8581 research outputs found
Sort by
Contemporary profiles and professional activities of French chiropractors: A national survey
No full textAbstract
Background
A comprehensive description of the profile of chiropractic practices and services provided can help guide curriculum design, inform quality improvement and guideline initiatives, and facilitate workforce planning. This cross-sectional study aimed to describe the sociodemographic characteristics, professional activities, work organization, clinical practice patterns, and interprofessional referrals of chiropractors in France.
Methods
A 37-item online questionnaire was administered between February and April 2023 to all registered chiropractors practicing or having a chiropractic-related professional activity in France, for whom an email address was available (n = 1067). We computed means and standard deviations for continuous variables and percentages for categorical variables. Representativeness of the results was estimated by comparing survey participants’ demographic information with members of the Association Française de Chiropraxie (AFC).
Results
The response rate was 46.4% (67.7% females; mean age = 34.9 ± 9.7 years), a sample comparable to AFC members. Most participants graduated in the past 15 years (81%) from the Institut Franco-Européen de Chiropraxie IFEC (94.5%). Just over one fifth of respondents had an additional university degree, and a similar proportion were involved in at least one chiropractic-related professional activity, mainly as lecturers in the IFEC or supervising clinicians in its outpatient clinics. Over half of the respondents (53.5%) had their main practice location in one of the four most populated regions in France, with 27.4% working in a multidisciplinary setting. Chiropractors reported regularly referring patients to general practitioners and physiotherapists, but less commonly received referrals. Middle-aged adults most commonly sought care, and spinal pain was the primary complaint reported by chiropractors. Chiropractors generally provided advice and education, manual therapy, and exercises. Two-thirds of respondents reported feeling moderate (30.6%) to intense or very intense (31.7%) competition with other manual therapy practitioners.
Conclusion
The French chiropractic workforce appears predominantly composed of female practitioners who graduated in the past 15 years. Practice patterns and continuing education choices suggest that evidence-based information is part of their practice. While chiropractors commonly reported referring patients to other care providers, fewer reported receiving referrals. Patients seeking chiropractic care were similar to those described in other countries
Triazenes as inhibitors of HIV-1 and HCoV-OC43: A structure-activity relationship study
No full textAbstract
Triazenes, or amino-substituted diazenes, are organic compounds containing three contiguous nitrogen atoms, that have potent biological activities. We previously demonstrated that triazenes, particularly those substituted with a phenyl or 3-pyridyl ring at the 1-position and a 2-pyridyl ring at the 3-position, exhibit anti-DENV properties. Here, we evaluated the antiviral activity against a betacoronavirus (HCoV-OC43) and a lentivirus (HIV-1). 1-(4-trifluoromethylphenyl)-2-imidazole-1-yldiazene (21) exhibited broad-spectrum activity (EC50 = 6.6–6.8 μM) but was cytotoxic to THP-1 cells. Pyridyl triazenes (14, 15) were the most potent against HCoV-OC43, while 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-morpholin-4-yldiazene (6) and 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)3-(-6-methylpyridin-2-yl)triazene (10) inhibited HIV-1 the most. Structure–activity relationship analysis, supported by molecular docking, indicated that para-methoxy groups favored interactions with viral enzyme binding pockets, enhancing antiviral potency, while meta and para-trifluoromethyl groups were associated with reduced activity and increased cytotoxicity. These findings support the further development of triazenes as antiviral scaffolds
An immersive ecological measure of noise-induced functional interference in adults with hyperacusis
No full textNoise interfering with everyday activities is a common experience in many daily soundscapes. However, for individuals with intolerance to loud sounds, a condition called hyperacusis, these soundscapes can have a severe impact, greatly impairing lifestyle habits such as work, hobbies and social interactions. Yet, there is little experimental evidence documenting the functional impact of noise in these individuals. This study aims to validate a novel, ecologically relevant task designed to measure the functional impact of noise during a common daily activity: reading. Forty-nine participants (29 controls, 20 with hyperacusis) read a book excerpt while exposed to four different soundscapes. The sound level was gradually increased until participants reported that the noise interfered with their reading ability (called annoyance level), and then further increased until it became uncomfortable (called discomfort level). Participants then performed a 2-back cognitive task both in silence and in noise calibrated to their individual annoyance threshold. On average, individuals with hyperacusis reached these thresholds at sound levels 13 dB LAeq lower than controls. However, at their respective annoyance thresholds, both groups showed similar performance decrements (−3 %) in noise versus quiet. These findings support the validity of a novel ecological measure that integrates subjective annoyance thresholds with cognitive performance on a behavioral task, offering a reproducible approach to quantify the functional impact of hyperacusis
Cervical intradiscal pressure responses to end-range supine postures: A cadaveric investigation
No full textAbstract
Background
Cadaveric studies suggest neck postures may affect cervical intradiscal pressure (CIDP) and potentially contribute to intervertebral disc (IVD) pathologies. Despite neck flexion and protraction posture prevalence and potential impact on cervical IVD health, no studies have investigated CIDP during end-range protraction and retraction. This study investigated (1) CIDP differences between cervical traction, six sagittal plane cervical end-ranges, and neutral posture; (2) CIDP and segmental cervical range of motion (ROM) correlation; and (3) CIDP measurement reliability.
