Diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis: prenatal and neonatal evaluation of methods used in Toulouse University Hospital and incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis.

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis (CT) and to assess the performances of prenatal and neonatal diagnoses. From 1994-2005, in Toulouse University Hospital, France, amniocentesis was performed on 352 pregnant women who were infected during pregnancy. All women were treated with spiramycin and pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine when prenatal diagnosis was positive. Among the 275 foetuses with follow-up, 66 (24%) were infected. The transmission rates of Toxoplasma gondii were 7%, 24% and 59% in the first, second and third trimesters, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of PCR on amniotic fluid (AF) were 91% and 99.5%, respectively. One case was diagnosed by mouse inoculation with AF and six cases were diagnosed by neonatal or postnatal screening. The sensitivity and specificity of PCR on placentas were 52% and 99%, respectively. The sensitivity of tests for the detection of specific IgA and IgM in cord blood was 53% and 64%, respectively, and specificity values were 91% and 92%. In conclusion, PCR performed on AF had the highest levels of sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of CT. This permits an early diagnosis of most cases and should be recommended.

[Delayed umbilical cord clamping in preterm infants born before 37 weeks of gestation: A prospective observational study]. / Clampage tardif du cordon ombilical chez les enfants prématurés nés avant 37 semaines d'aménorrhée : étude observationnelle prospective.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Many international studies have demonstrated that delayed umbilical cord clamping reduces neonatal morbidity. However, in France, delayed umbilical cord clamping is still not performed in many neonatal units. The aims of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of developing a protocol of delayed umbilical cord clamping in the maternity ward of the Toulouse university hospital and to evaluate the impact of this new protocol on neonatal mortality. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study including 123 preterm infants born before 37 weeks of gestation between June 2012 and June 2013 and hospitalized at birth. Delayed cord clamping was performed for at least 30s after birth; otherwise, it was evaluated as early cord clamping. We excluded twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, congenital abnormalities, alloimmunization, and perinatal asphyxia. We analyzed the reasons why delayed umbilical cord clamping was not performed and then neonatal morbidity in our population. RESULTS: Delayed umbilical cord clamping was performed on 79 infants and 44 infants had early umbilical cord clamping. The two groups had similar baseline characteristics. Preterm infants in the delayed cord-clamping group had a higher level of hemoglobin during the first 24h of life (17.9g/dL versus 16.6g/dL, P=0.005), fewer of them required transfusion (14% versus 35%, P=0.03), and fewer presented late-onset sepsis (8% versus 26%, P=0.02) or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (9% versus 26%, P=0.03). There was no statistically significant increase of hyperbilirubinemia requiring phototherapy. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Implanting a new protocol of delayed umbilical cord clamping in our maternity ward proved to be possible without difficulty. The advantages of delayed umbilical cord clamping were observed in this prospective study. Today, delayed cord clamping has become a common practice in our maternity unit.

[Chickenpox in pregnancy]. / Varicelle et grossesse.

Chickenpox is rare during pregnancy (1 to 7 per 10,000). The infection can be severe for the mother and indirectly may affect the fetus. Before 20 weeks of amenorrhea, the varicella-zoster virus may be responsible for a rare embryofetopathy (incidence rate: 0.4 to 2%). After the 20th week of amenorrhea, fetal infection is not symptomatic, but it may lead to neonatal or infantile herpes zoster infection. During the perinatal period, a primary maternal infection may be responsible for severe neonatal varicella if delivery occurs prior to maternal antibody production. Practical guidelines are proposed according to the date of infection during pregnancy and prenatal diagnosis using amniocentesis and/or cordocentesis is discussed.

[Determination of nosocomial infection incidence in mothers and newborns during the early postpartum period]. / Les infections nosocomiales chez la mère et l'enfant: à propos d'une enquête d'incidence portant sur 804 accouchements.

BACKGROUND: We wished to determine the incidence of nosocomial infections in the mother and the newborn during the early postpartum period. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Over a three-month period, the same investigator collected 50 different clinical and microbiological, standardized data related to infectious diseases in parturients and their newborns. RESULTS: Data were collected on 804 deliveries. The overall rate of nosocomial infection was 2.9% (23/804). For vaginal deliveries, the rate was 1.9% (12/615) and for deliveries by Cesarean section, the rate was 5.8% (11/189). Of 745 newborns followed until discharge from hospital, 0.7% (5/745) had a nosocomial infection. CONCLUSION: These results are in line with previously published rates of nosocomial infections, which varied between 0.2% to 2.3% for vaginal deliveries, 1.6% to 18.9% for Cesarean section, and 0.2 to 4% in newborns. Regular surveys of the incidence or the prevalence of nosocomial infections are necessary to monitor the effectiveness of educational programs, aimed to reduce hospital acquired infections.

[Hypercalcemia in cancers of the prostate. Apropos of 4 cases]. / L'hypercalcémie des cancers de la prostate. A propos de 4 observations.

The authors report four cases of hypercalcemia occurring during the course of carcinoma of the prostate. This association is rare (less than twenty published cases) though not exceptional, carcinoma of the prostate accounting for almost 4 per cent of causes of malignant hypercalcemia. This generally involves advanced and metastatic forms, at the terminal phase, but cases of regression after hormone therapy have been reported. The histological type of the tumour is unusual in one case in two (anaplastic or carcinoid). The mechanism of this hypercalcemia is humoral, probably by secretion of a parathormone-like peptide, but which has not yet been fully elucidated.

Diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis: prenatal and neonatal evaluation of methods used in Toulouse University Hospital and incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis (CT) and to assess the performances of prenatal and neonatal diagnoses. From 1994-2005, in Toulouse University Hospital, France, amniocentesis was performed on 352 pregnant women who were infected during pregnancy. All women were treated with spiramycin and pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine when prenatal diagnosis was positive. Among the 275 foetuses with follow-up, 66 (24 percent) were infected. The transmission rates of Toxoplasma gondii were 7 percent, 24 percent and 59 percent in the first, second and third trimesters, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of PCR on amniotic fluid (AF) were 91 percent and 99.5 percent, respectively. One case was diagnosed by mouse inoculation with AF and six cases were diagnosed by neonatal or postnatal screening. The sensitivity and specificity of PCR on placentas were 52 percent and 99 percent, respectively. The sensitivity of tests for the detection of specific IgA and IgM in cord blood was 53 percent and 64 percent, respectively, and specificity values were 91 percent and 92 percent. In conclusion, PCR performed on AF had the highest levels of sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of CT. This permits an early diagnosis of most cases and should be recommended.

[Infectious complications of the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children]. / Complications infectieuses du traitement des leucémies aiguës lymphoblastiques de l'enfant.

The authors report the infectious complications observed during the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 70 children, followed by a same team, with the same protocole, for a period of 6 years (mean follow-up: 42.3 months). The complications were mainly bacterial during induction phase, mainly staphylococcic the microbiological follow-up and a rapid empiric antibiotic therapy allowed to control more than 80% of the febrile episodes. There was one death from fulminant pyocyanic infection.