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Abstract The mortality rates of individuals with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease (MOGAD) are currently unknown. This study aimed to assess the mortality rate in a large cohort of patients with MOGAD. Since none of the patients in our cohort died, we estimated the upper limit of a 95% confidence interval of the crude mortality rate in the cohort to be 2.1%. These data suggest that mortality in MOGAD is lower than that reported in other neuroinflammatory diseases and comparable to the age‐adjusted mortality rates of the general population in the United States. Additional studies are warranted to confirm this observation.

ObjectivesTo evaluate the evolution of subcutaneous glucose during two sessions of monitored aerobic exercise in children or adolescents with type 1 diabetes after adaptation of insulin doses and carbohydrate intake according to a combined algorithm.MethodsTwelve patients with type 1 diabetes (15.1 ± 2 years; diabetes duration: 9.5 ± 3.1 years) performed two series of exercise sessions after cardiac evaluation. The first series (TE#1) consisted in a monitored exercise of moderate to vigorous intensity coupled with a bout of maximum effort. The second series of exercises (TE#2) was carried out in real life during exercises categorized and monitored by connected watches. TE#2 sessions were performed after adaptation of insulin doses and fast-acting carbohydrates according to decision algorithms.ResultsPatients did not experience episodes of severe hypoglycemia, symptomatic hyperglycemia, or hyperglycemia associated with ketosis. Analysis of CGM data (15 h) during TE#2 sessions revealed an overall improvement in glycemic average [± standard deviation] (104 ± 14 mg/dl vs. 122 ± 17 mg/dl during TE#1; p < 0.001), associated with a decrease in proportion of hyperglycemia in periods ranging from 4 h to 15 h after performing the exercises. The proportion of hypoglycemia was not changed, except during the TE#2 +4–8 h period, where a significant increase in hypoglycemia

Ernest Feydeau traveled the city of Algiers and its surroundings for five months. The book that is the result of these observations, Algiers, is an important document that reflects the changes in the view of a city increasingly marked by the French presence. At Feydeau, the dreamed “Orient” quickly gave way to a painting without concession of a society on the decline. This testimony, however, is highly dependent on the views of an observer who remains constantly outside the scenes he describes and under the influence of cultural pre-constructions that shape his vision.

With at least 60% of the Millettia species (Fabaceae) being in medicinal use, we found it relevant to assess the potential antiprotozoal and antifungal activities of Millettia richardiana. Water and methanol crude extracts of the stem barks from M. richardiana and the six fractions resulting from the fractionation of the methanol extract were tested. The dichloromethane extracted fraction showed the best in vitro antiprotozoal activities (IC50 = 5.8 μg/mL against Plasmodium falciparum, 11.8 μg/mL against Leishmania donovani and 12.8 μg/mL against Trypanosoma brucei brucei) as well as low cytotoxicity on several cell lines. The phytochemical analysis showed this selected fraction to be rich in terpenoids and alkaloids, which could explain its antiparasitic activity. A phytochemical study revealed the presence of lonchocarpenin, betulinic acid, β-amyrin, lupeol, palmitic acid, linoleic acid and stearic acid, among which betulinic acid and lupeol could be the compounds responsible of these antiprotozoal activities. By contrast, neither the crude extracts nor the fractions showed antifungal activity against Candida. These results confirm the importance of the genus Millettia in Malagasy ethnomedicine, its potential use in antiparasitic therapy, and the interest of developing a sustainable exploitation of this plant. Moreover, both molecules betulinic acid and lupeol appeared as very relevant molecules for their antiprotozoal properties.

Since the 1950s, the UN Statistical Division has encouraged nations to standardize the definitions used in data collection. A key concept in censuses and surveys is the household: This is the unit for which information is collected and analyzed, and is thus an important dimension of data that are the basis for many policies. We aim to understand the tensions between conformity with UN guidelines and national priorities. We analyze the documentation around the UN household definition over this period. Using detailed census and survey documentary data for several African countries, especially Burkina Faso, Senegal, Uganda, and Tanzania, we examine the disparities between national census definitions of “household” and the UN definition. Perspectives from interviews with key informants within national statistical offices demonstrate the variability in the importance accorded to the UN harmonization aims and the problems that arise when these standardized approaches interact with local norms and living arrangements.

It is currently accepted that adult tissues may develop and maintain their own stem cell pools. Because of their higher safety profile, adult stem cells may represent an ideal candidate cell source to be used for liver cell therapies. We therefore evaluated the differentiation potential of mesenchymal-like cells isolated from adult human livers. Mesenchymal-like cells were isolated from enzymatically digested adult human liver and expanded in vitro. Cell characterization was performed using flow cytometry, RT-PCR, and immunofluorescence, whereas the differentiation potential was evaluated both in vitro after incubation with specific media and in vivo after intrasplenic transplantation of uPA+/+-SCID and SCID mice. Adult-derived human liver mesenchymal-like cells expressed both hepatic and mesenchymal markers among which albumin, CYP3A4, vimentin, and α-smooth muscle actin. In vitro differentiation studies demonstrated that these mesenchymal-like cells are preferentially determined to differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells. Ten weeks following intrasplenic transplantation into uPA+/+-SCID mice, recipient livers showed the presence of human hepatocytic cell nodules positive for human albumin, prealbumin, and α-fetoprotein. In SCID transplanted liver mice, human hepatocyte-like cells were mostly found near vascular structures 56 days posttransplantation. In conclusion, the ability of isolated adult-derived liver mesenchymal stem-like cells to proliferate and differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells both in vitro and in vivo leads to propose them as an attractive expandable cell source for stem cell therapy in human liver diseases.

