[Life-threatening flare of an underlying «paraneoplastic¼ dermatomyositis in a patient with lung adenocarcinoma treated with anti-PD-1 pembrolizuma]. / Poussée sévère d'une dermatomyosite pré-existante chez une patiente avec un adénocarcinome pulmonaire traité par pembrolizumab, un anti-PD-1.

Dermatomyositis is an autoimmune disease mainly characterized by muscle and skin involvement. Its association with cancer is known but the term «paraneoplastic¼ remains debated. We report here the case of a 71-year-old woman with a new diagnosis of dermatomyositis with, at the same time, the discovery of a lung adenocarcinoma. Lung cancer was treated with pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor directed against the "Programmed cell Death protein 1" (PD-1) receptor. Three weeks later, the patient presented a severe flare of dermatomyositis. Administration of intravenous corticosteroids and infliximab were ineffective. Intravenous immunoglobulins were then administered, followed by subcutaneous methotrexate, with a progressive positive evolution. Flares of pre-existing autoimmune diseases are observed under immune check point inhibitors, even when the evolution of the cancer is favourable. These immune-related adverse events are often «mild to moderate¼ and severe immune related side effects are not more frequent when the patient has a pre-existing autoimmune disease. Treatment can be maintained in the majority of cases. However, as demonstrated in this clinical case, although immune checkpoint inhibitors are not contraindicated in autoimmune diseases, the presence of myositis requires special attention given the potential severity of flares.

: La dermatomyosite est une maladie auto-immune principalement caractérisée par une atteinte musculaire et cutanée. Son association avec le cancer est connue, mais le terme «paranéoplasique¼ reste débattu. Nous rapportons ici le cas d'une patiente de 71 ans avec un nouveau diagnostic de dermatomyosite et, au même moment, la découverte d'un adénocarcinome pulmonaire. La néoplasie pulmonaire a été traitée par pembrolizumab, un inhibiteur des points de contrôle immunitaire dirigé contre le récepteur «Programmed cell Death protein 1¼ (PD-1). Trois semaines plus tard, la patiente présentera une poussée sévère de dermatomyosite, ne répondant pas à la corticothérapie intraveineuse ni à l'infliximab. Des immunoglobulines intraveineuses sont alors administrées, suivies de méthotrexate sous-cutané, avec une évolution progressivement positive. On observe des poussées de maladies auto-immunes préexistantes sous inhibiteurs de points de contrôle immunitaire, même quand l'évolution néoplasique est favorable. Ces effets secondaires immuno-induits sont souvent «légers à modérés¼ et on n'observe pas plus de manifestations indésirables «sévères¼ lorsque le patient présente une maladie auto-immune pré-existante. Le traitement peut être maintenu dans la majorité des cas. Toutefois, comme démontré dans ce cas clinique, bien que les inhibiteurs de points de contrôle immunitaire ne soient pas contre-indiqués en cas de maladie auto-immune, la présence d'une myosite nécessite une attention particulière vu la gravité potentielle des poussées.

[Predictive scores used during the anesthetic preoperative visit. Part 1. Assessment of postoperative complications]. / Scores prédictifs employés lors de la consultation d'Anesthésie. Partie 1. Evaluation des complications postopératoires.

Anesthesia is changing, moving from an intraoperative medicine to a transversal perioperative medicine. The evolution of the preoperative anesthetic consultation is part of this evolution. Recently, anesthesiologists attempt to categorize their patients to detect as early as possible those at risk of short, medium, and long-term complications. In that way, a personalized (individualized) anesthesia could be performed considering the patient's comorbidities as well as the type of surgery. Respect for the guidelines is easier to achieve with such personalized medicine. For this purpose, anesthesiologists can use predictive scores. In the last few years, there was an increase in the availability of these validated scores. A shared feature of these scores is to provide objectivity but also efficiency in their ability to be predictive while being easy and quick to apply in clinical practice. Thereby, anesthesiologists can inform the patient with more accurate information concerning their perioperative risks. Finally, these scores are part of a public health care policy that aims to reduce expenses by optimizing patient management and preoperative testing. These scores provide a global vision of the patient, which can be shared and understandable by the different practitioners.

