NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Contamination des solutions d’hyper-alimentation intraveineuses (HAIV) néonatales, effet de l’ascorbylperoxyde au foie

Introduction: Intravenous hyperalimentation (IVHA) often contributes to the survival of preterm newborns, but it is also an important source of oxidizing molecules. The lack of adequate protection from ambient light generates, in vitro, through the photo-excitation of riboflavin, H2O2, organic peroxides and a peroxidated derivative of vitamin C: ascorbylperoxide (AscOOH). Certain data from our laboratory linked the infusion of IVHA to lipid disorders in our animal model. The hypothesis is that AscOOH is an oxidant that is responsible for some of the biological effects observed. My objectives are: 1) to develop a method for quantitation of AscOOH, 2) to demonstrate, using the guinea pig model used by our laboratory, relations between the tissue concentration of this molecule and metabolic and redox parameters in the liver and plasma, and 3) to confirm the physiological effect of AscOOH in a cell culture model. Method: Different promising internal standards were tested for AscOOH quantitation by mass spectrometry after HPLC separation (LC-MS). Mobile phases and chromatography conditions have been optimized. For objective #2, 3 days old guinea pig pups (n = 11) received an intravenous dose of AscOOH (between 0 and 3.3mM). Animals were sacrificed on the 4th day of treatment for tissue gathering. Tissues AscOOH concentrations were determined by LC-MS. The triglyceride and cholesterol levels were measured by spectrophotometry using a commercial kit. The oxidized and reduced glutathione were measured by capillary electrophoresis. The linear relations obtained are expressed by the square of the correlation coefficient (r2), and processed by ANOVA. Results: The validation of the LC-MS method for AscOOH quantification has been achieved. In animals, the concentration of urinary AscOOH by creatinine correlates positively with the dose received, negatively with blood lipids, and negatively with blood and erythrocyte redox, indicating a less oxidized environment. Conclusion: The urinary AscOOH concentration may be a good indicator of the oxidation state of clinical IVHA. Our data in animals suggest an interaction between AscOOH and liver metabolism producing a drop in plasma concentration of cholesterol and triglycerides. The cell model was not able to clarify the molecular mechanism of AscOOH action on metabolism.

Keyphrases: Parenteral nutrition, Vitamin C, Lipid metabolism, Liver, Neonatal, Guinea pig, Riboflavin, Photochemistry, Ascorbylperoxide, Intravenous hyperalimentation
Utilisation des médecines complémentaires par les enfants atteints d'arthrite juvénile idiopathique et d'incapacités physiques

Background: Children with chronic diseases often use complementary and alternative health care (CAHC). Several studies described the use of these treatments and the factors associated with it. However, no longitudinal studies were conducted to determine the use of these treatments over time. Furthermore, no study has evaluated CAHC use in children who were waiting for public rehabilitation services. Objective: The aim was to determine the frequency of CAHC use in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and children with various physical disabilities (PD), to evaluate its effectiveness from the parents’ points of view and to explore the factors associated with their utilization.  Methods: A cohort of children with JIA (n=182, mean age: 10.2 years) who attended arthritis clinics and a cohort of children with physical disabilities (n=224, mean age: 2.6 years) waiting for public rehabilitation services were followed for one year. We evaluated the use of CAHC and its effectiveness from the parents’ points of view at three month intervals for children with JIA and at the beginning of the study for children with PD, using descriptive statistics. We explored factors associated with their utilization, using GEE (“Generalized estimating equations »), polytomous and logistic regression.   Results : Previous use of CAHC was 51.1% for children with JIA and 15% for children with PD. CAHC was considered beneficial in 72% of the cases by parents of children with JIA and in 83% of the cases by parents of children with PD. Factors associated with higher use of CAHC in children with JIA were previous use of CAHC by parents and lower perceived helpfulness of prescribed medications (p<0.05). In children with PD, factors associated with higher use of CAHC were Canadian cultural background, mother’s level of education higher than high school and lower health-related quality of life. Finally, in children with JIA, CAHC use was associated with worse outcomes. Conclusions: Many children in our study used CAHC. Its use was more common in children with JIA, particularly among those whose parents used it previously and found medications to be less helpful. For children with PD, use of CAHC was associated with socio-demographic factors as well as higher children’s health needs. CAHC were perceived to be beneficial in both cohorts but its use was associated with worse outcomes for children with JIA. This underlines the importance for health professionals to evaluate CAHC use in order to better inform parents, which may help them make the best decisions regarding their child’s treatment.

