Apports de la géologie et de la géomorphologie à l’étude du mégalithisme : identifier,interpréter,dater

The contribution of geology and geomorphology to architectural and technological study of the Atlantic coast of France megaliths is important and can be grouped into three main axes: to identify, interpret and dating. Identification refers to the sourcing of the megalithic materiel from 0 to 7 km, sometimes around 10 km, or even exceptionally around 30 km. It is never the entire supply that is affected by such long distances but only a few blocks, some of them are remarkably well staged in the megalithic architecture. Another contribution lies in a fresh look at the management of stone recognized through the modes of acquisition, transformation and use of the raw material. More particularly, the geomorphology associated with technological reading offers tools for recognizing ancient standing stones. In the context of the interpretation of funerary chambers, the two sciences open a large window on the modalities of the internal structuring of monuments. From the entrance to the end of the chamber, the organization and use of the space is documented, sometimes a symbolic coding emerges from the mineral walls. This symbolic coding is based on particular petrography, on surface conditions operating a subdivision of space, on granulometries and homogeneities of differentiated surfaces. The internal organization can also be marked with natural “patterns”, which refer to a completely new aspect of Neolithic thought. Finally, the last axis concerns relative dating, by recognizing forms of postmegalithic fossil erosion, geomorphology makes it possible to identify reused stelae. A very important tool in a current research context where an important episode of reuse of standing stones at the end of the middle Neolithic is anticipated in the construction of dolmens in the south of France.     

A propos de l'intervention des aéroions dans les processus de régulation de la lipémie et de la cholestérolémie

Resume Les expériences ont porté sur des lapins repartis en deux groupes parallèles — un groupe étant traité avec des aéroions négatifs en concentrations moderées (n^– = 10 – 40.000; n⁺ = 1.000) et l'autre sans aéroionothérapie (témoins). Par rapport aux animaux témoins (pas exposés aux aéroions),on a enregistré,sous l'influence de l'aéroionothérapie, que: (1)il y a une tendence de normalisation de la motilité spontanée, deprimée par une alimentation contenant un excès de cholestérol(0,3 g/kg/jour); (2) la lipémie et la cholestérolémie sont restées à un niveau plus bas chez les animaux alimentés au cholestérol; (3) la lipémie et la cholestérolémie, de même que l'iode thyroïdien, sont restées aux valeurs voisines de celles normales,chez les animaux nourris avec un excès (20 mg/kg/jour), de substances antithyroïdiennes naturelles (provenant du chou).

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Groups of rabbits were exposed to negative air ions of moderate concentrations (n^– = 10 – 40,000; n⁺ = 1,000) while others served as controls. (1) When rabbits were fed a cholesterol-rich diet (0.3 g/kg/day)causing reduction of motility in the control animals, their motility was normalized under air ion treatment. (2) The blood cholesterol and lipid levels of rabbits on a cholesterol-rich diet were lower with air ion treatment than in controls.(3) When rabbits were fed a diet with thyroid blocking agents from cabbage the blood cholesterol and lipid levels and the thyroid iodine content remained unchanged with air ion treatment.

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Zusammenfassung Gruppen Kaninchen wurden mit negativen Luftionen in mässigen Konzentrationen (n^– = 100 000 – 40 000; n⁺ = 1 000) behandelt, während andere als Kontrollen dienten. (1) Die durch Fütterung von cholesterinreicher Diät (0,3 g/kg/Tag) verminderte Motilität der Tiere wurde unter der Luftionenbehandlung normalisiert. (2) Der durch Fütterung von cholesterinreicher Diät erhöhte Blutcholesterin- und-fettspiegel fiel durch Luftionenbehandlung ab. (3) Der durch Fütterung von strumipriven Substanzen aus Kohl erhöhte Cholesterin- und Fettspiegel im Blut und verminderte Jodgehalt der Schilddrüse wurde durch Luftionenbehandlung nicht beeinflusst.

     

Détection de l’activation cérébrale : de la spectroscopie à l’imagerie proche infrarouge à fenêtre temporelle

Near infrared spectroscopy is commonly used both in clinical practice and in the biomedical research field in order to monitor tissue perfusion and oxygenation, especially during cerebral activation. A new method is proposed to select detected photons according to their time of flight within tissues. Processing only late photons improves detection sensitivity as well as discrimination between cerebral activation and skin fluctuations. Processing of temporal point spread functions as well as an instrumentation for non contact-volume acquisitions are still in progress and could be the basis of a spectroscopy imaging method.     

Les théories de l’économie animale et l’émergence de la psychiatrie de l’Encyclopédie à l’aliénisme

The author analysesEncyclopédie’s articles devoted to nervous and mental functioning and disorders, showing that a new approach to lunacy as a mental illness, which is defined in some articles as a “general trouble of the animal economy”, progressively emerged. The term,animal economy, unified physical and moral aspects of the study of man. It was elaborated by XVIIIth century physiologists and was widely accepted by French physicians. This idea is based on the vitalistic thought of the Montpellier school, which equated life with sensibility, and on English medical conceptions of a nervous-centred organism. Later on Philippe Pinel’s work displayed the legacy of these conceptions. On one hand, the comprehensive view of physical and moral dimensions in theanimal economy neutralized the question of an organic or psychogenetic origin of madness. This enabled him to consider it as a determinate field of sensibility interactions and as a medical matter, and to legitimize the group of therapeutic practices that he namedtraitement moral. On the other hand, Pinel departed from the classical conception ofanimal economy by developing his concept of aprinciple of mania, which underlies the manifold symptoms and forms of madness, and which are only perceptible to a trained specialist (aliéniste). The historical development analysed in this article show how alienists were enabled to claim both the wholly medical nature of insanity as disease, and their specific competence as apart from the other medical disciplines. To this extent, Esquirol achieved Pinel’s scientific work.     

À propos d’une fixation de l’uncus du pancréas à la scintigraphie des récepteurs de la somatostatine

We report a case of increased Indium 111 pentetreotide (Octreoscan^®) uptake in the processus incinatus of pancreas. 68 Gallium somatostatin analog radiotracer uptake in the head of the pancreas is a common finding, however, this pitfall has never been described with Indium 111 pentetreotide SPECT.     

Intérêt de l’introduction à la nomenclature du test de détection des HPV

Le cancer du col de l’utérus reste un problème de santé publique puisque 900 000 nouveaux cas sont diagnostiqués chaque année de par le monde [Luthra] et il est responsable en France de plus de 1600 décès par an. Pourtant, depuis plus de 40 ans, le dépistage de masse des précurseurs du cancer invasif est tout à fait réalisable et le traitement des anomalies cervicales pré-invasives amène généralement à la guérison.     

Effets d’une exposition à la Vinclozoline et à la Génistéine de la gestation à l’âge adulte sur la fonction de reproduction du ratWistar mâle: protocole et résultats préliminaires

