Three archival photographs recently made public by the French National Library depict men associated with an event taking place in colonial Laos around 1920. However, upon examination of the pictures and textual sources, combined with contemporaneous documents, it turns out that the pictures are actually from Tonkin (colonial northern Vietnam) and may depict Batchai (Pa Chay Vue) a celebrated Hmong messiah in 1918 when he met with colonial authorities in an ultimate negotiation attempt before launching a four-year rebellion. Batchai famously led a violent revolt against Tai and French power in Tonkin and Laos between 1918 and 1921, which has been documented in French military reports. No photograph has ever been found of the rebel leader and his supporters and this find in itself would be of significance, especially for the Hmong diaspora in the West for whom Pa Chay Vue has achieved near-mythical status as a major folk hero. This article examines whether or not this is him; but beyond the simple task of identification, it proposes interpretations for the events that suggest a more complex affair than French military archives have ever been willing to tell, including the hypothesis of an administrative cover up.

Second impact syndrome (SIS) is associated with malignant brain swelling and usually occurs in young athletes with one or more prior, recent concussions. SIS is rare and some dispute its existence. We report a case of SIS in Rowan Stringer, age 17, a rugby player who sustained a fatal brain injury despite prompt medical therapy including decompression surgery. The cause of the massive brain swelling was initially unknown. An inquest revealed Rowan’s text messages to friends describing symptoms from two prior, recent rugby brain injuries, likely concussions, within 5 days of the fatal blow and confirming the diagnosis of SIS.

Deafness frequently observed in explosion victims, currently following terrorist attack, is a barrier to communication between victims and first responders. This may result in a delay in the initial triage and evacuation. In such situations, Paris Fire Brigade (Paris, France) proposes the use of assistance cards to help conscious, but deafened patients at the site of an attack where there may be numerous victims.

Yavari-SartakhtiO, BricheF, JostD, MichaudN, BignandM, TourtierJP. A New Triage Support Tool in Case of Explosion. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(2):213–214.

Brain tumor growth results from the relative proportion of cells contained in three populations: a) cycling/proliferative; b) quiescent (Go)/static, and c) terminally differentiated/dying. The cycling compartment can be detected by the mouse monoclonal Ki-67 antibody, an available, rapid, safe, sensitive, and specific method for immunostaining of proliferative cells. We report the Ki-67 labeling index (LI) in 48 brain tumors. Malignant brain tumors have elevated Lis, ranging from 6.0% to 56.9%: anaplastic astrocytoma, 8.0 ± 7.3; glioblastoma multiforme, 10.1 ±4.2; germinoma, 11.7; medulloblastoma, 13.1 ± 6.6; metastases, 40.3 ± 13.1. By contrast, slow-growing tumors showed lower values (P < .001), approaching 1%: acoustic schwannoma, 0.4 ± 0.6; pituitary adenoma, 1.3 ± 1.9; meningioma, 1.2 ± 1.2; low-grade astrocytoma, < 1; pilocytic astrocytoma, 5.6. Human brain tumors can therefore be ranked according to the percentage of cycling cells with the acoustic schwannoma among the least proliferative and the metastatic carcinoma among the most proliferative. Within a given histotype, the Ki-67 LI may have prognostic and therapeutic implications for the individual patient. Already important for neuro-oncology research, the Ki-67 labeling index should be added to the armamentarium of the clinical neuropathologist to complement the standard histopathologic diagnosis with a cytokinetic analysis of cellular proliferation.

Contamination of a point-of-care ultrasound system (POCUS) mainly involved electrocardiography accessories and included pathogenic microorganisms. The use of a glass-sealed control panel significantly facilitated its cleaning and reduced its bacterial contamination compared with a standard control panel. Overall hand hygiene compliance during examinations with POCUS was poor.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;35(12):1539–1542

Genetic disturbances in folate metabolism may increase risk for congenital heart defects. We examined the association of heart defects with four polymorphisms in folate-related genes (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) c.677C > T, MTHFR c.1298A > C, methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) c.66A > G, and reduced folate carrier (SLC19A1) c.80A > G) in a case–control study of children (156 patients, 69 controls) and mothers of children with heart defects (181 patients, 65 controls), born before folic acid fortification. MTRR c.66A > G in children modified odds ratios for overall heart defects, specifically ventricular septal defect and aortic valve stenosis (p-value below 0.05). The 66GG and AG genotypes were associated with decreased odds ratios for heart defects (0.42, 95% confidence interval (0.18–0.97) and 0.39 (0.18–0.84), respectively). This overall association was driven by decreased risk for ventricular septal defect for 66GG and AG (odds ratio 0.32 (0.11–0.91) and 0.25 (0.09–0.65)) and decreased odds ratio for aortic valve stenosis for 66AG (0.27 (0.09–0.79)). The association of ventricular septal defect and 66AG remained significant after correction for multiple testing (p = 0.0044, multiple testing threshold p = 0.0125). Maternal MTHFR 1298AC genotype was associated with increased odds ratio for aortic valve stenosis (2.90 (1.22–6.86), p = 0.0157), but this association did not meet the higher multiple testing threshold. No association between MTHFR c.677C > T or SLC19A1 c.80A > G and heart defect risk was found. The influence of folate-related polymorphisms may be specific to certain types of heart defects; larger cohorts of mothers and children with distinct sub-classes are required to adequately address risk.

This editorial develops two themes. First, it discusses how historical and anthropological approaches can relate to each other, in the field of the highland margins of Asia and beyond. Second, it explores how we might further our understandings of the uplands of Asia by applying different terms such as ‘Haute-Asie’, the ‘Southeast Asian Massif’, the ‘Hindu Kush–Himalayan region’, the ‘Himalayan Massif’, and in particular ‘Zomia’, a neologism gaining popularity with the publication of James C. Scott’s latest book, The art of not being governed: an anarchist history of upland Southeast Asia.1 Through a discussion of the notion of Zomia, I will reconsider certain ‘truths’ regarding highland Asian studies. In the process, I seek to contribute to disembedding minority studies from the national straitjackets that have been imposed by academic research bounded by the historical, ideological, and political limits of the nation-state.