NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Intervention éducative pour soutenir le développement d’un sentiment de maîtrise du rôle paternel chez des futurs pères

Background. Paternal implication benefits all members of the family (Allen and Daly, 2002). Therefore, it is recommended to encourage fathers’ engagement during the prenatal period (Deave and Johnson, 2008). However, the actual content and format of prenatal classes, which represent an ideal occasion to address fathers' role (Agence de santé publique du Canada, 2007), are not adapted to respond to their unique needs (Kowlessar, Fox and Wittkowski, 2014; Premberg and Lundgren, 2006). Consequently, fathers-to-be may feel unprepared for their paternal role (Deave and Johnson, 2008). Method. An innovative and interactive educational intervention, inspired by several prenatal programs, was elaborated, implemented, and evaluated with six fathers-to-be in a local community health centre providing antenatal classes, in order to develop a feeling a mastery of their paternal role. The conceptual framework of Preventive Role Supplementation (Swendsen, Meleis et Jones, 1978) guided this clinical project, which consisted of four educational sessions and brochures, in complement to the prenatal classes. Results. The participants developed a sentiment of paternal role mastery, which was confirmed through knowledge of the behaviors, sentiments, goals, costs and rewards regarding the anticipated role. However, they acquired more knowledge on the behaviors associated to the role and less on the anticipated costs and rewards. Finally, they were very satisfied with the content and interactive format of the intervention. Recommendations. As this educational intervention was appreciated and helped fathers-to-be with their transition to paternity, it would be recommended to implement it in other settings offering prenatal classes. Nevertheless, further studies are necessary to validate the results obtained in this clinical project.

Keyphrases: Paternal role, Prenatal, Educational intervention, Nursing
L’optimisation de la performance des services infirmiers : miser sur des pratiques de gestion
utilisées par les organisations hautement performantes

Background: The implementation of high performing work practices is widely established in high performing organizations from different sectors, but few in healthcare organizations. Strategic human resource management is a lever underutilized that would allow healthcare organizations to optimize their performance. The aim of this supervised study is to identify, from the writings on high performing organizations, high performing work practices that can be implemented by head nurses to improve the performance of nursing services and propose implementation strategies. Methodology: The High Performance Work Practices model proposed by Sung & Ashton (2005) was chosen as a reference. PubMed, CINAHL and Emerald databases were reviewed for the literature search as well as Google for grey literature. A total of thirty articles were selected. Finally, the Nursing Care Performance Framework (NCPF) (Dubois & al, 2013) was chosen as an analytical framework. Results: Literature analysis identifies three main dimensions: staff development, information and staff involvement and reward. The analysis shows that these practices as a bundle lead to better results than if used individually. The bundle of these practices influences the performance of nursing services by helping to acquire, maintain and deploy resources, to transform resources into services and to produce change in patients conditions. Six main factors facilitating the implementation and sustainability of the use of high performing work practices are identified: skills of middle management, organizational culture, alliance with key partners, resources availability, support measures and measurement of results Conclusion: The use of high performing work practices related to staff development, information and staff involvement and reward could help to improve nursing services performance by acquiring, deploying and maintaining resources, by transforming resources into services and by producing changes in patients conditions.

Keyphrases: Performance, High performance organization, High performance work practice, Staff development, Reward, Nursing services, Head nurse, Information, Staff involvement
Rôle et expression de l'interleukine-27 dans le contexte de la sclérose en plaques

Multiple lines of evidence support the notion that IL-27 can dampen the severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Whether this cytokine contributes to the pathogenesis of the human disease multiple sclerosis (MS) is still unresolved. We investigated whether IL-27 locally contributes to modulate the immune responses in the central nervous system (CNS) of MS patients. We performed immunohistochemistry on human post-mortem brain tissue samples and observed that both IL-27 subunits (EBI-3 and p28) are elevated in MS brains compared to controls. Moreover, we identified that astrocytes (GFAP+ cells) as well as microglia/macrophages (Iba1+ cells) are important sources of IL-27 in MS brains. Infiltrating CD8 and CD4 T cells present in the CNS of MS patients express the receptor for IL-27, composed of gp130 and TCCR chains, supporting the notion that these cells can respond to the local sources of IL-27. We demonstrated that combinations of inflammatory cytokines (IFNγ, IL-1β and TNF) up-regulate in vitro IL-27 expression by human astrocytes and macrophages, and that M1 microglia/macrophages produce IL-27. Lastly, we demonstrated that human astrocytes also express IL-27R and respond to the cognate cytokine by triggering the phosphorylation of STAT1, but not STAT3. Such signaling leads to the upregulation of PD-L1 expression and CXCL10 production by astrocytes. Our data demonstrate that IL-27 and its receptor are elevated in the CNS of MS patients and that inflammatory mediators present in MS lesions contribute to up-regulate such expression. Finally, astrocytes are key mediators of the production of IL-27 but also respond to this cytokine.

Keyphrases: Astrocytes, IL-27, Immuno-régulation, Multiple sclerosis, Astrocytes, Microglia, Immunoregulation, Cytokine
Encadrement provincial des valeurs mobilières : à la recherche d’un modèle amélioré

For years now, the structure of securities regulation has been debated between the provincial and federal governments. Following the Reference from the Supreme Court on the matter in 2011, the project of a cooperative regulator, grouping the provincial regulators with the federal ministry of Finance to regulate securities and allowing to collect national data as well as to manage systemic risk across the country, has arisen. However, the improvement of the actual provincial regulatory model would also address the issues regarding the framework of securities regulation in Canada. Thus, we will present possible solutions in order to improve the decentralized regulatory model. Our analysis will look at the aspects that could be improved in the current framework to propose solutions such as enhancing collaboration and creating specialized Canadian organizations to group regulators’ expertise and resources as well as to facilitate relations with foreign regulators. Finally, cooperation between provincial and federal regulators to join their efforts regarding regulatory harmonization, international representativeness, enforcement and the prevention of systemic risks are possible through innovative solutions. As such, we will study the benefits of a strengthened role for the Canadian securities administrators to harmonize regulation, namely by broadening the passport regime, a national agency for criminal and penal enforcement, an administrative adjudicative tribunal in each province, the automatic reciprocity of regulatory decisions, as well as a Canadian financial stability board.

Keyphrases: enforcement, canadian securities authorities, globalization, regulatory harmonization, securities regulation, systemic risk, financial regulators
La glycine décarboxylase désensibilise les cellules initiatrices de tumeur à la metformine

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most chemoresistant cancers, with a 5-year survival rate lesser than 5%. Chemoresistance might be due to the presence of tumor-initiating cells (TICs), a small subpopulation of tumor cells with stem-like characteristics which possess the unique ability to self-renew and to generate a new tumor. Metformin has been shown to affect TICs in various cancer types, but the mechanism through which it does so is unclear. It is known that metformin affects one-carbon metabolism. It has also been shown that one-carbon metabolism, more precisely the glycine decarboxylase (GLDC) enzyme, is both necessary and sufficient to the acquisition of tumor-initiating properties. Considering this, we propose that metformin affects TICs by targeting one-carbon metabolism. Using cell lines derived from a genetically engineered mouse model of pancreatic cancer, we compared gene expression data from cells derived from benign pancreatic neoplasia with cells derived from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and found that PDAC cells exhibited a dramatic increase in Gldc expression. Metformin treatment decreases Gldc expression in PDAC cell lines, and Gldc overexpression greatly decreases metformin sensitivity in a tumor sphere assay. Metformin induces an increase in NADP+/NADPH ratio, which is rescued by Gldc overexpression. We propose a model in which metformin decreases Gldc expression, which causes reduced flux through mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism. This results in decreased NADPH production by this pathway. This increase in NADP+/NADPH ratio impairs fatty acid biosynthesis and glutathione regeneration. Together these effects might explain the decrease of tumor sphere formation under metformin treatment.

