Un cas de délire scientifico-patriotique : le docteur Edgar Bérillon

International audienceAu cours de la Première Guerre mondiale, le docteur Edgar Bérillon (1859-1948) développa une thèse selon laquelle les caractéristiques physiques et physiologiques des Allemands et des Français présentaient de grandes différences. Ses théories furent prises au sérieux par la communauté scientifique et médicale de l'époque, d'autant qu'elles participaient à la propagande générale contre l'ennemi. Ce délire scientifico-patriotique donna lieu à plusieurs publications, dont le contenu paraît aujourd'hui aussi faux que grotesque

The Use of Woodland Lichen Pasture by Reindeer in Winter with Easy Snow Conditions

Our aim was to investigate the amount of digging work (cratering) done by semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer t. tarandus) in woodland lichen pasture and the effect of snow and pasture conditions on the body condition of female reindeer. From 17 February until 21 April 2001, eight barren reindeer females were allowed to graze freely in a fenced area (20 ha). Measurements before the study showed the amount of lichens within the fenced area to average 632 kg DM/ha in dry pine forest. Inside the fenced area, there was 31.1 cm of relatively soft snow in February and 41.8 cm in April. Observations showed that in February the reindeer spent 39.8% of the time digging and grazing and 1.0% foraging arboreal lichens. In April, they spent 29.8% of the time digging and grazing and 5.2% foraging arboreal lichens. During cratering, reindeer foraged (dug and picked food) with a certain repeated rhythm, using both front feet equally. The size of the grazed area and the volume of snow removed from a single crater were dependent on the total foraging time per crater. The mean body mass of the reindeer was 67.1 ± 2.67 kg in mid-February and 64.9 ± 2.98 kg in late April. It was calculated that in February one reindeer dug and grazed 75.6 m² per day, and the mean change in reindeer body mass was actually +39 g per day. In April the corresponding figures for one reindeer were 60.1 m² and -27 g per day. In the snow and pasture conditions prevailing during this study, the reindeer were able to get enough food and thereby energy to preserve their body condition well.Notre but était de déterminer l'importance du creusage (fouissage) effectué par le renne semi-domestique (Rangifer t. tarandus) dans les pâturages de lichen forestier, ainsi que les répercussions des conditions de la neige et du pâturage sur l'état corporel du renne femelle. Du 17 février au 21 avril 2001, on a laissé huit rennes femelles non gravides brouter à leur guise dans un emplacement clôturé (20 ha). Des mesures effectuées avant le début de l'étude montraient que la quantité de lichens dans la zone clôturée était en moyenne de 632 kg/ha de matière sèche dans la pinède sèche. À l'intérieur de la zone clôturée, il y avait 31,1 cm de neige relativement molle en février et 41,8 cm en avril. Les observations ont révélé qu'en février les rennes ont passé 39,8 % du temps à creuser et à brouter et 1,0 % en quête de lichens corticoles. En avril, ils ont passé 29,8 % du temps à creuser et à brouter, et 5,2 % à se nourrir de lichens corticoles. Durant le fouissage, les rennes s'alimentaient (creusaient puis prenaient la nourriture) selon un mode répétitif, se servant autant d'une patte antérieure que de l'autre. La taille de la zone broutée et le volume de la neige enlevée à un seul site de fouissage dépendaient du temps total passé à rechercher la nourriture à ce site. La moyenne de la masse corporelle du renne était de 67,1 ± 2,67 kg à la mi-février et de 64,9 ± 2,98 kg à la fin avril. On a calculé qu'en février un renne a creusé et brouté 75,6 m² par jour, et que la moyenne du changement de la masse corporelle du renne était en fait de +39 g par jour. En avril, les chiffres correspondants pour un renne étaient de 60,1 m² et de -27 g par jour. Dans les conditions de neige et de pâturage qui prédominaient durant l'étude, le renne était capable de se procurer suffisamment de nourriture - et donc d'énergie - pour conserver un bon état de santé

A European research agenda for lifelong learning

It is a generally accepted truth that without a proper educational system no country will prosper, nor will its inhabitants. With the arrival of the post-industrial society, in Europe and elsewhere, it has become increasingly clear that people should continue learning over their entire life-spans lest they or their society suffer the dire consequences. But what does this future lifelong learning society exactly look like? And how then should education prepare for it? What should people learn and how should they do so? How can we afford to pay for all this, what are the socio-economic constraints of the move towards a lifelong-learning society? And, of course, what role can and should the educational establishment of schools and universities play? This are questions that demand serious research efforts, which is what this paper argues for

Cholesterol, a cell size-dependent signal that regulates glucose metabolism and gene expression in adipocytes.

