NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Perception de l'importance de facteurs liés au vieillissement sur les comportements alimentaires telle que rapportée par des personnes âgées autonomes et semi-autonomes de la région de Lanaudière

CONTEXT: While several factors may have different influences on healthy aging, there is little information on how important these key determinants are to food behaviors related to aging as reported by independent and semi-independant seniors. This question is rarely answered in the literature and even less so for the rural community, namely the Lanaudière region of Quebec. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective is to explore perceptions of the determinants of nutrition of older adults in a rural area of the community or in a residence for independent seniors. Inspired by the conceptual framework of healthy aging Cardinal et al. (2008), the secondary objectives are to explore and perceive the relationships between diet and: individual abilities, coping skills, environment, living conditions, living environment, commitment and participation, and health care services. Their health status and perceptions of disease prevention activities for healthy aging were also discussed. METHOD: Data collection is primarily qualitative and is based on a one-on-one interview led by a grid of questions inspired by the conceptual frame of Cardinal et al. (2008). The sample (n = 20) consists of two groups of Lanaudière seniors: those living in the Le Grand Manoir residence and those living in community. For the analysis, a synthesis of the data was performed for each axis of the interview grid. While the axis was the main theme, the sub-dimensions specific to each axis were both related to the questions formulated and inspired by the body of data. An inductive and deductive approach was used for the analysis. RESULTS: The results allow us to observe that environments and the social network seem to influence the eating behaviors of the elderly. Some exemples of eating behaviors are similar in both groups while others are different. Some highlights also relate to weight, natural health products, the credibility of information sources, driving, food variety and the importance of the social network around cooking and eating . CONCLUSION: This thesis allows us to explore the determinants of eating behaviors of independent seniors according to their living environment. It would be relevant to pursue further studies in public nutrition to understand how to reach the interests of the elderly on certain themes such as body image, variety of food, the importance of snacks in a balanced diet, solutions to be provided in case of loss of autonomy in travel, the importance of preventive activities such as vaccination, credibility sources of information on nutrition and the benefits of community food activities offered in the community.

Keyphrases: Eating behavior, Food perception, Successful aging, Body image, Health, Elderly
Prédicteurs de l’amélioration des facteurs de risques de diabète de type 2 suivant une diète hypocalorique

Background and hypothesis: The incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and associated morbidity and mortality is constantly on the rise worldwide. Weight loss using behaviour modification programs, such as hypocaloric diets, reduce the risk factors for, and incidence of, T2D in obese subjects. However, there is a large inter-subject variability in the metabolic response of obese subjects to these interventions, the reasons for which are unclear. White adipose tissue (WAT) dysfunction, postprandial hypertriglyceridemia, insulin resistance (IR), and hyperinsulinemia are major risk factors for T2D in humans. Work from our lab demonstrated that apoB lipoproteins, measured in plasma as apoB, promote and predict WAT dysfunction and related risk factors in obese subjects. Our hypothesis was that elevated baseline plasma apoB identify obese subjects who best reduce the risk factors for T2D following a 6-month hypocaloric dietary intervention. We also explored whether the change in fiber intake following the intervention was most predictive of the amelioration in the risk factors for T2D independent of weight-loss.  Methods: Fifty-nine subjects (33 women, 26 men, 45-74 years, BMI ≥27 kg/m2, without chronic diseases) completed a hypocaloric dietary intervention (-500 kcal/day) over 6 months. Ex vivo WAT function was measured as the hydrolysis and storage of synthetic 3H-triolein-labeled triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. Postprandial fat metabolism was measured over 6-hours after the ingestion of a 13C-triolein-labeled high fat meal. Insulin sensitivity (IS) and glucose-induced insulin secretion (GIIS) were measured by a Botnia clamp, which is a combination of 1-hour intravenous glucose tolerance test followed by 3-hour hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp. Dietary intakes were evaluated using 3-days food recalls. Results: Following the hypocaloric diet, subjects decreased caloric intake by 11.1±22.6% and fat intake by 19.9±31.0% and lost an average weight of 5.40±4.76%. They also had an increase in IS by 33.7±56.2% and a decrease in GIIS by -17.7±27.6%. Baseline apoB predicted the post-intervention increase in WAT function (p=0.002, r=0.63-0.68) and decrease in GIIS (p=0.006, r=0.59), independently of sex, change in BMI, android fat mass and android/gynoid fat mass ratio. The increase in fiber intake predicted the decrease in 2nd GIIS (p=0.040, r=-0.49) and IS (p=0.026, r=0.48) measured during the IVGTT independent of sex and changes in BMI and energy intake or other macronutrients.  Conclusions: Elevated baseline plasma apoB and increased post-intervention fiber intake identifies subjects who best reduce WAT dysfunction, IR and hyperinsulinemia after a hypocaloric diet. Targeting subjects with high plasma apoB with fiber-enriched hypocaloric diet may maximize the benefit of hypocaloric diets to reduce the incidence of T2D in obese subjects.

