[Management of newborn life-threatening distress at birth. Study of the experience at a university maternity ward]. / Prise en charge des détresses vitales du nouveau-né à la naissance. Etude de l'expérience d'une maternité universitaire.

Care given to 1,425 consecutive new-born infants in a University Maternity Ward was screened for high-risk pregnancies. The characteristics of the new-borns retained for study resulted from this choice. Life-threatening distress, defined as the need for respiratory assistance beyond the third minute of life, was observed in 6% of cases. Distress had been predicted 30 minutes before birth in only 42% of cases. In 56.5%, the signs of distress occurred outside "normal" working hours and immediate care was given by the mid-wife in 36% of cases. Despite progress in fetal medicine, these findings would suggest that life-threatening distress at birth is often unpredicted and occurs at a non-negligible rate. This would emphasize the need of training the entire obstetrical team, especially the mid-wives in care the for new-borns.

[Mechanisms implicated in the intestinal allergic reaction to soya proteins in the preruminant calf]. / Mécanismes impliqués dans la réaction allergique intestinale aux protéines de soja chez le veau préruminant.

Studies of intestinal motility in calves given antigenic soya protein or sucrose showed disturbances linked to diarrhoea. Disorders arising from feeding antigenic soya protein were distinct from abnormal motility induced by indigestible carbohydrate. Suppression of the digestive disorders by a drug having anti-allergic properties implied the involvement of an immunological mechanism.