The Instituts hospitalo-universitaires (IHU) are medical training and research centers. They have been created by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009. The instituts hospitalo-universitaires are in partnership with universities (University of Paris, Sorbonne University, etc), hospitals as well as research laboratories both private and public. The target is to be centers of excellence in French medical research, to train specialists in their fields of competence, to attract renowned researchers and to promote their work. Significant economic spinoffs are expected, indeed the institutes must allow "the development of innovative health products" by weaving partnerships and "increase the attractiveness of France for the health industries, thereby improving the efficiency of care by cost containment". · . They are located in Paris, Strasbourg, Marseille and Bordeaux.
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is re-emerging as an accessible method in bacteriology, driven by technological advances that produced the powerful and compact tabletop SEM. This review highlights recent advances (2015–2025) demonstrating how novel tabletop SEM delivers rapid, high-resolution, and accurate results that can transform both fundamental and clinical bacteriology. Several studies consistently demonstrate the utility of tabletop SEM in basic research, such as studying biofilms, building antibacterial coated material, and describing bacteria-environment interactions. In clinical bacteriology, diverse applications have emerged over the past few years placing the tabletop SEM at the forefront of bacterial visualization from clinical samples, reaching accurate descriptions of bacteria-antibiotic interactions and the accurate detection of bacterial morphologic changes following exposure to antimicrobial agents with dramatically reduced turnaround times. When combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), tabletop SEM offers insights into bacterial metabolic states and chemical composition under stress or antimicrobial treatment. In this new era of bacteriology, tabletop SEM truly marks the return of a forgotten ally, empowering the investigative arsenal with speed, robustness, and accuracy in both research and clinical practice.
We report here the genome of a mumps virus isolate obtained by next-generation sequencing from Vero E6 cell culture supernatant of cerebrospinal fluid from a 7-year-old boy who presented with meningitis in Vietnam. It belongs to genotype N and is most closely related to mumps virus strains L-Zagreb and L3.
In the original publication [...].
Lipid raft-associated gangliosides facilitate the early stages of SARS-CoV-2 entry by triggering the exposure of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) within the trimeric spike protein, which is initially sequestered. A broad range of in silico, cryoelectron microscopy and physicochemical approaches indicate that the RBD becomes accessible after a ganglioside-induced conformational rearrangement originating in the N-terminal domain (NTD) of one protomer and propagating to the neighboring RBD. We previously identified a triad of amino acids, Q134-F135-N137, as a strictly conserved element on the NTD. In the present review, we integrate a series of structural and experimental data revealing that this triad may act as a conformational transducer connected to a chain of residues that are capable of transmitting an internal conformational wave within the NTD. This wave is generated at the triad level after physical interactions with lipid raft gangliosides of the host cell membrane. It propagates inside the NTD and collides with the RBD of a neighboring protomer, triggering its unmasking. We also identify a chain of aromatic residues that are capable of controlling electron transfer through the NTD, leading us to hypothesize the existence of a dual conformational/quantum wave. In conclusion, the complete conservation of the Q134-F135-N137 triad despite six years of extensive NTD remodeling underscores its critical role in the viral life cycle. This triad represents a potential Achilles’ heel within the hyper-variable NTD, offering a stable target for therapeutic or vaccinal interventions to disrupt the conformational wave and prevent infection. These possibilities are discussed.
