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PubMed1989

Changes of Escherichia coli cell cycle parameters during fast growth and throughout growth with limiting amounts of thymine.

It is generally accepted that during fast growth of Escherichia coli, the time (D) between the end of a round of DNA replication and cell division is constant. This concept is not consistent with the fact that average cell mass of a culture is an exponential function of the growth rate, if it is also accepted that average cell mass per origin of DNA replication (Mi) changes with growth rate and negative exponential cell age distribution is taken into account. Data obtained from cell composition analysis of E. coli OV-2 have shown that not only Mi but also D varied with growth rate at generation times (tau) between 54 and 30 min. E. coli OV-2 is a thymine auxotroph in which the replication time (C) can be lengthened, without inducing changes in tau, by growth with limiting amounts of thymine. This property has been used to study the relationship between cell size and division from cell composition measurements during growth with different amounts of thymine. When C increased, average cell mass at the end of a round of DNA replication also increased while D decreased, but only the time lapse (d) between the end of a replication round and cell constriction initiation appeared to be affected because the constriction period remained fairly constant. We propose that the rate at which cells proceed to constriction initiation from the end of replication is regulated by cell mass at this event, big cells having shorter d times than small cells.

Cell Cycle↗
PubMed2004

Block by extracellular divalent cations of Drosophila big brain channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes.

Drosophila Big Brain (BIB) is a transmembrane protein encoded by the neurogenic gene big brain (bib), which is important for early development of the fly nervous system. BIB expressed in Xenopus oocytes is a monovalent cation channel modulated by tyrosine kinase signaling. Results here demonstrate that the BIB conductance shows voltage- and dose-dependent block by extracellular divalent cations Ca(2+) and Ba(2+) but not by Mg(2+) in wild-type channels. Site-directed mutagenesis of negatively charged glutamate (Glu(274)) and aspartate (Asp(253)) residues had no effect on divalent cation block. However, mutation of a conserved glutamate at position 71 (Glu(71)) in the first transmembrane domain (M1) altered channel properties. Mutation of Glu(71) to Asp introduced a new sensitivity to block by extracellular Mg(2+); substitutions with asparagine or glutamine decreased whole-cell conductance; and substitution with lysine compromised plasma membrane expression. Block by divalent cations is important in other ion channels for voltage-dependent function, enhanced signal resolution, and feedback regulation. Our data show that the wild-type BIB conductance is attenuated by external Ca(2+), suggesting that endogenous divalent cation block might be relevant for enhancing signal resolution or voltage dependence for the native signaling process in neuronal cell fate determination.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis C virus in the adult German population.

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of anti-HCV in Germany has been determined for blood donors and certain risk groups, but the burden of disease in the general population remains unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of anti-HCV in a study group representing the normal adult German population. DESIGN: A total of 5312 individuals aged 18-70 years were randomly selected from small, middle-sized and big cities in five different German states. Sera were tested for anti-HCV by enzyme immunoassay and immuno dot assay, as well as for anti-HBc and, in the case of a positive result, for anti-HBs and HBsAg. Serological typing was performed in anti-HCV-positive persons. RESULTS: Thirty-nine individuals were anti-HCV positive; indeterminate results (with antibodies against the viral core protein only) were obtained in 20. There was a tendency to higher prevalence rates with increasing age as well as to a higher prevalence in women. Serological typing revealed the presence of genotype 1 in the vast majority of participants (82%); only a minority showed genotype 3 (7.2%) or other genotypes (7.2%). Markers of HBV were seen in 43.6% of the anti-HCV positive individuals, with nearly one third (29.4%) of the double-infected showing anti-HBc as the only marker for HBV. CONCLUSIONS: According to our data, an anti-HCV prevalence of 0.63% (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.42-0.84%) can be assumed in the general adult German population, with higher values in older people and women. Nearly half of the anti-HCV positive individuals also show markers of hepatitis B virus.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Preliminary data from ongoing adjuvant aromatase inhibitor trials.

