Quel discours de « la » science l’hétérogénéité sémiotique des médias construit-elle ?

Le corpus discursif examiné ici est divers: articles de la presse écrite, caractérisés par la co-présence de textes iconiques et verbaux, émissions radiophoniques, où seul fonctionne le texte oral, émissions télévisées, où s’articulent images mobiles et messages linguistiques oraux, parfois accompagnés d’inserts écrits. Ce qui réunit ces fragments discursifs différents est double, puisque référentiel – ils parlent tous d’objets scientifiques en relation avec la vie quotidienne – et méthodologique: c’est leur hétérogénéité sémiotique, dans ce qu’elle présente de variations mais aussi de données communes, qui est étudiée. L’analyse permet de poser des hypothèses concernant le mode de construction du discours scientifique dans ces médias.What is “the” scientific discourse constructed by the media’s semiotic heterogeneity?The discursive data examined here is varied: newspaper articles, characterized by the co-presence of iconic and verbal texts; radio broadcasts, which are entirely based on oral texts; television programs, where mobile images and oral linguistic messages are combined, occasionally accompanied by written inserts. What reunites these different discursive fragments is dual, because it is referential –they all speak of scientific objects in relation to daily life  and methodological  it is their semiotic heterogeneity, which present variations but also similarities, which is studied. The analysis should allow the posing of hypotheses, to be verified on a larger amount of data, concerning the mode by which the scientific discourse in these medias is constructed

Quel discours de « la » science l’hétérogénéité sémiotique des médias construit-elle ?

Le corpus discursif examiné ici est divers: articles de la presse écrite, caractérisés par la co-présence de textes iconiques et verbaux, émissions radiophoniques, où seul fonctionne le texte oral, émissions télévisées, où s’articulent images mobiles et messages linguistiques oraux, parfois accompagnés d’inserts écrits. Ce qui réunit ces fragments discursifs différents est double, puisque référentiel – ils parlent tous d’objets scientifiques en relation avec la vie quotidienne – et méthodologique: c’est leur hétérogénéité sémiotique, dans ce qu’elle présente de variations mais aussi de données communes, qui est étudiée. L’analyse permet de poser des hypothèses concernant le mode de construction du discours scientifique dans ces médias.What is “the” scientific discourse constructed by the media’s semiotic heterogeneity?The discursive data examined here is varied: newspaper articles, characterized by the co-presence of iconic and verbal texts; radio broadcasts, which are entirely based on oral texts; television programs, where mobile images and oral linguistic messages are combined, occasionally accompanied by written inserts. What reunites these different discursive fragments is dual, because it is referential –they all speak of scientific objects in relation to daily life  and methodological  it is their semiotic heterogeneity, which present variations but also similarities, which is studied. The analysis should allow the posing of hypotheses, to be verified on a larger amount of data, concerning the mode by which the scientific discourse in these medias is constructed

Increased body fat mass explains the positive association between circulating estradiol and insulin resistance in postmenopausal women

The relationship between circulating estrogen levels and cardiometabolic risk factors such as insulin resistance is unclear in postmenopausal women. High estradiol (E2) levels have been reported to predict increased risk of type 2 diabetes in this population. We aimed to examine associations among estrogen levels, adiposity measurements, and cardiometabolic risk variables including insulin resistance in postmenopausal women. One hundred-one healthy participants (mean ± SD: age 57 ± 4 yr, BMI 27.9 ± 4.8 kg/m2) were included in the analysis. Fifteen plasma steroids or metabolites were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Insulin sensitivity was assessed with a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Body composition and fat distribution were determined with hydrostatic weighing and computed tomography, respectively. Blood lipids and circulating cytokines were also measured. Circulating E2 was positively correlated with all adiposity indexes (r = 0.62 to 0.42, P < 0.0001) except waist-to-hip ratio. E2 was positively correlated with VLDL-cholesterol, plasma-, VLDL-, and HDL-triglyceride levels (r = 0.31 to 0.24, P < 0.02) as well as with hs-CRP and IL-6 (r = 0.52 and 0.29, P < 0.005) and negatively with HDL-cholesterol, adiponectin, and insulin sensitivity (r = −0.36 to −0.20, P < 0.02). With adjustments for percent body fat, correlations between E2 and metabolic risk variables were no longer significant. Similar results were observed for circulating estrone (E1) and estrone-sulfate (E1-S) levels. In conclusion, circulating estrogen concentrations are proportional to adipose mass in postmenopausal women, although they remain in the low range. Insulin resistance as well as altered blood lipids and cytokines are observed when circulating estrogen levels are high within that range, but these differences are explained by concomitant variation in total adiposity

Circulating steroid levels as correlates of adipose tissue phenotype in premenopausal women

Background: Obesity-related alterations in the circulating steroid hormone profile remain equivocal in women. Our objective was to identify circulating steroid levels that relate to increased adiposity and altered adipose phenotype in premenopausal women. Materials and methods: In a sample of 42 premenopausal women (age 46±3 years; BMI 27.1±4.2 kg/m2 ), 19 plasma steroids were quantified by ESI-LC-MS/MS. Body composition and fat distribution were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography, respectively. Markers of adipose tissue function including adipocyte size distributions, radiological attenuation, and macrophage infiltration were also analyzed in surgically obtained visceral and subcutaneous fat samples. Results: Many negative correlations were observed between adiposity measurements such as BMI, body fat percentage or total abdominal adipose tissue area and plasma levels of androstenedione (r=-0.33 to -0.39, p≤0.04), androsterone (r=-0.30 to -0.38, p≤0.05) and plasma levels of steroid precursor pregnenolone (r=-0.36 to -0.46, p≤0.02). Visceral adipocyte hypertrophy was observed in patients with low pregnenolone concentrations (p<0.05). Visceral adipose tissue radiologic attenuation, a potential marker of adipocyte size, was also positively correlated with pregnenolone levels (r=0.33, p<0.05). Low levels of pregnenolone were related to increased number of macrophages infiltrating visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue (p<0.05). Conclusion: Plasma levels of androgens and their precursors are lower in women with increased adiposity and visceral adipocyte hypertrophy. Low circulating pregnenolone concentration may represent a marker of adipose tissue dysfunction

