Climate change and viability of fruit tree orchards in arid area

The Mediterranean region is facing temperature increases due to climate change. More warm conditions across the fruit and nut growing regions are expected to have a great and negative impact in Tunisian arid regions. Chilling trends among the agricultural production areas and their incidence on flowering and fruiting of typical fruit species were investigated. The results showed important declines in winter chill accumulation over the main arid production areas. This lack of chill jeopardizing the flowering and fruiting of fruit species. However, fruit species and cultivars within each fruit species expressed different flowering and fruiting behaviors to warm climate depending on their chilling and heat requirements. Consequently, thermal requirements are a key factor for sustainable fruit trees’ orchards and to select suitable cultivation area. Adoption of appropriate genetic resources could be used to mitigate the harmful effect of global warming in arid regions

Impact of the Soak and the Malt on the Physicochemical Properties of the Sorghum Starches

Starches were isolated from soaked and malted sorghum and studied to understand their physicochemical and functional properties. The swelling power (SP) and the water solubility index (WSI) of both starches were nearly similar at temperatures below 50 °C, but at more than 50 °C, the starch isolated from malted sorghum showed lower SP and high WSI than those isolated from raw and soaked sorghum. The pasting properties of starches determined by rapid visco-analyzer (RVA) showed that malted sorghum starch had a lower viscosity peak value (86 BU/RVU) than raw sorghum starch (454 BU/RVU). For both sorghum, X-ray diffractograms exhibited an A-type diffraction pattern, typical of cereal starches and the relative degrees of crystallinity ranged from 9.62 to 15.50%. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed that raw sorghum starch showed an endotherm with a peak temperature (Tp) at 78.06 °C and gelatinization enthalpies of 2.83 J/g whereas five-day malted sorghum starch had a Tp at 47.22 °C and gelatinization enthalpies of 2.06 J/g. Storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″) of all starch suspensions increased steeply to a maximum at 70 °C and then decreased with continuous heating. The structural analysis of malted sorghum starch showed porosity on the granule’s surface susceptible to the amylolysis. The results showed that physicochemical and functional properties of sorghum starches are influenced by soaking and malting methods

Anatomical collection in otorhinolaryngology : scientific interest and ethical tensions

Les collections anatomiques de la tête et du cou correspondent à l’ensemble de pièces issues des musées archéologiques ou de sciences naturelles regroupées à des fins d’études. Le statut de ces collections est ambigu car il s’agit de restes humains mais également de pièces muséographiques. L’objectif de cette thèse est donc de montrer l’intérêt scientifique de l’étude de ces collections grâce à un corpus d’articles, et d’aborder les enjeux éthiques et les textes juridiques qui encadrent ces prélèvements.L’étude scientifique des restes humains de la tête et du cou permet l’amélioration de nos connaissances de l’histoire naturelle des maladies : épidémiologie, co-infections, évolutions des pratiques médico-chirurgicales. Cette thèse confirme que nous ne pouvons pas dénaturer ou détruire ces collections dans le simple but scientifique et que la mise à disposition scientifique du cadavre humain est loin d’être acceptée par tous. Il faut d’une part mettre en place et rendre acceptable statutairement la recherche en science fondamentale sur des restes humains et légaliser la constitution de collections permettant de faire progresser la recherche. Les dispositions de la loi relative aux collections d’échantillons biologiques humains ne s’appliquent pas de façon explicite aux collections à visée pédagogique ni aux collections muséologiques à caractère historique. A l’heure actuelle, chaque institution a le pouvoir de faire vivre ou non ces collections, soit avec une attitude plutôt conservatrice en limitant les études, soit plutôt dynamique en promouvant les recherches sur ces pièces. Forcé d’admettre qu’il y a peu d’attention portée à ces collections ; sans actions elles conduiront à l’abandon, mais s’intéresser aux morts c’est avant tout chercher à comprendre le vivant et avoir une meilleure connaissance de ce que nous sommes. Ces collections permettent de transmettre un héritage à nos descendants et nous avons un rôle de gardien vis à vis d’elles.On le voit, statuer en la matière est pour l’instant impossible. Il existe une richesse et une multiplicité des situations, chaque cas est unique et avec son propre parcours. Il n’est donc pas possible d’envisager une prise en charge idéale, et seule une collégialité d’experts peut permettre de décider du devenir de ces restes ou de prendre position vis à vis de leur exploitation scientifique, dans le respect des lois de bioéthiques et de la personne humaine en générale. La mise en place d’un réseau national avec la mise en place de partenariats et d’échanges est l’une des clefs des succès à venir.The various sets of anatomical collections of the head and neck region are housed in either archaeological or natural science museums. The status of these collections is ambiguous because they are both human remains and also important museum pieces.The objective of this thesis is to demonstrate the scientific interest of the study of these collections through of several articles, and to address the ethical issues and legal contexts that surround these samples.The scientific study of the human remains of the head and neck allows the improvement of our knowledge of the natural history of diseases: epidemiology, co-infections, and the evolution of medical-surgical practices. This thesis confirms that we cannot denature or destroy these collections given their important scientific purpose and the fact that the scientific disposal of the human corpse is far from being accepted by all. On the one hand, it is necessary to establish and render statistically acceptable research in basic science on human remains and legalize the constitution of collections to advance research The provisions of the law relating to the collection of human biological samples does not exist and do not explicitly apply to educational collections or historical museum collections. At present, each institution has the power to display or hide these collections, either having a rather conservative attitude by limiting studies, or rather dynamic by promoting research on these pieces. Forced to admit that there is little attention paid to these collections; without actions they will lead to abandonment, but to be interested in the dead is above all to try to understand the living and to have a better knowledge of what we are, where we come from and where we are headed. These collections make it possible to transmit an inheritance to our descendants and we have been bestowed the role of guardian.However, the matter is for the moment almost impossible. There is a wealth and multiplicity of situations, each case is unique. It is therefore not possible to come up with a universal management plan, and only a collegiality of experts can make it possible to decide the future of these remains or to take a stand with respect to their scientific exploitation, in the respect of the laws of bioethics. The establishment of a national network along with the establishment of partnerships is one of the keys to ensure future growth and success