L'anesthésie-réanimation est en pleine mutation, évoluant d'une médecine peropératoire à une médecine transversale périopératoire. L'évolution de la consultation d'anesthésie préopératoire s'inscrit dans ce cadre. L'anesthésiste-réanimateur cherche ainsi à sérier les patients afin de dépister, le plus précocement, les patients à risque de complications à court comme à moyen et long termes. De la sorte, il est possible de pratiquer une anesthésie personnalisée, individualisée, indépendante de critères démographiques et prenant en compte les comorbidités spécifiques de chacun ainsi que le type de procédure envisagée. Pour ce faire, l'anesthésiste dispose de scores prédictifs validés dont le nombre tend à croître ces dernières années. Ces scores ont pour dénominateur commun d'apporter de l'objectivité, d'être performants et efficients dans leur caractère prédictif, tout en étant d'application aisée et rapide en pratique clinique courante. Ils permettent, en outre, à l'anesthésiste de fournir au patient une information plus éclairée quant aux risques encourus. Enfin, ils s'inscrivent dans une logique de réduction des coûts en santé publique, en permettant d'optimaliser la prise en charge des patients, de rationaliser la prescription d'examens complémentaires et en offrant une vision du patient pris dans sa globalité. Cette vision est lisible par les différentes lignes de soins.

[Predictive scores used during the anesthetic preoperative visit. Part 2. Assessment of perioperative risk]. / Scores prédictifs employés lors de la consultation d'anesthésie. Partie 2: évaluation des risques peropératoires.

Anesthesia remains a high-risk specialty, even though the discipline has evolved considerably over the last few decades. Independently of postoperative complications, some risks are inherent to the perioperative period itself. In this narrative review of the literature, we describe these risks and the predictive scores, allowing an assessment of these complications. All these scores are designed to detect high-risk patients and to promote personalized medicine and individualized anesthesia. They also increase the objectivity of the preoperative assessment. Finally, using these scores, the practitioner can more accurately respond to the patient who presents anxiety regarding the perioperative period.

L'anesthésie-réanimation reste une spécialité à risque, même si la discipline a fortement évolué au cours des dernières décennies. Indépendamment des complications postopératoires, il existe des risques inhérents à la période peropératoire en elle-même. Dans cette revue narrative de la littérature, nous décrivons quels sont ces risques et quels sont les scores prédictifs permettant d'appréhender au maximum ces complications. Tous ces scores ont pour finalité de dépister les patients à haut risque et de tendre vers une médecine personnalisée, une anesthésie individualisée. Ils augmentent également le caractère objectif de l'évaluation préopératoire. Finalement, ils offrent au praticien la possibilité de répondre plus précisément au patient qui présente une anxiété face à la période périopératoire.

[Preoperative fasting : state of the art]. / Intérêt du jeûne préopératoire : mise au point.

Inhalation of gastric content is a significant risk factor for perioperative complications. Preoperative fasting reduces this risk. The preanesthesia fasting time is variable and is subject to recommendations from different scientific societies. The clinician can identify some risk factors for inhalation during the preoperative anesthetic consultation. On the day of the procedure, the gastric ultrasound allows quantitative or semi-quantitative assessment of the gastric content. In that way, the anesthesiologist can adapt the anesthesia, in particular by using a so-called rapid sequence induction and esophageal compression.

L'inhalation du contenu gastrique représente un important facteur de risque peropératoire. Le jeûne préopératoire permet de limiter ce risque. La durée du jeûne est variable selon les patients et les circonstances. Elle est soumise à des recommandations par différentes sociétés savantes. La consultation pré-anesthésique permet d'identifier certains facteurs de risque d'inhalation. Le jour de l'intervention, l'échographie de l'estomac permet de guider l'évaluation quantitative ou semi-quantitative du contenu gastrique. La stratégie anesthésique est ainsi adaptée à la balance bénéfice-risque, notamment en utilisant une induction dite «en séquence rapide¼ et une compression oesophagienne lors des interventions chirurgicales en urgence.

[Anesthetist facing ethylic patient : management and precaution]. / L'anesthésiste face à un patient éthylique : gestion et précautions.

The anesthetic management of the patient with unhealthy alcohol use is challenging. Chronic alcohol intake results in numerous co-morbid diseases, physiologic changes and pharmacologic alterations leading to increased perioperative morbidity and mortality. Hence anesthesiologists should search for chronic and acute effects of alcohol abuse when managing such patients. Also, the anesthetic approach of these patients must be adapted to prevent perioperative complications, including withdrawal symptoms. Last, the preoperative period is on opportunity to initiate alcohol withdrawal, with patient's agreement and collaboration.

