[Cancer recurrence or sarcoidosis: the essential contribution of pathology]. / Récidive tumorale ou sarcoïdose: un rendez-vous en anatomo-pathologie à ne pas manquer.

The development of pulmonary nodules or lymph nodes in the course of a malignancy, in particular breast cancer, can sometimes correspond to the onset of sarcoidosis. Osteolytic lesions can simultaneously occur which further strengthens the impression of a metastatic disease. No particular test, biological markers or imaging technique, has a satisfactory discriminating power and a biopsy is needed to establish the correct diagnosis and decide on the adequate treatment. The concomitance of sarcoidosis and cancer raises the possibility of a granolumatous disease.

[Mycobacterium malmoense infection in an immunocompetent patient]. / Infection par Mycobacterium malmoense chez un sujet immunocompétent.

We report the case of a 57-year-old patient in whom we found a pulmonary infection due to Mycobacterium malmoense. This patient had no immunodeficiency and responded quite rapidly to anti-tuberculous therapy. He was treated for 6 months by levofloxacine, myambutol, and nicotibine, followed by 3 months of clarithromycine, levofloxacine and myambutol. The patient improved clinically to become asymptomatic and the cavitary lesion shown at the CT-scan slightly decreased. The patient is still currently treated by clarithromycine and ciproxine.

Optimization of the processing of matrix pellets based on the combination of waxes and starch using experimental design.

An experimental design was used in order to optimize the one-step production process of matrix pellets based on the combination of waxes and starch. The parameters tested were the impeller speed (x1) and the mixing time (x2). Ibuprofen and theophylline were used as model drugs at a concentration of 60 and 70% (w/w), respectively. The 0.8-1.25 mm yield fraction of the matrix pellets was evaluated as the response factor Y. A quadratic equation was fitted to the experimental data and used to predict the response factor Y of the theophylline and the ibuprofen. The contour plots of both formulations revealed a flat and therefore rugged region from the upper left to the lower right of the domain investigated. The energy input into the system during the production process controlled the pellet growth, the impeller speed having a greater impact on the energy input compared to the mixing time.

Clinical overlap of Beckwith-Wiedemann, Perlman and Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndromes: a diagnostic pitfall.

We report on a child who died in the neonatal period. Major external anomalies included foetal overgrowth, macroglossia, and ambiguous genitalia (micropenis and perineoscrotal hypospadias with cryptorchidism). Necropsy showed a large right diaphragmatic hernia, visceromegaly, multicystic kidney dysplasia, Langerhans islet hyperplasia, nephroblastomatosis, multiple adrenal adenomas, and dysplastic testicles. The child illustrates the difficulties of the differential diagnosis of overgrowth syndromes in the neonatal period, and the phenotypic overlap of Beckwith-Wiedemann, Denys-Drash, Simpson-Golabi-Behmel, Perlman and possibly Meacham-Winn syndromes. Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome was felt to be the most likely diagnosis. If this opinion is correct, genital ambiguity, hydramnios and nephroblastomatosis should be added to the clinical spectrum of Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome. Differential diagnosis between the above-mentioned syndromes is of major importance for accurate genetic counseling, considering the differences in recurrence risk. The present case underlines the need for long-term survey of patients suspected of having Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome, who could be at risk for embryonic tumours.

Neuroblastoma in a dwarfed newborn. Possible clue to the chromosomal localization of the gene for achondroplasia?

The authors report a premature achondroplastic child with connatal neuroblastoma. Though this association could be coincidental, we suggest that a microdeletion inducing a contiguous gene syndrome involving the locus of neuroblastoma suppressor gene could be an alternative hypothesis. The gives a working hypothesis for the localization of the gene for achondroplasia.