Keyphrases: NADPH, cancer metabolism, glycine decarboxylase, metformin, one-carbon metabolism, pancreatic cancer, tumor-initiating cells
Étude de l’effet de la metformine sur la survie cellulaire et 
sur la réparation de l’ADN chez la levure

Recently, metformin has been widely used to treat hyperglycemia of humans that have type II diabetes mellitus. Recently, some epidemiological studies have showed that populations of individuals being treated with metformin showed lower incidence of cancer. For example, there is a 78 % and 46 % reduction in the incidences of liver and pancreatic cancers, respectively. It has also been demonstrated that metformin protects against skin cancers caused by ultraviolet radiation-B (UVB) DNA damage. In this study, I have demonstrated that metformin significantly protects the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae from ultraviolet radiation-C (UVC) and from ultraviolet radiation-A (UVA)-induced death. I also showed that metformin increases the recruitment of the histone Htz1 linked to chromatin. In an htz1Δ strain, the metformin protection from UVAinduced death is significantly reduced. Htz1 is important for the recruitment of Rad14 to sites of DNA damage, important for the detection of these sites. Furthermore, nuclear recruitment of Rad14 was significantly increased in cells previously treated with metformin. In the absence of Htz1, the survival rate to UVA exposure in presence of metformin drops significantly. So, Htz1 and Rad14 are two key proteins involved in the protection by metformin against UV DNA damage. With all the results of this study, it was shown that metformin can confer some protection against UVC and UVA for yeast.

Keyphrases: Rayons ultraviolets, Rad14, Htz1, Metformin, Cell survival, DNA repair, Ultraviolet rays, UVC, UVA
Le rôle de la mototaxi dans les pratiques intermodales et multimodales : le cas de Hanoi, Vietnam

Informal transport often fill a gap left unfilled by formal transport in many cities of the Global South. Using the case of Hanoi (Vietnam), this thesis explores the role played by mototaxis in the urban mobility behaviors as well as its potential to complement formal public transit. This research sheds light on the relationship between public transit (formal) and mototaxi (informal), based on direct observations, interviews and a transit user survey. We find that public transit users only sporadically integrate them in intermodal and multimodal journeys. This is due to negative perceptions regarding safety and cost of mototaxi services and feelings of being swindled on the price. We further find that as freelance mototaxi drivers are seeing their market decrease, newly established mototaxi companies (promising safer services and using meters) thrive in Hanoi. These companies’ success (with both transit and non-transit users) is due to their ability to offer a service well adapted to local conditions (narrow streets, traffic jams, etc.) and to users’ needs with regard to mobility and safety. This innovation in informal transport calls for greater attention from planners and policy makers as is opens new opportunities to encourage intermodal and multimodal behaviours.

Keyphrases: Vietnam, transport, transport artisanal, informalité, mototaxi, intermodalité, multimodalité, complémentarité modale, Hanoi, informality, intermodality, multimodality, informal transport
Développement de méthodes d'assemblage de génomes de novo adaptées aux bactéries endosymbiotes

The goal of this project was to develop de novo genome assembly methods adapted to small genomes, especially bacterial, using next-generation sequencing data. Eventually, these methods could be used to assemble the genome of StachEndo, an unknown Alpha-Proteobacteria ensymbiont of the Stachyamoeba lipophora amoeba. Preliminary findings showed that the use of Illumina reads with DeBruijn graph assemblers yielded the best results. These experiments also showed that contigs produced with k-mers of various sizes were complementary in genome finishing assays. The addition of long-range paired-end reads proved necessary to fully close genomic assembly gaps. These methods made the assembly of StachEndo’s genome (1.7 Mb) possible. Through the annotation of StachEndo’s genes, several features that are unusal for endosymbionts were identified. StachEndo seems to be an interesting species for the study of endosymbiotic evolution.

