[Digital ischemia in two patients treated with gemcitabine]. / Ischémie digitale sous gemcitabine, à propos de deux cas.

A 73-year-old man with an urothelial carcinoma treated with gemcitabine and carboplatinium and an 84-year-old man with a mesothelioma treated with gemcitabine alone developed digital ischemia. In the first patient, the ischemia involved all fingers except the thumbs during the second cycle of treatment. The ischemia developed during the first cycle in the second patient and involved the right major and ring fingers. In the literature, gemcitabine vascular toxicity is probably potentialized by platinium salts. Several nosological entities occur simultaneously. The most widely described involve isolated digital ischemia for doses to the order of 3000mg, and a hemolytic and uremic thrombotic microangiopathy for gemcitabine doses above 10,000mg. The vascular toxicity of platinium salts is not dose-dependent. In these two patients, the clinical course was favorable with interruption of the chemotherapy, treatment by iloprost and aspirin.

[Therapeutic consequences of thrombophilic testing]. / Conséquences thérapeutiques de la mise en évidence d'une thrombophilie.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this article are to review the data about the consequences of thrombophilia testing and to think about its indications. CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND KEY POINTS: The indications of congenital thrombophilic testing have extended since the discovery of prevalent abnormalities, such as mutations of factor V or II genes. However, thrombophilia does not result in a significant increase in the risk of recurrence unlike the spontaneous occurrence of thrombotic events. The factor V Leiden mutation is associated with a moderate increase in recurrence rate, while the G20210A mutation of factor II is not associated with a significant increase in recurrence. Regarding the decrease in natural anticoagulants is concerned, there is no definite conclusion, although the decrease in antithrombin is suspected of being associated with an increase in recurrence. FUTURE PROSPECTS AND PROJECTS: Finally, identification of a constitutional thrombophilia most often do not influence the therapeutic decisions unless some rare abnormalities are found, such as a decrease in antithrombin, homozygous mutations in factors V or II genes or associations of thrombophilia. One must remember that antiphospholipid antibodies must be searched because their impact on recurrences is well-known. Diagnostic work-up for thrombophilia is not useful after a distal or a superficial venous thrombosis (except for antiphospholipid antibodies in case of distal venous thrombosis).

[Psychiatric adverse effects of fluoroquinolone: review of cases from the French pharmacologic surveillance database]. / Effets indésirables psychiatriques des fluoroquinolones: cas notifiés à la pharmacovigilance française.

INTRODUCTION: Psychiatric adverse effects of fluoroquinolones are known for long, but can sometimes be missed. We analyse cases spontaneously reported to the French pharmacovigilance. METHODS: Cases of psychiatric adverse effects with fluoroquinolones reported to the French pharmacovigilance system were analysed. The studied period was from January 1985 and June 2002. Data analysed included age, sex, adverse effect, fluoroquinolone, seriousness and evolution. RESULTS: Five hundred ninety cases have been reported concerning 273 males and 316 females (sex unknown in 1 case). Mean age was 66 years (median: 70, range: 12-102). The most frequently reported psychiatric adverse effects were confusion (51%), hallucinations (27%), agitation (13%), delusion (12%), insomnia (8%), somnolence (4%) (several adverse effects could be associated in a single patient). Serious cases represented 21.7% (resulting in hospitalisation in most cases). Evolution was favourable in most cases (88.5%), and was unknown in 9.5% of cases. CONCLUSION: The number of cases reported during this period is moderate, but under-reporting probably interferes. The eventuality of this kind of adverse effect with fluoroquinolones should be kept in mind. Dose should be adjusted to renal function, especially in older patients.

[Subacute ischemia of the lower limb revealing hyperhomocysteinemia in a young woman]. / Ischémie subaiguë d'un membre inférieur révélant une hyperhomocystéinémie chez une femme jeune.

A 51-year-old woman had no known cardiovascular risk factor. She presented with bilateral calf intermittent claudication from February. She was hospitalized in August for acute right leg ischemia without loss of sensorymotor functions, following angiography by one week. She had an occlusion of both superficial femoral arteries and abdominal aorta thrombus, plausible source for embolism. Her condition quickly improved with heparin and iloprost infusion. Since the aortic thrombus was removed on ultrasound, aortic surgery was not performed at this time. Investigations showed hyperhomocysteinemia (25 microg/L after overnight fasting and 115 after methionin load) and decrease in folic acid. This report highlights the occurrence of severe arterial disease in young women with high serum homocysteine levels.

[Painful bruising syndrome: a psychogenic disease]. / Syndrome des ecchymoses douloureuses: une maladie psychogène.

INTRODUCTION: Painful bruising syndrome was described by Gardner and Diamond in 1955. It is marked by spontaneous bruising, without any biological abnormality, affecting young women with pathological mental context. EXEGESIS: We report three observations with painful bruising syndrome. In a patient, psychotherapy induced improvement in dermatological and articular manifestations. In other case, placebotherapy made clinical symptoms go away for a prolonged period. CONCLUSION: Some etiological hypotheses have been postulated for Gardner and Diamond syndrome. However, published cases speak in favour of psychogenic hypothesis. Somatic and psychological approach must be offered to these patients.

Common carotid intima-media thickness: does it matter how it is measured.

