European research platform IPANEMA at the SOLEIL synchrotron for ancient and historical materials.

IPANEMA, a research platform devoted to ancient and historical materials (archaeology, cultural heritage, palaeontology and past environments), is currently being set up at the synchrotron facility SOLEIL (Saint-Aubin, France; SOLEIL opened to users in January 2008). The new platform is open to French, European and international users. The activities of the platform are centred on two main fields: increased support to synchrotron projects on ancient materials and methodological research. The IPANEMA team currently occupies temporary premises at SOLEIL, but the platform comprises construction of a new building that will comply with conservation and environmental standards and of a hard X-ray imaging beamline today in its conceptual design phase, named PUMA. Since 2008, the team has supported synchrotron works at SOLEIL and at European synchrotron facilities on a range of topics including pigment degradation in paintings, composition of musical instrument varnishes, and provenancing of medieval archaeological ferrous artefacts. Once the platform is fully operational, user support will primarily take place within medium-term research projects for `hosted' scientists, PhDs and post-docs. IPANEMA methodological research is focused on advanced two-dimensional/three-dimensional imaging and spectroscopy and statistical image analysis, both optimized for ancient materials.

[Digestive hormones and the colon]. / Hormones digestives et côlon.

The distribution of neuropeptides at the level of the colon is similar to that observed in other parts of the digestive tract, with, however, specific elements, such as the predominance of enteroglucagon and somatostatin cells. These substances regulate, on the one hand, the function of colonic absorption-secretion, and, on the other hand, the motor function. The control exerted by these substances on sodium absorption and chloride secretion, is done through two metabolic systems depending on the AMPc level for one, and the intra-cellular calcium for the other. Neuro-hormonal peptides modulate the metabolic response through specific receptors and regulating proteins, activating and inhibiting. These same substances, acting either directly one smooth muscle, or indirectly through activating or inhibiting interneurons, share in the control of colon motility.

Effect of postoperative extradural morphine on ADH secretion.

The effect of extradural morphine on antidiuretic hormone (ADH) secretion was assessed for the first 6 h after surgery in three groups of patients. Surgery was conducted under extradural bupivacaine: thereafter patients in group I (n = 6) received further injections of bupivacaine, patients in group II (n = 6) received an extradural injection of morphine and in patients in group III (n = 5) both bupivacaine and morphine, were administered extradurally. In group I, plasma ADH values remained unchanged throughout the study. In contrast, in the two groups of patients receiving extradural morphine a delayed and stepwise increase in plasma ADH concentration was documented. These results indicate that extradural morphine induces ADH secretion and suggest that this effect is the consequence of the migration of morphine to the brainstem.