Jacques Nicolas Lemmens: Organist, Pedagogue, Composer

[iii], 178 p. : ill., music ; 28 cm.When Jacques Nicolas Lemmens first published his organ method book, the Ecole d'orgue. his aim was twofold: to help organists develop the technical ability to play great organ literature, and to provide a body of repertoire especially suited to the Catholic church. Although the compositions in the Ecole are rarely performed today, the exercises that Lemmens developed to improve the technique of organists have had a profound influence on organ pedagogy for over one hundred years. His method book led to a higher level of proficiency among organists, but it also created some misconceptions about “authentic” Baroque performance practice, perpetuated not so much by Lemmens as by later generations of French organists. Recent attempts to clarify these misconceptions have resulted in a more accurate account of Lemmens’ life and his role as a teacher. The biographical sketch which begins this essay does not go into great detail, but aims to provide an overview of the early years and significant events in Lemmens' life. Several gaps in the chronology are due to the lack of information about certain periods, such as the years he spent in England. Although no biography of Lemmens has ever been written, the unfinished Ph.D. dissertation by Lowell Lacey contains the most complete account of his activities, and is the main source for Chapter 1 of this essay. The remaining chapters deal with the three aspects of Lemmens’ career: performing, teaching and composing. His recitals were frequently reviewed in the weekly periodical, the Revue et Gazette musicale de Paris, and this publication is the major source for Chapter II, “The Performer." In addition to organ recitals, Lemmens also performed on the piano, pedal piano, and later on the harmonium as well, an Instrument of which he became quite fond. Lemmens' concerts on every instrument usually received glowing reviews, attesting to his solid reputation as a recitalist. Especially noteworthy is the impact his organ playing had on contemporary organists such as Franck, whose technique could not match that of Lemmens, and Lefebure-Wely, with his more popular style of performance. Lemmens' success as a performer put him in demand as a teacher, and led to the publication of the Ecole d'orgue. Chapter Ill, “The Pedagogue," will examine this method book, its origin and evolution, as well as its technical exercises for manuals and pedals. A comparison of the Ecole with two of the most well known method books of the early twentieth century—Dupres’ Methode d'orgue and Gleason's Method of Organ Playing--and with one of the more recently published organ methods--Soderlund's Organ Technioue: An Historical Approach--concludes this chapter. The remainder of the Ecole with its extensive repertoire, as wen as other of Lemmens’ most important organ works, will be studied in Chapter IV, "The Composer.” This chapter is divided into four sections corresponding to his four major collections of organ pieces: 1) those contained in the Ecole: 2) the three Sonatas: 3) the four Pieces in the Free Style: and 4) a volume entitled Musique d'orgue. Detailed analyses are provided for the more substantial works in Part II of the Ecole, as well as for the Sonatas and the "Grand Fantasia" in E minor, the final composition from his Four Pieces in the Free Style. The remaining works are discussed more briefly, and only passing mention is made of his vocal, choral, and piano compositions. Significant comparisons are noted between some of Lemmens’ organ works and those of earlier and later composers such as Bach, Mendelssohn, Widor, and Dupre. The emphasis on the works from the Ecole d'orgue is due to the fact that this collection contains the largest group of compositions in one volume, and because these pieces served a dual purpose--church and teaching repertoire. It is hoped that this essay will make Lemmens’ name more familiar to today's organists, many of whom know him only as the composer of the "Fanfare" in D major, and that it will elucidate the contribution of this talented and dedicated man

Acute hepatitis C in persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV): The "Real-life Setting" proves the concept

Abstract Objectives Outbreaks of sexually transmitted acute HCV infection have been described recently in several cities in the western world. The epidemic affects mainly MSM who are coinfected with HIV and is supposably linked to certain sexual risk practices. Here, we compared our findings with current knowledge and recommendations. Methods HIV-positive patients with the diagnosis of acute HCV infection were included in the retrospective analysis. The patients came from outpatient infectious disease centers in northern German cities. We looked at markers of HIV and HCV infection and compared patients who received treatment and those who did not. Treated patients were followed up to 72 weeks. Results Three hundred nineteen HIV-positive patients with the diagnosis of acute hepatitis C between 2001 and 2008 and were included in the analysis. All patients were male, 315 (99%) patients were of caucasian origin, 296 (93%) declared homosexual contacts as a risk factor for HCV infection, intravenous drug use was declared in 3 (1%) cases. Median age at HCV diagnosis was 40 years (range 20-69 years). Median HCV viral load was 1.2 × 106 IU/mL, 222 patients (70%) had HCV genotype 1, 59 (18%) genotype 4. The median time of HIV infection was 5.5 years (range 0 to 22.4 years). Median HIV viral load was 110 copies/mL (range 25 to 10 × 106 copies/mL). The median CD 4 count was 461 cells/mm3 (range 55- 1331 cells/mm3). Two hundred and fourty-six patients (77%) received anti-HCV treatment, and 175 (55%) had completed therapy by the time of the analysis. Median treatment duration was 33 weeks (IQR 24.1-49.9). 93 of the 175 treated patients (53%) reached a sustained virological response (SVR). In the multivariate analysis, ART at diagnosis, HCV RNA drop at week 12, hemoglobin levels and higher platelets were associated with SVR. Treatment duration was significantly higher in the SVR group (40.6 weeks vs 26.6 weeks, p Conclusions Our findings confirm that acute hepatitis C in HIV infected patients affects mainly MSM who acquire HCV sexually. Patients had a short duration of HIV infection and a stable immunological situation. In this real-life setting from urban regions in northern Germany, treatment rates appear to be high and effective.</p

Radioprotection of the Brain White Matter by Mn(III) N-Butoxyethylpyridylporphyrin–Based Superoxide Dismutase Mimic MnTnBuOE-2-PyP5+

Cranial irradiation is a standard therapy for primary and metastatic brain tumors. A major drawback of radiotherapy (RT), however, is long-term cognitive loss that affects quality of life. Radiation-induced oxidative stress in normal brain tissue is thought to contribute to cognitive decline. We evaluated the effectiveness of a novel mimic of superoxide dismutase enzyme (SOD), MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+)(Mn(III) meso-tetrakis(N-n-butoxyethylpyridinium-2-yl)porphyrin), to provide long-term neuroprotection following 8 Gy of whole brain irradiation. Long-term RT damage can only be assessed by brain imaging and neurocognitive studies. C57BL/6J mice were treated with MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+) before and after RT and evaluated three months later. At this time point, drug concentration in the brain was 25 nmol/L. Mice treated with MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+)/RT exhibited MRI evidence for myelin preservation in the corpus callosum compared with saline/RT treatment. Corpus callosum histology demonstrated a significant loss of axons in the saline/RT group that was rescued in the MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+)/RT group. In addition, the saline/RT groups exhibited deficits in motor proficiency as assessed by the rotorod test and running wheel tests. These deficits were ameliorated in groups treated with MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+)/RT. Our data demonstrate that MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+) is neuroprotective for oxidative stress damage caused by radiation exposure. In addition, glioblastoma cells were not protected by MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+) combination with radiation in vitro. Likewise, the combination of MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+) with radiation inhibited tumor growth more than RT alone in flank tumors. In summary, MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+) has dual activity as a neuroprotector and a tumor radiosensitizer. Thus, it is an attractive candidate for adjuvant therapy with RT in future studies with patients with brain cancer

Radioprotection of the brain white matter by Mn(III) n-Butoxyethylpyridylporphyrin-based superoxide dismutase mimic MnTnBuOE-2-PyP5+

Cranial irradiation is a standard therapy for primary and metastatic brain tumors. A major drawback of radiotherapy (RT), however, is long-term cognitive loss that affects quality of life. Radiation-induced oxidative stress in normal brain tissue is thought to contribute to cognitive decline. We evaluated the effectiveness of a novel mimic of superoxide dismutase enzyme (SOD), MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+)(Mn(III) meso-tetrakis(N-n-butoxyethylpyridinium-2-yl)porphyrin), to provide long-term neuroprotection following 8 Gy of whole brain irradiation. Long-term RT damage can only be assessed by brain imaging and neurocognitive studies. C57BL/6J mice were treated with MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+) before and after RT and evaluated three months later. At this time point, drug concentration in the brain was 25 nmol/L. Mice treated with MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+)/RT exhibited MRI evidence for myelin preservation in the corpus callosum compared with saline/RT treatment. Corpus callosum histology demonstrated a significant loss of axons in the saline/RT group that was rescued in the MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+)/RT group. In addition, the saline/RT groups exhibited deficits in motor proficiency as assessed by the rotorod test and running wheel tests. These deficits were ameliorated in groups treated with MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+)/RT. Our data demonstrate that MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+) is neuroprotective for oxidative stress damage caused by radiation exposure. In addition, glioblastoma cells were not protected by MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+) combination with radiation in vitro. Likewise, the combination of MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+) with radiation inhibited tumor growth more than RT alone in flank tumors. In summary, MnTnBuOE-2-PyP(5+) has dual activity as a neuroprotector and a tumor radiosensitizer. Thus, it is an attractive candidate for adjuvant therapy with RT in future studies with patients with brain cancer