With recent results showing letrozole and anastrozole to be superior to tamoxifen as initial therapy for advanced disease, the aromatase inhibitors are poised to establish their place in the adjuvant therapy of postmenopausal receptor-positive breast cancer. A review of the rationale, design, and preliminary results of the ongoing adjuvant trials that include aromatase inhibitors will be presented, along with the ongoing or planned substudies. Two strategies employing aromatase inhibitors after tamoxifen are being evaluated. The MA.17 international intergroup trial is randomizing postmenopausal patients who are disease-free after 5 years of adjuvant tamoxifen to an additional 5 years of letrozole or placebo. In a similar design, the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B33 trial is randomizing this patient population to 2 years of exemestane or placebo after the standard 5 years of adjuvant tamoxifen. The second approach under study is the use of both aromatase inhibitor and tamoxifen in sequence within the first 5 postoperative years. The International Cancer Collaboration Group (ICCG) trial is comparing 2 years of exemestane after 3 years of tamoxifen to a standard 5-year course of tamoxifen. Similarly, the ARNO trial is comparing 5 years of tamoxifen versus 2 years of tamoxifen followed by 3 years of anastrozole. In a four-arm study Breast International Group/Femara-Tamoxifen (BIG/FEMTA) conducted by the BIG, one arm contains letrozole given for 3 years after 2 years of tamoxifen. Several trials are investigating the role of anastrozole, letrozole, or exemestane as a 5-year adjuvant therapy to replace the standard 5 years of tamoxifen. Only the Arimidex and Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination (ATAC) trial is testing a 5-year combination of tamoxifen plus an aromatase inhibitor in this setting. Companion studies of effects on end-organs other than the breast are ongoing in a number of these trials. Aromatase inhibitors are poised to alter the treatment paradigm of breast cancer and hopefully improve outcome for a substantial number of patients.

Anastrozole↗
PubMed1979

Otolaryngology manpower revisited.

In the December issue of the Archives, Nickerson et al published an article on the manpower resources of otolaryngology based on a report released in 1975. The conclusion reached by Nickerson and co-workers was that otolaryngology had a manpower pool too big for present and near future needs. This article was followed by a press release by the American Medical Association that endorsed the statements of the Archives article and in which Nickerson et al were quoted that no more otolaryngologists were needed from the training programs for some years. These statements were in sharp disagreement with the findings of the manpower studies carried out by another group in 1973-1975. Because the two surveys employed different statistical approaches, this article has been written to present the methods employed and to discuss the merits of the conclusions reached in each.

Adenoidectomy↗
PubMed1992

The presence, characterisation and synthesis of neuromedin B in the human pituitary gland.

Neuromedin B is a 10-amino-acid mammalian peptide of the bombesin family. We have used a specific radioimmunoassay and Northern blot hybridisation to investigate the possible synthesis of neuromedin-B-like immunoreactivity in the human pituitary gland. The concentration of immunoreactive neuromedin B in whole human pituitary was 15.2 +/- 4.2 pmol/g wet weight in males and 12.8 +/- 2.7 pmol/g wet weight in females (mean +/- SEM, n = 10). In pituitary tumour extracts, neuromedin B immunoreactivity was 9.1 +/- 1.7 pmol/g wet weight (mean +/- SEM, n = 14) in inactive tumours, 18.4 +/- 6.9 pmol/g wet weight (mean +/- SEM, n = 4) in somatotrophs and 10.4 +/- 2.7 pmol/g wet weight (mean +/- SEM, n = 2) in prolactinomas, with no apparent significant difference between the groups. Gel permeation chromatography of pituitary extracts revealed two immunoreactive peaks, the major one of which corresponded in position to that of neuromedin B-32 and a later minor peak to the position of the neuromedin B-10 standard. On fast protein liquid chromatography, neuromedin-B-like immunoreactivity again eluted in two peaks, a minor peak corresponding to the synthetic neuromedin B standard, and a major more hydrophobic peak which was the big neuromedin B form. Northern blot analysis of poly(A)+RNA from human pituitaries revealed the presence of a hybridising band of between 750 and 850 base pairs. These results suggest that neuromedin B is synthesised in the human pituitary gland where it may be of importance in the regulation of pituitary function. Furthermore, the adenomatous condition is not associated with abnormal levels of this peptide.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

What is the role of Helicobacter pylori in peptic ulcer and gastric cancer outside the big cities?

