Rolf Bernander (1956-2014): pioneer of the archaeal cell cycle.

On 19 January 2014 Rolf ('Roffe') Bernander passed away unexpectedly. Rolf was a dedicated scientist; his research aimed at unravelling the cell biology of the archaeal domain of life, especially cell cycle-related questions, but he also made important contributions in other areas of microbiology. Rolf had a professor position in the Molecular Evolution programme at Uppsala University, Sweden for about 8 years, and in January 2013 he became chair professor at the Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute at Stockholm University in Sweden. Rolf was an exceptional colleague and will be deeply missed by his family and friends, and the colleagues and co-workers that he leaves behind in the scientific community. He will be remembered for his endless enthusiasm for science, his analytical mind, and his quirky sense of humour.

70th Birthday of Rolf Stürner

Compte-rendu de la remise des Mélanges pour Rolf Stürner le 27 avril 2013 à Fribourg en Brisgau

Pratique ambulatoire des procédures endovasculaires pour traitement des artériopathies oblitérantes des membres inférieurs.

Objectifs: Evaluer la faisabilité et l'évolution de la pratique ambulatoire des procédures endovasculaires pour traitement des artériopathies des membres inférieurs . Matériels et méthodes: 89 patients ont bénéficié d'une procédure endovasculaire ambulatoire (séjour hospitalier de moins de 24 heures) pour traitement d'une artériopathie desmembres inférieurs entre janvier 2005 et décembre 2005. Sont étudiés, le stade de l'artériopathie, la complexité des lésions, le type de procédure, lesco-morbidités, les complications, la reconversion en hospitalisation. Résultats: La majorité des patients présentait une artériopathie de stade de II (95%). Les lésions des artères fémorales superficielles représentaient 45% des procédures etcelles des axes iliaques 41%. La majorité des lésions étaient des sténoses (83%) de TASC a ou B. Cependant, l'évolution au court du temps montre que deslésions de plus en plus complexes étaient traitées en ambulatoire. La taille de l'introducteur était de 6 F dans 82% des cas. Le succès technique était de 98% et letaux des complications de 4,2%. Le taux de reconversion en hospitalisation était de 5,2%. Conclusion: Les procédures endovasculaires pour artériopathies des membres inférieurs de stade II peuvent être faites en ambulatoire y compris pour des lésions complexesavec un taux de complication et un taux de reconversion faibles.

Das Reichtum des fremden Textes. Ein historisch-kritischer Zugang zur Bibel

(Résumé de l'ouvrage) Die evangelischen Kirchen wollen Kirchen der Schrift sein. Nach der reformierten Lehre ist die Bibel klar, eindeutig und verständlich. Sie gibt der Kirche Grundlage und Ausrichtung. Die Wirklichkeit aber sieht anders aus: die Bibel ist vieldeutig, man kann mit ihr fast alles begründen. So kommt es, daß die Bibel in unseren evangelischen Kirchen nicht so sehr ein gemeinsames Fundament, sondern eher ein immerwährender Zankapfel zwischen verschiedenen Gruppen ist. In dieser Situation versuchte die Theologische Kommission des Schweizerischen Evangelischen Kirchenbundes mit ihrem «Bibelprojekt» Brücken zu schlagen und Gespräche zwischen Vertretern verschiedener Zugangswege zur Bibel zu ermöglichen. Dazu lud sie den Fundamentalisten Prof. Dr. Ernst Lerle, den Evangelikalen Pfr. Dr. Wolfgang Bittner, die Feministin Denise Jornod, den Neutestamentler Prof. Dr. Daniel Marguerat sowie Pfr. Rolf Kaufmann als Vertreter der tiefenpsychologischen und Dr. Kuno Füssel als Vertreter der materialistischen Interpretation zu einem Gespräch ein. «Zankapfel Bibel» ist die Frucht dieses Gespräches: Die sechs Autoren beschreiben ihre grundlegenden Annahmen und Positionen und interpretieren alle denselben Bibeltext (Mk 6,30-44, die Speisung der 5000). Der Herausgeber, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Luz, vergleicht diese verschiedenen Zugangswege und sucht nach Trennendem und Gemeinsamen. Das Buch ist eine Aufforderung und Hilfe zum Gespräch. Es soll daran erinnern, daß die eine Bibel die Grundlage ist, auf die sich alle Zugangswege beziehen. So möchte es mithelfen, daß auch anderswo, in Gemeinden und zwischen Kirchen und Gruppen, solche Gespräche stattfinden können.

Complication of carotid stenting: incomplete misdeployment of the stent in the femoral artery.

OBJECTIVES: The presence of intravascular foreign bodies is underreported in the literature and is more commonly encountered in clinical practice. We report on a case where an attempt to position a carotid stent resulted in misdeployment of the stent in the femoral artery and its surgical removal. METHODS: A 63-year-old patient admitted to hospital for cerebral stroke underwent thrombolysis for occlusive dissection of right carotid artery and was transferred to our hospital for additional thrombo-aspiration and carotid stenting. RESULTS: The carotid stent was misdeployed incompletely in the femoral artery and had to be removed surgically. CONCLUSIONS: Appropriate knowledge of intravascular migration and deployment failure management should be considered as important as the optimal device deployment.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support in acardia.

