Antipodal focusing of seismic waves observed with the USArray.

We present an analysis of the Mw = 5.3 earthquake that occurred in the Southeast Indian Ridge on 2010 February 11 using USArray data. The epicentre of this event is antipodal to the USArray, providing us with an opportunity to observe in details the antipodal focusing of seismic waves in space and time. We compare the observed signals with synthetic seismograms computed for a spherically symmetric earth model (PREM). A beamforming analysis is performed over the different seismic phases detected at antipodal distances. Direct spatial snapshots of the signals and the beamforming results show that the focusing is well predicted for the first P-wave phases such as PKP or PP. However, converted phases (SKSP, PPS) show a deviation of the energy focusing to the south, likely caused by the Earth's heterogeneity. Focusing of multiple S-wave phases strongly deteriorates and is barely observable.

A pilot study comparing two polymethylpentene extracorporeal membrane oxygenators.

OBJECTIVE: We compared two polymethylpentene oxygenators being used in our unit: the Maquet Quadrox-iD paediatric and the Medos Hilite 800LT. STUDY DESIGN: A mono-centric, prospective pilot study was conducted on ten consecutive newborn patients who had been admitted to our hospital service for extracorporeal circulation (EC) treatment. We examined the rate of oxygen transfer, the CO2 removal capacity and the average sweep gas flow required to produce this result. We also assessed the disturbances of haemostasis, the need for labile blood products and the membrane oxygenator lifetime and cost of use. CONCLUSIONS: According to our study, it seems to us that Medos Hilite 800LT membrane oxygenators demonstrate greater oxygen transfer and CO2 removal capacity than Maquet Quadrox-iD paediatric membrane oxygenators, at a similar cost. These results lead us to conclude that it is reasonable to continue using Medos Hilite 800LT membrane oxygenators. A broader comparison study would be necessary in order to support these initial results.

Withholding and withdrawing treatment in pediatric intensive care. Update of the GFRUP recommendations.

In 2005, the French-speaking task force on pediatric critical and emergency care [Groupe Francophone de Réanimation et d'Urgences Pédiatriques (GFRUP)] issued recommendations on withholding and withdrawing treatments in pediatric critical care. Since then, the French Public Health Code, modified by the laws passed in 2005 and 2016 and by their enactment decrees, has established a legal framework for practice. Now, 15 years later, an update of these recommendations was needed to factor in the experience acquired by healthcare teams, new questions raised by practice surveys, the recommendations issued in the interval, the changes in legislation, and a few legal precedents. The objective of this article is to help pediatric critical care teams find the closest possible compromise between the ethical principles guiding the care offered to the child and the family and compliance with current regulations and laws.

Late and ultra late onset Streptococcus B meningitis: clinical and bacteriological data over 6 years in France.

BACKGROUND: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is one of the leading causes of sepsis and meningitis in newborn. The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of GBS meningitis in children aged between 7 and 89 days (late onset disease - LOD group) and to compare them with children aged more than 3 months (ultra late onset disease - ULOD group). METHODS: Clinical and biological data were gathered by ACTIV/GPIP (a nationwide active surveillance network). The study population included 242 children hospitalized between 2001 and 2006 for GBS meningitis (220 in the LOD group and 22 in the ULOD group). RESULTS: Univariate analysis revealed that gestational age (GA) was significantly lower in the ULOD group as compared with the LOD group (respectively 35.6 weeks vs. 37.9 weeks, p = 0.002). Prevalence of early preterm birth (before the 32nd week GA) was significantly higher in the ULOD group than in the LOD group (32% vs. 7%, p = 0.002). No significant difference was found between the two groups for biological characteristics of lumbar puncture, GBS serotypes, complications and survival rate. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that LOD and ULOD would be the same clinical and bacteriological entity, except for prematurity, which seems significantly associated with ULOD.

[Streptococcus B meningitis in infants older than 3 months]. / Méningites à streptocoque du groupe B chez le nourrisson de plus de 3 mois.

