Obesogenic diet induces sex-specific alterations of contextual fear memory and associated hippocampal activity in mice.

In addition to metabolic and cardiovascular disorders, obesity is associated with cognitive deficits in humans and animal models. We have previously shown that obesogenic high-fat and sugar diet intake during adolescence (adoHFSD) impairs hippocampus (HPC)-dependent memory in rodents. These results were obtained in males only and it remains to evaluate whether adoHFSD has similar effect in females.

Heimdallr, Baldr, and Solarstein: designing the next generation of VLTI instruments in the Asgard suite.

High angular resolution imaging is an increasingly important capability in contemporary astrophysics. Of particular relevance to emerging fields such as the characterization of exoplanetary systems, imaging at the required spatial scales and contrast levels results in forbidding challenges in the correction of atmospheric phase errors, which in turn drives demanding requirements for precise wavefront sensing. Asgard is the next-generation instrument suite at the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), targeting advances in sensitivity, spectral resolution, and nulling interferometry.

Obesogenic diet induces circuit-specific memory deficits in mice.

Obesity is associated with neurocognitive dysfunction, including memory deficits. This is particularly worrisome when obesity occurs during adolescence, a maturational period for brain structures critical for cognition. In rodent models, we recently reported that memory impairments induced by obesogenic high-fat diet (HFD) intake during the periadolescent period can be reversed by chemogenetic manipulation of the ventral hippocampus (vHPC).

A 12-year follow-up of intestinal schistosomiasis in pre-school-aged children in Assoni Village, Eastern Senegal.

Background: To monitor the prevalence of schistosomiasis in school-aged children (SAC), the National Bilharzia Control Program (PNLB) was set up by the Senegalese authorities; however, geographically isolated Bedik ethnic groups that did not benefit from this program were found to be heavily infected with Schistosoma mansoni. This observation led us to implement a new schistosomiasis control program in 2008 under the aegis of the non-governmental organization "Le Kaïcedrat" and in partnership with the PNLB/WHO to monitor the prevalence of schistosomiasis in this area. In the village of Assoni, where 100% of SAC were infected, analysis of the stools of pre-school-aged children (PSAC) showed that they were massively infected, so we decided to focus our program on them.

Imaging low-mass planets within the habitable zone of α Centauri.

Giant exoplanets on wide orbits have been directly imaged around young stars. If the thermal background in the mid-infrared can be mitigated, then exoplanets with lower masses can also be imaged. Here we present a ground-based mid-infrared observing approach that enables imaging low-mass temperate exoplanets around nearby stars, and in particular within the closest stellar system, α Centauri.

Drug Repositioning of the α-Adrenergic Receptor Antagonist Naftopidil: A Potential New Anti-Cancer Drug?

Failure of conventional treatments is often observed in cancer management and this requires the development of alternative therapeutic strategies. However, new drug development is known to be a high-failure process because of the possibility of a lower efficacy than expected for the drug or appearance of non-manageable side effects. Another way to find alternative therapeutic drugs consists in identifying new applications for drugs already approved for a particular disease: a concept named "drug repurposing".

Bim, Puma and Noxa upregulation by Naftopidil sensitizes ovarian cancer to the BH3-mimetic ABT-737 and the MEK inhibitor Trametinib.

Ovarian cancer represents the first cause of mortality from gynecologic malignancies due to frequent chemoresistance occurrence. Increasing the [BH3-only Bim, Puma, Noxa proapoptotic]/[Bcl-x, Mcl-1 antiapoptotic] proteins ratio was proven to efficiently kill ovarian carcinoma cells and development of new molecules to imbalance Bcl-2 member equilibrium are strongly required. Drug repurposing constitutes an innovative approach to rapidly develop therapeutic strategies through exploitation of established drugs already approved for the treatment of noncancerous diseases.

[Benef its of innovation in orthognathic surgery for OSA].

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common, multifactorial disease resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Gold standard treatment is nocturnal positive airway pressure. Maxillomandibular advancement is a surgical technique used to treat obstructive sleep apnea.

C-type lectin receptors Mcl and Mincle control development of multiple sclerosis-like neuroinflammation.

Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are crucial for responses to infections and tissue damage; however, their role in autoimmunity is less clear. Herein we demonstrate that 2 C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) Mcl and Mincle play an important role in the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Congenic rats expressing lower levels of Mcl and Mincle on myeloid cells exhibited a drastic reduction in EAE incidence.

Hybrid Lipid Polymer Nanoparticles for Combined Chemo- and Photodynamic Therapy.

Retinoblastoma is a malignant tumor of the retina in infants. Conventional therapies are associated to severe side effects and some of them induce secondary tumors. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) thus appears as a promising alternative as it is nonmutagenic and generates minimal side effects.

Relevance of charges and polymer mechanical stiffness in the mechanism and kinetics of formation of liponanoparticles probed by the supported bilayer model approach.