Helicobacter pylori is apparently the etiologic agent of 90% of duodenal ulcers (DUs), 80% of gastric ulcers (GUs) not induced by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and gastric carcinoma (GC). Our community-based investigations and retrospective reviews, however, have been unable to substantiate these associations. A retrospective review of 30 patients with GC revealed only 2 (6.6%) patients with H. pylori infection. A retrospective review of all patients with the diagnosis of DU (332) was undertaken. One hundred sixty-six had gastroscopy-confirmed DUs, and 112 had three antral biopsies. Only 36 (32%) of 112 were H. pylori-positive. Of bleeding ulcers, 25% were H. pylori-positive. These findings differ from the literature, and it provoked us to study prospectively all patients undergoing endoscopy. Biopsy specimens were obtained from the cardia and antrum and were stained for H. pylori. Of 272 patients' biopsy specimens, 65 (24%) of 272 were H. pylori-positive. Sixteen DUs were diagnosed, and five (31%) were H. pylori-positive. There were 36 GUs, and 11 (30%) were H. pylori-positive. The prevalence of H. pylori in consecutive patients undergoing endoscopy is 24% in Orlando, Florida. This is not significantly different from the prevalence of H. pylori in patients with DUs and GUs. Further community-based studies are needed to determine the widespread applicability of these data in the United States.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Social differences in cancer incidence, fatality, and mortality in Turin].

INTRODUCTION: The study of social differences in health is today focused on determinants. The knowledge of determinants is useful for the definition of policies to tackle inequities. The aim of this paper is to analyse the social distribution of cancer incidence, fatality and mortality in the city of Turin during the 80's and to estimate the amount of inequality produced within the health system. SOURCES OF DATA: The social distribution of the risk of death in Turin during 1981-1989, estimated from the Turin Longitudinal Study, is compared with incidence and fatality during approximately the same time period. RESULTS: Among men, the relative risks for all cancer sites, among social classes, appear to confirm the hypothesis of a multiplicative model of incidence and fatality. In particular, colo-rectal, prostatic, bladder cancers and lymphoma and leukaemia show relative risks similar to the expected ones. Cancers of larynx, lung and stomach seem to be less coherent. Among women, colon-rectum, lung, breast and lymphoma and leukaemia show coherent results, whereas relative risks for uterus are far from the expected. DISCUSSION: The coherence with the expected values of the social distribution of mortality suggests the adequacy of the multiplicative model for the provision of mortality from incidence and fatality. Therefore it is possible to state that the portion of inequality in health originated within the health system is big enough to suggest the need to put the equity in the access to health services in the agenda of interventions.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

[Teleconsulting and telediagnosis in emergency surgery].

A colour video picture transmission system in real time with data transmission via a broad wave optical fibre cable has been set up to link Turin University's Orthopaedic Traumatology Centre and Emergency Surgery Clinic. The system consists of two stations. The transmitter station is equipped with a mobile TV camera or TV monitor and various electrical medical equipment. The receiving station consists of a picture reception monitor. The coded video signal is transmitted via the optical fibre; sound transmission is via a special telephone line. This experimental system was set up to see if patients with multiple injuries could receive diagnosis at a distance, thus avoiding unnecessary travelling. Experience of 100 link-ups has demonstrated that the system effectively cuts diagnosis and therapy times and is as efficient as in loco inspection by a surgeon. In addition it can be used to provide specialised consulting services to rural hospitals without special equipment. This reduces waiting times for emergency treatment and can also prevent the pointless transfer of patients to big hospitals in cases where the specialist can prescribe intermediate therapy or surgery.

Diagnosis↗
PubMed1994

Earthquake.

On January 25, 1 week after the most devastating earthquake in Los Angeles history, the Southern California Hospital Council released the following status report: 928 patients evacuated from damaged hospitals. 805 beds available (136 critical, 669 noncritical). 7,757 patients treated/released from EDs. 1,496 patients treated/admitted to hospitals. 61 dead. 9,309 casualties. Where do we go from here? We are still waiting for the "big one." We'll do our best to be ready when Mother Nature shakes, rattles and rolls. The efforts of Los Angeles City Fire Chief Donald O. Manning cannot be overstated. He maintained department command of this major disaster and is directly responsible for implementing the fire department's Disaster Preparedness Division in 1987. Through the chief's leadership and ability to forecast consequences, the city of Los Angeles was better prepared than ever to cope with this horrendous earthquake. We also pay tribute to the men and women who are out there each day, where "the rubber meets the road."

California↗
PubMed2003

[Changes of mortality rate for cervical cancer during 1970's and 1990's periods in China].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the distribution changes of the mortality rate for cervical cancer in China between the 1970's and 1990's and provide the scientific evidence for the prevention and control strategies for cervical cancer campaign in China between next century. METHODS: Data from two National Surveys for the Causes of Death in 1970's and 1990's in China. The crude and adjusted mortality rates for the cervical cancer and the distributions based on age and area were calculated and described. The comparison of the differences of changes between two mortality rates periods and together with its trends were shown based on the age-standardized. RESULTS: During two decades, the mortality rate for cervical cancer was 10.7 per 100,000 in 1970's which declined to 3.89 per 100,000 in 1990's, and from the 3rd ranking among all female malignant tumors to the 6th in 1990's (decreased about 63.64%). But the declination was not evenly. There have still been some high-risk areas, most located in rural countries in the mid-west of China, with rates remain unchanged and even at the highest level in the world, such as Wudu in Gansu and Yangcheng in Shanxi. A big difference was showed between rural country and city, but in both of them, the mortality rates in 1990's were significantly much lower than in 1970's (P = 0.001) at each five-year age group. And in the city, there was a much sharper increased trend in young women in 1990's. CONCLUSIONS: The mortality rate for cervical cancer campaign in China has been substantially declined during past twenty years, but it's still a major health problem for women, especially in rural China. The focus of the prevention and control for the cervical cancer in the next century should put on rural areas, especially in mid-west of China and young women in the city.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

The cosmological density of baryons from observations of 3He+ in the Milky Way.

Primordial nucleosynthesis after the Big Bang can be constrained by the abundances of the light elements and isotopes 2H, 3He, 4He and 7Li (ref. 1). The standard theory of stellar evolution predicts that 3He is also produced by solar-type stars, so its abundance is of interest not only for cosmology, but also for understanding stellar evolution and the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. The 3He abundance in star-forming (H II) regions agrees with the present value for the local interstellar medium, but seems to be incompatible with the stellar production rates inferred from observations of planetary nebulae, which provide a direct test of stellar evolution theory. Here we develop our earlier observations, which, when combined with recent theoretical developments in our understanding of light-element synthesis and destruction in stars, allow us to determine an upper limit for the primordial abundance of 3He relative to hydrogen: 3He/H = (1.1 +/- 0.2) x 10(-5). The primordial density of all baryons determined from the 3He data is in excellent agreement with the densities calculated from other cosmological probes. The previous conflict is resolved because most solar-mass stars do not produce enough 3He to enrich the interstellar medium significantly.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Consensus document on European brain research.

