Diagnosis and clinical outcomes of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in antiretroviral therapy programmes in low- and middle-income countries: a multicohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) is difficult to confirm bacteriologically and requires specific diagnostic capacities. Diagnosis can be especially challenging in under-resourced settings. We studied diagnostic modalities and clinical outcomes of EPTB compared to pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among HIV-positive adults in antiretroviral therapy (ART) programmes in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). METHODS: We collected data from HIV-positive TB patients (≥16 years) in 22 ART programmes participating in the International Epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) consortium in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Caribbean, Central and South America regions between 2012 and 2014. We categorized TB as PTB or EPTB (EPTB included mixed PTB/EPTB). We used multivariable logistic regression to assess associations with clinical outcomes. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: We analysed 2695 HIV-positive TB patients. Median age was 36 years (interquartile range (IQR) 30 to 43), 1102 were female (41%), and the median CD4 count at TB treatment start was 114 cells/µL (IQR 40 to 248). Overall, 1930 had PTB (72%), and 765 EPTB (28%). Among EPTB patients, the most frequently involved sites were the lymph nodes (24%), pleura (15%), abdomen (11%) and meninges (6%). The majority of PTB (1123 of 1930, 58%) and EPTB (582 of 765, 76%) patients were diagnosed based on clinical criteria. Bacteriological confirmation (using positive smear microscopy, culture, Xpert MTB/RIF, or other nucleic acid amplification tests result) was obtained in 897 of 1557 PTB (52%) and 183 of 438 EPTB (42%) patients. EPTB was not associated with higher mortality compared to PTB (adjusted odd ratio (aOR) 1.0, 95% CI 0.8 to 1.3), but TB meningitis was (aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.0 to 3.1). Bacteriological confirmation was associated with reduced mortality among PTB patients (aOR 0.7, 95% CI 0.6 to 0.8) and EPTB patients (aOR 0.3 95% CI 0.1 to 0.8) compared to TB patients with a negative test result. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis of EPTB and PTB at ART programmes in LMIC was mainly based on clinical criteria. Greater availability and usage of TB diagnostic tests would improve the diagnosis and clinical outcomes of both EPTB and PTB.

Axillary recurrence after negative sentinel lymph node biopsy under local anesthesia in breast cancer.

UNLABELLED: The procedure known as sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) under local anesthesia (LA) allows surgical teams to avoid the uncertainties of frozen tissue examination and to perform axillary dissection on patients who have been informed of the risks of lymph node invasion prior to the procedure. OBJECTIVE: In the absence of studies that assess the risk of obtaining false negatives during SLNB under LA, we believed it would be relevant to do a study of the safety of SLNB under LA to ensure that the risk of axillary recurrence is as low as with SLNB carried out in the traditional manner under general anesthesia. Through the experience of the Department of Gynecological Surgery at the Limoges CHU, we were able to assess the risk of axillary recurrence after SLNB under LA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between July 2001 and November 2008, 319 SLNB under LA was performed in cases of invasive breast cancer. Axillary dissection was done in 125 cases. In total, 194 patients underwent SLNB with no lymph node invasion and without additional axillary dissection. Follow-up was monitored until May 30, 2008. RESULTS: With a median follow-up period of 39.5 months, there were no patients with axillary recurrence. We recorded 6 local recurrences and 3 distant metastases. CONCLUSION: With an experienced team, SLNB under LA is a procedure that does not expose patients to a greater risk of axillary recurrence than SLNB carried out in the traditional manner under general anesthesia.

[Adrenal metastasis: survival following surgical resection]. / Métastase surranélienne: survie après chirurgie d'exérèse.