Current evidence indicates that endocrine disrupters (EDs) can induce adverse effects on the male reproductive tract in various mammalian species. Recent reports indicate deterioration in male reproductive health in several human populations, but the evidence for a causal link with endocrine disruption is still weak. In addition, the experimental conditions of most of the reportedin vivo studies are not representative of environmental exposures (for example, high doses, short-term exposure, a single ED) and the mechanisms by which EDs disrupt the reproductive system are poorly understood. The objective of the present study is to develop an animal model to assess the reproductive effects and study the putative cellular and molecular mechanisms involved after exposure to genistein (phytoestrogen) and vinclozolin (fungicide with a known antiandrogenic potential) alone or in combination. The study will be performed in male Wistar rats, with administration of low and high doses of the compounds from conception to adulthood and a subset of the males in each treatment group will be mated with unexposed females. We plan to assess the level of sperm production, histology of the reproductive organs, motility and morphometry of spermatozoa and hormone levels, as well as DNA fragmentation of spermatozoa and determination of the number of germ cells, Sertoli cells and the diameters of seminiferous tubules. Estrogen, androgen, progesterone and FSH receptors will be detected and quantified and the level of testicular apoptosis and several apoptosis pathways will be studied to determine the putative cellular and molecular mechanisms involved. The preliminary results confirmed the developmental effects previously reported for high doses of vinclozolin. More interestingly, they indicated a number of deleterious effects for male rats exposed to low dosages alone or mixtures of low and high dosages compared to controls and rats exposed to high dosages alone. For example, a number of developmental anomalies of the genitalia were observed and a significant decrease of sperm motility and motion and fertilizing ability were observed. These preliminary results provide evidence that chronic exposure to environmental levels of EDs or mixtures of EDs have a detrimental impact on the male reproductive tract. The next step involves assessment of the anatomical disorders and the study of some of the cellular and molecular mechanisms possibly involved.     

Application de la technique de PCR en temps réel à l’étude de l’ADN ancien

Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for the study of ancient DNA. The properties of ancient DNA (aDNA) make difficult the retrieval of DNA sequence. The advantage of Real-Time PCR was exploited, for the first time, in the study of aDNA. We determined the optimal condition to amplify, in one round of PCR, aDNA, which should be directly sequenced. Beside the verification of aDNA authenticity, we compared two cleaning bone methods: scalpel and ethanol. The ethanol specimens showed the best DNA yield. The aDNA was extracted and amplified (mitochondrial hypervariable region I) from five skeletons exhumed from the archaeological site of Notre-Dame-du-Bourg (France), dated from 3rd to 17th century. To cite this article: R. Kefi et al., C. R. Palevol 2 (2003) 125–132.     

L’apport de la scintigraphie dans la pathologie de l’appareil locomoteur de l’enfant et de l’adolescent. Regards croisés du clinicien et du scintigraphiste

This paper summarizes and clarifies the clinician's reasoning in front of a lesion of the musculoskeletal system and his appeal to the examinations of imaging and to his choices. It proposes an analysis of the criteria of choice of bone scanning in this arsenal of exploration. It details the keys of the dialogue between the clinician and the nuclear physician: firstly, the clinician determines the elements of his request and its areas of doubt and uncertainty, and his diagnosis of probability and, secondly, the nuclear physician adapts the nature of the examination according to the problem posed.     

Rôle de la TEP FDG dans l’évaluation de l’extension locorégionale et à distance du mélanome

FDG PET/CT is a relevant examination for patients with high-risk melanoma. For early stages with thickness ≥ 1 mm, lymph node ultrasound, and when negative, lymphoscintigraphy for determination of sentinel lymph node, remain necessary. For more advanced stages, FDG PET can map the lesions and guide the therapeutic strategy, either with surgical management, or systemic therapy (or sometimes both). In patients with high-risk melanoma, it allows to detect relapses early, including in asymptomatic patients, with a potential impact on therapeutic decisions. Beside the detection of classical secondary localizations, FDG PET has the advantage of allowing whole-body imaging, the identification of soft tissue lesions, frequent in melanomas, as well as rarer sites of involvement, such as those of the gastro-intestinal tract. For the assessment of cerebral and leptomeningeal involvement, MRI remains mandatory. Evolutions in the therapeutic management of advanced melanomas, and the search for biomarkers to guide the therapeutic strategy, ask for more refined analyses of PET, with metabolic tumour volume analysis and radiomics. The combination of metabolic imaging data with biological and molecular data, and the development of new PET tracers may improve the assessment of prognosis and the prediction of response to therapies, in order to tailor the therapeutic strategy to each patient. Further studies are needed to consolidate the role of PET/CT in this disease for which numerous therapeutic innovations are emerging.