A new method for qualitative multi-scale analysis of bacterial biofilms on filamentous fungal colonies using confocal and electron microscopy

Bacterial biofilms frequently form on fungal surfaces and can be involved in numerous bacterial-fungal interaction processes, such as metabolic cooperation, competition, or predation. The study of biofilms is important in many biological fields, including environmental science, food production, and medicine. However, few studies have focused on such bacterial biofilms, partially due to the difficulty of investigating them. Most of the methods for qualitative and quantitative biofilm analyses described in the literature are only suitable for biofilms forming on abiotic surfaces or on homogeneous and thin biotic surfaces, such as a monolayer of epithelial cells.While laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) is often used to analyze in situ and in vivo biofilms, this technology becomes very challenging when applied to bacterial biofilms on fungal hyphae, due to the thickness and the three dimensions of the hyphal networks. To overcome this shortcoming, we developed a protocol combining microscopy with a method to limit the accumulation of hyphal layers in fungal colonies. Using this method, we were able to investigate the development of bacterial biofilms on fungal hyphae at multiple scales using both LSCM and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This report describes the protocol, including microorganism cultures, bacterial biofilm formation conditions, biofilm staining, and LSCM and SEM visualizations

On the Contribution of Dense Multipath Components in an Intrawagon Environment for 5G mmW Massive MIMO Channels

© 2019 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permissíon from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertisíng or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.[EN] In this letter, the dependence of the specular multipath components (SMC) and dense multipath components (DMC) to the interuser spatial correlation and sum-rate capacity of a massive multiuser multiple-input--multiple-output (MU-MIMO) setup is evaluated from measurements conducted inside an underground subway wagon at the 25-40 GHz candidate frequency bands for 5G systems. The radio channel consists in a 7 7 uniform rectangular array (URA) acting as access point for eight users uniformly distributed in the wagon. The DMC power ratio is observed to be distance- and frequency-dependent as the SMC and DMC exhibit different propagation mechanisms. Remarkably, it is reported that the interuser spatial correlation computed with DMC offers the best favorable propagation for a massive MIMO setup, whereas SMC contribute to the users correlation. Hence, correlation is found to be strongly dependent on the DMC ratio frequency characteristics. In addition, better interuser correlation and sum-rate capacity values are obtained as the frequency is increased. These results highlight the need to include DMC in 5G massive MIMO channel models and emulators to improve their accuracy at the system level.This work was supported in part by MINECO, Spain, under the National Projects TEC2016-78028-C3-2-P and TEC2017-86779-C2-2-R and in part by the ELSAT2020 OS4 SMARTIES program co-financed by the European Union with the European Regional Development Fund, the French state, and the Hauts de France Region Council.Challita, F.; Rodrigo Peñarrocha, VM.; Rubio Arjona, L.; Reig, J.; Juan-Llácer, L.; Pascual-García, J.; Molina-García-Pardo, J.... (2019). On the Contribution of Dense Multipath Components in an Intrawagon Environment for 5G mmW Massive MIMO Channels. IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters. 18(12):2483-2487. https://doi.org/10.1109/LAWP.2019.2940831S24832487181

CD4CD8αα Lymphocytes, A Novel Human Regulatory T Cell Subset Induced by Colonic Bacteria and Deficient in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

It has become evident that bacteria in our gut affect health and disease, but less is known about how they do this. Recent studies in mice showed that gut Clostridium bacteria and their metabolites can activate regulatory T cells (Treg) that in turn mediate tolerance to signals that would ordinarily cause inflammation. In this study we identify a subset of human T lymphocytes, designated CD4CD8αα T cells that are present in the surface lining of the colon and in the blood. We demonstrate Treg activity and show these cells to be activated by microbiota; we identify F. prausnitzii, a core Clostridium strain of the human gut microbiota, as a major inducer of these Treg cells. Interestingly, there are fewer F. prausnitzii in individuals suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and accordingly the CD4CD8αα T cells are decreased in the blood and gut of patients with IBD. We argue that CD4CD8αα colonic Treg probably help control or prevent IBD. These data open the road to new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for the management of IBD and provide new tools to address the impact of the intestinal microbiota on the human immune system

