Menu

World multiple sclerosis Day

 

Multiple sclerosis ©Inserm/RIEGER F

World MS Day 2019 will take place on 30 May.

The 2019 campaign is called ‘My Invisible MS’ and the theme is visibility.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. It causes the progressive destruction of the myelin sheath surrounding the nerve cells, which is essential for their protection and for the transmission of nerve impulses, leading to motor, sensory, and cognitive disruption.

Inserm teams are mobilized to further research into MS.

At present, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used to diagnose and follow up patients with the disease. However, no imaging tools exist to predict the onset of relapse.

Researchers from the “SpPrIng” team, led by Fabian Docagne at Inserm Unit 1237 in Caen, France, have developed an MRI technique in which the progression of the disease can be followed in space and time in a murine model of MS. To do this, they used MRI-detectable iron beads that bind to the adhesion molecules.

The ability to effectively repair myelin is a key factor in countering the progression of MS. Understanding why and how some patients are able to better manage the disease than others is essential.

Sunday, May 12th: International Fibromyalgia Awareness Day

Centre d'évaluation et de traitement de la douleur de l'hôpital Ambroise Paré

©Inserm/ Delapierre, Patrick

26th International Fibromyalgia Awareness Day

Recognized as a rheumatic disease by the WHO in 1992, fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic widespread and persistent pain occurring in multiple areas of the body. This affects functional capacity, which varies over time and from individual to individual.

According to the French National Authority for Health (HAS), between 1.4% and 2.2% of the country’s population are considered to be affected, with 80% of those diagnosed being women.

In addition, sufferers very frequently experience chronic fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, attention and sleep disorders, as well as mood disturbances. These symptoms that are associated with the chronic pain encountered in fibromyalgia can negatively impact daily living activities. Sufferers may find it difficult to hold down a job, for example, or their family or social lives may be affected, which can in turn lead to depression.

In addition to being difficult to diagnose, many attempts have been made to treat fibromyalgia, involving medication and other types of therapy.

A collective expert review by Inserm on fibromyalgia, commissioned by the Direction Générale de la Santé (French Department of Health), is currently being carried out. The results will be published by the end of the year.

Committed to improving the diagnosis of fibromyalgia and the management of the associated chronic pain, the researchers at Inserm are available to answer your questions.

Read more on the subject on the Inserm Press Room :

“A new solution for chronic pain“, published 03/12/2018

Read the article (in French) “Fibromyalgie, l’invisible douleur “, published in Science&Santé (n°35, March-April 2017).

Tuesday, 9 May : World Asthma Day

Clarifications by Inserm following the fraud allegations surrounding the age of Jeanne Calment

In the wake of the fraud allegations surrounding the age of Jeanne Calment which have received widespread mass media and social media coverage, Inserm as a leading life sciences and health research organization wishes to make clear the following:

– In 1998, following two years of research, Doctor Michel Allard from Fondation Ipsen and Jean-Marie Robine, demographer and public health researcher at Inserm published a letter in the journal Science, entitled The Oldest Human. Their findings, based on numerous civil and religious documents, supported the validity of Jeanne Calment’s death aged 122. Between them, the researchers have published several hundreds of articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

– The contribution of the Inserm researchers involved studying the quality of the documents available in the Arles archives (personal records, parish registries, census lists and school/military documents, etc.) and analyzing them with particular focus on the contribution of genetic factors to Jeanne Calment’s longevity. In doing so they revealed an extraordinary concentration of long-lived ancestors of Jeanne Calment and her brother François (Science 1998).