Les pathologies ORL et cervico-faciales à travers le corpus hippocratique

Considéré comme le « Père de la médecine », Hippocrate, médecin grec du Ve siècle avant Jésus-Christ, s'est vu attribué une œuvre considérable regroupant près de soixante volumes et conservée sous le nom de corpus hippocratique. S'il est admis qu'il ne peut pas avoir été entièrement rédigé par Hippocrate en personne, il forme indéniablement un noyau ancien et cohérent (entre 450 et 150 avant J-C.) qui permet de définir une pensée et une médecine dite « hippocratique ». Cette pensée a été un modèle de référence en médecine occidentale depuis l'Antiquité et jusqu'au début du XIXe siècle ; en tant que pilier de nos spécialités actuelles, elle s'impose comme un sujet d'étude privilégié. Le regard que nous proposons découpe, mélange et structure ce qui ne l'était pas dans l'objectif de suggérer une interprétation de ce qui semble être les prémices de l'oto-rhino-laryngologie (ORL) et de la chirurgie cervico-faciale. Matériel et méthodes : Nous avons lu et analysé tous les ouvrages de la collection hippocratique en rapport avec des lésions ORL ou de chirurgie cervico-faciale (n= 62). Notre étude n'est pas philologique mais plutôt médicale à partir de traductions d'autorité et de l'appareil critique établis par les spécialistes. Résultats : La redistribution nosologique que nous avons proposée permet de rendre compte de l'état des maladies de la tête et du cou : elles étaient principalement d'origine infectieuse et traumatique témoignant de la réalité de l'époque (90% des cas). Les pathologies inflammatoires représentent environ 10% des cas, les cancers représentent 1,6% des pathologies de la tête et du cou dans notre corpus. Il n'existe pas d'extraits mentionnant des pathologies malformatives. Conclusion : Les interprétations sont à prendre avec prudence car l'exploitation des textes est difficile ; l'historien des maladies ne doit pas uniquement se fonder sur le corpus, il doit en même temps avoir une connaissance de l'histoire culturelle et sociale du contexte chrono-culturel, tout en s'appuyant sur les représentations artistiques et les découvertes ostéo-archéologiques. À une époque où les sociétés savantes s'interrogent sur l'impact de l'environnement et de la diététique sur l'incidence de certaines maladies (UCNT du cavum, lymphomes, allergies, etc.), il ne faut pas oublier qu'Hippocrate et ses suiveurs ont toujours insisté sur leur importance. Au même titre que Nélaton et Laennec, les médecins du XXle siècle devront peut-être redevenir hippocratique pour résoudre ces énigmes

Collections anatomiques en oto-rhino-laryngologie : intérêt scientifique et tensions éthiques

