Effets du rubidium et du césium sur la croissance et la nutrition minerale des characees

Résumé Le rubidium et le césium introduits à l'état de chlorure dans le milieu de culture ont à faible dose un effet stimulant sur la croissance de Chara fragilis et de Chara vulgaris. La résistance de ces végétaux à l'action toxique des deux ions est accrue par l'addition de potassium au milieu.Les analyses chimiques confirment que le rubidium et le césium sont antagonistes vis-à-vis du potassium et du sodium alors qu'ils ne modifient pas de manière significative le taux de calcium.

---

Chara fragilis and Chara vulgaris were cultivated in a natural medium containing rubidium and caesium as chloride.The growth of Characeae was increased after culture in the solutions containing Rb and Cs in small amount. The resistance to the toxic effects of these two ions is enhanced if potassium chloride is added to the medium.Quantitative analyses indicate that Rb and Cs decrease the rate of Na and K but have no significative influence on the rate of Ca.

Université de Dijon, Laboratoire de Nutrition minérale des Végétaux     

Cancer du testicule: BEP et spermatogenèse

The sperm characteristics of 44 men treated with two or more courses of BEP chemotherapy for non seminomatous germ cell testicular tumours were investigated before and 25.2 ± 19.4 months after chemotherapy. Before treatment, 54.5% of patients were oligozoospermic. The mean sperm characteristics did not differ before and after chemotherapy. However, following chemotherapy, the recovery of initial sperm count was more frequent after one year than before. During the first year, recovery was more frequent in patients treated with two than in those treated with more than two BEP cycles. In patients with good pre-treatment sperm count, sperm production was reduced by half after chemotherapy. In a subgroup of men who provided two sperm samples after chemotherapy, sperm production was better in the second sample than in the first. Our data suggest that sperm recovery is related to testicular function prior to therapy, to the time elapsed after chemotherapy and in the first year to the number of chemotherapy cycles. In conclusion, our study is reassuring concerning the long-term male reproductive toxicity of BEP. However, further studies are required to analyse the possible effects on sperm genetic material during the recovery period.     

Isolement du vernodalin et du vernolepin a partir de Vernonia guineensis: Authenticité du squelette elemane

The isolation of vernoladin and vernolepin is reported. The authenticity of the occurrence of the elemane skeleton in nature is discussed, and a biosynthetic scheme concerning the genus Vernonia is proposed.     

Ultrastructure du mucus (cellules caliciformes du côlon) et des granulations des mastocytes du côlon

Résumé Les auteurs ont étudié la biréfringence du mucus du côlon chez le rat, le cobaye et le lapin, au moyen des colorations métachromatiques au bleu de toluidine et aux acridines. Ils démontrent une biréfringence positive du mucus extracellulaire. Les granulations des mastocytes, dans le même matériel, sont anisotropes. L'anisotropie du mucus et des granulations des mastocytes est présente après fixation-coloration simultanée au bleu Alcian et au vert Alcian. La biréfringence du mucus extracellulaire reste également positive avec les phtalocyanines. En microscopie électronique, les auteurs démontrent, à l'aide du bleu Alcian, une structure filamenteuse parallèle du mucus s'échappant de la cellule. Un aspect hétérogène des granulations des mastocytes est aussi mis en évidence par cette méthode. Ils discutent l'aspect de la réaction métachromatique en fonction de l'anisotropie d'une structure.

---

Ultrastructure of mucus in goblet cells and of granules of mastocytes in colonAnisotropy, metachromasia and electron microscopy

Summary The authors have investigated the birefringence of the colic mucus in the guinea pig, the rat and the rabbit before and after of metachromatical staining with toluidine blue and with acridines. They demonstrate a positive birefringence of the extracellular mucus. The granulations of the mast cells in the same animals are anisotropic. The anisotropy can be seen in the mucus and in the granulations of the mast cells after a combined fixation and staining with a mixture of glutaraldehyde and Alcian blue or Alcian green. The birefringence of the extracellular mucus also remains positive with these phtalocyanin dyes. Using the electron microscope, the authors demonstrate, by means of Alcian blue, a filamentous structure with a parallel orientation in the mucus while it flows out of the cells. The same method allows the vizualisation of a heterogenous aspect in the granulations of the mast cells. They discuss the theoretical aspects of the metachromatical reaction in relation with the anisotropy of a structure.

