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Apprendre a identifier, exprimer, comprendre, utiliser et reguler ses emotions et celles d’autrui fait partie integrante des apprentissages fondateurs d’une scolarite reussie. De nombreuses etudes en sciences cognitives ont montre que ces competences jouent un role crucial dans la reussite des eleves a l’ecole et favorisent leurs relations interpersonnelles. Dans un premier temps, nous allons examiner dans quelle mesure le developpement de ces competences emotionnelles est tout particulierement central chez les eleves qui debutent leur scolarite. Dans un second temps, nous allons proposer deux grands axes d’intervention en classe afin de soutenir leur developpement. Nous allons presenter notamment les pratiques d’enseignement « indirectes » (a savoir, etre en tant qu’enseignant.e « emotionnellement competent ») qui visent a les favoriser et nous allons voir qu’il est egalement possible de mettre ces competences emotionnelles au defi directement a travers la « labellisation » des emotions, des conversations portant sur les emotions et par le biais des jeux de faire semblant.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a pretend play-based training designed to promote the development of socio-emotional competences. 79 children aged 5 to 6years were evaluated before and after a pretend play-based training. The experimental group (39 children) received this programme on emotion comprehension, negative emotion regulation, and prosocial behaviour one hour a week for eleven weeks during class hours, while the control group (40 children) received no specific intervention. The programme was implemented by 5 teachers. The results show improvements in the ability to understand emotions in children who benefited from the training. These findings are discussed in the broader context of using this form of play as a privileged pedagogical tool to allow children to develop these competences.

This review examines the quantitative behavioural studies that have evaluated the effects of Montessori pedagogy on children’s psychological development and school learning. The analyses of only three “Randomized Controlled Trials—RCT” studies published to date reveal varied and contradictory effects. Firstly, these findings are discussed in the light of several methodological limitations: the absence of active control groups, small sample sizes, diversity of measures, or lack of control over the implementation fidelity of both Montessori and conventional pedagogy. Secondly, these findings are discussed in the light of what Montessori pedagogy does not emphasise in its conception of development and the role of the teacher, namely the place given to language and pretend play.

L’objectif de cette recherche etait d’evaluer les effets d’un programme d’entrainement base sur le jeu de faire semblant destine a favoriser le developpement des competences socio-emotionnelles. Dix-neuf enfants âges de cinq ans ont ete evalues a l’aide d’un paradigme pre-test, entrainement (groupe experimental vs temoin), post-test. Le groupe experimental a beneficie d’un programme de onze semaines d’une heure hebdomadaire durant les heures de classe portant sur les competences socio-emotionnelles – telles que la comprehension des emotions, la regulation des emotions negatives et le comportement prosocial – tandis que le groupe temoin n’a beneficie d’aucune intervention specifique. Les resultats montrent une amelioration partielle de l’habilete a comprendre les emotions et a reguler les emotions negatives chez les enfants ayant beneficie du programme d’entrainement. Toutefois, aucune progression significative n’a ete constatee aux epreuves mesurant le comportement prosocial pour le groupe experimental. Ces resultats suggerent qu’un entrainement base sur le jeu de faire semblant favorise le developpement de certains aspects des competences emotionnelles, plutot que le comportement prosocial.

What are the foundational abilities that young children must develop at the beginning of school for their future academic success? Little is known about how emotion knowledge, social behaviour, and locomotor activity are associated and how these abilities may be predictors of academic-mathematic performance (less correlated with the children’s SES than pre-reading and linguistic achievement) in a large cohort of preschool children. Here we show that emotion knowledge, locomotor activity, social behaviour, and academic-mathematic performance are interrelated in 706 French preschool children aged 3 to 6. Mediation analyses reveal that the increase in academic-mathematic performance is explained by the increases in emotion knowledge and social behaviour and, in turn, children with a greater comprehension of emotions tend to have better locomotor skills and higher academic-mathematic scores. Additionally, sequential mediation analysis reveals that the increase in emotion knowledge, locomotor activity and social behaviour partially explains the increase in academic-mathematic performance. These results are discussed in relation to three possible mechanisms. Our findings are consistent with the political and scientific consensus on the importance of social-emotional abilities in the academic world at the beginning of school and suggest adding locomotor activity to these foundational abilities.

Background:Despite its high prevalence and deleterious consequences, delirium often goes undetected in older hospitalized patients and long-term care (LTC) residents. Inattention is a core symptom of this syndrome. The aim of this study was to explore the usefulness of ten simple and objective attention tests that would enable efficient delirium screening among this population.Methods:This was a secondary analysis (n = 191) of a validation study conducted in one acute care hospital (ACH) and one LTC facility among older adults with, or without, cognitive impairment. The attention test tasks (n = 10) were drawn from the Concentration subscale the Hierarchic Dementia Scale (HDS). Delirium was defined as meeting the criteria for DSM-5 delirium. The Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) was used to determine the presence of delirium symptoms.Results:The Months of the Year Backward (MOTYB) test, which 57% of participants completed successfully, showed the best balance between sensitivity and specificity (82.6%; 95% CI [61.2–95.0], and 62.5%; 95% CI [54.7–69.8] respectively) for the entire group. Subgroup analyses revealed that no test had both sensitivity and specificity over 50% in participants with cognitive impairment indicated in their medical chart.Conclusions:Our results revealed that these tests varied greatly in performance and none can be earmarked to become a single-item screening tool for delirium among older patients and residents with, or without, cognitive impairment. The presence of premorbid cognitive impairment may necessitate more extensive assessments of delirium, especially when a change in general status or mental state is observed.

Rouxel, M., Mestre, P., Baudoin, A., Carisse, O., Deliere, L., Ellis, M. A., Gadoury, D., Lu, J., Nita, M., Richard-Cervera, S., Schilder, A., Wise, A., and Delmotte, F. 2014. Geographic distribution of cryptic species of Plasmopara viticola causing downy mildew on wild and cultivated grape in eastern North America. Phytopathology 104:692-701. The putative center of origin of Plasmopara viticola, the causal agent of grape downy mildew, is eastern North America, where it has been described on several members of the family Vitaceae (e.g., Vitis spp., Parthenocissus spp., and Ampelopsis spp.). We have completed the first large-scale sampling of P. viticola isolates across a range of wild and cultivated host species distributed throughout the above region. Sequencing results of four partial genes indicated the presence of a new P. viticola species on Vitis vulpina in Virginia, adding to the four cryptic species of P. viticola recently recorded. The phylogenetic analysis also indicated that the P. viticola species found on Parthenocissus quinquefolia in North America is identical to Plasmopara muralis in Europe. The geographic distribution and host range of five pathogen species was determined through analysis of the internal transcribed spacer polymorphism of 896 isolates of P. viticola. Among three P. viticola species found on cultivated grape, one was restricted to Vitis interspecific hybrids within the northern part of eastern North America. A second species was recovered from V. vinifera and V. labrusca, and was distributed across most of the sampled region. A third species, although less abundant, was distributed across a larger geographical range, including the southern part of eastern North America. P. viticola clade aestivalis predominated (83% of isolates) in vineyards of the European winegrape V. vinifera within the sampled area, indicating that a single pathogen species may represent the primary threat to the European host species within eastern North America.

In this study on nursing documentation in long-term care facilities, a set of 9 delirium symptoms was used to evaluate the agreement between symptoms reported by nurses during monthly interviews and those documented in the nursing notes for the same 7-day observation period. Residents aged 65 and above ( N = 280) were assessed monthly over a 6-month period for the presence of delirium and its symptoms using the Confusion Assessment Method. The proportion of symptoms documented in the nursing notes ranged from 1.9% to 53.5%. A trend toward a lower proportion of documented symptoms for higher resident−nurse ratios was observed, although the difference was not statistically significant. Efforts should be made to improve the situation by revisiting the content of academic and clinical training given to nurses in addition to exploring innovative ways to make nursing documentation more efficient and less time-consuming within the current context of nurses’ work overload.

Background: Delirium among long-term care (LTC) residents is frequent and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Identification of clinical changes during the prodromal phase of delirium could lead to prevention of a full-blown episode and perhaps limit the deleterious consequences of this syndrome. The aim of the present study was to identify clinical changes observable in the 2-week period prior to the onset of full-blown delirium.Methods: Long-term care (LTC) residents aged 65 years and over, with or without dementia were eligible for this nested case-control study. Delirium was assessed weekly over a 6-month period using the Confusion Assessment Method. Cases with incident delirium were matched by time since enrolment to one or more controls without delirium.Results: When compared to the controls, LTC residents who developed delirium (cases = 85) were more likely to have new-onset perceptual disturbances (OR = 4.75; 95% CI 1.65–13.66) and disorganized thinking (OR = 3.09; 95% CI 1.33–7.19) and a worsening of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) item measuring registration (OR = 2.59; 95% CI 1.24–5.41) during the preceding 2 weeks. However, the frequency of these changes was low. Residents with at least 3 clinical changes were more likely to develop delirium than those without any clinical change (OR = 2.52; 95% CI 1.08–5.87).Conclusions: This study provides evidence of clinical changes during the prodromal phase of delirium among LTC residents. More studies are needed to further explore the role and relevance of these clinical changes as warning signs of imminent delirium.