BACKGROUND African censuses and surveys remain dependent on interviewers for data collection. Data quality is assured through training and supervision. Many survey concepts are difficult to translate into African languages and some, such as "household", may have multiple criteria which are not fulfilled by everyone, leading interviewers to prioritise different criteria. Some questions introduce unfamiliar ideas which require considerable negotiation by interviewers to obtain acceptable answers. OBJECTIVE To identify key stages in the data collection process and domains where interviewer judgement and interviewer-respondent social dynamics play a substantial role in determining who is included in household surveys, and in shaping responses to questions. METHODS We analyse published definitions, enumerator manuals and qualitative interview data with households, interviewers, supervisors, trainers, survey organisers and analysts along the chain of data production and use in Tanzania, Uganda, Senegal and Burkina Faso. RESULTS Despite comprehensive training manuals and definitions, interviewers influence who is included in, and excluded from surveys. Interviewer versatility needs to include both persuasive social skills and an ability to follow precise wording. In Africa, where survey concepts are often different from local concepts and where interviewers are socio-economically distant from respondents, these persuasive social skills are required throughout the interview process with unknown impact on the data produced. Language diversity is a major barrier to harmonisation. CONCLUSIONS To improve survey data validity more effort should be made to understand the influence of interviewers on data in low-income settings. COMMENTS This submission covers important issues for demographers undertaking secondary analysis of African surveys, especially those without fieldwork experience.

Although olfaction is well known to guide animal behavior, the neural circuits underlying the motor responses elicited by olfactory inputs are poorly understood. In the sea lamprey, anatomical evidence shows that olfactory inputs project to the posterior tuberculum (PT), a structure containing dopaminergic (DA) neurons homologous to the mammalian ventral tegmental area and the substantia nigra pars compacta. Olfactory inputs travel directly from the medial olfactory bulb (medOB) or indirectly through the main olfactory bulb and the lateral pallium (LPal). Here, we characterized the transmission of olfactory inputs to the PT in the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus. Abundant projections from the medOB were observed close to DA neurons of the PT. Moreover, electrophysiological experiments revealed that PT neurons are activated by both the medOB and LPal, and calcium imaging indicated that the olfactory signal is then relayed to the mesencephalic locomotor region to initiate locomotion. In semi-intact preparations, stimulation of the medOB and LPal induced locomotion that was tightly associated with neural activity in the PT. Moreover, PT neurons were active throughout spontaneously occurring locomotor bouts. Altogether, our observations suggest that the medOB and LPal convey olfactory inputs to DA neurons of the PT, which in turn activate the brainstem motor command system to elicit locomotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The travelogue uses the resources offered by fables, sometimes resorts to lies or welcomes daydreams. This “slightly fictitious” prose does not, however, give up on putting the world and the experience of the traveler into words. Its power of seduction is due, in particular, to its inclusion in the field of literatures of the real.

This article focuses on the performance of the couple formed by Julio Cortázar and Carol Dunlop, who lived for a month on a French motorway, as well as the book which came out of this experience, Los autonautas de la cosmopista ("The Autonauts of the Cosmoroute") (1983). The book plays with the codes of travel literature using parody and fictionalization and is a hybrid, polyphonic, subjective, and political text. Diversifying the mediums and giving free rein to the imagination, it creates a constant dialogue between various types of statements that both contradict and complement each other.

The article focuses on the fleeting romantic encounters present in 19th century travel writing. Fantasy and reality remain distinct, shown through lived experiences and written traces: the traveller is often disappointed by these fleeting encounters. Travel writing of the Romantic period is therefore a space for tension between imaginary fantasy, in part shaped by a series of cultural precepts, and real-lived experience. These texts thus pave the way for a process of demystification.

This article focuses on the figure of Nicolas Bouvier as a tales teller. The recurring presence of the storytelling figure in Bouvier’s work demonstrates an obvious interest in orality, visible particularly in discussions, cinematographic productions or interviews. This study, which focuses on three of Bouvier’s public performances (Routes et Déroutes, a film portrayal entitled Le Hibou et la Baleine and a series of documents from Radio Télévision Suisse romande) examines the writer-traveller’s position as well the different textual, image and sound representations of his work.

In his travel narratives (Travels in Greece, Palestine, Egypt, and Barbary, during the years 1806 and 1807, Voyages en Amérique) and his Memoirs, Chateaubriand notes the end of a “world of wilderness”. He focuses his attention on the art of dance in America, which for him had become the sign of a civilisation on the brink of extinction. Aware of the imminent obliteration of a world trekked by travellers, he thus seeks to record a History and a culture destined sooner or later to sink into oblivion.

This article is the transcript of a panel discussion held in 2017 in Clermont-Ferrand, France. This event addressed the purpose and practice of the contemporary travellers’ notebooks using new media, such as sound recordings, multimedia productions or animated films. Each guest, who used the term "travel journal" to characterise his or her production, was invited to comment on his or her own work. Produced with the tools of our time, these new uses reinforce the idea that the travel journal is first and foremost the expression of subjectivity.