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Large-scale organic liquid scintillator detectors are highly efficient in the detection of MeV-scale electron antineutrinos. These signal events can be detected through inverse beta decay on protons, which produce a positron accompanied by a neutron. A noteworthy background for antineutrinos coming from nuclear power reactors and from the depths of the Earth (geoneutrinos) is generated by ($$\\alpha ,\\,n$$α , n ) reactions. In organic liquid scintillator detectors,$$\\alpha $$α particles emitted from intrinsic contaminants such as$$^{238}$$238 U,$$^{232}$$232 Th, and$$^{210}$$210 Pb/$$^{210}$$210 Po, can be captured on$$^{13}$$13 C nuclei, followed by the emission of a MeV-scale neutron. Three distinct interaction mechanisms can produce prompt energy depositions preceding the delayed neutron capture, leading to a pair of events correlated in space and time within the detector. Thus, ($$\\alpha ,\\,n$$α , n ) reactions represent an indistinguishable background in liquid scintillator-based antineutrino detectors, where their expected rate and energy spectrum are typically evaluated via Monte Carlo simulations. This work presents results from the open-source SaG4n software, used to calculate the expected energy depositions from the neutron and any associated de-excitation products. Also simulated is a detailed detector response to these interactions, using a dedicated Geant4-based simulation software from the JUNO experiment. An expected measurable$$^{13}$$13 C$$(\\alpha ,\\,n)^{16}$$( α , n ) 16 O event rate and reconstructed prompt energy spectrum with associated uncertainties, are presented in the context of JUNO, however, the methods and results are applicable and relevant to other organic liquid scintillator neutrino detectors.

In this paper we describe QUBIC, an experiment that will observe the polarized microwave sky with a novel approach, which combines the sensitivity of state-of-the art bolometric detectors with the systematic effects control typical of interferometers. QUBIC unique features are the so-called \"self-calibration\", a technique that allows us to clean the measured data from instrumental effects, and its spectral imaging power, i.e. the ability to separate the signal in various sub-bands within each frequency band. QUBIC will observe the sky in two main frequency bands: 150 GHz and 220 GHz. A technological demonstrator is currently under testing and will be deployed in Argentina during 2019, while the final instrument is expected to be installed during 2020.

Malaria is an endemic pathology with several complications, including kidney damage. The objective of this work was to study kidney damage during severe malaria in children at the pediatrics department of the Borgou Departmental Teaching Hospital (Borgou DTH), Benin in 2021. This was a longitudinal study carried out over 4 months from June 1, 2021 to September 30, 2021 (with 1 month of recruitment from June 1 to July 1, 2021) at the pediatric department of the Borgou DTH. The study included children aged 1 month–15 years, hospitalized for Plasmodium falciparum malaria with at least one clinical manifestation of malaria severity established by the World Health Organization in 2000 and whose parents had given their informed consent. The damage was established by urinary sedimentation using urine dipstick and urinary cap and serum creatinine. Acute kidney injury (AKI) was intended and classified according to the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. The dependent variable was the presence of at least one clinical, biological, and functional impairment. Follow-up was regular for up to 3 months. Lost to follow-up were excluded. Predictors of occurrence were identified. Statistical difference was considered significant at P < 0.05. Of the 164 children hospitalized for severe malaria during the study period, 72 had at least one renal impairment, with a frequency of 43.90%. The average age of the children was 44.93 months. On urine dipstick, 76.39% of the patients had hemoglobinuria and 55.56% had albuminuria. Urinary cap revealed 44% granular cylindruria and 32% crystalluria. AKI was detected in 4.54% patients. Recovery was complete in all follow-up cases. The predictors of kidney damage were coma ( P = 0.017), jaundice ( P = 0.007), thrombocytopenia ( P = 0.021), and long hospital stay ( P = 0.008). Kidney damage in severe malaria is frequent. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are fundamentals of rapid and complete recovery of kidney functions.

