NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Étude des référentiels de géométrie utilisés en classe de mathématiques au secondaire

During their high school career (12 to 17 years old), students are required to solve proof-based problems in their mathematics classes (MELS, 2006a, 2006b). In geometry, these mathemactical proofs must be supported by a theoretical referential of properties and definitions (Kuzniak et Richard, 2014). To determine the specifics of the referentials used in classes, we noted and analyzed the properties and definitions of nineteen Quebec secondary school textbooks. Each item was identified according to the concepts underlying in their statements, their possible epistemic value, their reliance on a figure, and their placement in the chapter. This study is based on the concept of geometric paradigms (Houdement et Kuzniak, 2006) and on the Mathematical Working Space model (MWS or ETM in French) (Kuzniak et Richard, 2014) where the referential is part of the discursive genesis generated by a mathematical work. This study on referentials demonstrates that there are many discursive modalities used in teaching, which can produce difficulties when they are required to be used in a proof. This study also confirms the oscillation between the geometric paradigms (Gauthier, 2015; Tanguay et Geeraerts, 2012) when teaching geometry. Furthermore, we propose a possible referential to be used in a demonstration aid tutor in accordance with Quebec’s curriculum.

Keyphrases: Geometry, Proof, Mathematical working space, Referential, Discursive genesis, Geometric paradigms, Highschool, Schoolbook, Inferential shortcut
Association entre la polypharmacie aux médicaments cardiovasculaires et non cardiovasculaires et le risque de mortalité chez les patients nouvellement diagnostiqués d’une insuffisance cardiaque au Québec

Background : Polypharmacy and the mortality rate of heart failure (HF) patients increase with age. However, the link between polypharmacy and HF patients mortality is poorly documented in Canada. Therefore, it’s necessary to study the association between polypharmacy with cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular drugs and the risk of mortality in elderly (≥ 66 years) newly diagnosed HF patients.  Methods : Using two Quebec administrative databases, a cohort of elderly patients with a recent diagnosis of HF between 1998 and 2015 was established. A nested case-control design study allowed the cases of death to be matched to controls on age, sex and duration of the follow-up. Polypharmacy was assessed in the last three months prior to the date of patient death. The relationship between mortality risk and polypharmacy to cardiovascular (≥ 5 drugs) and non-cardiovascular (≥ 6 drugs) drugs was tested using conditional logistic regression adjusted for comorbidities and cardiovascular drugs.  Results : The sample consisted of 1530 cases with a mean age of 83.4 years. Among them, 98.6% had at least one comorbidity. Their prevalence of polypharmacy to cardiovascular drugs was 65.0% and 63.9% to non-cardiovascular drugs. The data showed a significant reduction in medications was seen in the last month the date of death. Comorbidities and cardiovascular drugs adjusted analyses reported that patients with polypharmacy ≥ 6 non-cardiovascular drugs had 1.43 times the risk of mortality (95 % CI : 1.28-1.60) compared to patients with polypharmacy < 6 non-cardiovascular drugs. On the other hand, this association wasn’t statistically significant for elderly with polypharmacy ≥ 5 cardiovascular drugs (OR=0.91; 95 % CI : 0.79-1.04).  Conclusion : This study found a positive association between polypharmacy with non-cardiovascular drugs and the risk of mortality in elderly patients newly diagnosed with HF.

Keyphrases: Polypharmacy, Mortality, Heart Failure, Elderly, Cardiovascular Drugs, Non-Cardiovascular Drugs
Clinical impact of oscillometry in adjunct to clinical assessment in preschool-aged children with asthma

Background: In preschoolers (<6 years), asthma management is usually assessed clinically. In certain centres, oscillometry (OS) is used in adjunct to clinical assessment, yet its clinical utility remains to be quantified. Objectives: To determine if OS use, as an adjunct to clinical assessment, is associated with better asthma assessment, management and control compared to clinical assessment alone in preschoolers. Methods: A cross-sectional study of children aged 3-5 years with an asthma diagnosis. OS-tested preschoolers were matched by propensity score to controls (untested). The likelihood of persistent phenotype and maintenance therapy prescription (co-primary outcomes) were evaluated by multivariate logistic regression. In a nested retrospective cohort with available drug claim data, asthma control over the next year was examined by cumulative logistic regression. Results: The study comprised 726 matched children (249 OS-tested; 477 untested) of which 57.4% were boys (median age: 4.62 years) with comparable group characteristics. OS-tested children were more frequently labelled as persistent phenotype (67% vs. 50%; adjusted-OR[95% CI]: 2.34 [1.66- 3.34]), with no significant difference in prescription of maintenance therapy (65% vs. 58%; adjusted-OR[95% CI]: 1.37 [0.98-1.92]) and were less likely to be uncontrolled in the following year (adjusted-OR[95% CI]: 0.24 [0.08-0.74]). Conclusions: The association between OS added to clinical assessment with more persistent phenotype and better asthma control supports its clinical utility, possibly by increased recognition of airway obstruction at the index visit.

