- 2015
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What's on? - 26.11.2015
Seasonal influenza: launch of the 5th season of GrippeNet.fr
Surveillance of the virus in metropolitan France continues nonetheless, with the launch of the fifth season of GrippeNet.fr this Wednesday, 25 November. Originally launched in January 2012 by the Sentinelles network team (Inserm – UPMC) and the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS), GrippeNet.fr offers everyone living in metropolitan France, whatever his/her health status, a chance […]
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Press releases - 25.11.2015
Current policies have failed to reduce the number of neural tube defects in Europe
Every year, nearly 5,000 pregnancies in Europe are affected by neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly (malformations of the brain and skull), with serious consequences for the newborn infants. Taking nutritional supplements containing folic acid (or vitamin B9) before and during early pregnancy may considerably reduce the risk, but studies show that only a minority of women do so. A study published today in The British Medical Journal, and coordinated by Babak Khoshnood, Inserm Research Director (Inserm Unit 1153 “Sorbonne Paris Cité Research Center in Epidemiology and Biostatistics”) concludes that there has been no decrease in neural tube defects over a 20-year period. The researchers urge the decision-makers to consider establishing a policy of mandatory folic acid fortification of some staple foods, such as flour or cereals.
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Press releases - 24.11.2015
Gut Microbes Signal to the Brain When They’re Full
Don’t have room for dessert? The bacteria in your gut may be telling you something. Twenty minutes after a meal, gut microbes produce proteins that can suppress food intake in animals, reports a study published November 24 in Cell Metabolism. The researchers also show how these proteins injected into mice and rats act on the brain reducing appetite, suggesting that gut bacteria may help control when and how much we eat.
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Press releases - 23.11.2015
Defective connections throughout the brain involved in certain autistic disorders
Researchers at Neurocentre Magendie (Inserm/University of Bordeaux) have just shown how altered connections between cells of the nervous system are involved in fragile X syndrome, a cause of severe autistic spectrum disorders. Using MRI, Andreas Frick, Inserm Research Fellow, and his team have actually observed, in a mouse model of this syndrome, an alteration in the connections and communication between different areas of the brain. These new data are likely to explain certain symptoms of autistic spectrum disorders, such as hypersensitivity to sensory information and alterations in visual perception.
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Press releases - 20.11.2015
Pier-Vincenzo Piazza receives the Inserm Grand Prix 2015
On 8 December next, at Collège de France, the Inserm Prizes for 2015 will be awarded to eight outstanding researchers and research engineers. The Inserm Grand Prix 2015 will be awarded to Pier-Vincenzo Piazza, in recognition for his body of work on the physiopathology of psychiatric illnesses, in the presence of Marisol Touraine, Minister of Social Affairs and Health, Thierry Mandon, Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research, Professor Yves Lévy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Inserm, and Jean-Yves Le Déaut, Member of Parliament.
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Press releases - 19.11.2015
A new neural circuit involved in the control of movement
The team led by Claire Wyart, an Inserm researcher at the Brain and Spine Institute, has just demonstrated the ability of sensory neurons located in the spinal cord to modulate movement. In the zebrafish, the researchers have shown that activation of these neurons triggers locomotion when the animal is at rest, and inhibits it when the animal is moving. These results offer hope that it will one day be possible to specifically stimulate these circuits in order to generate movement in patients with spinal cord injuries. This work is published in Current Biology.
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Press releases - 12.11.2015
Inserm goes into space with Thomas Pesquet
In one year’s time, French ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will take off for the International Space Station (ISS), on board which he will conduct scientific experiments prepared by researchers from Inserm. The scientific and technical programme for this ESA (European Space Agency) mission includes significant participation by France, managed by CNES (National Centre for Space Studies). Research projects from 3 Inserm laboratories will be conducted in orbit. Their purpose will be to study the effects of space on bone density, blood pressure and sleep. Data collected before, during and after the 6-month mission will be analysed by the researchers back on earth to obtain a better understanding of the related pathologies.
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Press releases - 11.11.2015
An indicator for predicting emergence from coma
Researchers from Unit 825, “Brain imaging and neurological handicaps” show that the quality of communication between two structures in the brain predicts patient recovery at 3 months.
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Press releases - 10.11.2015
November 14th 2015: world diabetes day
Initiated by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization, World Diabetes Day, which takes place next Saturday, 14 November, is aimed at sensitising and informing the general public about diabetes prevention and management. Diabetes, type 1 or type 2, is a chronic disease characterised by insufficient production of insulin, or by poor […]
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What's on? - 10.11.2015
November 14th 2015: world diabetes day
Initiated by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization, World Diabetes Day, which takes place next Saturday, 14 November, is aimed at sensitising and informing the general public about diabetes prevention and management. Diabetes, type 1 or type 2, is a chronic disease characterised by insufficient production of insulin, or by poor […]