Prospective evaluation of a cutaneous stimulation technique to induce on-demand urination in non-toilet-trained infants.

Context: When a urinary tract infection is suspected, it is recommended to capture a midstream sample of urine for analysis, but this strategy is difficult to apply before successful toilet training. A cutaneous stimulation technique has been reported to be effective in provoking micturition in newborns.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and the efficacy of this technique in a population of non-toilet-trained infants.

[Parapneumonic pleural effusion incidence in a French region before and during the antipneumococcal vaccine era].

Background And Aims: The aim of the study was to compare the incidence of parapneumonic pleural effusion in the Limousin region of France, based on the comparison of pre- and postvaccination periods.

Methods: Subjects, 0-18-years-old, were retrospectively identified by searching in computerized databases of coded discharge diagnosis for patients with a diagnosis of pleural effusion and/or empyema and/or pulmonary infection in all the pediatric departments in Limousin hospitals. Medical records were reviewed by one of the authors and those with parapneumonic effusion and confirmed or suspected pneumococcal infection were included in the study.

The Dijon Physical Activity Score: reproducibility and correlations with physical fitness in patients with coronary artery disease.

Objectives: To study the clinimetric properties of the Dijon Physical Activity Score (PAS) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Patients: Two populations of patients with CAD: one group of stabilized patients from the RICO county-wide monitoring program and one group in the initial phase of a cardiovascular rehabilitation program (CVR group).

Methods: The patients carried out a maximal effort test on a cycle ergometer, plus two walking tests (a six-minute walk test and a 200 m fast walk test).

Genetic investigation of autosomal recessive distal renal tubular acidosis: evidence for early sensorineural hearing loss associated with mutations in the ATP6V0A4 gene.

Mutations in the ATP6V1B1 and ATP6V0A4 genes, encoding subunits B1 and 4 of apical H(+) ATPase, cause recessive forms of distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA). ATP6V1B mutations have been associated with early sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), whereas ATP6V0A4 mutations are classically associated with either late-onset SNHL or normal hearing. The phenotype and genotype of 39 new kindreds with recessive dRTA, 18 of whom were consanguineous, were assessed.

[Is there an increased risk for cardiovascular disease in HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy?].

There is a growing concern about an increased risk for cardiovascular disease in HIV infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). This risk could be related to metabolic abnormalities associated with long-term use of antiretroviral drugs. In fact, well recognized cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus and central fat deposition are increasingly seen in HIV patients on ART.