Hospital admissions related to influenza in France during the 2006/2007 epidemic.

BACKGROUND: The data available on hospital admissions related to influenza mostly concern in-patients admitted via the emergency department. Severe cases have been collated by intensive care practitioners since 2009. For this survey, we searched French hospital admission databases to estimate the prevalence rate of hospital admissions related to influenza and to record qualitative data. METHOD: All case studies identified between October 2006 and September 2007 were split into two groups: the first displaying symptoms of clinical influenza and the second suffering from influenza as an associated diagnosis. RESULTS: We collected 6797 hospital admissions, 2126 of which were closely related to clinical influenza. Fifty percent of cases concerned the elderly and young people. Fifty-six hospital deaths were recorded in which influenza was the underlying cause in 21% of the cases (12). When influenza was an associated diagnosis (44/56), cardiovascular or respiratory diseases were the main causes (26/44). CONCLUSION: During the same period (2006-2007), the French Sentinel Surveillance identified only 105 hospital admissions related to influenza. Our survey was therefore more exhaustive and was able to record qualitative data. Inclusion of hospital admissions with an associated diagnosis of influenza is debatable because this decreases specificity. The relationship between the principal diagnosis and all the associated diagnoses is difficult to study, although exclusion of this type of hospitalization could significantly underestimate these figures. Despite certain limitations, French hospital admissions databases should complement French Sentinel Surveillance data.

[New antiepileptic drugs]. / Les nouveaux antiépileptiques.

Since 1994, 10 new antiepileptics drugs have been developed and many others will be available in a near future. Effectiveness of theses new antiepileptic drugs is similar to the old ones but they have a better side-effect profile. This article updates their clinical use, taking into account the recent studies. These new antiepileptics drugs improve quality of life of the patients, but their use is not entirely safe, including the possible aggravation of certain forms of epilepsy. A better physiopathological knowledge of the epilepsy will help in the future to choose the most adequate drug(s) for each patient.

Mutagenicity of nitro- and amino-substituted carbazoles in Salmonella typhimurium. III. Methylated derivatives of 9H-carbazole.

The mutagenic potency of nine methylnitrocarbazoles, four methylaminocarbazoles and the methylcarbazole parent compounds was evaluated in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100, in the absence and presence of S9 isolated from Aroclor-induced rat liver. Nitro derivatives were additionally tested in TA98NR and TA98/1,8DNP6, and mutagenicity of nitrocarbazoles bearing methyl groups in positions 1 and 4 was also determined in TA1537 and TA1977, with and without S9. The addition of methyl groups on non-mutagenic carbazole can induce a mutagenic response where the intensity and nature of the effect depends on the position of the substitution: base-pair substitutions were only observed for N-methylated carbazoles, whereas 1,4-dimethylated compounds exhibited frameshift mutagenicity. All these activities depended on the presence of S9. From its dependence on classical nitroreductases, direct mutagenicity of methylnitro derivatives should be attributed to bacterial reduction of nitro groups. The influence of the methyl groups (and other additional substituents) on mutagenicity of these derivatives is discussed through their effects on life-time and reactivity of the intermediates (i.e., hydroxylamines and nitrenium ions), taking into account the nature, the position and the number of substituted sites Mutagenic activity of methylnitrocarbazoles was also tentatively correlated with various molecular descriptors. Among them hydrophobicity was found to be strongly correlated with the mutagenicity of the 1,4diMe3NC isomers. On the other hand, mutagenic potency of the nitrated and aminated methylcarbazoles varied independently of parameters linked to their oxidoreduction properties (i.e., reduction and oxidation potentials, LUMO and HOMO energies).

Corrosion susceptibility of titanium covered by dental cements.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to determine the influence of acidic fluorinated cements (as glass ionomer (GI) cements) on the passivation of titanium, using electrochemical investigations. METHODS: We realized experimental electrodes that associate titanium and dental cements. Polarization resistance of titanium electrodes has been determined for uncovered metal and electrodes covered with three dental cements. Student's t-tests proved the reproducibility. We also compared successive voltammograms for uncovered titanium and GI covered titanium. RESULTS: Correct passivation was observed with zinc eugenate, but fluorinated GI or zinc phosphate coverage increased the corrosion susceptibility. SIGNIFICANCE: However there is no evidence of titanium depassivation when covered with cement. No clinical contraindication can be held.

Incidence and main causes of infertility in a resident population (1,850,000) of three French regions (1988-1989).

To estimate the prevalence and main causes of infertility, a multicentre survey was conducted over 1 year (July 1988-June 1989) in three regions of France. All the 1686 couples in these regions, who consulted a practitioner for primary or secondary infertility during this period, were included in the investigation. The prevalence rate of infertility was found to be 14.1%, indicating that one woman out of seven in France will consult a doctor for an infertility problem during her reproductive life. The main causes of female infertility were ovulation disorders (32%) and tubal damage (26%), and of male infertility oligo-terato-asthenozoospermia (21%), asthenozoospermia (17%), teratozoospermia (10%) and azoospermia (9%). Infertility was also found to be caused by disorders in both the male and female partners together; thus in 39% of cases both the man and woman presented with disorders. The woman alone was responsible for infertility in one-third of cases and the man alone in one-fifth. Unexplained infertility was found in 8% of the couples surveyed.

[Infertility in France: results of a multicenter survey in three French departments (1988-1989)]. / L'infecondite en France: resultats d'une etude multicentrique dans trois departements francais (1988-1989).

Results are presented from a survey of 1,686 couples living in three French departments who consulted a practitioner over a 12-month period for primary or secondary infertility. "The prevalence rate of infertility was found to be 14.1%, indicating that one woman out of seven in France will consult a doctor for an infertility problem during her reproductive life." The main causes of both male and female infertility are analyzed. (SUMMARY IN ENG)