Keyphrases: Étude prospective, Complementary and alternative health care, Complementary medicine, Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Physical disabilities, Health-related quality of life, Quality of life, Treatment adherence, Perceived effectiveness, Longitudinal study
Statut des transporteurs du cholestérol au niveau de l'intestin et du foie dans le diabète de type 2

Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are characterized by hyperlipidemia. The aim of the present study was to elucidate whether T2D contributes to abnormal cholesterol homeostasis in the small intestine and liver of Psammomys obesus, a model of nutritionally induced insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Diabetic animals exhibited a lower intestinal cholesterol uptake, which was associated with a decrease in (i) the gene and protein expression of NPC1L1, which plays a pivotal role in cholesterol incorporation in the enterocytes; and (ii) mRNA of ABCA1 that mediates cholesterol efflux from intestinal cells to apolipoprotein A-I and HDL. No changes were observed in the other intestinal transporters SR-BI and Annexin II. On the other hand, in diabetic animals, a significant mRNA decrease was noticed in ABCG5 responsible for the secretion of absorbed cholesterol back into the lumen. Furthermore, jejunal PCSk9 protein was diminished and LDLr was raised, along with a significant downregulation in jejunal HMG-CoA reductase in diabetic Psammomys obesus. Finally, among the transcription factors tested, only an increase in LXR and a decrease in PPAR/δ were detected in the intestine. In the liver, there was (i) an augmentation in the protein mass of NPC1L1, SR-BI and Annexin II; (ii) an upregulation of SR-BI mRNA; (iii) a fall in ABCG8 protein content, ABCG5 mRNA and ABCA1 mRNA; and (iv) an augmentation in LXR and PPAR/δ mRNA, as well as a drop in SREBP-2 protein. Overall, our findings show that the development of type 2 diabetes in Psammomys obesus modifies the whole intra-enterocyte and hepatocyte machinery, causing alterations in cholesterol homeostasis.

Keyphrases: Psammomys Obesus, Enterocyte, Liver, Cholesterol transport, transcription factors, Spammomys Obesus, Type 2 diabetes
Les intellectuels et le caractère antipolitique de la culture en RDA

The focus of this study is based on the antipolitical conception of culture in Germany presented by the German sociologist Wolf Lepenies. The appeal to culture beyond politics would have well survived amongst “official” East-German intellectuals, hence the survival of a humanist tradition anchored in the German idealism of the 18th century. This study argues by means of hypotheses that the supremacy of culture over politics in the GDR is not as omnipresent as Lepenies believes it is, on the one hand, and that there is on the other hand an instrumentalization of culture by the party in power (SED), which gave way to an ideologization of the humanist heritage of the German classics and to a moralisation of politics. By considering “inofficial” East-German intellectuals left aside by Lepenies and starting from the confrontation of the ideal-types of political humanism of the Enlightenment, represented by opposition groups which worked along with the protestant Churches, and real humanism, understood as an extension of the materialist ideology stemming from Marxism, which inspired SED politics and which corresponded with a ritualization of labour in the GDR, this study explores the antithesis between democracy and totalitarianism under the light of two types of Aufklärung : the Aufklärung of citizen and the Aufklärung of man.

