Karubiotec™ the Human Biobank of Guadeloupe (French West Indies): A Driver Towards Caribbean Health Research

Background French West Indies, like the other Caribbean territories, are currently undergoing a nutrition transition. Little is known about how migration and subsequent changes in food habits could influence adherence to specific dietary patterns. Our study aimed to assess dietary intake among French West Indians who live in and/or were born in the French West Indies, compared with individuals born and living in mainland France. Methods 1,094 participants from the NutriNet-Santé e-cohort, prospectively included between 2009-2019, were categorized into 4 subgroups: born and living in the French West Indies (West Indies/West Indies WW; n = 172); born in the West Indies and living in France Mainland (West Indies/mainland, WM n = 317); born in France Mainland and living in the French West Indies (mainland/West Indies, MW n = 288) and those born and living in Mainland France (mainland/mainland, MM n = 317). We compared the four subgroups on their nutritional quality of the diet using data provided by 24h records, and sociodemographic, lifestyle and anthropometric characteristics. The association between dietary patterns and migration status was estimated by polytomous logistic regression models. Results The WM group had consumptions reflecting an intermediate nutritional quality between the WW and the MM groups, with higher consumption of plant-based foods. The WM and WW groups were more likely to adhere both to a traditional dietary pattern from the West Indies (tubers grown in the West Indies, legumes, fish and offal) and, to a lesser extent, a convenient dietary pattern (high in ultra-processed foods), compared to MM, confirming the ongoing nutrition transition. Conclusions Migrants from French West Indies may have changed their traditional dietary habits, suggesting an influence of the environment. Migrants presented both potentially protective and detrimental dietary patterns compared to their peers born in mainland France due to the maintenance of cultural habits. Key messages • Migration may influence food habits for migrants between the French West Indies and Mainland France. • The nutrition transition is on going in the French West Indies, representing a public health issue.

BackgroundAtypical parkinsonian syndromes are highly prevalent in the French West Indies (FWI), making up 70% of degenerative parkinsonisms and including "Caribbean Atypical Parkinsonism". Environmental neurotoxins from Annonaceae plants are implicated. Despite close ties, parkinsonism data for French Guiana remain limited.ObjectiveThis study aimed to compare atypical parkinsonism frequencies between French Guiana and FWI, assess clinical characteristics in French Guiana, and evaluate potential environmental toxin exposure.MethodsDegenerative parkinsonism patients were recruited from a community-based population in French Guiana and compared with a FWI cohort.ResultsAmong 372 patients (67 from French Guiana, 305 from FWI), atypical parkinsonian syndromes accounted for 41.8% in French Guiana, lower than in FWI (66.2%, p < 0.001). In French Guiana, these syndromes were more common in males (sex-ratio: 3 vs. 1.22 in FWI, p = 0.044; adjusted p-value = 0.281) and often involved cerebellar symptoms (p < 0.001). Cases not fitting classical subtypes were classified as "other atypical parkinsonian syndromes" (35.7% in French Guiana, 41.6% in FWI), with a supranuclear palsy-like phenotype often presenting with additional rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder, hallucinations, or orthostatic hypotension. Annonaceae consumption was higher in FWI (93%) than in French Guiana (79.2%, p < 0.001), while alcohol use was more common in French Guiana (p = 0.005).ConclusionsAtypical parkinsonism in French Guiana resembles that in FWI but is less common, with an intermediate prevalence between Caucasian and Caribbean populations. Shared environmental factors, such as Annonaceae exposure, may contribute to this presentation, supporting the term "Caribbean Atypical Parkinsonism" for both regions.