Low Penetrance, Broad Resistance, and Favorable Outcome of Interleukin 12 Receptor β1 Deficiency: Medical and Immunological Implications

The clinical phenotype of interleukin 12 receptor β1 chain (IL-12Rβ1) deficiency and the function of human IL-12 in host defense remain largely unknown, due to the small number of patients reported. We now report 41 patients with complete IL-12Rβ1 deficiency from 17 countries. The only opportunistic infections observed, in 34 patients, were of childhood onset and caused by weakly virulent Salmonella or Mycobacteria (Bacille Calmette-Guérin -BCG- and environmental Mycobacteria). Three patients had clinical tuberculosis, one of whom also had salmonellosis. Unlike salmonellosis, mycobacterial infections did not recur. BCG inoculation and BCG disease were both effective against subsequent environmental mycobacteriosis, but not against salmonellosis. Excluding the probands, seven of the 12 affected siblings have remained free of case-definition opportunistic infection. Finally, only five deaths occurred in childhood, and the remaining 36 patients are alive and well. Thus, a diagnosis of IL-12Rβ1 deficiency should be considered in children with opportunistic mycobacteriosis or salmonellosis; healthy siblings of probands and selected cases of tuberculosis should also be investigated. The overall prognosis is good due to broad resistance to infection and the low penetrance and favorable outcome of infections. Unexpectedly, human IL-12 is redundant in protective immunity against most microorganisms other than Mycobacteria and Salmonella. Moreover, IL-12 is redundant for primary immunity to Mycobacteria and Salmonella in many individuals and for secondary immunity to Mycobacteria but not to Salmonella in most

Complete Genome Sequence of Crohn's Disease-Associated Adherent-Invasive E. coli Strain LF82

International audienceBACKGROUND: Ileal lesions of Crohn's disease (CD) patients are abnormally colonized by pathogenic adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) able to invade and to replicate within intestinal epithelial cells and macrophages. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We report here the complete genome sequence of E. coli LF82, the reference strain of adherent-invasive E. coli associated with ileal Crohn's disease. The LF82 genome of 4,881,487 bp total size contains a circular chromosome with a size of 4,773,108 bp and a plasmid of 108,379 bp. The analysis of predicted coding sequences (CDSs) within the LF82 flexible genome indicated that this genome is close to the avian pathogenic strain APEC_01, meningitis-associated strain S88 and urinary-isolated strain UTI89 with regards to flexible genome and single nucleotide polymorphisms in various virulence factors. Interestingly, we observed that strains LF82 and UTI89 adhered at a similar level to Intestine-407 cells and that like LF82, APEC_01 and UTI89 were highly invasive. However, A1EC strain LF82 had an intermediate killer phenotype compared to APEC-01 and UTI89 and the LF82 genome does not harbour most of specific virulence genes from ExPEC. LF82 genome has evolved from those of ExPEC B2 strains by the acquisition of Salmonella and Yersinia isolated or clustered genes or CDSs located on pLF82 plasmid and at various loci on the chromosome. CONCLUSION: LF82 genome analysis indicated that a number of genes, gene clusters and pathoadaptative mutations which have been acquired may play a role in virulence of AIEC strain LF82

Brain energy rescue:an emerging therapeutic concept for neurodegenerative disorders of ageing

The brain requires a continuous supply of energy in the form of ATP, most of which is produced from glucose by oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria, complemented by aerobic glycolysis in the cytoplasm. When glucose levels are limited, ketone bodies generated in the liver and lactate derived from exercising skeletal muscle can also become important energy substrates for the brain. In neurodegenerative disorders of ageing, brain glucose metabolism deteriorates in a progressive, region-specific and disease-specific manner — a problem that is best characterized in Alzheimer disease, where it begins presymptomatically. This Review discusses the status and prospects of therapeutic strategies for countering neurodegenerative disorders of ageing by improving, preserving or rescuing brain energetics. The approaches described include restoring oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis, increasing insulin sensitivity, correcting mitochondrial dysfunction, ketone-based interventions, acting via hormones that modulate cerebral energetics, RNA therapeutics and complementary multimodal lifestyle changes