Keyphrases: Espace public, Aufklärung, GDR, Marxism, Public sphere, Democracy, Humanism, Pluralism, Civil society, Political opposition, Aufklärung
Analyse multi-échelle des champs magnétiques dans des nuages moléculaires à structures filmentaires

Together with other observational methods, visible and near infrared polarimetry can help tu understand the morphology of magnetic fields in the neighborhood of several star-forming regions. inside molecular clouds, this morphology can be deduced with the help of submm polarimetry but rarely in the same regions. When both observational methods are used for the same region, there is a gap in the spatial scales to correctly compare the Galactic magnetic field with the magnetic field probed inside the clouds. -- This thesis proposes the necessary steps to make this type of multi-scle analysis and to better understand the role that can be played by magnetic fields in stellar formation regions. The GF 9 region is the first region analysed with this method. Then, a study of the morphology of the magnetic field located in filamentary molecular clouds OMC-2 and OMC-3 is presented, followed by a multi-scale analysis of the Orion A region, the molecular cloud complex in which these clouds are embedded. -- The results covering both regions can be summarized as follows. it is statistically shown that the large scale morphology of the field is poloidal in the GF 9 region, and probably toroidal in the Orion A complex. On the smaller spatial scale of the envelopes of the clouds, the magnetic fields appear to be aligned with the fields at their periphery. On the spatial scale of the cores, the poloidal magnetic field located in the vicinity of GF 9 is apparently twisted and entrained by the rotation of the core and ambipolar diffusion does not seem to be effective at the present time. In Orion A, the morphology of the fields can hardly be probed in active sites of stellar formation in OMC-2, and is strongly constrained by the effects of gravity in OMC-1. There is no evidence for turbulence in all the observed regions. -- All in all, the multiscale analyses suggest that independently of the evolutionary state or of the range in mass of the star-forming regions, the magnetic field morphology is significantly affected on spatial scales similar to those of cores, in the same way that molecular clouds properties remain self-similar down to the spatial scales similar to those of cores.

Keyphrases: Turbulence
Caractérisation de la pharmacocinétique 
suite à l’exposition multivoie au toluène, 
au n-hexane et au cyclohexane chez le rat

The contribution of dermal and inhalation routes of exposure to volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in drinking water is increasingly drawing attention. Until recently, ingestion was the only route considered in risk assessment of drinking water contaminants. The general objective of this study was to characterize multi-route exposures on the pharmacokinetics and internal dose of three VOCs: toluene (TOL), n-hexane (HEX) and cyclohexane (CYCLO). Towards this goal, an experimental animal model was developed and a physiologically-based toxicokinetic (PBTK) model was adapted in order to take account route-specific absorption parameters of TOL. Sprague-Dawley rats were given a single dose of VOCs by oral ingestion, inhalation or dermal route. Additional groups of rat were exposed by the three routes simultaneously. In the case of HEX and CYCLO, dermal route was not considered. Blood samples were collected in order to compare kinetics following simple and multiroute exposures. Blood levels obtained following multiroute exposures were generally higher than predictions (i.e., the sum of the blood levels obtained for single route exposures) (as revealed by area under curve ratio: TOL :1,30 et 2,19; HEX : 1,55; CYCLO : 0,98 et 0,99). The PBTK model described adequately the kinetics of TOL in rats following single and multiroute exposures. The results suggest that internal dose arising from multiple routes is not necessarely comparable to the sum of the blood levels obtained for single route exposures. This phenomenon would be attributable to degree of saturation during aggregate exposures. Furthermore, the present study demonstrated that PBTK model can be used to predict/interpret blood levels associated with multiroute exposures to VOCs in drinking water, using toluene as a model substance.

