[Scabies: A world plague]. / La gale : un fléau mondial.

Scabies is a ubiquitous contagious disease, and its prevalence is growing. Diagnostic difficulties vary according to the patient's age and health. Benzyl benzoate and ivermectin are the reference drugs in France. Decontamination of the patients' bedding, clothing, and environment is essential for successful treatment.

[Nasal administration of fentanyl: prevention of medication-related errors by using REMED-method]. / REMEDier à une erreur médicamenteuse par le retour d'expriénce: à propos du fentanyl en pulvérization nasale.

REMED stands for a "MEDication Errors Review". The REMED method aims at implementing and monitoring actions to improve patient medical care. This approach is part of the continuing healthcare quality and safety improvement and professional practice evaluation. REMED uses methodology and tools. Thus we use this methodology in the context of a drug errorwhich occurred in the dermatology department of our hospital. After this event description, related to a sensitive drug product, Instanyl (transmucosal fentanyl), the drug error is described, then the different causes are analyzed. These last are numerous and occur at any stage of patient medical care. They must allow us to show actions in order to improve patients' safety.

[Nifurtimox, a bright future for treatment of Chagas disease]. / Le nifurtimox, molécule en plein devenir dans le traitement de la maladie de Chagas.

Nifurtimox is one of the two molecules used for treatment of Chagas disease. Although posology has not yet been clearly defined, nifurtimox is increasingly used, especially in combination with eflonithin. Nifurtimox is perfectly suited to the WHO's Chagas disease eradication program.

[Benzonidazole: one of the rare treatment for Chagas disease]. / Le benznidazole : un des rares traitements de la maladie de Chagas.

Benznidazole is indicated in the treatment of Chagas' disease, which is endemic in Latin America. However, it has numerous adverse effects and is effective only at certain disease stages. Because of these drawbacks and the appearance of resistance to benzinidazole, there is ongoing research for alternative therapeutic strategies and new drugs.

[The Association for Computerized Medical Records Users in Perinatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology sentinel network for maternity hospitals. II. Changes in practices and results. 1994-1997]. / Le Réseau Sentinelle des maternités AUDIPOG. II. Evolution des pratiques et des résultats 1994-1997. Obstétriciens participant au Réseau Sentinelle. Association des Utilisateurs d'un Dossier Informatisé en Périnatologie, Obstétrique et Gynécologie.

OBJECTIVE: The observation of medical practices and the analysis of outcome as a function of practices are essential today for monitoring and improvement of the healthcare system. The AUDIPOG Sentinel Network provides a tool for the self-assessment of practices that enables each unit to assess its position relative to a group of maternity wards. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Pooling of individual data about births that occurred during the month of January each year in about a hundred volunteer wards allows assessing perinatal health indicators and following their evolution over time. A sample rectification technique, adapted from the quota method, allows offsetting the methodological problems created by volunteering and assessing perinatal indicators at the national level. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The analysis of data collected from 1994 to 1997 indicates a number of trends, even in the short run, and justifies that a real practice monitoring and assessment tool be set up in order to improve perinatal health.

[The Association of Computerized Medical Records Users in Perinatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Sentinel Network for maternity hospitals. I. Perinatal health indicators in 1994]. / Le "Réseau Sentinelle" de maternités AUDIPOG. I. Paramètres de santé périnatale en 1994.

A first experiment aimed at collecting data from 98 maternity hospitals grouped in the AUDIPOG Sentinel Network addressed 7,837 deliveries in January, 1994. The technique used for recovering the results was adapted from the quota method and aimed at strict respect of marginal distributions of deliveries per regional area and per hospital type, and at the best the joint distribution of deliveries per regional area/hospital type, to obtain estimates of perinatal health indicators. Selection indicators (age, family status, socio-economic conditions, previous history), practising indicators (supervision of the pregnancy, entrance motive, presentation, delivery mode, anaesthetic) and result indicators (prematurity, small for date, transfer, pathology of the new-born) are given.

[Electrophysiologic effects of a spironolactone-altizide combination on the isolated rat heart]. / Effets électrophysiologiques de l'association spironolactone-altizide sur le coeur isolé de rat.

The association of spironolactone and altizide is effective in the treatment of some forms of resistant oedemas. Our aim was to determine whether the renal effects of this association were associated with abnormal cardiac cellular electrophysiological changes. Isolated rat hearts perfused by the retrograde aortic approach and paced at 200 beats per minute were studied. Cardiac cellular activation was measured by floating microelectrodes in the subepicardial layers of the left ventricle. The following parameters were analysed: the duration of the action potential at 25% and 75% of repolarisation (DAP25 and DAP75), the timing and amplitude of the point of rupture of the action potential (T.PR and A.PR), the amplitude of the action potential at 40 ms (A.40). A simultaneous variation of 3 of these parameters was considered to be a significant change. The animals were given an intraperitoneal injection of either 2.5 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg of spironolactone, 0.25 mg/kg or 1 mg/kg of altizide or any association of these two drugs at the given dosages. Spironolactone alone at these dosages did not cause any change in the electrical activation of the rat ventricular myocardial cell. On the other hand, 1 mg/kg of altizide produced a significant increase in the duration of the ventricular action potential at zero potential (DAP25) and during the plateau phase (T.PR and A.40). These changes, which could be related to the potassium metabolism, were abolished when altizide was associated with spironolactone. This is probably a similar effect to that of the prevention of hypokalaemia and low intracellular potassium concentrations when associating a potassium sparing drug with hypokalaemic diuretics.

[Potassium and magnesium in the myocardial cell: general data]. / Le potassium et le magnésium dans la cellule myocardique: données générales.

The aim of this introductory paper is to describe the movements of the two major cations of the myocardial intracellular compartment, potassium and magnesium. The role of the potassium ion, which participates in an active manner in the development of transmembrane potential changes during the cardiac cycle, is treated in terms of membrane conductance, driving force and active transport (Na-K-ATPase). The magnesium ion, of which role mainly concerns intracellular metabolic activity and interactions on the membrane exchanges of other ions is considered under three main aspects: its action on Na-K-ATPase and its effects on the electrophysiological properties and contractile activity of the cardiac fibres. Disturbances of the exchanges of these two cations during myocardial ischaemia and their importance in the field of cardioplegia are briefly discussed.

[Dense intracerebral cholesteatoma in computed x-ray tomography. Apropos of a case]. / Cholestéatome intra-cérébral hyperdense en tomodensitométrie. A propos d'un case.

The authors report a case of cholesteatoma which is uncommon on account of its dense appearance on the C.T. scan and its temporal localization.