Keyphrases: Rickettsiales, de novo genome assembly, next-generation sequencing, assembly quality, DeBruijn graph, k-mer, endosymbiont, Rickettsiales
La croissance maxillaire et mandibulaire et l’apnée du sommeil chez les enfants présentant une séquence de Pierre Robin

Introduction: Maxillo-mandibular growth in children with Pierre Robin sequence (PRS) is controversial in the literature. Some authors believe that mandibular growth is accelerated after birth, but few have looked at the growth of the maxilla. This retrospective study aims to analyze the maxillo-mandibular growth in children with PRS. Secondly, we would have liked to assess the severity and evolution of sleep apnea related to the growth of the jaws, but a lack of data prevented the achievement of this objective.  Materials and Methods: The medical and orthodontic records of 93 patients (82 apnea, 40 growth) of the CHU Ste-Justine with isolated PRS were reviewed and compared to the control group composed of normal children of the University of Michigan. The mixed model repeated measures statistical analysis as well as that of Brunner-Langer was performed.  Results: Orthodontic evaluation showed a statistically significant change in the right molar relationship, the presence of crowding and diastema in the maxilla and the overbite. Analysis of cephalometric radiographs shows that the upper jaw, the ramus and body of the mandible are reduced compared to normal values. The latter shows a significant decrease with age (p = 0,03). The gonial angle, SNA, SNB, ANB, facial convexity angle and inclination of the upper incisor compared with FH are all normal. However, the latter is significantly increased with age (p = 0,04). The Y axis is increased while the upper and lower facial heights (UFH, LFH) are reduced although the latter shows a tendency to normalize with age (p ≤ 0,001).   Discussion: Maxillary dimensions are similar to several studies. With regard to the mandible, the growth is either slower or decreased. This observation was more pronounced when approaching the peak of growth since the deviation from the normal enlarges. We see a growth trend hyperdivergent, which could explain the normalization of the LFH. The fact that SNA and SNB are in normal limits could be explained by a decrease in the length of the cranial base.   Conclusion: There is no catch up growth either for the maxilla or the mandible. Both jaws remain smaller than normal and the profile stays convexe throughout growth. Comparison of cephalometric data and orthodontic treatments with patients presenting an isolated cleft palate should be done shortly. We have not been able to achieve our goals for sleep apnea. A prospective study would be expected to get there.

Keyphrases: Pierre Robin sequence, cranio-facial growth, sleep apnea
La «koinônia» des Actes des apôtres : analyse structurelle du verset 2,42 et de son contexte d’insertion

Jesus of Nazareth used to place much importance on commensality, so much that he wished the common meal to be the particular environment for both actions on bread and wine Jesus did during the Last Supper. For several generations, the memorial of Jesus Last Supper kept on being celebrated in its original context by Christians. But it was later separated from the communal meal.  Does the word koinwnia in Acts 2:42 denote those communal meals during which Christian gatherings were held?  The importance of common meals in the early community will be highlighted here through a funnel-type structural analysis of Acts 2-5. But it will be shown also that the meaning of koinwnia is more extended than the common meal alone, and just as concrete and active as the three other elements listed in verse 2:42.

Keyphrases: Communion fraternelle, Koïnônia, Acts 2:42, Acts of the Apostles 2-5, Commensality, Common meal, Common sharing, Early Christianity, Fellowship, Koinonia, Structural Analysis, Acts of the Apostles 2:42
Pratique dentaire en milieu rural : perspectives des étudiants en médecine dentaire du Québec

Introduction: The distribution of dental workforce across Canada is highly skewed toward urban areas, a situation which favours disparities in oral health care access. Engaging oral health care professionals in rural dental practice necessitates understanding the personal and professional points of view of these professionals, as well as barriers and motivators in regard to the choice of practice. However, little research exists on how dental students perceive working in rural and remote areas. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the knowledge and perspectives of future Quebec dentists in regard to rural dental practice. Methods: We conducted a qualitative interpretive descriptive research study in two major Faculties of Dental Medicine in Quebec. A purposeful sampling and snowball technique were used to recruit fourth-year dental students and dental residents as study participants. Audio-recorded, 60–90 minute, face-to-face and semi-semi-structured interviews were conducted, with the number of interviews being determined by saturation. Qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic approach including interview debriefing, transcript coding, data display, and interpretation. Results: Seventeen interviews (10 F and 7 M, age: 22–39) were carried out. Five major themes emerged from the interviews: awareness on rural oral health care access, image of rurality, image of rural dental practice, perceived barriers and enablers in regard to rural dental practice. Students expressed that undergraduate dental education, financial rewards, professionalism, professional support, and social media can positively affect their perspectives on rural dental practice.Conclusion: The results of this study support the implementation of strategies that are known to increase the knowledge and motivation of dental students toward rural dental practice. Educational policy maker have an essential role in encouraging these facilitating policies and strategies.

