[Endogenous endophthalmitis as a complication in erysipelas]. / Endophtalmie endogène compliquant un érysipèle.

BACKGROUND: Endogenous endophthalmitis is a devastating infection of the eye that leads to blindness in about two-thirds of patients. It results from the haematogenous spread of a microorganism from a focus of sepsis, mainly gastro-intestinal, genitourinary or cardiac. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We describe the case of a diabetic subject presenting endogenous endophthalmitis following erysipelas of the leg due to Streptococcus agalactiae. The outcome was favourable thanks to prompt initiation of appropriate antibiotic treatment. DISCUSSION: Endogenous endophthalmitis as a complication of a skin infection is a rare entity, with only about 30 reported cases in the literature. Awareness of this condition among dermatologists would allow prompt intervention, which is essential for sparing of the patient's eyesight.

[Occupational exposure to syphilis during venous ulcer curettage in Martinique]. / Accident professionnet d'exposition à a syphilis a près curetage d'ulcere veineux en Martinique.

The purpose of this report is to describe the first case of occupational exposure to syphilis. This accident occurred during curettage of a venous ulcer in a 68-year-old woman in Martinique Island. The patient presented primary syphilis without HIV. This case points out the need for enhanced syphilis screening in epidemic areas.

[Diagnosis of skin cancer by dermatologists in the French West Indies: a prospective study]. / Étude prospective de l'incidence des cancers cutanés dépistés en pratique dermatologique aux Antilles françaises.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of skin cancer is not well established in the French West Indies, aside from old data concerning cutaneous melanoma. METHOD: A prospective study was performed over a 3-month period in late 2007 in the French West Indies. The number of new cases of histologically confirmed skin cancer was determined using a questionnaire. RESULTS: The rate of participation of dermatologists was 82 %. During the study period, 166 skin cancers were diagnosed in 134 patients (66 women and 68 men: mean age=63.3 years, SD=2.5), including 137 basal cell carcinomas, 12 melanomas, seven squamous cell carcinomas, six Bowen's disease, one B lymphoma and one Paget's disease. The raw incidence of skin cancers detected by dermatologists was calculated as 64.6 cases/100 000 inhabitants/year for basal cell carcinoma, 5.7 cases/100 000 inhabitants/year for melanoma, 3.3 cases/100 000 inhabitants/year for squamous cell carcinoma, and 2.8 cases/100 000 inhabitants/year for Bowen's disease. Seven melanomas (almost exclusively of plantar topography) and seven basal cell carcinomas were diagnosed in patients of phototype V or VI. DISCUSSION: Although lower than in metropolitan France, the number of skin cancers diagnosed by dermatologists in the French West Indies is fairly high. In addition, this study indicates the significant incidence of basal cell carcinomas and melanomas in subjects with phototype V or VI, underreported in the literature. These findings highlight the need to begin longer-term studies and to include skin carcinomas in the cancer registry of the French West Indies in order to better identify their characteristics among the Caribbean population.

[Publication rate for oral presentations made at the Journées Dermatologiques de Paris meeting]. / Publication des communications orales présentées aux << Journées dermatologiques de Paris >>

BACKGROUND: The fate of oral presentations presented at a dermatological meeting has not been assessed to date. Our aim was to determine the publication rate for oral presentations presented at the "Journées dermatologiques de Paris" (JDP) meeting in peer-reviewed journals. Our secondary goals were to identify factors associated with publication and to examine the consistency of reporting of research findings presented in the conference abstract and subsequent full publication. METHODS: Abstracts presented orally at the JDP 1999-2004 were identified in the book of congress abstracts. Two independent operatives performed a Medline search cross-referencing lead and last authors and keywords. RESULTS: The publication rate was 57.6% with mean time to publication of 20.3months. The median impact factor was 2.8. Factors associated with subsequent publication were study topic (p=0.04 for oncology) and study type (p=0.03 for fundamental research and p=0.005 for randomized controlled trials). The congress abstracts and full-text publication differed primarily in terms of sample size and data given in the "Results" section. DISCUSSION: More than half of all abstracts presented orally at the JDP congress are subsequently published in journals with a median impact factor comparable to those seen for other scientific congresses for which similar analysis has been conducted. These results confirm the scientific quality of this particular congress, in addition to its vocation of continuous medical training.