Atypical Cogan's syndrome: A case report.

Cogan's syndrome is a rare autoimmune inflammatory disease, characterized by interstitial keratitis and audio-vestibular signs. The syndrome was first described in 1945 by David G. Cogan. Then, it was only in 1980 when Haynes et al. proposed diagnostic criteria for patients with other symptoms and was qualified as atypical form of Cogan's syndrome. Herein, we report a case of a 28-year-old woman with atypical Cogan's syndrome. The patient was treated with corticosteroids and received a cochlear implant.

[Forensic assessment of eye blasts in active military personal]. / Évaluation médicolégale des blasts oculaires chez le militaire actif.

BACKGROUND: Ocular blast injuries are defined as ocular damage caused by explosives. Within the military, they are considered work accidents resulting from military service, and they are therefore governed by the military disability pension system, which utilizes a specific scale. OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical presentation and course of ocular blast injuries. To describe the particularities of forensic expertise in military settings. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 28 eyes of 15 military personnel with ocular blast injuries. A baseline ophthalmologic examination was performed to assess of all the eyes and the general lesions caused by the trauma. A military medicine expert opinion was obtained from the date of consolidation. The rates of permanent partial disability (PPD) and the aptitude or not for military activities were specified according to the specific scale of the military disability pension system. RESULTS: The mean age of the victims was 27.53 years. A mine explosion was the predominant cause of ocular damage. Trauma to the ocular adnexa occurred in 4 eyes. Anterior segment injuries were noted in 19 eyes, with a mean initial visual acuity of 1/10. Posterior segment lesions occurred in 14 eyes, with a mean initial visual acuity of 0.5/10. Ruptured globes occurred in 3 eyes of 2 patients. All the victims presented with systemic lesions in addition to ocular ones. The average PPD rate was approximately 58%. CONCLUSION: Regarding the particular clinical features of ocular blast injuries, military victims must be managed and fairly compensated according to specific regulations.

Magneto-elastic properties of a spin crossover membrane deposited on a deformable substrate.

Spin-crossover (SCO) solids have been studied for several years due to their fascinating physical properties and their potential applications as optical switches and reversible high-density memories for information storage. Through this article, we will examine in details the effects of substrate's lattice parameters, on a deformable spin crossover membrane, simulated using an electro-elastic model taking into account the volume change at the transition. The molecules of the membrane can be either in the low spin state (LS) or the high spin state (HS), while those of the substrate are electronically neutral. Magnetic properties of the SCO membrane and the pressure distribution as a function of the lattice parameter of the substrate have been investigated. We demonstrated that the thermally induced first-order spin transition is significantly affected by the structural properties of the substrate, where a rise in the lattice parameter of the latter lowers the transition temperature and reduces the width of the thermal hysteresis loop. The investigations on the spatiotemporal aspects of the spin transition in the membrane demonstrates that the nucleation and growth processes are sensitive to the structural properties of the elastic misfit between the substrate and the SCO membrane.

The effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on diabetic retinopathy: A preliminary study.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to prospectively assess the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on diabetic retinopathy lesions and macular edema in patients undergoing the treatment for diabetic foot ulcers. METHODS: We compared two groups: a first group including 25 patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy treated by HBOT for foot ulcers, and a second group (control group) composed of 25 patients with diabetic retinopathy who did not receive HBOT. The HBOT protocol performed for the patients in the first group was: 30 sessions of 90 minutes each at 2.5 ATA with a mean frequency of five sessions per week. All patients had an ophthalmological exam at baseline (visual acuity, intraocular pressure, fundus exam), fundus photography and an OCT exam. A follow-up exam was performed at the conclusion of the HBOT. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, patients treated with HBOT showed a regression or stabilization of diabetic retinopathy lesions and a decrease in central macular thickness (CMT). CONCLUSION: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may improve diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema. This therapy may serve as an adjunctive treatment in the management of retinal ischemia and capillary hyperpermeability in diabetic retinopathy.

[Management of isolated iliac aneurysms: A Tunisian center experience]. / Traitement des anévrismes iliaques isolés : expérience d'un centre tunisien.