– The Fondation Ipsen study, A la recherche du secret des centenaires, for which Jean-Marie Robine had developed a specific protocol with Michel Allard, was the first to require age verification for all centenarian studies. This pioneering survey of the health and quality of life of the very elderly put an end to the use of convenience samples, ushering in the most modern epidemiological methods and questioning in the study of very old age. Since then, surveys concerning centenarians and nonagenarians endeavor to be as representative as possible. The Danish, Italian and Japanese surveys can be cited in this respect. The ongoing Five Country Oldest-Old People (5_COOP) study, also coordinated by Inserm, is based on a standardized survey conducted in the same way in Denmark, France, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland. It shows that not all centenarians are frail, suffering from dementia, or dependent and it illustrates the immense variation in health states at that age (Herr et al. 2018).

– Inserm proposes joining forces with the town of Arles in the immediate future to scan and make the genetic hypotheses and documents used to validate the lifespan of Jeanne Calment accessible to the community (Open Data).

– The researchers have 15 hours of recordings of Jeanne Calment, in the form of some thirty interviews conducted between 1992 and 1995. Before allowing public access, it must be ensured that they do not or no longer contain any information of a private or medical nature.

– Continuing the Open Science approach, an international database on supercentenarians (over 110) whose ages have been validated in 15 countries (including France) went online in 2010, marking the publication of the book Supercentenarians (www.supercentenarians.org). This database will in the near future be updated and extended to include those between the ages of 105 and 109 with the publication of a second book in the same collection. The data for the French section of this database is supplied by researchers from Inserm and INED.

– It is not within the remit of Inserm to support any requests for exhumation which do not fall within its field of competence.

– In scientific research, the burden of proof lies with those who propose new hypotheses or claim to have uncovered new findings. It is not for Inserm researchers to underpin the theory of the Russian objectors. Their arguments, should they have any, must be submitted to a peer-reviewed scientific journal which is responsible for validating the robustness of the research in question.

References

Robine J.M., Allard M. The oldest human. Science. 1998. Mar 20;279(5358):1831.

Robine J.M., Allard M. Jeanne Calment: validation of the duration of her life. In: Jeune B, Vaupel JW, editors. Validation of exceptional longevity. Odense monographs on population Aging; 6. Odense: Odense University Press; 1999. p. 145-72.

Herr M., Jeune B., Fors S., Andersen-Ranberg K., Ankri J., Arai Y., et al. Frailty and Associated Factors among Centenarians in the 5-COOP Countries. Gerontology. 2018. Jul 20:1-11.

Maier H., Gampe J., Jeune B., Robine J.M., Vaupel J.W., editors. Supercentenarians. Berlin: Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag; 2010.

Research into a Ricin Antidote – What’s New?

Crédits: AdobeStock

Back in 2016, a team from Inserm had made a major contribution to the development of an aerosol capable of rapidly administering, into the deepest reaches of the lungs, an antidote to ricin. Ricin is highly toxic when inhaled and dreaded in the event of a bioterrorism attack.

Three years: this is the time it took an Inserm team at the Research Center for Respiratory Diseases (Tours) to develop an aerosol capable of depositing a ricin antidote into the deepest reaches of the lungs. This research was performed as part of an international consortium, involving the Université de Tours, the French Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA) and DTF medical (Saint-Etienne), a company specialized in innovative medical devices.

Among the challenges addressed: adapt this antibody for clinical use and, above all, succeed in effectively delivering it into the lungs – particularly into the small air sacs where ricin has a devastating effect.  This is the reason why the French army sought the help of an Inserm laboratory specialized in biological medicinal product administration via the respiratory route.  The project was funded by the French government defense procurement and technology agency (DGA).

Consult the full article on the Inserm website

Video Game Addiction Recognized by the World Health Organization

Crédits : AdobeStock

With the publication of the new International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) on June 18, 2018, WHO officially recognizes the existence of a “gaming disorder”.

In its collective expert review of 2014 on addictive behaviors in adolescents, Inserm had already mentioned this form of addiction.

As part of the preparation of the French Government Plan 2013-2017 to combat drugs and addictive behaviors, the  Interministerial Mission for the Fight against Drugs and Drug Addiction (Mildt) had requested that Inserm prepare an overview of scientific knowledge regarding the susceptibility of adolescents (aged 10 to 18 years) to use psychoactive substances (whose consumption is notable in young people) as well as their susceptibility to develop other habits known to potentially cause problems, particularly video games.

