Archives, Thresholds, Discontinuities: Blumenberg and Foucault on Historical Substantialism and the Phenomenology of History.

Blumenberg's The Legitimacy of the Modern Age was published in the same year as Foucault's The Order of Things (1966). Both books attempt to grasp certain not altogether self-evident changes in the Western history of knowledge and attempt new methods of considering these discontinuities and the so-called "thresholds" between epochs. Beyond such general points of shared interest, one must ask if Blumenberg and Foucault share other intellectual features, for they both developed strong philosophical critiques of Husserlian and Heideggerian approaches to history, critiques that arose from their shared hostility to a kind of "historicism," alongside their refusal of any "substance.

Evaluation of pollutant exposure by chemical and biological markers in a Mediterranean French urban stream: a step for in situ calibration of multixenobiotic resistance transporter expression as biomarker in Chironomidae larvae.

This study was aimed at semi-quantifying the membrane density of multixenobiotic resistance (MXR) transporters in Chironomidae Orthocladiinae larvae from an urban stream by ELISA assay. The relationships between the MXR transporter membrane density and limnological parameters and pollutant concentrations, 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as per the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and seven polychlorobiphenyl congeners (PCBs), were assessed. Midge larvae were collected, and limnological parameters and pollutant concentrations were measured in three sites of a French Mediterranean urban stream, two located after sewage treatment plants, and one closed to the river mouth, and in two additional sites, one on the stream tributary, and one in a non-urbanized stream located in the same region.

[Network for sentinel lymph node research in breast cancer].

Aims: The goals of this paper were to determine the accuracy of the sentinel node in predicting axillary nodal status and to evaluate the feasibility of incorporating sentinel node biopsy into a general practice.

Methods: Between June 1999 and February 2003, 304 patients with clinically T0-T2[< 3 cm] M0 breast cancer underwent sentinel node biopsy. Both lymphoscintigraphy and blue dye were used to guide this biopsy.

Banking of environmental samples for short-term biochemical and chemical monitoring of organic contamination in coastal marine environments: the GICBEM experience (1986-1990). Groupe Interface Chimie Biologie des Ecosystèmes, Marins.

The GICBEM (Groupe Interface Chimie Biologie des Ecosystèmes Marins) program consists of an evaluation of the ecosystem health status in the Mediterranean Sea mainly based on chemical and biochemical approaches. Specific chemical contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorobiphenyls (PCB), heavy metals) in waters, sediments, and related biotransformation indicators in target organisms (mussels, fish) have been selected for a complete survey of the coastal waters. In order to provide an appropriate sampling program for standardization for each sampling cruise, various aspects have been studied: (a) parameters for the choice of the sample sites; (b) ways of collection the samples (waters, sediments, marine organisms); and (c) preparation of the samples for a short term storage on board ship and for further analyses in the ground laboratory.

[Assessment of 7 years of automatic suturing in pulmonary surgery].

In 738 patients, the stapler-suturing methods were used in 2 main areas of concern: closure of the major hilar broncho-vascular structures (for smaller pulmonary vessels, we use absorbable ligating clips: Absolok from Ethicon and Polysurgiclip from USSC), suture of the lung parenchyma. Regarding pedicular sutures, our rate of bronchial fistula is 1,0% (or 4,4% if only pneumonectomies are taken into account: 1,4 on the left and 7,7 on the right). These rates are compared with those gathered from the literature, with emphasis on the right main bronchus.

Systematic pH-measurements in the umbilical artery: causes and predictive value of neonatal acidosis.

Subpartal and neonatal blood gas analyses have attracted increasing interest during the past 20 years. Different studies have been carried out to investigate the causes and immediate consequences of perinatal acidosis. It was the aim of this study to examine the long term outcome of acidotic-born babies.

[Tocolysis by bêta-mimetics and cardiopathies (author's transl)].

Observations on tocolysis draw the obstetrician's attention to need to watch carefully maternal cardiac function before, during and after labour. In the light of recent experimental pharmacological and clinical observations the authors describe successively the physiology and the physiopathology of cardiac lesions brought about by beta-mimetics as well as the means available to prevent disseminated cardiac muscle necrosis. Clinical observations and maternal and fetal secondary effects of beta-mimetics are thus reviewed.

[The changes in acid base balance of the fetus at term in the second stage of labour typed according to the CTG patterns (author's transl)].

This work studies the changes in the acid base balance from the beginning to the end of expulsive stage of 73 labours (52 primiparas and 21 multiparas). These are typed according to the CTG patterns proposed by Melchior. All the pregnancies were normal and at or near term.

Catabolite modulator factor: a possible mediator of catabolite repression in bacteria.

Water soluble extracts of Escherichia coli cells have been found to exert an extremely strong repressive effect upon the expression of catabolite sensitive operons. The compound responsible for this activity has been partially purified and proves to be of low molecular weight and heat stable. The effect of this compound, hereafter designated as catabolite modulator factor, is only partially antagonized by adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate.