Chirurgie de l’hyperparathyroïdie primaire en 2008

In recent years, different minimally invasive techniques of parathyroidectomy have been described. The concept of these limited explorations is based on the fact that 85% of patients will have a single-gland disease. Minimally invasive techniques are targeted on one specific parathyroid gland and in most cases the exploration of other glands is not performed. These interventions are today possible for three main reasons: the available imaging techniques permit to localize the diseased gland, the use of rapid intraoperative PTH assay can confirm the successful extirpation, new instrumentation and miniaturized cameras have been adapted for this kind of surgery. Not all patients presenting with primary hyperparathyroidism are candidate for this surgery. Contraindications are mainly due to a large goiter, previous surgery in the parathyroid vicinity, suspicious multiglandular disease and equivocal preoperative localization studies. Currently 60% of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism can benefit of these techniques. Studies comparing conventional parathyroid surgery to minimally-invasive techniques have shown a diminution of postoperative pain and better cosmetic results with minimally-invasive techniques. If early results are similar to those obtained with conventional parathyroidectomies, it is still too soon to evaluate what will be the recurrence rate of these new techniques. One can expect that minimally invasive and conventional parathyroid surgery will probably turn out to be complementary in the near future.     

Amino acid biosynthesis in plants: Approaching an understanding at the molecular level

Summary The genes encoding GS and EPSP synthase have already been cloned. Clones containing portions of the genes encoding aspartate amino transferase and asparagine synthetase tentatively have been identified by this and other laboratories. It is certain that many other genes encoding other important enzymes involved in amino acid biosynthesis will also be identified in the near future. It is evident that new techniques for the separation of proteins will greatly aid in identifying low abundance genes more rapidly and efficiently. Micro techniques need to be further developed and the necessary equipment made available to laboratories. Hopefully the cost of the required equipment will decrease and commercial enterprises will offer more contract services for work requiring the more expensive equipment. Graduate training in advanced techniques of separating proteins at high resolutions should be encour-aged expanded so that our future scientists are well versed in protein biochemistry as well as in techniques of molecular biology.     

The impact of molecular biology on neuroscience

How our brains work is one of the major unsolved problems of biology. This paper describes some of the techniques of molecular biology that are already being used to study the brains of animals. Mainly as a result of the human genome project many new techniques will soon become available which could decisively influence the progress of neuroscience. I suggest that neuroscientists should tell molecular biologists what their difficulties are, in the hope that this will stimulate the production of useful new biological tools.     

Computer Aided Interactive Classification and Mapping of Aquatic Areas

Classification and mapping of aquatic vegetation is an important task in limnology. In this paper we will present a new computer aided and interactive method for this purpose. It is similar to older techniques in that the classification relies on the judgement of the human eye. The precision is increased by using a linear diode array scanner and the evaluation times are reduced by introducing computer vision techniques. Combining these in an interactive environment gives the operator a powerful tool for the classification. The results from a mapping of aerial infrared colour photographs will be presented.     

Teaching an Old Virus New Tricks: A Review on New Approaches to Study Age-Old Questions in Influenza Biology

Influenza viruses have been studied for over 80 years, yet much about the basic viral lifecycle remain unknown. However, new imaging, biochemical, and sequencing techniques have revealed significant insight into many age-old questions of influenza virus biology. In this review, we will cover the role of imaging techniques to describe unique aspects of influenza virus assembly, biochemical techniques to study viral genomic organization, and next-generation sequencing to explore influenza genomic evolution. Our goal is to provide a brief overview of how emerging techniques are being used to answer basic questions about influenza viruses. This is not a comprehensive list of emerging techniques, rather ones that we feel will continue to make significant contributions to field of influenza biology.     

Short-scar breast reduction: why all the fuss?

The breast can be considered conceptually as a cone. This article compares and contrasts short-scar breast reduction techniques with inverted T techniques using the cone model. Four issues are examined-the base of the breast, breast projection, the inframammary fold, and the pedicle. The short-scar techniques focus on reshaping the breast parenchyma, and skin redraping occurs secondarily. Application of this model suggests that these techniques have the advantage of better projection and greater longevity. These techniques seldom give a square shape and are better at dealing with upper pole deficiency. However, the ability of the skin to redrape is the limiting factor; hence, results are less predictable with large-volume breast reductions. The emphasis of this article is on increasing the understanding of the mechanics of breast reduction. It is this factor that will enable appropriate selection of a particular technique.     

