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Diabetes is associated with a dramatic mortality rate due to its vascular complications. Chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes leads to enhanced glycation of erythrocytes and oxidative stress. Even though erythrocytes play a determining role in vascular complications, very little is known about how erythrocyte structure and functionality can be affected by glycation. Our objective was to decipher the impact of glycation on erythrocyte structure, oxidative stress parameters and capacity to interact with cultured human endothelial cells. In vitro glycated erythrocytes were prepared following incubation in the presence of different concentrations of glucose. To get insight into the in vivo relevance of our results, we compared these data to those obtained using red blood cells purified from diabetics or non-diabetics. We measured erythrocyte deformability, susceptibility to hemolysis, reactive oxygen species production and oxidative damage accumulation. Altered structures, redox status and oxidative modifications were increased in glycated erythrocytes. These modifications were associated with reduced antioxidant defence mediated by enzymatic activity. Enhanced erythrocyte phagocytosis by endothelial cells was observed when cultured with glycated erythrocytes, which was associated with increased levels of phosphatidylserine-likely as a result of an eryptosis phenomenon triggered by the hyperglycemic treatment. Most types of oxidative damage identified in in vitro glycated erythrocytes were also observed in red blood cells isolated from diabetics. These results bring new insights into the impact of glycation on erythrocyte structure, oxidative damage and their capacity to interact with endothelial cells, with a possible relevance to diabetes.

Dreams may contribute to psychological adaptation by aiding in mood regulation. This would be achieved through a desensitization process whereby negative events are replayed within the dream under lower conditions of negative emotionality. Evidence of this theory is supported by the tendency of dreamers to evaluate their emotions felt in their dreams more positively compared to an independent judge (i.e., positivity bias). Additionally, it has been observed that while dream emotions are typically more negative than pre-sleep emotions, morning emotions are more positive, suggesting that emotional regulation occurs overnight and may help improve mood in the morning. The present study aimed to examine the relationships between pre-sleep, dream, and morning mood and the potential desensitization function of remembered dreams as indicated by its effects on morning mood and stress. Methodology: Participants (N = 188; Mean age = 19.2, SD = 3.0) recorded their dreams (N = 345 dreams) and self-reported their stress and mood at bedtime, during their dream retrospectively, and upon waking. A judge also evaluated subjects’ dream mood. Subjects’ positivity bias was defined as the difference between the subjects and the judge’s evaluation of the positive emotions in the dream. Results: a MANOVA revealed that subjects perceived a higher level of positive emotions in their dreams compared to a judge. Multi-group path analysis revealed that some relationships between pre-sleep, dream, and morning emotions and stress differed in positive and negative dream nights. In both groups, the strongest predictors of morning mood and stress were pre-sleep mood and stress, respectively. The second strongest predictor of positive morning mood was subjects’ dream positivity bias. Conclusion: These results provide some support for the desensitization function of dreaming and its potential for mood regulation. They also highlight that pathways implicated in mood regulation may be distinct from stress regulation.

The development and progression of atherosclerosis (ATH) involves lipid accumulation, oxidative stress and both vascular and blood cell dysfunction. Erythrocytes, the main circulating cells in the body, exert determinant roles in the gas transport between tissues. Erythrocytes have long been considered as simple bystanders in cardiovascular diseases, including ATH. This review highlights recent knowledge concerning the role of erythrocytes being more than just passive gas carriers, as potent contributors to atherosclerotic plaque progression. Erythrocyte physiology and ATH pathology is first described. Then, a specific chapter delineates the numerous links between erythrocytes and atherogenesis. In particular, we discuss the impact of extravasated erythrocytes in plaque iron homeostasis with potential pathological consequences. Hyperglycaemia is recognised as a significant aggravating contributor to the development of ATH. Then, a special focus is made on glycoxidative modifications of erythrocytes and their role in ATH. This chapter includes recent data proposing glycoxidised erythrocytes as putative contributors to enhanced atherothrombosis in diabetic patients.

Diabetes is associated with a high mortality rate due to vascular complications. Chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes leads to enhanced oxidative stress and glycation. Here, we explored the impact of glycation on human erythrocyte characteristics and capacity to affect endothelial cell function following erythrophagocytosis. Native and glucose-mediated glycated erythrocytes were prepared and characterized in terms of structural and deformability modifications. Erythrocyte preparations were tested for their binding and phagocytosis capacity as well as the potential functional consequences on human endothelial cell lines and primary cultures. Oxidative modifications were found to be enhanced in glycated erythrocytes after determination of their deformability, advanced glycation end-product content and eryptosis. Erythrophagocytosis by endothelial cells was significantly increased when incubated in the presence of glycated erythrocytes. In addition, higher iron accumulation, oxidative stress and impaired endothelial cell permeability were evidenced in cells previously incubated with glycated erythrocytes. When cultured under flow conditions, cellular integrity was disrupted by glycated erythrocytes at microvessel bifurcations, areas particularly prone to vascular complications. This study provides important new data on the impact of glycation on the structure of erythrocytes and their ability to alter endothelial cell function. Increased erythrophagocytosis may have a deleterious impact on endothelial cell function with adverse consequences on diabetic vascular complications.