Keyphrases: Type 2 diabetes, Insulin resistance, Hyperinsulinemia, Hypocaloric diet, Weight loss, Dietary fiber, Adipose tissue dysfunction
Associations entre l’état nutritionnel, la qualité de vie et l’encéphalopathie hépatique lors de maladies chroniques du foie

Introduction : Malnutrition is the most common complication (65-95%) in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD : cirrhosis). Malnutrition during cirrhosis may increase the risk of developing other complications including hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and may also affect patients' functional status and quality of life (QOL). Management strategies focussing on nutritional status in relation to complications of cirrhosis are an unmet clinical need. Hypothesis : Poor nutritional status in cirrhotic patients negatively affects QOL and increases the risk of developing HE. Main objectives : 1) Assess nutritional status and its relationship to QOL ; 2) Ascertain the presence, severity and history of HE ; 3) Investigate the relationship between nutritional status, HE and history of HE ; 4) Investigate the relationship between HE, history of HE and QOL of cirrhotic subjects. Method : Observational and cross-sectional study involving 60 patients (hospitalized and outpatients) from the Department of Hepatology at St-Luc Hospital, CHUM). A group of non-cirrhotic patients hospitalized for minor interventions were used as controls (N=30). All subjects were assessed for: 1) Nutritional Status: Standardized Questionnaire Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) ; 2) Quality of life : General questionnaire SF-36 evaluating the QV as perceived by the patient; 3) HE : History or presence of HE using a computerized test (Stroop EncephalApp) and an evaluation scale of HE (CHESS). Results : After consideration of relevant exclusion criteria, this pilot project included 50 CLD patients (72% men) of various etiologies (12% alcoholic, 6% viral, 18% NASH, 8% autoimmune, 12% others and 44% mixed etiologies), Child-Pugh (15A, 7B, 18C and 10 N/A), aged 56 ± 12 years and 18 non-cirrhotic patients (33% male, mean age 42 ± 15). The SGA revealed that 34% of CLD subjects were malnourished. Among malnourished CLD patients, 18% were diagnosed with HE. CLD malnourished patients had a lower perception of QOL than well-nourished CLD patients for all SF-36 scales (p<0,01). Moreover, HE was associated with poor QOL as cirrhotic patients with a history of HE episode(s) showed decreased physical functioning (p=0,024) and role limitations due to physical health (p=0,002). When compared to non-cirrhotic patients, CLD patients displayed a lower score in physical functioning (p=0,03) and general health (p=0,03). Conclusion : Our data suggest that a suboptimal nutritional status negatively influences some scales of QOL but is not associated with HE. However, history of HE episode is associated with poor QOL among this population. Therefore, identifying malnourished patients is of great importance to improve QOL. Interventions to treat and prevent malnutrition in CLD remain a primary need.