---

---

Nous remercions vivement le Prof. G. Romhányi de l'Université de Pecs (Hongrie) d'avoir bien voulu examiner nos préparations et de nous avoir conseillé dans l'élaboration de ce travail.Nous remercions sincèrement le Dr. J. E. Scott du Canadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital, Taplow, Maidenhead, Berks (Angleterre) d'avoir examiné nos courbes spectrophotométriques du bleu Alcian-héparine et de nous avoir donné son avis.Ce travail a été partiellement réalisé grâce au crédit no 3. 141. 69 du Fonds National Suisse pour le Développement de la Recherche Scientifique.     

Incidences de la restriction calorique et du Nickel sur l’aromatase testiculaire du rat

This study was designed to determine whether intermittent fasting induces malnutrition that, according to many authors, accentuates the cytotoxic effects of environmental pollutants, or caloric restriction that reduces these effects. Ninety six male Wistar rats (180g) were divided into two groups: one group was fed daily (N) and the other group was fed every second day (J) for one month. At the end of one month, each group was then divided into two subgroups, one subgroup received an injection of 0.9% NaCI (groups NO and JO), the other subgroup received an injection of 4 mg/kg NiCI^b2 (groups NNi and JNi). Intermittent fasting was continued in parallel to treatment for 1, 3, 5 and 10 days. Under these experimental conditions, nickel increased testicular aromatase activity and altered total RNA, while no alteration of these biomarkers was observed with intermittent fasting. The combination of these two factors, nickel and intermittent fasting, did not amplify these effects. In contrast, protection of RNA by intermittent fasting was observed, especially overexpression of aromatase mRNA.     

Métabolomique et imagerie TEP-FDG des cancers du sein

Cancer metabolism is an essential aspect of tumorogenesis, as cancer cells have increased energy requirements in comparison to normal cells. Metabolomic techniques can provide quantitative data for a large number of small molecules in tissues and enable the analysis of multiple intricate metabolic pathways. Positron emission tomography (PET) using ¹⁸F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) enables in vivo analysis of glycolysis and is widely used in oncology. High tumor FDG uptake is a prognostic factor in breast cancer and has been associated with tumor aggressively. Seventy breast cancer samples obtained from untreated patients who had underwent FDG-PET imagery were analyzed through an untargeted metabolomic approach using liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LC-MS) to study possible correlations between metabolomic data and FDG uptake. Tumors were split into two groups depending on avidity for FDG as measured with PET. The Compound Discoverer 4.0 software enabled identification of 854 metabolites. PLSDA based models predicted FDG uptake with an accuracy ranging from 0,73 to 0,77. Selected metabolites varied depending on the use of scaling or log transformation. Metabolites correlated with tumor FDG uptake were, among others, glutathione, amino-acids such as glutamate, proline or tyrosine, L-acetyl-carnitine, metabolites from the kynurenine pathway such as L-kynurenine or formyl-kynurenine and polyamines such as N1,N12-diacetylspermine or N1-acetylspermine. These metabolites have been previously shown to reflect cancer aggressivity. The correlation between the glycolytic pathway activation and tumor FDG uptake could not be directly assessed but indirect signs showed a higher glycolytic activity in tumours presenting a higher FDG uptake. Studying new metabolites identified through this process could enable a better understanding of tumor metabolism and identification of new biomarkers.     

Fertilité et cancer du testicule. Impact des traitements

Objectives

To study the fertility of patients with testicular cancer.

Population and Method

The fertility of a consecutive series of 489 men treated for germ cell tumour of the testis in the Midi-Pyrénées region, between 1978 and 1998, was investigated by means of a questionnaire sent by mail to the patients. A participation rate of 95% was obtained.