La gestion anesthésique du patient ayant une consommation d'alcool pathologique est difficile. La consommation chronique d'alcool entraîne de nombreuses pathologies, des modifications physiologiques et des changements pharmacologiques, entraînant une augmentation de la morbidité et de la mortalité périopératoires. Par conséquent, les anesthésistes doivent rechercher les effets chroniques et aigus de l'abus d'alcool lors de la prise en charge de tels patients. En outre, l'approche anesthésique de ces patients doit être adaptée pour prévenir les complications périopératoires, y compris les symptômes de sevrage. Enfin, la période préopératoire est l'occasion de commencer le sevrage alcoolique, avec l'accord et la collaboration du patient.

[Perioperative smoking cessation (conventional smoking and e-cigarettes) in 2023. A narrative review of the literature]. / Gestion périopératoire des cigarettes conventionnelles et électroniques. Actualisation 2023. Une revue narrative de la littérature.

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco addiction is the leading cause of preventable death. During the perioperative period, patients who smoke are at increased risk of systemic as well as surgical site complications. STATE OF THE ART: Surgery is an ideal time for change of lifestyle habits. It is vital to seize this opportunity to improve the patient's health in the long- as well as the short-term. Smoking cessation should be encouraged in all surgical patients. Initiating smoking cessation combines pharmacological treatment and a behavioral approach. In this field, significant advances have been recorded over the last decade. This review proposes a practical approach that every practitioner will be able to apply. PERSPECTIVES: In this review, we will also examine ongoing research, particularly as regards vaccination and the place of biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking represents a major source of health-related complications. Smoking cessation must therefore remain a priority in the management of medical and surgical patients.

[Statins and anesthesia: dilemma or obviousness? Is there still room for withdrawal of chronic statin therapy before surgery?]. / Statines et anesthésie: dilemme ou évidence? Faut-il arrêter ou poursuivre le traitement par statines avant une intervention chirurgicale?

Due to their action on the low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-Cholesterol), statins efficiently take part in the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). Moreover, they exert various effects (called "pleiotropic") independently of their lipid lowering actions. All of these effects interact with inflammation, thrombosis and vasoconstriction during the perioperative period. However, statins may also increase the risk of rhabdomyolysis, a rare but potentially lethal complication. In this article, we will describe the advantages and disadvantages of statin therapy during the perioperative period. Although in the past, withdrawal of statins was recommended before anesthesia, there is now evidence that statins must be continued or even must be introduced before surgery. We will try to identify relevant situations were statins are still under-prescribed before surgery.

[The role of biomarkers in the detection of the OSA syndrome. A narrative review of the literature]. / Place des biomarqueurs dans le dépistage du SAHOS. Une revue narrative de la littérature.

INTRODUCTION: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common sleep-related breath disorder associated with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications, such as hypertension, arrhythmia, coronary artery disease and stroke. Unfortunately, OSA is underdiagnosed. BACKGROUND: Because of its clinical and therapeutic variability, OSA could benefit a personalized medicine approach. Diagnosis with polysomnography is expensive and access is limited. Clinical scoring systems allow screening of OSA, but many limitations exist. Because of this, biomarkers could be useful for the detection of OSA. OUTLOOK: Biomarkers specific to OSA would allow for better mass screening and more personalized treatment of the disease. This narrative review of the literature aims to summarize the biomarkers already described for the diagnosis of OSA and clarify both their advantages and limitations in daily practice. CONCLUSIONS: Our review of the literature did not actually identify an ideal biomarker even if promising research is ongoing.

Effect of celecoxib combined with thoracic epidural analgesia on pain after thoracotomy.

BACKGROUND: Thoracotomy results in severe postoperative pain potentially leading to chronic pain. We investigated the potential benefits of oral celecoxib on postoperative analgesia combined with thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA). METHODS: Forty patients undergoing thoracotomy were included in this prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. General anaesthesia was standardized. Patient-controlled epidural analgesia (T4-T5) was used during 48 h after surgery (ropivacaine 2 mg ml(-1) with sufentanil 0.5 microg ml(-1)). Patients were allocated to receive oral celecoxib or placebo from the evening before surgery until 48 h after operation. Postoperative pain scores, respiratory function, and morbidity were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Postoperative pain scores at rest (P=0.026) and during coughing (P=0.021) were lower and patient satisfaction was greater (P=0.0033) in the celecoxib group. Consumption of the local anaesthetic solution was comparable between groups. Postoperative restrictive pulmonary syndrome and morbidity were comparable between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Celecoxib improves postoperative analgesia provided by TEA after thoracotomy.

