[Assessing the wearing of jewellery by French healthcare professionals]. / Évaluation du port de bijou chez des professionnels de la santé français.

OBJECTIVE: A prospective observation study was undertaken in seven medical centers, in the French region Alpes-Maritime, to assess nail hygiene of healthcare professionals and how often they wear hand jewellery. METHOD: Seven hundred and six healthcare workers in seven medical centers were interviewed from March to April 2008. RESULTS: Among the 706 professionals, 306 (43%) were wearing one or several pieces of jewellery. The nails of 81 (11.5%) were non-standard according to guidelines. Three hundred and forty-four health care professionals (49%) were wearing one or several pieces of jewellery and/or presented with non-standard nails. In univariate analysis, the wearing of jewellery was linked to the medical centre (P<0.001), to the professional category (p<0.001), to the number of times people washed their hands or used hand gel per day (ABHR) by categories (<10 times per day or ≥10 times per day) (P<0.017). In the multivariate analysis, the risk factors linked to the wearing of jewellery were the medical centers, the professional category, and the age. CONCLUSION: There are still too many healthcare professionals who do not comply to French recommendations on hand hygiene concerning the wearing of jewellery and nail hygiene standards.

[Risk factors for dryness or irritation of staff hands in nine healthcare institutions]. / Étude des facteurs de risque de sécheresse et d'irritation des mains du personnel dans neuf établissements de soins.

OBJECTIVE: We performed a prospective multicenter study to assess dryness and irritation of hands of staff in care facilities, and to show that disinfection with alcohol-based hand rub is better tolerated than classic hand washing with mild soap. METHOD: Dryness and irritation were self-evaluated by volunteers and hetero-evaluated by a team of investigators. The study took into account most of the individual and environmental risk factors of dryness and irritation (season, age, gender, use of protective agent, constitutional, personal and external factors, institution, function, number of consecutive working days). RESULTS: The results from the 1932 assessments collected showed that traditional hand washing was a risk factor for dryness or irritation, while alcohol-based hand rubs caused no skin deterioration and had a protective effect even when used intensively. COMMENT: These results should help to fight non-adherence to the use of alcohol-based hand rubs.

De novo interstitial deletion of the long arm of chromosome 7:46,XY,del(7)(q23;q32).

A de novo interstitial deletion of the long arm of chromosome 7 is reported in a newborn boy. Our observation is compared with seven others deletions of the same bands. Clinical features showed the following: hypotonia, microcephalia, difficulty in swallowing, low-set dysplastic ears, an abnormal cry, upslanting and small palpebral fissures, and abnormalities of the hands and feet. Delayed mental and physical development is the general rule, and visceral malformations are uncommon. Our patient had genital abnormalities and a cardiac malformation.

[Kniest's disease]. / La maladie de Kniest.

A one year old child with Kniest's disease was admitted for reconstructive surgery of the bone deficit of a palatine cleft. This syndrome is recognizable at a very early age by the shortness of the limbs or the increase in size of the joints. Clinically it associates mild facial dystrophy and nanism from reduction in height of the trunk and the shortness and deviations of the limbs. Frequently associated are myopia, deafness and a palatine cleft. Radiological signs are reduced height of vertebral bodies, and a not infrequent finding is a cuneiform deformity of the first lumbar vertebrae. Epiphyseal development is anarchic, that of the knee large, while the femoral head is small, fragmented or absent. Transmission is by the dominant mode. Kniest's syndrome must be differentiated from metratropic dwarfism in which there is greater progression of spinal deformities.

[Purulent pericarditis with a subacute constrictive course. Apropos of a case. Review of the literature]. / Péricardite purulente d'évolution constrictive subaiguë. A propos d'un cas. Revue de la littérature.

A case of purulent pericarditis due to Hemophilus influenzae is reported. In spite of management by antibiotics and pericardial drainage, the disease ran a subacute course towards pericardial constriction. Fifty-two previously reported cases are reviewed. The most important clinical and paraclinical features are analyzed. Emphasis is put on the factors which promote subacute pericardial constriction.

[Rothmund-Thompson syndrome with glaucoma. Endocrine study]. / Syndrome de Rothmund-Thomson avec glaucome. Etude endocrinienne.

Two cases of Rothmund-Thomson syndrome in siblings are described. The elder patient, whose case was best documented and who was followed for several years, had the characteristic skin changes of poikiloderma congenitale with small stature and mental deficiency. Upon ophthalmologic examination, this patient was shown to have bilateral glaucoma which was treated surgically, while the cataract typically found in Rothmund-Thomson syndrome was lacking. Primary hypogonadism was confirmed by endocrinologic investigations; anterior pituitary hormones were normally released. With reference to this observation differential diagnosis is discussed; the medical literature is reviewed.

Increase in uncoupling protein-2 mRNA expression by BRL49653 and bromopalmitate in human adipocytes.

Uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2) is a novel mitochondrial protein that may be involved in the control of energy expenditure. We have previously reported an upregulation of adipose tissue UCP2 mRNA expression during fasting in humans. Analysis of changes in metabolic parameters suggested that fatty acids may be associated with the increased UCP2 mRNA level. Culture of human adipose tissue explants was used to study in vitro regulation of adipocyte UCP2 gene expression. A 48-h treatment with BRL49653 and bromopalmitate, two potent activators of PPARgamma, resulted in a dose-dependent increase in UCP2 mRNA levels. The induction by BRL49653 was rapid (from 6 h) and maintained up to 5 days. TNFalpha provoked a 2-fold decrease in UCP2 mRNA levels. Human recombinant leptin did not affect UCP2 mRNA expression. The data support the hypothesis that fatty acids are involved in the control of adipocyte UCP2 mRNA expression in humans.