Diabetes constitutes a major health problem associated with severe complications. In hyperglycemic conditions, chronically increased oxidation and glycation of circulating components lead to advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) formation, a key contributor in diabetes complication progression. In line with literature documenting the beneficial properties of herbal teas, this study evaluates the antioxidant/glycant properties of Antirhea borbonica (Ab). Ab aqueous extract effects were tested on human albumin or erythrocytes submitted to methyl glyoxal-mediated glycoxidative damages. By using mass spectrometry, Ab aqueous extracts revealed to be rich in polyphenols. All tested biomarkers of oxidation and glycation, such as AGE, ketoamine, oxidized thiol groups, were decreased in albumin when glycated in the presence of Ab aqueous extract. Ab extract preserve erythrocyte from methylglyoxal (MGO)-induced damages in terms of restored membrane deformability, reduced oxidative stress and eryptosis phenomenon. Antioxidant capacities of Ab extract on erythrocytes were retrieved in vivo in zebrafish previously infused with MGO. These results bring new evidences on the deleterious impacts of glycation on albumin and erythrocyte in diabetes. Furthermore, it reveals antioxidant and antiglycant properties of Ab that could be used for the dietary modulation of oxidative stress and glycation in hyperglycemic situations.

Research Framework: A principle of the gender-responsive approach is the emphasis on relationships. According to relational theory, women, unlike men, acquire their identity and self-esteem primarily through their relationships with others. Scientific literature shows that the relationships that women in the justice system have with their loved ones are often characterized by violence and trauma, and are often complicated by the use of psychoactive substances.Objectives: This study focuses on the way in which court-appointed women talk about their marital or romantic relationships, at a crucial moment in their trajectory, i.e., when they are contemplating their steps towards their (re)integration into society. The research also aims to explore how these relationships may have influenced their trajectories, in order to better understand their potential role in their future.Methodology: Based on a corpus of qualitative interviews with 25 women, a thematic analysis was carried out.Results: The results revealed two relational patterns: one marked by violence and domination, and the other by love and practicality. The importance of early motherhood in relationships was also highlighted in our results.Conclusions: These results highlight the importance of fostering and encouraging the development of healthy relationships for women in the process of social reintegration, in all their relationships.Contribution: Our results have given these women a voice in their relationship dynamics, often named by field practitioners but rarely studied in the literature.

Cadre de recherche : Un des principes fondamentaux de l’approche sensible au genre est l’importance accordée aux relations. Selon la théorie relationnelle culturelle, les femmes, contrairement aux hommes, acquièrent leur identité et leur estime de soi surtout à travers leurs relations avec les autres. Les écrits scientifiques montrent que les relations que les femmes judiciarisées entretiennent avec leurs proches sont souvent caractérisées par de la violence et par différents traumatismes, en plus d’être fréquemment compliquées par la consommation de substances psychoactives.Objectifs : Cette étude s’intéresse à la façon dont les femmes judiciarisées parlent de leurs relations conjugales ou amoureuses, à un moment crucial de leur trajectoire, soit au moment où elles contemplent leurs démarches de (ré)intégration sociale. La recherche vise aussi à explorer comment ces relations ont pu influencer leurs trajectoires, et ce, afin de mieux appréhender leur rôle potentiel dans leur avenir.Méthodologie : À partir d’un corpus d’entretiens qualitatifs, menés auprès de 25 femmes, une analyse thématique a été réalisée.Résultats : Les résultats ont permis de révéler deux trames relationnelles : une marquée par la violence et la domination, et une autre par l’amour et l’utilitarisme. L’importance de la maternité hâtive dans les relations avec les conjoints a également été soulignée dans nos résultats. Conclusions : Ces résultats mettent en lumière l’importance de favoriser et d’encourager le développement de relations saines pour les femmes en processus de réintégration sociale, et ce, dans l’ensemble des relations qu’elles entretiennent. Contributions : Nos résultats ont permis de donner une voix à ces femmes sur leurs dynamiques relationnelles, souvent nommées par les intervenants du terrain, mais rarement étudié dans les écrits scientifiques.