Androgens and body fat distribution

The sexual dimorphism in human body fat distribution suggests a causal role for sex hormones. This is of particular importance when considering the role of excess visceral adipose tissue accumulation as a critical determinant of obesity‐related cardiometabolic alterations. Scientific literature on the modulation of body fat distribution by androgens in humans is abundant, remarkably inconsistent and difficult to summarize. We reviewed relevant literature on this topic, with a particular emphasis on androgen replacement, androgen effects on selected parameters of adipose tissue function and adipose tissue steroid‐converting enzymes. In men, low androgenic status mostly reflected by reduced total testosterone is a frequent feature of visceral obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Regarding testosterone therapy, however, studies must be appreciated in the context of current controversies on their cardiovascular effects. Analyses of available studies suggest that decreases in waist circumference in response to testosterone are more likely observed in men with low levels of testosterone and high BMI at study onset. In women with androgen excess, higher testosterone and free testosterone levels are fairly consistent predictors of increased abdominal and/or visceral adipose tissue accumulation, which is not the case in nonhyperandrogenic women. Regarding mechanisms, androgens decrease adipogenesis and markers of lipid storage in vitro in men and women. Evidence also suggest that local steroid transformations by adipose tissue steroid‐converting enzymes expressed in a depot‐specific fashion may play a role in androgen‐mediated modulation of body fat distribution. Accumulating evidence shows that androgens are critical modulators of body fat distribution in both men and women

Effect of sensory-based intervention on the increased use of food-related descriptive terms among restrained eaters

The goals of this pilot randomized controlled trial were to investigate and determine whether sensorybased intervention influenced the number and type of terms (descriptive and hedonic) used by restrained women to describe a certain food, and whether changes in the number of descriptive terms were associated with changes in intuitive eating. We collected data at baseline (T = 1), at the end of the intervention period (T = 2), and at 12 weeks post-intervention (T = 3) using the descriptive form and Intuitive Eating Scale (IES). At T = 1, 50 women were randomly assigned to an intervention group (sensory-based intervention) or a control group (waiting list). To determine the effect of intervention over time on the number of descriptive and hedonic terms, we conducted statistical analyses using mixed models. To determine associations between Intuitive Eating Scale subscales and the number of descriptive terms, we also calculated Spearman correlation coefficients. We noted a significant group-by-time interaction for descriptive terms associated with all senses (p < 0.04), except for a sight-related trend (p = 0.06). In comparison with T = 1, intervention group women at T = 2 and T = 3 showed a significant increase in descriptive terms associated with smell (p = 0.0002 and p = 0.03, respectively), taste (p = 0.001 and p = 0.01, respectively) and hearing (p = 0.04 and p = 0.0003, respectively). Among intervention group women, we noted a positive correlation between changes (T = 3 vs. T = 2) in the number of descriptive terms used and changes in reliance on internal hunger and satiety cues (r = 0.48; p = 0.04), as well as between changes (T = 3 vs. T = 1) in the number of descriptive terms used and changes in unconditional permission to eat (r = 0.45; p = 0.05). Overall, these data show that sensory-based intervention may help restrained women become more objective and enjoyably connected to food and their own bodies, which may promote a more intuitive approach to eating

Comparative proteome analysis of human epithelial ovarian cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Epithelial ovarian cancer is a devastating disease associated with low survival prognosis mainly because of the lack of early detection markers and the asymptomatic nature of the cancer until late stage. Using two complementary proteomics approaches, a differential protein expression profile was carried out between low and highly transformed epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines which realistically mimic the phenotypic changes observed during evolution of a tumour metastasis. This investigation was aimed at a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying differentiation, proliferation and neoplastic progression of ovarian cancer.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The quantitative profiling of epithelial ovarian cancer model cell lines TOV-81D and TOV-112D generated using iTRAQ analysis and two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled to liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry revealed some proteins with altered expression levels. Several of these proteins have been the object of interest in cancer research but others were unrecognized as differentially expressed in a context of ovarian cancer. Among these, series of proteins involved in transcriptional activity, cellular metabolism, cell adhesion or motility and cytoskeleton organization were identified, suggesting their possible role in the emergence of oncogenic pathways leading to aggressive cellular behavior.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The differential protein expression profile generated by the two proteomics approaches combined to complementary characterizations studies will open the way to more exhaustive and systematic representation of the disease and will provide valuable information that may be helpful to uncover the molecular mechanisms related to epithelial ovarian cancer.</p

Use of relevailles : relevailles and intersectoral collaborations : brief report.

In the interest of population-based responsibility, health and social services establishments (HSSEs) are expected to establish more working partnerships with organismes communautaires Famille (OCF – community-based family organizations). Some OCFs offer a service called ‘relevailles,’ which consists of providing a home-visiting postnatal support program that adapts to the needs of each family, in order to listen, encourage, inform, and support day-to-day organization. The use and impacts of this service, as well as the collaborations surrounding its implementation in local networks of services provided by health and social services establishments, remain largely unknown