Nrf2-interacting nutrients and COVID-19 : time for research to develop adaptation strategies

There are large between- and within-country variations in COVID-19 death rates. Some very low death rate settings such as Eastern Asia, Central Europe, the Balkans and Africa have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented foods whose intake is associated with the activation of the Nrf2 (Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2) anti-oxidant transcription factor. There are many Nrf2-interacting nutrients (berberine, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, genistein, quercetin, resveratrol, sulforaphane) that all act similarly to reduce insulin resistance, endothelial damage, lung injury and cytokine storm. They also act on the same mechanisms (mTOR: Mammalian target of rapamycin, PPAR gamma:Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, NF kappa B: Nuclear factor kappa B, ERK: Extracellular signal-regulated kinases and eIF2 alpha:Elongation initiation factor 2 alpha). They may as a result be important in mitigating the severity of COVID-19, acting through the endoplasmic reticulum stress or ACE-Angiotensin-II-AT(1)R axis (AT(1)R) pathway. Many Nrf2-interacting nutrients are also interacting with TRPA1 and/or TRPV1. Interestingly, geographical areas with very low COVID-19 mortality are those with the lowest prevalence of obesity (Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia). It is tempting to propose that Nrf2-interacting foods and nutrients can re-balance insulin resistance and have a significant effect on COVID-19 severity. It is therefore possible that the intake of these foods may restore an optimal natural balance for the Nrf2 pathway and may be of interest in the mitigation of COVID-19 severity

Cabbage and fermented vegetables : From death rate heterogeneity in countries to candidates for mitigation strategies of severe COVID-19

Large differences in COVID-19 death rates exist between countries and between regions of the same country. Some very low death rate countries such as Eastern Asia, Central Europe, or the Balkans have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented foods. Although biases exist when examining ecological studies, fermented vegetables or cabbage have been associated with low death rates in European countries. SARS-CoV-2 binds to its receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). As a result of SARS-CoV-2 binding, ACE2 downregulation enhances the angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT(1)R) axis associated with oxidative stress. This leads to insulin resistance as well as lung and endothelial damage, two severe outcomes of COVID-19. The nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) is the most potent antioxidant in humans and can block in particular the AT(1)R axis. Cabbage contains precursors of sulforaphane, the most active natural activator of Nrf2. Fermented vegetables contain many lactobacilli, which are also potent Nrf2 activators. Three examples are: kimchi in Korea, westernized foods, and the slum paradox. It is proposed that fermented cabbage is a proof-of-concept of dietary manipulations that may enhance Nrf2-associated antioxidant effects, helpful in mitigating COVID-19 severity.Peer reviewe

Research needs in allergy: an EAACI position paper, in collaboration with EFA

Abstract In less than half a century, allergy, originally perceived as a rare disease, has become a major public health threat, today affecting the lives of more than 60 million people in Europe, and probably close to one billion worldwide, thereby heavily impacting the budgets of public health systems. More disturbingly, its prevalence and impact are on the rise, a development that has been associated with environmental and lifestyle changes accompanying the continuous process of urbanization and globalization. Therefore, there is an urgent need to prioritize and concert research efforts in the field of allergy, in order to achieve sustainable results on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this most prevalent chronic disease of the 21 st century. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) is the leading professional organization in the field of allergy, promoting excellence in clinical care, education, training and basic and translational research, all with the ultimate goal of improving the health of allergic patients. The European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations (EFA) is a non-profit network of allergy, asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) patients' organizations. In support of their missions, the present EAACI Position Paper, in collaboration with EFA, highlights the most important research needs in the field of allergy to serve as key recommendations for future research funding at the national and European levels. Although allergies may involve almost every organ of the body and an array of diverse external factors act as triggers, there are several common themes that need to be prioritized in research efforts. As in many other chronic diseases, effective prevention, curative treatment and accurate, rapid diagnosis represent major unmet needs. Detailed phenotyping/endotyping stands out as widely required in order to arrange or re-categorize clinical syndromes into more coherent, uniform and treatment-responsive groups. Research efforts to unveil the basic pathophysiologic pathways and mechanisms, thus leading to the comprehension and resolution of the pathophysiologic complexity of allergies will allow for the design of novel patient-oriented diagnostic and treatment protocols. Several allergic diseases require well-controlled epidemiological description and surveillance, using disease registries, pharmacoeconomic evaluation, as well as large biobanks. Additionally, there is a need for extensive studies to bring promising new biotechnological innovations, such as biological agents, vaccines of modified allergen molecules and engineered components for allergy diagnosis, closer to clinical practice. Finally, particular attention should be paid to the difficult-to-manage, precarious and costly severe disease forms and/or exacerbations. Nonetheless, currently arising treatments, mainly in the fields of immunotherapy and biologicals, hold great promise for targeted and causal management of allergic conditions. Active involvement of all stakeholders, including Patient Organizations and policy makers are necessary to achieve the aims emphasized herein

