[Hypertension and cardiovascular risk associated with obstructive sleep apnea in adult in Guadeloupe (French West Indies)]. / Hypertension artérielle et risque cardiovasculaire associés au syndrome d'apnées obstructives du sommeil chez l'adulte en Guadeloupe.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In Guadeloupe, data on the relationships between arterial hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea are unavailable. The aim of this study was: to assess the frequency of hypertension and non-dipper pattern evaluated by 48-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in an adult population identified obstructive sleep apnea/non-obstructive sleep apnea during overnight polygraphy ; to determine the cardio-metabolic factors associated with obstructive sleep apnea. DESIGN AND METHOD: A cross-sectional study was realized at Pointe-à-Pitre Hospital. Patients were referred for suspected sleep apnea to sleep specialist and performed a nocturnal polygraphy. Diagnosis was confirmed if the apnea-hypopnea index was ≥ 5. We obtained two groups: sleep apnea/non-sleep apnea. All patients underwent 48-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. The cardio-metabolic factors were identified and assessed (fasten level of hs-CRP and Homa-IR index). RESULTS: A total of 204 patients were included. Mean age at diagnosis was 54 ± 10 years, 63% were women. OSA was present in 69.6% with a higher frequency in men than in women. Difference was not significant between the two groups for hypertension frequency (84.5% vs 77%; P=0.22), non-dipper pattern (77.5% vs 76%; P=0.79) and hs-CRP. Differences for age, snoring, body max index, mean waist circumference, Homa-IR index, obesity, dyslipidemia, and type 2 diabetes were significant. CONCLUSIONS: Our data highlight raised frequency of cardiovascular metabolic factors in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and confirm their high cardiovascular risk.

[Ventricular late potentials in myocardial infarction: comparison of thrombolysis, primary angioplasty, and conventional treatment]. / Etude des potentiels tardifs ventriculaires dans l'infarctus du myocarde: comparaison entre thrombolyse, angioplastie primaire et traitement conventionnel.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of ventricular late potentials (VLP) during the acute phase of myocardial infarction (MI) depending on the treatment used. METHODS AND RESULTS: This retrospective study was carried out over the period January 1992 to December 1997, and involved 238 patients admitted for primary MI and treated less than six hours after the onset of symptoms by intravenous thrombolysis (rt-PA, n = 83) or primary angioplasty (ATCI, n = 82) and in those cases treated over six hours after the onset of symptoms by standard treatment (heparin, n = 73). Rt-PA perfusion was considered to be effective when the three following criteria were simultaneously present: i) pain sedation; ii) regression of the ST dysfunction > 50%; iii) creatine phosphokinase (CPK) peak before the 16th hour. Treatment success for angioplasty (ATCI+) was confirmed by a TIMI 3 (Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction) score for MI arterial perfusion, with residual stenosis of the MI artery of < 50%. Ventricular late potentials (VLP) were investigated between day six and 14, and considered to be present when two of the following criteria were met: total duration of filtered QRS, i.e., QRSd > 114 ms; signal amplitude in the 49 last ms of filtered QRS, i.e., RMS40 < 20 mV, duration of the terminal part of filtered QRS that was below 40 mV, i.e., LAS40 > 38 ms (40 Hz). VLP prevalence was as follows: 25% (rt-PA group), 345 (ATCI group), and 33% (standard treatment) respectively (P = NS). In the thrombolysis with reperfusion subgroup (n = 54/83, 65%), VLP incidence was 18.5% (n = 10/54) versus 35.5% (n = 27/76) in the subgroup ACTI+ (n = 76/82, 93%) (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of VLP appears to be significantly decreased in the the case of thrombolysis with reperfusion compared to that observed in the ATCI+ group. One of the possible explanations for this abnormally high prevalence in the angioplasty group could be a dysfunction involving reocclusion after initially successful myocardial reperfusion therapy.

[Anatomoclinical study of 29 cases of acute necrotizing encephalitis. Demonstration of herpes virus in 24 cases]. / Etude anatomo-clinique de 29 cas d'encéphalite nécrosante aiguë. Mise en évidence du virus herpétique dans 24 cas

The authors studied the cerebral lesions in 29 cases of acute necrotizing encephalitis. Electron microscopy showed the presence of typical herpes virus particles in 24 cases. In 16 of them the virus had been isolated from specimens of the brain taken by biopsy and in 8 other cases from autopsy specimens. In 3 acute cases the search for the virus was negative and it was not carried out in the two cases with prolonged evolution. Only 6 patients have survived. Some peculiar varieties have beeen observed, i.e. two adolescents had temporal and almost entirely unilateral lesions, and two aged females had severely hemorrhagic necrotic areas which could have been confounded with vascular lesions. In these two later cases typical particles were present. Finally, one case showed within the same nuclei at once typical herpes virus particles and other viral structures of vermicular form, the origin of which could not be precised.