Jean-Baptiste Bélanger, hydraulic engineer, researcher and academic

Jean-Baptiste BÉLANGER (1790-1874) worked as a hydraulic engineer at the beginning of his career. He developed the backwater equation to calculate gradually-varied open channel flow properties for steady flow conditions. Later, as an academic at the leading French engineering schools (Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées, and Ecole Polytechnique), he developed a new university curriculum in mechanics and several textbooks including a seminal text in hydraulic engineering. His influence on his contemporaries was considerable, and his name is written on the border of one of the four facades of the Eiffel Tower. BÉLANGER's leading role demonstrated the dynamism of practicing engineers at the time, and his contributions paved the way to many significant works in hydraulics

ICAR: endoscopic skull‐base surgery

n/

Foreign accent syndrome as a first sign of multiple sclerosis

Background Foreign accent syndrome (FAS) consists of a speech rhythm disorder different from dysarthia or aphasia. It is unusually met in multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective We report a case of FAS as an initial symptom of a MS. Methods A right-handed French woman developed an isolated German foreign accent. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), SPECT and analysis of CSF were performed. Results Brain MRI revealed a large hypersignal on T2-weighted images in the left prerolandic white matter. Single photon emission computed tomography showed a right prerolandic hypoperfusion. Unmatched oligoclonal bands in cerebrospinal fluid and occurrence of new abnormal hypersignals on the following MRI led us to diagnose MS. Conclusion FAS may be the first symptom of MS. It could result from extensive disturbances of brain function involving the right hemisphere. </jats:p

Serum analysis by¹H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy: a new tool for distinguishing neuromyelitis optica from multiple sclerosis

Background:Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and multiple sclerosis (MS), two inflammatory demyelinating diseases, are characterized by different therapeutic strategies. Currently, the only biological diagnostic tool available to distinguish NMO from MS is the specific serum autoantibody that targets aquaporin 4, but its sensitivity is low.Objective:To assess the diagnostic accuracy of metabolomic biomarker profiles in these two neurological conditions, compared to control patients.Methods:We acquired serum spectra (47 MS, 44 NMO and 42 controls) using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy. We used multivariate pattern recognition analysis to identify disease-specific metabolic profiles.Results:The1H-NMR spectroscopic analysis evidenced two metabolites, originating probably from astrocytes, scyllo-inositol and acetate, as promising serum biomarkers of MS and NMO, respectively. In 87.8% of MS patients, scyllo-inositol increased 0.15 to 3-fold, compared to controls and in 74.3% of NMO patients, acetate increased 0.4 to 7-fold, compared to controls. Using these two metabolites simultaneously, we can discriminate MS versus NMO patients (sensitivity, 94.3%; specificity, 90.2%).Conclusion:This study demonstrates the potential of1H-NMR spectroscopy of serum as a novel, promising analytical tool to discriminate populations of patients affected by NMO or MS.</jats:sec

Longitudinal follow-up of vision in a neuromyelitis optica cohort

Background: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory disease associated with optic neuritis and myelitis. Recently, several studies showed that optical coherence tomography (OCT) could be an interesting method for the evaluation of disease severity; however, to date there are no studies with a longitudinal follow-up of visual function in NMO. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of OCT to evaluate the progression of visual dysfunction in NMO. Patients and methods: A group of 30 NMO patients (thus, 60 eyes), comprised of 20 women and 10 men with a mean age of 43.7 +/− 12.3 years, were prospectively evaluated clinically and by a whole neuro-ophthalmological work-up, including: visual acuity (VA), fundoscopy, visual evoked potential (VEP), visual field (VF) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). All patients were tested at baseline (after a mean disease duration of 6.1 years) and after a mean time of follow-up of 18 months (range: 12–36 months). Results: Mean VA was similar at the two evaluation times (0.77 +/− 0.36 versus 0.77 +/− 0.35). The mean VF defect decreased slightly, but the difference was not significant (−5.9 +/− 1.3 dB versus −5.3 +/− 1.3 dB). In contrast, the mean retinal thickness seen on OCT decreased from 87.4 +/− 23.3 µm to 79.7 +/- 22.4 µm ( p = 0.006). These modifications were only observed in eyes with a past or a recent history of optic neuritis (−15.1 µm; p &lt; 0.001) and not in eyes without any history of optic neuritis (−2.4 µm; not significant). Also, they occurred independently of the occurrence of relapses ( n = 13) and especially optic neuritis episodes; however, the number of optic neuritis episodes was low ( n = 5). Conclusion: OCT seems to be a more sensitive test than VA or VF for monitoring ophthalmological function in NMO and it seems to be helpful for the detection of infra-clinical episodes in patients with a past history of optic neuritis. Our results suggest that this easily performed technique should be used in the follow-up of NMO, but complementary studies are warranted to confirm its interest at an individual level. </jats:sec