Objective To investigate the ability of nurses to recognize delirium and its symptoms and to investigate the factors associated with undetected delirium. Design A prospective, observational study with repeated measurements over a 6-month period. Setting Seven long term care settings in Montreal and Quebec City, Canada. Participants Residents aged 65 and older, with or without dementia, admitted to long term care (not respite care) and able to communicate in English or French. Measurements Delirium and its symptoms were assessed using the Confusion Assessment Method. Ratings of delirium by nurses based on their observations during routine care were compared with delirium ratings by trained research assistants based on a one-time formal structured evaluation (Confusion Assessment Method and Mini Mental State Examination). This procedure was repeated for 10 delirium symptoms. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated. The method of generalized estimating equations was used to identify factors associated with undetected delirium. Results Research assistants identified delirium in 43 (21.3%) of the 202 residents. Nurses identified delirium in 51% of the cases identified by the research assistants. However, for cases without delirium according to the research assistants, nurses identified 90% of them correctly. Detection rates for delirium symptoms ranged from 25% to 66.7%. Undetected delirium was associated with lower number of depressive symptoms manifested by the resident. Conclusion Detection of delirium is a major issue for nurses. Strategies to improve nurse recognition of delirium could well reduce adverse outcomes for this vulnerable population.

This cross-sectional study ( N = 155) investigated precipitating factors associated with delirium among long-term-care residents with dementia and assessed their cumulative effect on the likelihood of having delirium. Use of physical restraints (odds ratio [OR] = 4.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.61–8.27) was the factor most associated, and the likelihood of being in delirium increased with the number of associated precipitating factors present (OR = 2.53, 95% CI=1.42–4.49). Given their frailty, only a few precipitating factors need be present to increase the likelihood of these residents being in delirium, hence the need for increased nurse awareness of the risks posed by use of physical restraints with respect to the cognitive function of elderly residents with dementia.

Delirium is a common cause of functional and cognitive decline, morbidity, and mortality among hospitalized elderly individuals. Several studies reveal that the prognosis of delirium is worse among elderly individuals with severe delirium. In light of these findings, it is important to identify which factors are associated with delirium severity: individual (predisposing) or environmental (precipitating) factors. This study wanted to investigate individual and environmental factors associated with delirium severity among older persons with delirium superimposed on dementia. This study is a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study (N = 71) on delirium carried out in three long-term care facilities and one long-term care unit of a large regional hospital. Of the 29 potential risk factors considered, researchers found 6 to be significantly associated with delirium severity in univariate analysis: marital status (being married), severity of dementia, lower functional autonomy, less medication consumption, presence of behavioral problems, and inadequacy of the physical environment. In multivariate analysis, only marital status (being married) and severity of dementia remained statistically associated with delirium severity. Results of this study provide further evidence that the weakened brain functions of persons with dementia increases not only the risk of delirium but also its severity. Given the poor outcomes associated with delirium severity, nurses need to pay closer attention to the predisposing and precipitating factors of delirium severity.

International audience; Here, we describe the development of an oomycete-specific primer pair for amplification of the cytochrome b region in plant pathogenic species that span the order Peronosporales (Phytophthora spp., downy mildews). Because of the high number of variable sites at both inter- and intra-specific levels this marker provides a powerful tool for population genetics and phylogenetic studies in this taxa. We also demonstrate its potential compared with other oomycete-specific mitochondrial markers currently available.

The multifactorial model of delirium was developed to explain the interrelationship between predisposing and precipitating factors for delirium. Although validated among hospitalized patients, this model has never been tested among long-term care residents with dementia. We undertook this secondary data analysis to investigate the combined effect of predisposing and precipitating factors on the likelihood of having delirium among this population. Delirium was defined as meeting the Confusion Assessment Method criteria for definite or probable delirium. Risk factors considered in the study were those found significantly associated with delirium in the original study. Participants (N=155) were classified into risk groups. Prevalence of delirium for the low, moderate, and high predisposing risk groups were 32%, 78.4%, and 98.1%, respectively, and 37.9%, 67.2%, and 86.8% for the precipitating factors risk groups. When both variables were included in the same model, only predisposing factors remained statistically associated with delirium. Predisposing factors play a key role in the likelihood of having delirium among this population. Increased awareness of these factors among nurses could improve the care of these residents by targeting modifiable risk factors.

