[Demyelinating neuropathy during anti-TNF alpha treatment with a review of the literature]. / Neuropathie démyélinisante au cours d'un traitement par anti-TNF alpha et revue de la littérature.

INTRODUCTION: Tumor necrosis factor- (TNF) blockers are efficient in the treatment of autoimmune disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis, but can induce CNS adverse effects including retrobulbar optic neuritis or aggravation of multiple sclerosis. OBSERVATION: We report a case of progressive demyelinating polyneuropathy after initiation of Adalimumab (Humira). Corticosteroid and intravenous immunoglobulins were ineffective but the neuropathy improved within six months after adalimunab discontinuation. DISCUSSION: This case, and other reports recently published suggest that anti-TNF alpha drugs can induce demyelinating neuropathy. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should be on the lookout for signs evocating neuropathy in patients given anti TNF alpha.

[Tracheotomy in brain injured patients: which patients? Why? When? How?]. / Trachéotomie et traumatisme crânien grave: pour qui? Pourquoi? Quand? Comment?

The aim of this study is to determine, from the data available in the literature, the indications of tracheostomy in brain injured patients, the incidence and risk factors for complications and the follow-up required until decannulation. The incidence of tracheostomy is 10% in TBI and 50 to 70% in subpopulations with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) below 9. Early complications are not specific. The most frequent late complication is laryngotracheal stenosis, which occurs in 15% and is more frequently observed in the most severe patients with major hypertonia. It is likely that tracheostomy, if needed, should be performed early and the prognosis as to whether it will be required, can be made at the end of the first week. The follow-up of these patients includes surveillance of multiresistant colonisations and systematic performance of fibroscopy before decannulation. Cuffless, small diameters, soft tracheostomy tubes, are preferred on the long-term unless the risk of aspiration remains high.

The sporulation transcription factor Spo0A is required for biofilm development in Bacillus subtilis.

Biofilms are structured communities of cells encased in a polymeric matrix and adherent to a surface, interface or each other. We report here that the soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis forms biofilms. By confocal scanning laser microscopy, we observed that B. subtilis adhered to abiotic surfaces and formed a three-dimensional structure > or =30 microm in depth. These biofilms appeared to be at least partly encased in an extracellular polysaccharide matrix, as they could be stained with Calcofluor, a polysaccharide-binding dye. To understand the molecular mechanism of biofilm formation, we screened previously characterized mutants for a defect in biofilm formation. We found that mutations in spo0A, which encodes the major early sporulation transcription factor, caused a defect in biofilm formation. spo0A mutant cells adhered to a surface in a monolayer of cells rather than a three-dimensional biofilm. The requirement of Spo0A for biofilm development appears to result from its role in negatively regulating AbrB. Mutations in abrB suppressed the biofilm defect of a spo0A mutant, indicating that AbrB negatively regulates at least one gene that is required for the transition from a monolayer of attached cells to a mature biofilm. Implications of biofilm development for the ecology of B. subtilis are discussed.

Chemistry of single-walled carbon nanotubes.

In this Account we highlight the experimental evidence in favor of our view that carbon nanotubes should be considered as a new macromolecular form of carbon with unique properties and with great potential for practical applications. We show that carbon nanotubes may take on properties that are normally associated with molecular species, such as solubility in organic solvents, solution-based chemical transformations, chromatography, and spectroscopy. It is already clear that the nascent field of nanotube chemistry will rival that of the fullerenes.

Chromatographic purification and properties of soluble single-walled carbon nanotubes.

We report an improved chromatographic purification of soluble single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-SWNTs) using gel permeation chromatography. Three fractions are separated by gel permeation chromatography, and the first fraction contains 74% of the s-SWNTs as detected by atomic force microscopy and UV and near-infrared spectroscopy.