Significant decrease of facial cellulitis admissions during COVID-19 lockdown in France: A multicentric comparative study.

During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, a lockdown was imposed in France during the first wave. An apparent decrease in incidence of cellulitis of odontogenic origin was noticed then. This study aimed to compare the incidence of cellulitis during this extraordinary period with the same period in 2018 and 2019, based on retrospective multicentric data. All maxillofacial surgery departments in French public hospitals were contacted. Responders were asked to include all patients admitted for the surgical drainage of a head and neck abscess of odontogenic origin during the first 2020 lockdown period, and in a similar time frame in 2018 and 2019 (control group), based on screening the French diagnostic and therapeutic classification of medical acts. We report a 44% significant nationwide decrease in the incidence of admissions for cellulitis. There were 187 patients in 2020 for 334 and 333 patients in 2018/2019 respectively. The reasons to explain this finding are hypothetical (organizational reasons leading to earlier management, patients' fear to seek for medical management, usual excess in surgical indications or concomitant decrease of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs delivery). Whatever the explanation, it would be of great interest to find it out in order to improve the prevention of cellulitis.

The role of glutathione, membrane sphingomyelin, and its metabolites in oxidative stress-induced calcium "dysregulation" in PC12 cells.

Previous research showed that increasing membrane sphingomyelin (SPH) levels in rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells to the same extent as that seen in some brain regions with aging dramatically increases the vulnerability to oxidative stress (OS). These increases in vulnerability were determined by assessing deficits in the ability of these cells to extrude and/or sequester Ca2+ following 30 mM KCl-induced depolarization (recovery). The purpose of the present experiments was to discern whether increasing the levels of particular SPH metabolite(s), i.e., ceramide (Cer), sphingosine (Ssine), or sphingosine-1-phosphate (SPP), or indirectly increasing the concentrations of these metabolites with sphingomylinase (Sase), would interact with the cell's sensitivity to OS induced by low (5 microM) or high (nonlethal, 300 microM) H2O2. In addition, the OS vulnerability was examined as above under decreased SPH levels by exposing the cells to L-cycloserine (Lcc), which prevents SPH synthesis. Both Sase and SPP significantly decreased Ca2+ recovery of PC12 cells after H2O2 exposure. Conversely, Lcc-treated cells showed no further OS-induced decrements in recovery below those seen in controls. SPP significantly decreased glutathione levels (GSH) in the absence of OS. Repletion of GSH with 20 mM N-acetylcysteine significantly attenuated the effect of 5 microM H2O2 on recovery in SPP-treated cells and decreased sensitivity of SPP-treated cells to low doses of OS. Overall, our results suggest a critical role for GSH and SPP in the regulation of OS vulnerability, especially as it relates to Ca2+ homeostasis.

Validity of the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire in the palliative care setting: a multi-centre Canadian study demonstrating the importance of the existential domain.

This study was carried out in eight palliative care services in four Canadian cities. A revised version of The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire (MQOL) is compared to a single-item scale measuring overall quality of life (SIS), and the self-administered version of the Spitzer Quality of Life Index (SA-QLI), to obtain evidence of validity. MQOL total score predicts SIS better than does SA-QLI, although much of the variance remains to be explained. The results of principal components analysis of data using this revised version of MQOL are similar to those from previous MQOL studies with different patient populations. The MQOL subscales, constructed on the basis of principal components analysis, demonstrate acceptable internal consistency reliability. The MQOL measures reflecting physical well-being and existential well-being are important for predicting SIS.

Contact area and static pressure profile at the plate-bone interface in the nonluted and luted bone plate.