Verbe inspiré. Le Souffle biblique dans les œuvres de Pierre de Bérulle (1575-1629)

Lorsque les textes spirituels revendiquent de manière plus ou moins explicite une nature inspirée, ils invitent à découvrir en eux la présence énonciative de deux voix simultanées : celle d une Autorité surnaturelle parlant pour se révéler, et celle d un homme qui médite et produit un discours spirituel oral ou écrit. Si le discours humain est fréquemment étudié, il n en va pas de même pour le discours divin ainsi défini, dont l existence supposée signale la littérature inspirée. Nous nous proposons de rechercher les marques linguistiques et littéraires de cet énoncé, c est-à-dire d étudier les relations entre les assertions théologiques concernant l Auteur divin et les traits littéraires et linguistiques que ces propositions impliquent. Le choix du corpus reflète la méthode adoptée. Á partir de l analyse des œuvres complètes de Pierre de Bérulle (1575-1629), trois domaines problématiques complémentaires se présentent : les conditions de l inspiration des énoncés non scripturaires (domaine générique), la possibilité de l inspiration du langage (domaine linguistique), l accomplissement de ces modalités dans le tissu littéraire (domaine rhétorique). Ces approches s enracinent dans les théories exposées par la Bible et la théologie chrétienne, qui font de l Incarnation du Verbe l expression parfaite du pneumatisme divin. La réhabilitation et la redéfinition de l inspiration verbale aboutissent ainsi à la remise en question des frontières du discours religieux et à la reconnaissance d un Souffle transcendant présent à divers degrés dans le dynamisme complexe de toute langue et de toute création littéraire, ancienne ou moderne, sacrée ou profane.When the Scriptures claim to be more or less explicitly naturally inspired, they invite us to discover the enunciative presence of two simultaneous voices within them: that of a supernatural Authority which is speaking to reveal itself, as well as that of a meditative man producing an oral or written spiritual discourse. If human discourses are frequently studied, the same does not apply to divine ones thus defined whose supposed existence implies that of Inspired Literature. My suggestion is to search for the linguistic and literary signs of the latter, through the study of the existing relationships between the theological assertions about the Divine Author, and the literary and linguistic features which these propositions involve. The choice of the corpus reflects the method which I have decided to follow. My analysis, based on the study of Pierre de Bérulle s Complete Works identifies three complementary problematic fields: the conditions of the inspiration of non-scripturary texts (generic field), the possibility of the inspiration of the language (linguistic field), the fulfilment of these modalities in literary materials (rhetoric field). These approaches take root in the theories explained both by the Bible and Christian theology, which turn the Incarnate Word into the perfect expression of Divine Pneumatism. The Inspired Word , thus reasserted and redefined, leads to the borders of the religious discourse being questioned, and to transcending Breath being recognized: it is to be found, to different extents, in the complex dynamism of any language and any literary creation, whether it be ancient or modern, sacred or profane.MONTPELLIER-BU Lettres (341722103) / SudocSudocFranceF

Les apports de l'écriture créative bi-plurilingue en classes de FLS/FL1

International audienceNotre contribution présentera l'analyse de ces ateliers d'écriture créative bi-plurilingue réalisés en classes de français langue première et de français langue seconde au collège. Dans cet article, nous reviendrons sur les motivations didactiques de ces projets à portée européenne et internationale, notamment africaine, ainsi que sur les étapes ayant mené à leur restitution publique écrite et orale. La première partie sera consacrée au cadrage théorique sous-tendant les travaux réalisés dans les classes concernées. Nous préciserons, dans un deuxième temps, le contexte institutionnel de leur mise en œuvre. Nous expliciterons les projets dans lesquels s'inscrivent les ateliers d'écriture. Dans une troisième et dernière partie, nous en présenterons les divers apports pour les apprenants, notamment en termes de savoir et savoir-être