[Pulmonary fibrosis during a case of dermatomyositis (author's transl)]. / Fibrose pulmonaire au cours d'une dermatomyosite.

The authors describe the case of a pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, the discovery of which preceeded the skin and muscular manifestations of dermatomyositis which was confirmed by a muscular biopsy. The aetiopathogenesis of the pulmonary disorder is not well known, nevertheless an immunological mechanism demonstrated in the experimental myositis is suggested but has yet to be proved.

[Bismuth encephalopathy in pregnant women. Apropos of a case]. / L'encéphalopathie bismuthique chez la femme enceinte A propos d'une observation

A case of bismuth encephalopathy in a pregnant woman is reported. The neurological picture, characterized especially by myoclonic attacks, is no different from that found in the non-pregnant state. The principal observations are on three points: - the need to think of a toxic origin of convulsions in pregnancy, - the onset of threatened premature labour during repeated convulsive crises, - the passage of bismuth across the placenta : this has been proved by the levels found in the amniotic fluid (55 mcg per 1,000) and in the cord blood (320 mcg per 1,000). The child, who was normal at birth, developed a transient hypotonus which seemed attributable more to the treatment of the mother with Diazepam and pheno-barbitone than to her having taken bismuth during the pregnancy.

[Subacute spongiform encephalopathy and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Apropos of 1 case]. / Encéphalopathie spongiforme subaiguë et maladie de Creutzfeldt-Jakob. A propos d'un cas

The authors describe a case of sub-acute spongiform encephalopathy with an ultrastructural study in a man of 65 with associated dementia, extra-pyramidal syndrome, myoclonia, optical disorders, pyramidal syndrome and speech disorders, rapidly leading to death one and a half months later. Electroencephalograms were at first disorganized with persistent delta and theta activity and only in the last record did short runs of repetitive activity appear. Histologically, there was severe status spongiosus, a moderate degree of neuronal depopulation with a noticeable astrocytary gliosis. Under the electron microscope, the neuropile in the astrocytes was found to be pitted with numerous cavities and so were, to a lesser extent, the axonal projections. The vessels were normal. Nothing was found to indicate viral structures. Attention is drawn to the nosological connection between this type of observation and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.