extraction Conditions on Ultrasound-Assisted Recovery of Bioactive Phenolics from Blueberry Pomace and Their Antioxidant Activity

The increase in diet-related chronic diseases has prompted the search for health-promoting compounds and methods to ensure their quality. Blueberry pomace is a rich yet underutilized source of bioactive polyphenols. For these high-value bioactive molecules, ultrasound-assisted extraction (USAE) is an attractive and green alternative to conventional extraction techniques for improving purity and yields. This study aimed to assess the impact of USAE parameters (sonication time, solvent composition, solid/liquid ratio, pH and temperature) on the recovery of phenolic compounds from blueberry pomace and antioxidant activity of the extracts. Total phenolic, flavonoid and anthocyanin contents (TPC, TFC and TAC) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity were analysed. USAE in 50% ethanol/water was the most efficient, yielding the highest TPC (22.33 mg/g dry matter (DM)), TFC (19.41 mg/g DM), TAC (31.32 mg/g DM) and DPPH radical scavenging activity (41.79 mg Trolox/g DM). USAE in water showed the lowest values even at low (1/40) solid/liquid ratio (7.85 mg/g DM, 3.49 mg/g DM, and 18.96 mg/g DM for TPC, TFC and TAC, respectively). Decreasing the solid/liquid ratio in water or 50% ethanol significantly increased TPC, TFC, TAC and DPPH radical scavenging. With ethanol, increasing the temperature in the range 20–40 °C decreased TPC but increased TFC and DPPH radical scavenging activity. Anthocyanin profiles of water and ethanolic extracts were qualitatively similar, consisting of malvidin, delphinidin, petunidin and cyanidin. These findings indicate that USAE is a method of choice for extracting high-value bioactive phenolics from blueberry pomace. Selective enrichment of different phenolic fractions is possible under select extraction conditions

Coencapsulation of Polyphenols and Anthocyanins from Blueberry Pomace by Double Emulsion Stabilized by Whey Proteins: Effect of Homogenization Parameters

Blueberry pomace is a rich source of high-value bioactive polyphenols with presumed health benefits. Their incorporation into functional foods and health-related products benefits from coencapsulation and protection of polyphenol-rich extracts in suitable carriers. This study aimed to create a water-in-oil-in-water (W1/O/W2) double emulsion system suitable for the coencapsulation of total phenolics (TP) and anthocyanins (TA) from a polyphenol-rich extract of blueberry pomace (W1). The effect of critical physical parameters for preparing stable double emulsions, namely homogenization pressure, stirring speed and time, was investigated by measuring the hydrodynamic diameter, size dispersity and zeta potential of the oil droplets, and the encapsulation efficiency of TP and TA. The oil droplets were negatively charged (negative zeta potential values), which was related to the pH and composition of W2 (whey protein isolate solution) and suggests stabilization by the charged whey proteins. Increasing W1/O/W2 microfluidization pressure from 50 to 200 MPa or homogenization speed from 6000 to 12,000 rpm significantly increased droplet diameter and zeta potential and decreased TA and TP encapsulation efficiency. Increasing W1/O/W2 homogenization time from 15 to 20 min also increased droplet diameter and zeta potential and lowered TA encapsulation efficiency, while TP encapsulation did not vary significantly. In contrast, increasing W1/O homogenization time from 5 to 10 min at 10,000 rpm markedly increased TA encapsulation efficiency and reduced droplet diameter and zeta potential. High coencapsulation rates of blueberry polyphenols and anthocyanins around 80% or greater were achieved when the oil droplets were relatively small (mean diameter < 400 nm), with low dispersity (<0.25) and a high negative surface charge (−40 mV or less). These characteristics were obtained by homogenizing for 10 min at 10,000 rpm (W1/O), then 6000 rpm for 15 min, followed by microfluidization at 50 MPa

Expériences de la stigmatisation en lien avec la santé mentale chez des jeunes de trois communautés au Nouveau-Brunswick

Cette étude vise à comprendre comment les jeunes recourant à des services en santé mentale (SM) perçoivent la stigmatisation en SM et comment cela a été vécu durant leur parcours de soins et de rétablissement. Des groupes de discussion avec 25 jeunes ont été réalisés dans trois communautés (autochtone dans une région isolée, francophone rurale et anglophone urbaine). L’analyse thématique révèle que leurs expériences de la stigmatisation sont marquées par diverses formes de discrédit et par le traitement différentiel déshumanisant qui les conduit à rechercher des alternatives non stigmatisantes et comblant mieux leurs besoins. Ainsi, ces jeunes orientent activement leurs parcours de soins en SM selon la stigmatisation perçue. D’importantes nuances socioculturelles ont également été identifiées quant aux expériences et stratégies des jeunes et éléments favorisant ou atténuant la stigmatisation. Leurs perspectives sont riches d’enseignements pour déstigmatiser les services de SM pour les jeunes de différents groupes culturels.This study aims to understand how youth who receive mental health (MH) services perceive stigma related to mental illness and how this was experienced during their trajectory toward care and recovery. Discussion groups were carried out with 25 youths in three New Brunswick communities (remote Indigenous, rural Francophone and urban Anglophone). Thematic analysis reveals that youth’s experiences of stigma reflect various forms of discrediting as well as differential, dehumanising treatment, which lead them to look for stigma-free alternatives that better meet their needs. This shows that youth actively select their options for MH support depending on the stigma they perceive. Results also show important socio-cultural nuances with regards to youth’s experiences and to the strategies and factors that enable or mitigate stigma. Their accounts hold valuable lessons for destigmatizing mental illness and the access to youth MH services for different cultural groups