Parodier l'instrumentalisation de la parole dans les médias : ce que raconter peut dire

Observant la montée de l'instrumentalisation de la narration dans les médias de masse, le présent article vise comprendre les dimensions praxéologiques de l'activité de raconter en communication publique. L'analyse des dimensions praxéologiques permet d'envisager les mouvements discursifs attachés à la narration comme dirigés ou orientés vers un objectif pratique de l'ordre de l'interaction communicative et sociale. Dans le cas présent, il s'agit de saisir les fonctions d'un épisode narratif lors d'un entretien télévisé parodique. Cet entretien, mettant en scène le président français Nicolas Sarkozy interviewé par un journaliste dans le cadre d'un journal télévisé factice, est tiré d'une émission satirique française, Les Guignols de l'info. Par une mise en scène de la sphère médiatique française, cette émission articule parodie du dispositif médiatique, parodie des activités communicationnelles et parodie des discours associés aux acteurs de l'espace public. Recourant de façon importante à l'effet d'amplification, la parodie rend particulièrement saillant les aspects les plus conventionnels de la communication. Profitant de cet effet de loupe, une description détaillées des opérations linguistiques, discursives et interactionnelles participant de l'épisode narratif met en lumière deux fonctions possibles de la narration en situation d'entretien : réorienter l'interaction en sa faveur et configurer les cadres référentiels d'une argumentation.

Effectiveness of organised versus opportunistic mammography screening.

BACKGROUND: Detailed comparison of effectiveness between organised and opportunistic mammography screening operating in the same country has seldom been carried out. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prognostic indicators, as defined in the European Guidelines, were used to evaluate screening effectiveness in Switzerland. Matching of screening programmes' records with population-based cancer registries enabled to compare indicators of effectiveness by screening and detection modality (organised versus opportunistic screening, unscreened, interval cancers). Comparisons of prognostic profile were also drawn with two Swiss regions uncovered by service screening of low and high prevalence of opportunistic screening, respectively. RESULTS: Opportunistic and organised screening yielded overall little difference in prognostic profile. Both screening types led to substantial stage shifting. Breast cancer prognostic indicators were systematically more favourable in Swiss regions covered by a programme. In regions without a screening programme, the higher the prevalence of opportunistic screening, the better was the prognostic profile. CONCLUSIONS: Organised screening appeared as effective as opportunistic screening. Mammography screening has strongly influenced the stage distribution of breast cancer in Switzerland, and a favourable impact on mortality is anticipated. Extension of organised mammography screening to the whole of Switzerland can be expected to further improve breast cancer prognosis in a cost-effective way.

Bacterial bioassay for rapid and accurate analysis of arsenic in highly variable groundwater samples.

In this study, we report the first ever large-scale environmental validation of a microbial reporter-based test to measure arsenic concentrations in natural water resources. A bioluminescence-producing arsenic-inducible bacterium based on Escherichia coli was used as the reporter organism. Specific protocols were developed with the goal to avoid the negative influence of iron in groundwater on arsenic availability to the bioreporter cells. A total of 194 groundwater samples were collected in the Red River and Mekong River Delta regions of Vietnam and were analyzed both by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and by the arsenic bioreporter protocol. The bacterial cells performed well at and above arsenic concentrations in groundwater of 7 microg/L, with an almost linearly proportional increase of the bioluminescence signal between 10 and 100 microg As/L (r2 = 0.997). Comparisons between AAS and arsenic bioreporter determinations gave an overall average of 8.0% false negative and 2.4% false positive identifications for the bioreporter prediction at the WHO recommended acceptable arsenic concentration of 10 microg/L, which is far betterthan the performance of chemical field test kits. Because of the ease of the measurement protocol and the low application cost, the microbiological arsenic test has a great potential in large screening campaigns in Asia and in other areas suffering from arsenic pollution in groundwater resources.

Exposure to stallion accelerates the onset of mares' cyclicity.

Horses (Equus caballus) belong to the group of seasonally polyestrous mammals. Estrous cycles typically start with increasing daylight length after winter, but mares can differ greatly in the timing of onset of regular estrus cycles. Here, we test whether spatial proximity to a stallion also plays a role. Twenty-two anestrous mares were either exposed to one of two stallions (without direct physical contact) or not exposed (controls) under experimental conditions during two consecutive springs (February to April). Ovarian activity was monitored via transrectal ultrasound and stallion's direct contact time with each mare was determined three times per week for one hour each. We found that mares exposed to a stallion ovulated earlier and more often during the observational period than mares that were not exposed to stallions. Neither stallion identity nor direct contact time, mare age, body condition, size of her largest follicle at the onset of the experiment, or parasite burden significantly affected the onset of cyclicity. In conclusion, the timing of estrous cycles and cycle frequency, i.e., crucial aspects of female reproductive strategy, strongly depend on how the mares perceive their social environment. Exposing mares to the proximity of a stallion can therefore be an alternative to, for example, light programs or elaborated hormonal therapies to start the breeding season earlier and increase the number of estrous cycles in horses.

Seasonal changes in 24-h and basal energy expenditures in rural Gambian men as measured in a respiration chamber.

Adaptation of 24-h energy expenditure (24-h EE) to seasonal variations in food availability was studied, by using a respiration chamber, in 18 rural Gambian men on three occasions: period 1--at the end of the rainy season, which is characterized by low food availability; period 2--during the nutritionally favorable dry season; and period 3--at the onset of the following rainy season. From periods 1 to 2 body weight increased by 2.8 +/- 0.4 kg, and a rise in 24-h EE was observed (from 8556 +/- 212 kJ/d to 9166 +/- 224 kJ/d), which was correlated to weight change (r = 0.73, P less than 0.001). During period 3, 24-h EE averaged 8740 +/- 194 kJ/d. Diet-induced thermogenesis increased significantly from periods 1 to 2 (5.9 +/- 0.5% to 8.2 +/- 0.8%) and subsequently decreased to 3.6 +/- 0.6% during period 3. In rural Gambian men, metabolic adaptations in response to seasonal changes in food availability are reflected by a decrease in body weight, mainly manifested by a loss of fat-free mass accompanied by a decreased 24-h EE and a lowered diet-induced thermogenesis.

Improved segmentation of deep brain grey matter structures using magnetization transfer (MT) parameter maps.

Basal ganglia and brain stem nuclei are involved in the pathophysiology of various neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Currently available structural T1-weighted (T1w) magnetic resonance images do not provide sufficient contrast for reliable automated segmentation of various subcortical grey matter structures. We use a novel, semi-quantitative magnetization transfer (MT) imaging protocol that overcomes limitations in T1w images, which are mainly due to their sensitivity to the high iron content in subcortical grey matter. We demonstrate improved automated segmentation of putamen, pallidum, pulvinar and substantia nigra using MT images. A comparison with segmentation of high-quality T1w images was performed in 49 healthy subjects. Our results show that MT maps are highly suitable for automated segmentation, and so for multi-subject morphometric studies with a focus on subcortical structures.

β-Catenin Signaling Drives Differentiation and Proinflammatory Function of IRF8-Dependent Dendritic Cells.

β-Catenin signaling has recently been tied to the emergence of tolerogenic dendritic cells (DCs). In this article, we demonstrate a novel role for β-catenin in directing DC subset development through IFN regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) activation. We found that splenic DC precursors express β-catenin, and DCs from mice with CD11c-specific constitutive β-catenin activation upregulated IRF8 through targeting of the Irf8 promoter, leading to in vivo expansion of IRF8-dependent CD8α(+), plasmacytoid, and CD103(+)CD11b(-) DCs. β-Catenin-stabilized CD8α(+) DCs secreted elevated IL-12 upon in vitro microbial stimulation, and pharmacological β-catenin inhibition blocked this response in wild-type cells. Upon infections with Toxoplasma gondii and vaccinia virus, mice with stabilized DC β-catenin displayed abnormally high Th1 and CD8(+) T lymphocyte responses, respectively. Collectively, these results reveal a novel and unexpected function for β-catenin in programming DC differentiation toward subsets that orchestrate proinflammatory immunity to infection.

Impact médical hospitalier du pied diabétique en Suisse [Hospitalizations due to diabetic foot in Switzerland].

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the hospital impact of diabetes, foot ulcers and amputations linked to diabetic foot in Switzerland. METHODS: Data from the medical statistics of Swiss hospitals between 2003 and 2008. RESULTS: Over 6 years, the annual hospital admission rate of diabetic patients increased by 38%, the number of hospitalised patients and of admissions by 44% and 51%, respectively. For ulcers, these figures were 112% and 194%, and for amputations 26% and 34%, respectively. Amongst patients hospitalised in 2005 with ulcer or for amputation, about 25% were hospitalised 2 years and 33% 1 year before or after. Length of stay decreased by 10%, but hospital mortality remained stable below 10%. CONCLUSION: Hospital admissions with diabetic foot problems are an important public health issue, and are getting worse.

