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Biomedical subjects

F Los

Publications and source records attributed to F Los.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

The 1999 French Venous Disease Survey: epidemiology, management, and patient profiles.

A recent (1999) Sofres survey of representative samples of the adult French population aged 15 and over showed that almost half this population suffered from lower limb venous complaints and that 43% of them were untreated. Of those treated, 24.2% received venotropics, including 21.5% by prescription, while 6.0% practiced self-medication. Venous disease sufferers form a relatively underprivileged sector of the population in terms not only of age, income, work and living conditions, but also of general health and medical history. Despite its clinical efficacy and potential social utility, venotropic treatment is possible only if backed by adequate state health insurance coverage supplemented by mutual and private insurance schemes. Any restriction to such coverage will only decrease access to prescription venotropics.

Adolescent↗

[Acute rhinosinusitis in the adult: national survey of general practice management].

Between the 17/1/2000 and the 31/3/2000 a study was carried out in 5000 general practitioners in the management of patients with acute maxillary sinusitis. The general practitioners filled out a questionnaire in 2 parts: the first part about their management (diagnosis-treatment) and the second part included 1 case study. According to the results of the first part, acute maxillary sinusitis occurred frequently during the winter months adding further complications. The second part of the study confirmed the finding of the first part. Analysis of case study demonstrates that this pathology affected men at the median age 37.6. The incidence of bilateral sinusitis is (61.4%) maxillary (61.1%), frontal (31.7%), ethmoidomaxillary (9.4%) or sphenoidal (1.7%). One quarter of patients participated in further medical investigations that included regular X rays of sinus and 14% patients in anterior rhinoscopy. In the older patients, on the patients with unilateral sinusitis, or sphenoidal sinusitis, the investigations were more frequent and these patients appealed for the specialist frequently (Ear Nose and Throat specialist mainly). The first line of treatment included 3.2 products of which antibiotics 98.5%, vasoconstrictors 55%, anti-inflammatory 55% (corticosteroids 46.8%, non corticosteroids 8.7%), mucolytics 41.6%. In total, general practitioners confirmed their pragmatic management in the treatment of acute sinusitis based on clinical diagnosis.

Acute Disease↗

Nasopharyngeal teratoma and mosaic tetrasomy 1q detected at amniocentesis. A case report and review of the literature.

The occurrence of nasopharyngeal teratomas (NPT) is an infrequent event and prenatal detection of such tumors is even rarer. We present a case report and review of the literature (N = 78 cases), in which we describe the cytogenetic, DNA, and pathological findings of a fetus with a mature NPT which was detected prenatally by ultrasound investigation following complaints of severe polyhydramnios by the mother.

Adult↗

Evaluation of severe insomnia in the general population: results of a European multinational survey.

The epidemiology of severe insomnia and its effect on quality of life and healthcare consumption was assessed in a survey of the general population of five northern European countries. Applying established consumer sampling techniques, insomnia sufferers were selected from the general population using a questionnaire, conducted by face-to-face interview, and severity of insomnia was ranked (severe, mild/moderate, no sleep complaint) using a specific algorithm. Population samples were matched according to case control methodology for age, gender and geographical region. A second questionnaire gathered information on sleep problems, quality of life (SF-36 scores) and healthcare consumption. The prevalence of severe insomnia ranged from 4% to 22%, was higher in females than in males, but did not increase significantly with age. Patients with severe insomnia had been experiencing sleeping problems for a median of 2-6 years. In all countries, insomnia had a negative impact on quality of life, and the degree of impairment in quality of life was directly related to the severity of insomnia. Individuals with severe insomnia also showed a higher level of healthcare consumption. Despite this, severe insomnia did not appear to feature prominently in the doctor-patient relationship.

Adult↗

[Descriptive study of digestive functional symptoms in the French general population].

