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The gut microbiota is a unique ecosystem of microorganisms interacting with the host through several biochemical mechanisms. The endocannabinoidome (eCBome) - a complex signaling system including the endocannabinoid system, approximately 50 receptors and metabolic enzymes, and more than 20 lipid mediators with important physiopathologic functions modulates gastrointestinal tract function and may mediate host cell-microbe communications there. Germ-free (GF) mice, which lack an intestinal microbiome and so differ drastically from conventionally reared (CR) mice, offer a unique opportunity to explore the eCBome in a microbe-free model and in the presence of a reintroduced functional gut microbiome through fecal microbiome transfer (FMT). We aimed to gain direct evidence for a link between the microbiome and eCBome systems by investigating eCBome alterations in the gut in GF mice before and after FMT. Basal eCBome gene expression and lipid profiles were measured in various segments of the intestine of GF and CR mice at juvenile and adult ages using targeted qPCR transcriptomics and LC-MS/MS lipidomics. GF mice exhibited age-dependent modifications in intestinal eCBome gene expression and lipid mediator levels. FMT from CR donor mice to age-matched GF male mice reversed several of these alterations, particularly in the ileum and jejunum, after only 1 week, demonstrating that the gut microbiome directly impacts the host eCBome and providing a cause-effect relationship between the presence or absence of intestinal microbes and eCBome signaling. These results open the way to new studies investigating the mechanisms through which intestinal microorganisms exploit eCBome signaling to exert some of their physiopathologic functions

Monoglyceride lipase (MGLL) regulates metabolism by catabolizing monoacylglycerols (MAGs), including the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) and some of its bioactive congeners, to the corresponding free fatty acids. Mgll knockout mice (Mgll-/-) exhibit elevated tissue levels of MAGs in association with resistance to the metabolic and cardiovascular perturbations induced by a high fat diet (HFD). The gut microbiome and its metabolic function are disrupted in obesity in a manner modulated by 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG's) main receptors, the cannabinoid CB1 receptors. We therefore hypothesized that Mgll-/- mice have an altered microbiome, that responds differently to diet-induced obesity from that of wild-type (WT) mice. We subjected mice to HFD and assessed changes in the microbiomes after 8 and 22 weeks. As expected, Mgll-/- mice showed decreased adiposity, improved insulin sensitivity, and altered circulating incretin/adipokine levels in response to HFD. Mgll-/- mice on a chow diet exhibited significantly higher levels of Hydrogenoanaerobacterium, Roseburia, and Ruminococcus than WT mice. The relative abundance of the Lactobacillaceae and Coriobacteriaceae and of the Lactobacillus, Enterorhabdus, Clostridium_XlVa, and Falsiporphyromonas genera was significantly altered by HFD in WT but not Mgll-/- mice. Differently abundant families were also associated with changes in circulating adipokine and incretin levels in HFD-fed mice. Some gut microbiota family alterations could be reproduced by supplementing 2-AG or MAGs in culturomics experiments carried out with WT mouse fecal samples. We suggest that the altered microbiome of Mgll-/- mice contributes to their obesity resistant phenotype, and results in part from increased levels of 2-AG and MAGs

The agriculture in France offers exceptional wastes that can be recycled and turned into biomaterials. This paper presents a comparison between the properties of particleboards made from different agricultural wastes (hemp and flax shives, sunflower bark and rape straw) and those of classical particleboards based on wood. The use of these new agroresources as materials could increase the potential supplies for this application and could provide an additional source of income for farmers. The particleboards are made by thermocompression without synthetic binder addition. Thermal insulation, mechanical and hygroscopic properties of the panels are measured and discussed with regard to the used agricultural resources., Academic Journal of Civil Engineering, Vol 33 No 2 (2015): Special Issue - ICBBM 2015

International audience; abstract simple

Early and rapid identification of disease-causing pathogens, particularly those responsible for serious epidemic diseases, is a key element in the prevention of outbreaks and protection of susceptible populations. The detection of pathogen-specific nucleic acids has proven to be an invaluable tool in the diagnostic field. The advancement of technology involving the integration of amplification and signal detection systems has increased diagnostic capability, enabled development of robust, standard quantification techniques, as well as sequence analysis, by exposing products of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to a thermal gradient, i.e. melting and hybridisation curves. The most recent molecular technologies provide precision or broad detection facility, which is crucial to finding low level viraemia, distinct subtypes of interest, or mutants. In order for the development of new technologies and assays to proceed, a detailed knowledge of the diagnostic requirements is needed to create fit-for-purpose tools for the detection and discrimination of present and emerging diseases. The development of fit-for-purpose tools only makes sense if they can be transferred to, and applied in, appropriate laboratories and the field to provide reliable results using the most efficient methods for recognition of pathogens thereby allowing effective control measures to be employed as soon as possible. The prime objective in using these diagnostic tools should be to detect the pathogen at the earliest stage of the disease to prevent its spread.

International audience; Asymmetric 2,2‐bis‐(3,4‐dicarboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA)‐2‐methyl‐1,3‐phenylenediamine (mPDA) polyimide membranes were prepared according to a phase‐inversion mechanism by using different solvent/nonsolvent blends. The membrane formation mechanism and the final performances of the asymmetric membranes have been found both nonsolvent and solvent nature dependent. From the visualization of cross sections of asymmetric membranes by scanning electron microscopy and the study of the permeation of two gases (N2, CO2) through asymmetric membranes, a relationship between elaboration conditions and asymmetric membranes characteristics could be drawn. The organization of polymer chains in solution strongly affects the final polymer arrangement and thus the final performances of the membrane. The influence of preliminary solvent evaporation before immersion has been shown to be dependent on the structure of the asymmetric membrane: finger‐like or sponge‐like structures. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 1838–1848, 2003