The worldwide invasion history of a pest ambrosia beetle inferred using population genomics.

Xylosandrus crassiusculus, a fungus-farming wood borer native to Southeastern Asia, is the most rapidly spreading invasive ambrosia species worldwide. Previous studies focusing on its genetic structure suggested the existence of cryptic genetic variation in this species. Yet, these studies used different genetic markers, focused on different geographical areas and did not include Europe. Our first goal was to determine the worldwide genetic structure of this species based on both mitochondrial and genomic markers. Our second goal was to study X. crassiusculus' invasion history on a global level and identify the origins of the invasion in Europe. We used a COI and RAD sequencing design to characterize 188 and 206 specimens worldwide, building the most comprehensive genetic data set for any ambrosia beetle to date. The results were largely consistent between markers. Two differentiated genetic clusters were invasive, albeit in different regions of the world. The markers were inconsistent only for a few specimens found exclusively in Japan. Mainland USA could have acted as a source for further expansion to Canada and Argentina through stepping stone expansion and bridgehead events. We showed that Europe was only colonized by Cluster II through a complex invasion history including several arrivals from multiple origins in the native area, and possibly including bridgehead from the United States. Our results also suggested that Spain was colonized directly from Italy through intracontinental dispersion. It is unclear whether the mutually exclusive allopatric distribution of the two clusters is due to neutral effects or due to different ecological requirements.

[Securing the patient's care path receiving oral anticancer therapy: Experimentation around a pharmaceutical hospital-to-community liaison]. / Sécurisation du parcours de soins du patient sous thérapie orale en oncologie : expérimentation autour d'un lien pharmaceutique hôpital­ville.

Due to the increasing prescription of oral anticancer therapies, the inpatient care pathway has shifted to an outpatient care pathway. This transformation requires an interdisciplinary coordination to provide a continuum of care and ensure therapeutic monitoring, as well as patient safety. To better support patients on oral anticancer therapies, a task group named "hospital-to-community pharmacist coordination" has been set up to create tools aiming at standardising the information exchanged between ambulatory and hospital pharmacists. A retrospective study examined the utilisation of the tools over a period of one year. The task group identified the expectations of all parties regarding the care pathways of patients undergoing oral chemotherapy, which lead to the creation of computerised exchange tools (integrated into the computerised patient's medical file). Over the course of this study, the cancer centre's pharmaceutical team contacted 425 ambulatory pharmacists regarding the prescription of oral chemotherapy to patients. Forty-two follow-ups from ambulatory pharmacists, gathering information on 34 patients, were submitted to the cancer centre pharmacists (7,7%). These first follow-ups allowed pharmaceutical responses regarding patient compliance, drug interaction and toxicities.

Assessment of urinary dipstick in patients admitted to an ED for blunt abdominal trauma.

INTRODUCTION: Clinicians still face significant challenge in predicting intra-abdominal injuries in patients admitted to an emergency department for blunt abdominal trauma. This study was thus designed to investigate the value of dipstick urinalysis in patients with blunt abdominal trauma. METHODS: We performed a retrospective, multicenter, cohort study involving patients admitted to the emergency department for abdominal traumas, examined by means of urinary dipstick and abdominal CT scan. The primary endpoint was the correlation between microscopic hematuria detected via dipstick urinalysis (defined by the presence of blood on the dipstick urinalysis but without gross hematuria) and abdominal injury, as evidenced on CT scan. RESULTS: Of the 100 included patients, 56 experienced microscopic hematuria, 17 gross hematuria, and 44 no hematuria. Patients with abdominal injury were more likely to present with hypovolemic shock (odds ratio [OR]: 8.4; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.7-26), abdominal wall hematoma (OR: 3.1; 95% CI: 1.2-7.9), abdominal defense (OR: 5.2; 95% CI: 1.8-14.5), or anemia (OR: 3.6; 95% CI: 1.2-10.3). Moreover, dipstick urinalysis was less likely to predict injury, with just 72.2% sensitivity (95% CI: 54.8-85.8), 53.1% specificity (95% CI: 40.2-65.7), and positive and negative predictive values of 46.4% (95% CI: 33.0-60.3) and 77.3% (95% CI: 62.2-88.5), respectively. CONCLUSION: Dipstick urinalysis was neither adequately specific nor sensitive for predicting abdominal injury and should thus not be used as a key assessment component in patients suffering from blunt abdominal trauma, with physical exam and vital sign assessment the preferred choice.

