De Montreal Research Articles

MB-23RECURRENT SHH/TP53 MUTANT MEDULLOBLASTOMA TREATED WITH A COMBINATION OF LITHIUM AND RADIATION THERAPY

MB-23. RECURRENT SHH/TP53 MUTANT MEDULLOBLASTOMA TREATED WITH A COMBINATION OF LITHIUM AND RADIATION THERAPY Anne-Sophie Carret1, Louis Crevier2, Yvan Samson1, Benjamin Ellezam3, and Anne-Marie Charpentier4; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology-Oncology, CHU Sainte-Justine/Universite de Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Neurosurgery, CHU Sainte-Justine/ Universite de Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Pathology, CHU Sainte-Justine/Universite de Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier de l’Universite de Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada INTRODUCTION: TP53 mutations remain a poor prognotic factor and account for a high proportion of the treatment failure in SHH subgroup medulloblatoma. Poor survival of patients with P53 mutant medulloblastoma may be related to radiation/chemotherapy resistance. Lithium, an activator of the WNT pathway, sensitizes TP53 mutant medulloblastoma to radiation. CASE REPORT: a 12-yo boy presented with left localized hemispheric medulloblastoma. After a complete excision of the tumour he was randomized and treated according to COGACNS0331 and received a standard-dose craniospinal radiation with a boost to the entire posterior fossa, followed by maintenance chemotherapy. Patient was considered in complete remission. 15 months post-end of treatment, MRI showed a local recurrence. After 2 cycles of temozolomide, irinotecan and bevacizumab chemotherapy, patient had tumor progression. He then underwent a complete resection of the tumour. Pathology showed anaplastic type, SHH/TP53 mutant medulloblastoma. Due to the expected poor survival and the lackof known and consensual curative treatment, the patient was treated with a combination of therapeutic dose of lithium and focal radiation therapy to a dose of 54 Gy. One year later, the patient remains asymptomatic and, in complete remission. CONCLUSION: Lithium combined to radiation therapy may represent an interesting therapeutic avenue for higher risk groups of medulloblastoma in a context of a pilot study. Neuro-Oncology 18:iii97–iii122, 2016. doi:10.1093/neuonc/now076.21 #The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The Reality of Fiction

In the last decade, the playwright and director Gianina Cărbunariu has become one of the prominent young voices in contemporary European theatre. Mihaela, the Tiger of Our Town, which premiered at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, will be performed at the 2016 Avignon festival by Sweden's Jupither Josephsson Company. Other plays include Stop the Tempo, For Sale, Typographic Letters, Solitarity, Metro is Everywhere, and mady-baby.edu (later titled Kebab). The plays have been translated into more than fifteen languages, and they have been performed in Romanian cities and in theatres across Europe, in Berlin, Munich, Paris, Madrid, Brussels, Vienna, Athens, Warsaw, Budapest, Dublin, and elsewhere in Moscow, Istanbul, Santiago de Chile, New York, and Montreal. Cărbunariu has had residencies at the Lark Theatre in New York and London's Royal Court. Her plays and productions have received numerous awards in Romania and in Canada. She is a founding member of the dramAcum independent theatre group in Bucharest. This interview was taped in New York City on December 19, 2015.

075 Ephrin-A loss in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma progression and metastasis

075 Ephrin-A loss in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma progression and metastasis

078 Dsg2 enhances spontaneous BCC formation in Ptc1+/−mice

078 Dsg2 enhances spontaneous BCC formation in Ptc1+/−mice

Medium Increased Risk for Central Sleep Apnea but Not Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Long-Term Opioid Users: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Opioids are associated with higher risk for ataxic breathing and sleep apnea. We conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to assess the influence of long-term opioid use on the apnea-hypopnea and central apnea indices (AHI and CAI, respectively). A systematic review protocol (Cochrane Handbook guidelines) was developed for the search and analysis. We searched Embase, Medline, ACP Journal Club, and Cochrane Database up to November 2014 for three topics: (1) narcotics, (2) sleep apnea, and (3) apnea-hypopnea index. The outcome of interest was the variation in AHI and CAI in opioid users versus non-users. Two reviewers performed the data search and extraction, and disagreements were resolved by discussion. Results were combined by standardized mean difference using a random effect model, and heterogeneity was tested by χ(2) and presented as I(2) statistics. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria, for a total of 803 patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We compared 2 outcomes: AHI (320 opioid users and 483 non-users) and 790 patients with CAI (315 opioid users and 475 non-users). The absolute effect size for opioid use was a small increased in apnea measured by AHI = 0.25 (95% CI: 0.02-0.49) and a medium for CAI = 0.45 (95% CI: 0.27-0.63). Effect consistency across studies was calculated, showing moderate heterogeneity at I(2) = 59% and 29% for AHI and CAI, respectively. The meta-analysis results suggest that long-term opioid use in OSA patients has a medium effect on central sleep apnea.

Transplantation medicine, organ-theft cinema and bodily integrity

Transplantation medicine affects the way we experience ourselves as embodied subjects. Human bodies become aggregates of replaceable and exploitable parts, and potential resources for craving others. Our intimate interior contains items that other subjects lack, so that these organs are transformed into (commodifiable) ‘objects of desire’. Clandestine organ markets and the popularity of organ-theft cinema are symptoms of this development. What does it mean for human subjectivity when organs become market commodities? This contemporary issue emerges against the backdrop of a long-standing metaphysical struggle between the traditional Christian view (concerning the inviolable body) and the bio-scientific view (concerning the body as a collection of replaceable parts). I will analyse the ontological repercussions of transplantation medicine from a Lacanian perspective, using organ-theft cinema as a stage on which conflicting and unsettling views of embodiment are enacted, probed and questioned. Three organ-theft movies (Jesus de Montreal, L’Intrus and Crank 2: high voltage) will be subjected to a Lacanian analysis. The intrusive, dehumanising dimension to organ procurement, which tends to be obfuscated (repressed) in standard bioethical discourse about voluntary donation and human dignity, resurges quite emphatically in organ-transplant cinema.

An Academic Educational Program for Providing Eye Care to Older Individuals

The literature indicates that the prevalence of oculovisual problems increases with age and that it is higher in older individuals residing in long-term care facilities (LTCF) compared to those living in the community. It further indicates that eye care services in LTCF are sub-optimal. The objective of this article is to describe the university-based educational program we have developed and implemented to train optometry students in the eye care of older individuals, including those among the most vulnerable, i.e. those residing in LTCF. Our two university-based institutions, the Institut universitaire de geriatrie de Montreal and the ecole d’Optometrie de l’Universite de Montreal, collaborated to implement this program. The program has three main components: formal didactic courses, clinical rotations and in situ clinical research. It allows the students to learn how to adapt their clinical interventions to a variety of older patients, taking into account their specific needs, potential complex health conditions, behavior, socio-economic and socio-cultural context, as well as their capacity to understand and collaborate to the oculovisual exam. The program further follows recommendations by leaders in public health, geriatrics and optometry in offering a discipline-specific program in geriatrics.

Comment on "Yield of Screening Colonoscopy in Renal Transplant Candidates".

To the editors of the Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, We read with great interest the article “Yield of Screening Colonoscopy in Renal Transplant Candidates” by AlAmmel and colleagues. This study about the results of screening colonoscopy in a cohort of 169 renal transplant candidates over 50 years old showed a prevalence of colorectal polyps of 24%, 4 advanced adenomas, and 1 adenocarcinoma. The authors conclude that colorectal cancer screening is indicated in renal transplant candidates over 50 years old and that the choice of the screening test should be individualized based on patient's preference and risk benefit ratio [1]. We previously published a retrospective study about the results of pretransplant colonoscopies in renal transplant recipients from January 2007 to December 2009 at the Centre Hospitalier de l'Universite de Montreal [2]. Any pretransplant colonoscopy in the five years preceding the transplant was included. On 64 pretransplant colonoscopies, 45 (70.3%) were for screening purposes. 15 (33.3%) of these individuals had polyps and the prevalence of adenomas and advanced adenomas was 24.4 and 6.7%, respectively. More importantly, 8 (53.3%) of these subjects had at least one lesion proximal to the splenic angle. Our cohort with screening colonoscopies included 11 patients aged less than 50 years and 3 of them (27.3%) had adenomas, an even higher rate than the overall cohort. No major adverse events occurred; two episodes of bleeding associated with polyp removal were immediately treated endoscopically. Our results are in accordance with the results from AlAmmel and colleagues, reinforcing the need of colorectal cancer screening among renal transplant candidates, even if aged less than 50 years. It has indeed been proven that the incidence of colorectal cancer is higher among solid organ recipients as soon as two years after transplant, notably in individuals less than 50 years old [3, 4]. The low sensitivity of the faecal immunochemical testing for advanced neoplasia in this population as mentioned by AlAmmel and colleagues, the high prevalence of proximal lesions demonstrated in our study, and the high standardized incidence ratio of right colon neoplasia in post-solid organ transplant population established in a Swedish cohort study [5] provide compelling arguments for total colonoscopy as the screening test of choice.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation of the visual cortex in congenital blindness