Enlarged fat cells exhibit modified metabolic capacities, which could be involved in the metabolic complications of obesity at the whole body level. We show here that sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (SREBP-2) and its target genes are induced in the adipose tissue of several models of rodent obesity, suggesting cholesterol imbalance in enlarged adipocytes. Within a particular fat pad, larger adipocytes have reduced membrane cholesterol concentrations compared with smaller fat cells, demonstrating that altered cholesterol distribution is characteristic of adipocyte hypertrophy per se. We show that treatment with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, which mimics the membrane cholesterol reduction of hypertrophied adipocytes, induces insulin resistance. We also produced cholesterol depletion by mevastatin treatment, which activates SREBP-2 and its target genes. The analysis of 40 adipocyte genes showed that the response to cholesterol depletion implicated genes involved in cholesterol traffic (caveolin 2, scavenger receptor BI, and ATP binding cassette 1 genes) but also adipocyte-derived secretion products (tumor necrosis factor alpha, angiotensinogen, and interleukin-6) and proteins involved in energy metabolism (fatty acid synthase, GLUT 4, and UCP3). These data demonstrate that altering cholesterol balance profoundly modifies adipocyte metabolism in a way resembling that seen in hypertrophied fat cells from obese rodents or humans. This is the first evidence that intracellular cholesterol might serve as a link between fat cell size and adipocyte metabolic activity

Diagnosis of chylous abdominal effusions: what is the triglyceride threshold value?

IntroductionChylous abdominal effusions are serious complications that can be triggered by various aetiologies. The biochemical diagnosis of chyle leakage in ascites or in peritoneal fluid capsules relies on the detection of chylomicrons. Assaying the fluid’s concentration of triglycerides is still the first-line tool. Given that only one comparative study has sought to quantify the value of the triglyceride assay for diagnosing chylous ascites in humans, our objective was to provide practical triglyceride thresholds. Materials and methodsWe conducted a 9-year, retrospective, single-centre study of adult patients and compared a triglyceride assay with lipoprotein gel electrophoresis for the analysis of 90 non-recurring abdominal effusions (ascites and abdominal collections) of which 65 were chylous. ResultsA triglyceride threshold of 0.4 mmol/L was associated with a sensitivity > 95%, and a threshold of 2.4 mmol/L was associated with a specificity > 95%. According to Youden index, the best threshold was 0.65 mmol/L with a sensitivity of 88 (77-95)%, a specificity of 72 (51-88)%, and, in our series, a positive predictive value of 89 (79-95)% and a negative predictive value of 69 (48-86)%. ConclusionsIn our series, cut-off of 0.4 mmol/L could be used for ruling-out diagnosis of chylous effusions, while cut-off of 2.4 mmol/L could be used for reasonably confirming diagnosis

Use of biosimilar filgrastim compared with lenograstim in autologous haematopoietic stem-cell transplant and in sibling allogeneic transplant.

OBJECTIVES: Biosimilar filgrastim was compared with lenograstim for autologous haematopoietic stem-cell transplant (HSCT) in patients with haematological malignancies. Data from a separate group of sibling donors who underwent allogeneic HSCT are also reported. METHODS: Patients with lymphoma or multiple myeloma (MM) who underwent autologous HSCT with biosimilar filgrastim were compared with a historical control group of patients who received lenograstim. Peripheral blood (PB) cells counts were monitored after 7-8 consecutive days of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) injection and apheresis was performed on day 8 if PB CD34+ cell count was ⩾10 cells/µl. The target PB CD34+ cell doses were ⩾2.0 × 10(6)/kg (lymphoma), ⩾4.0 × 10(6)/kg (MM ⩾60 years old) or ⩾8.0 × 10(6)/kg (MM <60 years old). RESULTS: A total of 259 patients were included in the autologous HSCT comparison (biosimilar filgrastim, n = 104; lenograstim, n = 155). In patients with lymphoma and older MM patients (⩾60 years old), no significant differences were observed between groups with regard to stem-cell mobilization parameters. However, in MM patients <60 years old, all parameters were significantly superior in the biosimilar filgrastim group, including the need for 1 rather than 2 apheresis procedures. No significant differences were observed between groups in median number of days to absolute neutrophil count (ANC) or platelet recovery. In the allogeneic setting, 47 sibling donors received biosimilar filgrastim. Mean CD34+ count at the first apheresis was 6.1 × 10(6)/kg. A total of 13 donors needed a second apheresis and 4 required a third. Among recipients, median days to ANC recovery was 16 (10-28) and to platelet recovery was 13 (9-54). CONCLUSIONS: Biosimilar filgrastim is as effective as lenograstim for autologous HSCT in patients with lymphoma or MM patients ⩾60 years old. However, mobilization with biosimilar filgrastim appeared to be superior to that with lenograstim in younger MM patients.S.A. has received support for meetings and unrestricted educational grants from Amgen, Chugai and SandozPDF version submitted- requires post print - withdraw