Investigating genomic and phenotypic parallelism between piscivorous and planktivorous lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) ecotypes by means of RADseq and morphometrics analyses.

Repeated adaptive ecological diversification has commonly been reported in fish and has often been associated with trophic niche diversity. The main goal of this study was to investigate the extent of parallelism in the genomic and phenotypic divergence between piscivorous and planktivorous lake trout ecotypes from Laurentian Shield lakes, Canada. This was achieved by documenting the extent of morphological differentiation using geometric morphometrics and linear measurements as well as the pattern of genomic divergence by means of RADseq genotyping (3925 filtered SNPs) in 12 lakes. Our results indicate that the two ecotypes evolved distinct body shape and several linear measurements in parallel. Neutral genetic differentiation was pronounced between all isolated populations (Mean FST  = 0.433), indicating no or very limited migration and pronounced genetic drift. Significant genetic differentiation also suggested partial reproductive isolation between ecotypes in the two lakes where they are found in sympatry. Combining different outlier detection methods, we identified 48 SNPs putatively under divergent selection between ecotypes, among which 10 could be annotated and related to functions such as developmental processes and ionic regulation. Finally, our results indicate that parallel morphological divergence is accompanied by both parallel and nonparallel genomic divergence, which is associated with the use of different trophic niches between ecotypes. The results are also discussed in the context of management and conservation of this highly exploited species throughout northern North America.

Genomic resources and their influence on the detection of the signal of positive selection in genome scans.

Genome scans represent powerful approaches to investigate the action of natural selection on the genetic variation of natural populations and to better understand local adaptation. This is very useful, for example, in the field of conservation biology and evolutionary biology. Thanks to Next Generation Sequencing, genomic resources are growing exponentially, improving genome scan analyses in non-model species. Thousands of SNPs called using Reduced Representation Sequencing are increasingly used in genome scans. Besides, genome sequences are also becoming increasingly available, allowing better processing of short-read data, offering physical localization of variants, and improving haplotype reconstruction and data imputation. Ultimately, genome sequences are also becoming the raw material for selection inferences. Here, we discuss how the increasing availability of such genomic resources, notably genome sequences, influences the detection of signals of selection. Mainly, increasing data density and having the information of physical linkage data expand genome scans by (i) improving the overall quality of the data, (ii) helping the reconstruction of demographic history for the population studied to decrease false-positive rates and (iii) improving the statistical power of methods to detect the signal of selection. Of particular importance, the availability of a high-quality reference genome can improve the detection of the signal of selection by (i) allowing matching the potential candidate loci to linked coding regions under selection, (ii) rapidly moving the investigation to the gene and function and (iii) ensuring that the highly variable regions of the genomes that include functional genes are also investigated. For all those reasons, using reference genomes in genome scan analyses is highly recommended.

Making sense of the relationships between Ne, Nb and Nc towards defining conservation thresholds in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

Effective population size over a generation (Ne) or over a reproductive cycle (Nb) and the adult census size (Nc) are important parameters in both conservation and evolutionary biology. Ne provides information regarding the rate of loss of genetic diversity and can be tracked back in time to infer demographic history of populations, whereas Nb may often be more easily quantified than Nc for short-term abundance monitoring. In this study, we propose (1) an empirical context to Waples et al. (2014) who introduced a correction to bias due to overlapping generations, and (2) a mathematical relationship between Ne and Nb for direct application in Atlantic salmon populations in Québec, Canada. To achieve this, we investigate the relationships between Ne, Nb and Nc in 10 Atlantic salmon populations, Canada, for which we genotyped 100 randomly sampled young-of-the year individuals for 5 consecutive years. The results show a positive correlation between Ne, Nb and Nc, suggesting that Nb is an indicative parameter for tracking effective population size and abundance of Atlantic salmon. However, our model allows predicting Nc from Nb values at 27% that can be partly explained by high variance in Nb/Nc both among populations (37%) and among years (19%). This result illustrates the need for thorough calibration of Nb/Nc before using Nb in monitoring programs, as well as a full understanding of the limits of such an approach. Finally, we discuss the importance of these results for the management of wild populations.

