Changes in TNFα, NFκB and MnSOD protein in the vestibular nuclei after unilateral vestibular deafferentation

BACKGROUND: Unilateral vestibular deafferentation results in strong microglial and astroglial activation in the vestibular nuclei (VN) that could be due to an inflammatory response. This study was aimed at determining if markers of inflammation are upregulated in the VN after chemical unilateral labyrinthectomy (UL) in the rat, and if the inflammatory response, if any, induces the expression of neuroprotective factors that could promote the plasticity mechanisms involved in the vestibular compensation process. The expressions of inflammatory and neuroprotective factors after chemical or mechanical UL were also compared to verify that the inflammatory response was not due to the toxicity of sodium arsanilate. METHODS: Immunohistological investigations combined the labeling of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), as a marker of the VN inflammatory response, and of nuclear transcription factor κB (NFκB) and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), as markers of neuroprotection that could be expressed in the VN because of inflammation. Immunoreactivity (Ir) of the VN cells was quantified in the VN complex of rats. Behavioral investigations were performed to assess the functional recovery process, including both static (support surface) and dynamic (air-righting and landing reflexes) postural tests. RESULTS: Chemical UL (arsanilate transtympanic injection) induced a significant increase in the number of TNFα-Ir cells in the medial and inferior VN on both sides. These changes were detectable as early as 4 h after vestibular lesion, persisted at 1 day, and regained nearly normal values at 3 days. The early increase in TNFα expression was followed by a slightly delayed upregulation of NFκB 8 h after chemical UL, peaking at 1 day, and regaining control values 3 days later. By contrast, upregulation of MnSOD was more strongly delayed (1 day), with a peak at 3 days, and a return to control values at 15 days. Similar changes of TNFα, NFκB, and MnSOD expression were found in rats submitted to mechanical UL. Behavioral observations showed strong posturo-locomotor deficits early after chemical UL (1 day) and a complete functional recovery 6 weeks later. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the upregulation of inflammatory and neuroprotective factors after vestibular deafferentation in the VN may constitute a favorable neuronal environment for the vestibular compensation process

Prévision de trajectoires de cyclones à l'aide de forêts aléatoires avec arbres de régression

International audienceNous présentons une étude pour la prédiction des trajectoires de cyclones dans l'océan Atlantique Nord à partir de données issues d'images satellites. On y extrait des mesures de vitesses de vent, de vorticité, d'humidité (base JRA-25)et des mesures de latitude, de longitude et de vitesse de vent instantanée des cyclones toutes les 6 heures (base IBTrACS). Les modèles de référence à ce jour ne tiennent pas compte des corrélations entre les données et les prévisions ce qui limite leur intérêt pour certains utilisateurs. Nous proposons ainsi de prédire le déplacement en latitude et le déplacement en longitude au même instant à un horizon de 120 h toutes les 6 h à l'aide de forêts aléatoires avec arbres de régression. Sur le long terme, à partir de 18 h, la méthode proposée donne de meilleurs résultats que les méthodes existantes

Brian Liberge

Known also as "Sister Freddie Anne Willing,” Brian is a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence, an organization of trans-nuns committed to community service, ministry, and outreach. Self-described as “gender-queer” and comfortable with male and female pronouns, Brian was born and raised in the Highlands area of Lynn across from the Ford School. He held deep connections to the city, even when his immediate family moved to Saugus. Her family had heavy ties to St. Stephen’s Church, which provided them with food support during lean times and instilled an ethic of community service. Although non-binary and trans were not part of the popular vocabulary during his childhood, St. Stephen’s had always been supportive of the gay and lesbian community. Brian only came to learn about gender and sexual identity through private explorations of the internet in his parents’ basement. The internet provided him a lifeline to other communities and a means of self-expression. Still, his identity would remain muddled for years. He would major in Theater at Suffolk University, work as a computer specialist, marry two women, and father a child. He discusses the history and social advocacy of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and his evolution as a queer advocate. Interview carried out by Andrew Darien

Statut parasitaire du vison d'Europe (Mustela lutreola) en France : Etude comparative de la faune helminthique du vison d'Europe, du vison d'Amérique (Mustela vison) et du putois (Mustela putorius)