土壤呼吸组分分离技术研究进展

分离土壤呼吸组分是理解陆地生态系统碳循环的重要步骤,研究农田生态系统土壤呼吸组分的呼吸过程和机理对促进农业温室气体减排和碳汇增加、气候变化适应、保障粮食安全以及推动农业可持续发展都具有积极意义。本文综述了近年来土壤呼吸组分分离的理论依据、主要技术及分类,系统比较了现有技术优势、劣势和应用领域,并总结了土壤呼吸组分分离技术在国内外农田生态系统中的应用情况。由于多数分离技术在森林生态系统的相关研究中发展而来,它们在农田生态系统的应用十分有限,目前应用以同位素法、根分离法和回归法为主。由于土壤呼吸理论划分和分离方法的差异,不同研究结果之间往往难以比较。分离技术的发展有赖于土壤呼吸源分离理论的进一步发展,未来土壤呼吸组分分离研究的主要方向在于：（1）利用现有观测技术促进组分集成分析法和根分离法在农田生态系统中的应用,强化土壤呼吸组分和环境因子的同步观测,准确评估农田碳收支;（2）利用定位观测数据开展大尺度模型研究,改进和重构现有全球碳模型的碳氮过程,并在其中考虑重要的土壤呼吸过程;（3）利用FACE试验评估气候变化对土壤呼吸组分的影响和土壤-植物碳循环的适应机制;（4）分析呼吸组分与植物-土壤-养分的交互作用,评估农田管理措施的综合影响。     

Infrared spectroscopy in solid-phase synthesis

There are many new analytical techniques for the characterization of resin-bound substrates and solid-phase reaction monitoring. The aim of this review is to focus on applications of the different IR techniques used in solid-phase synthesis highlighting some of the recent advances in the field that allow us to obtain more than just the usual qualitative information. Many examples will be discussed where these new IR techniques have been used for mechanistic and kinetic studies of solid-phase reactions.     

Next generation sequencing based approaches to epigenomics

Next generation sequencing has brought epigenomic studies to the forefront of current research. The power of massively parallel sequencing coupled to innovative molecular and computational techniques has allowed researchers to profile the epigenome at resolutions that were unimaginable only a few years ago. With early proof of concept studies published, the field is now moving into the next phase where the importance of method standardization and rigorous quality control are becoming paramount. In this review we will describe methodologies that have been developed to profile the epigenome using next generation sequencing platforms. We will discuss these in terms of library preparation, sequence platforms and analysis techniques.     

The functional anatomy of cerebral reorganisation after focal brain injury

Stroke is a major cause of disability in all age groups. Although the value of specific rehabilitative therapies is now acknowledged, the mechanisms of impairment and recovery are not well understood. There is growing interest in the role that central nervous system reorganisation might play in the recovery process, and in particular whether this reorganisation can be manipulated to provide clinical benefits for patients. The careful use of non-invasive techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation allows the study of the working human brain, and studies in humans suggest that functionally relevant adaptive changes occur in cerebral networks following stroke. An understanding of how these changes influence the recovery process will facilitate the development of novel therapeutic techniques that are based on neurobiological principles and will allow the delivery of specific therapies to appropriately targeted patients suffering from stroke.     

Heart valve macro- and microstructure

Each heart valve is composed of different structures of which each one has its own histological profile. Although the aortic and the pulmonary valves as well as the mitral and the tricuspid valves show similarities in their architecture, they are individually designed to ensure optimal function with regard to their role in the cardiac cycle.In this article, we systematically describe the structural elements of the four heart valves by different anatomical, light- and electron-microscopic techniques that have been presented. Without the demand of completeness, we describe main structural features that are in our opinion of importance in understanding heart valve performance. These features will also have important implications in the treatment of heart valve disease. They will increase the knowledge in the design of valve substitutes or partial substitutes and may participate to improve reconstructive techniques. In addition, understanding heart valve macro- and microstructure may also be of benefit in heart valve engineering techniques.     

