NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Rôle des vésicules extracellulaires dans le maintien de l’intégrité de l’endothélium lymphatique

Atherosclerosis is characterized by the accumulation of cholesterol in the wall of large- and medium-sized arteries, and is associated with an inadequate immune response in which cellular activation and apoptosis play a major role. These cellular activities can lead to the formation of submicron particles, called extracellular vesicles (EVs), that have variable effects on the blood endothelium and the subsequent plaque evolution. We have shown that cholesterol preferentially travels through the lymphatic vessels located in the adventitia of the arterial wall in order to leave the atherosclerotic lesion. As we have also demonstrated the presence of EVs derived from different cell types in the lymph, we hypothesize that the massive accumulation of EVs in the arterial wall could be both a cause and a consequence of the poor clearance by the lymphatic system. We thus investigated the effects of red blood cell- and platelet-derived EVs on the integrity of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs). LECs were treated with physiological concentrations of EVs derived from red blood cells and/or platelets, and their adhesion and internalization to LECs was assessed by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. The effects of EVs on LECs' proliferation, migration capacity, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), cell death and permeability were also evaluated. Both EV types adhered and were internalised by LECs in vitro. Red blood cell-derived EVs increased ROS production, and decreased proliferation, ROS production and the activation of caspase 3 in LECs integrity, whereas EVs derived from red blood cells could, in the long term, be harmful. Finally, we believe that this project is a great premise for a better understanding of the role of EVs is lymphatic function modulation in cardiovascular diseases.

Keyphrases: Extracellular vesicles, Atherosclerosis, Lymphatic, Endothelial cells
Focus sur les dispositifs biorésorbables dans la revascularisation de la maladie coronarienne

Advances in interventional cardiology have led to improved symptomatic management of patients and survival in several clinical situations. Although the second-generation permanent drug-eluting metal stent is the standard for coronary angioplasty practice with the best risk to benefit ratio, several challenges remain to be overcome with this device. In this regard, bioresorbable stents are a very promising option for the medical community, with the hope of reducing the long-term negative impact of installing permanent stents in the coronary territory.  From the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease to the various management and treatment options, both pharmacological and interventional, this thesis will review the development of percutaneous coronary intervention from its birth to the present day. A focus will be given to bioresorbable stents (in particular the ABSORB device) which are extensively studied in recent registries and randomized clinical trials.  Despite the results showing a higher intra-stent thrombosis rate and a higher target lesion failure rate with the ABSORB stent compared to the standard drug-eluting stent, the work done in this thesis aims to project a new perspective on the future of bioresorbable stents technology. Our REABSORB registry, a real-time cohort study of Canadian patients with an extensive follow-up of up to 4 years, has demonstrated a considerable advantage of implantation techniques to reduce major adverse cardiac events. Clinical and lesional features were not predictors of cardiac events in our study.  Finally, other bioresorbable devices will be discussed, including those based on metal alloy, which seem very promising in order to reduce the rate of intrastent thrombosis, while offering the advantage of complete long-term resorption such as expected from bioresorbable stents.

Keyphrases: ABSORB, thrombose coronarienne, Percutaneous coronary intervention, bioresorbable scaffold, coronary artery disease, drug-eluting stent, coronary thrombosis, myocardial infarction, myocardial revascularization
L’effet de l’âge et de la douleur chronique sur le profil sensoriel des adultes ayant survécu à un traumatisme craniocérébral modéré à sévère

Background: Chronic pain is common following moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The few studies conducted on the sensory profile of this population underrepresented patients over 60 years old, providing little input on the effects of aging on sensory alterations after TBI. Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the effect of chronic pain and aging on the sensory profile of survivors of moderate-to-severe TBI. Methods: Sensory evaluation was conducted using a standardized Quantitative Sensory Testing procedure assessing thermal and mechanical detection/pain thresholds, allodynia, and temporal summation. Potential comorbidities were assessed using validated questionnaires. Results: Fifty-nine (n=59) survivors of moderate-to-severe TBI were recruited: n=37 young (18-60 years old, 57% with chronic pain) and n=22 elderly (≥60 years old, 46% with chronic pain). Independently of age, participants with chronic pain presented heat hypoalgesia, vibration hypoesthesia, a decrease level of touch sensitivity in the painful area when compared to a contralateral sites and higher level of depression when compared to participants without pain. Regarding age, young adults also presented hyperesthesia to warmth and elderly presented a significant augmentation in warmth sensitivity in the painful area when compared to its contralateral site. Interestingly, sensory alterations were not always synonymous of pain since pressure hyperalgesia in young participants and cold hypoesthesia in older ones were noted in participants without pain. Conclusions: These results suggest that moderate-to-severe TBI survivors present common and unique sensory characteristics related to their age group.

