1915-2015, commémorer le centenaire du génocide des Arméniens

Les raisons d’une commémoration Le 24 avril est une date significative et sombre pour les Arméniens dans le monde entier. Ce jour-là, en 1915, les intellectuels et les notables arméniens ont été réunis à Istanbul et ensuite exécutés. La déportation du peuple arménien commence aussitôt après d’une manière systématique, lorsque le gouvernement des Jeunes-Turcs ordonne “le déplacement” des Arméniens pour, en fait, les envoyer dans les déserts arides de Syrie et de Mésopotamie. Depuis, partout da..

Les entreprises de construction européennes dans les villes du canal de Suez

Figure 1 : Ismaïlia : plan général de la ville en 1903 Source : Fonds de la Compagnie universelle du canal maritime de Suez, Archives nationales du monde du Travail, Roubaix Figure 2 : Port-Saïd : premier projet de plan de la ville dressé par l’ingénieur Voisin en 1860 Source : Fonds de la Compagnie universelle du canal maritime de Suez, Archives nationales du monde du Travail, Roubaix Le fonds d’archives de la Compagnie universelle du canal maritime de Suez, la société par actions fondée e..

Conventional liquid-based techniques versus Cytyc Thinprep(® )processing of urinary samples: a qualitative approach

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to objectively compare Cytyc Thinprep(® )and other methods of obtaining thin layer cytologic preparations (cytocentrifugation, direct smearing and Millipore(® )filtration) in urine cytopathology. METHODS: Thinprep slides were compared to direct smears in 79 cases. Cytocentrifugation carried out with the Thermo Shandon Cytospin(® )4 was compared to Thinprep in 106 cases, and comparison with Millipore filtration followed by blotting was obtained in 22 cases. Quality was assessed by scoring cellularity, fixation, red blood cells, leukocytes and nuclear abnormalities. RESULTS: The data show that 1) smearing allows good overall results to be obtained, 2) Cytocentrifugation with reusable TPX(® )chambers should be avoided, 3) Cytocentrifugation using disposable chambers (Cytofunnels(® )or Megafunnel(® )chambers) gives excellent results equalling or surpassing Thinprep and 4) Millipore filtration should be avoided, owing to its poor global quality. Despite differences in quality, the techniques studied have no impact on the diagnostic accuracy as evaluated by the rate of abnormalities. CONCLUSION: We conclude that conventional methods such as cytocentrifugation remain the most appropriate ones for current treatment of urinary samples. Cytyc Thinprep processing, owing to its cost, could be used essentially for cytology-based molecular studies

Insufficient OPC migration into demyelinated lesions is a cause of poor remyelination in MS and mouse models

Failure of remyelination of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions contributes to neurodegeneration that correlates with chronic disability in patients. Currently, there are no available treatments to reduce neurodegeneration, but one therapeutic approach to fill this unmet need is to promote remyelination. As many demyelinated MS lesions contain plentiful oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), but no mature myelinating oligodendrocytes, research has previously concentrated on promoting OPC maturation. However, some MS lesions contain few OPCs, and therefore, remyelination failure may also be secondary to OPC recruitment failure. Here, in a series of MS samples, we determined how many lesions contained few OPCs, and correlated this to pathological subtype and expression of the chemotactic molecules Semaphorin (Sema) 3A and 3F. 37 % of MS lesions contained low numbers of OPCs, and these were mostly chronic active lesions, in which cells expressed Sema3A (chemorepellent). To test the hypothesis that differential Sema3 expression in demyelinated lesions alters OPC recruitment and the efficiency of subsequent remyelination, we used a focal myelinotoxic mouse model of demyelination. Adding recombinant (r)Sema3A (chemorepellent) to demyelinated lesions reduced OPC recruitment and remyelination, whereas the addition of rSema3F (chemoattractant), or use of transgenic mice with reduced Sema3A expression increased OPC recruitment and remyelination. We conclude that some MS lesions fail to remyelinate secondary to reduced OPC recruitment, and that chemotactic molecules are involved in the mechanism, providing a new group of drug targets to improve remyelination, with a specific target in the Sema3A receptor neuropilin-1. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00401-013-1112-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Targeted Ablation of Oligodendrocytes Triggers Axonal Damage

Glial dysfunction has been implicated in a number of neurodegenerative diseases. In this study we investigated the consequences of glial and oligodendrocyte ablation on neuronal integrity and survival in Drosophila and adult mice, respectively. Targeted genetic ablation of glia was achieved in the adult Drosophila nervous system using the GAL80-GAL4 system. In mice, oligodendrocytes were depleted by the injection of diphtheria toxin in MOGi-Cre/iDTR double transgenic animals. Acute depletion of oligodendrocytes induced axonal injury, but did not cause neuronal cell death in mice. Ablation of glia in adult flies triggered neuronal apoptosis and resulted in a marked reduction in motor performance and lifespan. Our study shows that the targeted depletion of glia triggers secondary neurotoxicity and underscores the central contribution of glia to neuronal homeostasis. The models used in this study provide valuable systems for the investigation of therapeutic strategies to prevent axonal or neuronal damage

Zfp488 promotes oligodendrocyte differentiation of neural progenitor cells in adult mice after demyelination

Basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors Olig1 and Olig2 critically regulate oligodendrocyte development. Initially identified as a downstream effector of Olig1, an oligodendrocyte-specific zinc finger transcription repressor, Zfp488, cooperates with Olig2 function. Although Zfp488 is required for oligodendrocyte precursor formation and differentiation during embryonic development, its role in oligodendrogenesis of adult neural progenitor cells is not known. In this study, we tested whether Zfp488 could promote an oligodendrogenic fate in adult subventricular zone (SVZ) neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs). Using a cuprizone-induced demyelination model in mice, we examined the effect of retrovirus-mediated Zfp488 overexpression in SVZ NSPCs. Our results showed that Zfp488 efficiently promoted the differentiation of the SVZ NSPCs into mature oligodendrocytes in vivo. After cuprizone-induced demyelination injury, Zfp488-transduced mice also showed significant restoration of motor function to levels comparable to control mice. Together, these findings identify a previously unreported role for Zfp488 in adult oligodendrogenesis and functional remyelination after injury

Construire au-delà de la Méditerranée

Suez, Abou Simbel, Le Caire, Alger, Casablanca, Istanbul... Pour la première fois, des historiens de l'architecture et des conservateurs d'archives nous permettent d'accéder à un patrimoine culturel européen exceptionnel et méconnu : les archives produites par les entreprises du bâtiment et des travaux publics actives au sud de la Méditerranée, entre 1860 et 1970. Ouvrages d'art en acier ou béton armé, cités pour ouvriers et cadres expatriés, bâtiments publics mais aussi mobilier, décors, ouvrages effectués par des artisans d'art... Toutes ces réalisations témoignent d'une époque d'intenses échanges humains, techniques, et artistiques entre l'Europe et l'arc sud-est de la Méditerranée. Photographies anciennes destinées à promouvoir le travail des entrepreneurs, photographies de chantier, dessins d'architectes, croquis et carnets documentant les innovations techniques, plaquettes publicitaires... le livre est illustré par plus de 200 dessins et photographies provenant directement des fonds d'archives des constructeurs. Cet ouvrage est le résultat du projet de coopération transnationale "ARCHING : ARchives d'INGénierie européenne" (2010-2012) conduit dans le cadre du programme Culture 2007-2013 de la Commission européenne, auquel ont participé cinq institutions : l'Ecomusée du Bois-du-Luc (Belgique), la Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine (France), InVisu (CNRS-INHA) (France), le Dipartimento di Architettura disegno-storia-progetto de l'université de Florence (Italie), Archmuseum (Turquie).Suez, Abu Simbel, Cairo, Algiers, Casablanca, Istanbul... This work of pioneering research by architectural historians and archivists gives us access to an exceptional field of European cultural heritage: the records of buildings and public works contractors active on the southern shores of the Mediterranean between 1860 and 1970. It covers all the construction trades, from steel or reinforced concrete bridges and dams, housing for laborers and expats, and public buildings, but also furniture, decoration, and studio crafts. All of these projects attest to the intensity of the human, technical, and artistic exchanges occurring in this period between Europe and the south-eastern Mediterranean rim. This book is illustrated with over 200 rare drawings and photographs drawn directly from the builders'archives, including old photos intended to promote the contractor's business, construction site photos, architects' plans, sketches, and notes documenting technical innovations, and vintage advertising brochures, etc. This book is the product of the transnational cooperation project "ARCHING: ARChives d'INGénierie européennes" (2010-2012) carried out as part of the European Commission Culture Programme 2007-2013, in conjunction with five institutions: the Ecomusée du Bois-du-Luc (Belgium), the Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine (France), InVisu (CNRS-INHA) (France), the Dipartimento di Architettura disegno-storia-progetto of the University of Florence (Italy) and the Archmuseum (Turkey)