地质统计学理论与方法及其在昆虫生态学中的应用

空间相关是昆虫生态学中普遍存在的一种客观现象 ,但这种空间相关性在传统的统计学分析中被忽略了。据此 ,文章对常用的地质统计学的空间相关理论和方法、以及这些理论和方法在昆虫生态学中的应用途径和研究进展作了简述。此外 ,对GIS在昆虫空间相关分析中的应用途径和方法也作了探讨。通过综合分析和比较 ,作者认为 ,未来地质统计学的发展将更多地与GIS融为一体 ,并且二者将与传统的时间序列方法和生物统计学方法有机结合 ,共同应用于昆虫生态学的时空分析和预测之中     

Surgical treatment for frontal baldness: the long temporal vertical flap

Not only is the long temporal vertical flap not centered on the temporosuperficial artery, but it is also countercurrent to this artery. The difficulties of its design are largely compensated for by the natural aspect of the anterior area once achieved. It must be emphasized that all techniques of transplantation can only be techniques of camouflage. They can only redistribute harmoniously the hair of a patient taken from a zone that will never grow bald.     

Structure-directed combinatorial library design

In recent years pharmaceutical companies have utilized structure-based drug design and combinatorial library design techniques to speed up their drug discovery efforts. Both approaches are routinely used in the lead discovery and lead optimization stages of the drug discovery process. Fragment-based drug design, a new power tool in the drug design toolbox, is also gaining acceptance across the pharmaceutical industry. This review will focus on the interplay between these three design techniques and recent developments in computational methodologies that enhance their integration. Examples of successful synergistic applications of these three techniques will be highlighted. Opinion regarding possible future directions of the field will be given.     

New reproductive technologies,ethics and gender: the legislative process in Brazil

In this article, I will analyse the conduct of the Brazilian legislative process regarding new reproductive technologies, mainly the moral assumptions of three categories that are essential to the debate: the status of the child generated by these techniques; the number of embryos transferred in each cycle (as well as foetal reduction); and the issue of women's eligibility for such techniques. The analysis will be a sociological study of the Brazilian legislative debate, using feminist perspectives in ethics as the theoretical reference. The focus will be the bills in progress in the Brazilian National Congress, the public and official declarations of legislators involved in the issue and the regulation of the medical class, which has influenced the legislative process. Aside from the analysis of the legislative process, I include a section on the justification of these bills, since that is where the legislator exposes what he/she believes is the moral support for the bill.     

Applying microscopy to the analysis of nuclear structure and function

One of the ultimate goals of biological research is to understand mechanisms of cell function within living organisms. With this in mind, many sophisticated technologies that allow us to inspect macromolecular structure in exquisite detail have been developed. Although knowledge of structure derived from techniques such as X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance is of vital importance, these approaches cannot reveal the remarkable complexity of molecular interactions that exists in vivo. With this in mind, this review focuses on the use of microscopy techniques to analyze cell structure and function. We describe the different basic microscopic methodologies and how the routine techniques are best applied to particular biological problems. We also emphasize the specific capabilities and uses of light and electron microscopy and highlight their individual advantages and disadvantages. For completion, we also comment on the alternative possibilities provided by a variety of advanced imaging technologies. We hope that this brief analysis of the undoubted power of microscopy techniques will be enough to stimulate a wider participation in this rapidly developing area of biological discovery.     

蛋白质组研究中的分析技术

蛋白质组分析技术已在生物科学各领域被广泛应用,蛋白质组的研究已成为目前国际上的前沿和研究热点。概述了蛋白质组研究中的常用分析技术,包括样品制备、双向凝胶电泳、凝胶图像分析、质谱鉴定及数据库检索等。直观地列出了蛋白质组研究的技术体系流程图。各种分析技术的连用和分析过程的自动化将是蛋白质组研究技术的发展方向。     

教学用细菌染色方法的改良

常用细菌染色有革兰氏染色,抗酸染色及检测细菌特殊结构的特殊染色法,本文对改良了的染色法进行比较和进一步改进,实验结果证明有操作简单,染色效果好等优点。