Vers un catholicisme du ressenti ? Les virtuoses et la recomposition d'une religiosité catholique au Québec en ce début de XXIe siècle.

Since 2001, several indicators of religiosity in Quebec show a loss of the dominant configuration of cultural Catholicism since the 1960s. The arrival of new generations is one of the causes of this transformation. A new regime of religiosity is at stake, of which the rise of the non-religious is one of the visible manifestations. But this is only one pole. At the other end of the spectrum are also strongly committed and churchgoers Catholics, with an assumed and asserted religious identity. The life stories of these new "virtuosos", collected as part of a research project on cultural Catholicism in Quebec, reveal the contours of this reshaping and its narrative framework. By describing and analyzing it, this article seeks to grasp what this figure of the virtuoso tells us about contemporary Quebec Catholicism. In this context, a new form of Catholic religiosity centered on feeling is emerging.

Depuis 2001, plusieurs indicateurs de la religiosité au Québec montrent un essoufflement de la configuration dominante que constitue depuis les années 1960 le catholicisme culturel. L'entrée en scène de nouvelles générations est à placer au nombre des causes de cette transformation. S'y joue la mise en place d'un nouveau régime de religiosité, dont la montée des sans-religions est l'une des manifestations visibles. Mais il ne s'agit là que d'un pôle. À l'autre bout du spectre se retrouvent également des catholiques fortement engagés, à l'identité religieuse assumée et revendiquée. Recueillis dans le cadre d'une recherche portant sur le catholicisme culturel au Québec, les récits de vie de ces nouveaux « virtuoses ¼ donnent à voir comment opère cette recomposition et quelle en est la trame narrative. En la décrivant et en l'analysant, le présent article cherche à saisir ce que cette figure du virtuose nous apprend du catholicisme québécois contemporain.

Murine Model for the Study of Influenza D Virus.

A novel genus within the Orthomyxoviridae family was identified in the United States and named influenza D virus (IDV). Bovines have been proposed to be the primary host, and three main viral lineages (D/OK-like, D/660-like, and D/Japan-like) have been described. Experimental infections had previously been performed in swine, ferrets, calves, and guinea pigs in order to study IDV pathogenesis. We developed a murine experimental model to facilitate the study of IDV pathogenesis and the immune response. DBA/2 mice were inoculated with 105 50% tissue culture infective dose (TCID50) of D/bovine/France/5920/2014 (D/OK-like). No clinical signs or weight loss were observed. Viral replication was observed mainly in the upper respiratory tract (nasal turbinates) but also in the lower respiratory tract of infected mice, with a peak at 4 days postinfection. Moreover, the virus was also detected in the intestines. All infected mice seroconverted by 14 days postinfection. Transcriptomic analyses demonstrated that IDV induced the activation of proinflammatory genes, such as gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and CCL2. Inoculation of NF-κB-luciferase and Ifnar1-/- mice demonstrated that IDV induced mild inflammation and that a type I interferon response was not necessary in IDV clearance. Adaptation of IDV by serial passages in mice was not sufficient to induce disease or increased pathogenesis. Taken together, present data and comparisons with the calf model show that our mouse model allows for the study of IDV replication and fitness (before selected viruses may be inoculated on calves) and also of the immune response.IMPORTANCE Influenza D virus (IDV), a new genus of Orthomyxoviridae family, presents a large host range and a worldwide circulation. The pathogenicity of this virus has been studied in the calf model. The mouse model is frequently used to enable a first assessment of a pathogen's fitness, replication, and pathogenesis for influenza A and B viruses. We showed that DBA/2 mice are a relevant in vivo model for the study of IDV replication. This model will allow for rapid IDV fitness and replication evaluation and will enable phenotypic comparisons between isolated viruses. It will also allow for a better understanding of the immune response induced after IDV infection.

Blockade of different muscarinic receptor subtypes changes the equilibrium between excitation and inhibition in rat visual cortex.

We have shown that cortical acetylcholine modulates the balance between excitation and inhibition evoked in layer 5 pyramidal neurons of rat visual cortex [Lucas-Meunier E, Monier C, Amar M, Baux G, Frégnac Y, Fossier P (2009) Cereb Cortex 19:2411-2427]. Our aim is now to establish a functional basis for the role of the different types of muscarinic receptors (MRs) on glutamate fibers and on GABAergic interneurons and to analyse their contribution to the modulation of excitation-inhibition balance in the rat visual cortex. To ascertain that there was a basis for our functional study, we first checked for the presence of the various MR subtypes by single cell RT-PCR and immunolabeling experiments. Then, recording the composite responses in layer 5 pyramidal neurons to layer 1-2 stimulation (which also recruits cholinergic fibers) in the presence of specific antagonists of the different types of MR allowed us to determine their modulatory role. We show that the specific blockade of the widely distributed M1R (with the mamba toxin, MT7) induced a significant increase in the excitatory conductance without modifying the inhibitory conductance, pointing to a localization of M1R on glutamatergic neurons where their activation would decrease the release of glutamate. From our functional results, M2/M4Rs appear to be located on glutamatergic neurons afferent to the recorded layer 5 pyramidal neuron and they decrease glutamate release. The extended distribution of M4Rs in the cortex compared to the restricted distribution of M2R (layers 3-5) is in favour of a major role as a modulator of M4R. The selective antagonist of M3Rs, 4-DAMP, decreased the inhibitory conductance, showing that activated M3Rs increase the release of GABA and thus are located on GABAergic interneurons. The activation of the different types of MRs located either on glutamatergic neurons or on GABAergic interneurons converges to reinforce the dominance of inhibitory inputs thus decreasing the excitability of layer 5 pyramidal neurons.

[Interventions during labor for reducing instrumental deliveries]. / Mesures à prendre pendant le travail pour réduire le nombre d'extractions instrumentales.

Several interventions have been demonstrated, with high evidence levels (EL), to be associated with reduced instrumental deliveries and should therefore be undertaken during labor for increasing spontaneous vaginal deliveries. Using a partogram (EL1) and continuous support during labor and childbirth (EL1) lead to fewer operative vaginal deliveries. Systematic early amniotomy increases the frequency of fetal heart rate abnormalities (EL2) without decreasing the incidence of instrumental deliveries (EL1) and should thus be avoided. Early oxytocin in dysfunctional labor (EL2) and manual rotation of posterior and transverse presentations (EL3) may reduce operative vaginal deliveries. Even without epidural analgesia, any upright or lateral positions compared to supine or lithotomy positions do not reduce instrumental deliveries (EL2). Epidural analgesia alters significantly instrumental delivery rates and therefore patient management in the labor ward. Indeed, when used with high concentration of local anesthetic, epidural analgesia is associated with increased operative vaginal deliveries (EL1), at least in part because of increased posterior presentations (EL2). However, the effect of epidural analgesia on instrumental delivery rates closely depends from the type of anesthetic and concentrations used. This effect is reduced when low concentrations of local anesthetic are used in combination with fat-soluble morphinated agent (EL1). Finally, for nulliparous women with continuous epidural analgesia, unless irresistible urge to push or medical indication to shorten second stage of labor, delayed pushing is associated with reduced difficult instrumental deliveries (EL1). Fundal pressure maneuvers should be prohibited because of their inefficiency (EL2) and dangerousness (EL4).

Cholinergic modulation of the cortical neuronal network.

Acetylcholine (ACh) is an important neurotransmitter of the CNS that binds both nicotinic and muscarinic receptors to exert its action. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of cholinergic receptors have still not been completely elucidated. Central cholinergic neurons, mainly located in basal forebrain, send their projections to different structures including the cortex. The cortical innervation is diffuse and roughly topographic, which has prompted some authors to suspect a modulating role of ACh on the activity of the cortical network rather than a direct synaptic role. The cholinergic system is implicated in functional, behavioural and pathological states including cognitive function, nicotine addiction, Alzheimer's disease, Tourette's syndrome, epilepsies and schizophrenia. As these processes depend on the activation of glutamatergic and GABAergic systems, the cholinergic terminals must exert their effects via the modulation of excitatory and/or inhibitory neurotransmission. However, the understanding of cholinergic modulation is complex because it is the result of a mixture of positive and negative modulation, implying that there are various types, or even subtypes, of cholinergic receptors. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on central cholinergic systems (projections and receptors) and then aim to focus on the implications for ACh in the modulation of cortical neuronal activity.

Chimeric green fluorescent protein-aequorin as bioluminescent Ca2+ reporters at the single-cell level.

Monitoring calcium fluxes in real time could help to understand the development, the plasticity, and the functioning of the central nervous system. In jellyfish, the chemiluminescent calcium binding aequorin protein is associated with the green fluorescent protein and a green bioluminescent signal is emitted upon Ca(2+) stimulation. We decided to use this chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer between the two molecules. Calcium-sensitive bioluminescent reporter genes have been constructed by fusing green fluorescent protein and aequorin, resulting in much more light being emitted. Chemiluminescent and fluorescent activities of these fusion proteins have been assessed in mammalian cells. Cytosolic Ca(2+) increases were imaged at the single-cell level with a cooled intensified charge-coupled device camera. This bifunctional reporter gene should allow the investigation of calcium activities in neuronal networks and in specific subcellular compartments in transgenic animals.

[Medical termination of pregnancy for fetal anomaly: the patient's point of view]. / Interruption médicale de grossesse pour anomalie foetale. Le point de vue des patientes]

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the patient's point of view concerning pregnancy termination for fetal anomaly. METHODS: A questionnaire concerning the different steps of medical termination of pregnancy was given to 103 women on day 2 after termination. RESULTS: Most women thought that they were the ones who should make the decision (67%). Complete information prior to the procedure was greatly appreciated (81%). Physical pain remained one of the main concerns for patients given Dilapan. 94% of the women had epidural anesthesia before induction. Various mourning patterns were observed. Only 41% of the women wished to see their baby after termination; there was a correlation with age of pregnancy and social environment. Psychological assistance involved the entire team and a consultation with a pedopsychiatrist (81%). The most painful moment was the moment when breaking the new of the fetal anomaly. CONCLUSION: The women were very much in need of expressing their sorrow very soon after the event. Team work and lack of rigidity in care taking enhances the expression of individual resources, both by the medical team and the patients. Three points were highlighted by the patients.--the desire to participate in the decision making;--the importance of in-depth information on technical aspects of the procedure;--initial new breaking is recognized as a major trauma.

A conotoxin from Conus textile with unusual posttranslational modifications reduces presynaptic Ca2+ influx.

Cone snails are gastropod mollusks of the genus Conus that live in tropical marine habitats. They are predators that paralyze their prey by injection of venom containing a plethora of small, conformationally constrained peptides (conotoxins). We report the identification, characterization, and structure of a gamma-carboxyglutamic acid-containing peptide, conotoxin epsilon-TxIX, isolated from the venom of the molluscivorous cone snail, Conus textile. The disulfide bonding pattern of the four cysteine residues, an unparalleled degree of posttranslational processing including bromination, hydroxylation, and glycosylation define a family of conotoxins that may target presynaptic Ca2+ channels or act on G protein-coupled presynaptic receptors via another mechanism. This conotoxin selectively reduces neurotransmitter release at an Aplysia cholinergic synapse by reducing the presynaptic influx of Ca2+ in a slow and reversible fashion. The three-dimensional structure, determined by two-dimensional 1H NMR spectroscopy, identifies an electronegative patch created by the side chains of two gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues that extend outward from a cavernous cleft. The glycosylated threonine and hydroxylated proline enclose a localized hydrophobic region centered on the brominated tryptophan residue within the constrained intercysteine region.