Association of intermediate uveitis with HLA-A28: definition of a new systemic syndrome?

Background: Endogenous posterior uveitis (PU) can be associated with systemic diseases, and certain forms have strong association with HLA antigens. Much less is known regarding intermediate uveitis (IU). The purpose of this study was to determine whether IU is associated with the HLA system and whether it can be associated with systemic symptoms.Methods: In 179 consecutive patients consulting for uveitis, a detailed history was obtained and a physical examination performed. HLA typing for 71 HLAA, B, DR and DQ antigens, laboratory tests, and radiography of the chest, sinuses, and sacroiliac joints were systematically performed.Results: Thirty-two patients (18%) had IU; 51 (28.5%) had PU and constituted our internal control group. Nine of the patients with IU (28%) had the HLA-A28 antigen, compared with 8.1 % of a healthy control population and 8.6% of the patients with PU (P < 0.001). An associated disease was found in four patients with IU (12.5%) (none was HLA-A28) and in 45% of the patients with PU (P < 0.01). Some 67% of HLA-A28 patients with IU had arthralgias affecting the knee(s), compared with 17% of non-HLA-A28 patients and 18% of patients with PU (P<0.05 and P<0.01 respectively); 55% had gonalgias and hypocomplementemia compared with 9% and 2% respectively (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001).Conclusions: IU is significantly associated with HLA-A28; patients having this antigen may represent a subset of the disease characterized by an increased prevalence of arthralgias and hypocomplementemia.     

The Use of Seclusions and Physical Restraints: Just How Consistent Are We?

Research has yet to verify whether children with greater problems, in more restrictive settings such as inpatient units actually receive more protective interventions such as seclusions/restraints than children in less intrusive settings who should have less need. Despite many strong and conflicting opinions about how these interventions should be used, very little is actually known about when and how seclusions/restraints are in fact used. It is unclear what professions use seclusions/restraints most, in what settings, for which children, how consistently, and with what outcomes. The present research found significant variability in use across the continuum of care which could not be attributed to the severity of children's problems or to the restrictiveness of the setting. The two most similar settings differed the most in their use of these procedures. Patterns of utilization are difficult to explain and are a cause for concern because they suggest possible inconsistencies and use which does not depend upon client needs. Use was significantly but only weakly predicted by age and gender of children with younger males being more likely to receive these interventions. The finding that child and youth care workers in the settings studied were the professionals most likely by far to use these procedures, indicates needs for increased worker involvement in both quality assurance and supportive activities that explore potential for burnout and injury associated with high use.     

Evaluation of the nutritional and inflammatory status in cancer patients for the risk assessment of severe haematological toxicity following chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The toxicity outcome of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy is difficult to predict. In this study the influence of malnutrition and inflammation on acute haematological toxicity was investigated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 1999 and January 2000, 48 consecutive cancer patients experienced severe haematological toxicity (SHT), either neutropenic fever or severe thrombocytopenia, following various chemotherapy regimens. Their baseline characteristics were compared with those of 59 control patients. Previous chemotherapy regimens, type of chemotherapy, performance status (PS), calculated creatinine clearance, bilirubin, C-reactive protein (1), alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (2), albumin (3), pre-albumin (4) and the nutritional and inflammatory status (NIS) ratio [NIS = (1 x 2)/(3 x 4)] were studied. Statistical analysis was carried out using either a t-test or a chi-square test. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve determined the cut-off value for NIS. RESULTS: Patients experiencing SHT had a higher PS (P <0.001), inflammatory serum protein levels (P <0.001) and NIS ratio (P <0.0001), but lower haemoglobin (P <0.05) and serum-albumin levels (P <0.0001). Using a cut-off of 0 or 1 for PS and 1 for NIS, sensitivity was 98%, 43% and 89%; specificity was 38%, 90% and 66%, respectively. In 37 patients treated with topotecan as single agent, the determinants for SHT were PS (P <0.0001) and NIS (P <0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Altered nutritional and inflammatory status correlates with increased risk of severe haematological toxicity following anticancer chemotherapy.     

Impact of EGFR expression on colorectal cancer patient prognosis and survival.

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in many types of cancers, especially colorectal cancer (CRC), and seems to reflect more aggressive histological and clinical behaviors. The aim of this study was to evaluate EGFR immunohistochemical reactivity in CRC biopsies, and to analyze its relationship with various histological and clinical characteristics and survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A composite EGFR score, obtained by multiplying the grade (% positive cells) by the intensity of labeling (0-9) was used to define patients with low or high EGFR expression whose clinicopathological features were then compared. Univariate tests and multivariate Cox proportional hazards model were applied for data analysis. RESULTS: Tissue sections from 150 CRC patients with a median follow-up of 40 months were examined. Median patient age at diagnosis was 70 years (range 38-89 years). EGFR reactivity was positive for 143 patients (97%) and high for 118 (80%). According to multivariate analysis, EGFR overexpression was significantly associated with tumor stage, with a higher percentage of EGFR overexpression in T3 than T4 (P=0.003) and not with overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: EGFR was overexpressed in this CRC patient population and was significantly associated with TNM (tumor-node-metastasis) stage T3. In the context of a new therapeutic strategy using EGFR-targeted therapies, although EGFR remains a controversial prognostic factor, this expression-stage association may play a crucial role in a decision to initiate an adjuvant treatment.     

Vaccine prevention in perinatal health care: parents, children and professionals

Recent legislative texts have changed vaccinal policy and reinforced the role of midwives in vaccine prevention in perinatal healthcare. Quite as paediatricians and obstetricians-gynecologists, midwives can now prescribe and carry out, for the mothers, vaccines against rubella, tetanus, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, hepatitis B, influenza and whooping-cough and for the newborns vaccines against hepatitis B and tuberculosis. Concerning vaccinations, practitioners have to respect the vaccination calendar and a collaborative action is useful and necessary. These national guidelines are regularly updated when new vaccines and new recommendations come to light, for example for children (papillomavirus, tuberculosis, pneumococcus...), young adults (varicella, whooping-cough) and health professions in contact with very young children (varicella, measles, influenza and whooping-cough). The recent changes in tuberculosis prevention from routine vaccination of all newborn infants to selective vaccination lead to reinforce measures to detect the infants at higher risk, for them to be vaccinated before discharge at home. Midwives and nurses occupy a central place in family policy and become, with obstetricians-gynecologists and pediatricians, key actors for the effectiveness and the success of vaccine strategies in perinatal health.     

Dysplasie épithéliale ovarienne : mythe ou réalité ? Revue de la littérature

Ovarian epithelial dysplasia has been described in the ovarian surface epithelium by histologic, morphometric and nuclear profile studies. It could represent a potential precursor of ovarian malignancy in patients with genetic risk of ovarian cancer, although its natural history and progression to carcinoma are unpredictable. Diagnosis and identification of ovarian dysplasia would certainly be useful to understand the early steps of ovarian carcinogenesis. However, dysplasia in relation with ovulation induction seems to have a different pattern. We report dysplasia definitions and the current clinical management.