Shorter time since inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis in children is associated with lower mental health in parents.

AIM: This study assessed the mental health of parents of children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), compared their mental health with age-matched and gender-matched references and examined parental and child predictors for mental health problems. METHODS: A total of 125 mothers and 106 fathers of 125 children with active and inactive IBD from the Swiss IBD multicentre cohort study were included. Parental mental health was assessed by the Symptom Checklist 27 and child behaviour problems by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Child medical data were extracted from hospital records. RESULTS: While the mothers reported lower mental health, the fathers' mental health was similar, or even better, than in age-matched and gender-matched community controls. In both parents, shorter time since the child's diagnosis was associated with poorer mental health. In addition, the presence of their own IBD diagnosis and child behaviour problems predicted maternal mental health problems. CONCLUSIONS: Parents of children with IBD may need professional support when their child is diagnosed, to mitigate distress. This, in turn, may help the child to adjust better to IBD. Particular attention should be paid to mothers who have their own IBD diagnosis and whose children display behaviour problems.

Circulating EM66 is a highly sensitive marker for the diagnosis and follow-up of pheochromocytoma.

We have previously demonstrated that measurement of tissue concentration of the novel secretogranin II-derived peptide EM66 may help to discriminate between benign and malignant pheochromocytomas. The aim of the present study was to characterize EM66 in plasma and urine of healthy volunteers and pheochromocytoma patients, in order to further evaluate the usefulness of this peptide as a circulating marker for the management of the tumors. HPLC analysis of plasma and urine samples demonstrated that the EM66-immunoreactive material coeluted with the recombinant peptide. In healthy volunteers, plasma and urinary EM66 levels were, respectively, 2.6 (1.9-3.7) ng/ml and 2.9 (1.9-4.6) ng/ml. In patients with pheochromocytoma, plasma EM66 levels were 10-fold higher than those of healthy volunteers (26.9 (7.3-44) ng/ml), and returned to normal values after removal of the tumor. In contrast, urinary EM66 levels were not significantly different from those of healthy volunteers (3.2 (2.2-3.9) ng/ml). Measurement of total or free plasma metanephrines and 24 hr urinary metanephrines in our series of patients revealed that these tests, taken separately, are less sensitive than the EM66 determination. Pheochromocytes in primary culture secreted high levels of EM66, suggesting that the chromaffin tumor was actually responsible for the increased plasma peptide concentrations in the patients. These data indicate that EM66 is secreted in the general circulation and that elevated plasma EM66 levels are correlated with the occurrence of pheochromocytoma. Thus, EM66 is a sensitive plasma marker that should be considered as a complementary tool in the management of pheochromocytoma.

Standardizing the diagnosis of inhalation injury using a descriptive score based on mucosal injury criteria.

INTRODUCTION: Inhalation injury is an important determinant of outcome in patients with major burns. However the diagnostic criteria remain imprecise, preventing objective comparisons of published data. The aims were to evaluate the utility of an inhalation score based on mucosal injury, while assessing separately the oro-pharyngeal sphere (ENT) and tracheobronchial tree (TB) in patients admitted to the ICU with a suspicion of inhalation injury. METHODS: Prospective observational study in 100 patients admitted with suspicion of inhalation injury among 168 consecutive burn admissions to the ICU of a university hospital. Inclusion criteria, endoscopic airway assessment during the first hours. ENT/TB lesion grading was 1: oedema, hyperemia, hypersecretion, 2: bullous mucosal detachment, erosion, exudates, 3: profound ulcers, necrosis. RESULTS: Of the 100 patients (age 42±17 years, burns 23±19%BSA), 79 presented an ENT inhalation injury ≥ENT1 (soot present in 24%): 36 had a tracheobronchial extension, 33 having a grade ≥TB1. Burned vibrissae: 10 patients "without" suffered ENT injury, while 6 patients "with" had no further lesions. Length of mechanical ventilation was strongly associated with the first 24 hrs' fluid resuscitation volume (p<0.0001) and the presence of inhalation injury (p=0.03), while the ICU length of stay was correlated with the %BSA. Soot was associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation (p=0.0115). There was no extubation failure. CONCLUSIONS: The developed inhalation score was simple to use, providing a unified language, and drawing attention to upper airway involvement. Burned vibrissae and suspected history proved to be insufficient diagnostic criteria. Further studies are required to validate the score in a larger population.

Nutritional diagnosis of Norway spruce stands growing on drained peatlands using foliar analysis

Tiivistelmä: Ojitettujen suokuusikoiden ravinnetarpeen määritys neulasanalyysillä

Utilité du dosage de la CRP dans le diagnostic, le pronostic et le suivi de la pneumonie acquise dans la communauté [Role of C-reactive protein in the diagnosis, prognosis and follow-up of community-acquired pneumonia].

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major clinical problem in terms of morbidity, mortality, and use of hospital resources. It is well recognized that a delay in making the diagnosis and instituting appropriate antibiotic treatment is associated with an increased mortality. C-reactive protein may be helpful in the management of patients with CAP. CRP is widely used in the management of CAP, including diagnosis, prognosis and follow-up. But its usefulness is not known. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the usefulness of CRP in the diagnosis, prognosis and follow-up of CAP.

Diagnosis of Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome in a patient with spontaneous pneumothorax

Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome refers to a dermatologic syndrome, consisting of small papular skins lesion distributed on the scalp, forehead, face and neck, which is autosomal dominantly inherited. Subsequently patients may develop concomitant renal and thoracic pathology. We report the case of a patient with Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome diagnosed after spontaneous pneumothorax.

Diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infections.

Advances in implant design, surgical technique, peri-operative antimicrobial prophylaxis and laminar airflow operating room environment have made total joint arthroplasty one of the most successful surgical procedures of all times. Orthopaedic implants, however, remain prone to microbial contamination resulting in persistent risk of implant-associated infection. Treatment of infections associated with orthopaedic devices usually requires appropriate surgical intervention combined with a prolonged antimicrobial therapy. The choice of the best possible treatment regimen depends on duration and pathogenesis of infection, stability of the implant, antimicrobial susceptibility of the pathogen and condition of the surrounding soft tissue. In addition towell known diagnostic procedures new promising tools for rapid and correct microbial diagnosis are being developed as correct diagnosis of the responsible micro-organism and this is paramount for successful treatment of prosthetic joint infection.

Etat confusionnel avec pneumencéphale: quel est votre diagnostic [A patient with confusion and pneumocephalus: what is your diagnosis?]

We report the case of a 58 year old male who presented with acute meningoencephalitis and pneumocephalus (intracranial air) visualized on head CT scan. Despite the lack of typical clinical signs such as retroauricular tenderness, red tympanic membrane or otorrhea, mastoiditis was suggested by head CT scan. The patient made a full recovery after mastoidectomy and six weeks of antibiotic therapy. Streptococcus pneumoniae grew from a surgical purulent mastoid tissue sample. Mastoiditis and its complications are rare in adults. A high level of clinical suspicion is needed when a patient presents with encephalitis of unclear origin.

Diagnostic des onychomycose a moisissures et importance pour le traitement [Diagnosis of non dermatophyte onychomycosis ant its relevance for treatment].

PCR methods are reliable and suitable to in situ identify dermatophytes, yeasts and non dermatophyte moulds (NDM) in onychomycosis. Onychomycosis insensitive to standard treatment with topical agents as well as with oral terbinafine or itraconazole revealed Fusarium spp., Acremonium spp. and Aspergillus spp. as infectious agents. However, NDM onychomycosis could be efficiently cured using topical amphotericin B. In conclusion, correct fungal species identification is important in onychomycoses in order to prescribe adequate treatments since dermatophytes and moulds have different sensitivities to antifungal drugs.

Evaluation of prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease in a regional controlled case study.

AIMS: This study evaluated the evolution of the prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) between 2003 and 2008 and its repercussion for the CHD prevalence rate at birth in a well-defined population (Canton of Vaud, Switzerland). METHODS AND RESULTS: All 572 cases of CHD reported in the Eurocat Registry of Vaud-Switzerland between 1.5.2003 and 31.12.2008 were analysed and compared with the cases in our clinical database. CHD cases were divided into five different groups according to heart disease severity. The prenatal detection rates increased significantly between 2003 and 2008, with a mean detection rate of 25.2%. There was a significantly higher rate of prenatal diagnosis in the first four groups of CHD severity, with the highest detection rate (87.5%) found in the group with the most severe CHD (group 1). In this group, 85.7% of cases resulted in a termination of pregnancy, and there was a consequent 75% reduction in the prevalence of severe major cardiac malformation at birth. Detection rates were 66% in group 2, 68.6% in group 3, and the lowest in groups 4 and 5, with rates of 25.9% and 12.9%, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the prenatal detection rate for CHD increased in a well-defined population over the study period. Prenatal diagnosis thus has had a major impact on patients with the most severe types of CHD and has resulted in a significant reduction in severe CHD at birth.

Markers for sepsis diagnosis in the forensic setting: state of the art.

Reliable diagnoses of sepsis remain challenging in forensic pathology routine despite improved methods of sample collection and extensive biochemical and immunohistochemical investigations. Macroscopic findings may be elusive and have an infectious or non-infectious origin. Blood culture results can be difficult to interpret due to postmortem contamination or bacterial translocation. Lastly, peripheral and cardiac blood may be unavailable during autopsy. Procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6 can be measured in biological fluids collected during autopsy and may be used as in clinical practice for diagnostic purposes. However, concentrations of these parameters may be increased due to etiologies other than bacterial infections, indicating that a combination of biomarkers could more effectively discriminate non-infectious from infectious inflammations. In this article, we propose a review of the literature pertaining to the diagnostic performance of classical and novel biomarkers of inflammation and bacterial infection in the forensic setting.

Spinal epidural hematoma: not always an obvious diagnosis.

Spinal epidural hematoma (SEH) is a rare neurosurgical emergency. SEH is characterized by an archetypal clinical presentation including abrupt spinal pain followed more or less rapidly by various degrees of neurological deficit. The diagnosis of SEH, often based on a clinical presumption, represents a clinical challenge. Several reports have outlined missed or delayed diagnosis due to unusual and confusing onsets or unawareness of this diagnosis by physicians. Therefore, physicians should keep in mind the possibility of SEH in their differential diagnosis when confronted with patients complaining of sudden onset of acute spinal pain with or without neurological sign, because the impact of a delayed diagnosis can be disabling catastrophic neurological sequelae. We suggest that SEH is a dynamic disease, which occurs in patients with an abnormal vasculature structural degenerative change. The bleeding is probably of multifactorial origin incriminating veins as well as arteries. Therefore, we proposed a classification of SEH, according to the most probable etiology whatever the associated factors, in six groups: spontaneous, secondary, iatrogenic, traumatic, recurrent, and idiopathic SEH.