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IntroductionThe study aimed to interpret the evolution of the physical performance of rugby sevens and rugby union French international players from 2009 to 2020.Methods631 players from the French national teams were divided into three groups: forwards, backs and sevens. The performances evaluated were anthropometric characteristics, strength tests (1 RM bench press and 1 RM pull-up), aerobic capacity (YoYo IR1 test) and speed tests (10 m, 20 m and 50 m). The best performance of each player over a two-year period was kept for the analysis. Fluctuations were observed across the decade.ResultsThe anthropometric characteristics of female rugby sevens players tend to be taller and lighter than rugby union players. In rugby sevens, a moderate increase in maximal aerobic capacity was observed while sprint performances remained similar. Improvements in height and weight were observed over the last 10 years in rugby union players with a difference between the position. A moderate increase in sprinting performances and strength were observed both in backs and forwards.DiscussionThe overall improvement of strength and conditioning performances and anthropometrical evolution reflects the rugby environment characterized by the arrival of professional contracts and the structuration process of the clubs which allows a better quality of training and easier access to the infrastructures of the very high level.

IntroductionCryptococcusspp. infection of the central nervous system (CINS) is a devastating opportunistic infection that was historically described in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).Cryptococcusspp. infections are also associated with sarcoidosis; the impairment of cell-mediated immunity and long-term corticosteroid therapy being evoked to explain this association. Nevertheless, this assertion is debated and the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are still unknown. The aims of this study were (i) to describe the clinical and biological presentation, treatments, and outcomes of CINS patients with and without sarcoidosis and (ii) to review the pathophysiological evidence underlying this clinical association.Patients and MethodsEvery patient with positive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cryptococcal antigen testing, India ink preparation, and/or culture from January 2015 to December 2020 at a tertiary university hospital were included, and patients with sarcoidosis were compared with non-sarcoidosis patients. Quantitative variables are presented as mean ± SD and are compared using the Mann-Whitney Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Categorical variables are expressed as the number of patients (percentage) and compared using the χ2or Fisher's tests.ResultsDuring the study period, 16 patients experienced CINS, of whom 5 (31%) were associated with sarcoidosis. CINS symptoms, biological, and CSF features were similar between CINS patients with and without sarcoidosis except regarding CD4 cells percentages and CD4/CD8 ratio that was higher in those with sarcoidosis (47 ± 12 vs. 22 ± 18,p= 0.02 and 2.24 ± 1.42 vs. 0.83 ± 1.10,p= 0.03, respectively). CINS patients with sarcoidosis had less often positive blood antigen testing than those without sarcoidosis (2/5 vs. 11/11,p= 0.02). CINS patients with and without sarcoidosis were treated with similar drugs, but patients with sarcoidosis had a shorter length of treatment. CD4 cell levels do not seem to explain the association between sarcoidosis and cryptococcosis.ConclusionSarcoidosis was the most frequently associated condition with CINS in this study. CINS patients associated with sarcoidosis had overall similar clinical and biological presentation than CINS patients associated with other conditions but exhibited a lower rate of positive blood cryptococcal antigen testing and higher CD4/CD8 T cells ratio. Pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this association remain poorly understood but B-1 cell deficiency or lack of IgM could be a part of the explanation. Another plausible mechanism is the presence of anti-granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) antibodies in a subset of patients with sarcoidosis, which could impair macrophage phagocytic function. Further studies are strongly needed to better understand those mechanisms and to identify at-risk patients.

International audience; Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) represents a promising tool for the rapid and efficient identification of molds, but improvements are still necessary to achieve satisfactory results when identifying cryptic species. Here, we aimed to validate a new web application, MSI-2, which replaces MSI-1, an application that was built and deployed online in 2017. For the evaluation, we gathered 633 challenging isolates obtained from daily hospital practice that were first identified with DNA-based methods, and we submitted their corresponding mass spectra to three identification programs (Bruker, MSI-1 and MSI-2). The MSI-2 application had a better identification performance at the species level than MSI-1 and Bruker, reaching 83.25% correct identifications compared with 63.19% (MSI-1), 38.07% (Bruker with 1.7 threshold) and 21.8% (Bruker with 2.0 threshold). The MSI-2 application performed especially well for Aspergillus and Fusarium species, including for many cryptic species, reaching 90% correct identifications for Aspergillus species and 78% for Fusarium species compared to 69% and 43% with MSI-1. Such improvement may have a positive impact on patient management by facilitating the identification of cryptic species potentially associated with a specific antifungal resistance profile.

