Console de jeu : mode de transmission de l'allergie à l'arachide

The authors report the case of a child allergic to peanuts since he was one year old who, at the age of 9 years, developed angioedema after playing with his "Play Station". This device had been used previously by his uncle who had eaten peanuts at a family get-together. This observation illustrates a new way of transmitting food allergies and provides an opportunity to review the principal situations in which this allergy can be transmitted by proxy.     

La marche de l'allergie : que reste-t-il de l'histoire dite naturelle de l'allergie ?

Until recently, it was generally agreed that the natural history of allergy overlapped with that of asthma. The dominant concept was that allergy, in particular, allergy to perennial aeroallergens, was the most important cause of asthma. The classical curves of the age-related incidence of the main allergic syndromes, i.e. those closely associated with asthma, made it appear that the first step in the natural history of atopy was atopic dermatitis, followed by asthma and rhinitis. Allergy to one or more foods, especially cow milk and egg, began early in life, very often disappeared, leaving place for the development of sensitivity to aeroallergens. This classic schema allowed one to suppose that primary prevention was possible and that by avoiding the main allergens very early in life one could reduce the subsequent risk of allergic sensitization and, therefore, of asthma as well. The interest in prevention was explained by the growing prevalence of allergic diseases, which had become an important public health problem. In fact, the natural history of asthma and allergy is much more complex, being a real puzzle in which one must take into account the allergens, life style (rural or urban), contact with animals, endotoxins, parasites, atmospheric pollution (e.g. the association between diesel particles and pollen), hygiene, infections and immunizations, breast feeding, pasteurized or non-pasteurized cow milk, the diet and many other factors. The aim of this critical review is to try to untangle this maze.     

Étude de la faune acarologique des matelas de l'île de la Martinique

Background. – Levels and types of species of house dust mites (HDM) can vary according to environmental conditions. The objective of this study is to describe various species of house dust mites (HDM), which colonize mattresses in Martinique, a tropical island of the Caribbean, and to find out differences according to the characteristics of the mattress and housing.     

Pharmacogénomique de l'asthme

Pharmacogenomics attempts to explain some of the variability of the response to medications by individual genetic variability. Regarding asthma, it is known that there is individual variability in the response to the three most important classes of anti-asthmatic mediations, namely, inhaled β2 gonists, anti-leucotrienes and inhaled corticosteroids. For each therapeutic class, there is evidence that the existence of polymorphisms in certain candidate genes, for example, the β2-receptor, the 5-lipoxygenase gene promoter and one of the corticotrophin releasing factor receptors, is associated with the response to these drugs. We anticipate that the results of ongoing studies of the many polymorphisms located on the different genes of the metabolic pathways involved in the efficacy as well as the adverse effects of these drugs will lead to better adaptation to individual requirements in therapeutic management.     

De l'importance de lire attentivement les étiquettes avant de consommer… des spaghettis

Three children who knew that they were allergic to peanuts and who knew how to avoid exposure to peanuts nevertheless had an immediate allergic reaction shortly after eating spaghetti with tomato sauce. These observations give us the chance to discuss how to manage the food intake, especially concerning all kinds of nuts, of children with peanut allergy, the new European rules dealing with labelling, and to stress the absolute necessity to read carefully the labels of all products consumed by individuals with food allergy, even if the allergy concerns products containing ingredients to which the individual is not known to be allergic.     

Registro Español de Desfibrilador Automático Implantable. VIII Informe Oficial del Grupo de Trabajo de Desfibrilador Automático Implantable de la Sociedad Española de Cardiología (2011)

Introduction and objectives

To summarize the findings of the Spanish Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Registry for 2011 compiled by the Electrophysiology and Arrhythmia Section of the Spanish Society of Cardiology.

Methods

Each implantation team voluntarily and prospectively recorded data on a data collection form, which was then sent to the Spanish Society of Cardiology.

Results

Overall, 4481 device implantations were notified, representing 83.6% of the estimated total number of implantations. The notified implantation rate was 97 per million population and the estimated total implantation rate was 116.2 per million. First implantations accounted for 70.2% of the total notified. Data were collected from 167 hospitals (22 more than in 2010). Most implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantations took place in men (82.1%). The mean age was 62.4 (14.1) years. Most patients had severe or moderate-to-severe ventricular dysfunction and were in New York Heart Association functional class II. The most frequent underlying cardiac condition was ischemic heart disease, followed by dilated cardiomyopathy. The number of indications for primary prevention increased over the previous year and accounted for 70.6% of first implantations. Overall, 78.4% of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators were implanted by cardiac electrophysiologists.

Conclusions

The 2011 Spanish Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Registry includes data on almost 84% of all implantations of these devices performed in Spain. This was the first year in which the number of implants decreased slightly from the previous year, as also occurred in the rest of Europe. The percentage of implants for primary prevention continued to increase.Full English text available from:www.revespcardiol.org