Keyphrases: Asthma, Oscillometry, Preschoolers, Phenotype, Asthma controller, Asthma control, Spirometry, Clinical assessment
A time-use compositional analysis of the association between movement behaviours and depressive symptoms in young adults

Background: Depression among youth is a growing public health burden. Physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviours (SB) and sleep are modifiable risk factors for depressive symptoms. Understanding how the interplay between the mix of time spent in daily in all of PA, SB and sleep is associated with depressive symptoms may inform interventions that help prevent depressive symptoms in young adults Objectives: This thesis aims to estimate the association between the proportion of time spent during a 24-hour period in each of moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (MVPA), walking, SB and sleep, and depressive symptoms in young adults. It also aims to estimate change in depressive symptoms with the reallocation of time across movement behaviours. Methods:  Data were drawn from the Nicotine Dependence in Teens (NDIT) study, an ongoing longitudinal study that recruited 1294 7th grade students in 10 secondary schools in Montreal, Canada. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires at ages 20 and 24. PA, SB and sleep were analyzed using time-use compositional analysis. Effect size of the association was estimated using a compositional time reallocation model. Results: There was no statistically significant association between the proportion of time spent in MVPA (p=0.273),walking (p=0.861), SB (p=0.723) or sleep (p=0.948) and depressive symptoms in young adults. There was 3% increase in depressive symptoms with reallocation of 15 minutes from MVPA to SB and 1% reduction in depressive symptoms with reallocation of 15 minutes from SB to MVPA. However, these changes were similarly non-significant Conclusion: Time-use in MVPA, walking, SB and sleep overall was not associated with depressive symptoms in young adults in our study. Reallocating time between movement behaviours resulted in minimal non-significant changes in depressive symptoms. Replication is needed before our findings can be translated to recommendations.

Keyphrases: Physical activity, Sedentary behaviours, Sleep, Youth, Depressive symptoms, Compositional analysis
Association entre l’accessibilité géographique aux commerces d’alimentation et la consommation de fruits et légumes chez les adultes québécois :  analyse de la banque de données de santé CARTaGENE

Unhealthy eating habits can compromise one’s health and generate significant individual, social and health services costs. The adoption of healthy eating habits depends on individual and environmental determinants related to the characteristics of the physical, economic, political and socio-cultural environments. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to assess the effect of the physical environment, more precisely the effect of food outlet accessibility, on diet. To meet our objective, a subsample of the CARTaGENE database, composed of 7,783 adults aged 40 to 70 years old residing in four cities in Quebec (Canada) was used. Measures of proximity as well as absolute and relative measures of density of retail food outlets, fast-food outlets and convenience stores near participants’ residences were used to analyze fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake. Univariate logistic regression showed that the minimal recommended portions of F&V intake (5 or more portions) was significantly associated with all seven measures of the retail food environment (OR between 0.76 and 1.27). However, these relations were mostly non-significant when confounding variables were considered in the analysis. Variables most significantly correlated to F&V intake were individual-level confounding variables of sex, income and education. Women were 3.13 (CI 2.85 – 3.45) times more likely than men to eat the recommended number of F&V portions. Only 12.4% of the F&V variance was explained by our regression model when considering all significant confounding factors. These results show that more research is needed to understand factors explaining F&V intake in this population.

Keyphrases: Food environment, GIS, Density, Proximity, Fruit and vegetable, Diet, Canadian adults
Dotation, travail d’équipe et étendue de pratique : une analyse de l’association avec la sécurité des patients dans le contexte de réadaptation

The current healthcare system is experiencing a growth of the aging population and the complexity of chronic diseases. Healthcare professionals must provide increasingly complex care. Therefore, it is necessary to have enough staff, using the full scope of their practice and operating in a favorable working environment. The aim of this study is to describe the organization of nursing services (staffing, scope of practice and teamwork) in three rehabilitation hospitals in the Montreal region and the association between the organization of services and patient safety. A correlational descriptive study was conducted. In total, five rehabilitation units participated in this study for a period of 93 days. The unit of analysis was the working shift for a total of 1 395 shifts analyzed. This original study indicates that the rehabilitation units examined are characterized by a moderate staffing intensity, a moderate favorable perception of teamwork score and a relatively low score of missed care. A positive and direct association was found between the staffing intensity, the proportion of nurses with bachelor’s degrees, and unexpectedly the proportion of agency staff and patient outcomes. It indicated the key role of the staffing (the quantity of resources measured by the staff hours per patient shift, and the team composition measured by the predominance of bachelor nurses per shift) in reducing the risk of occurrence of adverse events in rehabilitation.