In recent years, the cryptic species concept has revolutionized the Aspergillus genus taxonomy. Henceforth, dozens of species could be found in human samples, with an increasing incidence. However, as their identification remains a challenge, few is known regarding their pathogenicity or their antifungal susceptibility. The recent development of the MSI web application dedicated to the microorganism’s identification from their mass spectra, has improved these “new” species identification in numerous centers. The collaboration with this network of users allowed us to collect and study a large collection of cryptic isolates (390 isolates from 69 species and 13 sections), combining an accurate DNA sequence-based identification, the antifungal susceptibility testing by reference method and the clinical involvement. We brought evidence for species-dependent antifungal resistance patterns. We also highlighted the extent of species diversity involved in human disease, including some species never described, and the species-dependent pathogenicity patterns for some species. Thus, this work improved the knowledge on Aspergillus cryptic species and underline the importance of their accurate identification in clinical practice. The new version 2 of the MSI application, upgraded during this study, stand for an easy and powerful tool for this.; Le concept d’espèces cryptiques a révolutionné la taxonomie du genre Aspergillus ces dernières années. Plusieurs dizaines d’espèces peuvent désormais être retrouvées dans des prélèvements d’origine humaine, avec une incidence croissante. Cependant, leur identification précise restant difficile, les connaissances concernant leur pouvoir pathogène et leur sensibilité aux antifongiques demeures incomplètes pour le moment. Le développement récent de l’application en ligne MSI, dédiée à l’identification des microorganismes à partir de leur spectre de masse, a permis de démocratiser l’identification de ces « nouvelles » espèces. La collaboration avec le réseau d’utilisateurs de l’application nous a permis de constituer et d’étudier une importante collection d’isolats cryptiques (390 isolats issus de 69 espèces et 13 sections différentes), combinant une identification moléculaire précise, l’étude des profils de sensibilité aux antifongiques par une méthode de référence et l’implication clinique des isolats. Au cours de ce travail, nous avons mis en évidence des profils de résistance naturelle aux antifongiques, propres à certaines espèces. D’un autre côté, nous avons montré toute la diversité des espèces impliquées en pathologie humaine, dont certaines pour la première fois, ainsi que le tropisme pathogène particulier de quelques espèces. Ce travail nous a donc permis d’améliorer et d’apporter de nouvelles connaissances sur les espèces cryptiques d’Aspergillus et souligne toute l’importance de leur identification précise en pratique clinique. La version 2 de l’application MSI améliorée au cours de cette étude, représente donc un outil simple et puissant pour cela.

In recent years, the cryptic species concept has revolutionized the Aspergillus genus taxonomy. Henceforth, dozens of species could be found in human samples, with an increasing incidence. However, as their identification remains a challenge, few is known regarding their pathogenicity or their antifungal susceptibility. The recent development of the MSI web application dedicated to the microorganism’s identification from their mass spectra, has improved these “new” species identification in numerous centers. The collaboration with this network of users allowed us to collect and study a large collection of cryptic isolates (390 isolates from 69 species and 13 sections), combining an accurate DNA sequence-based identification, the antifungal susceptibility testing by reference method and the clinical involvement. We brought evidence for species-dependent antifungal resistance patterns. We also highlighted the extent of species diversity involved in human disease, including some species never described, and the species-dependent pathogenicity patterns for some species. Thus, this work improved the knowledge on Aspergillus cryptic species and underline the importance of their accurate identification in clinical practice. The new version 2 of the MSI application, upgraded during this study, stand for an easy and powerful tool for this., Le concept d’espèces cryptiques a révolutionné la taxonomie du genre Aspergillus ces dernières années. Plusieurs dizaines d’espèces peuvent désormais être retrouvées dans des prélèvements d’origine humaine, avec une incidence croissante. Cependant, leur identification précise restant difficile, les connaissances concernant leur pouvoir pathogène et leur sensibilité aux antifongiques demeures incomplètes pour le moment. Le développement récent de l’application en ligne MSI, dédiée à l’identification des microorganismes à partir de leur spectre de masse, a permis de démocratiser l’identification de ces « nouvelles » espèces. La collaboration avec le réseau d’utilisateurs de l’application nous a permis de constituer et d’étudier une importante collection d’isolats cryptiques (390 isolats issus de 69 espèces et 13 sections différentes), combinant une identification moléculaire précise, l’étude des profils de sensibilité aux antifongiques par une méthode de référence et l’implication clinique des isolats. Au cours de ce travail, nous avons mis en évidence des profils de résistance naturelle aux antifongiques, propres à certaines espèces. D’un autre côté, nous avons montré toute la diversité des espèces impliquées en pathologie humaine, dont certaines pour la première fois, ainsi que le tropisme pathogène particulier de quelques espèces. Ce travail nous a donc permis d’améliorer et d’apporter de nouvelles connaissances sur les espèces cryptiques d’Aspergillus et souligne toute l’importance de leur identification précise en pratique clinique. La version 2 de l’application MSI améliorée au cours de cette étude, représente donc un outil simple et puissant pour cela.

The acoustic environment is critical in Air Traffic Control (ATC), as operators exchange information with planes and must also be aware of the occurrence of auditory alarms. In such situations, observing inattentional deafness is likely. In this study, we aimed to identify the physiological indicators of inattentional deafness through the analysis of the P300 evoked potential, known to be an indicator of attention allocation, an important step to a stimulus reaching consciousness. Based on the assumption that the high mental load generated by an ATC task may reduce the alarm detection rate, we wished to test whether this effect would be reflected in the alarm-evoked P300 amplitude. Participants had to perform simulated ATC tasks within the LABY microworld while electroencephalographic (EEG) activity was recorded. Simultaneously to the LABY tasks, participants were asked to respond to target tones (the “alarm”) and to ignore standard tones. Behavioral results showed that 4.6% of alarms were not reported. For these alarm detection failures, the EEG analysis showed a diminution of the P300 amplitude in comparison to a control condition in which participants only focused on the tones. These results suggest that the P300 amplitude seems to be a valid physiological indicator of vulnerability to inattentional deafness in complex environments. Relevant applications include the prevention of alarm omission and the assessment of warning designs.