OBJECTIVE: Bacterial meningitis is a major cause of morbitidy and mortality in childhood. It can be responsible for deafness, mental retardation, epilepsy or behavioural disorders. Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of sepsis and meningitis in newborn. Although clinical features of neonatal SGB meningitis occurring in the first days of life have been well documented, little is known about GBS meningitis occurring in pediatric patients after this period. This study presents the epidemiology of GBS meningitis in France and compares their clinical presentation and evolution with S. pneumoniae (PNC) meningitis, main germ responsible for bacterial meningitis in children less than 2 years old. METHODS: From January 2001 to December 2005, clinical and biological data were recorded by ACTIV/GPIP, a nationwide active surveillance network. The medical files of meningitis of SGB were reviewed. RESULTS: Seventeen cases of meningococcal SGB were compared with all cases of meningococcal PNC occurred in the same age group (n=60). Univariate analysis showed that gestational age was significantly lower in the GBS group compared with PNC group (respectively 36.6 weeks vs 38.6 weeks, p =0.035). The neurological complications were significantly more frequent in the PNC meningitis group. The seizures after the begining of treatment were reported in 58 % of cases of PNC meningitis vs 17.6 % (p=0.004) and coma in 37.3 % of cases of PNC meningitis vs 6 % (p=0.013). No significant difference was assessed between the two groups for the usual blood tests (blood count, biochemistry and cytology CSF) and case fatality rate. The predominant GBS serotype was serotype III (70 %). CONCLUSION: This cohort of GBS meningitis in infants over 3 months is the largest published until now. These meningitis appear less severe than the pneumococcal meningitis occurring in the same age group.

Anti-flatulence treatment and status epilepticus: a case of camphor intoxication.

We describe a case of a young child who lived in Hong Kong who presented with a severe epilepticus status after a return flight to Paris. Routine laboratory tests failed to establish a cause. Upon further questioning, the parents reported that the nanny had given an abdominal massage to the child with an unlabelled solution reported to have anti-flatulence effects. Toxicological analysis of this solution revealed the presence of camphor. Although the highly toxic effects of camphor have long been established, the present case illustrates that camphor continues to be a source of paediatric exposure. This case highlights the importance of systematic questioning and recalls the extreme danger associated with camphor even when administered transcutaneously.

[Diagnosis of delayed puberty]. / Diagnostic des retards pubertaires.

Puberty is the phenomenon that conducts once to reproductive maturation. Delayed puberty (DP) is defined by the absence of testicular development in boys beyond 14 years old (or a testicular volume lower than 4 ml) and by the absence of breast development in girls beyond 13 years old. DP occurs in approximatively 3% of cases. Most cases are functional DP, with a large amount of constitutional delay of puberty. Others etiologies are hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism like Kallmann syndrome, or hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism. Turner syndrome is a diagnostic one should not forget by its frequency. Treatment is hormonal replacement therapy and of the etiology. During the last decade, many genes have been identified and elucidated the etiological diagnosis of some hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism syndrome. Further studies are required in collaboration with molecular biologists to better understand the mechanism of hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis abnormalities and of the neuroendocrine physiology of the onset of puberty.

[Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in critically ill neonates and children]. / Place de l'assistance respiratoire et circulatoire extracorporelle de courte durée (ECMO), post-cardiotomie exclue, dans la prise en charge des défaillances graves du nouveau-né et de l'enfant.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is used as a last resort during neonatal and pediatric resuscitation in case of refractory circulatory or respiratory failure under maximum conventional therapies. Different types of ECMO can be used depending on the initial failure. The main indications for ECMO are refractory respiratory failure (acute respiratory distress syndrome, status asthmaticus, severe pneumonia, meconium aspiration syndrome, pulmonary hypertension) and refractory circulatory failure (cardiogenic shock, septic shock, refractory cardiac arrest). The main contraindications are a gestational age under 34 weeks or birth weight under 2kg, severe underlying pulmonary disease, severe immune deficiency, a neurodegenerative disease and hereditary disease of hemostasis. Neurological impairment can occur during ECMO (cranial hemorrhage, seizure or stroke). Nosocomial infections and acute kidney injury are also frequent complications of ECMO. The overall survival rate of ECMO is about 60 %. This survival rate can change depending on the initial disease: from 80 % for meconium aspiration syndrome to less than 10 % for out-of-hospital refractory cardiac arrest. Recently, mobile ECMO units have been created. These units are able to perform ECMO out of a referral center for untransportable critically ill patients.