[Perioperative tobacco cessation: a crucial period to overcome clinical inertia and poor compliance]. / Sevrage tabagique en préopératoire: une période propice pour lutter contre l'inertie et le défaut d'observance.

Smoking concerns 30% of the patients scheduled to anesthesia. Tobacco is one of the most important risk factors for postoperative complications. There are two classes of complications: those induced by the smoking habits on the cardiovascular and the respiratory systems, and those that predispose to other complications by direct interference with processes required for the success of surgery: healing and immune responses. The preoperative period represents a crucial period to overcome clinical inertia and profit of a better compliance. Some strategies applicable by the general practitioner and the anesthesiologist during the preoperative consultation to establish smoking cessation and help the patient to comply with are proposed.

[Perioperative tobacco cessation: potential benefits and principles of management]. / Sevrage tabagique en période péri-opératoire: bénéfices potentiels et modalités de prise en charge.

Thirty percent of surgical patients undergoing routine surgery are smokers, and smoking is an additional risk for these patients. During the perioperative period, smokers are more prone than non smokers to present either systemic complications interesting the cardiovascular and pulmonary functions or specific complications related to the surgical procedure, such as infections, wound problems and delayed osteosynthesis. Therefore, coming-off from smoking addiction is an obvious prerequisite in these patients. Diagnosing smoking habit, evaluating its severity and its systemic repercussions on vital functions, as well as proposing an efficacious and appropriate help to smokers before surgery become one essential objective of pre-anesthetic assessment.

Predictability of the duration of motor blockade induced by unique injection of intrathecal prilocaine - an observational study.

Prilocaine is widely used for spinal anesthesia. Its intermediate effect makes it a valuable choice for one-day surgery. The duration of the motor blockade (DMB) may have an impact on the length of stay. The goal of this study was to establish a correlation between the DMB and different parameters (hyperbaric prilocaine dose, puncture level, surgical position, age, patient weight, and patient height). We prospectively enrolled adult patients scheduled for ambulatory surgery (n = 384). Univariate and multivariate regressions (backward stepwise) were applied. A P value lower than 0.05 was considered significant. We performed first analyzes on the entire population. We achieved same on a subgroup only composed of patients who received 60 mg of hyperbaric prilocaine between L4 and L5 and staying on dorsal position during surgery. The univariate analyses of the entire population demonstrate a significant correlation between DMB and 1) the prilocaine dose (P < 0.001), and 2) the BMI (P = 0.011). On the same population, the multivariate analyses confirm these two independent parameters correlated to the DMB: the patient height (P = 0.03) and the hyperbaric prilocaine dose (P < 0.001). The second analyses performed on the subgroup (n = 65), demonstrate a wide variability in the DBM (mean ± SD): 90.12 ± 30.36 minutes. For this concern, univariate analyses illustrate that only the patient height was significantly correlated to the DMB (P = 0.005). The multivariate analyses confirm that patient height could be considered as an independent parameter of DBM (P = 0.005). Within our entire population, there exists a considerable variation in the duration of the motor block after a unique injection of hyperbaric prilocaine. The prilocaine dose and the patient height were the only independent factors of the extension of the DMB. However, this relation is extremely weak and only allows explaining the variability of the DMB in a minority of the patients. This unknown pharmacological property of hyperbaric prilocaine could restrict its use for day-care surgery.

Delta down compared with delta pulse pressure as an indicator of volaemia during intracranial surgery.

