[Fatal herpetic hepatitis in an apparently healthy adult].

The authors report the case of a 46-year old patient who died from fulminant herpetic hepatitis. No cause of immuno-depression was documented in this patient. No skin or mucosal herpetic lesion was found except a questionable urethritis.

[Search of a cytomegalovirus infection during pseudo-membranous colitis. 6 cases (author's transl)].

Six patients with pseudomembranous colitis unrelated to lincomycin or clindamycin treatment were investigated for signs of localised or diffuse cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Before the onset of colitis 3 patients had receive prednisone, associated in 2 of them with immunosuppressive drugs. Testing for CMV included rectal mucosa biopsies, culture of blood leucocytes with human embryo diploid fibroblasts in continuous layer and titration of complement-deviating anti-CMV antibodies.

[Liver aspiration biopsy with a disposable instrument: Hepafix (author's transl)].

Liver aspiration biopsies performed with a new disposable instrument (Hepafix) were compared with biopsies performed with the conventional Menghini's needle in 74 patients. The diameter of the needle was the same in both groups, being either 1,4 or 1,6 mm depending upon the case. Twenty-seven of the 39 patients (69,2%) biopsied with the new instrument experienced no pain during puncture, as opposed to only 9 of the 35 patients (25,7%) biopsied with the standard needle.

[Radiological, fibroscopical, histological and secretory gastric aspects in hemodialyzed patients (author's transl)].

Seventeen chronic hemodialyzed patients underwent a baryum meal, a fibroscopy with biopsic studies and an evaluation of gastric acid secretion. No duodenal ulcer was found. The gastric and duodenal folds are the most common anomaly.

[Abnormal serum iron carrier in a case of malignant histiocytosis (author's transl)].

A patient with malignant histiocytosis had an iron plasmatic concentration above 600 gamma/100 ml. An abnormal iron-binding protein incompletely saturated is demonstrated in the plasma. This protein has an electrophoretic migration near the alpha 2 globulins and no immunological reactions with antitransferrin and antiferritin antibodies.

[Relationship between gastric acid secretion and plasma calcium, parathormone and calcitonin levels in patients with chronic renal failure on haemodialysis (author's transl)].

In twelve patients on chronic haemodialysis, a relationship was established between gastric acid secretion on the one hand, and certain parameters of calcium metabolism on the other hand: in a multifactorial statistical analysis, plasma calcium before dialysis (p less than 0,05), plasma parathormone levels before dialysis (p less than 0,05) and plasma calcitonin before dialysis (p less than 0,05) were variable explicatives of basal gastric acid secretion according to a direct relationship, whilst plasma calcium (p less than 0,05) was the only explicative variable of maximal gastric acid secretion after pentagastrin, with an inverse relationship. These preliminary results suggest that gastric acid secretion in the haemodialysis patient must be interpreted in the light of the state of calcium metabolism. Thus hypocalcaemia may be accompanied by decreased basal acid secretion and by contrast by an increased maximal acid secretion.