Keyphrases: Malnutrition, Chronic liver disease, Cirrhosis, Malnutrition, Nutritional assessment, Nutritional status, Hepatic encephalopathy, Health-related quality of life
Bien manger en 2015 : perception du concept par des adultes clés agissant auprès d’enfants d’âge préscolaire au Québec

Context There is confusion surronding the concept of healthy eating in 2015. The complexity of this construct is a barrier to adopting healthy eating habits. The perceptions of this concept that have parents and caregivers influence the eating behavior of the children with whom they interact. Eating behaviors of children under five are of interest because they are likely to be maintained throughout life. Actions have been established in recent years to improve the dietary practices of the target population. Objectives Explore what it means to “eat well” for parents of preschool children, educators and food managers in childcare centers in Quebec in 2015. Methodology As a part of an electronic survey, an open-ended question is asked to the target population in relation to perceptions of "eating well". The qualitative responses generated by this survey are analyzed using a deductive and inductive approach with a coding grid as well as statistical tests. Results Variety is the most common sub-theme among the 1753 parents, while health ranks first among the 1055 educators and the 267 food managers. Organoleptic qualities are mainly addressed by food managers, while mentions of signs of hunger and fullness stand out among the educators. In general, all stakeholders refer to the concepts of "eating well" such as variety, healthy eating, balance, moderation or pleasure. Conclusion This portrait represents the perceptions of “eating well” that key stakeholders with 2 to 5-year old children have in 2015. This information is useful for developing communication strategies that meet these targets in order to promote the adoption of healthy eating habits. Reference frameworks and government guides have an important role regarding the recommendations they provide, which are used by professionals working in developing healthy lifestyles in early childhood.

Keyphrases: perceptions, parents, Healthy eating, Educators, Food managers, Children
Les perceptions des parents d’élèves du primaire et du secondaire à l’égard des produits et services offerts par les services alimentaires de la Commission Scolaire de Montréal

Context: Obesity is a major public health problem in Canada as well as in a majority of Western countries. The environments in which young people grow greatly influence the behaviours and lifestyles they adopt and retain as adults. Following the publication, in 2008, of the Quebec government's policy framework for healthy eating and a physically active lifestyle, the Commission scolaire de Montréal (CSDM) incorporated it into its establishments in 2011. Since its implementation, few data has been collected regarding its application and scope. Objective: To assess the perceptions and satisfaction of parents of elementary and secondary school students about CSDM food services products and services. Methodology: In 2014, parents with at least one child attending a CSDM elementary or secondary school were solicited by e-mail to participate in a survey about the food services. Participants completed a questionnaire with several closed-ended questions and ending with an open-ended question; "Do you have any additional comments to share on food services?" Combining an inductive and deductive analysis approach, the qualitative data were analyzed separately using two coding grids inspired by products and services marketing. Results: The analysis covered 1114 response items reported by 696 parents of elementary students and 430 response items reported by 285 parents of high school students. The analysis reveals significant dissatisfaction of both primary and secondary parents with the food services products of the CSDM including nutritional quality, taste, quality and variety. Themes associated with the physical environment of food services are also very present in the comments of parents. Conclusion: The results show a generalized dissatisfaction of parents with the products and services offered by CSDM's food services in elementary and secondary schools. However, a desire to use these services is reflected in the parents’ responses if the offer were to be more adapted to their needs and concerns.