Fluid overload in septic intensive care unit (ICU) patients is common and strongly associated with poor outcome. There is currently no treatment for capillary leak, which is mainly responsible for high positive fluid balance (FB) in sepsis. We hypothesized that increasing interstitial pressure with extensive corporeal compression would reduce FB. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of a compression treatment during sepsis. This pilot, two-center, single-arm trial enrolled critically ill, non-surgical, septic patients receiving mechanical ventilation. The therapeutic intervention was the early application of compression bandages on more than 80% of the body surface. The primary outcome was negative net FB on day 7. The primary endpoint was reached in 29 of 45 patients (64%) with available data, for a planned objective of 26. By day 4, cumulative FB was 7280 ml [3300–9700]. SOFA- and aged-matched patients from a historical cohort had a significantly higher FB at 1, 2 and 7 days. Tolerance was good, although low-stage pressure ulcers were observed in 16 patients (26%). No effect on intra-abdominal pressure or respiratory plateau pressure was observed. In conclusion, corporeal compression demonstrated potential efficacy in limiting FB during septic shock, with acceptable feasibility and tolerance.

Polled and Multisystemic Syndrome (PMS) is a novel developmental disorder occurring in the progeny of a single bull. Its clinical spectrum includes polledness (complete agenesis of horns), facial dysmorphism, growth delay, chronic diarrhea, premature ovarian failure, and variable neurological and cardiac anomalies. PMS is also characterized by a deviation of the sex-ratio, suggesting male lethality during pregnancy. Using Mendelian error mapping and whole-genome sequencing, we identified a 3.7 Mb deletion on the paternal bovine chromosome 2 encompassing ARHGAP15, GTDC1 and ZEB2 genes. We then produced control and affected 90-day old fetuses to characterize this syndrome by histological and expression analyses. Compared to wild type individuals, affected animals showed a decreased expression of the three deleted genes. Based on a comparison with human Mowat-Wilson syndrome, we suggest that deletion of ZEB2, is responsible for most of the effects of the mutation. Finally sperm-FISH, embryo genotyping and analysis of reproduction records confirmed somatic mosaicism in the founder bull and male-specific lethality during the first third of gestation. In conclusion, we identified a novel locus involved in bovid horn ontogenesis and suggest that epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition plays a critical role in horn bud differentiation. We also provide new insights into the pathogenicity of ZEB2 loss of heterozygosity in bovine and humans and describe the first case of male-specific lethality associated with an autosomal locus in a non-murine mammalian species. This result sets PMS as a unique model to study sex-specific gene expression/regulation.

Dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccination is a promising approach to enhance anti-tumor immunity that could be considered for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with high-risk of relapse. Our purpose was to study the efficiency and to optimize the immunogenicity of a DC-based vaccine in a preclinical AML murine model. In this report, C57BL6 mice were vaccinated with DC pulsed with peptides eluted (EP) from the syngeneic C1498 myelomonocytic leukemic cell line in a prophylactic setting. In this model, a natural antileukemic immunity mediated by NK cells was observed in the control unloaded DC-vaccinated group. On the other hand, we showed that the cytotoxic antileukemic immune response induced by vaccination with eluted peptides pulsed-DC (DC/EP), in vitro and in vivo, was mainly mediated by CD4⁺ T cells. Treatment with anti-CD25 antibody to deplete CD4⁺ CD25⁺ regulatory T cells before DC-vaccination dramatically improved the antileukemic immune response induced by immunization, and allowed the development of long-lasting immune responses that were tumor protective after a re-challenge with leukemic cells. Our results suggest that this approach could be successful against weakly immunogenic tumors such as AML, and could be translated in human.

To evaluate the performance of serological tests using dried blood on filter-papers (micro-card agglutination test for trypanosomiasis (micro-CATT)) performed under field and laboratory conditions and using whole blood ((CATT/T.b. gambiense) (wb-CATT) and latex agglutination (LATEX/T.b. gambiense) (wb-LATEX)) for the serodiagnosis and surveillance of human African trypanosomiasis in West and Central Africa. We evaluated the micro-CATT, wb-CATT and wb-LATEX methods in Côte d'Ivoire and the Central African Republic by screening 940 people. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated for each serological test; only patients with the confirmed presence of trypanosomes in the blood or lymph aspirate were considered true positives. Positive and negative predictive values were also calculated. Each of the tests showed a lower sensitivity in the Central African Republic than in Côte d'Ivoire. The results confirmed the efficiency of the classic wb-CATT to detect sleeping sickness patients. The micro-CATT method can be used for human African trypanosomiasis surveillance if the test is performed on the same day as the blood collection, or if samples are stored at 4 degrees C. Otherwise, micro-CATT can be used when absolute sensitivity is not required. wb-LATEX should only be used for high-specificity screening.