GOAL: This study aims to determine the post-surgical survival after resection of adrenal metastasis from extra-adrenal primary cancers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of sixteen patients undergoing surgery for adrenal metastasis between 1995 and 2005 analyzed age, type of primary cancer, interval to detection of adrenal metastasis, type of surgery performed, and survival (Kaplan-Meier curve). RESULTS: The study included 10 men and 6 women with a mean age of 55.5 years (25-74). Adrenal metastasis causes no clinical signs or symptoms. Diagnosis was made on the basis of CT scan in 12 cases and PET scan in 4 cases. The primary cancer site was lung (6), kidney (3), melanoma (2), colorectum (2), esophagus (1), pancreas (1), and B-cell lymphoma (1). Metastasis was confined to the adrenal in 7 cases and associated with other-site metastasis in 9. The interval from diagnosis of the primary cancer to detection of the adrenal metastasis ranged from 9 months to 11 years. Surgery consisted of radical resection in 5 cases, metastasectomy in 10 cases, and biopsy in one case. The overall survival was 12 months (range 2-120 months); when the diagnosis of the metastasis was synchronous with that of the primary, survival was just 8 months. CONCLUSION: The survival after surgery for adrenal metastasis is poor; it is even more dismal when the metastasis is diagnosed synchronously with the primary tumor. Surgical management depends on the primary neoplasm and the extent of metastases.

[Gynandroblastoma: a rare ovarian tumour. Case report]. / Gynandroblastome: une tumeur rare de l'ovaire. A propos d'un cas.

Gynandroblastoma is an extremely rare sex cord-stromal ovarian tumor. Only thirty cases have been published in the literature up to now. Clinical investigations include virilism associated with menstrual irregularity, or amenorrhea. The surgical treatment is salpingo-oophorectomy and lymphadenectomy if malignant spread is suspected.

[Chilaïditi's syndrome responsible for an occlusion with necrosis of the small intestine after a caesarean section: first case report]. / Syndrome de Chilaïditi responsable d'une occlusion avec nécrose du grêle après une césarienne: cas princeps.

Chilaïditi's syndrome is the association of a radiological and clinical semiology of the interposition of large colon or small intestine between the lower side of diaphragm and liver. We report the case of a 32-year-old woman, primigravida, who undergone a caesarean section at 39 weeks of amenorrhoea, for a clinical picture of persistent abdominal pain and a beginning hepatic cytolysis. The patient presented one day after the ceasarean section an occlusive syndrome of the small intestine. The etiology of the occlusion of the small intestine in post-partum was a Chilaïditi's syndrome with inter hepatodiaphragmatic incarceration of the small intestine discovered at the computed tomography. An exploratory laparotomy confirmed and permitted to treat Chilaïditi's syndrome complicated by an occlusion.

[Practicability of the vaginal prolapse surgery in the elderly woman]. / Faisabilité de la chirurgie vaginale du prolapsus chez la patiente très âgée.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the vaginal prolapse cure in the elderly woman. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study is carried out on 38 patients of more than 80 years, operated for a vaginal genital prolapse cure between November 1997 and October 2004. The patients' general state of health, the type of analgesia, the operative type and time, the per- and postoperative complications and the evolution of the patients one month after the intervention, had been assessed. RESULTS: The average age of the patients was 84.2 (80-95). The patients' general state of health, according to the ASA classification was about 55.3% ASA II, and about 44.7% ASA III. The anaesthesia was general in 92.1% and spinal in 7.9%. The operating type was vaginal hysterectomy associated to a Marion-Kelly and a posterior perineorrhaphy in 68.4%; and a simple vaginal hysterectomy, associated more or less to the installation of a TVT in 13.1%; an intervention of Lefort, a case of Richter and a case of simple colpectomy in 10.5%. The average operative time is about 43 minutes. The peroperative complications can be summed up in a conversion in laparotomy due to haemorrhage, and a case of ligation of the right urethra. The transfer in an intensive care unit during 24 hours is necessary only for one case in 38. The postoperative complications are in one case death at eleventh day as a result of a pulmonary embolism, and a case of temporospatial disorientation and a prolapse relapse at 6 months. The duration of stay in hospital is about 7 days (2-18). The surgery did not affect the autonomy of the patients at one month. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Vaginal prolapse concerning the elderly woman is workable in quite common practice; it involves a good cooperation between anaesthetist and surgeon. The vital risk is really present but relative. This functional surgery must not be delayed by the installation of a pessary which must be used only for the inoperable patients.