UNLABELLED: To study the prevalence of "reported" functional digestive symptoms (FDS) in terms easily understood by the general population without resorting to predefined concepts of functional syndromes, and to assess FDS impact on public health, a sample survey has been carried out between September and December 1995. METHODS: Four thousand eight hundred and seventeen subjects representative of the French general population aged 15 years or more filled in a questionnaire describing their digestive disorders. RESULTS: Seventy percent of the subjects had digestive complaints, 9% being related to a presumably organic disease, and 61% attributed to FDS. Twenty-seven % of the subjects claimed to be inconvenienced by their FDS, whereas 34% seemed not to feel any inconvenience. Among FDS, gas emission was the most frequent symptom (59%), followed by stomach ache and/or digestive pain (48%), flatulence (47%), bad digestion sensations (40%), constipation (35%), aerophagia (29%), bad breath (22%), incomplete evacuation of stools (19%). FDS had lasted from 6 months to 5 years in 38%, and over 5 years in 52%. In the subgroup of subjects inconvenienced by FDS (27%), 9% consulted and 18% did not, whereas in the subgroup not inconvenienced, 3% consulted and 31% did not. Altogether, 26% of the subjects followed a prescription or self medication treatment; 35% were not treated. Some explanatory variables appeared to be associated with the onset of inconvenience: the associations pain and bad digestion, flatulence and aerophagia, incomplete evacuation and nervous or presumably organic origin of FDS, age, stress, FDS frequency. Duration of symptoms, age above 65 years, digestive pain, presumably organic origin, and FDS frequency were associated with the need to consult. This descriptive, pragmatic survey shows the widespread prevalence of FDS, affecting 28 million French people. Functional digestive disorders in the "academic" meaning constitute only a limited subset. FDS lead to major health care consumption. Their impact on public health is undoubtedly greater than the estimates derived from studies designed in accordance with conventional nosological categories.

Adolescent↗

Rapid antibody test for prenatal diagnosis of fragile X syndrome on amniotic fluid cells: a new appraisal.

Fragile X syndrome is caused by mutations in the FMR1 gene and is one of the most frequent forms of inherited mental retardation in males. Postnatal and prenatal diagnosis of fragile X syndrome is feasible by direct DNA analysis. A new approach to prenatal diagnosis of fragile X syndrome in amniotic fluid cells is described, using a rapid and simple antibody test on uncultured amniotic fluid cells. The test requires 1 ml of amniotic fluid and the results of this antibody test are available on the same day as the amniocentesis.

Amniocentesis↗

Quality-of-life outcomes and the use of antihistamines in a French national population-based sample of patients with perennial rhinitis.

Our primary objective in designing the first large-scale nationwide population-based survey in France was to assess the impact of perennial rhinitis on quality of life. Our secondary objective was to describe the use of drug treatment, including histamine H1 antagonists, in that population. A pollbase of 20,000 households was screened for symptoms of rhinitis. 16,786 households responded, including 35,615 patients aged over 15 years, giving an overall response rate of 84%. Using an algorithm, 1367 patients with probable perennial rhinitis were selected for a cross-sectional collection of data about the history of their condition, comorbidity, use of medical resources, sick leave and nasal symptom-related quality of life [according to the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Questionnaire (SF-36)]. Finally, multivariate regression techniques were used to describe the relationship between quality-of-life scores and treatment subgroups, controlling for some other confounding factors. The point prevalence of perennial rhinitis was estimated to be 4.1% [95% confidence interval (CI): 3.9 to 4.3%]. Association of perennial rhinitis with a history of asthma was highly significant (13.4% in those with perennial rhinitis vs 3.8% in those without; odds ratio 3.26; p < 0.001). 38% of the patients with perennial rhinitis reported having taken regular medication during the last 3 months. Antihistamine use was associated with use of decongestant or topical nasal products in about one-third of patients. Four SF-36 dimensions (physical functioning, role physical, bodily pain, social functioning) showed significantly higher mean scores (indicating better quality of life) in patients receiving non-anticholinergic histamine H1 antagonist therapy, relative to those receiving other treatments, a difference that was maintained after controlling for gender, age, level of nasal symptoms, medical history of asthma and number of general practitioner visits. These results established the long term impact of perennial rhinitis on quality of life (generic and specific), and raised questions about appropriate therapy, since a positive association between current use of non-anticholinergic antihistamines with improvements on some SF-36 dimensional scores in patients with perennial rhinitis was observed.

Adult↗

[An infant with AIDS].

A four-month-old girl was hospitalized with pneumococcal sepsis from which she recovered. Subsequently she developed various other infectious diseases, including chronic diarrhoea caused by Cryptosporidium. After a period with neurological symptoms, later sagittal sinus thrombosis and cerebral atrophy, she died at age 13 months. It was found that the child suffered from AIDS. The mother was seropositive and the virus had probably been transmitted via the placenta. Rapid recognition of infants and young children with AIDS is necessary, for in the near future more cases of this disease will occur. Antiviral treatment may bring about improvement in children as well.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