Summary
Deinococcus spp are among the most radiation‐resistant micro‐organisms that have been discovered. They show remarkable resistance to a range of damage caused by ionizing radiation, ...desiccation, UV radiation and oxidizing agents. Traditionally, Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been the two platforms of choice for engineering micro‐organisms for biotechnological applications, because they are well understood and easy to work with. However, in recent years, researchers have begun using Deinococcus spp in biotechnologies and bioremediation due to their specific ability to grow and express novel engineered functions. More recently, the sequencing of several Deinococcus spp and comparative genomic analysis have provided new insight into the potential of this genus. Features such as the accumulation of genes encoding cell cleaning systems that eliminate organic and inorganic cell toxic components are widespread among Deinococcus spp. Other features such as the ability to degrade and metabolize sugars and polymeric sugars make Deinococcus spp. an attractive alternative for use in industrial biotechnology.
Upper limb impairment affects activity and participation in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP). Pressure garment therapy (PGT) using compressive dynamic Lycra
garments is an innovative ...intervention proposed for the management of cerebral palsy consequences. The PROPENSIX study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a therapy using a Lycra
sleeve as compared to a placebo sleeve to improve bi-manual performance measured by the Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA) in children with unilateral cerebral palsy.
The PROPENSIX trial is a multicenter, prospective, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomized study. One hundred children with UCP, aged from 5 to 10, are randomly assigned as soon as they are recruited in a 1:1 ratio to perform usual daily activities, especially activities involving bimanual performances, with Lycra
sleeve or placebo sleeve during 6 months. The primary endpoint is the change in bimanual performance from inclusion to 6 months, evaluated by AHA. The secondary endpoints evaluate changes from inclusion to 6 months in other dimensions of the International Classification of Functioning (ICF), upper limb movement capacity assessed by Quality of Upper Extremity Skill Test (QUEST), and health-related quality of life evaluated by Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 3.0 Cerebral Palsy Module (PedsQLTM 3.0 CP Module) and in body structures and functions domain assessed by neuro-orthopedic examination and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP).
The PROPENSIX study is the largest randomized controlled trial (RCT) aiming to evaluate the efficacy of a PGT using compressive dynamic Lycra
sleeve in UCP. Enhancement of children's bimanual performance at the end of the 6 months wear of the Lycra
sleeve should improve evidence regarding this type of treatment and expand discussion about their recommendation in clinical practice. Data from secondary outcomes assessments should bring interesting arguments to discuss the Lycra
sleeve action on mobility, tonus, and sensory impairments in children with unilateral cerebral palsy.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02086214 . Retrospectively registered on March 13, 2014 TRIAL STATUS: Study start data: December 2012. Recruitment status: completed. Primary completion date: April 2021. Estimated study completion date: December 2022. Protocol version 10 (date: February 2018).
A number of methods are now available to perform automatic assignment of periodic secondary structures from atomic coordinates, based on different characteristics of the secondary structures. In ...general these methods exhibit a broad consensus as to the location of most helix and strand core segments in protein structures. However the termini of the segments are often ill-defined and it is difficult to decide unambiguously which residues at the edge of the segments have to be included. In addition, there is a "twilight zone" where secondary structure segments depart significantly from the idealized models of Pauling and Corey. For these segments, one has to decide whether the observed structural variations are merely distorsions or whether they constitute a break in the secondary structure.
To address these problems, we have developed a method for secondary structure assignment, called KAKSI. Assignments made by KAKSI are compared with assignments given by DSSP, STRIDE, XTLSSTR, PSEA and SECSTR, as well as secondary structures found in PDB files, on 4 datasets (X-ray structures with different resolution range, NMR structures).
A detailed comparison of KAKSI assignments with those of STRIDE and PSEA reveals that KAKSI assigns slightly longer helices and strands than STRIDE in case of one-to-one correspondence between the segments. However, KAKSI tends also to favor the assignment of several short helices when STRIDE and PSEA assign longer, kinked, helices. Helices assigned by KAKSI have geometrical characteristics close to those described in the PDB. They are more linear than helices assigned by other methods. The same tendency to split long segments is observed for strands, although less systematically. We present a number of cases of secondary structure assignments that illustrate this behavior.
Our method provides valuable assignments which favor the regularity of secondary structure segments.
La myopathie de Duchenne de Boulogne (MDB) se caractérise par une perte progressive des fibres musculaires avec remplacement par du tissu adipeux (dépôts intramusculaires de lipides). L’estimation de ...la composition corporelle par l’impédancemétrie (BIA) et l’anthropométrie n’est pas validée dans la MDB. Dans un travail précédent réalisé chez des myopathes plus âgés (10.0±2,5
ans), la BIA évaluait la composition corporelle avec une meilleure précision que la mesure anthropométrique des plis cutanés. Le but de l’étude a été de comparer deux méthodes d’estimation de la composition corporelle (BIA versus mesure anthropométrique des plis cutanés) à une méthode de référence, l’absorptiométrie biphotonique (DXA) chez les enfants atteints de MDB en stratifiant par l’âge.
30 enfants atteints la MDB (20 enfants âgés <=7
ans, 10 enfants âgés > 7
ans) ont été évalués par BIA (50
KHz, 800
mAmp), la mesure des plis cutanés et par DXA. La masse maigre (MM) et le pourcentage masse grasse (%MG) ont été calculées par les formules de Houtkopper (BIA) et de Brook (plis cutanés). Les moyennes ±DS ont été comparées par ANOVA à 1 facteur + test de Tukey.
En moyenne (N=30), l’âge était de 6.8±2.4 ans (2 à 11
ans), le poids de 20.8±6.3
kg, la taille de 114.9±14.2
cm et l’IMC del5.4±1.4
kg/m
2.
Tableau 1Plis cutanésBIADXAMM (kg) (N=30)17.5 ± 4.917.6 ± 4.215.3 ± 3.7%MG (N=30)15.4 ± 3.8
*14.0 ± 7.9
*20.3 ± 8.4MM (kg) <=7
ans (n=20)15.0 ± 2.815.6 ± 2.5
†13.5 ± 2.3%MG <=7
ans (n=20)14.4 ± 3.610.7 ± 6.6
*17.3 ± 6.5MM (kg) >7
ans (n=10)22.5 ± 4.321.5 ± 4.118.6 ± 3.7%MG >7
ans (n=10)17.4 ± 3.4
†20.6 ± 6.426.1 ± 8.8
*
P<0.01 vs DXA,
†
P<0.05 vs DXA
Des différences d’estimation de MM et du %MG existent en fonction de la méthode utilisée et varient en fonction de l’âge chez l’enfant myopathe. De façon similaire à notre travail precedent réalisé chez des myopathes plus âgés, la BIA donne une meilleure estimation de la composition corporelle que la mesure des plis cutanés chez l’enfant MDB âgé > 7
ans. Un résultat inverse est observé chez les jeunes MDBs âgés <=7
ans. Ces résultats suggèrent que la mesure de la composition corporelle serait un moyen indirect d’évaluer la progression de la maladie.
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