Brain disease psychiatric and neurologic disease combined represents a considerable social and economic burden in Europe. Data collected by the World Health Organization (WHO) suggest that brain diseases are responsible for 35% of Europe's total disease burden. An analysis of all health economic studies of brain diseases in Europe, published by the European Brain Council (EBC) in June 2005, estimated the total cost of brain disease in Europe in 2004 to be Euro 386 billion. That burden is set to grow, mainly due to the fact that the European population is ageing. Investment in brain sciences does not match that burden now, let alone in the future. Brain research received only 8% of the life science budget in the European Commission's Fifth Framework Programme, which represents less than 0.01% of the annual cost of brain disorders for that period. Over the last decade, Europe has been losing ground to the USA and Japan in terms of both basic and clinical research. Many of Europe's young researchers are taking up posts in the USA and staying there. Big pharmaceutical companies are fleeing Europe for the USA, taking their drug development programmes with them. Research in the brain sciences now holds the promise of therapies that halt and even reverse neurodegeneration, of better diagnostic tools, neural prostheses for the paralysed and drugs for depression and anxiety that are tailored to the individual, thereby eliminating or reducing side effects. Our growing understanding of the normal brain could lead to better prevention of brain disease and to more effective teaching methods. The need for innovative treatments has never been greater, and Europe boasts clusters of excellent researchers in biotechnology who could collaborate with brain scientists and the pharmaceutical industry to realise this promise. But if Europe is to seize these opportunities and meet the challenge of brain disease, it needs to go forward on the basis of greater collaboration between countries, greater collaboration between industry, academia and patient organisations, and increased investment in the brain sciences. The EBC was formed in 2002 to bring together scientists, clinicians, the pharmaceutical industry, charities and patient organisations from all over Europe to campaign for these goals. It takes a novel, bottom-up approach to research policy, and in developing this consensus document, it aims to promote a greater and more focused effort in this area, to improve public understanding of the brain sciences and above all, to support brain research as a priority under the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7, 2007-2013). The research programme outlined here was first conceived by the EBC board. An outline was sent to all member organisations and a number of individual experts for comments. Following that, a table of contents was developed. The 45 research themes were written by groups of experts from across Europe who represent a wide range of disciplines. Each one contains a proposal for future research on a specific brain-related theme which the EBC believes could form the basis of one or more integrated projects or strategic targeted research projects (STREP) funded under FP7. The EBC has deliberately focused on the major diseases and then described the basic research needed to understand and treat or perhaps even cure those diseases. The programme is therefore constructed "from man to molecule" and not the other way round, with equal importance attached to basic and clinical research. The EBC suggests that each of the proposed integrated projects or STREP should be awarded a budget in the order of Euro 10 to 15 million. In addition, brain research should be treated as an important element of many other parts of FP7, such as the European Research Council and research programmes on information technology and the causes of violence. Any research programme that concerns human behaviour should, by definition, take account of brain research. The EBC envisages that the priority for brain research it proposes at the European level will translate into higher priority for brain research at the national level, and this document may also serve as a starting point for the development of national consensus programmes. It seems likely that consensus conferences on brain research in Europe may further develop the themes and ideas discussed here. An EBC task force may also be established to further the consensus process. In general, increasing funding in the brain sciences would bring enormous economic returns by lightening the burden on healthcare systems and increasing the productivity of affected individuals-and might easily pay for itself. The human and social returns of such an investment are inestimable. And the time to act is now.

Biomedical Research↗
PubMed1999

Three splicing variants of tomosyn and identification of their syntaxin-binding region.

We have recently isolated a neural tissue-specific syntaxin-1-binding protein, named tomosyn, which is capable of dissociating Munc18/n-Sec1/rbSec1 from syntaxin-1 to form a 10S tomosyn complex, an intermediate complex converted to the 7S SNARE complex. We isolated here two splicing variants of tomosyn: one had 36 amino acids (aa) insertion and another had 17 aa deletion. We named original one m-tomosyn, big one b-tomosyn, and small one s-tomosyn. s-Tomosyn as well as m-tomosyn was mainly expressed in brain whereas b-tomosyn was ubiquitously expressed. All the isoforms bound to syntaxin-1, but not to syntaxin-2, -3, or -4, and had a region highly homologous to VAMP, another syntaxin-binding protein. This region was necessary but not sufficient for high-affinity binding of tomosyn to syntaxin-1.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed2001

Rapid two-step purification of a recombinant mouse Fab fragment expressed in Escherichia coli.

We report a rapid, large-scale process for the purification of a recombinant Fab fragment specific for the tobacco mosaic virus coat protein (Fab57P). The fragment is expressed periplasmically in Escherichia coli. The expression level was optimized in 0.3-L fermentors. The highest levels were obtained using the following conditions: (1) low postinduction temperature (21 degrees C), (2) combined use of two beta-lactam antibiotics (carbenicillin and ampicillin), (3) IPTG concentration 0.1 mM, (4) regulated pH 7.2, (5) 17-h induction time, and (6) conditions that reduce mechanical stress. Optimized large-scale fermentations were done in 15- and 300-L capacity fermentors. The recombinant Fab fragment was purified by two chromatographic steps. After disruption of the bacteria using an APV Gaulin homogenizer, the crude E. coli homogenate was directly applied, without centrifugation, to an SP Sepharose Big Beads column. The recombinant Fab fragment was eluted as a single peak in a sodium chloride gradient. The fragment was further purified by affinity adsorption to a column packed with Epoxy-activated Sepharose 6B to which the antigen peptide NH(2)-CGS YNR GSF SQS SGLV-CONH(2) had been coupled through its N-terminal cysteine. The purified Fab57P fragment showed one band in SDS-PAGE. The overall purification yield was 35%.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

An endothelin-converting enzyme homologue in the locust, Locusta migratoria: functional activity, molecular cloning and tissue distribution.

Endothelin-converting enzyme is the key enzyme in the process of endothelin production. Endothelin is a peptide that plays an important role in vasoconstriction and the development of neural crest-derived cells in vertebrates. Activity assays performed on membrane extracts from Locusta migratoria brain revealed the existence of a protease activity responsible for the formation of mature endothelin-1 from its precursor, big endothelin. Cloning experiments led to a cDNA sequence (Lom ECE) with an open reading frame of 727 amino acid residues displaying all the characteristic ECE features. A comparison of ECE activity levels among different tissues of the locust showed a high enzyme activity in the gonads and midgut. RT-PCR experiments showed a wide tissue distribution of Lom ECE mRNA, with transcription being most abundant in brain tissue.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Analyses of RNA Polymerase II genes from free-living protists: phylogeny, long branch attraction, and the eukaryotic big bang.

The phylogenetic relationships among major eukaryotic protist lineages are largely uncertain. Two significant obstacles in reconstructing eukaryotic phylogeny are long-branch attraction (LBA) effects and poor taxon sampling of free-living protists. We have obtained and analyzed gene sequences encoding the largest subunit of RNA Polymerase II (RPB1) from Naegleria gruberi (a heterolobosean), Cercomonas ATCC 50319 (a cercozoan), and Ochromonas danica (a heterokont); we have also analyzed the RPB1 gene from the nucleomorph (nm) genome of Guillardia theta (a cryptomonad). Using a variety of phylogenetic methods our analysis shows that RPB1s from Giardia intestinalis and Trichomonas vaginalis are probably subject to intense LBA effects. Thus, the deep branching of these taxa on RPB1 trees is questionable and should not be interpreted as evidence favoring their early divergence. Similar effects are discernable, to a lesser extent, with the Mastigamoeba invertens RPB1 sequence. Upon removal of the outgroup and these problematic sequences, analyses of the remaining RPB1s indicate some resolution among major eukaryotic groups. The most robustly supported higher-level clades are the opisthokonts (animals plus fungi) and the red algae plus the cryptomonad nm-the latter result gives added support to the red algal origin of cryptomonad chloroplasts. Clades comprising Dictyostelium discoideum plus Acanthamoeba castellanii (Amoebozoa) and Ochromonas plus Plasmodium falciparum (chromalveolates) are consistently observed and moderately supported. The clades supported by our RPB1 analyses are congruent with other data, suggesting that bona fide phylogenetic relationships are being resolved. Thus, the RPB1 gene has apparently retained some phylogenetically meaningful signal, making it worthwhile to obtain sequences from more diverse protist taxa. Additional RPB1 data, especially in combination with other genes, should provide further resolution of branching orders among protist groups within the apparently rapid early divergence of eukaryotes.

