Effects of ochratoxin A on membrane phospholipids of the intestine of broiler chickens, practical consequences.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by various species of Aspergillus and Penicillium. Ochratoxin A was classified as a group 2B carcinogen and is one of the major intestinal pathogenic mycotoxins. One of the most frequent modes of intoxication is consumption of contaminated food with mycotoxins. Feed represents the major cost and has a direct impact on the economical viability of broiler's production system, since it must contain the necessary elements that allow the animal to express the maximum genetic potential while providing its nutritional requirements. Thus, the animal has to digest the feed and absorb its nutrients, which is in direct correlation with the gastrointestinal tract, especially the small intestine and the development of the mucosal surface area. Once ingested, OTA is absorbed by passive diffusion, mainly the jejunum. Ochratoxin A's presence affects lipid membranes and could lead to the degradation of their normal structure and functionality. All of these effects contribute to the development of malabsorption. It was very interesting to study the effect of OTA on the layer of phospholipids of the bowel. The experimental group received OTA (0.05 to mg/kg BW) through an intra-peritoneal injection, every other day for 21 days. We noted that feed conversion ratio and average daily gain were reduced. Histological studies showed important alterations at the level of the mucosal membrane of the intestine (villosities, crypts) following intra-peritoneal administration of the mycotoxin. Thinning and enlargement at the base of the villosities, hyperplasia and crypts in irregular forms, blunting and denudation were observed through the examination of intestinal morphology. Biochemical studies, such as total lipid and phospholipid compositions, allowed us to have more detailed results. All identified mucosal phospholipids were modified, particularly the phosphatidylcholine (PC) and the phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in the jejunum mucosa. In fact, there was a decrease by 55.81% for PC, 56.66% for PE, while a significant increase by 32.91% was noted for phosphatidylserine in the jejunum. It was very interesting to study the effect of OTA on the phospholipids layer of the bowel, as the mucous membrane of the small intestine represents the main site of absorption and transformation of nutriments. To avoid such disturbances and prevent the effects of the OTA, precautions must be taken to inhibit mold growth at the level of the feed manufactory units. Phosphatidylcholine and PE administrations may represent an option that could allow reestablishment of phospholipid equilibrium in the intestine.

[An unusual cause of hypertension]. / Une cause inhabituelle d'hypertension artérielle.

Secondary hypertension is relatively rare. Its etiologies are essentially renal or endocrine. The adrenocortical carcinoma, a rare malignant tumor, is one of the most exceptional causes of hypertension. We report the case of a young woman presenting with hypertension and ascites of great abundance. She had hypokalemia, hepatic cytolysis and cholestasis. Thoracic, abdominal and pelvic CT scans showed adrenal mass, liver and lung nodules, osteolytic lesions of the sacrum. The biopsy of liver nodules confirmed the diagnosis of a metastatic malignant adrenocortical carcinoma. The hormonal investigations revealed cortisol and testosterone hypersecretion. The evolution was quickly fatal, the patient passed out a few days after her hospitalization.

[Pulmonary actinomycosis. Diagnostic and therapeutic features]. / Actinomycose pulmonaire. Particularités diagnostiques et thérapeutiques.

INTRODUCTION: Actinomycosis is a rare suppurative infection, subacute or chronic caused by bacteria of the genus Actinomyces. OBSERVATIONS: A case study of 4 patients with prolonged respiratory symptoms. The clinical examination was poor in all cases. The CT-scan showed, in all cases, a suspicious tissue mass. The bronchoscopy diagnosis showed, in 2 cases, a tumor budding and was normal for the 2 other cases. Bronchial biopsies were negative in all cases. Before the prolonged symptomatology, the poor general condition, the endoscopic and the CT aspects; there was a suspect around a pulmonary neoplasia diagnosis, thus raising the need of a surgical treatment for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. The anatomopathological examination of the resected specimen was in favour of the actinomycosis. The aim of these observations is to draw the attention to the radio-clinical, histological, therapeutic and evolutive aspects as well as the diagnostic difficulties of this condition. CONCLUSION: The radio-clinical presentation of the actinomycosis is often misleading, thus a diagnostic confirmation is required before any useless surgical resection.

