[Supraventricular arrhythmia in Yersinia enterocolitica infection]. / Troubles du rythme supraventriculaires au cours d'une infection a Yersinia enterocolitica.

The authors report a case of Yersinia enterocolitica rheumatism which presented atrial arrhythmias similar to those seen in atrial disease, but which resolved after 3 weeks and have not recurred over the subsequent 38 months. This case adds to the list of the cardiac manifestations of yersiniosis and raises the problem of acute forms of auricular disease.

[Changes in blood calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase levels in rheumatoid polyarthritis and other types of inflammatory rheumatism]. / Etude des variations de la calcémie, de la phosphorémie et de la phosphatasémie alcaline au cours de la polyarthrite rhumatoide et d'autres rhumatismes inflammatoires.

Albuminemia, calcemia, phosphoremia and alcaline phosphatasemia were measured in three groups of 52 subjects each : rheumatoid arthrits, inflammatory rheumatisms other than rheumatoid arthritis and lumbarthrosics serving as a reference group. Calcemia and albuminemia were significantly lower in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, whose calcemia corrected in relation to albuminemia is, on the other hand, normal : the increase in corrected calcemia pointed out by Kennedy, was not noted. Corrected calcemia was also normal in ankylosing spondylitis, but it was significantly higher in polymyalgia rheumatica. Phosphoremia was shown to be normal but alkaline phosphatases were higher than normal in the three groups.

[Myoclonus during a treatment with diclofenac (author's transl)]. / Myoclonies au cours d'un traitement par le diclofenac.

Diclofenac is a non steroïdal anti-inflammatory drug. In 1978, the case of a myoclonic encephalopathy appearing three days after starting a treatment with this drug in a patients with renal insufficiency was published. A few months later, we observed a case of myoclonus of the lower limbs in a young man in good general status, without renal insufficiency, after four full months of this treatment. Myoclonus vanished 48 hours after withdrawal of the drug.

[Is rheumatoid arthritis connected with a digestive tract parasitosis? (author's transl)]. / La polyarthrite rhumatoïde est-elle liée à une parasitose intestinale?

The comparison of blood eosinophil counts and stool parasites in two groups of patients--twenty one suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and twenty one from other various diseases--did not show any significant difference in favour of a parasitological etiology in rheumatoid arthritis, an hypothesis which had to be considered because of the efficacy of levamisole in the treatment of this disease.

[Hypocomplementaemic leucocytoclasic vasculitis. (Mac Duffie's syndrome). One case with bacterial lymphadenitis (author's transl)]. / