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Catégorie de C'est dans l'air: International

A tailored sports training programme for people with paraplegia

handisport

(c) Gaëlle Deley

 

Now that the 2016 Summer Olympic Games are over, Rio de Janeiro will be hosting the Paralympic Games from 7 to 18 September. The participating athletes will be attempting to win Olympic medals, thus testing their bodies to the limit.

What are the risks for the top athletes? What lines of prevention can be developed? What techniques could optimise their physical abilities ?

 

Gaëlle Deley, who is involved year-round in research on the interactions between exercise, sport and health, has, with her colleagues at Inserm Unit 1093 and in collaboration with the Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC) of Harvard University in Boston, established a training programme called “Stimule ton Handicap”, to enable people with paraplegia to exercise using all their muscles. Every week, participants perform an exercise using a rowing machine connected to an electrical stimulation system, in an individually tailored session. Electrodes taped to the participants’ thighs transmit a low-intensity current. Their muscles contract and propel the seat backwards. Arm movements and stimulation of the hamstrings then make it possible to return the seat to the front.

After 6 months of training, the muscle strength of people with paraplegia increased by over 170%, their muscle mass by over 102% and their aerobic capacity by over 77%, and a real impact on their quality of life was observed.

Following these encouraging results, the researchers adapted the programme to people with quadriplegia (cared for in Boston), hemiplegia or cerebral palsy.

If added to their training, this method would enable top level athletes, such as the Paralympic athletes, to develop their physical performances.

 

To obtain further information about this programme, you can contact Gaëlle Deley.

The 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio

The world’s finest athletes will meet at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro to try to win Olympic medals, thus testing their bodies to the limit.

What are the risks for the top athletes? What methods would enable them to optimise their physical abilities? What lines of prevention can be developed? How does our environment influence performances? What are the effects of athletic activity on ageing?

Such are the questions that the researchers at Inserm, who are involved all year round in studying the interactions between sport, physical activity and health, are able to answer.

 

At Inserm Unit 1093, “Cognition, Motor Activity and Sensorimotor Plasticity,” Romuald Lepers focuses on the performances of centenarian athletes so as to better understand how the human body can fight the deleterious effects of ageing. In a recent study, he compared the records of these athletes in certain disciplines with world records for all age categories combined. Although the record of centenarian cyclist Robert Marchand, with nearly 27 kilometres covered in an hour, appears the most impressive, the researcher also emphasises that age-related decline in performance is less marked for cycling than for athletics or swimming.

Read the news item “Centenarian athletes: flawless performances?”

 

Meanwhile, the research undertaken by Mathias Pessiglione, Inserm Research Director at Unit 1127, “Brain and Spine Institute”? deals with the brain mechanisms involved in motivation. He has modelled the motivational aspects of athletic performance according to a cost/benefit calculation, i.e. how much the athlete is prepared to invest as a function of how much the objective is worth.

For your interviews and reporting needs, see the “Physical Activity press-kit,” available as a download opposite, for a listing of the contact details of specialists in this discipline, together with the latest news from Inserm on the subject.

Athletisme *** Local Caption ***

(c) Fotolia

One hour of physical activity per day may attenuate the increased risk of death associated with sitting time

A meta-analysis of data from over one million people, published on July 27th in a new Lancet Series ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, emphasize the importance of physical activity to attenuate the harmful effect of sitting time.

The researchers classified individuals into four groups according to how active they were, less than 5 mins a day, up to 60-75 mins a day for the most active. The study suggest that doing at least one hour of moderate intensity physical activity per day such as brisk walking at 5.6 km/h or cycling at 16 km/h, may attenuate the increased risk of death associated with sitting for 8h a day. Furthermore authors’ recommendations are superior to World Health Organization guidelines, which recommend at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week.

If we are active enough, it is not necessary to go to the gym for one hour per day, according to Ulf Ekelund, lead author (Norwegian School of Sport, Norway and the University of Cambridge, UK).

To comment on this work, please contact Romuald Lepers, Inserm Unit 1093 “Cognition, Motor Activity and Sensorimotor Plasticity”.

Velo

(c) Fotolia

Attacks and risks of post-traumatic stress

In a traumatic event, such as the attacks on Paris on 13 November 2015, and on Nice on 14 July 2016, the risk for victims and witnesses of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is high.

PTSD is characterised by several symptoms: the person relives the event in the form of recurrent memories, nightmares or flashbacks, avoids anything that reminds him/her of the moment, is in a constant state of alert, and shows difficulty in concentrating. Changes in mood may also occur.

At Inserm, there is ongoing active research to better identify the people most at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, and thereby improve their care.

In the Phoenix study, which evaluates the impact of a trauma or chronic stress on the physical and mental health of 123 patients for a one-year period, work carried out by Isabelle Chaudieu, Inserm Unit 1061 “Neuropsychiatry: Epidemiological and Clinical Research,” is aimed at identifying biomarkers to predict PTSD. Her team is trying to determine whether the allostatic load might make it possible to predict the development of PTSD.

By collecting and analysing personal accounts from 1,000 volunteers over a ten-year period, the 13 Novembre programme (CNRS – Inserm), codirected by historian Denis Peschanski and neuropsychologist Francis Eustache, is aimed at studying the construction and evolution of memory after the attacks of 13 November 2015, and the interaction between individual and collective memory. The researchers will try to better understand the impact of traumatic shocks on the memory, and identify brain markers associated with resilience to trauma.

Read the press release “Attacks: 13-Novembre, a novel research program on traumatic memories.”

fire rescue

Launching of UEFA EURO 2016 Football Championships

France will be hosting the UEFA EURO 2016 Football Championships from Friday 10 June to Sunday 10 July. During this competition, many parts of the players’ bodies will be severely tested.

Although the benefits of regular physical activity on physical and mental health have been demonstrated by many studies, what are the risks associated with excessive physical exercise? What methods would allow athletes to optimise their physical abilities? Do some activities promote addiction to sport? What are the neurobiological mechanisms involved in the motivation of athletes?

 

Inserm researchers study the interactions between physical activity and health all year round.

Research conducted by Samuel Vergès and his team from Inserm Unit 1042, “Hypoxia and Cardiovascular and Respiratory Pathophysiologies,” focuses on analysing the mechanisms that limit physical performance. The researchers also use altitude training or simulated altitude training at sea level, i.e. hypoxia, in athletes on the one hand and in people with chronic diseases on the other hand, as a therapeutic approach.

In Dijon, in Inserm Unit 1093, “Cognition, Motor Activity and Sensorimotor Plasticity,” Romuald Lepers studies the effects of mental fatigue and the effects of neuromuscular fatigue on athletic performance. He particularly focuses on the performances of senior athletes, in order to determine their limits.

For your interviews and reporting needs, see the attached “Activité Physique” press-kit, for a compilation of specialist contacts and the latest news on the subject.

Football

(c) Fotolia

Sunday 5 June 2016: World Environment Day

Initiated by the United Nations, World Environment Day is celebrated on 5 June every year in order to encourage awareness of the world environment, and stimulate individual actions.

At Inserm, there is active ongoing research to identify the impacts of our environment on health, especially the effects of atmospheric pollution, endocrine disruptors and their consequences for reproductive function, and the relationship between environment and cancers.

 

Work carried out by William Bourguet, at Inserm Unit 1054, “Structural Biochemistry Centre,” has recently provided in vitro evidence of a molecular mechanism that might contribute to the “cocktail effect” of endocrine disruptors. The researchers demonstrated that two compounds, ethinyloestradiol, present in contraceptive pills, and an organochloride pesticide can together bind to a receptor located in cell nuclei. Binding of the first molecule promotes binding of the second, exacerbating the toxicity of these molecules.

Read the press release “Light shed on the underside of the ‘cocktail effect’ of endocrine disruptors”.

 

Many studies are also focused on environmental risk factors for cancer. The GEOCAP programme (GEOlocation study of Paediatric CAncers), conducted by Jacqueline Clavel and Denis Hémon, Inserm Research Directors, is aimed at identifying the influence of environmental exposures, estimated by geocoding, on the occurrence of childhood cancers, particularly high-voltage power lines, road traffic, service stations, nuclear plants and some industrial facilities. The researchers have highlighted that in one study, the incidence of new cases of myeloblastic leukaemia was 30% higher in children living within 150 m of heavily used roads, and when the roads within this radius have a combined length of over 260 m.

Read the press release “Study of leukaemias in children living close to heavily used roads”.

 

Early morning waking, a winning trend among the French

Setting one’s alarm an hour or two earlier to run, meditate, read or even cook is a trend that is attracting many followers in France, also known as “morningophiles.” Recommended by Hal Elrod in his book The Miracle Morning, this lifestyle, which started in the United States, extols the virtues of waking up very early in the morning, as a source of well-being and productivity.

Are there health benefits involved? Are we all equal when it comes to sleep? What are the risks associated with lack of sleep? Can we do anything about our internal clock?

Such are the questions that are often asked of Joëlle Adrien, neurobiologist and Inserm Research Director, in the Sleep and Alertness Management Workshops that she runs at Hôtel-Dieu Hospital in Paris. In her book Mieux Dormir et Vaincre l’Insomnie (Sleep Better and Overcome Insomnia), she explains the mechanisms of sleep (the ideal duration, the biological clock), explores the various sleep disorders and their remedies, and offers advice to improve the quality of sleep.

couple doing yoga

(c) Fotolia

Tuesday 3 May 2016: World Asthma Day

Asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease, usually results from the combination of a genetic predisposition and environmental factors such as allergens (moulds, house dust mites and pollen), tobacco smoke or air pollution. During an episode, the lining of the bronchi swells, causing their diameter to become narrower, and leading to breathing difficulties, accompanied by wheezing.

In France, over 4 million people are affected by this disease.

The first chronic disease to affect children, asthma remains underdiagnosed. This year, World Asthma Day, which will be held on Tuesday 3 May, is focused on the theme “So Your Child has Asthma? Some practical tips to help with everyday life!” in order to make the population as a whole aware of the measures needed to manage the disease.

Researchers from Inserm are available to answer your questions.

Asthme chez l'enfant

(c) Inserm/Latron, Patrice

See our latest news items on the theme:

A vaccine against house dust mite allergy?

Severe asthma: gallopamil confirmed as a therapeutic approach

Immune cells commit suicide to prevent allergy

Key step in allergic reactions revealed

Monday 25 April 2016: World Malaria Day

Caused by a parasite of the genus Plasmodium, malaria is transmitted to humans through bites from the female Anopheles mosquito.

World Malaria Day is held every year on 25 April and the theme for this year will be: “End Malaria For Good”. Advances in the prevention and treatment of malaria have led to a considerable reduction in the number of cases and deaths related to the disease. The mortality rate due to the disease has fallen by 60% in the last fifteen years.[1]

Currently, about 3.2 billion people worldwide are at risk of contracting the disease. There is an active research effort to combat this major public health issue.

Work done by Stéphanie Blandin and her team at Inserm Unit 963 “Immune Responses in the Malaria Vector Anopheles gambiae”, deal with genetics and transgenesis in this mosquito. They are seeking to understand how mosquitoes said to be “resistant” defend themselves from parasites, and to exploit this natural response to help control transmission of the disease. Researchers have also developed tools that manipulate the mosquito genome and modify genes using the CRISPR-Cas9 and gene drive methods.

 

Research carried out by Françoise Benoit-Vical and his team is focused on understanding the resistance mechanisms developed by Plasmodium falciparum to artemisinin, the base compound for antimalarial treatment, and researching new antimalarial drugs. They have recently shown that parasites who survive in vitro in the presence of artemisinin for 5 years develop a widespread resistance to most other antimalarial drugs, yet this new resistance cannot be detected by current tests.

 

As part of the PRIMALVAC project[2], the team led by Benoit Gamain, Inserm Unit 1134, “Integrated Biology of Red Blood Cell”, is currently developing a candidate vaccine to protect women from gestational malaria before their first pregnancy. The safety and tolerance of the vaccine will soon be assessed during a phase 1 clinical trial at the Cochin-Pasteur Clinical Investigation Center (CIC), then at the National Center for Research and Training on Malaria in Burkina Faso.

[1] Source: WHO

[2] The PRIMALVAC project is coordinated by European Vaccine Initiative (EVI), and has received financial support from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Inserm, the French National Institute of Blood Transfusion (INTS), and from Irish Aid via EVI.

See our last news items on the theme:

Malaria: multi-drug resistance more alarming than ever – September 2015

One in every two people bring back multi-resistant enterobacteria after a trip in a tropical zone – July 2015

Viagra to prevent transmission of the malaria parasite? – May 2015

Action on malaria: 16 new mosquito genomes sequenced – November 2014

A quadriplegic man regains partial use of his right hand by means of a brain implant

A patient paralysed in his hands and legs is able to use his hand through a device able to restore communication between the brain and muscles, bypassing the spinal cord. According to the French Press Association, a chip containing 96 electrodes, implanted in the patient’s brain, transmits the quadriplegic man’s thoughts to a computer that decodes them and sends commands to a sleeve that stimulates the muscles in the arm electrically.

The results of this study, conducted by researchers at the Battelle Memorial Technology Institute in Columbus and Ohio State University, are published in the journal Nature.

 

For a statement on this news item:

Jérémie Mattout, Inserm research officer, specialist in brain/machine interfaces

Inserm Unit 1028 Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre

+33 (0)4 72 13 89 07

rf.mresni@tuottam.eimerej

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