Isolated aneurysms of the iliac arteries are rare. The diagnoses of these aneurysms become easier with non-invasive radiologic investigations. The development of endovascular treatment is a recent alternative to surgical treatment. We report our experience in the management of 8 cases of isolated iliac aneurysms in the department of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery of the Habib Bourguiba Hospital of Sfax.

[Pituitary hyperplasia due to primary hypothyroidism]. / Hyperplasie hypophysaire secondaire à une hypothyroïdie périphérique.

INTRODUCTION: Pituitary hyperplasia due to primary hypothyroidism is rare and underdiagnosed. CASE REPORT: We report an 18-year-old patient referred for a pituitary mass revealing primary hypothyroidism. Biological parameters confirmed severe primary hypothyroidism and hyperprolactinemia. Outcome was favorable with l-thyroxin supplementation resulting in TSH and prolactin levels normalization and pituitary mass resolution. CONCLUSION: Pituitary hyperplasia due to primary hypothyroidism, although rare, should be recognized to avoid unnecessary surgery leading to irreversible complications.

[Endovascular repair of iliocaval arteriovenous fistula complicating lumbar disc surgery]. / Traitement endovasculaire d'une fistule artério-veineuse ilio-cave compliquant une chirurgie discale lombaire.

Vascular complications of lumbar disc surgery are rare. Few cases have been reported. Arteriovenous fistulas are the most common. They are due to anatomical relationships between the last lumbar vertebrae, the corresponding discs, and the iliac vessels; degenerative lesions of the intervertebral discs facilitate instrumental vessel perforation, and operative difficulty. Computed tomography is particularly accurate for making the diagnosis. Treatment strategies consist in surgery or endovascular management. Percutaneous endovascular treatment using a stent-graft is a reasonable option for treating arteriovenous fistula. We describe the case of a 50-year-old patient who developed an iliocaval arteriovenous fistula following lumbar disc hernia surgery. The lesion was excluded by a stent-graft. The postoperative period was uneventful.

[Characteristics of ocular involvement in Behçet disease in Tunisia: Monocentric study and review of literature]. / Caractéristiques de la maladie de Behçet avec atteinte oculaire en Tunisie: étude monocentrique et revue de la littérature.

BACKGROUND: Behçet's disease is a multisystemic inflammatory disease characterized by recurrent oral and genital ulcers, skin lesions and uveitis. The diagnosis of Behçet's disease is based on clinical criteria. The etiology of the disease is unknown but the wide variations of ethnic prevalence and of the prevalence in the same ethnic group in different geographic areas indicate environmental triggering of a genetically determined disorder. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the medical charts of 150 Behçet's disease patients seen in our internal medicine department between 1995 and 2010 was undertaken. Patients with confirmed ocular involvement were analyzed and compared with those without ocular involvement. RESULTS: Among the 150 medical charts studied, 85 patients were included in the study. Thirty-three patients (38.5%) had ocular involvement. Mean age at ocular BD diagnosis onset were 35.3. Male to female ratio was 5.6. Ocular involvement was bilateral in 26 patients (78.8%). Uveitis was the most common ocular lesion (n=31 patients, 93.9%). Panuveitis was the most common anatomical location (n=21, 63.6%). The comparison of patients treated for BD with or without ocular involvement showed a statistically significant association between ocular and neurological manifestations (p=0.03). All patients with ocular involvement were treated with corticosteroids. Immunosuppressive (IS) treatments were used in 28 patients (84.8%). Cyclophosphamide was the most used as first-line treatment (71.4%). Cyclophosphamide relayed by azathioprine was the most adopted protocol (28.5%). In case of resistance or relapse and depending on the other manifestations of the BD, the IS used in first intention was replaced by another one. Seven of the 33 patients had received treatment with infliximab (IFX) after failure of other therapeutic lines. CONCLUSION: Ocular prognosis in the BD can be improved by early treatment and regular monitoring. It is important to adjust the therapeutic protocol to the anatomic form, to the severity of uveitis and to the extra-ocular manifestations associated.

