New sensitive tools to characterize meta-metabolome response to short- and long-term cobalt exposure in dynamic river biofilm communities.

Untargeted metabolomics is a non-a priori analysis of biomolecules that characterizes the metabolome variations induced by short- and long-term exposures to stressors. Even if the metabolite annotation remains lacunar due to database gaps, the global metabolomic fingerprint allows for trend analyses of dose-response curves for hundreds of cellular metabolites. Analysis of dose/time-response curve trends (biphasic or monotonic) of untargeted metabolomic features would thus allow the use of all the chemical signals obtained in order to determine stress levels (defense or damage) in organisms.

Multi-omics analyses from a single sample: prior metabolite extraction does not alter the 16S rRNA-based characterization of prokaryotic community in a diversity of sample types.

Massive sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene has become a standard first step to describe and compare microbial communities from various samples. Parallel analysis of high numbers of samples makes it relevant to the statistical testing of the influence of natural or experimental factors and variables. However, these descriptions fail to document changes in community or ecosystem functioning.

Insights on the Organ-Dependent, Molecular Sexual Dimorphism in the Zebra Mussel, , Revealed by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Metabolomics.

The zebra mussel, , is extensively used as a sentinel species for biosurveys of environmental contaminants in freshwater ecosystems and for ecotoxicological studies. However, its metabolome remains poorly understood, particularly in light of the potential molecular sexual dimorphism between its different tissues. From an ecotoxicological point of view, inter-sex and inter-organ differences in the metabolome suggest variability in responsiveness, which can influence the analysis and interpretation of data, particularly in the case where males and females would be analyzed indifferently.

Dataset on metabolome dimorphism in different organs of mature prawn.

The prawn exhibits a large distribution (occurring along the Northeastern Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean), and has thus been found suitable as model organism valuable for various ecotoxicological studies. However, little is still known about the potential input of its metabolome and particularly concerning a potential molecular sexual dimorphism observable in the different tissues of this organism. In an ecotoxicological point of view, inter-sex and inter-organ differences of the metabolomes may introduce analytical bias and impact the robustness of the analysis and its interpretation.

Establishment of the Bacterial Microbiota in a Lab-Reared Model Teleost Fish, the Medaka .

is an important model organism for physiology, genetics, and developmental studies, and has also emerged as a relevant vertebrate model for aquatic ecotoxicology. Knowledge regarding its associated microbiota on the other hand is still scarce and limited to adults, despite the relevance of the associated microbiome to the host's biology. This study provides the first insights into the establishment of bacterial microbiota during early developmental stages of laboratory-reared medaka using a 16S-rRNA-sequencing-based approach.

Evaluation of TB elimination strategies in Canadian Inuit populations: Nunavut as a case study.

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to disproportionately affect Inuit populations in Canada with some communities having over 300 times higher rate of active TB than Canadian-born, non-Indigenous people. Inuit Tuberculosis Elimination Framework has set the goal of reducing active TB incidence by at least 50% by 2025, aiming to eliminate it by 2030. Whether these goals are achievable with available resources and treatment regimens currently in practice has not been evaluated.

Fish gut-associated bacterial communities in a tropical lagoon (Aghien lagoon, Ivory Coast).

Aghien lagoon (Ivory Coast) is a eutrophic freshwater lagoon that harbors high biomasses of phytoplankton. Despite Increasing interest in fish gut microbiomes diversity and functions, little data is currently available regarding wild species from tropical west African lakes. Here, gut-associated bacterial communities are investigated in four fish species that are consumed by locale populations, namely the Cichlidae , and , and the Claroteidae .

A 6-Month Home-Based Functional Electrical Stimulation Program for Foot Drop in a Post-Stroke Patient: Considerations on a Time Course Analysis of Walking Performance.

Foot drop is a common disability in post-stroke patients and represents a challenge for the clinician. To date, ankle foot orthosis (AFO) combined with conventional rehabilitation is the gold standard of rehabilitation management. AFO has a palliative mechanical action without actively restoring the associated neural function.

[Factors predicting falls by patients with vascular hemiplegia at a physical medicine center].

Objectives: To determine factors predicting falls by patients with vascular hemiplegia to establish a program aimed at preventing falls in this population.

Methods: A comparative prospective study performed over 19 months with 44 patients older than 16 years who had had a cerebral vascular accident (CVA, stroke) and were consequently admitted to the Centre Richelie. The exclusion criteria were represented by CVA history, evidence of another form of encephalic lesion, and subsequent admission to hospital after hemiplegia or for follow-up.

[Botulinum toxin and medical liability: is the patient sufficiently informed?].

Introduction: The use of botulinum toxin injection therapy is soaring significantly today, with an ever-wider field of applications despite well-known side effects of the treatment. This article aims at analysing the medicolegal practices of practitioners who use this therapy, especially the information given to patients and finding a common practice for providing that information.

Methods: We sent a questionnaire to 340 practitioners who might use the therapy (physiatrists, neurologists, ophthalmologists, ENT specialists, plastic surgeons) working in hospitals and in physical therapy and rehabilitation centres in France.

Relationship between seminal LDH-C4 and spermatozoa with acrosome anomalies.