Methods
Seven cadaveric specimens, mean age 80.6±7.2 years, had cervical segmental ROM assessed by lateral radiographs and CIDP responses measured by fiberoptic pressure sensors in C4-5, C5-6, and C6-7 IVDs for supine end-range chin to neck, chin to sternum, protraction-flexion, occiput to neck, occiput to thorax, retraction-extension, and neutral traction.
Results
Friedman tests revealed greater CIDP in (1) chin to sternum as compared to traction at C4-5, C5-6 and C6-7 (p 0.92, 95%CI 0.86-0.98).
Conclusions
Consistent chin to sternum increases and traction decreases in CIDP occurred at all cervical IVD levels. The CIDP tended to increase during flexion end-ranges at all IVD levels, while extension, protraction, and retraction tended to decrease at C5-6, C6-7 and increase at C4-5. Large positive or negative CIDP variations with even larger standard deviations were observed within and between cervical IVD segments during various postures
Entrepreneurial learning through mentoring: Does similarity in dyads matter?
No full textAbstract
Entrepreneurial mentoring is a source of learning for novice entrepreneurs. This chapter investigates the specific role of mentor functions, namely psychosocial, career-related, and role-model functions, to support entrepreneurial learning. This research also looks at the impact of similarity in dyads, perceived and real (gender, career, industry), to foster learning. The authors recruited 412 mentees through Réseau Mentorat, the largest mentoring network in Québec (Canada). They found that psychosocial functions are the most important aspect to foster any kind of learning in entrepreneurial mentoring relationships. Career-related functions are also very important for two kinds of learning, namely learning entrepreneurial tasks and learning to manage SME development. The role-model function is only relevant to support the learning to manage SME development. The results highlight potential gender stereotypes that could be at play, as male mentees show less learning for entrepreneurial tasks when paired with a female mentor
Experiential learning approaches in university entrepreneurship education: a systematic review
No full textUsing multilingual books in kindergarten classrooms with the ELODIL Multilingual Picture Books digital platform: Outcomes and critical perspectives
No full textIn this chapter, the creation of a digital platform featuring multilingual picturebooks and its implementation in ten kindergarten classrooms in a pluri-ethnic and multilingual environment, as part of an action-research project is first described. The aim of the project was to provide teachers with tools to encourage openness to linguistic diversity and support children’s language development. Secondly, the intervention is presented and its main benefits for children, their parents, and teachers are summarised. Thirdly, a critical examination of certain aspects of the research project and its digital platform is conducted to ensure a greater awareness of the issues surrounding the theoretical approach in which it is inscribed, the platform itself, and the context in which the platform is used. Shedding light on these issues is a necessary step toward improving the understanding and implementation of inclusive education principles. © 2025 selection and editorial matter, Esa Christine Hartmann and Áine McGillicuddy
Multifactorial interaction and influence of culture conditions on yellow fluorescent protein production in Phaeodactylum tricornutum
Get PDFAbstract
Phaeodactylum tricornutum is a promising host for light-driven synthesis of heterologous proteins. However, the marine cold-water environment and alkaline-acidic pH shifts in the culture, necessitated by the diatom's growth requirements. In this study, we analyzed the influence of growth condition on maturation and dynamics of the yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) in episomal-transformant P. tricornutum. A mathematical model was developed to detect the parameters that affect biomass and YFP production. Optimized conditions increased YFP mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) per cell by 4.2-fold (3.6 ± 0.6 to 15.4 ± 1.1) and total protein levels in the culture by 1.8-fold (123 ± 4 to 219 ± 9 µg L−1), without affecting biomass. YFP stability studies in P. tricornutum showed that the ubiquitin–proteasome system contributes the degradation of the recombinant protein, whereas newly synthesized YFP remains stable for up to 12 h. This optimization provides insights into the fluorescent protein-based heterologous production in diatoms
Extrachromosomal expression of functional Cannabis sativa cannabidiolic acid synthase in Phaedodactylum tricornutum
Get PDFAbstract
Cannabis sativa's cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) offers significant therapeutic potential without inducing psychotropic effects but is typically found as part of a complex mixture of metabolites in plant extracts. Using a heterologous expression platform could allow the production of pure CBDA. Here, we propose to express CBDA synthase (CBDAS) in Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Episomes carrying CBDAS variants, incorporating the native signal peptide (CBDAS) or the highly abundant secreted protein 1 secretory signal peptide (SP:CBDAS) were constructed. CBDAS variants were tagged with the yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), introduced into the marine diatom, and screened by fluorescence. Confocal microscopy revealed that CBDAS and SP:CBDAS arranged in aggregated structures indicative of secretory pathway involvement. Western blot assays confirmed whole construct accumulation intracellularly, while soluble YFP was detected extracellularly. Finally, enzymatic assays showed CBDA production by both CBDAS and SP:CBDAS strains, confirming the potential of P. tricornutum as a platform for cannabinoid biosynthesis
