[Surgery of bladder lithiasis in the 19th century]. / Chirurgie de la lithiase vésicale au XIXe siècle.

In the nineteenth century, in France, the vesical lithiasis, that as almost vanished today, was frequent. In the middle of the century, the ancient methods of surgical exeresis, by perineotomy or abdominal cystotomy, left one place to a new technique, the removal of the calculus by the natural ways: the lithotrity.

[The beginnings of anesthesia]. / Les débuts de l'anesthésie.

In the nineteenth century, introduction of the first inhaled general anaesthetic (Long, 1842) induced a further search for new types of anaesthesia: carbon dioxide, petroleum ether, derivatives of ethylene, acetone, methyl dichloride, and the study of a new technique-hypnosis. Only chloroform, ether, nitrous oxide were used. Towards the end of the century, ether became the mainstay of inhaled anaesthetics. The other routes of administering anaesthetics (rectal, venous, spinal, local) appeared around 1860.

The role of adhesive F107 fimbriae and of SLT-IIv toxin in the pathogenesis of edema disease in pigs.

Colonization of the small intestine and the excretion of a toxin are important steps in the pathogenesis of edema disease in pigs. Although much is known about the chemical and biological characteristics of SLT-IIv toxin, its mode of action and its genetic determinant, F107 fimbriae were only recently described as colonization factors. Here we summarize our current knowledge about the virulence factors F107 fimbriae and SLT-IIv toxin.

Characterization of F107 fimbriae of Escherichia coli 107/86, which causes edema disease in pigs, and nucleotide sequence of the F107 major fimbrial subunit gene, fedA.

F107 fimbriae were isolated and purified from edema disease strain 107/86 of Escherichia coli. Plasmid pIH120 was constructed, which contains the gene cluster that codes for adhesive F107 fimbriae. The major fimbrial subunit gene, fedA, was sequenced. An open reading frame that codes for a protein with 170 amino acids, including a 21-amino-acid signal peptide, was found. The protein without the signal sequence has a calculated molecular mass of 15,099 Da. Construction of a nonsense mutation in the open reading frame of fedA abolished both fimbrial expression and the capacity to adhere to isolated porcine intestinal villi. In a screening of 28 reference edema disease strains and isolates from clinically ill piglets, fedA was detected in 24 cases (85.7%). In 20 (83.3%) of these 24 strains, fedA was found in association with Shiga-like toxin II variant genes, coding for the toxin that is characteristic for edema disease strains of E. coli. The fimbrial subunit gene was not detected in enterotoxigenic E. coli strains. Because of the capacity of E. coli HB101(pIH120) transformants to adhere to isolated porcine intestinal villi, the high prevalence of fedA in edema disease strains, and the high correlation with the Shiga-like toxin II variant toxin-encoding genes, we suggest that F107 fimbriae are an important virulence factor in edema disease strains of E. coli.

Chronorhythms of the circulating erythrocytes and leukocytes--correlation with the E.S.R. cycles.

2750 healthy and fasting subjects, 20-30 years old, were studied over a half-year period in 1980. Considering the mean day value as a basic piece of information for statistics, the Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (E.S.R.) and the blood counts (erythrocytes, leukocytes, polymorphonuclears, lymphocytes, monocytes and eosinophils) were compared. The timeless relation between E.S.R. and each cell type number or percentage is rectilinear. The stronger slope and relation apply to the polymorphonuclears (PMN) or to the overall leukocytes. The chronological normalized variations of the E.S.R. and of the PMN or leukocyte number or percentage are highly correlated. E.S.R. is less correlated with monocytes, eosinophils and Lymphocytes. Contrary to what could have been expected, the erythrocyte situation is but an intermediate one. The spectra derived from the time variations show that all the cell types, whatever they are, are to be taken into account to explain the E.S.R. value and variation with time, even if, for a given cell type, the correlation and timeless relation were but faint ones. Each cell type has a specific spectrum. Erythrocytes are subject to low frequency variations (316-158 days). PMNs oscillate with time within the medium frequency range (90 days). Lymphocytes, monocytes and eosinophils fluctuate more quickly (53 days).

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate of healthy subjects--chronological aspects.

Thanks to an elaborated mathematical approach, based on statistics and signal processing, the chronological changes of the Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) of young healthy subjects, considered from a collective point of view, have been discriminated into genuine and well-defined rhythms. These rhythms are tied up either to natural (year, season) or 'social' (month, week, holidays) cycles, or to some other causes, still unknown and possibly intrinsic (such is probably the case of a 26.5-day strongly marked period). The solar induced time variation strictly obeys a frequency modulation law, the relative amplitude of which is 10 per cent. Two axes of symmetry are found, centered on 8 August and 8 February. The rhythm is roughly in accordance with seasons. The modulation frequency is maximum at summer time. Oscillations of the ESR are observed during the week and the month. Fridays and the last fortnight of each month appear to be low ESR time.

[Cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita. Apropos of a case with hemicorporeal topography. Ultrastructural study]. / Cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita. A propos d'un cas de topographie hémicorporelle - Etude ultrastructurale.

A case of hemicorporeal cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita is described. The ultrastructural study showed dilated capillaries with an increase of pericytes number. Some particular elements are discussed: --rare occurrence of hemi-corporeal distribution; --ultrastructural aspects with increased pericytes, previously observed; --frequency of associated abnormalities, cutaneous hemangiomas, varix, difference of length of the limbs, ...; --more frequently regressive evolution; --etiopathogeny, still uncertain, with capillaries abnormalities, perhaps dysembryoplasic and/or induced by neurovegetative disorder. Teratogenic factors (drug, chemical or others) has been suggested but not proved.

[National survey on reactive arthritis by the French Society of Rheumatology]. / Enquête nationale sur les arthrites réactionnelles de la Société Française de Rhumatologie.

In 1982, 3370 cases of inflammatory rheumatism were declared. The geographical analysis of the distribution of these cases (departmental and regional) suggests that their distribution is not homogeneous throughout the country, with a predominance of psoriatic arthritis in the Midi and the Pyrenees and a predominance of rheumatic pelvispondylitis in Aquitaine. Based on the number of cases declared, we can calculate the distribution of each type of inflammatory rheumatism by age and by sex and the incidence per million inhabitants in each age group. These figures are only indicative, as the data from some departments was incomplete. The calculation of a "criterion of frequency" attempts to equalize this bias. Reactive arthritis (352 cases) represents 10.4 p. cent of all cases of inflammatory rheumatism. This large series collected over one year confirms the clinical data already established. The responsible organisms, by order of frequency, were: Chlamydia trachomatis, Yersinia enterocolitica, Shigella, Y. pseudotuberculosis and Ureaplasma urealyticum. 50 p. cent of these cases of arthritis were classified as reactive on the basis of clinical findings and history and the bacteria was not isolated. The HLA-B27 antigen is present in 68 p. cent of the 302 cases in which it was tested.