Conséquences sur les fonds patrimoniaux de la prise de compétence Bibliothèques par les établissements publics de coopération intercommunale (Les)

Le rapport s’intéresse à deux questions : les bibliothèques et les EPCI (établissements publics de coopération intercommunale) d’une part, le patrimoine au sein des bibliothèques et donc des EPCI d’autre part. Il dresse un état des lieux des bibliothèques confiées à des EPCI et fait le constat de la variété des situations : EPCI ayant la responsabilité des bibliothèques mais pas de leurs collections patrimoniales, ou, au contraire, EPCI ne gérant pas les collections de « lecture publique » mais l’équipement central et les collections, y compris patrimoniales, qu’il contient. Le rapport déplore également le flou juridique entourant ce transfert de responsabilité et appelle à une politique unique pour la gestion des fonds des bibliothèques, qu\u27ils soient "de lecture publique" ou patrimoniaux

Development and assignment of bovine-specific PCR systems for the Texas nomenclature marker genes and isolation of homologous BAC probes

In 1996, Popescu et al. published the Texas standard nomenclature of the bovine karyotype in which 31 marker genes, already mapped in man, were chosen to permit unambiguous identification and numbering of each bovine chromosome. However, specific PCR systems were not available for each marker gene thus preventing the assignment of part of these markers by somatic cell hybrid analysis. In addition, some difficulties remained with the nomenclature of BTA25, BTA27 and BTA29. In this work, specific PCR systems were developed for each of the marker genes except VIL1 (see results), from either existing bovine or human sequences, and a bovine BAC library was screened to obtain the corresponding BAC clones. These PCR systems were used successfully to confirm the assignment of each marker gene (except for LDHA, see results) by analysis on the INRA hamster-bovine somatic cell hybrid panel. The difficulties observed for LDHA and VIL1 are probably due to the fact that these genes belong to large gene families and therefore suggest that they may not be the most appropriate markers for a standardisation effort. This panel of BACs is available to the scientific community and has served as a basis for the establishment of a revised standard nomenclature of bovine chromosomes

Local backbone structure prediction of proteins.

A statistical analysis of the PDB structures has led us to define a new set of small 3D structural prototypes called Protein Blocks (PBs). This structural alphabet includes 16 PBs, each one is defined by the (phi, psi) dihedral angles of 5 consecutive residues. The amino acid distributions observed in sequence windows encompassing these PBs are used to predict by a Bayesian approach the local 3D structure of proteins from the sole knowledge of their sequences. LocPred is a software which allows the users to submit a protein sequence and performs a prediction in terms of PBs. The prediction results are given both textually and graphically

Microglia mechanics : immune activation alters traction forces and durotaxis

This work was supported by the Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research (Scholarship to LB), Faculty of Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering at Graz University of Technology (Scholarship to LB), German National Academic Foundation (Scholarship to DK), Wellcome Trust/University of Cambridge Institutional Strategic Support Fund (Research Grant to KF), Isaac Newton Trust (Research Grant 14.07 (m) to KF), Leverhulme Trust (Research Project Grant RPG-2014-217 to KF), UK Medical Research Council (Career Development Award to KF), and the Human Frontier Science Program (Young Investigator Grant RGY0074/2013 to GS, MG, and KF). Date of Acceptance: 31/08/2015Microglial cells are key players in the primary immune response of the central nervous system. They are highly active and motile cells that chemically and mechanically interact with their environment. While the impact of chemical signaling on microglia function has been studied in much detail, the current understanding of mechanical signaling is very limited. When cultured on compliant substrates, primary microglial cells adapted their spread area, morphology, and actin cytoskeleton to the stiffness of their environment. Traction force microscopy revealed that forces exerted by microglia increase with substrate stiffness until reaching a plateau at a shear modulus of ~5 kPa. When cultured on substrates incorporating stiffness gradients, microglia preferentially migrated toward stiffer regions, a process termed durotaxis. Lipopolysaccharide-induced immune-activation of microglia led to changes in traction forces, increased migration velocities and an amplification of durotaxis. We finally developed a mathematical model connecting traction forces with the durotactic behavior of migrating microglial cells. Our results demonstrate that microglia are susceptible to mechanical signals, which could be important during central nervous system development and pathologies. Stiffness gradients in tissue surrounding neural implants such as electrodes, for example, could mechanically attract microglial cells, thus facilitating foreign body reactions detrimental to electrode functioning.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

The Satiety Signaling Neuropeptide Perisulfakinin Inhibits the Activity of Central Neurons Promoting General Activity

The metabolic state is one of the determinants of the general activity level. Satiety is related to resting or sleep whereas hunger correlates to wakefulness and activity. The counterpart to the mammalian satiety signal cholecystokinin (CCK) in insects are the sulfakinins. The aim of this study was to resolve the mechanism by which the antifeedant activity of perisulfakinin (PSK) in Periplaneta americana is mediated. We identified the sources of PSK which is used both as hormone and as paracrine messenger. PSK is found in the neurohemal organ of the brain and in nerve endings throughout the central nervous system. To correlate the distributions of PSK and its receptor (PSKR), we cloned the gene coding for PSKR and provide evidence for its expression within the nervous system. It occurs only in a few neurons, among them are the dorsal unpaired median (DUM) neurons which release octopamine thereby regulating the general level of activity. Application of PSK to DUM neurons attenuated the spiking frequency (EC50=11pM) due to reduction of a pacemaker Ca2+ current through cAMP-inhibited pTRPγ channels. PSK increased the intracellular cAMP level while decreasing the intracellular Ca2+ concentration in DUM neurons. Thus, the satiety signal conferred by PSK acts antagonistically to the hunger signal, provided by the adipokinetic hormone (AKH): PSK depresses the electrical activity of DUM neurons by inhibiting the pTRPγ channel that is activated by AKH under conditions of food shortage

Późny przerzut do wątroby raka rdzeniastego tarczycy z niskim stężeniem kalcytoniny skutecznie wyleczony metodą radioablacji

  A 28-year-old female consulted in 1994 for a left thyroid nodule known for two years with documented progression. Left lobe resection was performed initially followed by total thyroidectomy without lymph node dissection in September 1994. Pathological examination concluded on unilateral 10 × 40 mm medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). RET mutation was negative. Basal and pentagastrin-stimulated CT levels had been normal from 1994 to 2008 when her CT level was found to be elevated at 33 ng/L and increased subsequently to 111 ng/L in 2010. In accordance with guidelines, cervical ultrasound was performed repeatedly with negative results. After discussion in a multidisciplinary meeting and with patient’s consent, an F-Dopa PET scan was proposed in disagreement with guidelines. This scan showed unique uptake in liver segment VI, which was confirmed by MRI. CT levels reached to 253 ng/L when she finally accepted treatment. In February 2013 we performed radiofrequency ablation of the lesion, which allowed normalisation of CT levels. This observation highlights the possibility of late recurrence of MTC. We could propose that for MTC patients with low-calcitonin levels-recurrences F-DOPA-PET/CT is a good diagnostic tool to use in case of repeatedly negative US neck studies. (Endokrynol Pol 2016; 67 (3): 326–329)    Chora w wieku 28 lat zgłosiła się do lekarza w 1994 roku z powodu lewostronnego guzka tarczycy wykrytego 2 lata wcześniej, z potwierdzoną progresją. Wykonano resekcję lewego płata tarczycy. Totalną tyreoidektomię wykonano we wrześniu 1994 roku bez usunięcia węzłów chłonnych. W badaniu patomorfologicznych stwierdzono jednostronnego raka rdzeniastego tarczycy (MTC) o wymiarach 10 × 40 mm. Wynik badania w kierunku mutacji RET był ujemny. Stężenia kalcytoniny (CT, calcitonin), podstawowe i po stymulacji pentagastryną, były prawidłowe od 1994 roku. Do 2008 roku, kiedy stwierdzono podwyższone stężenie CT wynoszące 33 ng/l, a następnie jego dalszy wzrost do 111 ng/l w 2010 roku. Zgodnie z zaleceniami powtórnie wykonano badanie USG szyi, w którym nie stwierdzono nieprawidłowości. Po omówieniu przypadku na spotkaniu wielodyscyplinarnego zespołu i uzyskaniu zgody chorej przeprowadzono badanie F-Dopa PET (niezgodnie z zaleceniami), w którym wykazano pojedyncze ognisko wychwytu w segmencie VI wątroby, co zostało potwierdzone w badaniu MRI. Kiedy chora w końcu zaakceptowała leczenie, stężenia CT zwiększyły się do 253 ng/l. W lutym 2013 roku wykonano ablację zmiany prądem o częstotliwości radiowej, co pozwoliło uzyskać normalizację stężeń CT w 2015 r. Ta obserwacja zwraca uwagę na możliwość późnej wznowy. Autorzy sugerują, że u chorych z MTC z ponownie stwierdzonym niskim stężeniem kalcytoniny wybór F-DOPA-PET/CT jako metody diagnostycznej jest dobrym rozwiązaniem w przypadku powtórnych ujemnych wyników USG szyi. (Endokrynol Pol 2016; 67 (3): 326–329)