Un recueil parisien de psaumes, de chansons spirituelles et de motets (ca. 1565) : Genève BGE Ms. Mus. 572.

International audienceStudy of the musical manuscript MS MUS 572, Bibliothèque de Genève. This volume, of Parisian origin, is written around 1567 and contains psalms (translated by Marot and Bèze), spiritual songs and motets. Although the binding ornementation and its monogram has been studied in detail, irs precise provenance could not be established. Some clus couls indicate it come from the entourage of Jean II Brinon.Cette étude étudie le MS MUS 572 de la Bibliothèque de Genève, manuscrit parisien d'environ 1567 qui contient des psaumes de Marot et Bèze tant homophoniques qu'en forme de motets, des chansons spirituelles et des motets. Malgré une étude approfondie des fers et du monogramme de la reliure, son propriétaire n'a pu être identifié, encore que certains indices incitent à le situer dans la mouvance de Jean II Brinon

Desmodium adscendens. From the Cameroonian traditional remedy against hepatitis to chemotherapy support

Desmodium adscendens (Da) est une espèce pantropicale qui jouit d’une réputation de plante médicinale pratiquement dans tous les pays où elle croît. C’est en 1965 que le Dr P. Tubéry, alors médecin coopérant au nord Cameroun recueillit de la bouche d’un tradipraticien des informations concernant son usage contre les hépatites et son mode de préparation. Convaincu de l’efficacité de cette espèce et de son intérêt en thérapeutique, le Dr P. Tubéry l’introduisit en France et avec la collaboration de Mme J. Ragot, pharmacienne, mena des travaux afin de mieux cerner ses indications thérapeutiques, sa pharmacologie et sa composition chimique, ce qui conduisit à la production d’une formulation galénique reproduisant l’efficacité thérapeutique de la préparation traditionnelle. La réputation de Da s’étendit progressivement jusqu’à connaître un grand succès, et actuellement en Europe, cette espèce est devenue une référence incontournable à l’instar du Chardon Marie (Silybum marianum L. Gaertn.), en particulier pour toutes ses applications dans les pathologies du foie (atteintes chroniques ou aiguës, en tant qu’agent curatif et/ou préventif), mais aussi pour d’autres indications. Le but cet article est de faire le point sur les travaux réalisés sur cette espèce, dans un but de validation et de recommandations d’usage.Desmodium adscendens (Da) is a pan-tropical species, considered to have medicinal properties in almost all the countries where it is present. In 1965, when working as a doctor in remote places in north Cameroon, Dr Tubery collected this plant, presented by local healers to be useful against hepatitis. Convinced of the effectiveness of this species and of its great potential, Dr Tubery introduced it in France and with Jacqueline Ragot, a pharmacist, initiated studies aiming at evaluating its pharmacological activity and chemical composition in order to better define its therapeutic applications. This work led to standardized galenic formulations displaying the same activity as the traditional original Cameroonian remedy. These Da preparations became progressively renowned and now, this species has become as highly estimated as the Milk thistle (Silybum marianum L. Gaertn.), especially for all liver pathologies (whether chronic or acute, whether for curative or preventive purposes) together with other therapeutic indications. The aim of this paper is to update the work done on this species in order to validate its activity and give guidelines for its use

Le grain de kefir et sa formation : etudes biochimiques et microbiologiques

SIGLECNRS T 58442 / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueFRFranc

Large Variability of Trophoblast Gene Expression Within and Between Human Normal Term Placentae

International audienceHuman placenta extracts are widely used in clinical and fundamental research, particularly to study the hormonal and exchange functions of the placenta. However, very little is known about the distribution of the main hormone mRNAs in the placenta as a whole. Total placenta extracts are heterogeneous in their cellular components, as they contain material of both fetal and maternal origin, and in their structure. Results vary greatly depending upon the location of the biopsy and the number of biopsies performed. We used real-time quantitative RT-PCR to determine whether transcripts corresponding to the main hormones secreted by the human placenta (e.g. hCG, HPL and PGH) are equally distributed within and between term placentae. We also measured cytokeratin 7 transcripts, which are specifically expressed in the trophoblast, and transcripts corresponding to nuclear receptors PPAR and RXR. A comparison of the results obtained with 12 different samples from each of four normal term placentae revealed that the amounts of transcripts differ considerably within and between each placenta. This emphasizes the need to study large numbers of samples when looking for significant differences in gene expression

Optic atrophy 1 is an A-kinase anchoring protein on lipid droplets that mediates adrenergic control of lipolysis

Adrenergic stimulation of adipocytes yields a cAMP signal that activates protein kinase A (PKA). PKA phosphorylates perilipin, a protein localized on the surface of lipid droplets that serves as a gatekeeper to regulate access of lipases converting stored triglycerides to free fatty acids and glycerol in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. Here, we report a new function for optic atrophy 1 (OPA1), a protein known to regulate mitochondrial dynamics, as a dual-specificity A-kinase anchoring protein associated with lipid droplets. By a variety of protein interaction assays, immunoprecipitation and immunolocalization experiments, we show that OPA1 organizes a supramolecular complex containing both PKA and perilipin. Furthermore, by a combination of siRNA-mediated knockdown, reconstitution experiments using full-length OPA1 with or without the ability to bind PKA or truncated OPA1 fused to a lipid droplet targeting domain and cellular delivery of PKA anchoring disruptor peptides, we demonstrate that OPA1 targeting of PKA to lipid droplets is necessary for hormonal control of perilipin phosphorylation and lipolysis

Activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase/AKT pathway in neuroblastoma and its regulation by thioredoxin 1

Neuroblastoma is a malignant pediatric tumor with poor survival. The phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase/AKT pathway is a crucial regulator of cellular processes including apoptosis. Thioredoxin 1, an inhibitor of tumor-suppressor phosphatase and tensin homolog, is overexpressed in many tumors. The objective of this study was to explore phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase/AKT pathway activation and regulation by thioredoxin 1 to identify potential therapeutic targets. Immunohistochemical analysis was done on tissue microarrays from tumor samples of 101 patients, using antibodies against phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase, AKT, activated AKT, phosphatase and tensin homolog, phosphorylated phosphatase and tensin homolog, thioredoxin 1, epidermal growth factor receptor, vascular endothelial growth factor and receptors (vascular endothelial growth factor 1 and vascular endothelial growth receptor 2), platelet-derived growth factor receptors, insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor, neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor type 2, phosphorylated 70-kd S6 protein kinase, 4E-binding protein 1, and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin. Using 3 neuroblastoma cell lines, we investigated cell viability with AKT-specific inhibitors (LY294002, RAD001) and thioredoxin 1 alone or in combination. We found activated AKT and AKT expressed in 97% and 98%, respectively, of neuroblastomas, despite a high expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog correlated with thioredoxin 1. AKT expression was greater in metastatic than primary tumors. Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor, tyrosine kinase receptor type 2, vascular endothelial growth receptor 1, and downstream phosphorylated 70-kd S6 protein kinase were correlated with activated AKT. LY294002 and RAD001 significantly reduced AKT activity and cell viability and induced a G(1) cell cycle arrest. Thioredoxin 1 decreased cytotoxicity of AKT inhibitors and doxorubicin, up-regulated AKT activation, and induced cell growth. Thus, vascular endothelial growth receptor 1, tyrosine kinase receptor type 2, insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor, and thioredoxin 1 emerged as preferentially committed to phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase/AKT pathway activation as observed in neuroblastoma. Thioredoxin 1 is a potential target for therapeutic intervention

Variable Intrafamilial Expression of ABCB4 Disease

Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 3 (PFIC3) is a rare cholestatic liver disease with autosomal recessive inheritance caused by mutations in theABCB4gene. The clinical presentation of PFIC3 varies significantly, displaying incomplete penetrance without clear genotype-phenotype correlations. As such, the suitability of living-related liver donation for children with advanced disease has been questioned. We report here the long-term follow-up of a patient with PFIC3 resulting in decompensated cirrhosis at 11 years who successfully underwent living donor liver transplantation from his father, who carried the sameABCB4homozygous mutation

Trophoblast production of a weakly bioactive human chorionic gonadotropin in trisomy 21-affected pregnancy.: hCG and Down Syndrome

Total human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is high in maternal serum at 14-18 wk of trisomy 21 (T21)-affected pregnancy, despite low placental hCG synthesis. We sought an explanation for this paradox. We first observed that, in T21-affected pregnancies, maternal serum hCG levels peaked at around 10 wk and then followed the same pattern throughout pregnancy as in controls, albeit at a higher (2.2-fold) level. After delivery, hCG clearance was not significantly different from that in controls. We isolated cytotrophoblasts from 29 T21-affected placentas (12-25 wk) and 13 gestational age-matched control placentas and cultured them for 3 d. In this large series, we confirmed that, in the culture medium of trophoblasts isolated from T21 placentas, hCG secretion was significantly lower (P < 0.003) than in controls, in contrast to the high hCG in maternal serum of the same patients. In T21 cultured trophoblasts, transcripts of sialyltransferase-1 and fucosyltransferase-1 were abnormally high. In corresponding culture medium, hCG was abnormally glycosylated; highly acidic [isoelectric points (pHi) = 4.5] as shown by isoelectric focusing, immunoblotting, and lectin binding; and weakly bioactive (46% of control) as determined using the Leydig cell model. In conclusion, T21 trophoblast cells produced hCG that was weakly bioactive and abnormally glycosylated but whose maternal clearance was unaltered

Secondary pulmonary alveolar proteinosis after unrelated cord blood hematopoietic cell transplantation

PAP is a rare alveolointerstitial lung disorder characterized histologically by the intra-alveolar accumulation of eosinophilic and PAS-positive material. We observed two cases of PAP after unrelated CB hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation in children with ALL. No antagonist activity toward GM-CSF was identified in the patient tested. The putative multifactorial PAP etiology is discussed. This potentially curable condition should be considered in a CB allograft recipient with alveolointerstial lung disorder