Contact area and pressure between 6-hole broad dynamic compression plates and 20 pairs of equine third metatarsal bones were measured using nonluted and luted plating techniques. Pressure-sensitive film (pressure ranges 10 to 50 MPa and 50 to 130 MPa) was used as the static pressure transducer. Nonluted and one of two luting techniques were tested on each pair of bones; each luting technique was tested on 20 bones. Quantitative determinations of contact area and pressure were made using computerized image processing techniques. Mean (+/- SD) total contact area for nonluted plates was 18.49% +/- 3.5% of the potential plate-bone contact area. Luting increased (P < .05) total contact area to 25.56% +/- 4.0% and 31.29% +/- 6.6% for the respective luting techniques. The effects of luting on contact area were dependent on the contact pressure. At contact pressure ranges 10 to 20 and 21 to 35 MPa, luting increased contact area. In contact pressure ranges 36 to 45 and 50 to 65 MPa, plate-bone contact was inherently greatest and plate luting had no significant effect on contact area. In contact pressure ranges 66 to 99 and 100 to 126 MPa, luting decreased contact area. Contact area was increased at lower contact pressures at the expense of higher pressure contact. Contact in the middle third of the plate was 20% to 40% of the contact at either end of the plate. Plate luting increased contact area best where plate-bone contour was most similar.

[Acute necrotic pancreatitis secondary to asparaginase. Role of drug combinations--early diagnosis and treatment. Apropos of 2 cases]. / Pancréatite aiguë nécrotique secondaire à l'asparaginase. Rôle des associations médicamenteuses--diagnostic précoce et traitement. A propos de 2 observations.

Acute necrotic pancreatitis was diagnosed in two patients treated with asparaginase for, in the first case a highly malignant lymphoma and in the second an acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The diagnosis on clinical findings and amylase assay results was confirmed by LDH and/or C reactive protein values and abdominal CT scans. Both patients recovered after drainage of peripancreatic fluid collections, in the first patient by surgical followed by cutaneous drainage and in the second by cutaneous drainage of a pancreatic pseudocyst. In addition to the frequent pancreatic reaction observed during asparaginase treatment, signs of pancreatic necrosis requiring urgent treatment have to be identified. The necrotic nature of the pancreatitis was confirmed by clinical examination, assay to biologic markers and abdominal CT scans, eliminating other causes of the pancreatitis.

Testicular function in uremic rats: in vivo assessment of testosterone biogenesis.

The mechanism of testosterone (T) production defect in uremic rats has not yet been clearly defined and hypothalamo-hypophyseal impairment as well as primary testicular dysfunction have been suggested. In 42 rats followed monthly after subtotal nephrectomy up to 7.1 +/- 0.3 months, we observed a progressive significant decline of T and androstenedione (A) compared to control rats. Two months before the terminal phase of chronic renal failure (CRF), T/A ratio abruptly declined. T and its precursors on the 4-ene pathway, A, progesterone (P) and 17-hydroxyprogesterone were evaluated in pampiniform plexus testicular vein (PPTV) and in peripheral blood (PV) in end stage uremic rats (blood urea greater than 30 mmol/l, creatinine clearance less than 0.5 ml/min). Under basal conditions, all steroids but peripheral P were significantly lower in uremic rats than in controls as well as T/P and A/P ratios. After human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) stimulation, T concentration in PV and PPTV remained highly significantly lower than in controls whereas T precursor concentrations were partially corrected by hCG administration. T/P ratio remained lower than in controls whereas A/P ratio was not significantly lower than in controls. Those data show a decline in all the steps of T biogenesis in uremic rats in basal conditions. The defect in 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase evidenced by T/A decrease at the end stage of CRF seems of primary testicular origin as it is not corrected by hCG administration as shown by T/P and A/P ratios in PPTV and in PV.

[Granulocytic sarcoma. Apropos of a case]. / Sarcome granulocytaire. A propos d'un cas.

The authors report a case of orbital granulocytic sarcoma complicating a case of acute myeloblastic leukaemia, which was investigated by CT and MRI. CT revealed a moderately contrast-enhanced orbital mass. The MR signal intensity was identical to that of grey matter on T1-weighted sequences and identical to that of white matter on T2-weighted sequences.

[Normal imaging of facial sinuses]. / Imagerie normale des sinus de la face.

The high spatial resolution of computed tomography allows visualisation of the fine structures of the facial skeleton and gives precise information about the anatomy of the nasal cavity, the paranasal sinuses and their relations with adjacent structures. A detailed knowledge of the normal anatomy, particularly of the nasal cavity and ethmoid, is very useful to provide to the surgeon with a precise pre operative surgical map, before transnasal endoscopic ethmoidectomy or management of paranasal sinuses tumors.

