NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
La sécurité alimentaire des réfugiés réinstallés au Québec : le cas des réfugiés syriens

Food insecurity (FI) is known to affect recent immigrants more than the general population of Quebec, but there are no specific data for refugees. Refugees, unlike other immigrants, fled their country for fear of persecution and did not necessarily choose to immigrate to Quebec or even to Canada. We know that the situation experienced by refugees is particularly difficult given the permanent and forced nature of their migration, but the factors affecting their food security, especially regarding cultural aspects, are little known. Since 2015, more than 60,000 Syrian refugees who fled the war have been resettled in Canada, including almost 14,000 in Quebec, making this wave the most important influx of refugees to Canada, given the number of individuals and the short delay. The purpose of this study is to understand how socio-economic, geographic and cultural factors affect the food security status of Syrian refugee households in Quebec. More specifically, the objectives are to study the impacts of the place of resettlement, the immigration category and social status, among others, on the food security of refugees resettled in Quebec, in addition to exploring the perceptions of key informants and refugees as to the barriers and factors contributing to their food security. To achieve this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants (n = 9) and a cross-sectional survey including socio-demographic and food security questionnaires (Household Food Security Survey Module, HFSSM) was conducted with Syrian refugees resettled in Quebec (n = 49), in addition to semi-structured interviews with some participants (n = 34). Participants were recruited by the snowball method. At the qualitative level, inductive content analyses were carried out separately for the two study populations. Results from the cross-sectional survey show that 52% of the Syrian refugees in our sample are food insecure, which is comparable to the numbers obtained in other refugee populations in Canada as well as in the United States and Australia. In the semi-structured interviews, we note that the pre migratory and migratory periods need to be considered in addition to the post migratory period, which is usually more studied. Once in Canada, although financial insecurity is the most studied element of household vulnerability to food 4 insecurity, the quality of food, which includes its taste, as well as geographic access to Middle-Eastern foods are items that frequently emerge from interviews and seem to be therefore appear to be important determinants. In conclusion, several ways have been explored to explain the vulnerability to food insecurity of Syrian refugees resettled in Quebec, and this shows the importance, for the food insecurity prevention in this population, of being concerned not only with the financial aspect, but also with several other aspects, including the cultural ones.

Keyphrases: Canada, Immigration, Food security, Food insecurity, Syrian refugees, Quebec, Key informants, Canada, Immigration
Comparaison de deux stratégies d'apport en glucides pour améliorer le contrôle de la glycémie pendant l'activité physique chez les adolescents et adultes atteints de diabète de type 1

Physical activity (PA) is associated to many health benefits in people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D), but these patients are not very active due to the fear of PA-related hypoglycemia. Carbohydrate intake is often required to prevent hypoglycemia during PA, but there is a lack of knowledge about the ideal amount to consume and the timing distribution of carbohydrates. Our objective is to compare the efficacy of two snack strategies to maintain glucose levels in the target range (4.0 – 10.0 mmol/L) during PA in adolescents and adults living with T1D. The participants (N = 33) took part in 2 interventions during which one hour of moderate intensity ergocycle was performed. They consumed a carbohydrate intake of 0.5g/kg of body weight and this intake was randomly consumed in a single intake (SI) before PA or in a distributed intake (DI) before and during PA. Capillary blood glucose was measured every 10 minutes during PA. Hypoglycemia occurred in 4 participants with SI compared to 6 participants for DI (P = 0.42). There was no significant difference in the percentage of time spent in the target range between the two strategies (SCI: 75 ± 35%; DCI: 87 ± 26%; P = 0.12). Our results suggest that a carbohydrate intake of 0.5g/kg of body weight is a reasonable option for one hour of moderate PA. The two snack strategies are similar to prevent hypoglycemia during PA.

Keyphrases: Type 1 diabetes, Physical activity, Hypoglycemia, Glycemic control, Carbohydrate intake
Phénotypage de l’interaction sociale au cours du développement, en lien avec les symptômes autistiques, anxieux et TDAH

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is defined by two main domains of impairment: decreased social reciprocity and behavioural inflexibility. There is no diagnostic test or measurement of the mechanisms involved. A study with ASD adults used a dynamic, dyadic and integrative interaction game which alternately presents a social or non-social context, it resulted in a computational phenotype of social reciprocity revealing insensitivity to the type of context, a use of strategy specific to this group and a variation in performance depending on the opponent’s sophistication. This study aims to extend this understanding of social reciprocity in the pediatric ASD population and to distinguish psychopathological symptoms such as anxiety or ADHD symptoms, which are sometimes associated or confused with autistic symptoms. Analysis of the participants’ performance data validated its use in the pediatric population by replicating the impact of the algorithm on the participants’ performance. A dimensional approach using standardized tools and allowing the quantification of the autistic, ADHD and anxiety disorders symptoms’ severity, permits the emphasis of the impact of autistic and anxious symptoms on participants’ performance against a ToM-0 agent. This study is a step in the understanding of the mechanisms developed in social interaction during development and in the ability to measure them. Complementary computational analyzes will help refine this computational phenotype by giving more details about the strategies used during the game and the participants' flexibility to vary in their use.