Keyphrases: Traumatic brain injury, Chronic pain, Age, Quantitative sensory testing
Sex differences in cocaine use in rats

In both humans and laboratory animals, females and males can respond differently to cocaine. Women can progress more rapidly from initial cocaine use to addiction. Studies in laboratory rodents have also demonstrated that females can be more vulnerable to the reinforcing and incentive motivational effects of cocaine. Most preclinical studies characterizing the effects of cocaine use in females and males have been conducted using continuous-access self-administration procedures [e.g., (6 h sessions), Long Access or ShA (1-2 h sessions), Short Access]. These procedures achieve produces high brain concentrations of drug. However, human addicts take cocaine intermittently during a bout of intoxication, and this would produce spiking brain cocaine levels. A recent intermittent-access (IntA) cocaine self-administration procedure models this in rats. Compared to LgA, IntA self-administration is uniquely effective in producing the neurobiological, psychological and behavioral changes that underlie the transition to cocaine addiction. Here, we compared cocaine use in female and male rats that self-administered the drug (0.25 mg/kg/ infusion, i.v.) during 10 daily, 6-h LgA or IntA sessions. LgA rats took more cocaine than IntA rats, and only female LgA rats escalated their intake. However, only IntA rats (both sexes) developed psychomotor sensitization and sensitization was greatest in the females. Five and 25 days after the last self-administration session, we quantified incentive motivation for cocaine by measuring breakpoints for the drug under progressive ratio under progressive ratio schedule. There were no significant sex differences on this measure in LgA rats. However, under IntA, females reached higher breakpoints for cocaine than males. Thus, LgA might be best suited to study sex differences in cocaine intake, while IntA might be best suited to study sex differences in incentive motivational processes in cocaine addiction.

Keyphrases: Addiction, Auto administration, Motivation, Sex differences, Cocaine, self-administration, Long Access, Intermittent Access, Psychomotor sensitization, Progressive Ratio
Evaluating the Antileukemic and Antiviral Activity of TH9402-Photodepleted Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is the sole curative treatment for chemo-refractory leukemia. However, it is associated with a significant risk of developing graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) caused by alloreactive T cells. Although depleting GvHD-causing T cells from the graft dampens GvHD occurrence, it is associated with an increase in the rate of infections and disease relapse, a primary cause of morbidity. Thus, identifying a strategy for eliminating GvHD-causing T cells but preserving potent antileukemic and antiviral activity will be invaluable. We previously showed that TH9402-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) results in the specific elimination of alloreactive GvHD-causing T cells. In this study, we photodepleted alloreactive T cells from healthy donors using TH9402 and evaluated the preservation of functional leukemia-specific and virus-specific T cells. Given the low frequency of these cells in the peripheral blood, we developed an ex vivo T cell expansion protocol using peptides derived from leukemia-associated antigens such as Wilms’ tumor protein 1 (WT1) and preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma (PRAME) as well as viral antigens derived from Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV). Interestingly, we were able to detect high frequencies of antileukemic and antiviral T cells post-PDT. Furthermore, we show that preserved T cells following PDT are functional and that they degranulate and produce IFN- in an antigen-specific manner. Taken together, our data suggest that PDT, which is an effective strategy for preventing GvHD in allo-HSCT patients, has the potential to exert anti-leukemia and anti-infection activity.

Keyphrases: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), Photodepletion, Graft-versus-host disease, Graft-versus-leukemia activity, Graft-versus-infection activity
Hyperphagie homéostatique et le profil alimentaire d’individus obèses morbides candidats à la chirurgie bariatrique

INTRODUCTION: Morbid obesity rates have tripled in Canada from 1978 to 2004. Bariatric surgery is suggested to be the most effective treatment. We estimate an important proportion of this population to have eating disorders that are not well understood.  OBJECTIVE: The present study seeks to highlight the main variables of the eating profile of morbidly obese individuals.  METHODS: The study took place in a hospital center, using the medical charts to retrospectively collect data from the initial nutrition consultation. The study included a total of 83 subjects (55 women and 28 men) from 16 to 62 years old with BMI ranging from 39.5 to 82.3 kg/m2.  RESULTS: Dysfunctional eating patterns were observed, such as skipping breakfast, and often compensated by food consumption of poor quality after supper. Energy intake and food quantity measured as volume was generally greater at the end of the day. A majority of participants reported eating meals rapidly (< 15 minutes) and having difficulty identifying or responding to satiety and hunger signals. Many characteristics observed parallel those of homeostatic hyperphagia. Before bariatric surgery, the majority of subjects in the study reported not seeing a registered dietitian to address the disordered eating.  CONCLUSION: Many damaging eating characteristics have been identified in the morbidly obese population. Improved understanding of the dysfunctional eating pattern will help prevent and treat disordered eating associated to morbid obesity.

