[Memories of the dark years]. / Souvenirs des années noires.

Without claiming to circumscribe the human experience and the distress of patients and caregivers, health professionals who lived through the "dark years" before 1996 and the advent of triple therapy testify and share their memories.

[Moving from a life-threatening to a chronic disease: a summary of treatments]. / Passage d'une maladie mortelle à une maladie chronique : récapitulatif des traitements.

HIV infection has gone from being an AIDS disease, with a more or less short term vital prognosis, in the 1980s, to a chronic disease, and a life of HIV positive people. From a formal point of view, how has HIV infection been prevented? Where are we today, between triple therapy treatments and pre- and post-exposure treatments?

Anti-alpha-actinin antibodies are part of the anti-cell membrane antibody spectrum that characterize patients with lupus nephritis.

Anti-membrane autoantibodies (MbA) have been reported in sera from patients with lupus nephritis (LN) but the targets of the MbA remain to be explored, which is the aim of the current study. Sera were collected from 40 patients with LN determined by renal biopsy, and from 30 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients without clinical evidence of LN. Thirty autoimmune disease control patients (rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome and systemic sclerosis), and 30 healthy controls were also included. Using flow cytometry, the presence of anti-MbA was explored revealing that IgG anti-MbA positivity was associated with LN (62.5% vs 13.3%) when compared to non-LN SLE patients, autoimmune disease patients (6.7%) and healthy controls (0%). Next, using purified plasma membrane fractions from human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells, the more prominent targets and their occurrence rates were located at 50 kDa, 60/65 kDa, 90 kDa, 110 kDa, 180 kDa and 220 kDa. Alpha-actinin (110 kDa) autoAb was characterized as a major target in LN patients positive for anti-MbA, and anti-MbA binding activity was reduced (36.9 ± 13.7%) in the presence of α-actinin. Laminin (200 kDa) was also characterized as a minor target, which was not the case for annexin A2 (36 kDa). Finally, anti-MbA IgG subclass analysis indicated a predominance of IgG2. In conclusion, IgG anti-MbA were detected at high levels in LN patients supporting a primary pathogenic role for anti-MbA and anti-MbA/α-actinin+ in LN that needs further research.

Occupational factors for mood and anxiety disorders among junior medical doctors.

UNLABELLED: Junior doctors are exposed to multiple occupational risks. The aim of this study was to assess the risk factors and protective factors for mood and anxiety disorders among junior doctors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study via an anonymous online questionnaire between October 2011 and June 2012. All the junior doctors in our faculty were included. The questionnaire inquired about demographic and health data. It contained four validated scales: the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Spielberger anxiety questionnaire, the WHO quality of life (WHO - QOL) questionnaire and the Job Content Questionnaire. Finally, it sought to clarify the conditions of professional practice and the interactions between university programmes and junior doctorate students (change of specialty, pregnancy, leave of absence, etc.). RESULTS: 192 juniors doctors participated in the study, 68.2% of whom were women. Out of the group, 13.0% presented a depressive syndrome, while 28.7% presented an anxiety disorder, 32.8% were experiencing Job Strain and 29.7% Iso Strain. The risk factor for anxiety was competition between junior doctors: OR=4.23 (1.06 ‒ 16.82). The protective factors for mood disorders were the help provided by senior physicians and the respect shown by patients: OR=0.21 (0.06-0.74) and 0.20 (0.06-0.75), respectively. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the impact of the relationships with senior physicians and patients on junior doctors' health at work. Consequently, prevention should not be focused uniquely on work organization, but should increase physicians' awareness of the importance of this relationship.

[A melanesian smile ]. / Un sourire mélanésien

We have detected an ovalo-stomatocytosis in a military 24-years-old man. We have sent a blood specimen to haematology laboratory in Kremlin-Bicetre (France) to test ektacytometry. The test concludes to an asymptomatic Melanesian ovalocytosis.

[Campylobacter fetus endocarditis: a case report]. / Endocardite à Campylobacter fetus: à propos d'un cas.

Campylobacter are known to be a cause of enteritidic infections but Campylobacter fetus is more often a cause of systemic infections, mainly in fragilized patients. We report a C. fetus endocarditis. The prognosis seemstobe improved by a prolonged betalactam antibiotic treatment.

[Severe imported Falciparum malaria treated with artesunate]. / Paludisme grave d'importation à Plasmodium falciparum traité par artésunate.

Falciparum malaria is a potentially deadly infectious disease, imposing a sure and fast biologic diagnosis, an early and efficient treatment. We report a case of severe imported Falciparium malaria who received artesunate, and we rewiew the different diagnostic methods of malaria as well as the clinico-biological characteristics of severe malaria. Recent data concerning malaria treatment are presented, as a pharmacokinetic study leaded during this case.