Objectives To evaluate the impact of using different diagnostic criteria on prevalence rates of delirium and subsyndromal delirium (SSD) among demented long-term care (LTC) residents. Design Descriptive study. Setting LTC settings in Quebec City, Canada. Participants Participants were 155 individuals aged 65 and older, with dementia. Measurements (1) Prevalence rates of delirium according to: (a) the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III, DSM-III-R, and DSM-IV) and (b) the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) algorithms for definite and probable delirium; and (2) prevalence rates of SSD employing 2 definitions described in previous studies. Results Prevalence rates of delirium according to each set of criteria were 26.5% for DSM-III; 29% for DSM-IV-TR; 41.3% for DSM-III-R; 45.8% for CAM algorithm for definite delirium; and 70.3% for CAM algorithm for probable delirium. A total of 109 subjects (70.3%) were identified as delirious consistent with at least one classification and 37 (23.9%) met all the sets of criteria considered. Prevalence rates for SSD were 75 (48.4%) and 78 (50.3%) depending on the definition employed. Conclusion Prevalence rates for delirium are much affected by the diagnostic formulations used. The use of DSM-IV-TR among this population could result in fewer cases being identified as delirious and thus compromise proper care for those individuals. Considering that SSD was prevalent among this population, a systematic implementation of protocols targeting risk factors of delirium might be beneficial among demented LTC residents.

The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of RADAR (Recognizing Active Delirium As part of your Routine) as a measure of the sixth vital sign. This study was a secondary analysis of a study ( N = 193) that took place in one acute care hospital and one long-term care facility. The primary outcome was a positive sixth vital sign, defined as the presence of both an altered level of consciousness and inattention. These indicators were assessed using the Confusion Assessment Method. RADAR identified 30 of the 43 participants as having a positive sixth vital sign and 58 of the 70 cases as not, yielding a sensitivity and specificity of 70% and 83%, respectively. Positive predictive value was 71%. RADAR’s characteristics, including its brevity and acceptability by nursing staff, make this tool a good candidate as a measure of the sixth vital sign. Future studies should address the generalizability of RADAR among various populations and clinical settings.

Background Although detection of delirium using the current tools is excellent in research settings, in routine clinical practice, this is not the case. Together with nursing staff, we developed a screening tool (RADAR) to address certain limitations of existing tools, notably administration time, ease-of-use and generalizability. The purpose of this study was not only to evaluate the validity and reliability of RADAR but also to gauge its acceptability among the nursing staff in two different clinical settings. Methods This was a validation study conducted on three units of an acute care hospital (medical, cardiology and coronary care) and five units of a long-term care facility. A total of 142 patients and 51 residents aged 65 and over, with or without dementia, participated in the study and 139 nurses were recruited and trained to use the RADAR tool. Data on each patient/resident was collected over a 12-hour period. The nursing staff and researchers administered RADAR during the scheduled distribution of medication. Researchers used the Confusion Assessment Method to determine the presence of delirium symptoms. Delirium itself was defined as meeting the criteria for DMS-IV-TR delirium. Inter-rater reliability, convergent, and concurrent validity of RADAR were assessed. At study end, 103 (74%) members of the nursing staff completed the RADAR feasibility and acceptability questionnaire. Results Percentages of agreement between RADAR items that bedside nurses administered and those research assistants administered varied from 82% to 98%. When compared with DSM-IV-TR criterion-defined delirium, RADAR had a sensitivity of 73% and a specificity of 67%. Participating nursing staff took about seven seconds on average, to complete the tool and it was very well received (≥98%) overall. Conclusions The RADAR tool proved to be efficient, reliable, sensitive and very well accepted by nursing staff. Consequently, it becomes an appropriate new option for delirium screening among older adults, with or without cognitive impairment, in both hospitals and nursing homes. Further projects are currently underway to validate the RADAR among middle-aged adults, as well as in newer clinical settings; home care, emergency department, medical intensive care unit, and palliative care. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12912-015-0070-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) gene from tomato leaves was isolated and comprised of 1431 nucleotides encoding a protein of 476 amino acids, corresponding to a molecular mass of 53,480 Da. The protein was expressed in Pichia pastoris as a secreted enzyme (rLeHPL) after 24 h of culture incubation and induction with methanol. However, no intracellular activity was found in the homogenised yeast cells. 13-Hydroperoxy-(9 Z ,11 E )-octadecadienoic acid (HPOD) was the best substrate followed by 9-HPOD and then 13-hydroperoxy-(9 Z ,11 E ,15 Z )-octadecatrienoic acid (13-HPOT) while no activity was observed with the 9-HPOT. The pH optima of rLeHPL were at pH 7 and 5, respectively, for the 13-HPOD and 13-HPOT substrates. GC/MS analyses confirmed that the major product was hexanal with a minor peak for nonanal.

Resume La dyspnee est un symptome tres souvent present chez les patients lors de leurs dernieres semaines ou derniers jours de vie. Bien que tres peu d’etudes confirment l’efficacite de l’oxygenotherapie sur cette dyspnee, beaucoup d’entre eux beneficieront neanmoins d’un apport d’oxygene. Le but de ce travail, a partir d’entretiens avec des soignants, est de decrire et d’analyser les motivations, le ressenti de cette oxygenotherapie chez le personnel soignant d’une equipe de pneumologie et de souligner les elements qui pourraient influencer sa prescription. La fonction de l’oxygene, outre celle d’ameliorer l’hematose, s’etend a un authentique role de co-analgesique participant au confort du patient. Il permettrait aussi de limiter le risque d’asphyxie qui reste une angoisse majeure du patient hospitalise en pneumologie, de sa famille et des soignants. L’oxygenotherapie est peu contraignante, indolore. Encore faut-il eviter d’etre agressif et proscrire les masques a haute concentration. Le risque de secheresse des muqueuses nous oblige souvent a humidifier l’oxygene par des barboteurs bruyants. Ce bruit, plein de sens, est percu de facon contradictoire par une meme equipe soignante. Soit il correspond a une gene au recueillement et a l’intimite avec le patient, soit il se substitue a cette respiration qui se fait moins entendre et sa presence devient alors indispensable. Le confort qu’apporte l’oxygene au patient s’etend a sa famille mais aussi a toute l’equipe soignante, qui garde ainsi une capacite a faire, a donner quelque chose. Il correspond a un veritable lien avec cette vie qui va bientot s’eteindre. Bien que courante, la prescription d’oxygene a un patient en fin de vie est pleine de sens et son role s’etend bien au-dela d’un simple controle de l’hematose. Aussi perd-elle de son caractere banal.

We report 34 new nuclear single-nucleotide-polymorphism (SNP) markers that have been developed from an expressed sequence tag library of Plasmopara viticola , the causal agent of grapevine downy mildew. This newly developed battery of markers will provide useful additional genetic tools for population genetic studies of this important agronomic species.

Since a negative calcium balance is present in spontaneously hypertensive rats, we searched for the gene(s) involved in this dysregulation. A cDNA library was constructed from the spontaneously hypertensive rat parathyroid gland, which is a key regulator of serum-ionized calcium. From seven overlapping DNA fragments, a 1100-base pair novel cDNA containing an open reading frame of 224 codons was reconstituted. This novel gene, named HCaRG (hypertension-related, calcium-regulated gene), was negatively regulated by extracellular calcium concentration, and its basal mRNA levels were higher in hypertensive animals. The deduced protein showed no transmembrane domain, 67% alpha-helix content, a mutated calcium-binding site (EF-hand motif), four putative "leucine zipper" motifs, and a nuclear receptor-binding domain. At the subcellular level, HCaRG had a nuclear localization. We cloned the human homolog of this gene. Sequence comparison revealed 80% homology between rats and humans at the nucleotide and amino acid sequences. Tissue distribution showed a preponderance in the heart, stomach, jejunum, kidney (tubular fraction), liver, and adrenal gland (mainly in the medulla). HCaRG mRNA was significantly more expressed in adult than in fetal organs, and its levels were decreased in tumors and cancerous cell lines. We observed that after 60-min ischemia followed by reperfusion, HCaRG mRNA declined rapidly in contrast with an increase in c-myc mRNA. Its levels then rose steadily to exceed base line at 48 h of reperfusion. HEK293 cells stably transfected with HCaRG exhibited much lower proliferation, as shown by cell count and [(3)H]thymidine incorporation. Taken together, our results suggest that HCaRG is a nuclear protein potentially involved in the control of cell proliferation.

The phenylpropanoid pathway has important functions in angiospermous plants following exposure to environmental stresses, such as wounding and pathogen attack, that lead to production of compounds including lignin, flavonoids and phytoalexins. Chalcone synthase (CHS) is a key enzyme in this pathway, catalyzing the first step in flavonoid biosynthesis, whose expression can be induced in response to environmental stress. To explore the response of conifers to environmental stress, expression of spruce CHS and its inducibility were investigated. A partial spruce CHS cDNA clone was isolated using PCR. Examination of the expression patterns of the CHS gene family in white spruce revealed accumulation of CHS mRNA in needle tissue following mechanical wounding, or application of signal molecules like jasmonic acid or methyl jasmonate. Repeated mechanical wounding or jasmonate applications had an enhancing effect on transcript accumulation in needles. A systemic accumulation of CHS mRNAs following wounding was also observed. Conifers thus appear to possess a general wound response similar to that found for angiosperms, which includes CHS induction as well as its inducibility by jasmonic acid and airborne methyl jasmonate.