[Universal hearing screening: 10,835 newborns tested in maternity wards of the geographical Department of Eure, France]. / Expérience du dépistage auditif néo-natal systématique dans le département de l'Eure.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate Universal Screening using transient evoked otoacoustic emisions (TEOAE) in the geographical Department of Eure -France. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This hearing screening was initially developed at a single maternity ward (September 1999 to December 2002), and then throughout the Department (January 2003 to December 2003). One or two successive TEOAE tests were recorded. In cases of a positive test, a new TEAO was recorded at otolaryngology consultation one month later. If this test was again positive, a new consultation with brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) was scheduled. If hearing loss was suspected following BAEP, an audiometric test was performed. RESULTS: A total of 10,770 newborns were screened (99.38%), 65 newborns were lost to follow-up (0.59%), 18 bilateral hearing losses were identified (1.6/1000), and 5 of them had hearing loss risk factors. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that a hearing screening program in the maternity ward using TEOAE is recommended and provides optimal results.

Suitability of Sterillium Gel for surgical hand disinfection.

In some countries, alcohol-based hand gels are used for hygienic hand disinfection but their efficacy and suitability for surgical hand disinfection has never been investigated. The efficacy of Sterillium Gel was investigated according to prEN 12791 in two separate experiments. Finger tips of 20 volunteers per experiment were sampled for resident skin bacteria before surgical hand disinfection. In a cross-over design, each volunteer carried out a surgical hand disinfection with the reference alcohol [n-propanol 60%, (v/v)] or Sterillium Gel [ethanol 85% (v/v)] for 3 min. After the product application, one hand was sampled for the immediate effect, the other hand was gloved for 3 h and then sampled for the sustained effect. Samples were analysed for remaining resident bacteria. The mean of the pre-value, the 0 h and 3 h values of the reference disinfection and the test product were calculated. With the reference alcohol, respective mean immediate log10-reduction factors of 2.06+/-0.76 and 2.23+/-1.13 were found in both experiments. The mean sustained effects with the reference alcohol were 2.03+/-1.14 and 1.44+/-0.81. Sterillium Gel achieved respective mean immediate effects of 2.48+/-1.06 and 2.13+/-0.81, the mean sustained effects were 2.77+/-0.95 and 2.18+/-0.72. They proved significantly larger than those obtained with the reference alcohol (P<0.05; pair-wise Wilcoxon test). Sterillium Gel, therefore, more than fulfils the efficacy requirements for surgical hand disinfection of prEN 12791. In addition, 25 of 26 operating theatre healthcare workers in an orthopaedic hospital found it suitable for surgical hand disinfection after a single use, which included putting on a pair of surgical gloves. Although none of them had ever used an alcohol-based gel before, they had rather been accustomed to alcohol-based liquid products for years. The main reasons given for the positive assessment were better skin feeling after use, smell and easier donning of the surgical gloves. No significant correlation was found between overall or dermal acceptance and years of professional experience, profession or number of gel portions used for surgical hand disinfection (Pearson's correlation; P>0.05).

Lobular capillary haemangioma of the nasal cavity: observation of three specific cases.

Lobular Capillary Haemangioma of the nasal cavity: Observation of three specific cases. Lobular Capillary Haemangioma, unproperly called "Pyogenic granuloma", is a benign vascular tumour pedunculated on the skin and on mucous membranes of the oral and nasal cavities. Microtrauma and pregnancy are the most often evocated aetiologic factors. Epistaxis and nasal obstruction are the most marked symptoms of this irregular and friable mass. We report three cases (two adult and one paediatric) of this pathology. Two have as trigger factor a nasal microtrauma, the third an oestro-progestative impregnation. A clinical, radiological and histological description allows us to expose the characteristics of this lesion that remains obscure to many rhinologists. Lobular Capillary Haemangioma has to be evocated in the differential diagnosis of each haemorrhagic endonasal mass.

Treatment and clinical management of recurrent knee empyema due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) after total knee replacement.

We describe a patient with recurrent knee empyema and associated complications caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) after total knee replacement and the difficulties and limited options in its clinical management.

Reliability and validity of the functional performance inventory in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The Functional Performance inventory (FPI) is a new instrument designed to measure functional status in terms of activities that people perform on a daily basis. Psychometric characteristics were examined by a survey of 45 men and 27 women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Internal consistency reliability was high and no ceiling and floor effects were observed for the Total FPI. Concurrent validity was demonstrated by correlations with the Total Sickness Impact Profile (r = -.59). Construct validity was supported by correlations with the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36, Physical Functioning (r = .69), the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (r = .62) and American Thoracic Society-Division of Lung Disease Breathlessness scale (r = -.62). The Total FPI is a reliable and valid measure of functional performance in persons with COPD.