BACKGROUND: Delta pulse pressure (DPP) and delta down (DD) are indicators of volaemia. The threshold value of DPP for discriminating between responders and non-responders to fluid loading (FL) is 13%. This study aimed at comparing DD with DPP during intracranial surgery. METHODS: Twenty-six adult patients undergoing scheduled intracranial surgery under general anaesthesia were enrolled. DD and DPP were simultaneously measured every 10 min. A DPP>13% on two consecutive occasions prompted a 250 ml FL. Pairs of data were analysed using regression analysis, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve, and prediction probability (Pk). RESULTS: We found a significant correlation between DD and DPP (R2=0.5431, P<0.001). ROC curve analysis revealed an excellent accuracy of DD in predicting a DPP value higher or lower than 13% (area under the curve: 0.967, se: 0.013). The DD threshold associated with the best sensitivity (0.90) and specificity (0.99) was 5 mm Hg. The Pk of DD to predict a DPP value higher or lower than 13% was 0.97 (se: 0.01). A total of 41 FL performed in 19 patients resulted in a decrease of DD and DPP below 5 mm Hg and 13%, respectively, in all but one occasion. CONCLUSIONS: DD is as efficient as DPP to assess hypovolaemia and predict responsiveness to FL in patients undergoing intracranial surgery. A 5 mm Hg DD value can be considered as a valuable threshold for initiating FL. These results support its use during intracranial surgery.

Pre-Operative Ability of Clinical Scores to Predict Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Severity in Susceptible Surgical Patients.

BACKGROUND: Severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an independent risk factor for perioperative complications. Clinical scores such as Snoring, Tiredness, Observed apnea, high blood Pressure, Body Mass Index (BMI) higher than 35 kg m-2, Age older than 50 years, Neck circumference larger than 40 cm, and male gender (STOP-Bang), perioperative sleep apnea prediction (P-SAP), and OSA50 have been proposed for detecting OSA. We recently proposed a new score based on morphological metrics only, the DES-OSA score. This study compared the DES-OSA score to the three other ones with regard to their ability to detect OSA. Obese patients are particularly at risk of OSA. METHODS: Following informed consent and institutional review board (IRB) approval, 1584 consecutive adults were. Should the STOP-Bang be indicative of increased risk of severe OSA, the patient was referred to complementary polysomnography (PSG). Eventual already existing recent PSG data were also collected. The abilities of the four scores to predict OSA severity were compared using sensitivity, specificity, Cohen's kappa coefficient (CKC), and area under ROC curve (AUROC) analysis. RESULTS: PSG was performed in 150 patients. For detecting severe OSA, OSA50 had the highest sensitivity [value (95 % CI) 0.98 (0.90-1)]. STOP-Bang was significantly less sensitive than P-SAP and OSA50. In that respect, DES-OSA was significantly more specific than the three other ones [0.75 (0.65-0.83)]. The AUROC of DES-OSA was significantly the largest [0.9 (0.84-0.95)]. The highest CKC at detecting severe OSA was 0.62 (0.49-0.74) for DES-OSA. Similar results were obtained for moderate to severe OSA prediction. CONCLUSIONS: DES-OSA, which is the only exclusively morphological score available, appears to surpass the three other scores in their ability to predict moderate to severe and severe OSA, at least in our setting and in our screened population. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrial.gov NCT02051829.

Influence of premedication with alprazolam on the occurence of obstructive apneas. A prospective randomized double-blind study.

Postoperative development or worsening of obstructive sleep apnea is a potential complication of anesthesia. The objective of this study was to study the effects of a premedication with alprazolam on the occurrence of apneas during the immediate postoperative period. Fifty ASA 1 - 2 patients undergoing a colonoscopy were recruited. Patients with a history of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) were excluded. Recruited patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: in Group A, they received 0.5 mg of alprazolam orally one hour before the procedure; and in Group C, they received placebo. Anesthesia technique was identical in both groups. Patients were monitored during the first two postoperative hours to establish their AHI (apnea hypopnea index, the number of apneas and hypopneas per hour). Nine patients were excluded (4 in group A and 5 in group C) due to technical problems or refusal. Interestingly, premedication by alprazolam did not change intra-operative propofol requirements. During the first two postoperative hours, the AHI was significantly higher in group A than in group C (Group A: 20.33 ± 10.97 h-1, C: 9.63 ± 4.67 h-1). These apneas did not induce significant arterial oxygen desaturation, or mandibular instability. Our study demonstrates that a premedication with 0.5 mg of alprazolam doesn't modify intra-operative anesthetic requirements during colonoscopy, but is associated with a higher rate of obstructive apneas during at least three and a half hours after ingestion. No severe side effects were observed in our non-obese population. Our results must be confirmed on a larger scale.

Preoperative adherence to continuous positive airway pressure among obstructive sleep apnea patients.