A cDNA clone encoding a dehydrin gene was isolated from a cDNA library prepared from white spruce (Picea glauca) needle mRNAs. The cDNA, designated PgDhn1, is 1159 nucleotides long and has an open reading frame of 735 bp with a deduced amino acid sequence of 245 residues. The PgDhn1 amino acid sequence is highly hydrophilic and possesses four conserved repeats of the characterized lysine-rich K-segment (EKKGIMD-KIKEKLPG), and an 8-serine residue stretch prior to the first lysine-rich repeat that is common to many dehydrins. The DEYGNP conserved motif is, however, absent in the PgDhn1 sequence. In unstressed plants, the highest level of transcripts was detected in stem tissue and not fully expanded vegetative buds. PgDhn1 expression was also clearly detected in reproductive buds, at various stages of development. The mRNAs corresponding to PgDhn1 cDNA were induced upon wounding and by jasmonic acid (JA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJa) treatments. Upon drought stress, increased transcript accumulation was observed in needle tissue reaching a maximum level 48 h after treatment. Treatments of seedlings with abscisic acid or ethephon also resulted in high levels of transcript accumulation in needle tissue. Finally, cold induction of PgDhn1 transcripts was also detected as early as 8 h after treatment.

International audience; Biologic invasions can have important ecological, economic and social consequences, particularly when they involve the introduction and spread of plant invasive pathogens, as they can threaten natural ecosystems and jeopardize the production of human food. Examples include the grapevine downy mildew, caused by the oomycete Plasmopara viticola, an invasive species native to North America, introduced into Europe in the 1870s. We investigated the introduction and spread of this invasive pathogen, by analysing its genetic structure and diversity in a large sample from European vineyards. Populations of P.viticola across Europe displayed little genetic diversity, consistent with the occurrence of a bottleneck at the time of introduction. Bayesian coalescent analyses revealed a clear population expansion signal in the genetic data. We detected a weak, but significant, continental-wide population structure, with two geographically and genetically distinct clusters in Western and Eastern European vineyards. Approximate Bayesian computation, analyses of clines of genetic diversity and of isolation-by-distance patterns provided evidence for a wave of colonization moving in an easterly direction across Europe. This is consistent with historical reports, first mentioning the introduction of the disease in Bordeaux vineyards (France) and sub-sequently documenting its rapid spread across Europe. This initial introduction in the west was probably followed by a leap-frog' event into Eastern Europe, leading to the formation of the two genetic clusters we detected. This study shows that recent population genetics methods within the Bayesian and coalescence frameworks are extremely powerful for increasing our understanding of pathogen population dynamics and invasion histories.

In this participatory action research study, researchers conducted a total of 3 implementation cycles to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a new delirium prevention program (DPP) for cognitively impaired residents in long term care (LTC) settings. Researchers interviewed 95 health care staff to obtain feedback on their use of the DPP and then modified the DPP and tested the changes in the next implementation cycle. Our results indicated that the DPP was feasible and that health care staff would accept it under certain conditions. We found there were 4 keys to successful implementation of the DPP: support for the program from both the administration and the users; effective clinician leadership to ensure proper delivery of the DPP (format, content and values) and its appropriate adaptation to the LTC facility's internal culture and policies; a sense of ownership among the DPP users; and, last, practical hands-on training as well as theoretical training for staff.

The search for the occurrence of somaclonal variation of in vitro shoots and acclimatized plants of a hybrid larch (Larix × urolepis Henry) clone was performed by the analysis of eight isozyme systems. Cultures were established from short shoot buds of mature material. The effects of growth regulators in the media, subculture intervals, and periods in culture were analyzed for in vitro shoots. Variability was found in in vitro shoots but appeared to be related to a physiological response to culture conditions. Once acclimatized, most tissuecultured plants expressed the same enzymatic patterns as those of control plants (stecklings and the ortet). The variations observed for some acclimatized plants were also observed in control plants and were not related to ontogenic stage. Results from the isoenzymatic systems studied showed that hybrid larch plants regenerated from tissue culture were not significantly different from stecklings and the ortet.

We reported 31 microsatellite markers that have been developed from microsatellite-enriched and direct shotgun pyrosequencing libraries of Plasmopara viticola , the causal agent of grapevine downy mildew. These markers were optimized for population genetics applications and used to characterize 96 P. viticola isolates from three European and three North American populations.

Objectives Although self-efficacy and health locus of control (HLC) have been extensively studied in health research, little is known about their contribution to occupational disability among workers with back pain. This 2 year prospective study examined the association between these control belief constructs and “return to work in good health” (RWGH), a four-category, composite index of back pain outcome. Methods The participants (n = 1,007, participation = 68.4%, follow-up = 86%) were workers with occupational disruptions who sought a medical consultation for non specific back pain in primary care and emergency settings in the Quebec City area, Canada. Information about self-efficacy for return to work (SERW) and HLC, as well as potential confounders, was collected during a telephone interview about 3 weeks after the baseline medical consultation. Polytomous logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between the baseline control variables and RWGH at 2 year. Odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals were used to quantify the strength of associations. For all analyses, the “success” category was considered the reference group. Results Although bivariate analyses showed a significant association between external HLC and RWGH at 2 year, this relationship was not significant in multivariate analyses. Higher scores on the self-efficacy questionnaire were however protective of “failure to return to work after attempt(s)” (OR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.14–0.57) and of “failure to return to work” (OR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.07–0.48) in multivariate analyses. Conclusion Self-efficacy is an important determinant of the occupational outcome of back pain.

This was a cross-sectional study to investigate predisposing factors associated with delirium among demented long-term-care residents and to assess the cumulative effect of these factors on the likelihood of having delirium. Of the 155 participants, 109 (70.3%) were found delirious according to the confusion assessment method. Among these individuals, age (OR = 1.07; 95% CI = 1.05-1.10) and severity of dementia (OR = 1.05; 95% CI = 1.03-1.07) were the most associated factors of delirium. The likelihood of being in delirium increased with the number of associated predisposing factors present (OR = 1.67; 95% CI = 1.11-2.51). Associated factors identified were level of functional autonomy, pain, depression, behavioral disturbances, number of medications, dehydration, fever, and malnutrition. Identification of predisposing factors will help nurses in detecting those residents in long-term care settings who are at high-risk for delirium, as well as in designing preventive intervention strategies for delirium, based on these factors.

International audience; The discovery of genetically distinct Erysiphe necator groups (A or B), with high phenotypic similarities, raises important questions about their coexistence. For plant pathogens, niche partitioning, allowing the coexistence on the same host (i.e. the same resource), might result from separation in space and/or time. We used a landscape genetic approach to study the geographic distribution of genetic groups of E. necator (distinguished by a SNP in the β-tubulin gene) at the spatial scale of the Languedoc-Roussillon region (southern France) and to assess the temporal succession of groups along the course of the 2007 epidemic. Spatial distribution revealed a high heterogeneity between vineyards: from 100% B to 100% A, with 62% and 38% of vineyards showing a majority of A and B isolates, respectively. Temporal isolation seems to be the major mechanism in the coexistence of the two genetic groups: all isolates collected towards the end of the epidemic belonged to group B, whatever the initial frequency of genetic groups. Our results confirm that both A or B isolates can lead to flag-shoot symptoms, and showed that group A isolates tend to disappear during the course of the epidemic, whereas group B isolates may be active during the entire epidemic and involved in further production of cleistothecia, when recombination takes place. For the first time, the relationship between the frequency of genetic groups and disease levels on leaves and clusters at the end of the epidemic was evaluated. We showed a strong relationship between the disease severity and the genetic composition of E. necator populations: the damage was more important when the epidemic was initiated by B isolates.

National audience

Background Delirium is a prevalent problem in long-term care (LTC) facilities where advanced age and cognitive impairment represent two important risk factors for this condition. Delirium is associated with numerous negative outcomes including increased morbidity and mortality. Despite its clinical importance, delirium often goes unrecognized by nurses. Although rates of nurse-detected delirium have been studied among hospitalized older patients, this issue has been largely neglected among demented older residents in LTC settings. The goals of this study were to determine detection rates of delirium and delirium symptoms by nurses among elderly residents with dementia and to identify factors associated with undetected cases of delirium. Methods In this prospective study (N = 156), nurse ratings of delirium were compared to researcher ratings of delirium. This procedure was repeated for 6 delirium symptoms. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were computed. Logistic regressions were conducted to identify factors associated with delirium that is undetected by nurses. Results Despite a high prevalence of delirium in this cohort (71.5%), nurses were able to detect the delirium in only a minority of cases (13%). Of the 134 residents not identified by nurses as having delirium, only 29.9% of them were correctly classified. Detection rates for the 6 delirium symptoms varied between 39.1% and 58.1%, indicating an overall under-recognition of symptoms of delirium. Only the age of the residents (≥ 85 yrs) was associated with undetected delirium (OR: 4.1; 90% CI: [1.5–11.0]). Conclusion Detection of delirium is a major issue for nurses that clearly needs to be addressed. Strategies to improve recognition of delirium could result in a reduction of adverse outcomes for this very vulnerable population.