Event Abstract Back to Event Transcranial magnetic stimulation of the visual cortex in congenital blindness Maurice Ptito1, 2* and Ron Kupers1, 2 1 Université de Montreal, School of Optometry, Canada 2 University of Copenhagen, Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Denmark Introduction: For human and non-human primates, vision is one of the most privileged sensory channels used to interact with the environment. The importance of vision is strongly embedded in the organization of the brain as about one third of its cortical surface is involved in visual functions. It is therefore not surprising that the absence of vision from birth, or the loss of vision later in life, has huge consequences, both anatomically and functionally. We have shown in previous studies that, although, the visual system is largely atrophied by the loss of vision at birth, it is nonetheless present and can be activated by a variety of non-visual stimuli such as touch, audition and even smell. We present here a series of behavioral and brain imaging studies showing that the congenitally blind brain is capable of cross-modal plasticity and sensory substitution. Methods and results We recently showed that the occipital lobe of blind individuals is reduced in volume (whole brain Voxel Based Morphometry-VBM) (Ptito et al., 2008), has an increased cortical thickness (FreeSurfer and CIVET) and shows a supra-metabolic activity as revealed by fluoro-desoxy-glucose (18FDG-PET) (Kupers and Ptito, 2014) (Figure 1A, B, C respectively). Moreover, other non-visual structures in the blind brain were affected by early visual deprivation such as the posterior part of the right hippocampus (Chebat et al., 2007) and the splenium of the corpus callosum (Tomaiuolo et al., 2014), both regions showing a volumetric reduction. Figure 1. Structural and metabolic changes in the congenitally blind brain We used, in a series of experiments, a sensory substitution device coined the Tongue Display Unit or TDU. This apparatus translates an image grabbed by a camera into electrotactile pulses administered to the tongue via a grid of electrodes (Figure 2A). Figure 2. The tongue Display Unit (TDU) Congenitally blind (CB) subjects equipped with the TDU can learn to discriminate the orientation of a bar, discriminate motion and shapes (Ptito et al., 2009, 2012; Matteau et al., 2010). To do so, they activate regions of the brain that are visual in nature namely the visual cortex and the ventral and dorsal streams as revealed with functional Resonance Imaging (Figure 1B) (reviewed in Kupers and Ptito, 2014). Moreover the TDU has been successfully used as a navigation tool. CB individuals were able to point to, recognize and avoid obstacles while walking in a corridor (Chebat et al., 2011). Tested in an fMRI scanner in a virtual route recognition task, CB participants recruited not only their visual cortex but also the parahippocampal region, areas usually activated during topographical learning and spatial representation in sighted subjects (Kupers et al., 2010). To test for the functional role of visual cortical areas in blind, we used trans-cranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Short repetitive TMS bursts applied over the mid-occipital cortex of the blind interfere with repetition priming effects of a list of words presented several times. Moreover, rTMS over the motion cortical area, which is part of the dorsal visual stream (area hMT+), induces an increase in the reaction times to moving stimuli in blind subjects only. We tested for the subjective experience associated with the activation of the visual cortex. While control seeing-subjects experienced visual phosphenes, blind participants reported parasthesiae (tingling sensations) either on the tongue or the fingers (figure 3). Finally, using somesthesic evoked potentials following learning with the TDU, we were able to show that the information originating in area SI was transferred to the primary visual cortex of the blind through increased cortico-cortical projections. Figure 3. TMS of the occipital cortex of blind subjects can induce tactile sensations referred to the tongue (A) and fingers (B). Conclusions The results obtained from this series of studies have valuable information on the nature of the plastic processes that take place in early blindness and might lead to the development of a new multisensory device that will use non-visual modalities to funnel sensory information to the visual cortex of the blind and help them “see”. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Acknowledgements The authors are indebted to these Foundations for their their generous support: The Harland Sanders Foundation (Canada), the Lundbeck Foundation (Denmark) and The Danish Medical Research Council FSS, Denmark).