Using molecular tools to identify the geographical origin of a case of human brucellosis.

Although Malta is historically linked with the zoonosis brucellosis, there had not been a case of the disease in either the human or livestock population for several years. However, in July 2013 a case of human brucellosis was identified on the island. To determine whether this recent case originated in Malta, four isolates from this case were subjected to molecular analysis. Molecular profiles generated using multilocus sequence analysis and multilocus variable number tandem repeat for the recent human case isolates and 11 Brucella melitensis strains of known Maltese origin were compared with others held on in-house and global databases. While the 11 isolates of Maltese origin formed a distinct cluster, the recent human isolation was not associated with these strains but instead clustered with isolates originating from the Horn of Africa. These data was congruent with epidemiological trace-back showed that the individual had travelled to Malta from Eritrea. This work highlights the potential of using molecular typing data to aid in epidemiological trace-back of Brucella isolations and assist in monitoring of the effectiveness of brucellosis control schemes.

Effects of haptoglobin polymorphisms and deficiency on susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease and on severity of murine colitis.

BACKGROUND: Haptoglobin (Hp) is a haemoglobin-binding protein with immunomodulatory properties. Its gene (16q22) harbours a common polymorphism with two different alleles: Hp1 and Hp2. Genotype Hp22 has been shown to be over-represented in different immune diseases. Results in Crohn's disease (CD) are contradictory. AIMS: To determine whether Hp plays a role in inflammatory bowel disease, both genetically and functionally. METHODS: 1061 patients with CD, 755 with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 152 with primary sclerosing cholangitis, as well as 452 healthy controls, were genotyped using touch-down PCR. To confirm association results, 464 CD trios and 151 UC trios were genotyped. Serum Hp concentrations were determined in 62 individuals of different genotype. Colitis was induced in mice with dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) and oxazolone (Oxa). Cytokine production was evaluated by mRNA quantification in colonic tissue and ELISA on supernatants of mesenteric lymph node cells. RESULTS: Prevalence of Hp2 was higher in CD and UC than in controls. In the confirmatory cohorts, Hp2 was over-transmitted to the affected offspring. Serum Hp concentrations were higher in individuals with genotypes Hp11 and Hp21 than in those with Hp22 (1.38 vs 0.89 g/l). DSS- and Oxa-induced colitis were more severe in Hp-deficient mice than in control mice and accompanied by higher concentrations (although not statistically significantly different) of tissue mRNA for cytokines. Interleukin-17 production was significantly higher in the presence of Hp-deficient serum compared with wild-type serum. CONCLUSIONS: The Hp gene may play a role in susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease. Its implication in other immune diseases underscores the common pathways between these diseases. Experimental models of colitis showed that Hp has a protective role in inflammatory colitis, most likely by inhibiting the production of Th1 and Th17 cytokines.

Effects of temperature and food supply on the growth of whitefish Coregonus lavaretus larvae in an oligotrophic peri-alpine lake.

The relative roles of temperature and food availability on the seasonal and daily growth of whitefish Coregonus lavaretus larvae were investigated in the oligotrophic peri-alpine Lake Annecy, France. During the spring from 2004 to 2007, surface water temperature and density of potential zooplankton prey were monitored, and 2688 larvae were caught and measured. In addition, the daily growth of 130 larvae was estimated retrospectively by investigating the microstructure of their otoliths. Temperature played the predominant role in controlling both seasonal and daily growth of early larvae. In contrast, the abundance of Mesocyclops leuckarti and larval density was only slightly correlated to larval growth, suggesting no food limitation nor strong interindividual competition over the study period. Overall, these findings run counter to concerns about potential food limitation, but sound a warning about the potential impact of climate change on fish ecology and fisheries management.

Gut permeability and food allergies.

