[Medical ethics and responsibility].

In the matter of health, the care of a patient is not the same as that of a population. With regards to medical ethics, it is essential to differentiate that which is for the patient's well being, and that which relies on knowledge and responsibility, the principle of which is not to do harm. The health sector has become an important economic actor in our society.

Comparative study of azithromycin and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid in the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections.

Forty-eight patients with acute bronchitis and four with pneumonia were randomly assigned to receive five doses (500 mg on day 1, plus 250 mg/day on days 2-5) of azithromycin; 54 patients with acute bronchitis and four with pneumonia were assigned 30 doses (625 mg every eight hours for ten days) of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (CA). The two regimens were equally effective, with clinical improvement or cure in 92% and 87% of patients respectively, bacteriological cure in 89% and 86%, with 91% and 89% of pathogens eliminated. Minor side effects occurred in 6% and 12% of patients in the two groups, respectively.

[Etiological diagnosis of syncope and brief loss of consciousness in patients over 65. Results of a multicenter prospective study of 188 cases].

In a prospective multicentre study a series of 188 patients over 65 years of age admitted for syncope (90) or transient loss of consciousness (98) was collected. There were 120 women and 68 men; mean age was 78.7 +/- 6.

[Malaise and brief losses of consciousness after 65 years of age. Clinical diagnosis and value of complementary studies in 512 patients].

A retrospective study of the diagnosis and causes of malaise and loss of consciousness has been conducted under the aegis of the French National Society of Internal Medicine. This multicentric and retrospective enquiry, which involved 512 patients, revealed that up to 44% of the malaise had no diagnostic label and that those of known aetiology were frequently due to cardiovascular disorders, such as postural hypotension (11.7%) or arrhythmia (9.

[Factitious diseases and Münchausen's syndrome].

Factitious diseases in which the symptoms are simulated or created intentionally are very varied: functional manifestations, haemorrhages, anaemia, pyrexia, metabolic disturbances (hypoglycaemia, hypokalaemia, hyperthyroidism, etc.), skin lesions and others. Different symptomatic associations are possible.