Le vison d'Europe est une des espèces les plus menacées de disparition en Europe actuellement. C'est aussi une espèce peu étudiée jusqu'à présent sur le plan scientifique. Le vison d'Amérique et le putois, sont deux autres Mustélidés présents en France mais dont la démographie est bien meilleure. Ce travail entre dans le cadre du Plan National de Sauvegarde du vison d'Europe, lequel vise à mieux connaître l'espèce afin de découvrir et de mettre en oeuvre les moyens d'enrayer sa disparition. Notre étude a pour but de recenser les helminthes présents chez ces trois espèces, d'abord dans la littérature scientifique, puis de manière expérimentale. L'étude a concerné 13 visons d'Europe, 12 visons d'Amérique et 4 putois originaires du Sud-Ouest de la France. Nous avons donc pu montrer que les visons d'Europe semblent héberger des vers plus nombreux et avec une plus grande diversité que les visons d'Amérique. Les putois sont, eux aussi, assez fortement parasités

POD-based reduced order model for flows induced by rigid solids in forced rotation

This paper deals with the construction of reduced order models (ROMs) for the simulation of the interaction between a fluid and a rigid solid with imposed rotation velocity. The approach is a follows. First, we derive a monolithic description of the fluid/structure interaction by extending the Navier-Stokes equations from the fluid domain to the solid (rotor) domain similarly to the fictitious-domain approach. Second, we build a ROM by a proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) of the resulting multi-phases flow. This method consists in (i) constructing an optimal albeit empirical spatial basis for a very small sub-space of the solution space, and (ii) projecting the governing equations on this reduced basis. Third, we cope with the reconstruction of the high-dimensional velocity field needed to evaluate the imposed velocity constraint by a POD of the solid membership function. Fourth, we use state of the art method to interpolate between available POD bases to build the proposed POD-ROM for a range of parameters values. The proposed method is applied to an academic configuration and proves efficient in the reconstruction of the velocity in both the fluid and solid domains while substantially reducing the computational cost

Toxicological pathology in drug safety assessment

In preclinical toxicology studies, pathology includes postmortem macroscopic and microscopic examinations of the tissues. These examinations are carried out under the responsibility of the pathologist in compliance with the principles of GLP (Good Laboratory Practice). The pathologist’s duties involve comparing animals given a known drug at different doses with control animals to detect any adverse effects of the test compound. A disciplined, consistent approach is essential to ensure uniform reporting levels and avoid any drift in the diagnostic descriptions used between the animals during the course of the study. This is one of the most difficult constraints inherent to the work of the pathologist. At the end of a study, the pathologist writes a report describing any drug-related effects on organ weights as well as any macroscopic and microscopic abnormality. The pathology report is a key element in the final toxicological report. Nonetheless, pathology results should be evaluated in the light of the other study data, particularly those generated by the clinical examination, as well as hematology and biochemistry tests.Dans les études de toxicologie préclinique, le terme de « Pathologie » recouvre l'ensemble des examens anatomo-pathologiques (macroscopie et microscopie), effectués après le sacrifice des animaux. Ces examens se déroulent sous la responsabilité du « Pathologiste » qui travaille dans un environnement conforme aux « BPL » (Bonnes Pratiques de Laboratoire). Son travail consiste à comparer des lots d'animaux recevant un produit connu à différentes doses avec des animaux témoins, pour mettre en évidence d'éventuels effets indésirables liés à ce produit. Rigueur et homogénéité des seuils de description et de diagnostic entre les animaux sont essentielles pour ne pas introduire de dérive au cours du temps. Cette contrainte est l'une des grandes difficultés inhérentes au travail du pathologiste toxicologue. Enfin, le pathologiste rédige un rapport décrivant les effets du produit sur les poids d'organes ainsi que les éventuelles anomalies macroscopiques et microscopiques. Ce rapport est un élément clé du rapport toxicologique final, toutefois les résultats anatomo-pathologiques doivent être analysés à la lumière des autres données de l'étude, particulièrement celles issues de la clinique et de l'hématobiochimie

Politique africaine, dossier « Justice et réconciliation ; ambiguïtés et impensés »

Politique africaine nous propose une réflexion à plusieurs voix sur les expériences de justice transitionnelle, menées dans quatre pays africains ayant traversé de longues périodes de conflits politiques meurtriers : l’Afrique du Sud, la Sierra Leone, le Rwanda, le Burundi. Les auteurs ont voulu aborder l’étude des différents dispositifs testés sans réitérer les analyses centrées sur les aspects cathartiques ou thérapeutiques, ni porter eux-mêmes de jugement ou dresser de bilan définitif de c..