SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, infecting millions of people and causing hundreds of thousands of deaths. The Spike glycoproteins of SARS-CoV-2 mediate ...viral entry and are the main targets for neutralizing antibodies. Understanding the antibody response directed against SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for the development of vaccine, therapeutic, and public health interventions. Here, we perform a cross-sectional study on 106 SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals to evaluate humoral responses against SARS-CoV-2 Spike. Most infected individuals elicit anti-Spike antibodies within 2 weeks of the onset of symptoms. The levels of receptor binding domain (RBD)-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) persist over time, and the levels of anti-RBD IgM decrease after symptom resolution. Although most individuals develop neutralizing antibodies within 2 weeks of infection, the level of neutralizing activity is significantly decreased over time. Our results highlight the importance of studying the persistence of neutralizing activity upon natural SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Spike correlate with COVID-19 severityRBD-specific IgM and IgA decline more rapidly than IgGSARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies are elicited within 2 weeks of infectionNeutralizing antibodies decline significantly after resolution of the infection
Prévost et al. report a cross-sectional study on a cohort of 106 COVID-19 patients and show that most infected individuals are able to elicit a sustained antibody response over time. However, plasma neutralizing capacity wanes after infection resolution, but its implication on protection from re-infection remains unknown.
Demanding tasks can influence following behaviors but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we used multivariate pattern ...analyses (MVPA) to compare patterns of brain activity associated with pain in response to noxious stimuli administered after a task requiring cognitive control (Stroop) and evaluate their functional interaction based on a mediation analysis model. We found that performing a difficult cognitive task leads to subsequent increases in pain and pain-related multivariate responses across the brain and within the anterior mid-cingulate cortex (aMCC). Moreover, an aMCC pattern predictive of task performance was further reactivated during pain and predicted ensuing increases in pain-related brain responses. This suggests functional interactions between distinct but partly co-localized neural networks underlying executive control and pain. These findings offer a new perspective on the functional role of the cingulate cortex in pain and cognition and provide a promising framework to investigate dynamical interactions between partly overlapping brain networks.
•Pain-related multivariate patterns across the brain increases after a demanding task.•Distinct patterns are associated with cognitive control and pain within the aMCC.•Reactivation of task-related pattern predicts ensuing pain-related brain responses.
SARS-CoV-2 infection causing the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been responsible for more than 2.8 million deaths and nearly 125 million infections worldwide as of March 2021. In March ...2020, the World Health Organization determined that the COVID-19 outbreak is a global pandemic. The urgency and magnitude of this pandemic demanded immediate action and coordination between local, regional, national, and international actors. In that mission, researchers require access to high-quality biological materials and data from SARS-CoV-2 infected and uninfected patients, covering the spectrum of disease manifestations. The "Biobanque québécoise de la COVID-19" (BQC19) is a pan-provincial initiative undertaken in Québec, Canada to enable the collection, storage and sharing of samples and data related to the COVID-19 crisis. As a disease-oriented biobank based on high-quality biosamples and clinical data of hospitalized and non-hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive and negative individuals. The BQC19 follows a legal and ethical management framework approved by local health authorities. The biosamples include plasma, serum, peripheral blood mononuclear cells and DNA and RNA isolated from whole blood. In addition to the clinical variables, BQC19 will provide in-depth analytical data derived from the biosamples including whole genome and transcriptome sequencing, proteome and metabolome analyses, multiplex measurements of key circulating markers as well as anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses. BQC19 will provide the scientific and medical communities access to data and samples to better understand, manage and ultimately limit, the impact of COVID-19. In this paper we present BQC19, describe the process according to which it is governed and organized, and address opportunities for future research collaborations. BQC19 aims to be a part of a global communal effort addressing the challenges of COVID-19.
On (In)justice Carrier, Nicolas; Piché, Justin
Social justice (San Francisco, Calif.),
01/2018, Letnik:
45, Številka:
4 (154)
Journal Article
Recenzirano
In this article, we analyze the ways in which abolitionism is presented as an imperative in communications operating outside of the constraints of academia in Canada. More specifically, we examine ...how abolitionist discourses concerning what is (un)just present themselves when they do not have to play by the rules of academic communications, how groups and individuals explain the need for abolitionist struggles when communicating in a way that is not described as a social scientific practice, and whether these discourses reveal aspects of abolitionist thought that have yet to enter academic debates.
Litter decomposition in forests is affected by tree species composition which produces litters with specific characteristics and alters soil surface conditions and nutrient availability. The impact ...of such changes in soil microsite conditions on litter decomposition is however poorly elucidated. We studied the decomposition of sugar maple leaves in 22 plots varying from pure hardwoods to mixedwoods to conifer-dominated stands across four sites in the sugar maple bioclimatic domain in Quebec. Mass loss and nutrient release were assessed over a 2-year experiment. Proxies of moisture availability measured under the canopy were more valuable for explaining the variability in leaf litter decomposition rates than soil temperature, litter quality and general site measurements (e.g. air temperature, rainwater). Through-fall amounts and soil volumetric water content (VWC) explained 56% of the variability in mass loss constants. Sugar maple leaf litter under hardwoods also decomposed more rapidly than under conifer-dominated stands. Slower litter decomposition under conifer-dominated stands was again more largely controlled by the lower soil VWC than the more acidic forest floor created by the needles. This study highlights that proxies of moisture availability measured at the microsite level can be key variables to predict litter dynamics in forests.
The State of Abolitionism Carrier, Nicolas; Piché, Justin
Champ pénal,
08/2015
Vol. XII
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
This introduction to the special issue on abolitionism provides a detailed synopsis of abolitionist thought found in academic communicational networks. Our main purpose is to introduce readers to the ...diversity and vitality of abolitionist scholarship. In the penal field, we can distinguish between prison, penal and carceral forms of abolitionism, yet this distinction is not satisfactory, as abolitionism can be articulated to both narrower and more expansive ends. The multiple abolitionist ends are sustained by a variety of logics, premised on assemblages of normative, conceptual and factual elements. This contribution identifies and dissects seven core logics sustaining abolitionist thought in contemporary academia.
Cette contribution identifie et propose une discussion critique des enjeux principaux auxquels l’abolitionnisme semble devoir se confronter afin d’être défendable. Elle accompagne l’actualité de ...l’abolitionnisme proposée dans l’introduction au dossier. On y discute de certains défis qui datent et perdurent, associés aux formes traditionnelles de l’abolitionnisme (abolition de la prison et abolition du pénal), ainsi que d’autres plus récents, autour de l’enjeu du « complexe industriel carcéral » et du recours croissant à des stratégies de détention découplées de la question pénale. La discussion critique s’organise plus précisément autour de cinq grands thèmes : les ‘quelques personnes vraiment dangereuses’ ; le folklore de la peine ; les problèmes avec la notion de communauté ; racisme, capitalisme et pénalité ; et le pluralisme juridique.
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