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Oxytocin (OT) concentration in the blood is considered to be a marker of its action in the brain. However, two problems have emerged when measuring OT level in the blood. First, it is unclear whether different methods of assessment lead to similar OT values. Second, it is unclear if plasma OT concentrations is informative on what OT does in the brain. To clarify these issues, we collected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the brain ventricle of 25 patients during surgery to compare with plasma OT after simultaneous blood withdrawal. Additionally, we collected 12 CSF and blood samples from non-human primates while awake or under anaesthesia. We used four methods to assay OT concentrations: Commercial EIA with/without extraction, laboratory developed EIA with filtration and RIA with extraction. Three of these methods showed a positive correlation between plasma and CSF OT, suggesting a link between plasma and central OT, at least under specific testing conditions. However, none of the methods correlated to each other. Our results show major disagreements among methods used here to measure peripheral and brain OT and therefore they call for more caution when plasma OT is taken as a marker of central OT.

Lassa fever hits West African countries annually in the absence of licensed vaccine to limit the burden of this viral hemorrhagic fever. We previously developed MeV-NP, a single-shot vaccine protecting cynomolgus monkeys against divergent strains one month or more than a year before Lassa virus infection. Given the limited dissemination area during outbreaks and the risk of nosocomial transmission, a vaccine inducing rapid protection could be useful to protect exposed people during outbreaks in the absence of preventive vaccination. Here, we test whether the time to protection can be reduced after immunization by challenging measles virus pre-immune male cynomolgus monkeys sixteen or eight days after a single shot of MeV-NP. None of the immunized monkeys develop disease and they rapidly control viral replication. Animals immunized eight days before the challenge are the best controllers, producing a strong CD8 T-cell response against the viral glycoprotein. A group of animals was also vaccinated one hour after the challenge, but was not protected and succumbed to the disease as the control animals. This study demonstrates that MeV-NP can induce a rapid protective immune response against Lassa fever in the presence of MeV pre-existing immunity but can likely not be used as therapeutic vaccine. Lassa virus vaccination is impeded by the limited capacity of vaccine candidates to induce rapid protection. In this study, the authors found that a single shot of a measles-based Lassa vaccine protected nonhuman primates 16 or 8 days after vaccination.

Current theories fail to explain why the ability to control speech is unique to humans. We recently identified one unique feature in the human frontal cortex that may hold the key to this question: the Prefrontal Operculum (PFO). Here we aim to identify 1) its anatomo-functional organization to elucidate its potential function and 2) whether it has a homolog in the macaque brain. Functional connectivity (FC) results in humans, revealed that PFO is subdivided in two regions (aPFO and pPFO), displaying strong interactions but distinct whole brain FC profiles with respectively the language and the cognitive control networks, and thus suggesting an important role of PFO in the cognitive control of speech. Connectivity fingerprint analyses in macaques revealed similarities with pPFO, but we found no macaque homolog of human aPFO. Altogether, this study points toward the emergence of aPFO as an evolutionary advantage in hominids for modern speech abilities. Human and macaque frontal operculum connectivity patterns point to a uniquely human subdivision in the prefrontal cortex that may serve as a control hub for some speech functions.