Keyphrases: n-hexane, Cyclohexane, Multiroute exposure, Volatile organic compounds, Toluene, Experimental animal model, Toxicokinetic modeling
Socialisation du salariat professionnel et transmission de la culture 
dans les organisations syndicales québécoises

English : In the larger question of staff renewal in Québec, it is interesting to tackle more specifically union staff renewal.  The union organizations are in the process or will soon be largely hiring new appointed staff, which will be a challenge in terms of organizational culture transmission.  This memoir will research into the socialization of the appointed staff of Québec’s unions based on four case studies: the FTQ, Syndicat des Métallos, CSN and FIQ.  The question of culture transfers in the personnel management practices of these organizations will be tackled by studying hiring and socialization practices, and the formalization and control of these practices. The results of our studies bring forth a link between administrative structure in the studied unions and the way the newly hired appointed staff are socialized.  Even if there is a slight increase in the socialization practices’ formalization, on the whole, like in other practices of personnel management in union organizations, the formalization is minor.  Moreover, our studies also show that the union leaders’ hold on culture transmission is minimal compared to the peers’.

Keyphrases: Syndicat, Québec, Organizational socialization, Organizational culture, Organisational sociology, Trade union, Appointed staff union, Union rep, Québec
Étude des récepteurs aux estrogènes dans les ostéoblastes de patients atteints de Scoliose Idiopathique de l'Adolescent

Recent developments in the research on pathogenesis of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis indicate that estrogens could intervene in the development and progression of this disease. Therefore, this project focussed on the expression and functionality of estrogen receptors ERα and ERβ and their isoforms in osteoblasts of scoliotic patients and controls. The induction by estrogens of the expression of factors influencing mineralization and osteoblast differentiation was also studied. We observed by immunofluorescence, an increase of the presence of ERβ in osteoblasts of AIS patients compared to controls. A higher level of expression of osteopontin, osteocalcin, type I collagen, alkaline phosphatase and BMP2 was found in osteoblasts of AIS patients compared to controls. Estrogen receptors in osteoblasts from AIS patients are functional, as they were in controls and no difference in DNA-binding activity was observed. ERα et ERβ are present and functional in osteoblasts from AIS patients and controls. Their expression is variable, but these variations exist in both populations. The implication of estrogens in AIS would therefore be in the interaction between these hormones and other factors influencing the aetiology of AIS like melatonin, bone formation and resorption and neuro-endocrin factors, rather than in a default in the estrogens receptors themselves.

Keyphrases: estrogenes, Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis, Estrogen receptors, estrogens, osteoblasts
Examining discourses on the ethics and public understanding of cognitive enhancement with methylphenidate

The non-medical use of neuropharmaceuticals has sparked ethical debates. For example, there is mounting evidence that methylphenidate (MPH; Ritalin) is being used by healthy university students to improve concentration, alertness, and academic performance, a phenomenon known as cognitive enhancement. The different perspectives on the ethics of cognitive enhancement represent an important dimension of the social and ethical challenges related to such practices but have yet to be examined thoroughly. This thesis aimed to assess existing positive and negative reports in international print media, bioethics literature, and public health literature on the use of MPH to identify and analyze gaps in the ethical, social, and scientific perspectives about the non-medical use of MPH for cognitive enhancement in healthy individuals. A systematic content analysis of discourses on the non-medical use of methylphenidate for cognitive enhancement identified divergent frameworks employed to describe the non-medical use of methylphenidate and discuss its ethical implications: The frameworks of “lifestyle choice”, “prescription drug abuse” and “cognitive enhancement” are present in print media, bioethics, and public health discourses respectively. Important differences between frameworks include the description of the non-medical use of neuropharmaceuticals for cognitive enhancement, associated risks and benefits, discussion of ethical and social issues surrounding the phenomenon and the prevention strategies and challenges to the widespread use of neuropharmaceuticals for cognitive enhancement. Diverging frameworks reflect pluralism in perceptions if the non-medical use of neuropharmaceuticals for cognitive enhancement. At this time, unacknowledged pluralism and implicit assumptions about cognitive enhancement may impede public health interventions and ethics discussions.