This research is based on scientific data available in the second half of 2013. Approximately 1,400 articles constitute the documentary basis of this expert report.

Here is what was written on the subject of video games:

  • Use of video games /Internet

In 2011, out of the 80% of 17-year-olds who stated having used the Internet in the previous seven days, approximately one in four used it for 2-5 hours a day; fewer than one in five for 5-10 hours, and one in ten used it for over 10 hours a day.

Depending on the country and the measurement method used, the prevalence of problem Internet use by adolescents is thought to vary from 2 to 12%. In France, in 2011, initial estimations show that 3-5% of 17-year-olds may be involved.

Furthermore, 5% of 17-year-olds are thought to play video games for 5 to 10 hours a day.  Although the total time spent playing games is higher for boys than for girls, the time spent in front of a screen is identical, since girls are heavier users of social networking.

While video games may have positive aspects, especially regarding the development of cognitive and spatial functions, they may also lead to a loss of control and behavioral problems.  Among the various types of games, MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games), usually played by boys, have been described as particularly addictive.

Of the 17-year-old players (all types of video games), 26% stated that they had encountered problems at school or at work, and approximately 4% stated that they had experienced money problems in the previous year because of their playing habits.

Associated harm

Apart from the time spent, which can sometimes prove to be very long, problems of a psychological and somatic nature may occur in cases of excessive use: sleep disorders, irritability, sadness, anxiety, isolation, deterioration in academic performance, problems with parents, etc. Problem use of video games may encourage use of substances (tobacco, cannabis, alcohol, energy drinks, etc.), and increase the risk of a sedentary behavior and overweight.

Usutu Virus Detected in a Patient in Montpellier in 2016

Usutu is an arbovirus from the same family as the Zika and West Nile viruses. Like its cousins, it is transmitted by mosquitoes. While we know that it is responsible for high mortality in birds, principally passerines, knowledge on human pathology remains limited.

As with other arboviruses, the majority of cases of human infection are probably asymptomatic. Nevertheless, rare neurological complications have been reported, justifying further research into its mechanism of action.

Only 26 cases of human infection by Usutu have been reported in Europe, a figure which is most certainly underestimated according to Yannick Simonin, lecturer-researcher specialized in the virus, given the non-existence of commercial screening tests and the general ignorance of the associated symptoms.

Animal studies show very strong neurological tropism of Usutu. Very recently, Simonin and his team from Unit 1058 “Pathogenesis and control of chronic infections” (Inserm/Université Montpellier/Montpellier University Hospital/ EFS) published in Emerging Infectious Diseases results showing its presence in the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient from Montpellier University Hospital in 2016, confirming this neurotropism. The clinical symptoms of the patient, which included temporary facial paralysis, had not until that point been linked to any specific disease. Additional investigations are necessary if we are to improve our understanding of the clinical picture associated with this emerging virus.

The research activities developed by JRU 1058 include determining the virulence, notably neuronal, of the various Usutu strains circulating in France in order to compare them in the laboratory and evaluate their pathogenicity. The Unit is also studying the transmission mechanisms of the virus in order to better elucidate the associated risks.

The Astre unit of CIRAD partner of Unit 1058 for this study, is also participating in vector mapping the Usutu virus.

World multiple sclerosis Day

Monday, May 28 is World MS Day.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. It causes the progressive destruction of the myelin sheath surrounding the nerve cells, which is essential for their protection and for the transmission of nerve impulses, leading to motor, sensory, and cognitive disruption.

The ability to effectively repair myelin is a key factor in controlling the progression of the disease.

 

Inserm teams are mobilized to further research into MS.

At present, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used to diagnose and follow up patients with the disease. However, no imaging tools exist to predict the onset of relapse.