Keyphrases: Rural, Dental practice, Dental students, Qualitative research, Interpretive description, Rural, Interpretive description
Étude des interactions interhémisphériques entre les représentations des muscles de l'épaule et du tronc dans le cortex moteur primaire

After a unilateral stroke, 30% of individuals have decreased arm function. One mechanism that can support recovery of the arm is the reorganisation of interhemispheric interactions. Most studies of these interactions, as well as rehabilitation strategies, focus on the hand. However, postural control of proximal arm and trunk muscles are essential to elicit purposeful arm movements. As such, cortical areas involved in the control of these movements are likely to also play a crucial role in recovery of arm control after stroke. Hence, the goal of this study was to characterize interhemispheric interactions between representations of proximal arm (Anterior Deltoid (AD)) and axial (Erector Spinae (ESL1)) muscles in primary motor cortex and to compare these interactions with those studied in distal (1st dorsal interosseous (FDI)) muscles. In the first paradigm, interhemispheric inhibition was assessed by transcranial magnetic stimulation of ipsilateral motor cortex. An ipsilateral silent period (iSP)–shown to reflect interhemispheric inhibition-was evoked in FDI and AD. In ES L1 the iSP was preceded by a facilitation. Interhemispheric inhibition was further characterized using a paired-pulse paradigm. Inhibitory interactions were observed in the three muscles. Thus, these results suggest a distinct pattern of reciprocal interactions between cortical representations of axial, proximal and distal muscles, that could be explained both by changes in excitability at cortical and subcortical level. These results could serve as normative data to compare changes that occur in interhemispheric interactions between proximal and axial muscle representations after stroke.

Keyphrases: Bras, Interhemispheric interactions, Arm, Trunk, Stroke, Transcranial magnetic stimulation
Les effets de la stimulation électrique transcrânienne à courant direct appliquée au cortex somatosensoriel primaire sur la perception vibrotactile

Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique which aims to modify cortical excitability using large surface-area electrodes. tDCS is thought to increase (anodal, a-tDCS) or decrease (cathodal, c-tDCS) cortical excitability.  At present, there is no consensus as to whether tDCS to primary somatosensory cortex (S1) modifies somatosensory perception. This study examined vibrotactile perception (frequency, 20 Hz, various amplitude) on the middle finger before, during and after contralateral S1 tDCS (a-, c- and sham, s-). The experiments tested our shift-gain hypothesis which predicted that a-tDCS would decrease vibrotactile detection and discrimination thresholds (leftward shift of the stimulus-response function with increased gain/slope), while c-tDCS would increase thresholds (shift to right; decreased gain).    The results showed that weak, a-tDCS (1 mA, 20 min), compared to sham, led to a reduction in both thresholds during the application of the stimulation in a majority of subjects. These effects persisted after the end of a-tDCS, but were absent 30 min later. Cathodal tDCS, vs sham, had no effect on detection thresholds; in contrast, there was a decrease in discrimination threshold during but not after c-tDCS. The results thus supported our hypothesis, but only for anodal stimulation. Our observation that enhanced vibrotactile perception outlasts, albeit briefly, the period of a-tDCS is encouraging. Future experiments should determine whether repeated sessions of a-tDCS can produce longer lasting improvements. If yes, clinical applications could be envisaged, e.g. to apply a-tDCS to S1 in conjunction with retraining of sensory function post-stroke.

Keyphrases: Vibrotactile, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), Psychophysics, Primary somatosensory cortex, Cortical plasticity, Tactile, Vibration