Analysis of the prophages carried by human infecting isolates provides new insight into the evolution of Group B Streptococcus species.

OBJECTIVES: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) emerged in the 1970s as a major cause of neonatal infections, and has been increasingly associated with infections in adults since the 1990s. Prophages have been suspected to have driven these epidemiological trends. We have characterized the prophages harboured by 275 human GBS isolates belonging to the major lineages. METHODS: We applied whole genome sequencing (WGS) to 14 isolates representative of the diversity within GBS species, located and identified their prophages. Using prediction tools, we searched for prophage elements potentially involved with the ability of GBS to infect humans. Using the data obtained by WGS, we designed a PCR-based tool and studied the prophage content of 275 isolates. RESULTS: WGS of the 14 isolates revealed 22 prophages (i) distributed into six groups (A-F), (ii) similar to phages and prophages from GBS and non-GBS streptococci recovered from livestock, and (iii) carrying genes encoding factors previously associated with host adaptation and virulence. PCR-based detection of prophages revealed the presence of at least one prophage in 72.4% of the 275 isolates and a significant association between neonatal infecting isolates and prophages C, and between adult infecting isolates and prophages A. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that prophages (possibly animal-associated) have conditioned bacterial adaptation and ability to cause infections in neonates and adults, and support a role of lysogeny with the emergence of GBS as a pathogen in human.

El sexo como ritual de paso a la adolescencia / No disponible

Si durante la infancia el sexo es el hecho más radical a nivel existencial, durante la adolescencia, además, se convierte en el hecho más radical a nivel vivencial. La adolescencia, como período vital y social, se puede referenciar como un período de “reindividuación sexual”, en el que dominan unos cambios guías: pasar de un cuerpo de niña/o a un cuerpo de mujer/varón; transformar una identidad infantil en una identidad adolescente; sustituir el núcleo fusional familiar por el núcleo fusional externo; el deseo sexual, como investimiento erótico del “otro”; se convertirá en el motor vivencial que con más fuerza organizará el mundo de los afectos y sentimientos. Las diferencias con base neuro-hormonal separan los puntos de arranque del proceso: las chicas se adelantan casi dos años a los chicos. Pero tanto en ellas como en ellos el cuerpo va a ser el escenario de la acción, el cuerpo como sustento y como carta de presentación de esa nueva identidad incipiente. Sus nuevas capacidades fisiológicas procreadoras recién estrenadas, la maduración ovárica y testicular, van a tomar significados vivenciales y sociales diferentes en nuestro contexto cultural: la legitimación del placer y el deseo sexual como un proceso activo va a ser mucho más lineal para los adolescentes y mucho menos explícito en las adolescentes. La sexualidad, la manera de vivirse como varón o como mujer, se convierte en la adolescencia en el registro más emergente de sus vidas. Esta realidad marca los objetivos de competencia en la educación sexual en la adolescencia

If, during infancy, sex is the most radical act at an existential level, then, during adolescence, it also becomes the most radical act in terms of experience. Adolescence, as a vital and social period, can be referred to as a period of “sexual revindication” in which some guideline changes dominate: the change from a childlike body to that of an adult, transform an infantile identity into an adolescent one, substitute the family nucleus for an external nucleus; sexual desire, like the erotic awakening of the “other”, will be converted into the vital motor that, with more effort, will organise the world of affections and feelings. Neuro-hormonal differences separate the starting points of the process: girls overtake boys by almost two years. However, as much for boys as for girls, the body is the scene of action, the body as sustenance and as presentation letter of their new budding identity. It’s new-found procreative, physiological capacities, ovarian and testicular maturity, will take significant vital and social differences in our cultural context: legitimization of pleasure and sexual desire as an active process will be much more lineal for adolescent boys and much less explicit in adolescent girls. Sexuality, the way of living life as a man or a woman, becomes for adolescents, the most apparent change of their lives. This reality marks the objectives of competence in sexual education in adolescence

[An association of Werdnig-Hoffman disease and pregnancy: apropos of an unusual case]. / Association maladie de Werdnig-Hoffman et grossesse: a propos d'un cas exceptionnel.

The authors describe the first case in the literature of pregnancy in a twenty year old patient suffering from Werdnig Hoffman's disease. This is pure progressive spinal muscular atrophy which involves respiratory and locomotor functions. It brings into consideration several problems of respiration and in particular of genetics to be considered in this case, and we report that pregnancy was well tolerated in the patient who had a severe physical handicap.

[RU 486 and induction of labor in 3d trimester pregnancy interruptions. Preliminary clinical studies]. / RU 486 et déclenchement du travail dans les interruptions du troisième trimestre de la grossesse. Etude clinique préliminaire.

The authors report 12 cases of induction of labour which was carried out with the help of RU 486 in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy (mean duration of the pregnancy 34.2 weeks). Nine cases had malformed fetuses and 3 cases had normal infants. In 6 cases out of the 12 delivery took place within 48 hours after RU had been administered by itself and in 3 cases induction with Syntocinon was helped when RU was given beforehand. In 3 cases the live-born children showed no secondary ill effects.