Measurement of tritium in the free water of milk : spotting and quantifying some biases and proposing ways of improvement.

As one of the three natural isotopes of hydrogen, tritium is ubiquitous and may potentially be present in any water or organic molecule that constitutes a biological matrix. Milk is one of the most frequently monitored foodstuffs in the vicinity of chronic release of radionuclides, as it is a very common food product and also because it integrates deposition on large areas of grass or crops at a local scale. Different parameters have been studied to assess their impact on the reliability of tritium measurements in the free water of milk.

Disabilities and trends over time in a French county, 1980-91.

Aim: To describe trends over time and types of disability for children born in a French county from 1980 to 1991.

Methods: Data were collected from medical records of a morbidity register; disabled children with at least one severe deficiency have been included. Prevalence rates are given per 1000 resident children, over four three-year periods.

[An unrecognized neonatal emergency: extensive hematoma of the scalp. 5 cases].

Background: Subgaleal hemorrhage results from a pericranial effusion of blood subsequent to neonatal trauma. This exceptional situation compared with other pericranial effusion conditions in the neonate may be life-threatening.

Case Reports: We report the obstetrical and neonatal data in 5 cases of subgaleal hemorrhage observed in our unit over an 8-year 8-month period.

[Influence of sodium alginate on the intestinal transit in low birth weight newborn infants].

Sodium alginate (Gaviscon) is used in the management of gastro-oesophageal reflux in infants. No digestive disadvantages have as yet been reported with the use of the Gaviscon formula available in France, which contains neither aluminium hydroxide nor thickener. Twenty-two healthy neonates were prospectively studied before and after Gaviscon treatment in order to characterize their whole gut transit time with the use of a carmine index.