Keyphrases: Chute, Staffing, Scope of practice, Teamwork, Safety, Rehabilitation, Fall, Medication error
L’instrumentalisation des opéras de Giacomo Puccini par le régime fasciste italien : le cas de Turandot

This thesis explores the political appropriation of composer Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) and his operas during the fascist period in Italy (1922-1945). It highlights the dichotomy created by the regime’s insistence on both tradition and modernity in its cultural propaganda, as mirrored in the reinterpretation of the myth surrounding Puccini after his death in 1924—particularly in the political use of Turandot after the opera’s 1926 premiere.  Based on a detailed study of the Italian press of the time and of cultural magazines controlled by the regime, this research analyzes the manipulation of the discourse surrounding Puccini’s image in fascist Italy. Party members exploited Puccini’s myth by insisting on his status as a national Italian composer, his image as a man of the people, and his musical genius, considered as both universal and quintessentially Italian. Through this rhetoric, Puccini became a standard-bearer of fascist ideology, praised both as a composer of the great Italian opera tradition and as a highly modern creator.  Ultimately, the aim of this thesis is to understand how Puccini was subjected to an ideological appropriation that legitimized fascist authority by fostering social consensus and establishing a strong Italian collective identity. Puccini’s case exemplifies the effects of a totalitarian regime’s rhetoric and cultural mechanisms on the musical life of a nation.

Keyphrases: Puccini, Turandot, fascism, opera, nationalism, myth, exoticism, Italy, propaganda
Les ostéoclastes et leur rôle dans le développement des kystes sous-chondraux du condyle fémoral médial équin juvénile

There is a knowledge gap concerning how and when equine medial femoral condyle (MFC) subchondral radiolucencies (SR) arise and evolve. Osteoclasts, the only cells capable of bone resorption, are believed to have a role, but have not been studied in situ. The objectives of this ex vivo cadaveric study were to measure and compare the osteoclast density and the percentage of chondroclasts in juvenile (<1 year) Thoroughbred MFCs at varying depths from the weightbearing articular surface in both healthy and early spontaneous MFC SR specimens. The MFCs were available in a tissue bank and were part of a prior study of the structural characteristics of SRs. Computed tomography permitted identification of MFC SR (n=6) and guided osteochondral slab sections. Controls included a histologically normal site caudal to the lesions (n=6) and the healthy contralateral MFC lesion site (n=5). Following decalcification, paraffin embedding sections were cut and stained immunohistochemically with Cathepsin K to permit osteoclast identification and counting. The sections were divided into regions of interest (ROI) at different depths in the subchondral bone from the osteochondral junction: ROI1 (0-1mm), ROI2 (1-3mm) and ROI3 (3-6mm). Osteoclasts were counted in each ROI in order to calculate an osteoclast density. A Safranin-O counterstain was performed to identify the cartilage and measure the chondroclasts percentage. Osteoclast density was significantly higher in ROI1 when compared with ROI3 in all groups. When ROIs were compared between the three groups, no statistically significant differences were detected, even if a visible pattern difference and higher osteoclast density values were recorded in ROI1 in SRs. However, although the proportion of chondroclasts in ROI1 was lower in the SR sections when compared with controls, no significant difference was detected. The main limitation was the limited sample size. Osteoclasts are important actors in MFC subchondral bone development, digesting both growth cartilage (chondroclasts) and bone, but the pathophysiology of early MFC SRs cannot be explained solely by an increased osteoclast presence in the peripheral subchondral bone.

Keyphrases: Cathepsin K, kyste, Chondroclast, Cyst, Horse, Medial femoral condyle, Osteoclast, Subchondral radiolucency
Impact de la restriction diététique en méthionine sur l’activation des lymphocytes T et leur capacité à envahir le SNC en neuroinflammation

Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory and demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Pro-inflammatory CD4 TH1/TH17 are considered pathogenic in MS and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Dietary methionine restriction (MR) is associated with an anti-inflammatory impact in the periphery. However, little is known about how methionine availability can affect the function of T lymphocytes and impact T-lymphocytes mediated central neuroinflammation in MS and EAE. It was recently discovered that methionine pathway is upregulated in activated murine T lymphocytes in vitro and that methionine restriction affects the effector functions and proliferation of TH17 lymphocytes. We therefore hypothesize that the manipulation of T lymphocyte metabolism via the restriction of dietary methionine intake represents a new therapeutic avenue for controlling neuroinflammatory diseases such as MS. Method: Active MOG35-55-EAE is induced in C57BL/6 female mice exposed to low methionine vs. control diet. Clinical evaluation and flow cytometry studies are used to characterize immune cells phenotype and activation. Fecal samples are collected and 16S rRNA sequencing is used to assess the influence of the diet on the composition of the intestinal microbiome. Results: Dietary MR is associated with a significantly delayed onset of neurological deficits in active EAE (female mice). This is paralleled by a lower number of immune cells and pro-inflammatory T lymphocytes in the spleens at day 7 post-induction (presymptomatic) and in the CNS at day 10-13 (onset) and 15-16 (peak). Our preliminary results suggest that the intestinal microbiome of mice under dietary MR is different from that of mice under control diet and is enriched for bacteria with beneficial effects on inflammation. Conclusion: Our results suggest a beneficial impact of MR on clinical course and neuroinflammation in an animal model of MS.