Keyphrases: ASD, cognition sociale, social cognition, neurodevelopment, social interaction, child psychiatry
Évaluation tridimensionnelle de la reconstruction du ligament croisé antérieur

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) remains one of the most injured ligament of the knee. Mispositioning the tunnels remains a common cause of ACL reconstruction failure. A better biomechanical description of this phenomenon is therefore essential. Using the low irradiation biplanar stereoradiographic EOStm imaging system, our group developed a 3D reconstruction method allowing a precise morphologic description of the knee. With this system, the tridimensional positioning of the femoral tunnel can be evaluated in a novel, computerized, precise and reproducible coordinate system. With this referential, our group wish to assist orthopedic surgeons in the restoration of optimal biomechanics in ACL reconstructions.

Keyphrases: Reconstruction LCA, EOStm imaging, Knee, Anterior cruciate ligament, ACL Reconstruction, Tridimensional imaging, Biplanar stereoradiographic x-ray
Étude du microbiote intratumoral et son effet sur la survie à long terme des individus atteints du cancer du sein

The human microbiota is defined by all the microbes inhabiting a specific body site. The different human microbiota, and in particular the intestinal microbiota which is the most studied, can modulate many biological mechanisms, including metabolism and the immune response. An imbalance in the bacterial species that compose the microbiota, or dysbiosis, has been associated with several inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, obesity, but also various types of cancer. Additionally, bacteria have been shown to impact the response of patients to cancer therapy. Breast cancer is the deadliest cancer in women. However, the etiology of the disease remains uncertain. Recently, it has been shown that bacteria can infiltrate deeper tissues like breast tissue, forming a local microbiota.  Considering the impact that dysbiosis can have on the anti-tumor immune response and the response to treatments, we hypothesized that an intratumoral bacterial presence similar in composition and quantity to that of normal non-cancerous tissue affects the progression of breast cancer, as well as the clinical outcomes of patients. The presence of the intratumoral breast microbiota was therefore validated by the detection of several bacterial components on whole tumor sections using molecular staining. Then, we evaluated the potential role of this microbiota by quantifying and identifying the bacterial species present in tumors and adjacent normal tissues of patients in our breast cancer cohort.  Our results show a lower abundance of bacterial DNA in breast tumors compared to adjacent paired normal tissues, suggesting that an alteration of the mammary microbiota is associated with breast cancer. In addition, patients with a very low bacterial signal in their tumor had a higher number of recurrences. This influence of the apparent quantity of bacteria on the clinical outcomes has been observed mainly in patients with an advanced tumor, either a high grade or a high stage, and of the Luminal HER2+, HER2+ (non-luminal) and Luminal B molecular subtype. No relationship has been observed between the bacterial composition of the breast intratumoral microbiota and the recurrence. Our work suggests a prognostic and therapeutic implication of the bacterial load of the microbiota associated with breast tumors.

Keyphrases: Breast cancer, Intratumoral microbiota, Bacterial infiltration, Bacterial quantification, 16S rrna gene, Immune infiltration, Immune activation
Strain ultrasound elastography of aneurysm sac content after randomized endoleak embolization with sclerosing and non-sclerosing chitosan-based hydrogels in a preclinical model

