Self-assembling peptide-enriched electrospun polycaprolactone scaffolds promote the h-osteoblast adhesion and modulate differentiation-associated gene expression

Electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) is able to support the adhesion and growth of h-osteoblasts and to delay their degradation rate to a greater extent with respect to other polyesters. The drawbacks linked to its employment in regenerative medicine arise fromits hydrophobic nature and the lack of biochemical signals linked to it. This work reports on the attempt to add five different self-assembling (SA) peptides to PCL solutions before electrospinning. The hybrid scaffolds obtained had regular fibers (SEM analysis) whose diameters were similar to those of the extracellularmatrix, more stable hydrophilic (contact angle measurement) surfaces, and anamorphous phase constrained by peptides (DSC analysis). They appeared to have a notable capacity to promote the h-osteoblast adhesion and differentiation process by increasing the gene expression of alkaline phosphatase, bone sialoprotein, and osteopontin. Adding an Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif to a self-assembling sequence was found to enhance cell adhesion, while the same motif condensed with a scrambled sequence did not, indicating that there is a cooperative effect between RGD and 3D architecture created by the self-assembling peptides. The study demonstrates that self-assembling peptide scaffolds are still able to promote beneficial effects on h-osteoblasts even after they have been included in electrospun polycaprolactone. The possibility of linking biochemical messages to self-assembling peptides could lead the way to a 3D decoration of fibrous scaffolds

Bordetella pertussis, Finland and France

We used pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis and genotyping to compare clinical isolates of Bordetella pertussis recovered since the early 1990s in Finland and France, 2 countries with similar histories of long-term mass vaccination with whole-cell pertussis vaccines. Isolates from both countries were similar genetically but varied temporally

What controls the isotopic composition of Greenland surface snow?

International audienceWater stable isotopes in Greenland ice core data provide key paleoclimatic information, and have been compared with precipitation isotopic composition simulated by isotopically enabled atmospheric models. However, post-depositional processes linked with snow metamorphism remain poorly documented. For this purpose, monitoring of the isotopic composition (d18O, dD) of near-surface water vapor, precipitation and samples of the top (0.5 cm) snow surface has been conducted during two summers (2011-2012) at NEEM, NW Greenland. The samples also include a subset of 17O-excess measurements over 4 days, and the measurements span the 2012 Greenland heat wave. Our observations are consistent with calculations assuming isotopic equilibrium between surface snow and water vapor. We observe a strong correlation between near-surface vapor d18O and air temperature (0.85 ± 0.11‰ °C-1 (R = 0.76) for 2012). The correlation with air temperature is not observed in precipitation data or surface snow data. Deuterium excess (d-excess) is strongly anti-correlated with d18O with a stronger slope for vapor than for precipitation and snow surface data. During nine 1-5-day periods between precipitation events, our data demonstrate parallel changes of d18O and d-excess in surface snow and near-surface vapor. The changes in d18O of the vapor are similar or larger than those of the snow d18O. It is estimated using the CROCUS snow model that 6 to 20% of the surface snow mass is exchanged with the atmosphere. In our data, the sign of surface snow isotopic changes is not related to the sign or magnitude of sublimation or deposition. Comparisons with atmospheric models show that day-to-day variations in near-surface vapor isotopic composition are driven by synoptic variations and changes in air mass trajectories and distillation histories. We suggest that, in between precipitation events, changes in the surface snow isotopic composition are driven by these changes in near-surface vapor isotopic composition. This is consistent with an estimated 60% mass turnover of surface snow per day driven by snow recrystallization processes under NEEM summer surface snow temperature gradients. Our findings have implications for ice core data interpretation and model-data comparisons, and call for further process studies. © Author(s) 2014

Coeval extensional shearing and lateral underflow during Late Cretaceous core complex development in the Niğde Massif, Central Anatolia, Turkey

27 p.International audienceThe Nig¢de Massif, at the southern tip of the Central Anatolian Crystalline Complex, consists of two structural units. Foliations in the lower unit define a dome cored by migmatites. The contact between the two units bears all the elements of a ductile to brittle extensional detachment. Hence the Nig¢de Massif represents an extensional metamorphic core complex. Top-to-NE/ENE shearing at higher levels of the lower unit relates to displacement along the detachment. Deeper levels of the lower unit display hightemperature top-to-SSW ductile shearing. The two shearing deformations show a difference in the mean trend of stretching lineations of up to 58. New 40Ar/39Ar ages combined with previously published data enable us to infer that the two shears were contemporaneous. In our favored interpretation, oblique shearing in the core of the dome reflects lateral underflow, i.e., horizontal flowing of the lower crust in a direction highly oblique to the direction of extension. As a result of the interaction between lateral underflow and downdip shearing along the overlying detachment, distinct structural domains are expected to exist within the migmatitic part of the core complex, with observed counterparts in the Nig¢de dome. Lateral underflow may reflect ''inward'' flow on the scale of the core complex. Regional-scale channel flow is an alternative that would better account for the record of non-coaxial deformation in the core of the dome. More generally, we suspect that the development of lateral underflow in a metamorphic core complex more likely reflects regional channel flow, rather than local inward flow

La construction du site pédagogique numérique CHIMACTIV : analyse d'une coopération réussie entre enseignants

International audienceUn collectif d'enseignants inter-établissements s'est organisé pour concevoir et co-construire un site pédagogique numérique. L'équipe de conception initiale a fortement coopéré (au sein de chaque établissement et entre établissements) et interagi étroitement avec différents acteurs (cellules TICE, étudiants, prestataires externes) pour aboutir à une version bilingue du site. La volonté d'élargir et de diversifier le champ des utilisateurs (enseignants et étudiants) a conduit à ouvrir ce collectif à de nouveaux enseignants, afin de faire évoluer le site et compléter son contenu. Après une analyse de l'organisation mise en place, nous discuterons des obstacles à surmonter, des facteurs de réussite et du ressenti des enseignants ayant vécu cette coopération, avant de conclure sur ce qu'apporte l'aspect « numérique » des ressources développées dans la coopération entre enseignants sur la base de notre expérience

Post-traumatic stress among COVID-19 survivors: A descriptive study of hospitalized first-wave survivors

Introduction: The coronavirus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Type 1 induces a severe respiratory disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). After Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Type 1 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome infection, increased post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rates were described. Methods: This single-centred, prospective study aimed to evaluate the rates of PTSD in patients who were hospitalized for COVID-19. Inclusion criteria were COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) or in a standard unit with at least 2 L/min oxygen. Six months post-hospitalization, subjects were assessed for PTSD using a validated screening tool, the Post-Traumatic Stress Checklist-5 (PCL-5). Results: A total of 40 patients were included. No demographic differences between the ICU and non-ICU groups were found. The mean PCL-5 score for the population was 8.85±10. The mean PCL-5 score was 6.7±8 in the ICU group and 10.5±11 in the non-ICU group (P=0.27). We screened one patient with a positive PCL-5 score and one with a possible PCL-5 cluster score. Nine patients had a PCL-5 score of up to 15. Seven patients reported no symptoms.Seven patients accepted a psychological follow-up: one for PTSD, three for possible PTSD and three for other psychological problems. Discussion: The PCL-5 tool can be used by lung physicians during consultations to identify patients for whom follow-up mental health assessment and treatment for PTSD are warranted. Conclusion: Lung physicians should be aware of the risk of PTSD in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and ensure appropriate screening and follow-up care

Clinical management of molecular alterations identified by high throughput sequencing in patients with advanced solid tumors in treatment failure: Real-world data from a French hospital

BackgroundIn the context of personalized medicine, screening patients to identify targetable molecular alterations is essential for therapeutic decisions such as inclusion in clinical trials, early access to therapies, or compassionate treatment. The objective of this study was to determine the real-world impact of routine incorporation of FoundationOne analysis in cancers with a poor prognosis and limited treatment options, or in those progressing after at least one course of standard therapy.MethodsA FoundationOneCDx panel for solid tumor or liquid biopsy samples was offered to 204 eligible patients.ResultsSamples from 150 patients were processed for genomic testing, with a data acquisition success rate of 93%. The analysis identified 2419 gene alterations, with a median of 11 alterations per tumor (range, 0–86). The most common or likely pathogenic variants were on TP53, TERT, PI3KCA, CDKN2A/B, KRAS, CCDN1, FGF19, FGF3, and SMAD4. The median tumor mutation burden was three mutations/Mb (range, 0–117) in 143 patients with available data. Of 150 patients with known or likely pathogenic actionable alterations, 13 (8.6%) received matched targeted therapy. Sixty-nine patients underwent Molecular Tumor Board, which resulted in recommendations in 60 cases. Treatment with genotype-directed therapy had no impact on overall survival (13 months vs. 14 months; p = 0.95; hazard ratio = 1.04 (95% confidence interval, 0.48–2.26)].ConclusionsThis study highlights that an organized center with a Multidisciplinary Molecular Tumor Board and an NGS screening system can obtain satisfactory results comparable with those of large centers for including patients in clinical trials

Contacts et acculturations en Méditerranée occidentale

La question des contacts entre les différents peuples qui bordent les rives de la Méditerranée nord occidentale est l’un des sujets phares de la recherche archéologique de ces trente dernières années. Que l’on parle d’époque archaïque et classique ou de Protohistoire et d’âge du Fer, les échanges et les processus d’acculturation de ces peuples qui entrèrent alors en contact les uns avec les autres : Grecs, Celtes, Phéniciens, Ibères, Ligures, Étrusques, ont retenu l’attention des chercheurs travaillant sur l’expansion grecque dans ces régions, sur les trafics commerciaux, sur les échanges culturels. L’œuvre de Michel Bats (Directeur de recherche honoraire du CNRS) traverse toutes ces thématiques : la présence des Phocéens et des Étrusques dans le bassin occidental de la Méditerranée, l’acculturation et les identités ethno-culturelles, les recherches sur la céramique et ses usages dans une perspective anthropologique, l’appropriation de l’écriture par les sociétés protohistoriques. Ses collègues et amis, en organisant ce colloque et en participant à ces actes, entendent lui témoigner leur amitié et leur dette intellectuelle. Ce volume réunit des articles des meilleurs spécialistes, actuels de la question - des chercheurs de toute la Méditerranée - autour des quatre grands thèmes que nous venons d’évoquer afin tout à la fois de dresser un bilan et de définir de nouvelles perspectives. Cet ouvrage présente donc aussi bien des synthèses - sur la présence grecque en Espagne, sur l’origine de l’écriture, sur les pratiques funéraires, sur les identités culturelles et ethniques - que des découvertes récentes concernant la thématique des contacts et de l’acculturation en Méditerranée nord occidentale : l’agglomération du Premier âge du Fer de La Cougourlude (Lattes, Hérault) fouillée durant l’été 2010 ; le sanctuaire hellénistique de Cumes et les fouilles récentes de Fratte en Italie ; les ateliers de potiers de Rosas en Espagne ; les dernières découvertes d’Olbia de Provence