The addition of the collagen binding domain of fibronectin potentiates the biochemical availability of basic fibroblast growth factor for the culture of induced pluripotent stem cells

Event Abstract Back to Event The addition of the collagen binding domain of fibronectin potentiates the biochemical availability of basic fibroblast growth factor for the culture of induced pluripotent stem cells Cyril Addi1, 2, Frederic Murschel1, Benoit Liberelle1, Nesrine Riahi1, Olivier Feraud2 and Gregory De Crescenzo1 1 Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, Department of Chemical Engineering, Canada 2 Université Paris-Sud, Hôpital Paul Brousse, INSERM U935, ESTeam Paris-Sud, France Introduction: The culture of various cell types including induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), requires the use of growth factors such as bFGF (basic Fibroblast Growth Factor)[1],[2]. These factors are generally added to the medium in their diffusive form and have a very short half-life[3]: they disappear quickly from the culture medium and must be replaced at high cost. We here explore the stable and oriented tethering of bFGF on a cell culture substrate, namely gelatin (denatured collagen). Our strategy relies on the expression of two fusion proteins being labelled with two distinct peptides (the E and Kcoils) that bind to each other with great affinity and specificity[4]. That is, a chimera corresponding to bFGF fused to the Ecoil peptide on the one hand, and the collagen-binding domain (CBD) of fibronectin fused to the Kcoil peptide on the other hand (Fig. 1). Materials and Methods: The Ecoil-bFGF fusion protein was produced in E. coli and purified by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography followed by TEV protease cleavage and ion exchange chromatography. The CBD-Kcoil fusion protein was produced in E. coli and purified by solubilizing inclusions bodies in an 8 M urea buffer, dialyzing against PBS, and then followed by a Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. The ability of Ecoil-bFGF protein to bind to Kcoil was assessed by surface plasmon resonance (SPR), using a Kcoil-coated chip while its ability to bind to its cognate receptor was tested by subsequent injections of a recombinant chimera of the FGF Receptor (FGFR1-Fc). Finally, the suitability of the proposed approach for cell culture will be soon assessed by cultivating iPSCs on a gelatin-coated substrate to be functionalized with CBD-Kcoil/Ecoil-bFGF. Results and Discussion: Both fusion proteins were produced and purified with high purity. The yield of the purification of Ecoil-bFGF was assessed by ELISA and reached 1.1 mg per liter of bacteria. On the one hand, SPR analyses (Fig. 2) demonstrated that Ecoil-bFGF specifically bound to a Kcoil-coated chip, and subsequently interacted with FGFR1-Fc with high affinity (KD = 1.8 nM), in good agreement with the literature[5]. On the other hand, the bioactivity of CBD-Kcoil was assessed via an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) against bFGF: gelatin-coated substrates were incubated with CBD-Kcoil then Ecoil-bFGF, and the formation of the gelatin/CBD-Kcoil/Ecoil-bFGF complex was demonstrated by the specific recruitment of anti-bFGF antibodies. Altogether, the data indicated that our novel strategy enabled the specific capture of bioactive bFGF via collagen/CBD and coiled-coil interactions. Conclusion: Providing iPSCs with bioactive bFGF in a non-diffusible form may significantly decrease expenses related to cell culture. Furthermore, the modular approach we undertook may make this strategy amenable to the development of more complex scaffolds combining several growth factors (bFGF, EGF, VEGF ...), and thus pave the way to the development of novel approaches in the field of tissue engineering. This project was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), CREATE program - MEDITIS scholarship.