In extreme situations, such as hyperacute rejection of heart transplant or major heart trauma, heart preservation may not be possible. Our experimental team works on a project of peripheral extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support in acardia as a bridge to heart transplantation or artificial heart implantation. An ECMO support was established in five calves (58.6 ± 6.9 kg) by the transjugular insertion to the caval axis of a self-expanded cannula, with carotid artery return. After baseline measurements, ventricular fibrillation was induced, great arteries were clamped, heart was excised, and right and left atria remnants, containing pulmonary veins, were sutured together leaving an atrial septal defect over the caval axis cannula. Measurements of pump flow and arterial pressure were taken with the pulmonary artery clamped and anastomosed with the caval axis for a total of 6 hours. Pulmonary artery anastomosis to the caval axis provided an acceptable 6 hour hemodynamic stability, permitting a peripheral access ECMO support in extreme scenarios indicating a heart explantation.

Embolisation hémostatique des hématomes spontanés musculaires abdomino-pelviens.

Objectifs: Etudier les résultats techniques et cliniques de l'embolisation des hématomes musculaires spontanés de l'abdomen . Caractériser les hématomes ayant étéembolisés au CT et définir les éventuels critères cliniques et anatomiques pour une embolisation . Etudier la relation entre les hématomes embolisés et lesanticoagulants.Matériels et méthodes: Etude rétrospective des patients ayant bénéficié d'une embolisation pour un hématome musculaire abdominopelvien spontané entre 2005 et 2010. Sont analysésles données cliniques (anticaogulants, retentissement hémodynamqiue), les données scanographiques (site, volume, saignement actif), les artères embolisées etle type d'embol, le résultat clinique immédiat, les complications et la mortalité en cours d'hospitalisation .Résultats: 28 patients (âge moyen 75 ans) ont été embolisés. Tous les patients avaient un traitement anticoagulant et/ou antiplaquettaire. La majorité des hématomesembolisés concernaient le muscle grand droit de l'abdomen. Le saignement actif n'était pas identifié chez tous les patients au CT. Pas de complication immédiaterapportée. Le succès technique était de 98%. Pas de récidive précoce rapportée y compris après réintroduction du traitement anticaogulant.Conclusion: L'embolisation hémostatique des hématomes musculaires spontanés sous anticoagulants est efficace pour contrôler le saignement et permettre la réintroductiondu traitement anticoagulant.

MP2RAGE, a self bias-field corrected sequence for improved segmentation and T-1-mapping at high field

The large spatial inhomogeneity in transmit B, field (B-1(+)) observable in human MR images at hi h static magnetic fields (B-0) severely impairs image quality. To overcome this effect in brain T-1-weighted images the, MPRAGE sequence was modified to generate two different images at different inversion times MP2RAGE By combining the two images in a novel fashion, it was possible to create T-1-weigthed images where the result image was free of proton density contrast, T-2* contrast, reception bias field, and, to first order transmit field inhomogeneity. MP2RAGE sequence parameters were optimized using Bloch equations to maximize contrast-to-noise ratio per unit of time between brain tissues and minimize the effect of B-1(+) variations through space. Images of high anatomical quality and excellent brain tissue differentiation suitable for applications such as segmentation and voxel-based morphometry were obtained at 3 and 7 T. From such T-1-weighted images, acquired within 12 min, high-resolution 3D T-1 maps were routinely calculated at 7 T with sub-millimeter voxel resolution (0.65-0.85 mm isotropic). T-1 maps were validated in phantom experiments. In humans, the T, values obtained at 7 T were 1.15 +/- 0.06 s for white matter (WM) and 1.92 +/- 0.16 s for grey matter (GM), in good agreement with literature values obtained at lower spatial resolution. At 3 T, where whole-brain acquisitions with 1 mm isotropic voxels were acquired in 8 min the T-1 values obtained (0.81 +/- 0.03 S for WM and 1.35 +/- 0.05 for GM) were once again found to be in very good agreement with values in the literature. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

BOLD responses to trigeminal nerve stimulation.

The current study investigates a new model of barrel cortex activation using stimulation of the infraorbital branch of the trigeminal nerve. A robust and reproducible activation of the rat barrel cortex was obtained following trigeminal nerve stimulation. Blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) effects were obtained in the primary somatosensory barrel cortex (S1BF), the secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) and the motor cortex. These cortical areas were reached from afferent pathways from the trigeminal ganglion, the trigeminal nuclei and thalamic nuclei from which neurons project their axons upon whisker stimulation. The maximum BOLD responses were obtained for a stimulus frequency of 1 Hz, a stimulus pulse width of 100 μs and for current intensities between 1.5 and 3 mA. The BOLD response was nonlinear as a function of frequency and current intensity. Additionally, modeling BOLD responses in the rat barrel cortex from separate cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO(2)) measurements showed good agreement with the shape and amplitude of measured BOLD responses as a function of stimulus frequency and will potentially allow to identify the sources of BOLD nonlinearities. Activation of the rat barrel cortex using trigeminal nerve stimulation will contribute to the interpretation of the BOLD signals from functional magnetic resonance imaging studies.

Coronary sinus atresia with persistent left superior vena cava: unusual clinical presentation and endovascular management.

Atresia of the coronary sinus (ACS) is a rare congenital anomaly. When associated with persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC), this defect could have no significant hemodynamic effect, and the patient might remain asymptomatic. However, vascular interventions might induce changes or complications that could show the anomaly. Appropriate management requires a good understanding of this condition. We present the first reported case of ACS and PLSVC occurring after thrombosis of the innominate vein (IV) after central venous catheter placement. The patient presented with atypical subacute chest pain and recurrent extrasystoles. Diagnosis and characterization of vascular anomalies was made by computed tomography phlebography, and the patient was successfully managed by endovascular recanalization of the IV.