Keyphrases: Alimentation saine, Parents, Perceptions, Satisfaction, Healthy eating, Food services, School, Students, Primary, Secondary, Lunch, Quebec
Étude des signatures géniques dans un contexte d’expériences de RNA- Seq

The main appeal of RNA sequencing experiments is that they offer a general view of all cell’s intrinsic genetic processes. Diseased state differs from healthy by it’s gene usage and many efforts have been channeled in bioinformatics these last few years to purify these gene signatures, in particular in the classification of leukemia and breast cancer subtyping. However, these models see their performance hindered by a large size of input dimensions and most authors chose to impose a threshold of gene exclusion. I wanted to determine what is a gene signature and how many genes it truly contains. To determine it’s size, I applied co-clustering algorithms to a subset of transcriptomic data, to extract it’s gene signature. My results indicate that the gene signature cannot be extracted entirely and the use of exclusion thresholds is the main problem. I then explored a gene signature extraction method using an artificial neural net (ANN), by calculating the smallest adjustment in gene expression necessary to go from one phe- notypic class to another. The extracted gene signature indicated that almost all genes are affected for the given phenotype. Consequently, it seems inappropriate to consider threshold-based methods and I, therefore, propose that gene signatures are omnigenic phenomena. To level the disadvantage of having to include all genes in gene expres- sion analyses, I designed a ANN method that simultaneously manages two spaces: the gene and the sample space. The coordinates for genes and samples in their respective space are arranged to predict the gene expression. My contribution is a model that learns simultaneously about genes and samples. My method allows the analysis of datasets with missing data, making the integration of heterogenous data integration as well as the analysis of single-cell RNA-Seq experiments.

Keyphrases: Transcriptome, RNA-Seq, Machine learning, Artificial neural networks
Caractérisation du rôle de SCL dans la mégacaryopoïèse et la thrombopoïèse chez les souris transgéniques

SCL is a transcription factor member of the bHLH family. SCL is expressed in red blood cells, megakaryocytes, platelets and masts cells. SCL deficient mice die at embryonic day 9.5 due to complete absence of primitive erythropoiesis. Two main isoforms of SCL have been identified, a long isoform and a short isoform. SCL’s long isoform is well characterized but little is known about SCL’s short isoform. To understand both isoform’s function in megakaryopoiesis and thrombopoiesis, the laboratory designed transgenic mice overexpressing each isoform under GATA-1 transcription factor regulatory elements. Mice overexpressing SCL’s long isoform produce ~40% more megakaryocytes and twice as much platelets than non-transgenic mice. At the opposite, mice overexpressing SCL’s short isoform produce ~50% less megakaryocytes but thrombopoiesis is not affected. Moreover, both isoforms seem to modulate 2 signaling pathways (c-Mpl/TPO and c-Kit/SCF) involve in megakaryopoiesis. Therefore, these results suggest that megakaryocytes differentiation program is modulated by SCL. Molecular and cellular characterization of both isoform’s function in vivo can help elucidate their different functions. Moreover, these studies could lead to the identification of therapeutic targets in coagulation disorders.

Keyphrases: SCL, GATA-1, Transcription factor, Hematopoietic cells, Megakaryocytes, Platelets, Signaling pathway
La variabilité technologique et morphométrique des pointes de projectile aurignaciennes en matière osseuse. Implications cognitives, sociales et environnementales

During the second half of MIS3 (ca. 41-29 kyr BP), for the first time in the history of humankind, prehistoric artisans scattered across Europe integrated a variety of osseous materials – ivory, bone, and antler – into their technological strategies in order to manufacture Aurignacian projectile points. These armatures can be categorized into “split-based” and “massive-based” types. Despite their relative standardization, the observed variability of the forms and dimensions of these implements requires further investigation. The aim of the present study is to gain a better understanding of the technological organization favoured by these prehistoric artisans, and to improve our knowledge about the dispersal of Homo sapiens populations in Europe. Geometric morphometric analysis is adapted to the study of 547 Aurignacian osseous projectile points recovered from 49 European sites located between the Atlantic and the Carpathian Mountains. This approach allowed the identification of eight volumetric templates used by Aurignacian artisans during the manufacture of split-based points. Two volumetric templates were identified for massive-based points, one of which includes a number of variants. Spatial and chronological distribution of these templates indicates that, contrary to the dominant hypothesis, Aurignacian projectile points do not represent a proxy for the dispersal of Homo sapiens into Europe. It is argued that a more parsimonious interpretation is to consider them as a signal of the development of innovative socioeconomic strategies by groups already present on the continent and linked to one another. This innovation corresponds to an adaptive technological solution for prehistoric groups engaged in increased mobility. The subsequent adoption of this innovation at a continental scale can be linked to the Campanian Eruption. Finally, the change in types, i.e., the replacement of split-based points by massive-based points, suggests that an important transformation occurred in the technological strategies implemented by earlier and later Aurignacians even though they favoured a similar mobility pattern. Split-based points are likely the products of a technological strategy associated with curation of these objects, while massive-based points are consistent with the implementation of an expedient strategy.

