Sudden coma after subclavian catheterization.

Bilateral thalamic infarction is a very rare affection. We report here a case of bithalamic infarction during subclavian catheterization related to the accidental migration and complete occlusion of an arterial embolism to the Percheron's artery. Percheron's artery is an anatomical variation described in 1977, constituted by a solitary arterial trunk arising from one of the proximal segments of a posterior cerebral artery supplying the paramedian thalami and the rostral midbrain bilaterally. We review here the clinical presentation and discuss the aetiologies of such a cerebral infarction.

Portal venous gas following chemotherapy for colorectal cancer liver metastasis.

The standard of care for patients with colorectal liver metastases is a combination of chemotherapy and surgery. New chemotherapy regimens with biologic agents (cetuximab, bevacizumab) have been shown to increase tumor response rates. Although this might be beneficial and this is an expected endpoint, it should be noted that patients with synchronous colorectal and liver metastases are at risk of septic complications. We recently encountered a case of hepatic portal venous gas after two cycles of chemotherapy in a patient with right colon cancer liver metastases. Complete necrosis of the liver metastasis subsequently turned into a liver abscess, which fistulized in the right portal vein. Infection of the necrotized metastasis was thought to be promoted by the colic tumor. Although this is a dramatic situation, it does not contraindicate a curative surgical resection.

[Pulmonary edema during calcium-channel blockers therapy: role of predisposing or pharmacologic factors?]. / L'oedème aigu du poumon chez des patientes en menace d'accouchement prématuré traitées par inhibiteurs calciques: place de facteurs prédisposants ou pharmacologiques spécifiques?

Calcium channel blockers of the dihydropyridin's family have been associated with the onset of an acute pulmonary edema when they are used as a treatment of preterm labor. We report here four cases of pulmonary edema in pregnant women treated with nicardipine (Loxen) for preterm labor. The physiopathology of pulmonary edema, the pharmacology of calcium channel blockers of dihydropyridin's family and the detailed analysis of our cases and those of the literature make us discuss of the role of these agents and associated population and risk factors in such complication.

Distinction between cultivated and wild chicory gene pools using AFLP markers.

The cultivation area of industrial chicory, Cichorium intybus L. cv Sativum, coincides with the natural distribution area of its wild relative, C. intybus L., which could lead to gene flow between wild and cultivated types. The genetic diversity within and between the two types has therefore been studied using AFLP genotyping of samples from 12 wild populations collected in Belgium and ten commercial varieties. The genotyping of 233 individuals allowed the identification of 254 AFLP markers. Similar levels of genetic diversity were observed within wild populations and cultivated varieties, suggesting the absence of any strong bottleneck in the history of the cultivated types. The phylogenetic analysis pointed to a monophyletic origin of cultivated varieties as compared to the local wild populations studied, hence the two types of chicory form two separate gene pools. The genotyping of some individuals sampled in ruderal sites clearly showed that they belong to the cultivated gene pool, which suggests the existence of feral or weedy types. The low differentiation observed among wild populations indicates that gene flow might be important in this species.