[Electroencephalogram in children: recording technology, physiological variations and indications]

This study describes the recording technology and clinical applications of electroencephalogram in infant between prematureness and adolescence. Recording technology will be treated the modality of installation of the electrodes on the scalp, the electronic filter, the time of the recording and stimulation tests which must be adapted to the age of the child. In clinical applications after addressing the physiological variations in the background rhythm of EEG in states of wakefulness and sleep according to the age of the child will describe the clinical interests provided by the EEG in the diagnosis and surveillance of neuropaediatric diseases. Indeed, the assessment of the degree of brain maturation, diagnosis, monitoring and evaluating the prognosis of many diseases such as brain seizures, ischemic, infectious or toxic encephalopathy, are the main indications of EEG in children

[Kidney in aging: anatomic and functional changes and therapeutic implications]

After the age of 40 years, the kidney undergoes anatomic modifications which are responsible, on one hand in the progressive diminution of glomerular filtration function observed by the decreases in 10% of renal plasma flow by decade, 0,75 ml/mn of glomerular filtration rate by year, and on other hand, by the same parallel reduction of tubular function marked by the decreases in secretary and reabsorption tubular maximum capacity and concentrating and diluting ability of urine. However, some observations have suggested that the decline in renal function with aging are sometimes the result of prerenal, renal, and postrenal pathologies. Nevertheless, these anatomic and functional renal modifications must be involved to adapt the dose and to take precautions in association of eliminated renal medicaments which are used for treatment of various diseases such as arterial hypertension in the aging people

Dyspnea: Mechanisms and assessment

This work studies the pathophysiological mechanisms of dyspnea and describes the assessement of intensity of dyspnea. The study of mechanisms of dyspnea show that dyspnea can result from a respiratory muscle dysfunction, an excessive stimulation and/or alteration of pulmonary and extrapulmonary receptors, and a direct and excessive stimulation of respiratory centres. The assessment of dyspnea can be made generally by indirect methods based on questionnaires and direct methods based on psychophysiology techniques. The understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms and the study of the assessment of dyspnea represents the key principles in strategy and effectiveness of the dyspnea treatment

Mecanismes de l'hyperre'activite' bronchique

The bronchial hyperresponsiveness represents a main theme in the definition and pathophysiology of asthma. It manifests as abnormal broncho-constriction following a variety of physical, chemical and pharmacological stimuli. The mechanisms of bronchial hyperresponsiveness has been the subject of many studies in the recent years. Most of these studies displayed that bronchial hyperresponsiveness can be a result of many factors that are more or less closely bound to each other. The main other factors are the abnormal bronchial smooth muscle, the disorder of the airway autonomic nervous system, the release of mediators by bronchial epithelial and inflammatory cells and the vascular reactions. All these factors will be described in this article, their knowledge is helpful to understand and to treat the-asthma

Gaz du sang arteriel: [aspects techniqueset interpretetation]

This study concerns the technical aspects and the interpretation methods of arterial blood gases. In the technical part, the PO2, PCO2 and pH electrodes o will be treated as well as the directs and indirects evaluation methods of arterial blood gases. In the interpretation part, the information will be dealt with analysis of partial pressure of oxygen [PaO2], the partial pressure of carbon dioxide [PaCO2], the pH and the bicarbonate concentration in arterial blood. The information concerns the level of hypoxemia, the state of ventilation that are evaluated by the analysis of PaO2 and PaCO2 respectively, and the disorders of acid-base balance that is evaluated by the analysis of pH, PaCO2 and bicarbonate