Background : Several cases of infections due to Echinococcus multilocularis , Taenia martis and Taenia crassiceps were recently described in various species of captive non-human primates (NHPs) harbored in the Strasbourg Primate Center (SPC). Furthermore, one of the first cases of human cysticercosis due to T. martis was described in the Strasbourg region. These data suggest the existence of zoonotic cycles of tapeworm infections in the direct environment of the SPC. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of larval cestode infections among intermediate and definitive hosts in the close neighborhood of the center. We analyzed carnivore mammal fecal samples as well as rodent carcasses, collected inside or near the SPC, using PCR. Furthermore, we performed serology for Echinococcus spp. and Taenia spp. on NHP sera. Results : We found that 14.5% (95% CI [8.6; 20.4]) of 138 carnivore feces were positive for E. multilocularis -DNA, as well as 25% (95% CI [5.5; 57.2]) of 12 rodent carcasses, and 5.1% (95% CI [1.4; 8.7]) for T. martis or T. crassiceps . Of all NHPs tested, 10.1% (95% CI [3.8; 16.4]) were seropositive for Echinococcus spp. and 8.2% (95% CI [1.3; 15.1]) for Taenia spp. Conclusions : Our data support the existence of zoonotic cycles of larval cestode infections in the direct environment of the primatology center affecting NHPs harbored in the SPC, potentially threatening the human population living in this area. Since this zoonotic risk is borne by local wildlife, and given the severity of these infections, it seems necessary to put in place measures to protect captive NHPs, and further studies to better assess the risk to human populations. Contexte  : Plusieurs cas de cestodoses larvaires dues à Echinococcus multilocularis , Taenia martis et T. crassiceps ont été récemment décrits chez des primates non-humains (PNH) captifs appartenant à diverses espèces, hébergés au Centre de Primatologie de Strasbourg (CdP). De plus, un des premiers cas humains de cysticercose due à T. martis a été décrit dans la région de Strasbourg. Ces données suggèrent l’émergence d’un nouveau foyer parasitaire dans l’environnement direct du CdP. Le but de notre étude était d’évaluer la prévalence des cestodoses larvaires chez les hôtes intermédiaires et définitifs de ces parasites dans le proche voisinage du CdP. Nous avons analysé des échantillons de selles de mammifères carnivores, ainsi que des carcasses de rongeurs, collectés à l’intérieur ou aux alentours du CdP. De plus, nous avons réalisé des sérologies pour Echinococcus spp. et Taenia spp. sur des sérums de PNH. Résultats  : Nous avons trouvé que 14,5 % (IC95 % [8,6 ; 20,4]) des 138 selles de carnivores étaient positives pour E. multilocularis , ainsi que 25 % (IC95 % [5,5 ; 57,2]) des 12 carcasses de rongeur, et 5,1 % (IC95 % [1,4 ; 8,7]) pour T. martis ou T. crassiceps . De tous les PNH testés, 10,1 % (IC95 % [3,8 ; 16,4]) étaient positifs pour Echinococcus spp. et 8,2 % (IC95 % [1,3 ; 15,1]) pour Taenia spp. Conclusions  : Nos données suggèrent l’existence de cycles zoonotiques de cestodoses larvaires dans l’environnement direct du centre de primatologie, affectant les PNH hébergés au CdP et menaçant potentiellement les populations humaines vivant dans cette zone. Ce risque zoonotique étant porté par la faune sauvage locale, et comptes tenus de la sévérité de ces infections, il semble nécessaire de mettre en place des mesures afin de protéger les PNH captifs, et de plus larges études afin d’évaluer le risque pour les populations humaines environnantes.

Current theories fail to explain why the ability to control speech is unique to humans. We recently identified one unique feature in the human frontal cortex that may hold the key to this question: the Prefrontal Operculum (PFO). Here we aim to identify 1) its anatomo-functional organization to elucidate its potential function and 2) whether it has a homolog in the macaque brain. Functional connectivity (FC) results in humans, revealed that PFO is subdivided in two regions (aPFO and pPFO), displaying strong interactions but distinct whole brain FC profiles with respectively the language and the cognitive control networks, and thus suggesting an important role of PFO in the cognitive control of speech. Connectivity fingerprint analyses in macaques revealed similarities with pPFO, but we found no macaque homolog of human aPFO. Altogether, this study points toward the emergence of aPFO as an evolutionary advantage in hominids for modern speech abilities.

Pathogenic New World arenaviruses (NWAs) cause haemorrhagic fevers and can have high mortality rates, as shown in outbreaks in South America. Neutralizing antibodies (Abs) are critical for protection from NWAs. Having shown that the MOPEVAC vaccine, based on a hyperattenuated arenavirus, induces neutralizing Abs against Lassa fever, we hypothesized that expression of NWA glycoproteins in this platform might protect against NWAs. Cynomolgus monkeys immunized with MOPEVAC MAC , targeting Machupo virus, prevented the lethality of this virus and induced partially NWA cross-reactive neutralizing Abs. We then developed the pentavalent MOPEVAC NEW vaccine, expressing glycoproteins from all pathogenic South American NWAs. Immunization of cynomolgus monkeys with MOPEVAC NEW induced neutralizing Abs against five NWAs, strong innate followed by adaptive immune responses as detected by transcriptomics and provided sterile protection against Machupo virus and the genetically distant Guanarito virus. MOPEVAC NEW may thus be efficient to protect against existing and potentially emerging NWAs. A pentavalent live attenuated vaccine platform, MOPEVAC NEW , was engineered to express glycoproteins from all five known pathogenic New World arenaviruses from a modified Mopeia virus. This approach induces robust antiviral antibody responses and sterile protection to prevent severe haemorrhagic fever and mortality in cynomolgus monkeys.

Summary After reprogramming to naïve pluripotency, human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) still exhibit very low ability to make interspecies chimeras. Whether this is because they are inherently devoid of the attributes of chimeric competency or because naïve PSCs cannot colonize embryos from distant species remains to be elucidated. Here, we have used different types of mouse, human and rhesus monkey naïve PSCs and analyzed their ability to colonize rabbit and cynomolgus monkey embryos. Mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) remained mitotically active and efficiently colonized host embryos. In contrast, primate naïve PSCs colonized host embryos with much lower efficiency. Unlike mouse ESCs, they slowed DNA replication after dissociation and, after injection into host embryos, they stalled in the G1 phase and differentiated prematurely, regardless of host species. We conclude that human and non-human primate naïve PSCs do not efficiently make chimeras because they are inherently unfit to remain mitotically active during colonization. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Footnotes * Material requests should be addressed to Irène Aksoy (irene.aksoy{at}inserm.fr).