Chitosan-platelet-rich plasma implants for tissue repair - in vitro and in vivo characteristics

Event Abstract Back to Event Chitosan-platelet-rich plasma implants for tissue repair - in vitro and in vivo characteristics Gabrielle Depres-Tremblay1, Anik Chevrier2, Nicolas Tran-Khan2, Monica Nelea2 and Michael Buschmann1, 2 1 Polytechnique de Montreal, Biomedical engineering institute, Canada 2 Polytechnique de Montreal, Chemical engineering department, Canada Introduction: Freeze-dried chitosan formulations can be solubilised in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to produce injectable mixtures that coagulate to form implants that resist platelet-mediated clot retraction and are resident for at least 2 weeks in vivo[1],[2]. The purpose of this study was to 1) investigate the mechanisms by which clot retraction is inhibited in chitosan-PRP hybrid clots, 2) to investigate release of platelet-derived growth factors from chitosan-PRP hybrid clots in culture medium, and 3) to inject freeze-dried chitosan-PRP formulations subcutaneously in rabbits to assess long-term implant retention and biodegradability. Materials and Methods: Freeze-dried chitosan cakes were prepared using 0.56% or 1% w/v chitosan (80% DDA and Mn 40kDa), 1% or 6% w/v trehalose concentration as lyoprotectant and 42.2mM calcium chloride (CaCl2) as clot activator. Cakes were solubilised in PRP obtained from a human donor and dispensed in either 1) Glass tubes for confocal and scanning electron microscopy imaging or 2) 24-well plates to monitor release of PDGF-AB over 7 days. Formulations containing 1% (w/v) chitosan of Mn 40kDa and different DDA (80%, 85%, 90%), 1% (w/v) trehalose and 42.2mM CaCl2 were solubilised with autologous PRP and injected subcutaneously in the back of five NZW rabbits (150µL/implant) to investigate implant retention and biodegradability at 2 weeks; 4 weeks and 6 weeks. Results: Platelet aggregates were smaller in chitosan-PRP hybrid clots compared to PRP only controls and increasing trehalose concentration further decreased the size of platelet aggregates (Fig 1 left). Platelets, cells and fibrin fibers were coated with chitosan in chitosan-PRP hybrid clots, while fibrin fibers were readily visible in PRP only controls (Fig 1 right). PDGF-AB release profiles were similar for the different chitosan-PRP hybrid clots and for PRP controls, but all were higher than whole blood alone (Fig 2 left). In vivo, PRP controls were completely degraded by 2 weeks, while all chitosan-PRP formulations tested (80%, 85% & 90% DDA) were retained up to 6 weeks post-implantation, where they induced cell recruitment of host-derived cells (Fig 2 right). Discussion: Chitosan inhibited platelet aggregation, partially through the physical mechanism of coating the cells and fibrin fibers in the hybrid clots. Increasing trehalose concentration further decreased the size of platelet aggregates through a currently unknown mechanism. Strong platelet aggregation is required for platelet-mediated clot retraction, so this is consistent with our previous results (1). PDGF-AB release was similar in chitosan-PRP hybrid clots and in PRP controls, which is unsurprising considering that PDGF-AB has an isoelectric point of 9.8 and solubilised chitosan-PRP formulations have a pH between 6.8-7.1. Chitosan-PRP hybrids resided up to 6 weeks post-implantation in vivo, while PRP controls were quickly degraded, suggesting that prolonged residency of chitosan itself leads to sustained recruitment of host cells. Conclusion: Chitosan and trehalose decreased the size of platelet aggregates, which is consistent with their inhibition of clot retraction. Chitosan-PRP does not provide sustained release of PDGF-AB but may do so for other growth factors with different charge properties. Prolonged residency of chitosan-PRP in vivo leads to increased biological activity compared to PRP alone. We acknowledge the technical contributions of Geneviève Picard, the funding sources (CIHR, CFI, GRSTB, NSERC) and the assistance of Ortho Regenerative Technologies Inc.

The Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet (or the Virtual Times of a Postmodern Law)

the paper presents a critical perspective about the article “Le temps virtuel des lois postmodernes ou comment le droit se traite dans la societe de l’information” (“The Virtual Time of Postmodern Laws, or How the Law is Processed in the Information Society”), published by the philosopher and jurist Francois Ost, with the purpose of conducting a case study through the Brazilian law “Marco Civil da Internet” (“Civil Rights Framework for the Internet”). The article analyzes the profound changes in the way the law came to be produced and interpreted, in the passage from the forms of writing and printing based on paper to the forms of text processing and communication based on computers and networks. The law known as “Marco Civil da Internet” (Law 12,965 / 2014) was used here as a validity test of the main elements of the text under examination, by means of illustrations and references published by the international media, especially after the diplomatic incidents arising from the revelations of the electronic monitoring of international telecommunications, conducted by the National Agency of Security (NSA) of the United States of America. The study concludes that Ost’s article, published even before the Internet massification, can be considered as a premonitory insight about the changes in the operation and reproduction of law in the postmodern society, in which the hierarchical and pyramidal understanding of law moves to a distributed and networked understanding and * Doutorando em Direito na Universite de Montreal, Canada. Bolsista CAPES/Programa Ciencia sem Fronteiras. Email: cristiano.therrien@umontreal.ca ** Professor titular da Faculdade de Direito da Universite de Montreal e pesquisador do Centre de recherche en droit public. Email: pierre.trudel@umontreal.ca

Fellows' perspectives on training in adult congenital heart disease: Results of a survey from the International Society for Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ISACHD)

a Department of Cardiology, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands b Interuniversity Cardiology Institute of the Netherlands, Utrecht, Netherlands c Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program, Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA d Congenital Cardiac Centre for Adults, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada e Montreal Heart Institute and Universite de Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada f Department of Cardiology, Heart Institute Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA

Don’t stop just yet! A simple, effective, and socially responsible approach to bus-stop consolidation

Bus-stop consolidation is one of the most cost-effective ways for a transit agency to improve the quality of their bus services. By removing unnecessary stops, buses will have reduced runtimes, which can lead to higher frequencies and/or fewer buses on a route. Unfortunately, current research on bus stop consolidation and stop spacing focuses on complex mathematical models that are difficult for agencies to apply, and that overlook many important real-world considerations. The goal of this paper is to propose a new bus stop consolidation methodology that is realistic, simple, and effective, while at the same time being sensitive to people with reduced mobility and adaptable to the needs of different agencies. The new methodology is tested on the bus network of the Societe de transport de Montreal (STM). Adopting this simple methodology is expected to remove 23 % of the network’s stops while only reducing the system coverage area by 1 %. The removal of these stops could result in morning-peak savings of 109 h of operating time and the elimination of a bus from up to 75 routes at the system level. This methodology can be applied to any urban bus network, and thus can be of interest to transit agencies and transportation researchers.

Quantification of the perceived training load and its relationship with changes in physical fitness performance in junior soccer players

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between perceived respiratory and muscular training load (TL) and changes in physical fitness in elite and non-elite junior soccer players. Twenty-eight elite (n = 14, 17.6 ± 0.6 years, 70.3 ± 4.4 kg, 179.7 ± 5.6 cm) and non-elite (n = 14, 17.5 ± 0.5 years, 71.1 ± 6.5 kg, 178.1 ± 5.6 cm) soccer players belonging to a Spanish first and third division football academies and competing in junior Spanish first division (2012–2013) participated in the study. Countermovement jump (CMJ), CMJ arm swing, 5 and 15 m sprints and the Université de Montreal endurance test were performed in January and 9 weeks later in March. In order to quantify TLs, after each training session and match, players reported their session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) separately for respiratory (sRPEres) and leg musculature (sRPEmus). Elite players accumulated greater weekly training volume (361 ± 14 vs. 280 ± 48 min; effect sizes (ES) = 5.23 ± 1.74; most likely), and perceived respiratory (1460 ± 184 vs. 1223 ± 260 AU; ES = 1.12 ± 0.79; very likely) and muscular (1548 ± 216 vs. 1318 ± 308 AU; ES = 0.99 ± 0.84; likely) TL than did non-elite players. Training volume, sRPEres-TL and sRPEmus-TL were positively and largely correlated (r = 0.67–0.71) with the changes in aerobic fitness. The present results suggest that a low training volume and TL can impair improvement in aerobic fitness in junior soccer players during the in-season period.