Lactate dehydrogenase C4 (LDH-C4), the specific isozyme of LDH produced by germ cells, was assessed in the seminal plasma of 55 patients to test a potential link between LDH-C4 and the count per ml of spermatozoa with acrosome anomalies. A simple regression curve shows a statistically significant positive correlation between seminal LDH-C4 concentrations and count per ml of spermatozoa with acrosome anomalies (r = + 0.640, P < 0.

[Fibronectin and hyaluronic acid in seminal fluid: relationship with sperm count and percentage of typical forms].

Two components of the extra cellular matrix, hyaluronic acid (HA) and fibronectin (Fbn), were assessed in the seminal fluids of 29 patients submitted for diagnosis of infertility. The concentrations of HA and Fbn were elevated in seminal plasma in comparison to their ranges of concentration in normal sera. No correlations were found between seminal Fbn and sperm count per ml and/or ejaculate, normal sperm cytology and multiple anomaly index (MAI).

Enzymatic properties of adult human Sertoli cells in vitro.

The adult human Sertoli cells produced lactate, estradiol-17beta, transferrin and inhibin; germ cells modulate synthesis of these compounds. In order to study the functional features of human Sertoli cells in vitro, the aim of this study was to measure the lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and creatine kinase activities (CK) in primary cultures of Sertoli cells prepared from young men (mean age: 29 years, n = 11). Five LDH isozymes have been found in Sertoli cells, the main fractions being the LDH3 and LDH4; each of them represented 30% of the total LDH activity.

Germ cell and Sertoli cell interactions in human testis: evidence for stimulatory and inhibitory effects.

In human Sertoli cell preparations obtained from healthy men (mean age 31.8 +/- 6.8 years; n = 6), we have measured the productions of lactate, 17 beta-oestradiol, transferrin and inhibin between day 4 and day 5 after plating, either in the presence or absence (hypotonic treatment of plated cells on day 2) of germ cells.

Steroidogenesis in the two enriched-Leydig cell populations of human testis: evidence for a positive control by seminiferous tubules secreted factor(s).

In two different enriched populations of Leydig cells (called FI and FII) obtained from human testes (young patients: mean age 36 +/- 3 years, n = 6; aged men: mean age 73 +/- 2 years, n = 5), the dehydroepiandrosterone and testosterone in vitro outputs were increased in a dose- and time-related manners by hCG. Similar results were obtained when the Leydig cells were incubated in presence of either dbcAMP or 22R-hydroxycholesterol. In presence of either hCG or dbcAMP, the coefficient of stimulation (in terms of steroid outputs) was higher in FII when compared to FI.

[Sertoli cells. Functional aspects compared in rats, pigs and man].

In the mammalian testis, the Sertoli cell plays a key role in the development and maintenance of spermatogenesis. Indeed, within the seminiferous tubule, the structure of the Sertoli cells and the specialized junctions between them and the neighbouring germ cells, contribute to create the sophisticated microenvironment and to bring all the nutriments require for a full development of germ cells. In this review, we have compared the main Sertoli cell functions in the rat and the pig to the available data concerning the human.

Human Sertoli cells in vitro. Lactate, estradiol-17 beta and transferrin production.

Human Sertoli cell parameters, namely lactate, estradiol-17 beta, and transferrin production, were determined after a 24-hour incubation with either human follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or dbcAMP in the presence or absence of testosterone plus a phosphodiesterase inhibitor (1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine; MIX). Testicular tissues were obtained from 10 young patients (mean age, 29 years); using a 3-step enzymatic treatment, Sertoli cell enriched preparations (> 92%) were studied after 4 days as primary cultures. No significant changes in lactate, estradiol-17 beta, and transferrin outputs have been observed according to age in patients ranging in age from 16 years to 47 years.

[Value of the study of total alkaline phosphatases and bone isoenzyme in a population of subjects with osteoporosis].

The authors have compared the values of total and bone serum alkaline phosphatases in an osteoporotic population and a control group. The total activity of alkaline phosphatases was determined by a kinetic method at 30 degrees C and alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes were separated by agarose gel electrophoresis in presence or absence of wheat germ lectin. The authors have confirmed reported data concerning the physiological variations of alkaline phosphatases in the control group; they have therefore divided each group in several sub-populations according to age and sex in order to obtain accurate comparisons.

Concentrations of teicoplanin in serum and atrial appendages of patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

The concentrations of teicoplanin in sera and heart tissues of 49 patients undergoing coronary bypass were measured. Each patient received a 6- or 12-mg/kg dose of teicoplanin administered in a slow intravenous bolus injection over 3 to 5 min beginning at the time of induction of anesthesia. Mean +/- standard error of the mean concentrations in serum were, for the two doses, respectively, 58.

Combined diagnostic value of biochemical markers in acute pancreatitis.

Eighty-three patients suffering from upper abdominal pain were studied to evaluate the contribution of commonly used biochemical markers in the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. On admission to hospital, serum amylase, lipase, total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transferase activities were measured. By stepwise logistic discrimination, only two determinations appeared to be of clinical value: lipase and alkaline phosphatase activities.

[Selenium and vitamin E in patients with progressive muscular dystrophy].

Serum levels of selenium and vitamin E were prospectively studied in children with Duchenne de Boulogne muscular dystrophy of variable age and muscular status. In contrast with previous studies, we found no differences with controls. However, we believe that selenium and vitamin E, two natural antioxydants, may contribute to the pathophysiology of pseudohypertrophic muscular dystrophy.