Keyphrases: Aurignacian, Upper Palaeolithic, Projectile points, Geometric morphometrics, Technological organization
Exploration des mécanismes responsables de la dichotomie entre la chimiotaxie et la division cellulaire

Cell division (mitosis) and directed cell migration towards chemoattractants (chemotaxis) are two central processes in cell biology that both involve cell polarization. In mitosis, cell polarization is bipolar, defining opposite poles on the cell towards which chromosomes and cellular content of the eventually separating daughter cells are attracted. In contrast, chemotaxis ascending a concentration gradient of exogenous chemoattractants requires unipolar polarization, defining a leading edge (front) and a trailing end (rear). These different polarization patterns are fundamentally incompatible. It is thus intuitively obvious that an acutely dividing cell cannot simultaneously set off a conflicting polarization program, but must remain unresponsive to chemotactic cues. Surprisingly, no demonstration of the chemotaxis-mitosis dichotomy has been published. Furthermore, it remains unknown when, and how, a dividing cells become unresponsive to chemotactic cues.   In this study, we demonstrate the existence of the dichotomy between chemotaxis and mitosis in pre-B human cells. More specifically, we demonstrate that the dichotomy is not a cause of the reduction of cell surface expression of chemokine receptor during the cell synchronisation at the G2 and M phases’s border. We also prove that cells undergoing bipolarization at the G2 and M border still keep their proximal chemokine receptor-dependant signaling pathways. Other mechanisms than a negative regulation of the chemokine receptor must be investigated.

Keyphrases: CXCR4, CXCL12, Endocytose, Gαi, G2 phase, Chemotaxis, Endocytosis, Dichotomy
Les pêcheurs basques au Canada, 1530-1760 : de la culture matérielle à l'identité culturelle

This study proposes a synthesis of the architectural remains and the material culture of Basque whaling and codfishing sites on the northern coast of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. It deals with the factors of continuity and change in the Basque fisheries over almost three centuries, in order to better understand the identity of these fishermen. The crews mainly of Spanish origin, the evolution of fishing and whaling techniques, the hierarchical and gender relations in exclusively male crews, and their relations with indigenous populations were the guidelines for the survey of some twenty Basque sites. The collections analysis carried out in Québec City, Ottawa, St. John's and Red Bay (Labrador) and participation in terrestrial and underwater excavations of a Basque site on Petit-Mécatina Island (Lower North Shore, Quebec) have been the focus of many ideas. The contextual and comparative analysis of all the archaeological material found on the various sites has revealed several noteworthy features of the identity of the Basque fishermen. First, they have left a lasting and deliberately visible architectural imprint on the coastal landscape. Second, the analysis of material provenances shows that the Basque fishermen forged commercial links all alone the European Atlantic coast, from Andalusia to Normandy, but also brought several previously unidentified Basque productions to the New World. This dissertation demonstrates that these fishermen formed a seafarers' society open to the transfer of knowledge in which the importance of family ties, adaptation to the maritime environment and geopolitical realities, as well as reciprocal relations with indigenous people, allowed them to have a relatively comfortable position in a sometimes hostile environment.

Keyphrases: France, histoire, Labrador, Québec, historical archeology, Maritime archeology, First Nations, Material culture, Spain, history, Cultural identity, New France, Basque Country, Newfoundland