Alkylation isobutane-butenes en présence de zircone sulfatée et d'hétéropolyacides en phase liquide et supercritique

Notre étude concerne la réaction d'alkylation de l'isobutane par les butènes en phase liquide. Nous avons utilisé deux types de catalyseurs solides acides, des sels alcalins d'hétéropolyacide de type Keggin, (H3PW12O40) et une zircone sulfatée. Nous montrons que la sélectivité de la réaction est étroitement liée à la température de prétraitement du catalyseur. La caractérisation de l'acidité au moyen d'une réaction test (isomérisation du n-C4), par RNM du proton et par absorption de molécules sondes suivies par IR, montre que l'augmentation de la température de prétraitement ne modifie pas la nature des sites acides mais augmentent leur force. La présence de sites acides forts oriente la sélectivité vers la formation des triméthylpentanes et des produits de craquage. En présence de sites plus faibles, la dimérisation de l'oléfine, réaction secondaire, est prépondérante. Par ailleurs, l'optimisation des conditions opératoires montre que l'hétéropolyacide est plus sélectif que la zircone sulfatée en triméthylpentanes, ce que nous attribuons à une densité plus faible de sites acides et à sa microporosité. L'optimisation de la composition de l'hétéropolyacide a révélé le rôle majeur de la densité des sites acides. La stabilité du catalyseur est sensiblement accrue en présence d'une faible densité de sites acides forts, contribuant à limiter la dimérisation du butène, responsable de la désactivation du catalyseur. Par ailleurs, un hétéropolyacide de composition "optimale" a été testé, en autoclave, en présence des réactifs en phase supercritique. Alors qu'au voisinage du point critique la composition de l'alkylat est très proche de celle obtenue en phase liquide à haute température, nous observons une amélioration de la qualité de l'alkylat lorsque la densité du fluide supercritique est augmentée dans des conditions isothermes. Cependant cette augmentation ne compense pas l'effet négatif de l'utilisation de hautes températures nécessaires pour atteindre l'état supercritique.LYON1-BU.Sciences (692662101) / SudocSudocFranceF

Les nouvelles élites criminelles. Vers le crime organisé en col blanc

International audienc

Les nouvelles élites criminelles. Vers le crime organisé en col blanc

International audienc

Linguistic markers for identifying post-traumatic stress disorder and associated symptoms: a systematic literature review

International audienceAbstract Objectives Diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains a challenge due to symptom variability and comorbidities. Linguistic analysis offers an innovative approach to identify PTSD symptoms and severity. This systematic review aimed at identifying linguistic features associated with PTSD, assessing the quality and limitations of existing studies, summarizing the predictive performance of identified models, and describing the clinical utility of these models. Materials A comprehensive search was conducted across multiple databases, resulting in the identification of 593 articles. After screening and eligibility assessment, 58 studies were included. Methods Data extraction focused on study characteristics, methodology, and performance metrics. We assessed the risk of bias using the PROBAST and conducted both a narrative synthesis and a meta-analysis. Results Linguistic features such as pronoun use, emotional valence, cognitive processing words, narrative length, discourse disorganization, temporal orientation, specific lexical fields (death, anxiety, sensory-perception details), and disfluencies were commonly investigated. The meta-analysis revealed a pooled area under the curve of 0.81, indicating the high performance of classification models. However, significant publication bias and heterogeneity were noted. Only 8 studies were rated with a low risk of bias, highlighting common issues such as inadequate control groups, unvalidated linguistic tools, unvalidated diagnosis tools, and low rigor in statistical analysis. Discussion and Conclusions Linguistic markers showed potential for enhancing PTSD diagnoses, but the contemporary research was limited by methodological inconsistencies and biases. Future research should focus on standardized tools, symptom-focused studies, and interdisciplinary collaboration to improve the robustness and clinical applicability of findings

Figures of Speech as a Linguistic Marker of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

This study investigates the use of figures of speech by individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental health condition subsequent to a traumatic event. A large body of literature has addressed the issue of trauma-related metaphors, but other figures of speech have not been investigated. Our goal is to analyze these figures of speech in relation to PTSD and to assess the extent to which such linguistic markers can contribute to post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis. A total of 136 individuals (49.2% with PTSD) among the survivors of the 2015 Paris attacks were interviewed. The different figures of speech they used were analyzed. Our results show that unlike most studies focusing only on metaphors, other figures of speech are also relevant. Second, we found associations between metaphors, similes, and irony and the criterion “avoidance” as well as between the semantic features of metaphors and similes and symptoms. Finally, unlike most studies addressing the use of metaphors for therapeutic purposes, we suggest that figures of speech could be a relevant contributor to post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis