- 2023
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Press releases - 21.02.2023
A blood factor involved in depression
Scientists from the Institut Pasteur, CNRS and Inserm have discovered that administration of the GDF11 protein, which is known to regenerate murine neural stem cells, improves cognitive abilities and reduces the depressive state in aged mice. They also demonstrated the mechanism of action of this protein in different mouse models. The scientists then investigated these results further in relation to depression, and showed that in humans, the levels of GDF11 are inversely related to depressive episodes.
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Press releases - 20.02.2023
Obesity and Overweight: Almost One in Two French People Affected. Current Situation, Prevention and Therapeutic Solutions
Obesity is a global public health problem whose incidence continues to increase. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of cases worldwide has almost tripled since 1975.
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Press releases - 13.02.2023
Who are the first ancestors of present-day fish?
What is the origin of the ancestors of present-day fish? What species evolved from them? A 50-year-old scientific controversy revolved around the question of which group, the “bony-tongues” or the “eels”, was the oldest. A study by INRAE, the CNRS, the Pasteur Institute, Inserm and the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, has just put an end to the debate by showing through genomic analysis that these fishes are in fact one and the same group, given the rather peculiar name of “Eloposteoglossocephala”.
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Press releases - 01.02.2023
Professor Didier Samuel Appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Inserm
Appointed today in the Council of Ministers following the proposal of the Minister of Higher Education and Research and the Minister of Health and Prevention, Professor Didier Samuel becomes Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Inserm.
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Press releases - 26.01.2023
Cystic Fibrosis: A New Therapeutic Avenue Thanks to Research Into an Edible Mushroom
Une molécule issue d’un champignon comestible pourrait ouvrir des perspectives thérapeutiques pour des patients atteints de mucoviscidose, la maladie génétique rare la plus fréquente. Une équipe de recherche dirigée par Fabrice Lejeune, chercheur Inserm au sein du laboratoire Cancer heterogeneity, plasticity and resistance to Therapies (Inserm/ CNRS/ Université de Lille/Institut Pasteur de Lille/CHU Lille) a testé les effets de la 2,6-diaminopurine (DAP), l’un des principes actifs contenus dans le champignon Lepista flaccida, dans différents modèles expérimentaux de la maladie. Les scientifiques ont ainsi montré que cette molécule pourrait avoir un intérêt thérapeutique pour les patients atteints de mucoviscidose liée à une mutation particulière, dite mutation non-sens.
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Press releases - 25.01.2023
Discovery of a circovirus involved in human hepatitis
Scientists from the Institut Pasteur, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital (AP-HP), Inserm in the Imagine Institute, Université Paris Cité and the Alfort National Veterinary School (EnvA) have identified a previously unknown species of circovirus, provisionally named human circovirus 1 (HCirV-1). Circoviruses are a family of small, highly resistant DNA viruses that were initially identified in 1974 in various animal species, where they can cause respiratory, renal, dermatological and reproductive problems. HCirV-1 is a novel virus that is distant from known animal circoviruses. It was shown to be implicated in damage to the liver of a patient undergoing immunosuppressive treatment.
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Press releases - 25.01.2023
Dengue and Zika Viruses: Towards a Better Understanding of the Mechanisms of Transmission
Aedes mosquitoes are the principal vectors of dengue and other arboviruses, including Zika, for which no vaccines or antiviral treatments currently exist. Understanding the factors that influence the transmission of arboviruses from mosquitoes to humans is therefore a priority because it could guide the implementation of public health measures that could limit or even prevent epidemics. In a new study, a team of researchers from Inserm, CNRS and Université de Strasbourg at the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, in collaboration with the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, described the virome (the totality of the viruses) present in 800 mosquitoes collected in six countries across four continents. The scientists show that out of the 12 viruses identified, two of them do not infect humans but increase the potential for transmission of dengue and Zika. The mechanism involved reveals the existence of a new cellular factor hijacked by arboviruses in mosquitoes.
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Press releases - 23.01.2023
Reproductive Life Factors and Hormone Therapy May Affect Women’s Risk of Parkinson’s Disease
Exposure to the hormones involved in female reproductive life is one of the avenues explored at the Epidemiology and Population Health Research Center (CESP) by a research team from Inserm, Université Paris-Saclay, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines with Institut Gustave Roussy, which compared the reproductive characteristics of nearly 1,200 women with Parkinson’s disease with those of other women from the E3N cohort . Their findings show that age at first menstrual period, number of pregnancies, type of menopause and a molecule used to improve fertility are associated with a higher risk of developing the disease.
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Press releases - 17.01.2023
Dietary Exposure to Nitrites Associated with Increased Type 2 Diabetes Risk
Researchers from Inserm, INRAE, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité and Cnam, as part of the Nutritional epidemiology research team (EREN-CRESS), studied the role of dietary nitrites and nitrates in the development of type 2 diabetes. The scientists analyzed data on the health and exposure to nitrites/nitrates of 104,168 French adults participating in the NutriNet-Santé cohort study. While their statistical analyses suggest an association between the consumption of nitrites and increased type 2 diabetes risk, no such link has been found with nitrates.
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Press releases - 16.01.2023
A Bacterium to Protect the Microbiota from the Harmful Effect of Food Additives
Emulsifiers are food additives that are used to improve texture and extend shelf life. They are found in many processed products (ice cream, packaged cakes, sauces, etc.) despite having demonstrated harmful effects on intestinal balance. In a new study, scientists from Inserm, CNRS and Université Paris Cité at Institut Cochin in Paris sought to counteract these effects by using Akkermansia muciniphila, a bacterium naturally present in the intestine, to repopulate and thus strengthen the intestinal epithelium. The addition of this bacterium to the gut microbiota is thought to prevent the damage caused by the consumption of emulsifiers.