In specific conditions, co-incubation of polymer nanoparticles and phospholipid vesicles leads to the formation of lipid bilayer coated nanoparticles usable as biocompatible drug delivery systems for co-encapsulation of two drugs. In this work, we focused on the preparation and characterization of liponanoparticles obtained by co-incubation of poly(d,l, lactic acid) (PDLLA) and neutral (POPC) or cationic (POPC/DOTAP) liposomes. The comparison of the behavior of the various studied vesicles co-incubated with nanoparticles highlighted the role of electrostatic interactions.

Use of topical glucocorticoids: a population-based cohort study.

Background: Little is known about the prescriptions of topical glucocorticoids in the general population.

Objectives: To report an overall picture of topical glucocorticoid prescriptions in France.

Methods: This study used the Echantillon Généraliste de Bénéficiaires (EGB) database, a 1/97th random sampling of the French population covered by the main national healthcare insurance system (approximately 90% of the whole population).

Nitration of MOG diminishes its encephalitogenicity depending on MHC haplotype.

Post-translational modifications of autoantigens are hypothesized to affect their immunogenicity. We here report that nitration of tyrosine 40 in Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein (MOG) abrogates its encephalitogenicity both at protein and peptide levels in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model in H2 C57BL/6 mice. Furthermore, nitrated MOG displays inferior antigen-specific proliferation of 2D2 splenocytes in vitro.

Cold-associated perniosis of the thighs histopathologically mimicking lupus. Six observations.

Background: Equestrian cold panniculitis has been described since 1980 in horse riders or in stable employees. Histological aspect is underdescribed.

Patients And Methods: We describe clinical and histological features of six horse riding or stable employees patients presenting with upper lateral thigh lesions during the winter months between 2014 and 2016 in our dermatological department.

Schistosomiasis Sustained Control Program in Ethnic Groups Around Ninefescha (Eastern Senegal).

Schistosomiasis is the second most significant parasitic disease in children in several African countries. For this purpose, the "Programme National de Lutte contre les Bilharzioses" (PNLB) was developed in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) to control this disease in Senegal. However, geographic isolation of Bedik ethnic groups challenged implementation of the key elements of the schistosomiasis program in eastern Senegal, and therefore, a hospital was established in Ninefescha to improve access to health care as well as laboratory support for this population.

Translational utility of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis: recent developments.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex autoimmune condition with firmly established genetic and environmental components. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed a large number of genetic polymorphisms in the vicinity of, and within, genes that associate to disease. However, the significance of these single-nucleotide polymorphisms in disease and possible mechanisms of action remain, with a few exceptions, to be established.

MOG-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in the rat species triggers anti-neurofascin antibody response that is genetically regulated.

Background: Ιn multiple sclerosis (MS), axonal damage leads to permanent neurological disabilities and the spreading of the autoimmune response to axonal antigens is implicated in disease progression. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) provides an animal model that mimics MS. Using different EAE models, we investigated the pathophysiological basis of epitope spreading to neurofascin, a protein localized at the node of Ranvier and its regulation by non-MHC genes.

Acceptability and Feasibility of Delivering Pentavalent Vaccines in a Compact, Prefilled, Autodisable Device in Vietnam and Senegal.

Background: Prefilled syringes are the standard in developed countries but logistic and financial barriers prevent their widespread use in developing countries. The current study evaluated use of a compact, prefilled, autodisable device (CPAD) to deliver pentavalent vaccine by field actors in Senegal and Vietnam.

Methods: We conducted a logistic, programmatic, and anthropological study that included a) interviews of immunization staff at different health system levels and parents attending immunization sessions; b) observation of immunization sessions including CPAD use on oranges; and c) document review.

Calcium signals inhibition sensitizes ovarian carcinoma cells to anti-Bcl-xL strategies through Mcl-1 down-regulation.

Ovarian carcinoma is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancer in the developed world and is characterized by acquired chemoresistance leading to an overall 5-year survival rate of about 30 %. We previously showed that Bcl-xL and Mcl-1 cooperatively protect platinum-resistant ovarian cancer cells from apoptosis. Despite BH3-mimetics represent promising drugs to target Bcl-xL, anti-Mcl-1 strategies are still in pre-clinical studies and required new investigations.

First evidence that oligopyridines, α-helix foldamers, inhibit Mcl-1 and sensitize ovarian carcinoma cells to Bcl-xL-targeting strategies.

Apoptosis control defects such as the deregulation of Bcl-2 family member expression are frequently involved in chemoresistance. In ovarian carcinoma, we previously demonstrated that Bcl-xL and Mcl-1 cooperate to protect cancer cells against apoptosis and their concomitant inhibition leads to massive apoptosis even in the absence of chemotherapy. Whereas Bcl-xL inhibitors are now available, Mcl-1 inhibition, required to sensitize cells to Bcl-xL-targeting strategies, remains problematic.