Hommage à rené delépine à l'occasion de son départ à la retraite

A tribute to René Delépine on the occasion of his retirement. The career of René Delépine is reviewed on the occasion of his retirement. When he was a student, a meeting with Jean Feldmann led to a lifelong inclination towards phycology. Eventually appointed to the position of assistant professor at the University of Paris-VI (University Pierre-et-Marie-Curie), René Delépine worked and published primarily on the taxonomy of antarctic and subantarctic marine algae but he was also interested in seaweed aquaculture and utilizations. After organizing the national colloque ValVA (Valorisation des végétaux aquatiques), he became increasingly involved in the commercial application of seaweeds. His main activity, however, remained university teaching for which he was always enthusiastic, especially for teaching in the field and on the subject of the utilizations of algae. A list of his publications is given at the end of this article.     

Contribution nouvelle à l'étude des ferrobacteriacées

Sans résumé     

Aspects originaux de la trichinose domestique à partir d'une infestation familiale découverte à Montréal

An outbreak of domestic trichinosis occurred in an Italian family living in Montreal. All patients had a fever, facial edema and extreme eosinophilia, and results of serologic tests were positive. Larvae of Trichinella spiralis were seen in a muscle biopsy from one of the patients. The discussion emphasizes some characteristic clinical, serologic and histopathological aspects.     

Imprégnations rapides à la Nigrosine applicables à la micro-ecologie des surfaces

Summary The ecology of primary biological coatings (fouling films) is an important aspect of benthic ecology in general. Life in a fouling film is, to a large extent, governed by physico-chemical laws of contact surfaces and surface tension. These laws apply also to the microecology of the mesopsammon and surface microplankton. The conditions common to these ecological situations enforce common characteristics, both morphological and physiological, upon the organisms which inhabit them. Many of these organisms are therefore subject to certain general techniques.Nigrosin is employed as an impregnating agent, and the speed of activity of the micelles of nigrosin is under the control of 1) the colloidal nature of the medium, and 2) alteration of cytoplasmic structures by the action of formalin added to the solution as a fixative.The stain blackens a variety of organites having a filamentous ultrastructure: cilia, flagella, trichocysts, rhabdites, cnidocysts, spiny processes of thecae and shells, capsules, cuticles and cuticular setae. The excess nigrosin surrounding the specimen may be removed completely by simple washing.Two particular situations are discussed: that of microbiocoenoses which develop at the point of contact of water and air (for example, bacterial films) and that of glass slides immersed in water with a view to studying the organisms which colonize surfaces in a particular habitat.The method has been applied also for studies of plankton in general, to demonstrate the liberation of flagellate bodies by certain algae, and for preparation of mounts of various organisms such as rotifers, gastrotrichs and nematodes. The method is very useful for quickly obtaining a comprehensive picture of the protozoan fauna in ecological studies.     

Paléopathologie : à propos de squelettes humains découverts à Poitiers (Vienne,France)

Palaeopathology: remarks about skeletons discovered in Poitiers (Vienne, France). Age, sex and stature of human fossils from a population decimated during an epidemic period are estimated. The prevalence of abnormalities and pathologies is compared with those of today’s population. Osteoarthritis is the most frequent pathology and this at different stage development. Osteoporosis and vertebrae compression are studied. The cases of important scoliosis are numerous. An abnormal vertebra is presented. A strange lesion on the ilium of the left coxa is discussed. Some hypotheses are formulated concerning the mode and the hygiene of life of this population. To cite this article: O. Boeuf, P. Alberti, C. R. Palevol 2 (2003) 169–180.     

Infections génitales à Chlamydiae et Mycoplasmes

Urogenital infections (chlamydiae and mycoplasms) are frequent, particulary in young, sexually active subjects. Tracking down these infections is difficult because there is often little or no clinical manifestation, and bacteriological exploration is difficult. It is nevertheless justified, because, first, the germs are sexually transmitted with possible genital after-effects, and secondly, treatment of them is simple since they are susceptible to antibiotics (cyclines, macrolides). This article, after a brief microbiological reminder, describes the clinical aspects of these ailments and usual treatment.     

Stratégies biologiques à l’heure de l’Assistance Médicale à la Procréation chez le blessé médullaire

Most men with spinal cord injury (SCI) men have fertility problems caused by anejaculation and decreased fertility of the ejaculate. There are two main causes for the impaired reproductive potential in SCI men: ejaculatory dysfunction and poor quality semen. However, current treatment techniques allow a large number of SCI males to achieve ejaculation (rectal electro-stimulation, penile vibrator stimulation). Firstly, masturbation and/or penile vibrator are used at home allowing the couple to perform insemination themselves. The semen of men with spinal cord injuries has commonly been characterised by small volume, abnormal count (low or high), decreased sperm mobility, increased formation of reactive oxygen species, sperm autoimmunity, necrospermia. This impairment is thought to be due to insufficient drainage, genitourinary infections and raised scrotal temperature. Testicular biopsy reveals varying degrees of tubule degeneration and decreased spermatogenetic activity. Semen could be used for various assisted reproductive technologies such as intrauterine insemination,in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and microinsemination (ICSI). The literature reports pregnancy rates by intrauterine insemination of about 15 to 20% per couple. Clinical pregnancy rates after IVF and ICSI techniques are 30% per cycle and these results are comparable to the clinical pregnancy rates when these techniques are performed for female infertility. However, semen must be frozen as soon as possible after the injury and the patient must be informed about the various available assisted reproductive technologies.