[Adenocarcinoma and gastro-intestinal stromal tumor: fortuitous association or a single carcinogenic agent? A report of 2 cases]. / Adénocarcinome et tumeur stromale digestifs: association fortuite ou mécanisme oncogène commun? A propos de deux observations.

The synchronous development of epithelial and stromal tumors of the digestive tract was rarely reported in the literature. Two such cases are described in this article. One is of a 44-year-old man presenting a high grade gastric stromal tumor associated with an adenocarcinoma of the large bowel. The other is of a 68-year-old man presenting an adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas associated with a low grade gastric stromal tumor. The hypothesis that the association is due to a simple coincidence particularly in areas with high rates of digestive cancer is proposed. A possibility of a genetic mutation or a single carcinogenic agent interacting with two tissues in the digestive tract and inducing the development of tumors of different histotype cannot be discarded.

[Late occlusion of the subclavian artery proximal to mammary bypass]. / Occlusion tardive de l'artère sous-clavière en amont d'un pontage mammaire. 2 observations.

We report the cases of two patients with an occlusion of the left subclavian artery several years after left internal mammary bypass of the anterior interventricular artery. The effect on the myocardium was only apparent after scintigraphy in one case, and was clinical in the second with angina pain on exertion of the upper limb. Re-implantation of the subclavian artery in the common carotid relieved the signs of myocardial ischaemia. While the internal mammary artery is the conduit of choice for coronary revascularisation because it is not affected by atheromatous lesions, this does apply to the proximal subclavian artery. Stenosis or occlusion here can entail ischaemia in the revascularised myocardial territory. Regular clinical and ultrasound surveillance can detect these lesions.

[Epidemiology of chronic arteritis of the lower limbs: multicenter study: report of 531 cases]. / Epidemiologie de l'arterite chronique des membres inferieurs: etude multicentrique: à propos de 531 cas.

Arteritis is a local finding of a general disease: atherosclerosis. To define the risk factors of this disease in Tunisia, 531 patients were collected by a multicenter retrospective study between January 1998 and December 1999. Most of our patients were male with a mean age of 62 years. The most important risk factor was tobacco with an incidence of 90%. Lipids and diabetes were less common. The association of risk factors is particularly dangerous.

[The myofibroblastic inflammatory tumours: A fortuitous association or an unknown postpartum complication]. / Les tumeurs myofibroblastiques inflammatoires : association fortuite ou complication peu connue du post-partum ?

The inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour has clinical, biological or histological features sometimes misleading with a septic condition. Presenting symptoms are variable and arising circumstances remain obscure. We report three cases occurring in a postpartum context. The first patient, a 28-year-old female, had left psoitis with a sepsis the first day postpartum in relation with an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour of the meso-ovary. The second patient, a 40-year-old woman, had a hepatic inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour revealed by a ruptured sub-capsular haematoma of the liver in the forth day postpartum. The third patient, a 32-year-old woman, had a pulmonary inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour, diagnosed 5 months after a delivery and which recurred 10 years after surgical treatment. These cases illustrate the difficulty to diagnose inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour, particularly in postpartum.

Syringocystadenoma papilliferum: report of 8 cases.

Syringocystadenoma papilliferum (SCAP) is a rare cutaneous adnexal neoplasm with variable clinical appearance and characteristic histology. It arises in about one third of cases within a sebaceous hamartoma (SH) and in this case, multiple other benign adnexal neoplasms may be associated with it. We report the clinical and pathological data of 8 cases of syringocystadenoma papilliferum. The age at the time of the diagnosis varied from 3 to 48 years with an average age of 28 years. Three tumors were localized in the scalp, 2 in the trunk, and 3 others of unusual locations: 1 in the eyelid, 1 in the thigh and 1 in the popliteal fossa. Histopathological examination revealed 3 SCAP occurring within SH. The SCAP observed in the eyelid was associated with an apocrine cystadenoma without features of SH. The four others were not associated with any other lesion.