Pricing in transportation networks

The purpose of this special issue is to commemorate the inaugural Transportation Science & Logistics Society (TSL) Workshop held in 2011 from June 26th to 29th at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California. The workshop focused on Congestion Management of Transportation Systems on the Ground and in the Air and was organized by Michael Ball of the University of Maryland, Michael Florian of INRO and the Universite de Montreal and Siriphong (Toi) Lawphongpanich of the University of Florida. The main goal of the workshop was to bring together researchers from both the road and air transportation domains. Typically, close interactions among researchers from these two disciplines are uncommon. Thus, this workshop provided an opportunity for rich discussions and cross fertilization of ideas. Moreover, the workshop’s broader theme, congestion management, is of great interest and importance to transportation planners and government policy makers around the world. There were 35 presentations organized into ten sessions and two panel discussions. Among the 45 attendees were 12 graduate students whose room, board and registration fee were covered by stipends provided by the workshop sponsors: Center for Multi-model Solutions for Congestion Mitigation at the University of Florida, INRO and the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. In this issue, there are four papers that address topics related to pricing in transportation networks. In their paper titled ‘‘Tolled Multi-Class Traffic Equilibria

Retrospective study on survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer.

e11545 Background: Since the last three decades survival of breast cancer patients has clearly improved. However conflicting data exist about the survival of metastatic breast cancer patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival and characteristics of these patients from 1970 until 2013 of our institution and to evaluate the survival according to the hormonal status. Methods: The tumor registry of H. du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal was used to retrieve all patients diagnosed with breast cancer from 1970 until 2013. Patients who progressed to a metastatic disease were included for the analysis (1079 patients). 4 cohorts were created according to the diagnosis of the metastatic disease (cohort 1: 1970-1995 (339 patients), 2: 1996-2000 (292), 3: 2001-2005 (249) and 4: 2006 plus (199)). Descriptive data were described with simple statistics, median survival calculated with Kaplan-Meier method and prognostic factors identified by logistic regression analysis. Results: 69% of patients had a positive h...

Coupling salinity reduction to aquatic animal well-being and ecosystem representativeness at the Biodôme de Montréal

This paper presents a case study of a locally adapted sustainable strategy of salinity reduction applied to the Saint Lawrence maritime ecosystem at the Biodome de Montreal. In conformity with the standards of the CAZA (Canadian Aquarium and Zoos Association), this procedure was implemented to reconcile animal well-being, ecosystem representativeness and control of costs under the operational environment of a cold seawater recirculation system featuring the Golfe du Saint Laurent Ecosystem (GSLE) and its associated live collection. A simple methodology to carry out safe salinity reduction procedures of artificial seawater environments (from 28 to 24 Practical Salinity Units) is proposed and detailed. Adapted salinity challenge tests at 14, 21 and 24 were conducted beforehand and simple adapted indicators were used on a selection of key species (thorny skate: Raja radiate ; little skate: R. erinacea ; barndoor skate: R. laevis ; Atlantic cod: Gadus morhua ; green urchins: Strongylocentrolus droebachien and American lobster: Homarus americanus ) to evaluate the well-being and mortality risks associated with both a lower operational salinity (long-term exposure) and an unavoidable salinity drop (short-term exposure) observed during routine large-scale water renewal operations. Economic gains achieved through reduction in the use of costly synthetic salt formulation were calculated. The savings achieved during three years of operation at 24 PSU have been applied to the improvement of the water quality control management capacities of the GLSE exhibit such as a sulphur-based denitrification unit, additional ozonation and protein skimming capacities.

Staff pharmacists' perspectives on contemporary pharmacy practice issues.

Poster presented at the 40th CSHP Banff Seminar, Banff, Alberta, March 21-23, 2014 Conclusions Staff Pharmacists Perspectives on Contemporary Pharmacy Practice Issues Kevin Hall, Jean-Francois Bussieres Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta Pharmacy department and Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, CHU Sainte Justine and Faculty of Pharmacy, Universite de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec

Characteristics of the Pedagogical Innovator in a University Strongly Committed to Research and Across Disciplines

While innovation is a central concern in higher education, I have sought to understand those professors who innovate. This qualitative research focuses in particular on pedagogical innovators in the context of a university strongly committed to research, the Universite de Montreal, and explores the impact of disciplinary culture on pedagogical innovators’ profiles. This research reveals the characteristics of the innovators interviewed and underlines the impact of the pure science and applied science axis on pedagogical innovator characteristic diversity.