Immunoactive products of placenta: VIII. Translation products of messenger RNA extracted from murine placenta or A6B9IC5 teratocarcinoma are immunosuppressive in vitro.

RNA was extracted from placentae of synpregnant C3H mice (day 14 of gestation) and from A6B9IC5 teratocarcinoma. After isolation of poly-(A)+ RNA on an oligo d(T) cellulose column, putative messenger RNA was injected into Xenopus laevi oocytes. Supernatants and homogenates from the oocytes were assayed for immunoregulatory activity in MLR, CML, and NK assays and found to be immunosuppressive. These data indicate that immunomodulators could be obtained from the placenta by molecular biology technology in sufficient quantities for eventual clinical applications.

Isolation and partial characterization of messenger RNA, from murine T cell hybrids, coding for suppressive immunoglobulin G-binding factor.

Poly A RNA has been isolated from a murine T cell hybridoma ( T2D4 ) that spontaneously secretes suppressive immunoglobulin G-binding factor ( IgGBF ). Translation products, obtained from a rabbit reticulocyte lysate translation system and after injection into Xenopus laevis oocytes, contain material with the biologic activity, the affinity, and the m.w. of murine IgGBF ; it suppresses secondary in vitro IgG antibody production in a dose-dependent fashion. The suppressive factor binds to IgG but not to IgM immunoadsorbents and, after mild NaDodSO4 treatment, dissociates in NaDodSO4 polyacrylamide gels into two peaks at 78 and 40 kD. Translation products from two non- IgGBF -secreting cell lines (BW-5147, a T lymphoma line, and A9, a fibroblast cell line) fail to exert any suppressive activity. On sucrose gradients, the RNA responsible for the biologic activity was found in one major peak located at 11S. IgGBF synthesized in a cellfree translation system by using poly A RNA and sucrose gradient fractions was also characterized by immunoprecipitation with Fc fragments of [35S]methionine-labeled proteins. On NaDodSO4 polyacrylamide gels, it migrates in one peak located at 37 kD. We conclude that IgGBF is coded for by 11S poly A RNA and that no post-translational modifications (other than proteolytic cleavage) are necessary to obtain a biologically active factor with Ig-binding properties.

Helper activity for antibody synthesis encoded by mRNA extracted from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Translation products in Xenopus laevis of mRNA from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were tested for their capacity to replace T cells in the anti-SRBC response of nude spleen cells. When the starting material came from PHA or FCS-stimulated lymphocytes, the translated lymphokines, displaying such a B cell helper activity were found to be encoded by mRNA sedimenting at 6-7S and 13S on a sucrose density gradient. 6-7S mRNA from control, non-stimulated lymphocytes was also able to code for B cell helper activity. Thorough T-cell depletion of mouse responder cell populations left unchanged the activity of 6-7S mRNA products while preventing that of 13S products. The latter were found to contain IL-2, which suggests that their action on B cells was indirect, mediated by T-cell stimulation.

Effect of various interferons on the spontaneous cytotoxicity exerted by lymphocytes from normal and tumor-bearing patients.

Natural killer cell activity, which represents the spontaneous cytotoxicity of lymphocytes toward tumor cells, has been measured in 173 tumor-bearing patients and 25 healthy volunteers; no significant difference was found in mean natural killer cell activity between the two groups. The parameters of interferon-induced activation of natural killer cells were studied in order to provide a suitable test for monitoring the effect of interferon in clinical trials. The three interferons tested (leukocyte, lymphoblastoid, and fibroblast) were equally active in inducing spontaneous cytotoxicity of lymphocytes from all healthy individuals and tumor-bearing patients studied. Incubation for one hr with 100 units of interferon was sufficient to increase spontaneous cytotoxicity activity, the maximum effect being obtained when lymphocytes were incubated with 1000 units of any of the interferons used. This effect was blocked with the appropriate antiinterferon sera. The target cells for interferon seem to be positive Fc gamma receptor lymphocytes.