[Central serous chorioretinopathy: clinical-anatomic correlations]. / La choriorétinopathie séreuse centrale : corrélations anatomo-cliniques.

INTRODUCTION: Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) is a retinal disease characterized by a serous retinal detachment (SRD) responsible for a macular syndrome in young patients, often in the context of stress. In our study, we aimed to describe through multimodal analysis the clinical, angiographic and tomographic characteristics of CSCR while identifying prognostic factors and highlighting functional-anatomic correlations. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, descriptive and analytic study over a period of 6 years on 35 eyes of 34 patients with CSCR. The simultaneous analysis of clinical exams and imaging allowed for correlation between the anatomic lesions and visual function. RESULTS: A correlation was found between the leakage point on angiography and pigment epithelial detachments (PED) in 8 eyes (28.5%), and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) irregularities in 6 eyes (21.4%) on optical coherence tomography (OCT). Factors associated with poor functional outcome were: poor initial visual acuity, greater subretinal fluid height (P=0.054), presence of highly reflective dots on OCT within the SRD (P<0.05) and the number of PED's (P=0.008). CONCLUSION: Although CRSC often a resolves spontaneously, the functional prognosis can be affected by macular sequellae. A comprehensive assessment of the anatomical lesions is essential to detect poor prognostic factors.

Association study of MICA gene polymorphisms with rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility in south Tunisian population.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I chain-related gene A (MICA) polymorphisms, important in natural killer (NK) cell function, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A transmembrane (TM) alanine-encoding GCT repeats, termed A4, A5, A5.1, A6 and A9 in the MICA gene, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): the Met129Val polymorphism (rs1051792) and the nonsynonymously coding SNP (rs1051794) were genotyped in 142 patients with RA and 123 unrelated healthy individuals using, respectively, PCR fluorescent method, nested PCR-RFLP and allele specific PCR (ASP). Association was assessed based on the χ2 test, genotype relative risk (GRR) and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Our results show a trend of association of the different MICA genotypes G/G, G/A and A/A (P = 0.029) which did not attain the significance after Bonferroni's correction (pc = 0.08). Although, we revealed a significant association of the genotype A/A of MICA-250 in patients with RA compared to healthy controls (pc = 0.033). In contrast, no significant differences between alleles and genotypes frequencies were found either with MICA-TM or MICA met129 val (P > 0.05) in our sample. Moreover, stratification of patients with RA according to clinical and immunological data for the different polymorphisms studied shows a significant association of both MICA-250 G allele (pc = 0.0075) and MICA-250 GG genotype (pc = 0.008) and both allelic (val) (pc = 0.021) and genotypic (val/val) distribution (pc = 0.0095) for MICA met129 val in the RF-positive subgroup compared to RF-negative patients with RA. In contrast, we found a strong association of the MICA-TM A9 allele in RF-negative patients with RA (pc = 0.0003). This study indicates the involvement of the MICA-250 polymorphism in the genetic susceptibility and severity to RA and suggests that variations in MICA-TM and MICA met129 val may have an effect on RA severity in our south Tunisian sample.

[Foveoschisis in highly myopic eyes: clinical and tomographic features]. / Le fovéoschisis du myope fort : signes cliniques et tomographiques

INTRODUCTION: Foveoschisis is a rare condition in highly myopic eyes, characterized by intra-retinal cleavage associated with abnormalities of the vitreous cortex and occasionally cortical retraction. The natural history of foveoschisis is unpredictable. The functional prognosis is often favorable after surgical treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We report 7 cases of macular retinoschisis in highly myopic eyes. We describe the optical coherence tomographic features as well as associated signs. The correlation with visual acuity was assessed. RESULTS: Foveoschisis was undetected on clinical exam and visualized only on optical coherence tomography (OCT) in 4 cases. Mean central foveal thickness was 540 , mean visual acuity was 1/10­P10. The thicker the macula was, the worse was the visual acuity. The presenceor absence of serous retinal detachment did not affect visual acuity, whereas an epiretinal membrane or retraction of the vitreous cortex appeared to induce visual loss. CONCLUSION: OCT has been demonstrated to be particularly useful for the diagnosis of visual loss in the high myope, notably in the case of foveoschisis. Anatomic-functional correlations in high myopic foveoschisis are not yet well clarified. Posterior pole retinal detachment and macular hole are the most serious complications.

