[Type B Niemann-Pick disease and sea-blue histiocytes syndrome]. / La maladie de Niemann-Pick type B avec syndrome des histiocytes bleu de mer.

We report two new cases, in the same family, of type B Niemann-Pick disease associated with sea-blue histiocytes syndrome. In one patient the disease was revealed by spontaneous rupture of the spleen. The sea-blue histiocytes syndrome is due to the histiocytes being overloaded by ceroids, and it usually occurs in a context of blood disease or thesaurismosis. Twenty-five cases of sea-blue histiocytes syndrome associated with type B Niemann-Pick disease have been reported, with rupture of the spleen in two of them. The link between the two conditions is the transformation into ceroids of the sphyngomyelin accumulated in histiocytes.

[Acute hepatic steatosis in pregnancy: with special reference to a new case]. / La stéatose hépatique aiguë gravidique: mise au point à propos d'une nouvelle observation.

Acute fatty infiltration of the liver in pregnancy as defined by Sheehan in 1940 often has a fatal outcome for the mother and the child. The authors report a case of acute fatty infiltration of the liver in pregnancy with a favourable outcome. They found 15 cases in the French literature: the outcome is fatal in 50% of the cases because of hepatocellular failure or of the hemorrhagic syndrome. When the outcome is successful the hepatic lesions disappear completely.

[A study of the mean concentration of plasma antithrombin III in arterial hypertension in pregnancy]. / Etude de la concentration moyenne d'antithrombine III plasmatique dans l'hypertension artérielle gravidique.

Plasma antithrombin III (AT III) level was examined in 30 pregnant women with hypertension and 44 without hypertension. AT III level is significatively lower in the group of hypertension. The degree of reduction in plasma AT III level seems to be correlated with hyper uricemia but not with count of platelets or fibrinogen.

[The Pneumococcus Observatory of the Central Region, from June 1, 1997 to May 31, 1998]. / Observatoire du pneumocoque de la région Centre, du 1er juin 1997 au 31 mai 1998.

714 pneumococcus were listed from 14 laboratories between the 1 June 1997 and the 31 May 1998. Data capture was done on Epi info software and concerned age, file number, consultation/hospitalization, sample type, susceptibility to oxacilline (5 micrograms), the results of the E-test for penicillin G, amoxicillin, cefotaxime and the results of the routine disk diffusion susceptibility method. Strains with reduced susceptibility to penicillin G (PRSP) were collected by the coordinating center to perform MICs by the reference method of agar dilution and serotyping. Over 714 strains, 45.7% of the samples originated from lungs, followed by 22% for blood samples, 14% for ear pus and 2.3% for CSF. 34% of the patients were female. 36.7% were children under 16 (57.8% PRSP) and 63.3% were adults (41% PRSP). 338 strains (47.3%) were determined as PRSP and 293 of them were studied by the coordinating center. 81 of the 293 PRSP (27.7%) were resistant et 212 (72.3%) were intermediate to penicillin G. 81% of the PRSP studied had a CMI value for penicillin G within +/- 1 log2 dilution. 20 strains of PRSP were resistant for amoxicillin (6.8% of the PRSP) and two (0.7% of the PRSP) for cefotaxime. 289 serotyping were done, most met serotypes were 23 (25%), 14 (23%). The least met was 15 (2.4%). These results let assess the epidemiology of pneumococcus in our region.

[The Pneumococcal Observatory for the Central Region, 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000]. / Observatoire du Pneumocoque de la Région Centre, du 1er avril 1999 au 31 mars 2000.

Seven hundred and ninety six strains of pneumococcus were collected in the Centre region, from 15 laboratories, between 1st April 1999 and 31st of March 2000. Data were processed, using 4th dimension software, and concerned age, file number, consultation/hospitalisation, sample type, susceptibility to oxacillin (5 micrograms), results of the E-test for benzylpenicillin, amoxicillin, cefotaxime and results of the routine disc diffusion test. Strains with reduced susceptibility to benzylpenicillin (PRSP) were collected by the co-ordinating centre to perform MICs by the reference agar dilution test and serotyping. Out of 796 strains, 450 strains (56.7%) were categorised as PRSP and 400 of them were studied by the co-ordinating centre. Forty two percent of the samples originated from lungs, followed by 19.5% from blood samples, 15% from ear pus (85.7% PRSP) and 2.5% from CSF. Thirty nine percent of the patients were female. 36.6% were children under sixteen (70.1% PRSP) and 62.4% were adults (49.2% PRSP). Out of 400 PRSP 106 (26.5%) were characterised as resistant and 294 (73.5%) as intermediate to benzylpenicillin. Compared to the agar dilution test, 90% of the PRSP studied by E-test had a MIC value for benzylpenicillin within +/- 1 dilution. Thirty six strains of PRSP were resistant to amoxicillin (9% of the PRSP) and 10 (2.5% of the PRSP) to cefotaxime. Serotyping was done on 375 strains. The serotypes encountered were the following: 23 (26.9%), 14 (22.1%), 19 (19.5%), 6 (12.8%), 9 (9.9%) and 15 (5.1%).