[Foetal rhinopharyngeal teratoma: antenatal diagnosis and prognosis. Case report]. / Tératome foetal du rhinopharynx : diagnostic anténatal et pronostic. A propos d'un cas.

Fetal teratomas are commonly found in the sacrococcygeal area. More rarely, these tumors may be found in cervicofacial forms. Rhinopharyngeal teratoma represent an extremely rare congenital tumor, often resulting in intracranial extension, obstruction of the respiratory or the digestive pathways and rapid asphyxia following birth. We report a case of rhinopharyngeal teratoma identified in a foetus at 18 weeks of gestation. The diagnosis was made by antenatal ultrasound and IRM. Tumor invaded the cavum and the right infratemporal region with no intracranial extension. The pregnancy was interrupted at 27 weeks of gestation. Authors discuss the difficulties to establish antenatal diagnosis by ultrasound, and those to decide what treatment to carry out.

[Necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum secondary to a surgical treatment of Bartholin's gland abscess]. / Fasciite nécrosante du périnée secondaire à un traitement chirurgical d'un abcès de la glande de Bartholin.

Necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum is a rare but of fast evolution, and potentially fatal infectious disease process. It is characterized by progressive inflammation and extensive necrosis of subcutaneous tissue involving the fascia and other adjacent tissues. This infection may be idiopathic or secondary to local trauma or pelvic surgery. Its mortality rate is 20%. We report a case of necrotzing fasciitis of the perineum in a 34-year-old woman following incision and drainage of Bartholin's gland abscess. Streptococcus A, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans were isolated. Intravenous broad spectrum antibiotic therapy was promptly instituted. Concurrent surgical debridement of all necrotic areas was required. Post debridement therapy required a long period of dressing changes until cicatrisation. Necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum is a surgical emergency. Early diagnosis and prompt aggressive debridement are the keys to successful management.

[Early isosexual precocious pseudopuberty revealing a juvenile granulosa cell tumor in a six-year-old girl]. / Pseudo-puberté précoce isosexuelle révélant une tumeur de la granulosa juvénile chez une petite fille de six ans.

Juvenile granulosa cell tumors of the ovary are a rare form of neoplasm that makes up less than 5% of ovarian tumors in childhood and adolescence. About 90% are diagnosed in stage I (FIGO) with a favorable prognosis, whereas those at higher stages have a less favorable outcome. The authors describe a juvenile granulosa cell tumor expressed by an early pseudopuberty occurring in a 6-year old child. Clinically, an endocrine syndrome was associated with a pelvic mass. Hyperoestrogenia and serum alphafoetoprotein level were biologically detected. Tumor was localized strictly to the ovary, so conservative surgery was applied and proved sufficient to remove all tumor tissue. Histological examination showed typical microscopic aspect of a juvenile granulosa cell tumor. The patient is well 14 years after surgery with normal growth and mental development.

[Breast myoepithelioma. Diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties. A case report]. / Le myoépithéliome du sein. Difficultés diagnostiques et thérapeutiques. A propos d'un cas.

Breast myoepithelioma is rare. The case of a 61-year-old female is reported here. The tumor was clinically, radiologically and macroscopically demarcated. Diagnosis was based on histological and immunohistochemical studies. At the time of diagnosis the tumor consisted of myoepithelial cells with few cellular atypias and a low mitotic activity. Tumor cells expressed vimentin, actin, S100 protein and cytokeratin. No local or distant metastases were found. The patient had been treated initially with a large excision of tumor. Local recurrences detected one year after initial surgery and showed a similar morphology and immunoreactivity with higher mitotic activity. Mastectomy with axillary dissection was performed. Neither recurrences nor distant metastases detected two years later. Myoepithelial tumors which are generally considered as benign or low-grade lesions can give rise to a wide range of clinical evolution.

[Fertility after hysteroscopic treatment of intra-uterine adhesions]. / Fertilité après cure hystéroscopique de synéchie.

OBJECTIVE: The main aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of hysteroscopy in the treatment of intra-uterine adhesions with infertility. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study of patients with uterine synechias treated exclusively hysteroscopically included 120 cases: 109 of them (90.8%) low fertility patients, 110 (91.7%) with menstrual disorders and 2 (1.7%) with no others symptoms. Mean age was 34 years (range: 21-45 years). Operative hysteroscopy was performed in 155 cases including electrosection in 124 cases (80%) and a collapse in 31 cases (20%). A single endoscopic procedure was performed in 96 patients, 2 procedures in 17 patients, 3 in 3 patients and 4 in 4 patients. Mean follow-up was 26.8 months (range: 6-52 months). RESULTS: Good anatomic results were achieved in 116 patients (96.7%) after 1, 2 or 3 hysteroscopic procedures. We obtained good results in 58.2% of the patients with menstrual disorders. One pregnancy was achieved in 49 of patients (44.9%) including: 35 childbirth, 13 abortions and 1 molar pregnancy. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Hysteroscopy, easy procedure, allowing reproducible treatment with low morbidity should be proposed as first intention treatment in all cases with synechia. Fertility prognosis is tightly related to the gravity of synechia and its topography.

Effects of partial stone removal on the co-composting of olive-oil processing solid residues with poultry manure and the quality of compost.

Full scale composting studies were performed with stoned (SEOOPSW) and non stoned exhausted olive-oil processing solid waste (NSEOOPSW) mixed with 20% poultry manure to reach a C/N ratio of around 30 and to improve the chemical and microbiological properties of the end products. The experiment was performed on two windrows (3 m wide, 2.5 m high and 10 tonne weight) to investigate the effects of stone removal and poultry manure addition on composting process efficiency and on the quality of composts. The partially stone removal operation reduced the total composting time by at least one month compared with the untreated waste. The addition of poultry manure improved the chemical quality of the end product, as shown by the doubling of the nitrogen concentration after four months composting together with the increased amount of P and K. Compost from stoned exhausted olive-oil processing solid waste had higher levels of cation exchange capacity (CEC) and humic acid content with a lower [FA/HA] ratio indicating a high polymerisation level. Agronomic field test showed that both composts are not phytotoxic. When applied at the rate of 40 tonne ha(-1) to a potato culture, they produced approximately the same yield (46 and 48.5 tonne ha(-1)) but they acted differently in terms of plant development. Compost produced from the NSEOOPSW acted more positively on the stem length (84.1 against 77.6 cm) and on leaf weight (354 against 238 g), whereas compost from the SEOOPSW more positively affected tuber sizes (76% large grade compared to 55%).

[Hygienic aspects of aerobic fermentation of urban waste in the Tunisian context]. / Aspects hygiéniques de la fermentation aérobie des déchets urbains dans le contexte tunisien.

The use of the aerobic fermentation (composting) as an alternative of the landfilling of the municipal solid wastes was studied in a pilot plant in the District of Tunis. The effectiveness of the composting, by the windrow turning technical, in producing sanitized compost was considered. Fecal coliforms, fecal streptococcis and E. coli were used as an indicator organism. In addition, the evolution of the process was monitored using sporogenous bacteria. Under the experimental conditions, approximately five logarithmic unit reduction of fecal indicators was noted after a 60 days composting.

[Cytotoxicity of ferric chloride used as an adjuvant of organic acid precipitation]. / La cytotoxicité du chlorure ferrique utilisé comme adjuvant de la précipitation organique acide.

The objective of this study was the amelioration of the organic acid precipitation technique currently used as a secondary stage for viruses concentration using ferric chloride (FeCl3) as an adjuvant. To carry out this work successfully, we have studied the cytotoxicity effect of FeCl3 towards cell lines usually used for the investigation of enteric viruses. Two kinds of african green monkey kidney cells, MA104 and BGM, were used as a cellular model. The results showed that optimum concentration of FeCl3 for either BGM or MA104 cell survival and organic acid precipitation varies from 0.5 to 1 mM. The cytotoxicity test used in this work was simple, easy to realize and gives an appreciable information about the cytotoxicity dose of a given biological and chemical product.

[A method for recovery of enteroviruses from milk]. / Une méthode de recherche des entérovirus dans le lait.

A method of detection of enteric viruses in milk was studied. The high protein content of milk and the protein nature of enterovirus allowed the detection of these viruses using the organic acid flocculation method. The poliovirus type 1 (Mahoney strains) and the E.C.H.O.1 isolated from the environment were used as virus model and were inoculated to creamed, half-creamed and whole UHT commercialized milk. The method consists on a milk sample clarification with acid precipitation and centrifugation. The clarified extract is reduced to a final volume of 10 to 15 ml after addition of beef extract powder and protein precipitation. This technique allows the recovery of 26 to 36% of poliovirus type 1 and 10 to 46% of E.C.H.O.1 viruses. In this work, the ferric chloride (FeCl3), added in 0.5 to 1 mM final concentration, was used as an adjuvant for the organic acid precipitation.