Background: Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is the modality of choice for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). EVAR is limited by the development of endoleaks, which necessitate long-term imaging follow-up. Conventional follow-up modalities suffer from unique limitations. Strain ultrasound elastography (SUE) has been recently proposed as an imaging adjunct to detect endoleaks and to characterize aneurysm mechanical properties. Once detected, certain endoleaks may be treated with embolization; however, success is limited. In this context, the embolic agent CH-STS—containing a chitosan hydrogel and the sclerosant sodium tetradecyl sulphate (STS)—was created. CH-STS demonstrates favorable mechanical properties in vitro; however, its behavior in vivo and impact on sac evolution compared to a non-sclerosing chitosan-based embolic agent (CH) merit further characterization. Purpose: To compare the mechanical properties of the constituents of endoleaks embolized with CH and CH-STS—including the agent, the intraluminal thrombus (ILT), and the overall sac—via SUE. Methods: Bilateral common iliac artery aneurysms with type I endoleaks were created in nine dogs. In each animal, one endoleak was randomly embolized with CH, and the other with CH-STS. Duplex ultrasound (DUS) and radiofrequency cine loops were acquired at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and—in 3 subjects—6 months post-embolization. Contrast-enhanced CT was performed at 3 months and—where applicable—6 months post-embolization. Histopathological analysis was performed at time of sacrifice. Radiological studies and histopathological slides were co-registered to identify three regions of interest (ROIs) on the cine loops: embolic agent (at sacrifice), ILT (at sacrifice), and aneurysm sac (at all follow-up times). SUE was performed using segmentations from two independent observers on the cine loops. Maximum axial deformation (MAD) was the main outcome. Statistical analysis was performed using general linear mixed models and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Results: Residual endoleaks were identified in 7/9 (77.8%) and 4/9 (44.4%) aneurysms embolized with CH and CH-STS, respectively. CH-STS had a 66 % lower MAD (p < 0.001) than CH. The ILT had a 37% lower MAD (p = 0.010) than CH and a 77% greater MAD (p = 0.079; trending towards significance) than CH-STS. There was no difference in the ILT between treatment groups. Aneurysm sacs embolized with CH-STS had a 29% lower MAD (p < 0.001) than those with CH. Residual endoleak increased MAD of the aneurysm sac by 53% (p < 0.001), regardless of the agent used. The ICC for MAD was 0.807 between readers’ segmentations. Conclusion: CH-STS confers lower strain values to embolized aneurysms. Persistent endoleaks result are associated with increased sac strain, which may be useful for clinical follow-up.

Keyphrases: STS, Elastography, Abdominal aortic aneurysm, EVAR, Embolization, Endoleak, Chitosan
Une nouvelle génération de substituts cornéens biosynthétiques : modèle d’évaluation de la fonctionnalité ex vivo humaine et in vivo animale

Introduction: Corneal blindness is the 4th leading cause of blindness in the world and corneal transplantation remains the only accepted treatment. However, in many countries, eye banks are failing to meet demand and there is a growing need for alternatives to human corneas. In addition, in patients with corneal pathologies with severe inflammation, the prognosis of a transplant is at high risk of complications, failure and complete loss of vision. It is therefore necessary to develop implants capable of exceeding the important limits of native human grafts for these high-risk patients. Objective: To develop and test various clinical examination techniques to measure the biocompatibility and performance of corneal biosynthetic substitutes on ex vivo human corneas and in vivo feline corneas, for a subsequent implantation in humans. Methods: Surgical protocols were developed and tested with solid and liquid corneal substitutes. Slit lamp, optical coherence tomography, tonometry, esthesiometry, ultrasound pachymetry, specular and confocal microscopy, corneal surface topography, and angiography were optimized for ex vivo human corneas and in vivo animal models. Finally, the collection, maintenance and preparation of fresh corneal tissue were adapted for future studies of histopathology, transmission electron microscopy and immunohistopathology. Results and analyzes: The developed procedures have generated data to understand the impact of implants in corneal tissue in order to improve injectable implants and highlight the corneal regeneration of implants in vivo. Challenges encountered in the development of examination techniques and their solution were also collected. Conclusion: These techniques used across the different models have yielded preliminary data that will be used to develop and optimize an injectable implant that will be tested in patients at high risk of rejection as part of a clinical trial.

Keyphrases: corneal blindness, corneal biosynthetic substitute, intrastromal keratoplasty
Spatially guided angiogenesis by laser-bioprinting

Tissue engineering has been well acknowledged as a potential method to repair or regenerate damaged tissues in the human body, fulfilling the limitations and shortage in autologous and organ transplantations. Despite great advances in engineering tissues with simple geometry and low requirement for oxygen and blood supply such as cartilage, skin and cornea, success in constructing 3D complex tissues with vascularized networks remains a major challenge. Angiogenesis plays an important role in vascular development in vivo. In current angiogenesis models, endothelial cells are seeded randomly not offering precise and desired patterning. Laser-based bioprinting technology offers precise and high cell printing resolution. By using laser-based bioprinting technology, microvascular structures can be constructed as a platform for complex organ fabrication, disease progression and drug response models.  In this study, laser-based bioprinting techniques are employed to study angiogenesis guidance in vitro by patterning endothelial cells. Two laser-based techniques, Laser-Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT) and Laser-Induced Side Transfer (LIST) are used as patterning tools. Compared to LIFT, LIST technology provided ideal conditions for cell printing such as required cell concentration for endothelial tube formation and pattern uniformity. In this study, we achieved the guidance of capillary-like structure formation in desired patterns via LIST printing. The formed capillary-like constructs featured precise patterns and uniformity. The structures were analyzed by confocal microscopy, 3D image reconstruction and frozen section procedure. Though lumen development was incomplete, it possesses the potential to attain further stabilization and lumen development if recruiting a second cell type such as fibroblast or pericyte.

