[Permanent cosmetics and magnetic resonance imaging]. / Maquillage permanent et imagerie par résonance magnétique.

INTRODUCTION: We report a case illustrating the possible relation between permanent cosmetics (tattoos) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). OBSERVATION: A 24-year-old woman underwent a permanent cosmetic tattoo (eyeliner) on the four eyelids 5 months before an MRI was performed for headache. After 1 min, the patient reported a burning sensation associated with an eyelid erythema. The MRI examination was interrupted. The burning sensation resolved by the end of the examination and erythema 2 h later. CONCLUSION: Cosmetic tattoo technicians, patients, and MR technologists should be informed of the minor risk associated with the site of the permanent cosmetic tattoo (eyelid, eyebrow).

Physiological stress monitoring of postmen during work.

The purpose of the present study was to characterize the physiological demands of postmen during a work day composed of mail sorting (inside work, IW) and cycling distribution (outside work, OW). Two groups of postal workers were constituted according to the geographical profile of their distribution courses: flat profile (FP; n = 7) vs hilly profile (HP; n = 7). Heart rate (HR) was recorded and energy expenditure (EE) was estimated during both IW and OW. EE was, on average, 1795 +/- 497 Kcal per workday. HR was higher (p < 0.001) during OW (104 +/- 14 bpm) than during IW (80 +/- 7 bpm). HR was highest during the cycling part (109 +/- 13 bpm). Average HR was greater (p < 0.001) for HP (112 +/- 9 bpm) than for FP route (95 +/- 8 bpm). On average, the workload of postmen could be considered as moderate. Nevertheless, the physiological demand greatly increased during the cycling part of OW, especially with hilly geographical profile. The greater physiological strains during the cycling should be factored into the improvement of work organization and delivery materials (e.g. bicycle) for postal workers.

[Congenital grouped albinotic spots: a case report]. / Taches blanches albinoïdes congénitales groupées de l'épithélium pigmentaire de la rétine.

INTRODUCTION: Case report of congenital grouped albinotic spots. OBSERVATION: A 24-year-old woman was referred for frontal headache related to +1.50 hypermetropia. Visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes. During routine examination, fundus examination revealed multiple, irregular white spots involving the juxtapapillary and peripheral retina in both eyes. Color vision, visual fields, and electroretinographic findings were normal. Fluorescein angiograms showed hyperfluorescent spots; indocyanine green (ICG) showed hypofluorescence of these lesions. CONCLUSION: These albinotic spots are uncommon benign developmental lesions of the retinal pigment epithelium; they appear to represent focal thickening of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) that is filled with white material, possibly an abnormal precursor of melanin.

[Rupture of the hemato-ocular barrier, studied by fluorophotometry, in uveal melanoma patients. Preliminary results]. / Etude de la rupture de la barrière hémato-oculaire par fluorophotométrie du vitré chez des patients porteurs d'un mélanome de l'uvée. Résultats préliminaires.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the use of intravenous vitreous fluorophotometry in assessment of the blood-aqueous barrier in eyes with uveal melanoma. METHOD: Vitreous fluorophotometry was performed before treatment in 14 patients with uveal melanoma. Both eyes of patients were examined, and fifteen control healthy patients were examined between November 1996 and December 1996 at the department of ophthalmology of Bicêtre hospital. RESULTS: Tumors with height > 6 mm and serous retinal detachments were accompanied by marked alterations of the blood-aqueous barrier, vitreous fluorophotometry showed diffusion of dye in posterior, mid and anterior vitreous: 2.99 ng/ml in the posterior vitreous and 5.20 ng/ml in the anterior vitreous. The posterior vitreous fluorescence at 60 minutes in the control eyes was 1.43 ng/ml and 1.30 ng/ml in the anterior vitreous. Diffusion of dye was present in the posterior vitreous in patients with tumor height less than 6 mm: 2.38 ng/ml (1.43 ng/ml in control eyes) at 60 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: Fluorophotometry provides a method for the assessment of the blood-aqueous ocular barrier in eyes with choroidal melanoma.

[Fluorophotometry of changes of hemato-ocular barriers in intermediate uveitis]. / Etude en fluorophotométrie de l'altération des barrières hémato-oculaires au cours de l'uvéite intermédiaire.

PURPOSE: Intermediate uveitis presents a characteristic clinical picture with inflammation in the vitreous and peripheral retina. From a physiological point of view, the disease is characterised by a rupture of blood-ocular barriers. To determine the sites involved, a vitreous fluorophotometry was performed in patients with intermediate uveitis and in a group of healthy patients. METHODS: Seventy-one patients with an intermediate uveitis were studied by vitreous fluorophotometry. Anterior chamber and posterior segment fluorophotometric findings were measured 5 and 60 minutes after injection of fluorescein. Results were compared to a group of healthy patients. RESULTS: Vitreous fluorophotometry demonstrated abnormal leakage of fluorescein in all vitreous sectors of the patients suffering from uveitis compared with the control group (p < 0.001). In the anterior chamber, leakage of fluorescein was not significantly different between the two groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Results obtained suggest that intermediate uveitis involves a generalized permeability disturbance of the posterior segment secondary to a diffuse vasculitis. However, in the anterior segment this disturbance is not found.