[Towards freedom to claim the right to die].

current evolution of society makes it possible to debate the issue of the end of life for people suffering from pathologies in which the vital prognosis is not involved; this concerns psychiatric situations in particular. This debate, which bears the seeds of a real desire to die as a personal choice, is likely to profoundly modify the doctor-patient relationship in the particular field of psychiatry.

Persistent neuropathic pain after inguinal herniorrhaphy depending on the procedure (open mesh v. laparoscopy): a propensity-matched analysis.

Background: A greater incidence of persistent pain after inguinal herniorrhaphy is suspected with the open mesh procedure than with laparoscopy (transabdominal preperitoneal), but the involvement of neuropathy needs to be clarified.

Methods: We examined the cumulative incidence of neuropathic persistent pain, defined as self-report of pain at the surgical site with neuropathic aspects, within 6 months after surgery in 2 prospective subcohorts of a multicentre study. We compared open mesh with laparoscopy using different analysis, including a propensity-matched analysis with the propensity score built from a multivariable analysis using a generalized linear model.

Cervical necrotizing fasciitis: 10 years' experience at a single institution.

Objective: To evaluate clinical and microbiologic characteristics, modalities of treatment and outcome of patients with cervical necrotizing fasciitis admitted to our institution.

Design: Retrospective clinical investigation.

Patients And Methods: We reviewed the charts of 20 consecutive patients hospitalized in our Intensive Care Unit between January 1987 and June 1998 with the diagnosis of cervical necrotizing fasciitis.

Confirmatory platelet-activating factor receptor antagonist trial in patients with severe gram-negative bacterial sepsis: a phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. BN 52021 Sepsis Investigator Group.

Objective: To determine the efficacy and safety of using natural platelet-activating factor receptor antagonist (PAFra), BN 52021, to treat patients with severe Gram-negative bacterial sepsis.

Design: A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial.

Setting: Fifty-nine academic medical center intensive care units in Europe.