Cet article constitue une présentation synthétique des principaux résultats du programme CNRS \"Paléoenvironnement et Hominidés\", consacré à l'étude des interactions entre le peuplement humain et l'évolution de l'environnement, entre 500 et 10 ka, par l'approche multidisciplinaire et diachronique des gisements clefs du bassin de la Somme. Les principaux résultats analytiques concernent les datations: ESR, TL-IRSL et 14C, qui renforcent le calage chronostratigraphique des différents gisements paléolithiques. Parallèlement les analyses bioclimatiques menées sur les sédiments fluviatiles (palynologie, malacologie, coléoptères), ou la mesure des variations du †13C du carbone organique et de la susceptibilité magnétique des loess et des paléosols ont permis d'affiner la restitution des différents paléoenvironnements pléistocènes, notamment interglaciaires. Les conclusions principales de la synthèse des données archéologiques, chronostratigraphiques et environnementales sont les suivantes: 1) Les premières occupations dans le bassin de la Somme remontent au maximum à environ 500-450 ka et sont d'emblée représentées par des industries acheuléennes déjà évoluées (début du stade 12, d'après les données des fouilles modernes). 2) Au cours du dernier cycle climatique l'occupation du bassin de la Somme et nettement discontinue et influencée par les modifications climatiques et environnementales: maximum de vestiges au cours du début-Glaciaire, quelques occupations pendant les Pléniglaciaires inférieurs et moyens, rares incursions vers 23-24 ka 14C, abandon total de la région entre 23 et 13 ka BP, puis recolonisation au début de l'amélioration climatique du Tardiglaciaire. 3) Bien que les données soient moins nombreuses, au cours du Pléistocène moyen le modèle du dernier cycle semble aussi valable pour la fin du Saalien (occupations humaines lors du la fin du stade 7 ou de transition 7/6 et abandon de la région lors du maximum de froid du stade 6). 4) Pour la période 500/450-200 ka les sites se localisent préférentiellement lors des périodes de transition climatique (début-Glaciaire ou tardiglaciaires). D'une manière générale, le peuplement du bassin de la Somme semble donc s'être effectué d'une manière nettement discontinue et avoir été fortement influencé par les conditions climatiques et enviornnementales. This paper represents a synthetic overview of the main results of the CNRS Programme \"Palaeoenvironments and Hominids\". This project focused on the study of interactions between human occupation and environmental modification, between 500 and 10 kyrs BP, based on multidisciplinary and diachronic studies of key sites in the Somme Basin. The main analytic results concern ESR, TL-IRSL and 14C dates, which reinforce the chronostratigraphical interpretation of the various Palaeolithic sites. At the same time, bioclimatic analyses of fluvial sediments (palynology, malacology, analysis of Coleoptera), combined with the measurement of δ13C variations of organic carbon, and of the low-field magnetic susceptibility in loess and fossil soils, allowed the restitution of the various Pleistocene environments, and especially of the full Interglacials, to be refined. The main conclusions of the synthesis of archaeological, chronostratigraphical and environmental data are the following. 1) The earliest human occupations in the Somme Basin are no older than 500-450 kyrs BP and are straight away represented by well evolved Acheulean industries (beginning of MIS 12, according to the data from modern excavations). 2) During the last climatic cycle, human occupation of the Somme Basin was clearly discontinuous and strongly influenced by climatic and environmental modifications: maximum during the Early-Glacial, some occupations during the Lower and Middle Maximum Glaciations, rare occurrences around 23-24 kyrs (14C), total abandonment of the area between 23 and 13 kyrs, then reoccupation with the beginning of the Lateglacial climatic improvement. 3) Although the data are less numerous, the model of the last climatic cycle seems to apply during the Middle Pleistocene for the end of the Saalian (occupation at the end of MIS 7 or at the transition MIS7/MIS6, and desertion of the area during the cold maximum of MIS 6). 4) Finally, between 500/450 and 200 kyrs human settlements mainly occurred during periods of climatic transition (Early or Lateglacial). From a general point of view, the human occupation of the Somme Basin during the Middle Pleistocene was therefore discontinuous and strongly influenced by climatic and environmental factors.