- 2016
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Press releases - 23.03.2016
A study demonstrates the possibility of changing the behaviour of the gaze by transcranial magnetic stimulation
A study financed by the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris[1] has been conducted under the direction of Monica Zilbovicius[2] in the Inserm Unit 1000 on a particular region of the brain, the superior temporal sulcus (STS), influencing perception and behaviour of the gaze. This work has shown that transcranial magnetic stimulation (non-invasive and painless) of the STS can selectively and transiently inhibit the subject’s gaze into the eyes of the person speaking to them. Published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, it offers new therapeutic prospects for autistic patients precisely presenting anatomical and functional differences of the superior temporal sulcus.
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Press releases - 21.03.2016
Cycle « Santé en questions » citizen conferences: the next meetings
Since 2012, to promote dialogue between science and society, Inserm and Universcience has offered « Santé en questions », an annual cycle of citizen conferences. The aim is to provide information about advances in life sciences and healthcare research, but also to allow the public to tell their story and talk to the speakers. These conferences are chaired by a journalist and held by link up between the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris and a regional partner site. The filmed conferences are available on the Internet and summarised in a booklet sent to politicians and distributed with the latest edition of the French magazine La Recherche.
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Press releases - 17.03.2016
Discovery of a gene associated with radiosensitivity and post-radiotherapy complications
Scientists at the CEA’s Institute of Cellular and Molecular Radiation Biology, in collaboration with INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, and international partners, have demonstrated a connection between the expression of the TRAIL gene, which plays a role in cell death, and the radiosensitivity of certain human T lymphocytes. This research also showed a relationship between three genetic forms of TRAIL and the radiosensitivity of these T lymphocytes. Finally, two of these genetic forms of TRAIL were linked with serious skin complications in breast cancer patients treated with radiotherapy. These results, published on the Oncotarget website on 16th March 2016, indicate how determining the radiosensitivity of lymphocytes and studying the gene polymorphisms associated with this radiosensitivity could lead to personalised radiotherapy.
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Press releases - 11.03.2016
Reuters Ranking: CEA, CNRS and Inserm in the Top 10 worldwide research institutions for innovation
The ranking compiled by Thomson Reuters covers the “25 public institutions that contribute most to scientific and technological advancement worldwide” according to Reuters. The CEA is topping the list of worldwide organisations, with CNRS in 5th place and Inserm in 10th place.
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Press releases - 09.03.2016
Brain Awareness Week 2016: 14–20 March
The 17th edition of Brain Awareness Week will take place from 14 to 20 March 2016, in 62 countries as well as France. During this week, the general public is invited to come and meet researchers in order to better understand the workings of the brain and to find out about advances in research.
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What's on? - 09.03.2016
Brain Awareness Week 2016: 14–20 March
The 17th edition of Brain Awareness Week will take place from 14 to 20 March 2016, in 62 countries as well as France. During this week, the general public is invited to come and meet researchers in order to better understand the workings of the brain and to find out about advances in research. Researchers […]
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Press releases - 09.03.2016
Towards better understanding of the side effects of radiotherapy
Two studies, one theoretical and the other biological and clinical, conducted by Nicolas Foray, radiobiologist at the Combined Research Unit 1052 ‘Cancer Research Centre of Lyon’ (Inserm/CNRS/Centre Léon-Bérard/Lyon I University), have just been published in the International Journal of Radiation Biology and the International Journal of Radiation Oncology. These two studies allow a better understanding of the adverse side effects of radiotherapy. They propose a new theory about the cellular response to ionising radiation. This theory is based on having revealed a protein called ATM passing from the cytoplasm to the nucleus of irradiated cells. Once inside the nucleus, the ATM protein initiates repair of breaks in the DNA: the longer this transit is delayed, the greater the radio-sensitivity of the cells and the more marked the adverse side effects of the radiotherapy.
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Press releases - 08.03.2016
1st case of acute myelitis in a patient infected with Zika virus
A first case of acute myelitis following infection with Zika virus has been reported for the first time by a research team from Inserm Unit 1127 Brain and Spinal Cord Institute (Inserm/CNRS/Sorbonne University) and neurologists at Pointe-à-Pitre University Hospital and the University of the Antilles. A young patient in the acute phase of an infection by Zika virus presented motor deficiency in the 4 limbs, associated with very intense pain and acute urinary retention. The presence of the virus was confirmed in the cerebrospinal fluid, blood and urine.
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News in brief - 03.03.2016
Final results of JIKI trial
Ebola fever is an extremely lethal disease, for which there is no proven effective treatment. In September 2014, at the height of the epidemic, the World Health Organisation released a shortlist of drugs suitable for studies on Ebola virus (EBOV) disease, including favipiravir, an antiviral drug developed for the treatment of severe forms of […]
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Press releases - 01.03.2016
Intellectual Disabilities, a collective expert review by Inserm
According to the World Health Organisation and other recognised authorities, intellectual disability (ID) refers to an intelligence deficit (significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information and learning and applying new skills) as well as limitations in adaptive functioning[1]. These limitations appear during the developmental period. Intellectual disability is common and affects about 1 to 2% of the population. The recent knowledge explosion regarding the causes of ID, as well as the underlying cognitive and adaptive processes, provides a better insight into the ability of people with intellectual disabilities to functional and develops appropriate strategies for learning, care and support