Intestinal permeability is a critical feature of the gastrointestinal epithelium as it must allow an efficient passage of nutrients and restrict the entry of larger molecules, such as protein antigen, in order to facilitate appropriate immune responses towards food antigens. The proper regulation of the epithelial barrier relies on multiple, intricate physiological and immunologic mechanisms, in terms of which recent progresses regarding the cellular and molecular components have been unravelled. In genetically predisposed individuals, breakdown of oral tolerance can occur, leading to the inadequate production of allergen-specific IgE and the recruitment of mast cells in the gastrointestinal mucosa. Under such conditions, the intestinal permeability towards allergen is altered via different mechanisms, with IgE-CD23-mediated transport across the mucosa playing an important amplification role. Additionally, during the effector phase of the allergic reaction, when mast cells degranulate, a series of inflammatory mediators, such as proteases and cytokines, are released and further affects intestinal permeability. This leads to an increase in the passage of allergens and hence contributes to perpetuate the inflammatory reaction. In this review, we describe the importance of properly balanced intestinal permeability in oral tolerance induction and address the processes involved in damaging the intestinal barrier in the sensitized epithelium and during allergic reactions. We conclude by speculating on the effect of increased intestinal permeability on the onset of sensitization towards dietary antigens.

Allergen-specific antibody and cytokine responses, mast cell reactivity and intestinal permeability upon oral challenge of sensitized and tolerized mice.

BACKGROUND: Food allergy has reached an epidemic level in westernized countries and although central mechanisms have been described, the variability associated with genetic diversity underscores the still unresolved complexity of these disorders. OBJECTIVE: To develop models of food allergy and oral tolerance, both strictly induced by the intestinal route, and to compare antigen-specific responses. METHODS: BALB/c mice were mucosally sensitized to ovalbumin (OVA) in the presence of the mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin, or tolerized by intra-gastric administrations of OVA alone. Antibody titres and cytokines were determined by ELISA, and allergic status was determined through several physiologic parameters including decline in temperature, diarrhoea, mast cell degranulation and intestinal permeability. RESULTS: OVA-specific antibodies (IgE, IgGs and IgA in serum and feces) were produced in sensitized mice exclusively. Upon intra-gastric challenge with OVA, sensitized mice developed anaphylactic reactions associated with a decline of temperature, diarrhoea, degranulation of mast cells, which were only moderately recruited in the small intestine, and increased intestinal permeability. Cytokines produced by immune cells from sensitized mice included T-helper type 2 cytokines (IL-5, IL-13), but also IL-10, IFN-gamma and IL-17. In contrast, all markers of allergy were totally absent in tolerized animals, and yet the latter were protected from subsequent sensitization, demonstrating that oral tolerance took place efficiently. CONCLUSION: This work allows for the first time an appropriate comparison between sensitized and tolerized BALB/c mice towards OVA. It highlights important differences from other models of allergy, and thus questions some of the generally accepted notions of allergic reactions, such as the protective role of IFN-gamma, the importance of antigen-specific secretory IgA and the role of mucosal mast cells in intestinal anaphylaxis. In addition, it suggests that IL-17 might be an effector cytokine in food allergy. Finally, it demonstrates that intestinal permeability towards the allergen is increased during challenge.

[2008 update of the 8th Consensus Development Conference of the Francophone Society of Medical Emergencies of 1999. The treatment of adult renal colic by the emergency services and in emergency rooms]. / Actualisation 2008 de la 8e Conférence de consensus de la Société francophone d'urgences médicales de 1999. Prise en charge des coliques néphrétiques de l'adulte dans les services d'accueil et d'urgences.

The care in the emergencies of the renal colic at the adult was the object in 1999 of a conference of consensus of the French Society of Emergency (SFMU) in association with the French Association of Urology and the Society of Nephrology. This already former text was the object of an update in 2008 by the subcommittee of scientific monitoring of the SFMU and was presented to the congress 2008. This public presentation in the presence of an expert urologist allowed to confront this new text with the practices and to publish an updating of the conference of consensus of 1999. A survey of practice was led with the emergency physicians, whose results are presented.

Heritability estimates from genomewide relatedness matrices in wild populations: Application to a passerine, using a small sample size.