The authors attempted to identify the determinants of ocular deviation in a population of patients with esotropia under general anesthesia. Forty-one patients with esotropia were included. Horizontal ocular deviation was evaluated by the photographic Hirschberg test both in the awakened state and under general anesthesia before surgery. Changes in ocular deviation were measured and a multivariate analysis was used to assess its clinical determinants. The mean age (± standard deviation [SD]) of study subjects was 13 ± 11 years and 51% were females. The mean spherical equivalent refraction of the right eye was 2.44 ± 2.50 diopters (D), with no significant difference between eyes (P = .26). The mean ocular deviation changed significantly, from 33.5 ± 12.5 prism diopters (PD) at preoperative examination to 8.8 ± 11.4 PD under general anesthesia (P = .0001). The changes in ocular deviation positively correlated with the pre-operative ocular deviation (correlation coefficient r = 0.59, P = .0001) and negatively correlated with patient age (correlation coefficient r = -0.53, P = .0001). These two determinants remained significant after multivariate adjustment of the following variables: preoperative ocular deviation; age; gender; spherical equivalent refraction; and number of previous strabismus surgeries (model r(2) = 0.49, P = .0001). The ocular position under general anesthesia was reported as a key factor in the surgical treatment of subjects with esotropia; therefore, its clinical determinants were assessed. The authors observed that preoperative ocular deviation and patient age were the main factors that influenced the ocular position under general anesthesia.

The renal fibrotic process is characterized by a chronic inflammatory state and oxidative stress. Antirhea borbonica (A. borbonica) is a French medicinal plant found in Reunion Island and known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities mostly related to its high polyphenols content. We investigated whether oral administration of polyphenol-rich extract from A. borbonica could exert in vivo a curative anti-renal fibrosis effect. To this aim, three days after unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), mice were daily orally treated either with a non-toxic dose of polyphenol-rich extract from A. borbonica or with caffeic acid (CA) for 5 days. The polyphenol-rich extract from A. borbonica, as well as CA, the predominant phenolic acid of this medicinal plant, exerted a nephroprotective effect through the reduction in the three phases of the fibrotic process: (i) macrophage infiltration, (ii) myofibroblast appearance and (iii) extracellular matrix accumulation. These effects were associated with the mRNA down-regulation of Tgf-β, Tnf-α, Mcp1 and NfkB, as well as the upregulation of Nrf2. Importantly, we observed an increased antioxidant enzyme activity for GPX and Cu/ZnSOD. Last but not least, desorption electrospray ionization-high resolution/mass spectrometry (DESI-HR/MS) imaging allowed us to visualize, for the first time, CA in the kidney tissue. The present study demonstrates that polyphenol-rich extract from A. borbonica significantly improves, in a curative way, renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis progression in the UUO mouse model.

Introduction Studies have emphasized the significance of sleep in performance and well-being of young athletes. Physical activity has been shown to improve various aspects of sleep in adolescents, including sleep quality. Yet, excessive screen time has been found to have a negative impact on sleep among adolescents, possibly dampening the beneficial effects of physical activity. Hence, our research aimed to investigate the moderating effect of screen time on the relationship between physical activity and sleep quality in young athletes. Methods 211 young elite athletes (M=14.9±1.6 years old; 60.4% females) completed online questionnaires, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and a homemade sports and lifestyle habits questionnaire. A moderation analysis was conducted using PROCESS 4.2 to examine the moderating effect of screen time (the average number of hours per day spent on screens) on the relationship between physical activity (the average number of training hours per week) and sleep quality (subscale #1 of the PSQI). Age, BMI, and sex were added as covariates, since they were correlated with the physical activity and sleep quality variables. Results The moderation model was significant (F(6,203)=8.14, p<.001) and accounted for 16.2% of the variance. Results indicate a significant main effect of screen time on sleep quality (b=.294, p=.004) and a significant interaction of screen time and physical activity on sleep quality (b=.005, p=.021). Physical activity was associated with sleep quality when screen time was at one SD below the mean (b=-.025, p<.018) but not at the mean (b=-.006, p<.433) nor above the mean (b=.014, p<.236). The simple plot analysis revealed that when young athletes had low screen time, more physical activity was related to better sleep quality, while lower training hours were associated with poorer sleep quality. However, in athletes with high and average screen time, their level of physical activity was not related to their sleep quality. Conclusion This study highlights the possible mitigating effect of screen time on the potential beneficial association between physical activity and sleep in young athletes. This underscores the importance of promoting healthy lifestyle habits and appropriate sleep hygiene among athletes, who are also a population at greater risk of sleep disturbances. Support (if any)