Results

Information concerning fertility was obtained for 446 men. 90.1% of patients who had tried to have children prior to their testicular cancer had succeeded, but only 61.8% of men were able to have a child after treatment of their cancer. Radiotherapy and surgery of residual masses appear to be more harmful to fertility than BOE chemotherapy.

Conclusion

The population of men treated for testicular cancer present a high risk of infertility, as the fertility of these men decreases by about 30% after treatment.     

Biostratigraphie des Miospores et des Chitinozoaires du Silurien supérieur et du Dévonien dans le bassin d'Illizi (S.E. du Sahara algérien)

Core samples from the Illizi basin yielded well preservedmiospores and Chitinozoa. The detailed study of the range of these microfossils allows accurate age assignment for upper Silurian and Devonian subsurface strata of the southeastern part of the algerian Sahara. On the other hand, these biostratigraphical data demonstrate the occurrence of important stratigraphical gaps related to recurrent emersions.     

Relation entre aphides et fourmis dans la production et la récolte du miellat sur oranger

Résumé La fréquence des gouttelettes de miellat excrétées par Toxoptera aurantii (Boyer de F.) augmente en la présence de Tapinoma simrothi Krausse., mais le phénomène est seulement important quand les aphides sont familiarisés avec la visite des fourmis. En présence d'ouvrières pourvoyeuses âgées, le nombre de gouttelettes de miellat excrétées par une colonie d'aphides est multiplié par 4,9. Les meilleures performances sont obtenues avec les larves, qui défèquent plus vite que les adultes. Les jeunes ouvrières âgées de moins de deux semaines et isolées juste avant la naissance, sont capables d'augmenter la production de gouttelettes, et ceci sans apprentissage. Mais l'effet est plutôt faible. Dans tous les cas, le nombre de sollicitations pour la nourriture est plus élevé que le nombre des gouttelettes excrétées. Habituellement, les fourmis collectent le miellat directement sur les aphides. Néanmoins, le miellat restant sur les feuilles peut être ramassé, mais cette récolte n'est pas très importante.

---

Summary The frequency of honeydew droplets excreted by Toxoptera aurantii (Boyer de F.) increases in the presence of Tapinoma simrothi Krausse., but the phenomenon is only important when aphids are familiarized with ant-attendance. In presence of old foraging workers, the number of honeydew droplets excreted by an aphid colony is multiplied by 4.9. The best performances are obtained with larvae, which defecate faster than adults. Young workers less than two weeks old and isolated just before birth, are able to increase the droplets production, and this without apprenticeship. But the effect is rather slight. In all cases, the number of food sollicitations is higher than the number of excreted droplets. Usually, ants collect honeydew directly on aphids. Nevertheless, honeydew remaining on leaves can be picked up, but this gathering is not very important.

     

« Sens et essence du monde et du moi onirique » dans <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rêve et Existence</Emphasis> de Ludwig Binswanger

This paper reflects on one of Ludwig Binswanger’s best-known essays, in an effort to clarify the mode of existence of the person within the oneiric world and, therefore, the manifestation mode of that world itself. The author argues that what matters most in the expression of that world is not that it consists of images, but that it is devoid of syntax. This makes it both global and perfective and explains why nothing in it is actually determined by the ego of the dreamer. Its space has no horizon, no perspective and no vantage point, and its temporality is in gestation (chronogenetics), with no concept of the separation of present, past and future. It is characterised by process and lacking in structure. In addition, it is strangely familiar, because it echoes the past in a way that indicates inevitable fate. While the dreaming ego is well folded into that world, its mode of existence remains impersonal; it doesn’t decide for itself, and it doesn’t confront what is coming. The strangeness encountered is not that of the Other, but that of the stranger the ego perceives within itself. Dreaming, therefore, offers the opportunity for human beings to experience existence when it is still undecided — Freud called it the id and Schelling Gemüt — in a place where the ego has not yet become a person. It is only in the waking world that people can integrate their still inchoative egos and give them a destination.     