[Multifocal choroidal ischemia in preeclampsia: report of two cases]. / Ischémie choroïdienne multifocale au cours de la toxémie gravidique : à propos de deux cas.

INTRODUCTION: Multifocal choroidal ischemia is a complication of severe hypertension, notably in preeclampsia. It is a rare phenomenon due to multiple choriocapillaris occlusions. CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS: We report the cases of two patients, age 28 and 32 years, 34 and 26 weeks since last menstrual period, respectively. The first had controlled preeclampsia under treatment. The second had developed Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, Low Platelet count (HELLP) syndrome complicated by in utero fetal death. Both patients reported visual loss. Comprehensive ophthalmological examination and fluorescein angiography confirmed the diagnosis of multifocal choroidal ischemia, in the acute stage in the first patient and cicatricial in the second. CONCLUSION: Acute choroidal ischemia is an ocular vascular syndrome which must be ruled out by systematic examination in any preeclamptic patient, so as to make the diagnosis and begin treatment early.

[Angioid streaks complicated by choroidal neovascularization secondary to pseudoxanthoma elasticum: diagnosis and treatment. Case report]. / Stries angioïdes compliquées de néovaisseaux choroïdiens révélant un pseudoxanthome élastique : diagnostic et stratégie thérapeutique. À propos d'un cas.

Angioid streaks represent linear breaks in Bruch's membrane secondary to a change in the elastic layer. They are often associated with pseudoxanthoma elasticum. We report the case of a 36-year-old man with no prior history who was seen for a macular problem in the left eye, eventually involving the right eye after 3 months. He was diagnosed with pseudoxanthoma elasticum, associated with angioid streaks, complicated by choroidal neovascularization in both eyes. He was treated with intravitreal ranibizumab injections (0.5 mg/0.05 mL). His course in the right eye was remarkable for stable improvement at 3 months after the final injection. In the left eye, after initial improvement, recurrence was noted 2.5 months after injection, with subfoveal progression of the choroidal neovascularisation, unresponsive to a fourth ranibizumab injection. Angioid streaks represent a degenerative retinal pathology of elastic tissue with the potential for ingrowth of choroidal neovascularization. Various therapeutic approaches such as photodynamic therapy or laser photocoagulation have been proposed, with variable and sometimes limited results. Intravitreal ranibizumab injections currently remain the best treatment and should be studied with a longer-term, larger series.

Association study of CARD8 (p.C10X) and NLRP3 (p.Q705K) variants with rheumatoid arthritis in French and Tunisian populations.

The objective of the study was to investigate the association of caspase activating and recruitment domain 8 (CARD8) and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) polymorphisms with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Tunisian and French populations. CARD8 (c.30T>A, rs2043211) and NLRP3 (c.2113C>A, rs35829419) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in 100 French RA trio families and 141 Tunisian patients with RA and 191 unrelated healthy controls, using TaqMan(®) allelic discrimination assay. The genetic analyses for the association and linkage in French families were performed using the comparison of allelic frequencies (AFBAC), the genotype relative risk (GRR) and the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT). Data for case and control samples were analysed by chi-square-test, GRR and odds ratio (OR). No significant differences between alleles and genotypes frequencies were detected in French trio and Tunisian patients with RA and controls, either with CARD8 or with NLRP3 SNPs both in French and in Tunisian populations. Moreover, stratifying patients according to the presence of rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-cyclic peptides antibodies (ACPA), erosion, nodules, other autoimmune disease or HLA-DRB1*04-positive subgroups did not show any significant association with CARD8 or NLRP3 (P ≥ 0.05). This study suggests that variations in the innate immunity genes CARD8 (p.C10X) and NLRP3 (p.Q705K) have no effect on RA susceptibility either in the Tunisian or in the French population.