Rhodococcus bacteria are a fast-growing platform for biocatalysis, biodegradation, and biosynthesis, but not a platform for molecular biology. That is, Rhodococcus are not convenient for genetic engineering. One major issue for the engineering of Rhodococcus is the absence of a publicly available, curated, and commented collection of sequences of genetic parts that are functional in biotechnologically relevant species of Rhodococcus (R. erythropolis, R. rhodochrous, R. ruber, and R. jostii). Here, we present a collection of genetic parts for Rhodococcus (vector replicons, promoter regions, regulators, markers, and reporters) supported by a thorough analysis of their functionality. We also highlight and discuss the gaps in Rhodococcus-related genetic parts and techniques, which should be filled in order to make these bacteria a full-fledged molecular biology platform independent of Escherichia coli. We conclude that all major types of required genetic parts for Rhodococcus are available now, except multicopy replicons. As for model Rhodococcus strains, there is a particular shortage of strains with high electrocompetence levels and strains designed for solving specific genetic engineering tasks. We suggest that these obstacles are surmountable in the near future due to an intensification of research work in the field of genetic techniques for non-conventional bacteria.

Descriptions of the epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have seldom been produced in the Caribbean, which is a major tourism destination. Using DNA microarrays and spa typing, we characterized 85 MRSA isolates from human skin and soft-tissue infections from five different islands. In the French West Indies (n = 72), the most frequently isolated clones were the same clones that are specifically isolated from mainland France [Lyon (n = 35) and Geraldine (n = 11) clones], whereas the clones that were most frequently isolated from the other islands (n = 13) corresponded with clones that have a worldwide endemic spread [Vienna/Hungarian/Brazilian (n = 5), Panton Valentine leukocidin-positive USA300 (n = 4), New York/Japan (n = 2), and pediatric (n = 1) clones]. The distribution of the major MRSA clones in the French (Guadeloupe and Martinique) and non-French West Indies (Jamaica, Trinidad, and Tobago) is different, and the clones most closely resemble those found in the home countries of the travelers who visit the islands most frequently. The distribution might be affected by tourist migration, which is specific to each island.

Carcinome bronchique non à petites cellules : nouvelles addictions oncogéniques, diagnostic et perspectives

SummaryA list of 25 bee species in the families Apidae and Megachilidae is provided for the French West Indies (FWI) along with floral host records from 260 plant species in 71 families. Four species are newly recorded for some islands, as follows: Coelioxys abdominalis Guérin, 1844, new island record for Marie-Galante and Martinique, Centris decolorata Lepeletier, 1841, new island record for Marie-Galante, Melissodes rufodentatus Smith, 1854, is newly recorded from Guadeloupe and Mesoplia azurea (Lepeletier & Serville, 1825) from La Désirade. The bee fauna of the FWI is mostly composed of species that occur (or may be expected to occur) throughout much of the West Indies, combined with species that are widely distributed on the mainland and a proportion of regionally endemic species. In addition to these elements, there appear to be at least a few locally endemic species. A few species of bees appear to be oligolectic; their host plants, however, are visited by a wide variety of bees and other insects. There is only one intentionally introduced bee in Guadeloupe, the European honey bee Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758, and three non-native bees that reached the FWI from other parts of the Caribbean and the mainland: Megachile (Pseudomegachile) lanata (Fabricius, 1775), M. (Callomegachile) rufipennis (Fabricius, 1793) and M. (Eutricharaea) concinna Smith, 1879. Honey bees are often extremely abundant, and dominate nectar and pollen resources in ways that are disruptive to native bees. Although it is easy to observe individual honey bees displacing individual native bees on flowers, there are no data on the ecological effects of honey bees on native pollinators in the FWI.

The ‘Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act of 2012’ defines recalcitrant cancers as having a 5-year survival rate of <20% and estimated to cause the death of at least 30,000 individuals in the US each year. Cancers specifically mentioned in the act are lung and pancreatic cancers. In addition to recalcitrant tumors, rare tumors are often neglected in the drug discovery arena. Sarcomas are ~1% of cancers. The NCI Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs) provide disease-focused cancer center grants specifically to accelerate the impact of laboratory research on the treatment of patients. There are 3 SPOREs focused on pancreatic cancer, 7 SPOREs focused on lung cancer and 1 SPORE focused on sarcoma. Through the Developmental Therapeutics Program (DTP), NCI maintains the infrastructure and expertise for the operation of cell-free and cell-based high-, medium- and low-throughput assays. The current effort is on sarcoma, SCLC and pancreatic lines. The DTP functional genomics laboratory provides molecular analyses including gene expression microarrays, exon arrays, microRNA arrays, multiplexing gene assays, plus others as tools to identify potential drug targets and to determine the role of selected genes in the mechanism(s) of drug action and cellular responses to stressors. The DTP tumor microenvironment laboratory focuses on the discovery of targets and the development of therapeutic strategies targeting the tumor microenvironment and physiological abnormalities of tumors resulting from environmental factors or alterations in metabolic enzymes. The DTP maintains a group focused on determining the mechanism(s) of action and identifying potential surrogate markers of activity for select compounds integrating proteomics, transcriptomics and molecular biology platforms. In conclusion, the NCI has active SPORE programs and an internal effort focused on recalcitrant, rare and neglected cancers which are generating data toward improving treatment of these difficult diseases.