The various sets of anatomical collections of the head and neck region are housed in either archaeological or natural science museums. The status of these collections is ambiguous because they are both human remains and also important museum pieces.The objective of this thesis is to demonstrate the scientific interest of the study of these collections through of several articles, and to address the ethical issues and legal contexts that surround these samples.The scientific study of the human remains of the head and neck allows the improvement of our knowledge of the natural history of diseases: epidemiology, co-infections, and the evolution of medical-surgical practices. This thesis confirms that we cannot denature or destroy these collections given their important scientific purpose and the fact that the scientific disposal of the human corpse is far from being accepted by all. On the one hand, it is necessary to establish and render statistically acceptable research in basic science on human remains and legalize the constitution of collections to advance research The provisions of the law relating to the collection of human biological samples does not exist and do not explicitly apply to educational collections or historical museum collections. At present, each institution has the power to display or hide these collections, either having a rather conservative attitude by limiting studies, or rather dynamic by promoting research on these pieces. Forced to admit that there is little attention paid to these collections; without actions they will lead to abandonment, but to be interested in the dead is above all to try to understand the living and to have a better knowledge of what we are, where we come from and where we are headed. These collections make it possible to transmit an inheritance to our descendants and we have been bestowed the role of guardian.However, the matter is for the moment almost impossible. There is a wealth and multiplicity of situations, each case is unique. It is therefore not possible to come up with a universal management plan, and only a collegiality of experts can make it possible to decide the future of these remains or to take a stand with respect to their scientific exploitation, in the respect of the laws of bioethics. The establishment of a national network along with the establishment of partnerships is one of the keys to ensure future growth and success.Les collections anatomiques de la tête et du cou correspondent à l’ensemble de pièces issues des musées archéologiques ou de sciences naturelles regroupées à des fins d’études. Le statut de ces collections est ambigu car il s’agit de restes humains mais également de pièces muséographiques. L’objectif de cette thèse est donc de montrer l’intérêt scientifique de l’étude de ces collections grâce à un corpus d’articles, et d’aborder les enjeux éthiques et les textes juridiques qui encadrent ces prélèvements.L’étude scientifique des restes humains de la tête et du cou permet l’amélioration de nos connaissances de l’histoire naturelle des maladies : épidémiologie, co-infections, évolutions des pratiques médico-chirurgicales. Cette thèse confirme que nous ne pouvons pas dénaturer ou détruire ces collections dans le simple but scientifique et que la mise à disposition scientifique du cadavre humain est loin d’être acceptée par tous. Il faut d’une part mettre en place et rendre acceptable statutairement la recherche en science fondamentale sur des restes humains et légaliser la constitution de collections permettant de faire progresser la recherche. Les dispositions de la loi relative aux collections d’échantillons biologiques humains ne s’appliquent pas de façon explicite aux collections à visée pédagogique ni aux collections muséologiques à caractère historique. A l’heure actuelle, chaque institution a le pouvoir de faire vivre ou non ces collections, soit avec une attitude plutôt conservatrice en limitant les études, soit plutôt dynamique en promouvant les recherches sur ces pièces. Forcé d’admettre qu’il y a peu d’attention portée à ces collections ; sans actions elles conduiront à l’abandon, mais s’intéresser aux morts c’est avant tout chercher à comprendre le vivant et avoir une meilleure connaissance de ce que nous sommes. Ces collections permettent de transmettre un héritage à nos descendants et nous avons un rôle de gardien vis à vis d’elles.On le voit, statuer en la matière est pour l’instant impossible. Il existe une richesse et une multiplicité des situations, chaque cas est unique et avec son propre parcours. Il n’est donc pas possible d’envisager une prise en charge idéale, et seule une collégialité d’experts peut permettre de décider du devenir de ces restes ou de prendre position vis à vis de leur exploitation scientifique, dans le respect des lois de bioéthiques et de la personne humaine en générale. La mise en place d’un réseau national avec la mise en place de partenariats et d’échanges est l’une des clefs des succès à venir

Use of Fat Grafts in Facial Reconstruction on the Wounded Soldiers From the First World War (WWI) by Hippolyte Morestin (1869-1919)

Introduction: During the Great War of 1914 to 1918, spectacular progress was made in the field of facial reconstruction. The sheer number and severity of facial lesions inflicted during the fighting obliged French and German surgeons to take a close interest in the treatment of patients wounded in such a manner. As head surgeon of the fifth division blesses de la face at the hospital of Val-de-Grace, Hippolyte Morestin was responsible for one of the largest surgical departments specializing in facial surgery and reconstruction during the war. During his time of service, he developed various surgical techniques such as autoplasties using cartilaginous and adipose grafts to reconstruct tissue defects. This study focuses primarily on the adipose graft techniques and their aesthetic outcome used by Morestin during and in the aftermath of World War I. Methods: This is a historical descriptive study. Our research is based on documents available at the museum and archives of the Val-de-Grace Army Health Service (hospital activity reports, pre-and postoperative patient photographs, newspaper clippings, documented accounts of ward nurses, wax anatomy models). Thirty-four clinical cases published by Hippolyte Morestin dealing with facial reconstruction during the World War I were studied. Results: Fat was mainly used to fill craniofacial substance losses after carrying out often complex reconstructions. The surgical technique is well documented and subdivided into 3 succeeding procedures. Most of the time, the grafts were of autologous origin but sometimes heterologous samples were used. Although the primary objective was to increase volume, an improved quality of skin healing and better skin flexibility were observed. The fat thus allowed the filling of substance losses, and its positive effects on scarring were noticed even before the regenerative properties of the stem cells present in body fat were discovered. Conclusions: Hippolyte Morestin can be named one of the pioneers of facial reconstruction. A retroperspective analysis of his work with adipose grafts proves interesting because even though not being the first to apply this technique, he contributed, by means of experimentation and reproduction to proving it an innovative and useful method in facial reconstruction. It was not until the 1990s that adipose grafts were again applied under the name of lipostructure. Nowadays, they are commonly used in cosmetic and restorative surgery