Keyphrases: Morbid obesity, Bariatric surgery, Eating pattern, Eating disorder (ED), Binge eating disorder (BED), Homeostatic hyperphagia (HomHyp), Disordered eating, Gastric capacity, Bariatric nutrition
Disparités dans l’accès aux aliments sains : quelle relation avec l’approvisionnement alimentaire et l’alimentation des ménages en situation d’insécurité alimentaire?

Background: Socioeconomic inequalities in diet quality can partially explain the increase in chronic illnesses among vulnerable populations, particularly for residents of low-income neighborhoods where access to healthy food at a reasonable price such as fruits and vegetables is often inadequate. In Montreal, 135,000 people living below the poverty line have inadequate access to fruits and vegetables within walking distance from their home. More globally, food insecurity is a serious public health problem affecting 12.7% of households.  Objective: This study aimed to examine the association of household food security, food access, mobility constraints, perceived access to healthy food and food shopping behaviors with fruits and vegetables intake among residents of one of the most underprivileged area in Montreal, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. Methods: A simple random sample of 451 adults responsible for grocery shopping were recruited through telephone interviews in 2014. We applied validated assessment tools to measure fruits and vegetables intake and to distinguish food secure from food insecure participants. Neighborhood food access was calculated according to density of food stores within 800 meters’ road network-buffer of participants’ homes. Self-reported food shopping behaviors included frequency of visit, store types and transport used to reach the three most frequented stores. Participants also provided information about mobility constraints, use of fruits and vegetables markets in the summer, practice of gardening and perceptions of physical and economical access to healthy food in their neighborhood. Multivariable regressions were used on 417 participants. Results: Compared to food secure participants, food insecure participants reported greater lack of affordable healthy food in their neighborhood (b=-2.65, p0.01) as well as more transportation barriers (OR 3.83, 95% CI 2.09-7.02) and mobility constraints (OR 4.53, 95% CI 2.47-8.30). Food insecurity was significantly associated with a lower intake of fruits and vegetables (b=-0.69, p=0.04), as were mobility constraints (b=-0.68, p=0.02). Gardening was associated with a greater intake of fruits and vegetables (b=0.59, p=0.01), while densities of supermarkets (b=-0.06, p=0.03) and speciality stores (b=0.10, p=0.04) were only weakly associated with fruits and vegetables intake.  Discussion: For food insecure households living in a dense Montreal neighborhood, food affordability is more problematic than physical accessibility. Findings also suggest that food insecure households, who are more likely to have mobility constraints, are disadvantaged in their access to healthy food due to both physical and financial barriers. Given the multiple obstacles that accumulate to impede fruits and vegetables intake among food insecure households, this issue should be addressed from a system perspective.

Keyphrases: food security, food purchases, fruits and vegetables, food access, health disparities
Implantation et faisabilité d’ateliers d’éducation nutritionnelle et culinaire en oncologie pédiatrique

Background: Perturbations of food intake are common in children with cancer and are often caused by changes in the sense of taste and nausea. The VIE (Valorization, Implication, Education) project proposes family-based nutrition and cooking education workshops during the cancer treatments. Process evaluation during implementation allows to assess if the intervention was delivered as planned and to determine its barriers and facilitators. The objectives of this project were to: 1) implement 6 educational workshops that address families’ challenges in pediatric oncology and prevent the long-term sequelae, 2) assess the feasibility of the intervention. We propose that workshops are feasible in this population and that they will increase participants’ perception of knowledge acquisition.  Methodology: The implementation phase included a weekly workshop during 1 year from March 2018 to March 2019. Participants’ satisfaction and perception of knowledge acquisition and of utility were documented with a questionnaire specifically developed in line with the study objectives. A survey was administrated to families 9 months after the beginning of the implementation phase. Qualitative data were codified using hybrid content analysis based on the Steckler & Linnan concepts. Quantitative data were presented with descriptive statistics. Results: Participation to the workshops was low (29% were delivered). The main barriers for participation were related to a suboptimal access caused by the child’s medical condition and by parents’ logistic context. The themes that were perceived as the most useful by parents were related to the child’ specific medical condition. More than 65% of families stated that online video capsules would be the preferred mode of information delivery.  Conclusion: Because the reach of the intervention was low, it was not possible to conclude on the efficacy of the workshops in increasing participants’ knowledge. We conclude that, under this format, the workshops are not feasible. Process evaluation allowed to emphasis the low reach of the workshops and the challenges related to the particular context experienced by families during childhood cancer treatment. According to our results, the workshops are now offered online as short video capsules. We believe that this will address the barriers encountered by families, provide a better access to information and evaluate of the impact of the intervention.