Background: Daily management to shield chronic dialysis patients from SARS-CoV-2 contamination makes patient care cumbersome. There are no screening methods to date and a molecular biology platform is essential to perform RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2; however, accessibility remains poor. Our goal was to assess whether the tools routinely used to monitor our hemodialysis patients could represent reliable and quickly accessible diagnostic indicators to improve the management of our hemodialysis patients in this pandemic environment. Methods: In this prospective observational diagnostic study, we recruited patients from La Conception hospital. Patients were eligible for inclusion if suspected of SARS-CoV-2 infection when arriving at our center for a dialysis session between March 12th and April 24th 2020. They were included if both RT-PCR result for SARS-CoV-2 and cell blood count on the day that infection was suspected were available. We calculated the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: 37 patients were included in the final analysis, of which 16 (43.2%) were COVID-19 positive. For the day of suspected COVID-19, total leukocytes were significantly lower in the COVID-19 positive group (4.1 vs. 7.4 G/L, p = 0.0072) and were characterized by lower neutrophils (2.7 vs. 5.1 G/L, p = 0.021) and eosinophils (0.01 vs. 0.15 G/L, p = 0.0003). Eosinophil count below 0.045 G/L identified SARS-CoV-2 infection with AUC of 0.9 [95% CI 0.81—1] (p < 0.0001), sensitivity of 82%, specificity of 86%, a positive predictive value of 82%, a negative predictive value of 86% and a likelihood ratio of 6.04. Conclusions: Eosinophil count enables rapid routine screening of symptomatic chronic hemodialysis patients suspected of being COVID-19 within a range of low or high probability.

Sarcoma is a rare type of tumor that can arise in the different types of connective tissues. Symptoms vary depending on the size, type, and location of the tumor. Management and surgery should be performed in a referral sarcoma center with a molecular biology platform and a dedicated medical staff. A preoperative percutaneous core needle biopsy (CNB) is required to tailor the medical and surgical strategies. In this report, we describe the case of a well-differentiated retroperitoneal liposarcoma (WD LPS) discovered in the context of recurrent cystitis on an abdominal CT scan, synchronously occurring, with another different type of sarcoma, undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) developing in the thigh, discovered because of sciatic pain. This extremely rare condition was confirmed by the molecular analysis and justifies a specific strategy taking account of the differential risk. This event should also encourage genetic counseling.

Chlordecone is a persistent organochlorine insecticide that was widely used to control banana root borer in the French West Indies until 1993. Animal studies have reported an impact of chlordecone exposure on female fertility, but no data are available for humans. Here, we investigated the association between chlordecone exposure in women and time to pregnancy (TTP). We included 668 pregnant women from the Timoun mother-child cohort study performed in Guadeloupe between 2004 and 2007. TTP was measured with a questionnaire at the inclusion visit. Chlordecone concentrations in maternal blood samples were determined at the time of delivery. A discrete-time Cox model was used to estimate fecundability odds ratios (fOR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), with adjustment for potential confounders. Sensitivity analyses were performed by modifying the study population and censoring criteria. Chlordecone was detected in 91% of the study population, with a median concentration of 0.3 µg/L (IQR: 0.1–0.7). The third and fourth quartiles of chlordecone exposure were associated with significantly lower fecundability (fORa [95% CI] = 0.76 [0.58, 0.99]; fORa [95% CI] = 0.72 [0.55, 0.95], respectively). A significant dose-dependent relationship was observed between chlordecone exposure and TTP (p-trend = 0.01). Similar results were observed in all sensitivity analyses except that for primiparous women. Our study supports the hypothesis that chlordecone affects the fertility of women and is therefore a public health concern in widely contaminated areas, such as the French West Indies. • Chlordecone is an organochlorine pesticide used in the French West Indies until 1993. • Chlordecone affects female fertility in animals, but this has not yet been studied in humans. • Chlordecone was detected in 91% of blood samples from pregnant women in the Timoun cohort. • Chlordecone exposure is associated with a dose-response trend towards longer time to pregnancy in women.

The emergence of multiple sclerosis in island societies has been investigated only in a few Caucasian populations living in temperate regions. The effect of human migration on the risk of developing this disease is still an open question because of possible genetic selection. We conducted an epidemiological study of the multiple sclerosis population in the French West Indies (Martinique and Guadeloupe), a population which includes large numbers of West Indians who have returned after emigrating to metropolitan France. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for multiple sclerosis among migrants were calculated and their genetic characteristics were compared to those of non-migrants. The crude prevalence of multiple sclerosis was 14.8/10(5) on December 31, 1999 (95% CI: 11.9-17.7); and its crude mean annual incidence for the period July 1, 1999 to June 30, 2002 was 1.4/10(5) (95% CI: 1.0-1.8), confirming its emergence in the French West Indies. Recurrent neuromyelitis optica, which is virtually the only form of multiple sclerosis in black African populations in tropical regions, represented not >17.8% of these cases. During the 1,440,000 person-years of follow-up, 33 incidence cases were identified in migrants. Since the number of expected cases was 19.3, the overall SIR was 1.71 (95% CI: 1.19-2.38; P < 0.01) among migrants. The increase in the SIR was more marked if the stay was made before the age of 15 years (4.05, 95% CI: 2.17-6.83; P < 0.0001). European ancestry in the two migrating and non-migrating populations was similar. Martinique, which has a higher rate of return migration, has a higher prevalence of multiple sclerosis (21.0/10(5) versus 8.5/10(5)) and a higher incidence (2.0/10(5) versus 0.7/10(5)) than Guadeloupe. The emergence of the disease in the French West Indies is of environmental rather than genetic origin. It may be explained either through the introduction by migrants of precipitating environmental factors that operate in a critical way before the age of 15 years, and/or by the recent disappearance from the French West Indies of protective environmental factors acting before this age.

Unusually severe leaf yellowing symptoms, similar to those described for yellow leaf syndrome (1), have been observed in several sugarcane clones in Guadeloupe since 1994, and since 1997 in Martinique. Leaf samples exhibiting various types of yellowing were taken from five different sugarcane clones, and analyzed by immunosorbent electron microscopy. Spherical particles, 24 to 28 nm in diameter and characteristic of luteoviruses, were found in two of five samples. The two infected samples showed yellowing on the underside of the midrib and one had a pinkish coloration on the upper side. The presence of sugarcane yellow leaf virus (ScYLV), the causal agent of sugarcane yellow leaf disease, was confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (2) in these two samples and in 36 of 184 sugarcane clones bred in Guadeloupe and sent to Cirad's quarantine station in Montpellier, France. Following these observations, surveys were undertaken with a tissue blot enzyme immunoassay to analyze the distribution of ScYLV in sugarcane clones in the French West Indies. The midrib base of the first visible dewlap leaf was used to detect the presence of the virus in the phloem. In a first survey, clones of various origins worldwide were taken from germplasm collections. Two to three leaf samples per clone were analyzed from 78 clones in a collection in Guadeloupe and from 36 in a collection in Mar-tinique. Fifty of the 114 clones were infected by ScYLV, and ScYLV was detected in 21 of the 32 clones exhibiting severe leaf yellowing (score 3 or higher on a 1 to 5 scale). In a second survey, 19 leaf samples were taken from each of 53 clones from plants produced by Cirad's breeding program in Guadeloupe. The virus was detected in at least one sample for 25 of these 53 clones. ScYLV incidence in commercial fields was tested in Martinique in the variety B5992, which constitutes 57% of the cultivated area. Twenty leaves from different stools were sampled in six different fields, five of which had ScYLV-infected plants. The percentage of virus-infected stalks ranged from 0 to 90% whereas the percentage of stalks showing symptoms ranged from 50 to 100%. ScYLV appears widespread in the French West Indies, perhaps because a vector (Melanaphis sacchari) exists in Martinique and Guadeloupe. However, ScYLV was not found in all symptomatic plants, indicating that even if this luteovirus is a causal agent of leaf yellowing in the French West Indies, there may be other causal agents as well.

