[Senses and dementia : sensory loss and dementia risk].

In the course of several neurodegenerative conditions, the presence of a sensory alteration, even before the appearance of cognitive disorders or complaints concerning autonomy, can potentially lead to earlier diagnosis and more efficient management of these complex patients. The mechanisms underlying the association between sensory impairment and the risk of progression to dementia are increasingly better understood and should ultimately improve the accuracy of the diagnosis process for the most common neurodegenerative conditions, but also participate in the differential diagnosis between these conditions. Finally, early management of these sensory impairments offers a relatively easy way to modify patient's progression by delaying the onset of several symptoms during the progression towards a dementia syndrome.

A regression predictive model for QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus indeterminate results in immunosuppressed patients.

Background: Screening for latent tuberculosis infection using Interferon-Gamma Release Assays is a routine procedure prior to the initiation of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) biotherapy or immunosuppressive therapy. However, indeterminate results are relatively frequent and are an obstacle to treatment initiation.

Aim: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to estimate the frequency of indeterminate QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus test results in Tunisian patients, and to analyze the potential clinico-biological risk factors associated with these indeterminate results.

Sham-controlled randomized multicentre trial of transcranial direct current stimulation for prolonged disorders of consciousness.

Background And Purpose: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to improve signs of consciousness in a subset of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC). However, no multicentre study confirmed its efficacy when applied during rehabilitation. In this randomized controlled double-blind study, the effects of tDCS whilst patients were in rehabilitation were tested at the group level and according to their diagnosis and aetiology to better target DoC patients who might repond to tDCS.

[Progressive ataxia and falls in a 62 year old woman].

We discuss the diagnostic workup of a 62 year old woman without any significant past medical history. We take this opportunity to point out three aspects : 1. The necessary contextualization of the whole process allowing to avoid unrealistic differentials; 2.

[How to explore… a cervical dystonia].

Cervical dystonia is one of the most frequent form of focal dystonia. However, there's a great lack of awareness of this condition : a long delay to diagnosis is quite common and misdiagnosis is often seen. Nevertheless, this pathology is invalidating and improving diagnosis could have an impact on the treatment and the patient's quality of life.

[A brief history of syphilis. The disease through the art and the artist].

Considering its strong symbolic connotations and its rich history, syphilis could be regarded as the perfect example of venerian disease. It could also be seen as a representative disease of the whole medical history and the evolution of both medical ways of thinking and curing. In this work we will briefly discuss the history of the syphilitic disease and try to show how this condition has affected the life and works of some of the most famous artists of the 19th century.

Incidental Gallbladder Carcinoma Discovered after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: Identifying Patients Who will Benefit from Reoperation.

Background: Despite an early radical reoperation, recurrence and poor survival are observed in up to 40% of patients with an incidentally discovered gallbladder carcinoma (I-GBC) after undergoing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). This study seeks to identify prognostic factors after re-I-GBC resection.

Methods: A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained patient database with patients who were undergoing resection for I-GBC from January 1995 to March 2017 was performed.

[Old phenotype and new genotypes. Pituitary adenomas].

Gigantism and acromegaly, usually caused by a pituitary adenoma linked inappropriate secretion of growth hormone (GH), are generally considered as very rare diseases, even if, according to some authors, their cumulative prevalence is about 1/5000. Starting from the historical case of a giant from Liège we shall describe the different types of GH pituitary adenomas and their pathophysiology. We shall particularly discuss rare forms of inherited GH secreting pituitary adenomas like the FIPA (familial inherited isolated pituitary adenomas) and the X-LAG (X linked acrogigantism), both described for the first time in Liège, in 2000 and 2014, respectively.

[Light pollution. A connection between ecology and health].

Light pollution is defined as the abnormal and disturbing nocturnal presence of light, its adverse consequences on flora, fauna, and, ecosystems, and its suspected or proven effects on human health. Light pollution is a quite recent and increasing phenomenon within our society; it leads to a major environmental damage not only on wildlife, but also on human health (cancers, obesity, fatigue, depression..

[The history of the pituitary gland: evolution of mental representation and concepts over time].

The hypothalamo pituitary axis, as the true conductor of the endocrine orchestra, is frequently involved in a large variety of pathological conditions such as acromegaly, behavioral disorders, obesity or dwarfism. It is paradoxical to note that, in spite of its importance, this system has been almost ignored by the physiologists of the late centuries. From the physiological conceptions of the physicians and philosophers of antiquity to the theories of the medieval and of the Renaissance physiologists, we will try to understand why the role of pituitary remained so long unrecognized.

