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Biomedical subjects

P Pillet

Publications and source records attributed to P Pillet.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

[Congenital tuberculosis: difficulties in early diagnosis].

BACKGROUND: Neonatal and/or congenital tuberculosis is insufficiently understood. CASE REPORTS: Case 1. A premature hypotrophic neonate presented at the age of 45 days, without any maternal contact, a bilateral bronchopneumopathy. Whilst the pregnancy and birth had not been affected by any noteworthy problem, the mother died from miliary tuberculosis despite rifampin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide treatment. Her baby also died on day 52 from multivisceral failure. Culture of tracheal secretions confirmed a few weeks later the diagnosis of tuberculosis. Case 2. A premature, hypotrophic neonate presented on day 22 signs of respiratory distress (miliary), icterus and hepatosplenomegaly. Whilst the pregnancy and birth had not been affected by any particular problem, the mother, 18 days after giving birth, presented miliary and pleural tuberculosis. Despite treatment with rifampin, isoniazid and pyrazinamid started on day 22, the baby died on day 27 from multivisceral failure. The post-mortem liver biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of tuberculosis. Case 3. A baby born at term was hospitalized on day 4 for jaundice. Whilst the pregnancy and birth had not presented any problem, the mother developed a pleural tuberculosis on day 10. Breast-feeding was stopped. Due to the presence of opacities at the top of the right lung, the child was given rifampin, isioniazid, and pyrazinamide. The course was marked by the appearance of hepatomegaly and poor weight gain up to day 25, followed by an improvement. CONCLUSION: The frequency of congenital tuberculosis is probably under-estimated. Its early diagnosis is essential but often difficult as the initial manifestations are delayed. Improved screening of women at risk and sensitization of the medical community are necessary.

Antitubercular Agents↗

[Neurocysticercosis: pediatric aspects].

Neurocysticercosis is the most frequent parasitosis of the central nervous system in the world. Due to the extension of the pandemy, and the importance of the migrations from endemic countries, this parasitosis is being diagnosed with increasing frequency in France. Epilepsy is the main revealing symptom. However, in endemic countries, neurocysticercosis should be suspected in patients with any neurological sign. Diagnosis is based upon imaging procedures (computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) and serology (Elisa and Western blot). The evolution is highly variable, from complete latency to severe encephalopathy with psychomotor regression. Praziquantel and albendazole are the main therapeutic agents. Although corticosteroids are usually very effective on symptoms of the acute phase of the disease, their place in the treatment remains to be clarified. Racemic and ventricular forms of the disease usually need neurosurgery. In endemic regions, the diminution of the frequency of the disease relies upon prevention through health education compaigns, pending the achievement of an efficient vaccine.

Central Nervous System Diseases↗

Efficacy of cyclosporine A in the treatment of macrophage activation syndrome in juvenile arthritis: report of five cases.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of cyclosporine A in the treatment of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) occurring in children with juvenile arthritis. STUDY DESIGN: MAS developed in two boys and three girls with systemic juvenile arthritis (four) and polyarticular juvenile arthritis (one). In three children whose condition was life-threatening, increased parenteral administration of corticosteroids failed to improve their condition; therefore cyclosporine A (2 to 5 mg/kg per day) was added. In two other patients with less severe clinical manifestations, cyclosporine A alone (2 to 8 mg/kg per day) was given. RESULTS: After the introduction of cyclosporine A, rapid improvement was obtained in all patients and apyrexia occurred within 24 to 48 hours. The biologic abnormalities disappeared more slowly (up to 5 weeks for liver enzymes). CONCLUSIONS: These observations underline the usefulness of cyclosporine A in this complication. The use of this drug may circumvent the need for increased doses of corticosteroids in some patients. The mechanism of action of cyclosporine A remains speculative, but these results indicate indirectly that T-helper lymphocytes may play a role in the pathogenesis of MAS.

Antirheumatic Agents↗

The French version of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ) and the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ).

We report the results of the cross-cultural adaptation and validation into the French language of two health status instruments. The Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ) is a disease specific instrument that measures functional ability in daily living activities in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). The Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ) is a generic health related quality of life instrument designed to capture the physical and psychosocial well-being of children independently from the underlying disease. Five hundred children were enrolled including 306 patients with JIA classified into systemic (23%), polyarticular (22%), extended oligoarticular (25%), and persistent oligoarticular (30%) subtypes, and 194 healthy children. Both instruments were reliable with intra-class correlation (ICC) coefficients for the test-retest procedure of 0.91 for the CHAQ, and 0.87 and 0.89 for the physical and psychosocial summary scores of CHQ, respectively. Agreement between parents and children evaluated for the CHAQ was high with an ICC of 0.89 for the disability index; weighted kappa coefficients for the 8 domains ranged from 0.61 to 0.72. Convergent validity was demonstrated by significant correlations with the JIA core set of variables (physician and parent global assessment, scores for active joints and joints with limited range of motion, erythrocyte sedimentation rate) for both instruments. Both CHAQ and CHQ discriminated between healthy and JIA children, but only the disease specific CHAQ questionnaire discriminated clearly between the 4 JIA subtypes. In conclusion, the French versions of the CHAQ and the CHQ are reliable, and valid health assessment questionnaires to be used in children suffering from JIA.

Adolescent↗