Inserm Newsroom - Press room of the French national institute of health and medical research

The latest trends in healthy life expectancy in the European Union

A key priority for the European Union is to ensure its ageing population keeps as healthy as possible and it has set a target to increase the number of healthy life years (HLY) by 2 years from 2010 to 2020. The European Joint Action on “healthy life years” (EHLEIS) coordinated by the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM, France), the Member States and the European Commission together monitor and analyze trends in health expectancies in Europe. Here are the latest results on healthy life expectancy at age 65 years

Breathe…inhale…run

Salbutamol is a classic asthma treatment. Its administration via inhalation stimulates the beta-2 receptors of the bronchial walls, dilating the bronchiae and thus allowing for greater respiratory capacity. Its  use as a doping product is currently under review. An Inserm team headed by Samuel Vergès (Inserm Unit 1042 “Hypoxia and cardiovascular and respiratory physiopathology”) attempted […]

Spermatozoa losing speed

Infertility affects between 7% and 12% of couples worldwide. The causes of male infertility include several defects of the sperm including asthenozoospermia. This is a deficiency in the motility of spermatozoa, an essential ingredient for an encounter between the sexual cells during reproduction. Asthenozoospermia, detected in more than 40% of infertile men, is often associated […]

The surprising ability of blood stem cells to respond to emergencies

Une équipe de chercheurs de l’Inserm révéle aujourd’hui un rôle inattendu des cellules souches hématopoïétiques : outre leur capacité à assurer le renouvellement continu de nos cellules sanguines ces dernières sont aussi capables de produire, « à la demande » et en urgence, les globules blancs qui permettent à l’organisme de faire face à une inflammation ou une infection.

Adolescents aujourd’hui, adultes demain

L’Inserm, explore la riche thématique des passages de l’enfance à l’adolescence et de l’adolescence vers l’âge adulte. Quels rites de passage ou moments initiatiques les adolescents traversent-ils pour devenir adulte ? Ont-ils évolué ? Quelle vision la jeune génération a-t-elle de la vie d’adulte ?

Les résultats de l’étude Ipsos Santé / Fondation Pfizer¹ « Regards croisés des adolescents, des adultes et des séniors » révèlent que pour 51% des adolescents et 67% des adultes, la sexualité et plus généralement les changements du corps sont les principaux marqueurs de l’adolescence. L’âge adulte est, quant à lui, synonyme de responsabilités pour 70% des jeunes et 74% des aînés.

Parkinson’s disease: can the brain be regenerated?

Parkinson’s disease Day was held on 12 April; about 100,000 people in France suffer from it. Parkinson’s disease was described for the first time by James Parkinson in 1817; it is a degenerative condition, often of unknown origin. The disease mainly affects people aged over 60. The first symptoms for diagnosing the illness are a […]

Is the mother’s immune system capable of protecting the foetus from cytomegalovirus infection?

An infection from the cytomegalovirus (CMV), a virus belong to the herpesviridae family, usually goes unnoticed in a healthy subject, but in pregnant women, it can be harmful to the foetus.

The health of 30 000 students to be monitored over 10 years

The i-Share study, the only one of its type in the world, intends to monitor the state of health of 30 000 students over a period of 10 years. It will provide precious information on the state of health of students, to ensure better management of the health system for this population. This cohort study is being carried out by Inserm, the Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and the Université de Bordeaux

(French) Les enfants de la cohorte Elfe fêtent déjà leur deuxième anniversaire !

Le deuxième anniversaire des premiers bébés, en ce début avril, est l’occasion pour les équipes de l’étude d’établir un bilan d’étape et de présenter les prochaines échéances. Les premiers résultats seront communiqués en 2014.

Producing new neurones under all circumstances: a challenge that is just a mouse away ….

INSERM and CEA researchers recently showed that the pharmacological blocking of the TGFβ molecule improves the production of new neurones in the mouse model.