Dorsomedial prefrontal metabolism and unawareness of current characteristics of personality traits in Alzheimer's disease.

Anosognosia is a complex symptom corresponding to a lack of awareness of one's current clinical status. Anosognosia for cognitive deficits has frequently been described in Alzheimer's disease (AD), while unawareness of current characteristics of personality traits has rarely been considered. We used a well-established questionnaire-based method in a group of 37 AD patients and in healthy controls to probe self- and hetero-evaluation of patients' personality and we calculated differential scores between each participant's and his/her relative's judgments.

Brain Metabolic Dysfunction in Capgras Delusion During Alzheimer's Disease: A Positron Emission Tomography Study.

Capgras delusion is characterized by the misidentification of people and by the delusional belief that the misidentified persons have been replaced by impostors, generally perceived as persecutors. Since little is known regarding the neural correlates of Capgras syndrome, the cerebral metabolic pattern of a patient with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Capgras syndrome was compared with those of 24-healthy elderly participants and 26 patients with AD without delusional syndrome. Comparing the healthy group with the AD group, the patient with AD had significant hypometabolism in frontal and posterior midline structures.

Episodic autobiographical memory in amnestic mild cognitive impairment: what are the neural correlates?

Autobiographical memory in amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) is characterized by impaired retrieval of episodic memories, but relatively preserved personal semantic knowledge. This study aimed to identify (via FDG-PET) the neural substrates of impaired episodic specificity of autobiographical memories in 35 aMCI patients compared with 24 healthy elderly controls. Significant correlations between regional cerebral activity and the proportion of episodic details in autobiographical memories from two life periods were found in specific regions of an autobiographical brain network.

Valuing one's self: medial prefrontal involvement in epistemic and emotive investments in self-views.

Recent neuroimaging research has revealed that the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is consistently engaged when people form mental representations of themselves. However, the precise function of this region in self-representation is not yet fully understood. Here, we investigate whether the MPFC contributes to epistemic and emotive investments in self-views, which are essential components of the self-concept that stabilize self-views and shape how one feels about oneself.

[Alzheimer's disease].

Alzheimer's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease encountered in patients over 60 years. By its prevalence and the consequent individual and social loss of function Alzheimer's disease is a major public health problem. With the presentation of a clinical story of Alzheimer's disease in an elderly patient, we propose a diagnostic and therapeutic discussion on this clinical problem.

[Monoclonal antibodies in neurology].

Since their inception in the 1970's, monoclonal antibody therapies became increasingly efficient and common in numerous medical conditions and their use in neurology has been boosted during the last couple of years with the rise of natalizumab (Tysabri). Furthermore, if most monoclonal antibodies currently assessed in neurologic conditions remain considered as experimental, they may soon become first-line approved treatments in a broad range of neuromuscular and demyelinating diseases. Since the introduction of new therapies is likely to unravel specific adverse events and sui generis iatrogenic disorders, it is important to be able to recognize the side-effects of monoclonal antibodies delivered for neurological or non-neurological diseases.

[Case report of skin manifestations in infantile Mediterranean kala-azar].

The case of a 19-month-old girl with visceral leishmaniasis and unusual skin manifestations is reported. Emphasis is put on the fact that such manifestations are unusual in Mediterranean infantile leishmaniasis. The clinical features, parasitology, histology, and course of these skin lesions are discussed.

[An analytic study of cases of childhood diabetes in a pediatric department in Tunis].

Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is common in Tunisia. Eighty-six pediatric cases managed at the diabetes clinic of a department of pediatrics in Tunis from 1979 through 1989 were studied. Relevant clinical and biological findings were abstracted from case-records.

[Comparative effects of couscous and pasta on glycemia in normal subjects and type I diabetics].

8 healthy subjects have eaten in the morning, after an overnight fast, in two separated occasions and in a randomised order 50 gr of CHO as pasta or couscous. Blood glucose after pasta ingestion was lower at 30 mn (p less than 0.05) at 45 mn (p less than 0.

[Continuous perfusion of insulin in the treatment of acidoketotic coma in children].

Ketoacidosis is still a frequent complication as far as our diabetic patients are concerned. The insulin regimen during this acute diabetic ketoacidosis was, until October 1981, administered at the start, half intravenously and half intramuscularly, then discontinuously every four hours, subcutaneously, according to the rate of glucose and acetoacetate. Since then, a new method has been used for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis providing a continuous perfusion without pumps, of insulin, glucose and electrolytes.