Sport and self-esteem in people living with HIV: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: In the general population, sport activity is associated with better health and better self-esteem. Among people living with HIV (PLHIV), sport activity could also be associated with better self-esteem. The main objective of our study was to assess the association between sport activity and self-esteem among people living with HIV. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the associations between sport activity with fatigue as well as with pain. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional observational study among PLHIV in our region (Pays de la Loire in France). Each adult seen in routine HIV care was invited to participate in the study. Participants were invited to fill out self-questionnaires about sport activity, self-esteem, fatigue, and pain. The 2 groups of participants with and without sport activity were compared with a T Student test for self-esteem, fatigue, and pain scales. RESULTS: Among the 1160 people included in the study, 47% performed sport activity. The self-esteem score was better in the "sporting group" compared with the "non sporting group" (Rosenberg mean scale 32.7 ± 5.1/40 vs 31.9 ± 5 p = 0.01). The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue scale showed a lower fatigue in the sporting group than in the non-sporting group (mean total score 125 ± 22 vs 118 ± 24 p < 0.0001). The sporting group had a lower mean pain score (1.1 ± 1.8) than the non sporting group (1.4 ± 1.9 p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Among PLHIV in our region, sport activity was associated with better self-esteem, lower fatigue and lower pain. Sport activity should be included in patient care for people living with HIV.

Efficacy of an Ethanol-Based Hand Sanitizer for the Disinfection of Blood Pressure Cuffs.

Blood pressure cuffs (BP cuffs) have been implicated in some nosocomial outbreaks. We compared the efficacy of an ethanol-based hand sanitizer (EBHS) with a detergent/disinfectant for the disinfection of BP cuffs. The inner sides of 30 BP cuffs were sampled for bacterial culture. Then, the same area was divided into halves. One half was disinfected by a detergent/disinfectant and the other was disinfected by an EBHS. The bacterial count decreased significantly with both disinfectants (p < 0.0001 compared with before disinfection). The bacterial count decrease seemed greater with the EBHS compared with the detergent/disinfectant, but the difference was not significant. Therefore, within the limits of a single application, the EBHS was an efficacious means of BP cuff disinfection. However, the repeated exposure to emollients contained in EBHS may require further studies before validating these results.

Lateralized clinical and diffusion-weighted MRI abnormalities in a probable case of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

The usual clinical profile of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is subacute dementia, motor dysfunction and myoclonus. Occasionally, some patients present atypical clinical features. We report a case of probable sCJD in a 73-year-old man with a rapidly progressive lateralized neurologic dysfunction of the left hemisphere. In a few weeks the clinical picture deteriorated dramatically to akinetic mutism and myoclonus. The 14-3-3 protein was positive in the cerebrospinal fluid. Diffusion-weighted (DWI) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed increased signal in the left cortical ribbon and deep gray matter corresponding to the clinical lateralization. He died 9 weeks after onset, autopsy was not performed. This case illustrates the correlation between the lateralized clinical and DWI MRI abnormalities in sCJD.

Tropical sprue in two foreign residents, with evidence of Tropheryma whippelii in one case.

Tropical sprue is a rare disease in travelers. Its etiology remains unclear. We report two cases of tropical sprue occurring in long-term residents in Nepal and Cameroon. In one case, Tropheryma whippelii, the agent of Whipple's disease, was identified. Many infectious agents have been suggested to be the etiological agent of tropical sprue, but no association with Whipple's disease has yet been reported.

Efficacy of praziquantel during the incubation and invasive phase of Schistosoma haematobium schistosomiasis in 18 travelers.

The efficacy of praziquantel started during the incubation period of schistosomiasis has not been studied. Eighteen tourists were infected by Schistosoma haematobium during summer 2003 after bathing once in the same cascade in Mali. We observed the efficacy of praziquantel given at different phases. They received praziquantel at the first consultation, from Days 10 to 15 after exposure in eight asymptomatic patients (Group 1), from Days 28 to 40 in 4 asymptomatic patients (Group 2), and from Days 20 to 39 in 6 patients with acute schistosomiasis (Group 3). All Group 1 patients developed acute schistosomiasis, compared with none of the Group 2 patients (P < 0.004). Among the 10 patients treated during the acute phase, clinical status deteriorated in four cases. Seventeen of the 18 patients developed chronic schistosomiasis. Early praziquantel treatment was thus less effective than later treatment in preventing acute schistosomiasis, while neither treatment effectively prevented chronic schistosomiasis.

Eagle effect in Corynebacterium diphtheriae.

The in vivo relevance of the paradoxical bactericidal effect (the Eagle effect) is not evident. We found in vitro a paradoxical bactericidal effect of amoxicillin on 2 strains of nontoxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Then, using an experimental rabbit model of endocarditis, we evaluated the in vivo relevance of this phenomenon. Rabbits were assigned to the following groups: no treatment (control group), continuous amoxicillin infusion simulating a dosage of 200 mg/kg/day in humans, and continuous amoxicillin infusion simulating a dosage of 20 mg/kg/day in humans. The low dosage (20 mg/kg/day) was significantly more effective than the high dosage (200 mg/kg/day) against both strains (P<.025), confirming the paradoxical bactericidal effect observed in vitro.