Ensemble asteroseismology of solar-type stars with the NASA Kepler mission.

In addition to its search for extrasolar planets, the NASA Kepler mission provides exquisite data on stellar oscillations. We report the detections of oscillations in 500 solar-type stars in the Kepler field of view, an ensemble that is large enough to allow statistical studies of intrinsic stellar properties (such as mass, radius, and age) and to test theories of stellar evolution. We find that the distribution of observed masses of these stars shows intriguing differences to predictions from models of synthetic stellar populations in the Galaxy.

[Persistence of a functional hyaloid artery in an adult. Apropos of a case]. / Persistance d'une artère hyaloïde fonctionnelle chez un adulte. A propos d'un cas.

We report a case of a persistent hyaloid artery in a 69 year old man. The exam of the right eye and the anterior segment of the left eye disclosed a mild cataract. Fundus examination of the left eye revealed a persistent hyaloid artery emerging from the optic disc, surrounded by primary vitreous on its anterior end, inserting on the nasal pre equatorial retina. Macular ectopia and sectorial chorioretinal atrophy were also present. Fluorescein angiography disclosed a permeable and tight hyaloid artery. There were no macular or optic nerve anomalies precluding visual acuity. After phakoemulsification, the patient regained a visual acuity of 0.9 on the left eye.

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of granisetron in human plasma.

This paper describes a high-performance liquid chromatographic method (HPLC) with fluorometric detection for the analysis of granisetron in plasma. The detection is performed at 305 nm for excitation and 365 nm for emission. The method involves sample clean-up by liquid-liquid extraction. N-(1-Naphthyl) ethylenediamine dihydrochloride is used as internal standard. Toluene and phosphate buffer were added to 0.5 ml of plasma added to the internal standard. After extraction, the organic layer was separated and then evaporated to dryness. The residue was reconstituted in eluent mixture. An aliquot was injected onto the HPLC column, Spherisorb CN, equilibrated with an eluent mixture constituted by acetonitrile-phosphate buffer (pH 4.5) (15:85). The proposed technique is reproducible, selective, reliable, and sensitive. Linear detector responses were observed for the calibration curve standards in the range of 0.50 to 100 ng/ml. Extraction recovery from plasma proved to be more than 90%. Precision expressed as C.V. was in the range 2 to 8%. As low as 0.3 ng of granisetron per ml of plasma can be measured with good accuracy. The method has been validated, and stability tests under various conditions have been performed. Its sensitivity is adequate for pharmacokinetic studies.

[Value of serodiagnosis of Lyme disease in the evaluation of uveitis]. / Intérêt du sérodiagnostic de la maladie de Lyme dans le bilan des uvéites.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to assess results of Lyme serology among all the specific tests routinely performed for exploring uveitis. METHODS: Sixty-seven patients examined for uveitis had a serological diagnosis of Lyme's disease with haemagglutination test and ELISA IgG test. This group included 34 patients with unclassified uveitis. Thirty-seven healty individuals served as control subjects. RESULTS: There was no statistical difference between the three groups in terms of positive serological diagnosis occurrence: control subjects (13.5%), patients with classified uveitis (12.1%) and patients with unclassified uveitis (11.8%). CONCLUSION: It appears to be more adequate to reserve this serological test for Lyme's disease for patients who have a suggestive history or additional symptoms.

[Keratoconus and familial topographic corneal anomalies]. / Kératocône et anomalies topographiques cornéennes familiales.

PURPOSE: Computer-assisted corneal topography, allows the detection of early abnormalities, including abortive or subclinical forms of keratoconus. So, it is possible to identify affected individuals with variable degrees, in family members of patients with keratoconus, to draw pedigrees, and to specify the mode of inheritance. METHODS: Computer-assisted digital videophotokeratoscope was used to map the corneas of 106 family members of 30 patients with keratoconus. RESULTS: Abnormalities observed included the inferior cornea markedly steeper than the superior cornea (I-S - 0.86 +/- 0.44 D) and a marked difference between the central corneal powers of the two eyes (delta PC = 0.72 +/- 0.22 D). However, there was no statistical difference with normal individuals for central corneal power. CONCLUSION: Pedigree analysis in these families suggests, in 50% of them, an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. However, it is impossible to conclude for the other families, because of an insufficient number of cases.

[Infectious crystalline keratopathy occurring after penetrating keratoplasty]. / Kératopathie cristalline infectieuse survenue après kératoplastie transfixiante.

Infectious crystalline keratopathy is a chronic corneal infection, characterized by interlamellar opacities that are shaped like crystal formations. In the majority of cases, Streptococcus viridans is cultured. We report the case of a 74 year old man, presenting with corneal infection in a donor graft after penetrating keratoplasty. A Streptococcus sanguis was isolated. The clinical response to antibiotics was poor, with a slow and inexerable progression, leading to possible corneal regrafting.