Plasmopara halstedii, the causal agent of sunflower downy mildew, displays a gene-for-gene interaction with its host plant, Helianthus annuus and other species of the genus. Monitoring of the evolution of virulent races in France over a 19-year period led to the identification of 14 different races (or pathotypes). Twelve expressed sequence tag (EST)-derived markers displaying SNPs and insertion-deletion variations have recently been identified in P. halstedii. We used these markers to study the genetic structure and the evolution of sunflower downy mildew races. Bayesian assignment analysis identified three genetically differentiated groups of isolates organized around the first three races described in France. Strong genetic substructuring according to geographic origin of races was observed, confirming that these three groups corresponded to three separate introductions into France of isolates with different genetic and phenotypic backgrounds. Our results suggest that multiple introductions of P. halstedii isolates may have provided the raw material for more complex processes in the evolution of races, such as recombination between races or clonal evolution through mitotic instability.

Quinone outside inhibiting (QoI) fungicides represent one of the most widely used groups of fungicides used to control agriculturally important fungal pathogens. They inhibit the cytochrome bc 1 complex of mitochondrial respiration. Soon after their introduction onto the market in 1996, QoI fungicide-resistant isolates were detected in field plant pathogen populations of a large range of species. However, there is still little understanding of the processes driving the development of QoI fungicide resistance in plant pathogens. In particular, it is unknown whether fungicide resistance occurs independently in isolated populations or if it appears once and then spreads globally by migration. Here, we provide the first case study of the evolutionary processes that lead to the emergence of QoI fungicide resistance in the plant pathogen Plasmopara viticola . Sequence analysis of the complete cytochrome b gene showed that all resistant isolates carried a mutation resulting in the replacement of glycine by alanine at codon 143 (G143A). Phylogenetic analysis of a large mitochondrial DNA fragment including the cytochrome b gene (2,281 bp) across a wide range of European P. viticola isolates allowed the detection of four major haplotypes belonging to two distinct clades, each of which contains a different QoI fungicide resistance allele. This is the first demonstration that a selected substitution conferring resistance to a fungicide has occurred several times in a plant-pathogen system. Finally, a high population structure was found when the frequency of QoI fungicide resistance haplotypes was assessed in 17 French vineyards, indicating that pathogen populations might be under strong directional selection for local adaptation to fungicide pressure.

Twelve expressed sequence tags-derived markers were isolated from Plasmopara halstedii (Oomycetes), the causal agent of sunflower downy mildew. A total of 25 single nucleotide polymorphisms and five indels were detected by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and developed for high-throughput genotyping of 32 isolates. There was a high level of genetic diversity (HE = 0.484). Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0 to 0.143 indicating that P. halstedii is probably a selfing species. These markers were also useful in detecting significant genetic variations among French populations (FST = 0.193) and between French and Russian populations (FST = 0.23). Cross-amplification tests on three closely related species indicated that no loci amplified in other Oomycete species.

Microsatellite loci were isolated from Plasmopara viticola (Oomycetes), the causal agent of downy mildew of grape, one of the most damaging fungal diseases of grapevine worldwide. Seven polymorphic loci were obtained from an enriched partial genomic library. A low genetic diversity was observed at all loci, with a mean observed allele number of 3.75 and an observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.074 to 0.547. Cross-amplification tests on three closely related taxa indicated that two loci could be used in other Oomycetes species. These microsatellite loci were proved to be useful for population genetic analysis.

A presumably full-length cDNA encoding a putative glycine-rich RNA binding protein was isolated from a lambdaZAP cDNA library prepared from mRNAs extracted from needles of 2year old white spruce seedlings, which had been either wounded or jasmonate-treated. The cDNA, designated PgRNP (Picea glauca RNP protein), presents a 468bp open reading frame encoding a 155 amino acid protein. This polypeptide possesses an RNA binding domain (RNP-CS) and a glycine-rich domain. Comparative alignment reveals extensive homologies to glycine-rich RNA binding proteins containing an RNP-CS found in other angiosperm species. Genomic hybridization experiments suggest that the PgRNP gene is part of a small multigene family with at least four members. RNA blot analysis revealed that the PgRNP transcript is expressed in all tissues from non-stressed plants. Constitutive mRNA level was found in needle tissue from control as well as methyl-jasmonate treated plants. Wounding had no clear induction effect. Jasmonic acid treatment and systemic wound response had a positive effect on transcript accumulation. Transcript accumulation was slightly induced by cold in needles, and repressed by drought stress in both needle and root tissues of 2year old plants. Finally, the level of PgRNP accumulation was induced by wounding and repressed in 2week old dark-grown seedlings upon jasmonate treatments.