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Les facteurs régulant l’hématopoïèse en contexte de vieillissement s’avèrent incomplètement compris. Nous avons étudié les déterminants de la variabilité des traits de la formule sanguine complète dans une cohorte de 2996 femmes apparentées et non-apparentées d’ascendance française du Québec âgées de 55 à 101 ans. Les déterminants héréditaires ont été évalués par étude d’association pan-génomique. Des facteurs acquis, incluant comorbidités et hématopoïèse clonale, ont aussi été évalués. Des analyses multivariées ont été réalisées avec des modèles linéaires mixtes généralisés. Nous avons identifié des variants dans la région de GSDMA et PSMD3-CSF3 significativement associés au décompte de neutrophiles et un polymorphisme intronique à ARHGEF3 associé au décompte plaquettaire. L’effet de certains variants diminuait avec l’âge. Avec l’âge, les décomptes de neutrophiles et monocytes augmentaient tandis que le décompte des lymphocytes décroissait. Les valeurs de neutrophiles (4,1x109/L vs 3,83x109/L, valeur-p, Our understanding of the factors regulating peripheral blood cell traits in the setting of aging remains incomplete. We investigated the determinants underlying blood cell trait variability in a cohort of 2996 related and unrelated women of French ancestry from Québec aged 55 to 101 years. We performed a genome-wide association study to assess for genetic variants. We also assessed the impact of acquired factors such as chronic comorbidities and clonal hematopoiesis. Multivariate analyses were subsequently performed using generalized linear mixed models. We identify variants in the region of GSDMA and PSMD3-CSF3 that meet genome-wide requirements for neutrophil counts and a variant intronic to ARHGEF3 for platelet counts. With aging, the effect of certain variants decreased. Aging was associated with increasing neutrophil and monocyte counts and decreasing lymphocyte counts. We also document that individuals with cardiometabolic comorbidities (diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension and dyslipidemia) exhibit significantly higher neutrophil (4.1x109/L vs 3.83x109/L, p-value more...

In recent years, after the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease) crisis in Europe, and after the first case of BSE was found in Alberta, both regulation and producers’ initiatives have lead to an ever smaller demand for meat meal and animal fat used in animal feed. Meat meal and animal fat were produced in great part from the rendering of carcasses, i.e., animals that died on the farm due to disease or accident. In Quebec, agricultural producers used to sell the carcasses to rendering plants. Now however, demand for meat meal and animal fat has all but disappeared, so producers must instead pay the rendering plants to dispose of the carcasses. The financial burden gives producers an incentive to get rid of the carcasses in less costly ways, not only by legal burial at the farm, but also by illegal disposal at the farm or elsewhere in nature (Deglise, 2003; Radio-Canada, 2003; Larivière, 2003a; Mercier, 2004). This leads to increasing environmental risks, specifically, soil, water and air pollution as well as potential health hazards, that need to be addressed. more...

In recent years, after the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease) crisis in Europe, and after the first case of BSE was found in Alberta, both regulation and producers’ initiatives have lead to an ever smaller demand for meat meal and animal fat used in animal feed. Meat meal and animal fat were produced in great part from the rendering of carcasses, i.e., animals that died on the farm due to disease or accident. In Quebec, agricultural producers used to sell the carcasses to rendering plants. Now however, demand for meat meal and animal fat has all but disappeared, so producers must instead pay the rendering plants to dispose of the carcasses. The financial burden gives producers an incentive to get rid of the carcasses in less costly ways, not only by legal burial at the farm, but also by illegal disposal at the farm or elsewhere in nature (Deglise, 2003; Radio-Canada, 2003; Larivière, 2003a; Mercier, 2004). This leads to increasing environmental risks, specifically, soil, water and air pollution as well as potential health hazards, that need to be addressed. more...