BACKGROUND: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) increases the perioperative risk of complications. Chronic use of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) by patients decreases the importance of comorbidities caused by the OSA. However, many patients do not adhere to the treatment. Given the postoperative complications, it is important for the anesthesiologist to identify non-adherent patients. This prospective study was designed to identify factors that would predict patient adherence. METHODS: Ninety patients who were treated by CPAP for more than one year were recruited. Among them, and based on objective criteria such as length of use of CPAP during the night, 75 were considered as being adherent to CPAP, while the other 15 were not. Sixty-two potential causes of non-adherence were investigated (some have not been tested before), and further divided into five categories. Those categories included cultural, intellectual, or economic factors, OSA comorbidities, patient belief about health, ENT-related problems, and pathophysiological features estimating the degree of improvement afforded by CPAP introduction. RESULTS: Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis identified one criterion of non-adherence to treatment, namely the feeling of breathlessness, and three criteria of adherence, namely awareness of the risk of complications, awareness of treatment efficacy, and feeling of being less tired with CPAP therapy. CONCLUSIONS: These four new criteria should preoperatively be sought, in order to detect non-adherent patients more efficiently.

The mechanism of the anti-inflammatory effect of turpentine in the rat.

The influence of counter irritation by turpentine on carrageenan-oedema, leucocyte count, plasma kininogen stores and composition of sponge-induced exudates has been investigated in the rat. Counter irritation reduced the carrageenan-oedema in normal as well as in adrenalectomized rats. It induced leucopenia with lymphopenia but did not modify the plasma kininogen stores. In turpentine-pretreated rats, the exudates induced by sponge implantation 18 h previously had a lower content in leucocytes. Their levels in beta-glucuronidase and beta-galactosidase were slightly reduced, their content in PGE2 was not modified and their level in malonaldehyde was increased. The exudates induced by sponge implantation 4 h previously had a lower content in leucocytes and PGE2 while their level in kinins was not modified. The mechanism of the anti-inflammatory effect of counter irritation by turpentine is discussed. We suggest that the main factor involved is a decrease in leucocyte accumulation into the exudates.

Further studies of the mechanism of counter irritation by turpentine.

The influence of counter irritation by turpentine (0.2 ml) on zymosan- and carrageenan-oedemas was investigated in the rat. Zymosan-oedema was inhibited by mepyramine and methysergide and by leucopenia. It was not modified by captopril and developed normally in kininogendeficient Brown Norway rats. Leucocytes and mast cell amines but not kinins are thus involved in zymosan-oedema. The last phase of this reaction was inhibited by counter irritation alone, but the odema was largely depressed by counter irritation in rats pretreated with mepyramine and methysergide. Carrageenan-oedema was increased by kininase inhibitors and inhibited by leucopenia in normal rats. This inflammatory reaction had a small developement and was not increased by kininase inhibitors in kininogen-deficient BN rats. Leucocytes and kinins participate in the developement of this inflammatory reaction in normal rats while kinins are lacking in deficient rats. Counter irritation depressed carrageenan-oedema in deficient Brown Norway rats and suppressed the potentiating effect of kininase inhibitors in normal rats. Carrageenan oedema was nearly abolished in turpentine-treated leucopenic rats. These results suggest that the anti-inflammatory effect of counter irritation by turpentine could depend on a reduction of leucocyte accumulation into zymosan-oedema and on a reduction of both kinin formation and of leucocyte accumulation into carrageenan-oedema. The significance of T-kininogen as acute phase reactant is discussed.

[Narcolepsy-cataplexy]. / La narcolepsie-cataplexie.

The diagnosis of narcolepsy-cataplexy is based on three axes: 1) the medical history is strongly suggestive when diurnal sleep attacks (narcolepsy) and drop attacks (cataplexy) are reported or observed; 2) the polysomnography is mandatory and shows nocturnal and diurnal (multiple sleep latency test) REM sleep onsets; 3) HLA typing, practically helps to exclude the diagnosis when HLA DR15-DQB1*0602 is not present. New pathogenetic hypotheses have been proposed, mostly based the absence of hypocretin in narcoleptic cerebrospinal fluid. This neurotransmitter was previously known exclusively by its involvement in alimentary behaviours. The new therapies remain symptomatic, but they are powerful to prevent somnolence, daytime sleepiness, cataplexy and insomnia associated with this syndrome.