Keyphrases: multiple sclerosis, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, dietary methionine restriction, methionine metabolism, intestinal microbiome
Mitochondrial autoimmunity in Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by the destruction of dopamine neurons, yet, the underlying cause of this neuronal loss is still unknown. Parkinson's disease can be juvenile or early onset (before age 40) and sporadically (after the age of 60). PINK1 (PTEN-induced putative kinase 1) and Parkin are genes implicated in the juvenile form of PD that have also been shown to influence inflammatory responses and mitochondrial dysfunction. PINK1 and Parkin negatively regulate mitochondrial antigen presentation (MitAP). These proteins suppress the presentation of mitochondrial proteins on Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Class I following stress. MitAP is dependent on the formation of mitochondrial vesicles (MDVs). These MDVs utilize traffic proteins such as Snx9, Rab9, and Rab7. Decreased levels of expression of any of these proteins inhibit MitAP. Mitochondrial instability also increases mitochondrial DNA leakage into the cytosol (through and unknown mechanism) resulting in activation of cytosolic DNA sensors like cGAS/STING. MitAP's implication in autoimmunity has been demonstrated in PINK1 KO mice infected with gram-negative intestinal bacteria resulting in auto-reactive T-cells specific to mitochondrial antigens and Parkinson's-like symptoms. In PD patients, auto-reactive T cells specific for alpha-synuclein, a protein whose dysfunction is associated with PD, have been found, suggesting that auto-reactive T-cells are present in PD. Thus, we hypothesized that PD patients would have increased levels of MitAP in antigen presenting cells (APCs) resulting in mitochondrial self-responsiveness as well as an inflammatory deregulation.  This increased production of MDVs would result in an increase mtDNA leakage and ultimately be detected by the cGAS/STING pathway inducing the production of proinflammatory cytokines. Ultimately, these proinflammatory cytokines would induce the polarization of T-cells towards an autoimmune phenotype (Th17).  Here, we show that APCs deficient in genes associated with MDVs biogenesis have reduced expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines after infection with Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) or the bacterial endotoxin LPS. We determine that in the absence of STING there is a strong inhibition of MitAP and cytokine expression in raw 264.7 macrophages after LPS treatment. Furthermore, we validate that in the absence of PINK1, LPS or EPEC treated BMDCs overproduce a set of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-23 and IL-1β) that induce a biased polarization of T-cells to a Th17 phenotype. Finally, we observed mitochondrial antigen specific T-cells expressing IL-17 (a marker of Th17 and Tc17 lymphocytes, the types of lymphocytes that are strongly related to autoimmune diseases) in PD patients. This data highlights the importance of the MitAP pathway in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease through the regulation of autoimmunity and inflammation.

Keyphrases: MitAP, Mitochondrial-antigen autoreactive-T cell, PINK1, APCs, Th17 cells, cytokines, MDVs, STING, CPAs, Les lymphocytes Th17
Effets de la régulation de la protéostasie sur la jonction neuromusculaire dans un modèle de sclérose latérale amyotrophique

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the death of motor neurons. The loss of these neurons causes muscle weakness, which evolves to paralysis and invariably leads to the death of those affected in just a few years. The heterogeneity and complexity of the mechanisms underlying motor deficits in these patients significantly slow the discovery of new efficient drugs. However, some of these mechanisms seem to play a particularly important role in the onset and progression of the disease, and thus constitute a preferred therapeutic target. This is the case with protein aggregation, which is omnipresent in patients and betrays a global disruption of protein homeostasis in ALS. We therefore hypothesized that a treatment aimed at regulating protein management would, by reducing protein aggregation, prevent the death of motor neurons and the appearance of the motor symptoms characteristic of ALS in mutant SOD1G93A mice. We analyzed the impact of this treatment on motor function, muscle contraction and on the structural integrity of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), the synapse between motor neurons and muscles. Overall, administration of our treatment at the presymptomatic stage of the disease was less effective than expected: neither motor deficits nor NMJ integrity were significantly improved. However, these results remain very encouraging: the trends seem to indicate a positive effect of the treatment, which even slightly improves the strength generated by muscle contractions. Our data suggests that this treatment could be even more effective at the symptoms onset, which grants it great therapeutic potential.

Keyphrases: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Neuromuscular junction, Protein aggregation, Chaperones