Diagnostic biologique de la dengue.

Dengue is the most important disease caused by an arbovirus worldwide. Its clinical manifestations are very large from asymptomatic infections to severe diseases with fatal outcome. No effective antiviral treatment or vaccine is available.

Impact of rapid HIV testing on the return rate for routine test results in sexually transmitted infection testing centres.

To strengthen HIV screening in the French West Indies (FWI), we evaluated the feasibility of rapid tests in sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing centres. Rapid testing was offered to each user ahead of the standard screening tests. Between October 2007 and December 2008, 847 users had HIV rapid testing, and 1724 users did not have rapid testing.

Prospective evaluation of nonstructural 1 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and rapid immunochromatographic tests to detect dengue virus in patients with acute febrile illness.

We prospectively evaluated the Bio-Rad nonstructural 1 (NS1) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (LFIA) in comparison to an in-place reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for dengue diagnosis. Among 537 consecutive samples from patients with acute febrile disease, 264 (49.2%) tested positive in reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), 156 (29.

Different HLA class II (DRB1 and DQB1) alleles determine either susceptibility or resistance to NMO and multiple sclerosis among the French Afro-Caribbean population.

Background: Despite similarities, neuromyelitis optica (NMO) can be distinguished from multiple sclerosis (MS) by clinical, radiological and serological findings.

Objective: This case-control study aimed to determine whether patients with NMO or with MS in an Afro-Caribbean population originating from French West Indies shared the same or different HLA class I and II pattern distribution.

Methods: The association with HLA class II (DRB1 and DQB1) alleles was tested in 42 NMO patients, 163 MS patients and 150 healthy controls.

Identification of a new HLA-B*40 variant, B*400204, by sequence-based typing in a Martinican individual.

We report the identification of a novel B*40 allele, officially named B*400204, found in a Martinican prospective bone marrow donor by means of sequence-based typing techniques. This novel allele differs from the B*400201 allele by a synonymous nucleotide exchange at codon 31 in exon 2 (ACG --> ACC).

Two new HLA-DQB alleles routinely identified by sequence-based typing: DQB1*030103 and DQB1*0505.

Here, we report the identification of two novel human leukocyte antigen-DQB1 alleles, DQB1*030103 and DQB1*0505, found by routine typing using commercial kits.

[Use of HIV rapid tests in free and anonymous screening consultations in the French West Indies].

Objective: Late screening for HIV is frequent in people living in the French West Indies. Rapid tests (RT) create new opportunities to improve screening for HIV. We evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of RT among users of free and anonymous screening consultations in Fort-de-France and Saint-Martin.

Older patients undergoing dialysis treatment: cognitive functioning, depressive mood and health-related quality of life.

An increasing number of older patients receive dialysis treatment to compensate for deficient kidneys due to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Ethical questions arise about the benefits of dialysis when a patient appears unwilling or unable to comply with this treatment procedure. Such attitudes and behaviour may be due to psychological factors, but these are not routinely assessed.

Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans endocarditis.

Among the bacteria of the HACEK group, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans is the organism involved most commonly in infective endocarditis. However, the epidemiological and clinical features specifically associated with this species have not been evaluated adequately. Three patients with infective endocarditis caused by A.

Use of a Plackett-Burman design with multivariate calibration for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in micellar media by synchronous fluorescence.

This work describes the use of a multilevel Plackett-Burman design (PB) for the creation of a calibration set for partial least square regression (PLS). The PB calibration set was compared to a collinear analogue by testing these two PLS models for the analysis of six polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These compounds were analyzed in micellar media by synchronous fluorescence after determination of the experimental conditions (choice of surfactant, analytical conditions such as deltalambda, step, and scan range).