Multi-tissue transcriptomic study reveals the main role of liver in the chicken adaptive response to a switch in dietary energy source through the transcriptional regulation of lipogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Because the cost of cereals is unstable and represents a large part of production charges for meat-type chicken, there is an urge to formulate alternative diets from more cost-effective feedstuff. We have recently shown that meat-type chicken source is prone to adapt to dietary starch substitution with fat and fiber. The aim of this study was to better understand the molecular mechanisms of this adaptation to changes in dietary energy sources through the fine characterization of transcriptomic changes occurring in three major metabolic tissues - liver, adipose tissue and muscle - as well as in circulating blood cells. RESULTS: We revealed the fine-tuned regulation of many hepatic genes encoding key enzymes driving glycogenesis and de novo fatty acid synthesis pathways and of some genes participating in oxidation. Among the genes expressed upon consumption of a high-fat, high-fiber diet, we highlighted CPT1A, which encodes a key enzyme in the regulation of fatty acid oxidation. Conversely, the repression of lipogenic genes by the high-fat diet was clearly associated with the down-regulation of SREBF1 transcripts but was not associated with the transcript regulation of MLXIPL and NR1H3, which are both transcription factors. This result suggests a pivotal role for SREBF1 in lipogenesis regulation in response to a decrease in dietary starch and an increase in dietary PUFA. Other prospective regulators of de novo hepatic lipogenesis were suggested, such as PPARD, JUN, TADA2A and KAT2B, the last two genes belonging to the lysine acetyl transferase (KAT) complex family regulating histone and non-histone protein acetylation. Hepatic glycogenic genes were also down-regulated in chickens fed a high-fat, high-fiber diet compared to those in chickens fed a starch-based diet. No significant dietary-associated variations in gene expression profiles was observed in the other studied tissues, suggesting that the liver mainly contributed to the adaptation of birds to changes in energy source and nutrients in their diets, at least at the transcriptional level. Moreover, we showed that PUFA deposition observed in the different tissues may not rely on transcriptional changes. CONCLUSION: We showed the major role of the liver, at the gene expression level, in the adaptive response of chicken to dietary starch substitution with fat and fiber.

GEDOS-SECOT consensus on the care process of patients with knee osteoarthritis and arthoplasty. / Consenso GEDOS-SECOT sobre el proceso de atención a pacientes con artrosis de rodilla e indicación de artroplastia.

OBJECTIVE: To develop recommendations on the evaluation and management procedure in patients undergoing total knee replacement based on best evidence and the experience of a panel of experts. METHODS: A multidisciplinary group of 12 experts was selected that defined the scope, users and the document parts. Three systematic reviews were performed in patients undergoing knee replacement: (i)efficacy and safety of fast-tracks; (ii)efficacy and safety of cognitive interventions in patients with catastrophic pain, and (iii) efficacy and safety of acute post-surgical pain management on post-surgical outcomes. A narrative review was conducted on the evaluation and management of pain sensitization, and about the efficacy and safety of pre-surgical physiotherapy. The experts generated the recommendations and explicative text. The level of agreement was evaluated in a multidisciplinary group of 85 experts with the Delphi technique. The level of evidence was established as well for each recommendation. RESULTS: A total of 20 recommendations were produced. An agreement higher than 80% was reached in all of them. We found the highest agreement on the need for a full discharge report, on providing proper information about the process and on following available guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: There is consensus among professionals involved in the management of patients undergoing total knee replacement, in that it is important to protocolize the replacement process, performing a proper, integrated and coordinated patient evaluation and follow-up, paying special attention to the surgical procedure and postoperative period.

Inhibition of zygotic DNA repair: transcriptome analysis of the offspring in trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Zygotic repair of the paternal genome is a key event after fertilization. Spermatozoa accumulate DNA strand breaks during spermatogenesis and can suffer additional damage by different factors, including cryopreservation. Fertilization with DNA-damaged spermatozoa (DDS) is considered to promote implantation failures and abortions, but also long-term effects on the progeny that could be related with a defective repair. Base excision repair (BER) pathway is considered the most active in zygotic DNA repair, but healthy oocytes contain enzymes for all repairing pathways. In this study, the effects of the inhibition of the BER pathway in the zygote were analyzed on the progeny obtained after fertilization with differentially DDS. Massive gene expression (GE; 61 657 unique probes) was analyzed after hatching using microarrays. Trout oocytes are easily fertilized with DDS and the high prolificacy allows live progeny to be obtained even with a high rate of abortions. Nevertheless, the zygotic inhibition of Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, upstream of BER pathway, resulted in 810 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) after hatching. DEGs are related with DNA repair, apoptosis, telomere maintenance, or growth and development, revealing a scenario of impaired DNA damage signalization and repair. Downregulation of the apoptotic cascade was noticed, suggesting a selection of embryos tolerant to residual DNA damage during embryo development. Our results reveal changes in the progeny from defective repairing zygotes including higher malformations rate, weight gain, longer telomeres, and lower caspase 3/7 activity, whose long-term consequences should be analyzed in depth.

