Idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis and primary biliary cirrhosis. A new association?

We encountered a case of primary biliary cirrhosis in a nonalcoholic man who had been operated on for idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis 20 years previously. Chronic pancreatitis was also detected on endoscopic retrograde examination. After several episodes of digestive bleeding due to ruptured esophageal varixes, the patient died of massive hemorrhage. Postmortem examination showed stage 3 primary biliary cirrhosis and a thick retroperitoneal fibrous plaque, consisting of densely fibrotic areas of collagen with rare vessels and mononuclear cells. We suggest that idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis may be a new autoimmune disorder associated with primary biliary cirrhosis and that primary biliary cirrhosis is a potential cause of portal hypertension, cholestasis, or both in the course of idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis.

Screening for cervical cancer in French Guiana: screening rates from 2006 to 2011.

In French Guiana, the age-standardized incidence rate of cervical cancer is four times higher than in France and the mortality rate 5.5 times higher. A survival study revealed that stage at diagnosis was the main factor influencing the prognosis, showing that early detection is crucial to increase cervical cancer survival. The present study aimed at evaluating the cervical cancer screening rate between 2006 and 2011 by age and for a 3-year period in French Guiana. All pap smears realised in French Guiana were analysed in two laboratories allowing exhaustive review of screening data. The screening rate was estimated at about 54% from 2006 to 2011, with a statistical difference between coastal and rural area (56.3% versus 18.7%). Although the methodological difference did not allow comparisons with metropolitan France, these results could be used to evaluate the impact of organised cervical cancer screening by the French Guiana Association for Organized Screening of Cancers which has been implemented in French Guiana since 2012.

[Post-transfusion thrombopenia treated with gammaglobulins]. / Thrombopénie post-transfusionnelle traitée par les gammaglobulines.

Thrombopenia and a haemorrhagic syndrome occurring on the eighth postoperative day were probably related to a post-transfusion purpura, confirmed by the discovery of antiplatelet antibodies not belonging to the PLA1 antigen system. The stabilization of this haemorrhage and a full recovery were obtained by giving high doses of intravenous human gammaglobulins. Blood replacement only rarely induces postoperative immuno-allergologic thrombopenia; heparin is the best known causative agent. It is concluded that platelets should never be given so long as the responsible agent is not formally identified.

[Amyloidosis and pleural calcification]. / Amylose et calcinose pleurale.

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary diseases during the course of generalised amyloidosis are principally represented by tracheobronchial involvement and diffuse parenchymal localizations. CASE REPORT: The authors report the case of a 66-year-old woman presenting with pleural amyloidosis in the context of generalised amyloidosis. Thoracoscopy performed in the investigation of recurrent transudative pleural effusions found evidence of an inflamed parietal pleura with areas of calcification. Pleural biopsies confirmed amyloid infiltration pleural ossification. Talc pleurodesis was performed. CONCLUSIONS: The authors' conclusion is that, meeting an unexplained pleural effusion even transudative during the course of a generalised amyloidosis, the thoracoscopy is the diagnosis key test as it allows moreover a pleural pleurodesis to be performed.

The carbon isotope composition of CO2 respired by trunks: comparison of four sampling methods.

The (13)C natural abundance of CO(2) respired by plants has been used in the laboratory to examine the discrimination processes that occur during respiration. Currently, field measurements are being expanded to interpret the respiration delta(13)C signature measured at ecosystem and global levels. In this context, forests are particularly important to consider as they represent 80% of the continental biomass. The objective of this investigation was to compare four methods of sampling the CO(2) respired by trunks for the determination of its carbon isotope composition: three in situ methods using chambers placed on the trunk, and one destructive method using cores of woody tissues. The in situ methods were based either on a Keeling plot approach applied at the tissue level or on an initial flush of the chamber with nitrogen or with CO(2)-free air. In parallel, we investigated the possibility of an apparent discrimination during tissue respiration by comparing the delta(13)C signature of the respired CO(2) and that of the organic matter. The study was performed on six tree species widely distributed in temperate and mediterranean areas. The four methods were not significantly different when overall means were considered. However, considering the individual data, the Keeling plot approach and the nitrogen flush methods gave fairly homogeneous results, whereas the CO(2)-free air method produced more variable results. The core method was not correlated with any of the chamber methods. Regardless of the methodology, the respired CO(2) generally was enriched in (13)C relative to the total organic matter. This apparent enrichment during respiration was variable, reaching as much as 3-5 per thousand. This study showed that, on the whole, the different sampling techniques gave similar results, but one should be aware of the variability associated with each method.