Keyphrases: parents, nutrition, Nutrition workshops, culinary demonstration, process evaluation, implementation, childhood cancer, parents, family, cancer treatment
Ingestion de produits de l'érable pendant l'exercice : effets sur l'appréciation, les sensations de goût des boissons et la perception d'effort

Several studies and reviews have addressed the use of exogenous carbohydrates to improve performance. A few underlying mechanisms were identified, but many remain unclear. Recommendations regarding carbohydrate intake and beverage composition have been issued. Some authors have reported that perceptions of sports drinks are influenced by their composition. A few studies, including this one, have assessed sports drinks sensory characteristics during exercise. The aim of the current study is to compare maple-based products (maple water and syrup) with a placebo, a glucose solution and a commercial drink to identify differences in sensory characteristics, in perceived exertion during an endurance task and in performance during a 20 km time trial. A total of 76 active males, between the age of 18 and 45 have completed the task. Maple water was rated as one of the sweetest drinks, but was significantly less appreciated than maple syrup (pre : 6.6 ± 1.6 vs 4.5 ± 1.6 and post 6.2 ± 2.0 and 4.1 ± 1.8; p < 0.05, for maple syrup and maple water, according to hedonic scale). Furthermore, subjects who received maple water reported a lower perceived exertion at 120 min of exercise in comparison with those who received the placebo (14.1 ± 2.2 vs 16.0 ± 2.0, respectively, according to Borg scale). At last, there was no significant difference in the time-trial performance for any of the conditions. In summary, maple-based sports drinks are well appreciated during prolonged exercise and appear to be viable alternatives to more common sources of carbohydrates.

Keyphrases: perceptions sensorielles, Maple sugar, Palatability, Cycling, Sensory perceptions
Mesures de suivi longitudinal au hockey professionnel : associations avec l’incidence de blessures

Injuries are an important issue in professional hockey as they can affect players' careers and team performance. Training load monitoring has been widely used recently to try to optimize injury prevention. This document presents the different types of variables collected and the monitoring methods identified in the scientific literature.  From this information, the objective will be to examine the relationship between external load, wellness and treatment variations with injury risk by examining acute:chronic ratio (A:C) distributions and variations in measures of training load from professional ice hockey players across a season.  The data collected and analyzed in this paper show that the A:C of pain and treatment were significantly related to the acute injury period. Indeed, an increase of 0.1 in treatment A:C increases the probability of being in an acute injury period by 1.6, while an increase of 0.1 in the pain A:C decreases the probability by 1.3. These results reinforce the importance of close monitoring of the athlete as well as ongoing and regular communication of support staff with the coaches, knowing that small variations in these variables may be sufficient to detect changes in the probability of being pre-injured.

Keyphrases: Training load, Monitoring, Injury, Professional ice hockey
Implication du tissu adipeux dans le développement de la prééclampsie et l’effet bénéfique de l’entrainement physique

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is involved in systemic regulation of cardiovascular homoeostasis and contributes to maternal adaptations during pregnancy. The RAS components are expressed in several tissues which contribute to systemic and local RAS effects. Interestingly, we report an imbalance in the local components of the angiotensin-(1-7) axis compared to those of angiotensin-II favouring the latter in the adipose tissue in a preeclampsia mouse model, mice overexpressing human renin and angiotensinogen (R+A+). This could contribute in this tissue to exaggerated angiotensin-II effects, such as vasoconstriction, which have been associated with preeclampsia. Also, exercise training (ExT) 4 weeks before and during pregnancy prevented, in this model, preeclampsia features, such as hypertension and proteinuria, which were associated with a normalization of placental RAS components. As ExT reduces adiposity before and at the end of gestation, our hypothesis is that ExT modulates adipose tissue function and contributes to the prevention of preeclampsia in R+A+ mice. Our results showed that ExT reduced increased VEGF and resistin while it reduced leptin independently of genotype suggesting an appropriate glucose distribution to the fetus in response to ExT. Moreover, we found that FGF-21 is reduced in R+A+ mice independently of ExT. We also found that an index of uterine artery blood flow (VTI) was reduced in R+A+ mice while ExT improved the VTI. However, we found no changes in the resistance and pulsatility index with genotype nor ExT. In conclusion, ExT before and during pregnancy may promote healthier adipose tissue function through the modulation of the adipokine profile and improved uterine arteries blood flow.

Keyphrases: Preeclampsia, Exercise training, Adipose tissue, Renin-angiotensin system, Uterine arterial blood flow