Somatic malignant transformation in a sacrococcygeal teratoma in a child and the use of F18FDG PET imaging.

A 6-year-old female presented with a subcutaneous sacral mass. Biopsy revealed an adenocarcinoma most likely arising from a sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT). CT imaging revealed a massive tumour consistent with SCT. F(18)FDG Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan confirmed marked metabolic activity in the tumour mass and regional lymph node involvement. After chemotherapy repeat CT and PET studies revealed a poor response but no evidence of peritoneal or distant metastases. Radical abdomino-pelvic and gluteal surgery was performed with removal of the entire tumour confirmed as a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma arising in an immature teratoma. Follow up imaging including PET scanning 5 months after her surgery revealed widespread peritoneal, hepatic and pulmonary metastases. Somatic malignant transformation of an SCT in a child of this age has not been previously reported.

Transcriptional analysis of testis maturation using trout cDNA macroarrays.

The project seeks to identify genes involved in key stages of trout spermatogenesis and their regulation. Within the framework of the French project of farm animal genomics (AGENAE) we produced an original normalised trout testis cDNA library and obtained 1152 trout ESTs corresponding to 967 potential genes. To study the expression of those genes throughout first stages of spermatogenesis, we used nylon macroarray. Gonads in stage of immaturity (stage I), or at initiation of spermatogonial proliferation (stage II), meiosis (stage III) or spermiogenesis were selected by histological analysis. Total RNA was extracted and then used to produce complex targets labelled with [33P]dCTP and hybridised with cDNA arrays. After filtering and normalisation of hybridisation signals, genes presenting differential expression as revealed by ANOVA analysis were submitted to k-means clustering and hierarchical classification. Genes were separated into five clusters which presented distinct profiles. One cluster overexpressed in stage I could be involved in the initial events of spermatogenesis as seminiferous tubule organisation. The second cluster displays a transient increase at the beginning of testicular recrudescence (stage II). Three other clusters group several genes involved in cell proliferation and protein synthesis and modification. One is particularly down-expressed during stage I, the two others show increased expression during stages III and IV and appear to be involved in spermatogonial and meiotic proliferation and in protein metabolism linked to cellular growth. This allows us to plan further experiments to better understand the functional implication of some of the genes that are found to be significantly regulated like CDC2, hematological and neurological expressed gene 1-like protein, HCDI protein, Mago Nashi, a BMP-like, and a steroid receptor binding protein. These data demonstrate the applicability of the array based technology using our trout cDNA arrays and highlight genes that are potential targets for the control of puberty and fertility in farmed fish.

[Cholelithiasis. Post-choledochostomy intraductal pressure (without and with sphinctero-infundibulostomy]. / Colelitiasis. Presiones intraductales poscoledocotomía (sin y con esfinteroinfundibulotomía).

In 72 patients operated on for lithiasis of the main biliary duct (MBD), the intraductal pressure was measured through the choledochostomy T-tube. This measure was done, both in upright and lying positions, fasting and after lunch. Two groups were considered: A (of 52 cases) and B (of 20 cases). In both groups a choledochotomy was performed, and only in group B a long, although partial, sphincterotomy was also done. Three patients in group B had the upper part of the sphincter of Oddi (SO) dilated by big stones. 1) When groups A and B were compared, no significant differences of pressures in MBD was found. 2) Highly significant differences (p = 0.0001) were always found when paired data related to positions were compared: in the upright position pressures in MBD were higher than on the lying position. Group A, during fasting (9.90 +/- 4.1 cm H2O, in upon position, and 7.76 +/- 3.6 when lying) and group B, also at fasting (8.95 +/- 3.0 in the upright position and 6.57 +/- 3.0, when lying). The three patients included in group B with big stones impacted in the upper part of SO, showed low pressures in MBD, specially one (2 and 1 cm H2O, upright lying positions), but the group is too small have statistical significance. We conclude that the long but partial sphincterotomy does not modify significantly the pressures in MBD whether upright or lying, and when paired data related to positions were compared, upright pressures were always higher than on the lying position (p = 0.0001).

[Paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma]. / Rhabdomyosarcome paratesticulaire: à propos d'un cas.

The observation presented is based on one patient 18 years old who presents a paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma stage I. A radical orchidectomy through on inguinal incision with high ligation of the spermatic cord was performed. We have omitted retroperitoneal lymph node dissection. The patient was treated by postoperative chemotherapy with V.A.C. during five weeks. Our patient remains disease free one year post-surgery, but after that, he presents suddenly a symptomatic bone metastasis of the thigh-bone and a massive metastatic pulmonary spreading, without retroperitoneal lymph nodes on the CT-scan. A multidisciplinary approach has considerably improved the prognosis of this tumor. Some reports suggest that routine retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy may be unnecessary for patients with no evidence of nodal involvement on CT-scan. The recent literature insists on problems cause by retroperitoneal lymph node involvement, but our clinical caused must induce us not to underestimate the potential of hematogenous spreading of this tumor.

[3H]spiperone binding in the nigrostriatal system in human brain.

The characteristics of [3H]spiperone binding in human brain were compared in three areas of the nigrostriatal pathway: areas containing the nerve terminals (caudate nucleus, putamen and pallidum); the area containing the cell bodies (substantia nigra pars compacta); the area containing the dendrites (pars reticulata). The affinity constants were calculated from saturation binding curves and from the kinetics of association and dissociation. The pharmacological profiles of the receptors was also established by displacement studies. The affinity constants and pharmacological profiles were similar in the striatum and the substantia nigra, although the latter contained a much smaller number of sites. In the substantia nigra, however, curved Scatchard plots were obtained, indicating that a second lower affinity site binding [3H]spiperone was also present. A considerable proportion (50%) of [3H]spiperone binding to nigral membranes could be displaced by the serotonin antagonist cinanserine , compared to the striatum (20%). The effect of post-mortem conditions on binding levels was studied in the rat. A loss of 20% occurred during the first hours after death, but was stable by 6 h until at least 24 h.

Estudio sobre la inmunidad retardada en enfermos de lepra, sometidos a tratamiento

Se realiza una revisión de conjunto de los trabajos publicados por diversos autores sobre el estado de la inmunidad retardada en los enfermos leprosos. A fin de confirmar los resultados obtenidos por dichos autores se ha puesto en prática una investigación de la inmunidad retardada en 323 pacientes que se clasificaron en 4 grupos: un primer grupo integrado por 193 enfermos lepromatosos. Un segundo grupo compuesto por 41 enfermos de lepra tuberculoide. Y otros dos grupos, uno de ellos compuesto por 41 enfermos tuberculosos y otro por 48 sujetos sanos que servieron de control. Las pruebas a que fueron sometidos consistieron en 1) intradermorreacciones mediante ocho clases de antígenos bactarianos o fúngicos; 2) escarificaciones mediante aceite de crotón, B. C. G. y DNCD; 3) homoinjertos, y 4 test de transformación blástica de los linfocitos. Se exponen los resultados obtenidos en estos ensayos, los cuales evidencian positividades muy semejantes en todos los grupos frente a las diversas pruebas por itradermorreacción y escarificación, exceptuando la baja positividad alcanzada por el grupo lepromatoso mediante la lepromina y el B. C. G. Los trasplante cutáneos ponen de manifesto un inicio del rechace más tardío en el grupo lepromatoso comparado con los otros grupos. El promedio de rechace expresado en días para el grupo lepromatoso fue de 14'7 días, para el tuberculoide de 8'5 días, para el de pacientes tuberculosos de 9'3 días, para el grupo de sujetos sanos de 8 días. Los resultados expuestos parecen demostrar que el enfermos de lepra una vez sometido a tratamiento posee una reaccionabilidad inmunológica semejante a la del individuo normal, pudiendo considerarse que las alteraciones inmunológicas más persistentes podrían depender de la infiltración de las áreas paracorticales de los ganglios linfáticos.