AIM: Intima media thickness (IMT) has proved to be a useful tool in predicting cardiovascular morbidity. However, methods are not well standardized, and several software packages softwares are available although they have never been compared with one other. Thus, the extrapolation of data from large studies might be questionable on routine practice. Our objective was to compare 2 software packages largely used for semi-automatic measurement of IMT. METHODS: We have measured IMT on left and right common carotid in 97 patients in standardized conditions. RESULTS: The same image was processed through the 2 software (Metris and Iôdp). There was no difference for IMT measured at various times by the same investigator, although the number of measurable points increased as the operator became more experienced. The number of measurable points was significantly greater with Iôdp. IMT was lower with Iôdp than Metris (mean difference 0.066 mm on the right side). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the same software must be used for repeated measurements in 1 patient. One must be careful in using data from large studies or normality values. At the individual level, the use of IMT to determine vascular risk is dependent upon the software used. It is urgent to standardize the methods of IMT measurement.

[Henoch-Schonlein purpura and prostate cancer]. / Purpura rhumatoïde et cancer de la prostate.

INTRODUCTION: The association between adult Henoch-Schonlein purpura and prostatic carcinoma is exceptional. We report a new case. EXEGESIS: The diagnosis of prostatic adenocarcinoma, suspected because of prostatic induration is made after anatomopathological study. The patient has all the clinical (purpura, polyarthralgia), biological (circulating monocmonal IgA), and histological (leukocytoclastic vasculitis, with IgA and C3 deposits) criteria of Henoch-Schonlein purpura too. The simultaneous appearance of vasculitis and neoplasia is known. The association between adult Henoch-Schonlein purpura and malignant neoplasm like lung carcinoma or lymphoma exists too. The initial events leading to the development of these vasculitis could be tumor antigens or abnormal IgA production. CONCLUSION: The simultaneous appearance of these two disease asks here the question of mechanisms implicated in these association.

[Lower limb occlusive arteriopathy: retrospective analysis of 73 patients with onset before the age of 50 years]. / Les artériopathies des membres inférieurs débutant avant 50 ans.

OBJECTIVES: Juvenile peripheral obstructive arterial diseases (POAD) have been poorly investigated but account for 1 to 7% of POAD. We analyzed retrospectively a cohort of patients with onset before the age of 50 years. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventy-three patients (60 males and 13 females) were divided into 4 groups (Buerger's disease: TAO, atheromatous PAOD, auto-immune POAD, arteriopathy of undetermined origin). RESULTS: The first symptoms occurred at 38 +/- 8 years of age. Fourteen patients (20%) had TAO, 51 (70%) atheromatous POAD, 4 (5%) POAD with systemic or autoimmune disease, and 4 (5%) undetermined POAD. Age of onset was earlier in TAO (35 +/- 8 vs 40 +/- 8 years, p=0.046), smoking greater in the atheroma group (33 +/- 16 vs 24 +/- 14 pack-years, p=0.033). Fifty-three POAD patients had dyslipidaemia and 26% hypertension. Regular cannabis intake was more frequent in the TAO group (21 vs 8%). At the time of medical care, Fontaine's stage was more frequently stage II in atheroma patients (57 vs 14%) and stage IV in TAO patients (86 vs 35%). TAO was diagnosed in 43% cannabis users and in 19% non users. CONCLUSION: The main etiology of juvenile POAD is atheroma, followed by TAO. Cannabis users account for at least 10% of these patients. They are characterized by lower tobacco intake, more distal lesions, more frequent involvement of the upper limbs. They present more frequently as TAO.

[Measurement of arterial distensibility by the QKd method a new vascular marker]. / La mesure de la distensibilité artérielle par la méthode du QKd: un nouveau marqueur vasculaire.

INTRODUCTION: Distensibility is the ability of large elastic arteries to increase in diameter from diastole to systole. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is one of the ways to measure this parameter. Several techniques, including QKd, are able to measure PWV. PURPOSE: QKd is the time interval between the Q wave on EKG and auscultation of the second Korotkoff's sound at the brachial artery. QKd is measured by a specific apparatus that registers ambulatory blood pressure as well as EKG (normal > 200 ms). Arterial distensibility seems to be able to predict cardiovascular morbidity and QKd has been demonstrated to predict such morbidity in a sample of elderly hypertensives. Currently the relationship between QKd and prognosis is under investigation in systemic sclerosis (ERAMS study). CONCLUSION: QKd is a noninvasive ambulatory method that measures arterial distensibility as well as blood pressure.

Clinical prediction of lower limb deep vein thrombosis in symptomatic hospitalized patients.

We evaluated two clinical scores for the prediction of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in hospitalized patients (Wells' and Kahn's). We included 273 patients referred to the vascular exploration unit for the suspicion of DVT. A clinical questionnaire was tilled in by the practitioner and the scores were calculated from this form. 66 of the 273 patients had a DVT. When Wells' score was 3, a DVT was found by duplex echography in 51% patients; when the score was 0, a DVT was found in 9%. Kahn's score was not adapted to this population. We then developed a new simple score (cancer, palsy or plaster immobilization, warmth, superficial venous dilation, unilateral pitting edema, other diagnosis). A DVT was found in 76% patients with a score of 3 and in 11% in those with a score of 0. We therefore propose a 6-item score whose main advantages are simplicity and usefulness in routine practice.