Aspects toxiques du cuivre sur la biomasse et la productivité du phytoplancton de la rivière du Saguenay,Québec

In 1979 and 1980, batch culture experiments were conducted to observe the inhibitory effect of copper ion (concentrations of 10, 50, 100, 200 and 400 µg Cu · l^–1) on the standing crops and photosynthesis of phytoplankton of the Saguenay River (for 124 hours) and in Chlorella vulgaris (for 8 days). These algal assays were carried out using the surface water of the Saguenay River. In natural populatoins of phytoplankton, it was found that photosynthesis was more sensitive than growth: at the lowest concentrations, such as 10 µg Cu · 1^–1, copper seemed to increase the chlorophyll concentrations whereas the rates of primary production show a decrease of 60% with respect to the control. At higher concentrations of copper, the effect is weak in chlorophyll concentrations and more pronounced in the rates of primary production (decrease of 86 to 90%). The pennate diatoms are dominant (in all the samples) and these organisms are known as relatively resistant to copper. In Chlorella vulgaris, it was observed that with 100 µg Cu · 1^–1, chlorophyll concentrations and rates of photosynthesis respectively decrease by 63 and 99% with respect to the control. At higher concentrations of copper, a maximum decrease of 70% and 99% respectively for chlorophyll concentrations and rates of primaryproduction are observed.

     

Etude des fluctuations annuelles des copépodes et du phytoplancton dans la manche et le golfe de gascogne par la méthode d'analyse de la variance et du coefficient de correlation

2275 samples have been collected with the Continuous Plankton Recorder of Hardy at a standard depth of 10 meteres in the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay between 1958–1965. Biological as well as statistical analyses have been carried out to provide data on annual fluctuations of 34 species of copepods and phytoplankton. Methods of analysis of variance and the correlation coefficient analysis were used for this purpose. The results are presented in the form of triangular matrices showing the annual fluctuations of species in the different areas considered and the relationship between different species in each area. These methods allowed us to define separate groups of species that could be called annual communities.

---

---

Extrait d'une thèse de Doctorat en Oceanographie biologique, soutenue à la faculté des Sciences de Paris le 19 décembre 1967. Ce travail a été subventionné par the Office of Naval Research, Department of the United States Navy en vertu du contrat No 62558-3612.

---

Extrait d'une thèse de Doctorat en Oceanographie biologique, soutenue à la faculté des Sciences de Paris le 19 décembre 1967. Ce travail a été subventionné par the Office of Naval Research, Department of the United States Navy en vertu du contrat No 62558-3612.     

Ontogenèse,variabilité et évolution morphofonctionnelle du pédoncule et du calice chez les millericrinida (Échinodermes,Crinoïdes)

Stalked Crinoids are generaly rheophilic. The shape of the skeleton parts depends on morphofunctional connections. The various fossil and recent species of Millericrinida permit a discussion of the morphology of the calyx and the stem, their variability and their ontogeny. Several examples are investigate with details: Apiocrinus. Millericrinus, Conocrinus, Democrinus and Bourgueticrinus. The stem characteristics are the most constant and significant for systematics. The architecture of the calyx and its morphology are strongly variable in a taxon. Their evolution rate is often hight, but to disclose it an analysis and a comparison between some populations with numerous specimens is necessary.     

Dosage du fer et de l'aluminium échangeable dans les minéraux argileux et dans les sols

Résumé Une méthode est proposée pour le dosage du fer et de l'aluminium échangeable dans les minéraux argileux et dans les sols. La méthode est basée sur l'extraction successive des oxinates de fer et d'aluminium en fonction du pH.Les conditions optimales et l'influence des divers facteurs déterminant l'extraction quantitative et sélective de ces deux éléments ont été préalablement étudiées.Publication du Centre de Chimie Biologique et Colloïdale du sol subsidié par I'I.R.S.I.A.