[Role of methylprednisolone pulse therapy of nephroses in children]. / Place des embols de méthylprednisolone dans les néphroses de l'enfant.

Methylprednisolone (MP) pulse therapy (1 g/1.73 m2 x 3) has been used without side effects in 16 children with steroid dependent or resistant nephrosis. MP allowed a complete remission in 6 patients (group I: 37.5%), after a mean duration of 12 days; 2 of them experienced early relapse; the other patients had either a too short or no follow-up. One child was on partial remission (group II: 6%). The other patients were resistant to therapy (group III: 56%); 8 of them had a renal biopsy which showed focal glomerulosclerosis in 6 (75%). The authors point out that the main interest of methylprednisolone pulse therapy is to confirm steroid resistance.

[The association of diabetes and celiac disease: the value of assaying antireticulin antibodies]. / Association diabète et maladie coeliaque: intérêt du dosage des anticorps antiréticuline.

The authors studied the specificity and the sensitivity of serum anti-reticulin IgA type antibody determination for the diagnosis of coeliac disease in diabetic patients. They observed a frequency of 11.1% coeliac disease among a group of 54 type I juvenile diabetic patients. The search for serum antireticulin IgA type antibodies appears to be an efficient method for identifying patients with coeliac disease; it has a specificity of 98% and a sensitivity of 95%. This marker appears to be particularly well suited for the identification of asymptomatic forms, and also for surveillance of diet during the course of coeliac disease.

[Hydatid cyst of the pericardium and diaphragm. Apropos of a case]. / Kyste hydatique du péricarde et du diaphragme. A propos d'une observation.

A rare cas of hydatic disease is reported, located both in the pericardium and diaphragm. The pericardial cyst was diagnosed on the basis of clinical examination and echocardiography. The diaphragmatic cyst was only discovered during surgery.

[Evaluation of the assay of serum fructosamine in the surveillance of diabetes in children and adolescents]. / Evaluation du dosage de la fructosamine sérique dans la surveillance du diabète de l'enfant et de l'adolescent.

Serum fructosamine and glycosylated haemoglobin were measured 4 times over 2 month period (1st, 15th, 30th and 60th days) in 40 young diabetics and in 26 controls. A positive correlation was found between these two parameters at the 15th, 30th and 60th days (0.44 less than r less than 0.61, P less than 0.01). There was a milder correlation between glycosylated haemoglobin and fasting glycemia (r = 0.43), between serum fructosamine and mean glycemia of the last 4 weeks (r = 0.38) and between serum fructosamine and 24 h glycosuria (r = 0.39) (P less than 0.05). Serum fructosamine, which reflects the mean glycemia of the last 3 weeks appears as a useful parameter in diabetic control, in association with glycosylated haemoglobin which reflects the mean glycemia of the last 2 months.

[Recurrent non-diabetic acido-ketotic coma. Apropos of a case]. / Coma acido-cétosique itératif non diabétique. A propos d'un cas.

A case of recurrent transient episodes of acido-ketosis with complete recovery in a 3-year-old girl with normal development is reported. Investigations failed to determine the cause but this case is compatible with recurrent organic acidemia.