[Zika virus infection: A review]. / L'infection à Zika virus : mise au point.

Zika Virus (ZIKV), originally identified in 1947, is a re-emerging Flavivirus transmitted mainly through bites by Aedes mosquitos. Until the recent outbreaks in the Pacific islands and Central and South America, it was known to cause benign disease, in most cases asymptomatic or with mild and nonspecific symptoms (fever, rash, conjunctivitis, arthralgia, etc.). The unprecedented current epidemic has highlighted new modes of transmission (through blood, perinatally and sexually) as well as serious neurological complications such as congenital defects in the fetuses of infected mothers and Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults. This situation, coupled with the threat of worldwide spread, prompted the WHO to declare the ZIKV a public health emergency of international concern in February 2016.

Validation of the Arabic version of the SCOFF questionnaire for the screening of eating disorders.

The high prevalence of eating disorders in Arab countries indicates a need for an Arabic language screening tool. This study aimed to validate an Arabic version (A-SCOFF) of the British SCOFF questionnaire, a brief tool for the screening of eating disorders in primary health care. After translation and back-translation the A-SCOFF was given to 123 female patients [mean age 32 (SD 8.8) years] visiting primary health-care centres in Beirut. Each patient was evaluated by an eating disorders specialist blinded to A-SCOFF results. The validated Arabic version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and the DSM-IV criteria for eating disorders were used as diagnostic references. The best diagnostic threshold for the A-SCOFF was found to be at 2 positive answers with a sensitivity of 80.0%, a specificity of 72.7% and an area under the curve of 80.0%. The A-SCOFF questionnaire is accurate and reliable for the early detection of eating disorders in this high-risk population.

[Incidence and characteristics of calciphylaxis in Martinique (2006-2012)]. / Incidence et caractéristiques de la calciphylaxie en Martinique (2006-2012).

BACKGROUND: Calciphylaxis is a rare and severe disease with an annual incidence of around 1 % in dialysis patients. The main study aim was to determine its incidence in Martinique, where there is a significant population of patients on dialysis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients diagnosed with calciphylaxis between 2006 and 2012 and living in Martinique were included, retrospectively. Social, demographic, biological, anatomic, pathological, histological and outcome data were analysed. RESULTS: Fifteen patients were included (8 women, 7 men). The incidence of calciphylaxis in this population was about 4.62/1,000,000 inhabitants per year. All patients presented very painful skin ulcerations and necrosis, chiefly on the lower extremities in 53.3 % of cases. All patients were on haemodialysis and two had undergone renal transplantation. Fourteen of the 15 patients were presenting secondary hyperparathyroidism, 12 had hypertension, 9 peripheral arterial disease, 8 obesity and 8 diabetes mellitus. Raised calcium and phosphorus were noted in 8 patients, with hypoalbuminaemia in 9 patients. Treatment with sodium thiosulfate was given for 8 patients, and was beneficial for all after a mean duration of 3.4 months. After 6 months of follow-up, 8 of the 15 patients were cured, 1 showed improvement and 6 had died. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the incidence of calciphylaxis in the general population. The relatively large number of patients could be accounted for by the high number of comorbidities in end-stage renal disease patients in Martinique, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension and arteritis. Treatment with sodium thiosulfate was beneficial for 8 patients.

Study of the risk factors for viral hepatitis C infection among Egyptians applying for work abroad.

The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for viral hepatitis C infection among Egyptians. A cross-sectional study with case-control analysis was conducted including 5071 Egyptians applying to the Ministry of Health Laboratories for certification of freedom from viral hepatitis (B and C) to work abroad. A questionnaire designed to cover the most important known and suspected risk factors was filled out by physicians interviewers before blood drawing and after proper orientation of the purpose of the study. The overall seropositivity among the whole sample for HCV was 31.5% and was significantly lower among females (13.2%) than among males (34%). A consistent increase of seropositivity for HCV antibodies with age (in males and females and in urban and rural areas) was observed with a peak level of 54.9% in all individuals for the age group 45-49 years (significant trend p < 0.0001). A significant increase of seropositivity (p < 0.005) above 25 years of age (35.7%) than below this age 12.8%) was observed on examination of HCV distribution in 5-year age group. Married individuals have a significant higher seropositivity for HCV than non-married (38.2% and 20.9% respectively OR = 2.3, 95% CL 2.1-2.7). Individuals living in rural areas had significantly more HCV seropositivity than those living in urban areas (OR = 1.7, 95% CL 1.5-2.0). Also, individuals living in Cairo and seashore governorates had significantly lower seropositivity (14.7% and 12.7% respectively) than those living in governorates in upper or lower Egypt (29.4% and 36.3% respectively). Medical procedures risk factors identified to be associated with significant higher HCV seropositivity included: past history of injections for bilharziasis, use of common syringes, dental extraction, injections for urography, blood transfusions and previous hospitalizations. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that only age, male sex, marriage, rural residence, living in upper and lower Egypt, injections for bilharziasis and urography were significant in the final equation for the whole group. Blood transfusion was significant in the final regression analysis among females in urban living and hospitalization was significant among males in urban living and females in rural living. Further research is needed to elucidate those factors prevailing in rural areas and in upper and lower Egypt associated with increased risk for HCV infection.