Historical Vignette: Attempted treatment of Sigmund Freud's oral squamous cell carcinoma by vasectomy (Steinach Operation) in 1923

International audienceBackground: At the beginning of the 20th century, the Viennese physiologist Eugen Steinach proposed to treat the effects of physiological ageing by vasectomy. After experimenting his theory with animal, he published his results, and convinced scientists to apply this method to humans (ie men). The scientific community has been convinced by these pictures of the interest of these vasectomies, and many patients undergo it for the purpose of physical, mental and sexual rejuvenation, including Sigmund Freud. Objectives: The aim of this study is to explain How Sigmund Freud decided to do this operation. Materials and methods: We read and analysed a set of articles and books about Sigmund Freud live and the rejuvenation theory with the help of Sigmund Freud Museum (London). Results: Freud suffered from a cancer of the right maxillary diagnosed in 1923 for which he underwent a first surgery of excision on April 20, 1923 followed by radiotherapy and a lot of another surgery to treat reccurences. Probably in despair or wanting to heal himself, he decided to have a Steinach vasectomy. Discussion: Sigmund Freud knew Steinach's theories through his scientific publications, including his work on the «treatment of homosexuality» (sic!); he even tended to believe that biological methods were more reliable for «treating homosexuality» than his psychoanalyses. Because cancer was considered a disease of old age, vasectomy rejuvenation seemed to be useful (and potentially effective) in treating cancer, according to Freud. Conclusion: Even Sigmund Freud, who was a great scientist, was fooled by the scientific results of a badly conducted study. We must keep a critical eye on new medical developments

A physician's hand tumour induced by the first X-ray procedures

A left human hand on display in a jar at the Anatomical Pathology Dupuytren Museum (Paris, France) is presented here as a case of chronic radiation dermatitis hyperplasia from a rheumatologist physician. We do not have any further information about this specimen, except that it comes from an individual who lived between 1895, when X-rays were discovered, and 1924, when the last anatomical specimen was registered at the museum. Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (1845–1923), a German professor of physics, was the first person to produce and detect electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength known as X-rays in 1895. He later realised that a number of objects could be penetrated by these X-rays, including human soft tissues, exposing the bones. By using a photographic plate instead of a screen, he managed to capture the X-ray images, which became immediately useful to doctors. These findings earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901

A 1810 skull of Napoleon army’s soldier: a clinical–anatomical correlation of steam gun trauma

International audienceIntroduction: In the following article, we are presenting a clinical observation of Baron Larrey. In 1804, Larrey was the inspector general of health, as well as the chief surgeon of the imperial Napoleonic Guard. He participated in all of Napoleon's campaigns. A paleopathological study was performed on a skull from Dupuytren's Museum (Paris) with a long metal stick in the head. We report here a clinical case as well as the autopsy description of this soldier's skull following his death. We propose a different anatomical analysis of the skull, which allowed us to rectify what we believe to be an anatomical error and to propose varying hypotheses regarding the death of soldier Cros.Materials and methods: The skull was examined, observed and described by standard paleopathology methods. Measurements of the lesion were performed with metric tools and expressed in centimeters. Historical research was made possible through the collaboration with the Museum of Medicine History-Paris Descartes University.Results: Following the above detailed anatomical analysis of the path of the metal rod, we propose various possible lesions in soldier Cros due to the accident. At the inlet, the frontal sinuses could have been damaged. At the level of the second portion of the intracranial path, all of the anatomical elements present in the cavernous sinus could have been injured (cranial nerves III, IV, V1 and V2, VI, internal carotid artery and cavernous sinus). The exit orifice of the foreign body passes through the left condylar fossa of the occipital bone, points to a highly probable lesion of the left hypoglossal nerve (12th cranial nerve).Conclusion: The paleopathological study of human remains, when combined with anatomical and clinical knowledge of the pathologies of the head and neck, can rectify diagnoses of the past

History of medicine is not a game

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