Genomic developments have empowered the investigation of heritability in wild populations directly from genomewide relatedness matrices (GRM). Such GRM-based approaches can in particular be used to improve or substitute approaches based on social pedigree (PED-social). However, measuring heritability from GRM in the wild has not been widely applied yet, especially using small samples and in nonmodel species. Here, we estimated heritability for four quantitative traits (tarsus length, wing length, bill length and body mass), using PED-social, a pedigree corrected by genetic data (PED-corrected) and a GRM from a small sample (n = 494) of blue tits from natural populations in Corsica genotyped at nearly 50,000 filtered SNPs derived from RAD-seq. We also measured genetic correlations among traits, and we performed chromosome partitioning. Heritability estimates were slightly higher when using GRM compared to PED-social, and PED-corrected yielded intermediate values, suggesting a minor underestimation of heritability in PED-social due to incorrect pedigree links, including extra-pair paternity, and to lower information content than the GRM. Genetic correlations among traits were similar between PED-social and GRM but credible intervals were very large in both cases, suggesting a lack of power for this small data set. Although a positive linear relationship was found between the number of genes per chromosome and the chromosome heritability for tarsus length, chromosome partitioning similarly showed a lack of power for the three other traits. We discuss the usefulness and limitations of the quantitative genetic inferences based on genomic data in small samples from wild populations.

[Pertrochanteric fractures in elderly subjects aged over 75]. / Les fractures du massif trochantérien chez les sujets âgés de plus de 75 ans.

Pertrochanteric fractures constitute a major public health concern. This retrospective multicentric study evaluated outcome after treatment in patients aged over 75 years hospitalized for pertrochanteric fractures over a one year period (May 2004-May 2005). Five University Hospitals in the cities of Angers, Brest, Rennes, Tours, Nantes participated in this evaluation. The quality of the reduction and the position of the osteosynthesis were the two main criteria for good outcome. The type of material implanted had little effect on outcome. The results emphasized the importance of preventing osteoporosis. Fracture prevention and treatment of osteoporosis are crucial, even after fracture.

[Chewing tobacco. An emerging habit among adolescents]. / L'utilisation du tabac à chiquer. Une pratique émergente chez les adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: In France, unlike in the United States and Scandinavia, the use of "smokeless tobacco" (also called "chewing tobacco") was rare, but this habit is starting to expand, especially in the world of sports. At ski championships, for example, it is used as a doping agent. Adolescents in mountain areas are now imitating their competitive-skiing peers. CASE: A 16-year-old girl living in a ski resort became addicted to the tobacco paste, "Snuss", and consumed 15-20 doses of Snuss daily, together with a dozen cigarettes. DISCUSSION: "Smokeless tobacco" is emerging as a habit in France, its use encouraged by its discretion, low cost, and rapid induction of addiction. Its growth in Alpine areas requires the urgent development of impact studies to facilitate the organization of information campaigns to treat and prevent its use.

Impaired mental well-being and psychosocial risk: a cross-sectional study in female nursing home direct staff.

OBJECTIVES: The present study sought to quantify the impaired mental well-being and psychosocial stress experienced by nursing home staff and to determine the relationship between impaired mental well-being assessed on the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and exposure to psychosocial stress assessed on Siegrist's effort/reward and overcommitment model. METHODS: A transverse study was conducted in France on 2471 female employees in 105 nursing homes for the elderly. Personal and occupational data were collected by questionnaire for 668 housekeepers, 1454 nursing assistants and 349 nurses. RESULTS: 36.8% of participants (n=896) showed impaired mental well-being, 42.7% (n=1039) overcommitment and 9% (n=224) effort/reward imbalance. Overcommitment (prevalence ratio (PR)=1.27; 95% CI (1.21 to 1.34)) and effort-reward imbalance (PR=1.19; 95% CI (1.12 to 1.27)) were significantly associated with presence of impaired mental well-being after adjustment for personal factors (age and private life events). Taking effort and reward levels into account, the frequency of impaired mental well-being was highest in case of exposure to great extrinsic effort and low rewards of any type: esteem, PR=3.53, 95% CI (3.06 to 4.08); earnings, PR=3.48, 95% CI (2.99 to 4.06); or job security, PR=3.30, 95% CI (2.88 to 3.78). Participants in situations of overcommitment and of effort/reward imbalance were at the highest risk of impaired mental well-being: PR=3.86, 95% CI (3.42 to 4.35). CONCLUSIONS: Several changes in nursing home organisation can be suggested to reduce staff exposure to factors of psychosocial stress. Qualitative studies of the relation between impaired mental well-being and psychosocial stress in nursing home staff could guide prevention of impaired mental well-being at work.