[Acute transverse myelitis associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in an eight year old boy]. / Myélite aiguë transverse a Mycoplasma pneumoniae chez un enfant de huit ans.

Many Mycoplasma pneumoniae extra respiratory infections have already been reported. The authors report the case of an eight year old child, presenting with acute transverse myelitis, with a PCR proven involvement of M. pneumoniae in CSF as well as the presence of specific IgM in blood. Acute transverse myelitis may have many causes, most of the time viral. The mechanisms of neurological involvement in M. pneumoniae infections are still unclear, but several points indicate an immune reaction. Corticotherapy first i.v. then per os has proved to be an efficient treatment for acute myelitis. Antibiotherapy is discussed because of the undocumented mechanisms of neurological involvement related to the mycoplasma.

Epidemiology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection and the role of contamination of the environment in a cystic fibrosis clinic.

In order to identify the possible reservoirs and routes of cross-infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, samples from patients, staff, and the environment of a cystic fibrosis centre and two control wards at an infectious disease clinic were collected during a two-week period in 1980. All the Ps. aeruginosa strains were phage and serotyped. Ps. aeruginosa was isolated from 90 (51%) of the cystic fibrosis patients and most belonged to the 0-3/9 complex, characteristic of strains from patients in the centre. Some of the patients were able to spread Ps. aeruginosa into the air and to their hands by coughing, and Ps. aeruginosa in dried sputum could survive for at least one week. Strains of the same epidemiological types as found in the cystic fibrosis patients were isolated from sinks, soap, baths, toys, tables, brushes, cloths, and air in the clinic. In contrast, Ps. aeruginosa of the same epidemiological types were only found in a few of the sinks in one of the control wards where a few cystic fibrosis patients were regularly treated in isolation cubicles. The precautions employed to prevent future cross-infection include segregation of Ps. aeruginosa-infected from non-infected patients in separate wards and arranging for visits on separate days in the out-patients clinic. The survival of cystic fibrosis patients treated in the centre is much longer than those treated outside the centre despite the problems of cross-infection.

[Educational strategies and tools in a public health program at the University of Geneva]. / Stratégies et outils pédagogiques dans le cadre d'un Diplôme de Santé publique: une expérience à l'Université de Genève.

In the Swiss context, the newly developed MPH programme at the University of Geneva is experimental in educational matters. Indeed the programme is fully learner-centered and community-oriented. Throughout the curriculum students plan, implement and evaluate intervention programmes or/and research projects related to health problems of the communities they are in charge of. In this article, we describe the educational strategies and tools used in this MPH curriculum (professional profile, mind-mapping procedures, field-work either on research projects or on intervention programmes, group work and evaluation procedures). These strategies and tools might assist some educational experimentation in MPH programmes in search of public health relevance and pedagogic efficacy.

[An innovative program for public health training at the University of Geneva. Program during employment centered on the student and oriented to the population's health needs]. / Un programme innovateur de formation en santé publique à l'université de Genève. Programme en cours d'emploi centré sur l'étudiant et orienté vers les besoins de santé de la population.

Switzerland's first Master degree course in public health was launched in the autumn of 1990 at the Geneva University School of Medicine. It is a 3 year, part-time course, which is learner-centred and community-oriented. The aim of the course is to prepare students to use a multi-disciplinary approach to plan, implement and evaluate activities intended to solve public health problems. Throughout the course, studies plan, implement and evaluate projects concerning health problems they have encountered in their work as health professionals. The curriculum includes individual and group work, discussions and seminars with teachers and students, and brainstorming sessions with specially trained facilitators. The students can thus identify and fulfil individual educational objectives while working on community-related health projects. Priority health needs of individuals and communities are thus the pivotal points of the novel approach to public health training.

[Catheter for continuous interpectoral block and postoperative pain relief in breast surgery]. / Bloc interpectoral avec mise en place d'un cathéter pour analgésie postopératoire après chirurgie mammaire.