Keyphrases: Micro modelage, Laser based bioprinting, Laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT), Laser-induced side transfer (LIST), Cell printing, Endothelial cell (EC), Human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC), Micro patterning, Microvessels, Capillary structures
Euthanasia in laboratory rodents : alternatives to intraperitoneal injection of sodium pentobarbital

The use of sodium pentobarbital (PB), injected intraperitoneally (IP), for killing rodents is described as an acceptable technique by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) euthanasia guidelines. However, there is a growing body of evidence challenging the acceptability of IP PB. It has been described as inconsistent and there is evidence that it may induce pain and stress.  The objective of this thesis was to develop and evaluate alternative methods of euthanasia. During the pilot study, an injection protocol for intrahepatic (IH) injections of PB was developed and then tested on both mice and rats. As a secondary objective, the use of ethanol (ET) was evaluated as an alternative to PB for mice.  For mice, eighty adult (male and female) CD1 mice (26.8g [23-34g], mean [range]) were randomly assigned to 6 treatment groups and were killed by IH injections or IP injections, using either ET or PB.  the misinjection rate (misplacement of injectate) for IH injections was 93% (28/30), including 14% intrathoracic (4/28), and the remainder were IP delivery. Only 7% (2/30) of IH attempts resulted in successful IH delivery, per necropsy evaluation. These yielded quasi-instantaneous deaths. These data show that IH injections are not feasible in mice given the difficulty in hitting the liver and the risk of intrathoracic injections. On the other hand, IP ET produced significantly (p = 0.010; Mann-Whitney) shorter time from injection to cessation of heartbeat (CHB) (115s [88-185] median [range]) compared with IP PB  (176s [123-260]), confirming that ET is a viable and potentially superior alternative to PB.  For rats, 66 IH injections and 14 IP injections were attempted on adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (median weight 371g, range 170-730g), and resulted in significantly faster time to loss of righting reflex (LORR) (p < 0.0001, 95%CI 68 to 88s, Mann-Whitney) and time to CHB (p < 0.0001, 95%CI 82 to 234s, Mann-Whitney) compared with IP injections. Time to LORR and CHB following IH injections were: LORR of 4s [1 to 96], CHB of 142.5s [2 to 330]; compared with IP injections: LORR of 89.5s [73 to 110], CHB of 275s [237 to 423). The misinjection rate was higher with IH injections than with IP injections (IH: 59%, IP: 29%); however, 97 % of IH misinjections resulted in fast and successful euthanasia (LORR: 29s [1 to 96], CHB: 216s [12 to 330]. IH injections are thus an efficacious alternative to IP injections for rat euthanasia and pose less risk of failed euthanasia attempts.

Keyphrases: Euthanasia, Rodents, Intraperitoneal, Sodium pentobarbital, Ethanol, Intrahepatic
Impacts de divers régimes d’élevage sur l’abondance des gènes de résistance et sur le microbiote cæcal de poulets de chair au Québec

The ever-increasing problem of antibiotic resistance makes routine use of antibiotics in animal production no longer considered as a reasonable and viable practice. Preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics represents a major challenge for public and animal health. The Chicken Farmers of Canada have developed and are implementing an Antimicrobial Use Reduction Strategy which ultimate goal is eliminating the preventive use of medically-important antibiotics in broiler chicken and turkey productions. While it is known that the reduction of antibiotics in broiler chicken farms is associated with an increase in the incidence of necrotic enteritis caused by Clostridium perfringens, to which a proportion of this bacterial population produces the enterotoxin who can also generates consequences for human health, very little is known about the real overall impact of an antibiotic use reduction strategy in complex ecosystems such as the bird intestine or the commercial broiler chicken farm. The main objectives of the present study were to quantify the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes, to assess the presence of Clostridium perfringens and his enterotoxin and to characterize the composition of the cæcal microbiota in broiler chicken flocks from six commercial farms located in Québec and submitted to either a short-term conventional or drug-free program (15 months) or a long-term conventional or judicious antibiotic use program (six years). Implementing an antibiotic-free program over a 15-month period did not reduce the abundance of many antibiotic resistance-encoding genes, whereas a judicious use of antibiotics over six years did. The short-term antibiotic withdrawal and the long-term judicious use strategy altered the cæcal microbiota composition, with Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae families being negatively impacted, in agreement with the lower production performance and with the increased C. perfringens populations observed for farms phasing out the use of antibiotics in a short-term antibiotic withdrawal. Adopting a long-term conventional rearing program on commercial broiler chicken farms selected for specific antibiotic resistance-encoding genes in many barns. This study highlights the potential impacts of different rearing programs in poultry production and will help guide future policies in order to reduce the use of antibiotics and ultimately reduce the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance.

Keyphrases: Clostridium perfringens, Commercial broiler chickens, Antibiotic withdrawal, Resistance gene, Antibiotic resistance, Microbiota, Conventional program, Drug-free program, Judicious antibiotic use, Health, Clostridium perfringens