Medically assisted reproduction and viral infections

During the past ten years Assisted Reproduction has been facing a new demand from patients requiring ART [Assisted Reproductive Techniques]: couples at risk of partner to partner, and mother to child transmission of viral infections, mainly Human immunodeficiency virus [HIV], hepatitis B virus [HBV] and hepatitis C virus [HCV]. The desire to have children is not easy to realize for serodiscordant couples, if we consider that, in order to avoid HIV virus transmission, it is necessary to use the condom in vaginal contacts. On the other hand infertile discordant HCV couples need to be included in protocols of controlled assisted reproduction procedures to avoid any risk of HCV transmission to the partner. In this paper, we review current literature about assisted reproductive techniques [ART] recommendations and results in the context of Human immunodeficiency virus [HIV], hepatitis B virus [HBV] and hepatitis C virus [HCV]

Salmonella enteritidis spondylodiscitis: case report and review of literature

Extraintestinal manifestions of Salmonellosis are rare. Most of cases reported presented gastrointestinal symptoms, and were immunologically compromised. We report a case of a young immunocompetent patient with Salmonella enteritidis spondylodiscitis. She did not present any digestive symptoms. The tomodensitometric exam revaled L2 L3 spondylodiscitis. The culture of the biopsy yielded S. enteritidis. In the litterature, 115 cases of non-typhoidal salmonellosis were reported. Most of cases occur in patients immunologically compromised by sickle cell disease. Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella choleraesuis were the most common serotypes described

[Characteristics of emphysematous pyelonephritis: about four observations]

Emphysematous pyelonephritis is a severe infection which necessitates a management that is both medical and surgical. Early systematic antibiotic therapy is required. Percutaneous drainage is now the first urological approach in most cases. It should not however delay, if necessary, an eventual nephrectomy. We report our experience during 15 years in four women

[Tuberculomas intrasellaires: about 2 cases]

Sellar tuberculomas are extremely rare. Their diagnosis is difficult because other intrasellar lesions may have the same clinical and radiological appearance. We report two cases, in which the diagnosis was made on the basis of clinical, paraclinical and therapeutic arguments. The first observation is a 42-year-old unmarried woman who presented with central diabetes insipidus and secondary amenorrhoea. Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] revealed a nodular thickening of the pituitary stalk, an increased size of the pituitary gland and a loss of the posterior pituitary hyperintensity signal at T1. The tubercular origin of these lesions was deducted from the presence of tubercle Bacillus in the bronchial fluid, and the favourable evolution after anti tubercular treatment. The second observation is a 29-year-old woman with secondary amenorrhoea at the 12th month of treatment for tubercular pleuropulmonary lesions and meningitis confirmed by the presence of Tubercle Bacillus in the cerebrospinal fluid. The MRI revealed a multinodular expansive processus that encircled the pituitary stalk and extended to the infuncibular and hypothalamic regions. These nodules regressed with continuation of the same antitubercular treatment