Researchers from the “SpPrIng” team, led by Fabian Docagne at Inserm Unit 1237 in Caen, France, have developed an MRI technique in which the progression of the disease can be followed in space and time in a murine model of MS. To do this, they used MRI-detectable iron beads that bind to the adhesion molecules.

The ability to effectively repair myelin is a key factor in countering the progression of MS. Understanding why and how some patients are able to better manage the disease than others is essential.

To gain a better understanding of the phenomenon, Inserm researchers transplanted lymphocytes from healthy donors or MS patients into the demyelinated lesions in the spinal cord of mice. The study of lymphocytes from patients with strong capacities for remyelination is a promising route to the development of new myelin regeneration strategies.

Ebola: Inserm Committed to Fighting this Epidemic

According to a recent report published by WHO on 05/23/2018, the death toll of the Ebola epidemic in the northwest Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 20 is 27 – out of 58 confirmed or suspected cases. The public health risk can be considered high due to its potential to spread into urban areas and neighboring countries.

The latest on Inserm’s commitment to fighting this epidemic.

Inserm and its partners at Aviesan have created REACTing, a multidisciplinary consortium bringing together research groups and laboratories of excellence in order to prepare and coordinate research to combat the health crises linked to emerging infectious diseases.

Concerning research, a significant breakthrough has been made with the identification of the so-called Ebola Zaire strain as responsible for the epidemic currently raging in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In order to be better prepared for and help contain future Ebola epidemics, it is also essential to continue research into the vaccination strategy for preventing this fever.

In April 2017, Inserm and the US National Institutes of Health and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, in collaboration with the health authorities of Guinea and Liberia, have launched a new large-scale clinical trial of Ebola candidate vaccines, under the aegis of the international consortium PREVAC (Partnership for Research on Ebola VACcination). One year later, more than 2,000 adults and children in Guinea and Liberia have been enrolled into this international clinical trial.

European Obesity Day

Crédits: Adobe Stock

Friday, May 18 is European Obesity Day. A day to raise the awareness of healthcare players, caregivers and patients of this issue which affects more than 650 million people worldwide.

According to WHO, 13% of adults worldwide were obese in 2014, a figure which had doubled since 1980.

Obesity is often diagnosed using the body mass index (BMI), a calculation that estimates body fat. BMI is a person’s weight (in kg) divided by the square of their height (in meters). Apart from the psychological and social discomfort generated by this chronic condition, it also leads to health problems, primarily type 2 diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea syndrome, and cardiovascular disease.

 

Teams from Inserm are mobilized to advance research in this field.

Nutri-score: a new nutritional aid for the consumer

A team of researchers (Inserm/ Inra/ Cnam/ Université Paris 13) led by Serge Hercberg, has revealed via a study published in the journal Nutrients  that this 5 color (5-C) nutrition label is the most effective nutritional information system for enabling consumers to recognize and compare the nutritional quality of foods, including those from “at risk” populations (older subjects, those with a low educational level, low income, poor nutritional knowledge, and overweight or obese individuals).

Following this study and as part of the 2016 Health Act, the French government recommended the deployment of Nutri-Score in order to improve product nutrition information and thereby help consumers to buy foods of better nutritional quality.

Read our press release: “The 5-colour nutritional labelling system is the most effective for consumers”

 

Online coaching for abdominal obesity

A study coordinated by Dr. Boris Hansel and Prof. Ronan Roussel, shows that online nutritional coaching – an automated nutritional support program – improves dietary habits and glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes and abdominal obesity.

The results show a significant increase in the dietary score in the online coaching group (+5.25 points) in comparison with the control group (-1.83) on average.

Read our press release: “Efficacy of online nutritional coaching in patients with type 2 diabetes and abdominal obesity”

And because good health also depends on good diet and exercise, consult our nutrition and health report (only available in French) on the Inserm website.

fermer