Diflunisal, a new-acting analgesic and prostaglandin inhibitor: effect of concomitant acetylsalicylic acid therapy on ototoxicity and on disposition of both drugs.

Intermittent and concomitant acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) therapy was superimposed onto a 21-day regimen with diflunisal 250 mg b.i.d. Low doses of ASA (600 mg single dose or 300 mg q.i.d.) did not influence signficantly diflunisal blood levels whereas a 600 mg q.i.d. dosing caused a small significant drop, especially at trough level. This drop is not expected to be clinically significant. No ototoxicity could be demonstrated with any treatment of diflunisal though four of fourteen subjects reported mild tinnitus during concomitant therapy at the higher doses of ASA. Diflunisal at 375 mg b.i.d. failed to alter the metabolism of a single dose of labelled ASA (600 mg) as judged by plasma levels, urinary excretion and plasma binding. Daily urinary excretion of prostaglandins E1 and E2 major metabolite was decreased by about 70% by diflunisal.

[Endoscopic hemostasis for hemorrhagic gastroduodenal ulcer. Meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials]. / Hémostase endoscopique des hémorragies ulcéreuses gastro-duodénales. Méta-analyse des essais randomisés.

To demonstrate the advantages of various endoscopic hemostatic methods (laser photocoagulation, electrocautery, injection therapy) for bleeding gastroduodenal ulcer in patients at high risk for continued or recurrent bleeding, a critical review of published randomized clinical trials was made with meta-analytic methods. Only the 15 clinical trials dealing either with patients with visible non bleeding vessels or spurting arterial bleeding were included. Regarding visible non bleeding vessels, the meta-analysis of five trials on electrocautery and two trials on sclerotherapy showed a significant reduction in rebleeding rates in the treatment group compared with untreated controls. The odds ratios were 4 (95 percent confidence levels (CL): 2.4-6.9) (P less than 0.001) and 6.8 (95 percent CL: 2.7-17.2) (P less than 0.001), respectively. As well, the meta-analysis of four trials on electrocautery and the two trials on sclerotherapy showed a significant reduction in the number of emergency surgical operations in the treated groups a compared with the untreated groups. The odds ratios were 5.5 (95 percent confidence levels (CL): 2.7-11.3) (P less than 0.001) and 6.1 (95 percent CL: 2.1-17.8) (P less than 0.001), respectively. Meta-analysis did not show any advantage for laser, electrocautery, or sclerotherapy in terms of mortality. Indirect meta-analysis did not reveal any difference between electrocautery and sclerotherapy. Regarding spurting arterial bleeding, meta-analysis of the two YAG laser trials, the two Argon laser trials, and the two electrocautery trials showed a significant reduction of rebleeding or continued bleeding in the treatment groups as compared with the control groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Nd:YAG laser treatment of colorectal villous tumors]. / Traitement par le laser Nd:YAG des tumeurs villeuses colo-rectales.

Fifty-eight patients, 23 men, 35 women (mean age 76 +/- 10 yrs), with colorectal villous adenomas underwent endoscopic neodymium Yag laser therapy. In 50 patients with interpretable results, tumor ablation was complete in 45 p. 100 of extensive adenomas involving at least two thirds of the circumference and extending longitudinally for at least 4 cm, in 92 p. 100 of intermediate adenomas between 1 and 4 cm in diameter and in 100 p. 100 of small adenomas with diameter less than or equal to 1 cm. These patients had a mean follow up of 72 weeks (range 13-182 wks). Twelve adenomatous tissue recurrences occurred in 9 patients. In 10 of these recurrences, laser ablation was effective. Age, sex, dysplasia grade, macroscopic appearance, or tumor location did not influence the results which were related to the size of the villous adenomas. Four complications occurred: a symptomatic stenosis, an asymptomatic stenosis, an ileocaecal fistula and a rectal fistula near a colorectal anastomosis.