Keyphrases: Neuroethics, Cognitive enhancement, Non-medical use of prescription drugs, Methylphenidate, Public understanding
La danse des fantômes à la cour Suprême du Canada: les droits autochtones pendant le premier quart de siècle de l'article 35 de la loi constitutionnelle, 1982

Many people believe that Canada became fully decolonized in 1982 with the "patriation" instituted by the Constitution Act, 1982, whose s.35 (1) explicitly recognized and affirmed "existing Aboriginal and treaty rights". Yet, a quarter century later, Indigenous critics continue to complain that their rights are being denied by the Supreme Court of Canada. This study has approached such questions by drawing on international law to establish legal definitions for "colonialism" and "postcolonialism". In this optic, it becomes clear that there has been a significant change in Euro-Canadian norms during the past century. Colonial concepts, like the English jurist John Austin's definition of "law" as "command" have been superseded by the ideal of informed, popular consent, yet modes of conduct that are consistent with the colonial paradigm persist. According to Kuhn's theory of scientific revolutions this is predictable because changes from one paradigm to another are normally characterized by intensified assertions of the impugned orthodoxy and no change is complete until new models and procedures have emerged to replace established habits. In order to determine where the Supreme Court of Canada actually stands in relation to the decolonization process, Part I of this study examines the nature of paradigmatic function, including the metaphoric construction of language. It then reviews the colonial phenomenon, the emergence of decolonization in international law and postcolonialism to define the colonial and postcolonial paradigms in terms of specific indicia that can be used to classify institutional performance. Part II adapts this analytical framework to the specific circumstances of judicial decision making and applies it to the reasoning of over 60 Supreme Court of Canada cases concerned with section 35 (1) of the Constitution Act, 1982. This dual colonial/postcolonial analysis makes it possible to identify some of the ways in which colonial metaphors and modes of thought have persisted during the past quarter century despite the Court's firm commitment to postcolonial ideals. Though the judges themselves are aware of some of the institutional limitations that constrict their ability to validate Indigenous rights, many of the concepts that structure their reasoning induce them to perpetuate the colonial paradigm. Further reflection on the structure of our rational processes and on the problems predictably associated with paradigm change might make it easier for judges, practitioners and Indigenous peoples to develop the agreements that are necessary to implement the egalitarian ideals ascribed to by all.

Keyphrases: Haudenosaunee, Postcolonial, Categorization, Decolonization, Haudenosaunee, History, Imperialism, Metaphor, Paradigm, Postcolonial, Self-determination, Sovereignty
La dignité humaine: limite à la brevetabilité du corps humain

"Patentability of the Human Body and of DNA through a comparative, ethical and legal study" is at the heart of a crucial debate of our time regarding the effect of biotechnology on human nature. Hereby, we have attempted to bring a contribution to the debate. In the first part of our work, we developed the concept and the legal criterion of patentability. We then presented a comparative study based on normative documents from international, regional and national sources. Based on the norms defined by the European community, as well as documents from the US, Canada and France, it is clear that the human body is not patentable. In fact, this prohibition appears to be widely recognized. At the core of such a prohibition lies the concept of human dignity, a concept that we proceed to analyze both legally and ethically. It follows that the idea of patenting a human body violates human dignity as well as the integrity and freedom of the person. However, the same cannot be said about the patentability of the DNA. By applying the legal .criteria prevalent to patentability of "human parts," as they appear in Sections 1 and 4 of our thesis, and after considering the debate raised by Chakrabarty in the US, the European Directive of 1998, the Harvard College case in Canada and that of Myriad Genetics, one sees that patentability of the DNA is accepted legally in spite of its ambivalent statutes and the ethical issues. There is no conclusion as this matter is an ongoing subject of public and individual concern. To avoid sliding down a road leading to the patentability of the human body as a whole, one searches for safeguards, such as the "plastic" concept of human dignity.

Keyphrases: Biotechnology, Patentability, Human body, Human material: DNA, Human dignity