Studies toward the end of the 20th century and in the first decade of the millennium show that meningioma represents the most common brain tumor of all types. There are no data available regarding meningiomas in the French West Indies and French Guiana. The author aimed to determine clinical and epidemiological features and provide data of meningiomas in French West Indies and French Guiana. I reviewed the files of 358 patients who underwent surgery between January 2000 and December 2008. I found a sex ratio of 2.5 to 1-256 (71.5%) female to 102 (28.5%) male. Meningiomas were encountered mostly in the sixth decade of life and the most common anatomical location was cerebral convexities (29.32% of patients) followed by parasagittal and parafalcine (20.11%). The third most common was sphenoid wing meningioma. The incidence of meningiomas was 6.31 per 100,000 inhabitants. The current study attempts to estimate frequency and peculiarities of meningiomas in the French West Indies and French Guiana and is the first of its kind.

ObjectivesThe incidence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in the French West Indies (FWI) is relatively high, despite a low prevalence of tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking. Little is known about other risk factors in the FWI. We assessed associations between several factors and HNSCC risk, their population attributable fractions (PAF) in the FWI, and compared these PAFs by subsite, sex and age.Materials and methodsWe conducted a population-based case-control study (145 cases and 405 controls). We used logistic regression models to estimate adjusted odds-ratios (OR), PAFs and their 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsTobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, high-risk HPV, family history of HNC, low BMI and several occupations and industries were significantly associated to the occurrence of HNSCC. The majority of HNSCC cases were attributable to tobacco smoking (65.7%) and alcohol (44.3%). The PAF for the combined consumption of tobacco and/or alcohol was 78.2% and was considerably larger in men (85%) than in women (33%). The PAFs for the remaining risk factors were 9% for family history of HNSCC, 9% for low BMI, 15% for high-risk HPV, and 25% for occupations. The overall PAF for all risk factors combined was 89.0% (95% CI = 82.0–93.2). The combined PAFs by sex were significantly greater in men (93.4%, 95% CI = 87.5–96.5) than in women (56.4%, 95% CI = 18.7–76.6).ConclusionTobacco and alcohol appeared to have the greatest impact on HNSCC incidence among the studied risk factors, especially among men. Prevention programs for HNSCC in the FWI should target tobacco and alcohol cessation, particularly in men. Future research should emphasise on the role of occupational factors to better understand this disease.

In order to meet the challenges of sustainable agriculture, innovative cropping systems (iCS) are needed. In the French West Indies (FWI), innovation plans for the modernization and agro-ecological conversion of the banana production sector have been implemented since 2008. In order to check that pressures on the environment are decreasing thanks to innovative cropping systems, and to ensure that interaction effects of proposed changes do not bring unwanted or unexpected outcomes, a multicriteria assessment phase will be conducted, addressing FWI specific features. The goal of this paper is to draw conclusions from the existing approaches in order to feed this assessment process adapted to the FWI context. First, we report challenges characterizing environmental and social impacts through the presentation of the impact mechanism. We illustrate the existing diversity of methods focusing on three representative methods. Then we discuss challenges faced by FWI that involve specific questions in terms of assessment. We develop five of them and associated ways to address these concerns through current multi-criteria assessment methods. We conclude that there is no ideal and perfect method available, and a clear approach is necessary to clearly define the goals and the users of the assessment.