Evolution, Molecular↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Dr. John Baptiste Edouard Gélineau].

With this brief review we honor the memory of the great French doctor Jean Baptiste Edouard Gélineau. Dr. Gélineau was born on December 23, 1828 at Blaye, Gironde, close to the Bordeaux region. His name is connected with the first clinical description of the disease for which he, both by the right of the primacy as well as ad valorem of his first two names, coined the name "narcolepsy". He was the first to notice the intrinsically evanescent symptoms of narcolepsy, such as excessive daytime somnolence, imperative sleep habits and cataplexy or "astasia" as he called it, and incorporate them into a single clinical syndrome. In 1881 Gélineau discussed Kaffe's case of "maladie du sommeil" as a proof of the existence of the new disease described a year before. As a good clinical observer Gélineau noticed the close relation of emotional engagement and astasia. His attitude was that narcolepsy was a nosologic entity, a disease sui generis, but admitted that it could appear purely as a symptom only. This was in discordance with the views in England where (in 1928) Dr. Samuel Alexander Kinnier Wilson repudiated such convictions; in 1930 Lhermitte still shared the same opinion. Gélineau differentiated narcolepsy from epilepsy with the elegance of clinical reasoning. Overall, Gélineau described three elements of the narcoleptic pentade. Sleep paralyses were first described by Mitchell in 1876, and were first attributed to narcolepsy by Wilson in 1928; in 1930 Lhermitte first described hypnapompic, and Daniels, in 1934, hypnagogic sleep paralysis. Hypnagogic hallucinations were described by Maury in 1848 and subsequently by de Saint Denis in 1867. In twenties they were thoroughly studiesed during the epidemic encephalitis and after the Big War in 1922 by Levy. The life story of Dr. Gélineau covers multivarious activities. As a young student of the Rochefort Navy Medical School he took part in the fight against colera which deluged the city of La Rochelle. In 1849 he became the "Intern" of the Navy Hospital and next year a "Surgeon of the Third Class". As a Navy surgeon he visited French colonies in the Indian ocean: first the Reunion island and then Mayotte island of the Commores Archipelago. Of this period he wrote "Voyage a i'lle de la Réunion", memoirs published much later, in 1905, in which he described colonial life and abolition of slavery. The story of Elise, a beauteous Creole woman, a concubine of a young naval Commander, who delivered a child that soon died, inexorably points to the autobiographic character of his work. He defended a doctoral thesis "Aperçu Medical de I'lle de Mayotte" at Montpellier University School of Medicine in 1858, using the data collected during his year-and-a-half stay on a Mayotte island; at that time he was a "Navy Surgeon of the Second Class". For his dedication in fighting against epidemics that broke out during the French-German war in 1870 he was nominated for the Legion of Honor, but received it only later. In 1871 Gélineau introduced "Doctor Gélineau's tablets" for the treatment of epilepsy (contained bromide and arsenic). He was a member of the Société de Médicine, Société d' Hypnologie, La-Société Française d' Hygiène, and a few others. After retirement at the age of 72, Gélineau switched to wine production, continuing the family tradition; for the quality of his Bordeaux wines he was awarded gold medals at the Anvers and Paris Exhibitions. Dr. Gélineau died on March 2, 1906, at Argeles Gazost in Pyrnees honored by the titles of Chevalier de la Légion d' Honneur, Officier d'Academie and Commander of Nichan of the Ottoman Empire.

Epilepsy↗