Patterns of pain-free response in 497 cases of classic trigeminal neuralgia treated with Gamma Knife surgery and followed up for least 1 year.

Object The goal of this study was to establish whether clear patterns of initial pain freedom could be identified when treating patients with classic trigeminal neuralgia (TN) by using Gamma Knife surgery (GKS). The authors compared hypesthesia and pain recurrence rates to see if statistically significant differences could be found. Methods Between July 1992 and November 2010, 737 patients presenting with TN underwent GKS and prospective evaluation at Timone University Hospital in Marseille, France. In this study the authors analyzed the cases of 497 of these patients, who participated in follow-up longer than 1 year, did not have megadolichobasilar artery- or multiple sclerosis-related TN, and underwent GKS only once; in other words, the focus was on cases of classic TN with a single radiosurgical treatment. Radiosurgery was performed with a Leksell Gamma Knife (model B, C, or Perfexion) using both MR and CT imaging targeting. A single 4-mm isocenter was positioned in the cisternal portion of the trigeminal nerve at a median distance of 7.8 mm (range 4.5-14 mm) anterior to the emergence of the nerve. A median maximum dose of 85 Gy (range 70-90 Gy) was delivered. Using empirical methods and assisted by a chart with clear cut-off periods of pain free distribution, the authors were able to divide patients who experienced freedom from pain into 3 separate groups: patients who became pain free within the first 48 hours post-GKS; those who became pain free between 48 hours and 30 days post-GKS; and those who became pain free more than 30 days after GKS. Results The median age in the 497 patients was 68.3 years (range 28.1-93.2 years). The median follow-up period was 43.75 months (range 12-174.41 months). Four hundred fifty-four patients (91.34%) were initially pain free within a median time of 10 days (range 1-459 days) after GKS. One hundred sixty-nine patients (37.2%) became pain free within the first 48 hours (Group PF(≤ 48 hours)), 194 patients (42.8%) between posttreatment Day 3 and Day 30 (Group PF((>48 hours, ≤ 30 days))), and 91 patients (20%) after 30 days post-GKS (Group PF(>30 days)). Differences in postoperative hypesthesia were found: in Group PF(≤ 48 hours) 18 patients (13.7%) developed postoperative hypesthesia, compared with 30 patients (19%) in Group PF((>48 hours, ≤ 30 days)) and 22 patients (30.6%) in Group PF(>30 days) (p = 0.014). One hundred fifty-seven patients (34.4%) who initially became free from pain experienced a recurrence of pain with a median delay of 24 months (range 0.62-150.06 months). There were no statistically significant differences between the patient groups with respect to pain recurrence: 66 patients (39%) in Group PF(≤ 48 hours) experienced pain recurrence, compared with 71 patients (36.6%) in Group PF((>48 hours, ≤ 30 days)) and 27 patients (29.7%) in Group PF(>30 days) (p = 0.515). Conclusions A substantial number of patients (169 cases, 37.2%) became pain free within the first 48 hours. The rate of hypesthesia was higher in patients who became pain free more than 30 days after GKS, with a statistically significant difference between patient groups (p = 0.014).

Impact of Smoking, Smoking Cessation, and Genetic Polymorphisms on CYP1A2 Activity and Inducibility.

Cytochrome P4501A2 (CYP1A2) is involved in the metabolism of several drugs and is induced by smoking. We aimed to determine the interindividual change in CYP1A2 activity after smoking cessation and to relate it to CYP1A2 genetic polymorphisms. CYP1A2 activity was determined from the paraxanthine:caffeine ratio in 194 smokers and in 118 of them who had abstained from smoking during a 4-week period. The participants were genotyped for CYP1A2*1F, *1D, and *1C polymorphisms. Smokers had 1.55-fold higher CYP1A2 activity than nonsmokers (P < 0.0001). The individual change in CYP1A2 activity after smoking cessation ranged from 1.0-fold (no change) to a 7.3-fold decrease in activity. In five participants with low initial CYP1A2 activity, an increase was observed after smoking cessation. Before smoking cessation, the following factors were found to influence CYP1A2 activity: CYP1A2*1F (P = 0.005), CYP1A2*1D (P = 0.014), the number of cigarettes/day (P = 0.012), the use of contraceptives (P < 0.001), and -163A/-2467T/-3860G haplotype (P = 0.002). After quitting smoking, only CYP1A2*1F (P = 0.017) and the use of contraceptives (P = 0.05) had an influence. No influence of CYP1A2 polymorphisms on the inducibility of CYP1A2 was observed.