We describe the case of four patients who had undergone breast surgery. The post-operative analgesia consisted in levobupivacaine administered through a catheter placed between the pectoralis minor and the pectoralis major using ultrasound guided technique. The quality of the analgesia was excellent quality. No side-effects were encountered.

[Bronchopulmonary dysplasia-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension of very preterm infants]. / Hypertension artérielle pulmonaire des anciens grands prématurés bronchodysplasiques.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) of very preterm infants is a multifactorial chronic lung disease and its incidence has not decreased despite improvements in neonatal intensive care, including lung protective strategies. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) can complicate the course of BPD. Mortality in infants with BPD-associated PH is thought to be very high, but its incidence is unknown and a standard diagnostic and therapeutic strategy has not been well defined. In this article, we will first describe the current knowledge on the BPD-associated PH and the current treatments available for this pathology. We will then present the HTP-DBP Study, carried out in Paris (France) starting in 2012. The diagnosis of PH is suspected on echocardiographic criteria, but cardiac catheterization is considered the gold standard for diagnosis and evaluation of the severity of PH. Moreover, pulmonary vasoreactivity testing is used to guide the management of patients with PH. The pathogenesis of BPD-associated PH is poorly understood and even less is known about appropriate therapy. Today, optimizing ventilation and reducing the pulmonary vascular tone with specific pulmonary vasodilatator drugs are the main goals in treating HTP-associated DBP. Animal studies and a few clinical studies suggest that medications targeting the nitric oxide (NO) signaling pathway (NO inhalation, oral sildenafil citrate) could be effective treatments for BPD-associated PH, but they have not been approved for this indication. The HTP-DBP study is a French multicenter prospective observational study. The objective is to evaluate the frequency of BPD-associated PH, to describe its physiopathology, its severity (morbidity and mortality), and the effectiveness of current treatments.

[Prenatal intestinal volvulus: A life-threatening event with good long-term outcome]. / Volvulus prénatal du grêle : risque vital immédiat mais bon pronostic à long terme.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To describe the outcome of neonates with prenatal intestinal volvulus. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All neonates with prenatal intestinal volvulus managed in our institution between May 2004 and December 2010 were retrospectively studied. All neonates with prenatal or neonatal diagnosis of prenatal intestinal volvulus were included. We analyzed age at diagnosis, fetal ultrasound (US) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, clinical signs at birth, surgical findings, management, and postoperative outcome. RESULTS: Ten neonates with prenatal intestinal volvulus were identified. Prenatal US scans or MRI demonstrated evidence of meconium peritonitis in one fetus and bowel dilatation in 2 others. The mean gestational age at birth was 36 weeks (range, 31-38 weeks) and the mean birth weight was 2811g (range, 2050-3700g). One premature neonate developed respiratory distress and required ventilatory support at birth. In 7 neonates, clinical examination showed distended abdomen and emesis, whereas plain abdominal radiographs showed intestinal obstruction. All neonates underwent surgery and all had normal intestinal rotation, except one with total intestinal volvulus secondary to malrotation. Other causes of volvulus were suspected in 4 neonates: mesenteric defect (n=1), intestinal atresia (n=2) and narrow mesentery (n=1). Detorsion of total volvulus, ileostomy, or intestinal resection with primary anastomosis was performed in 2, 5, and 3 neonates, respectively. One patient with total intestinal volvulus secondary to malrotation died, whereas all other neonates survived. In one patient, the postoperative course was complicated by intestinal dysmotility of the distal small bowel requiring a secondary jejunoileostomy. Stoma closure was subsequently performed at 1 year of age with good outcome. One patient developed angiocholitis treated successfully with antibiotics. Median time to initiate enteral feeds was 7 days (range, 4-16 days) and all patients were subsequently weaned from parenteral nutrition. Median duration of parenteral nutrition was 29 days (range, 6-667 days). None of the patients had cystic fibrosis. Unlike postnatal volvulus, most prenatal volvulus occurs without malrotation. Although prenatal volvulus is a life-threatening condition, our results suggest that good long-term outcome can be achieved in most cases.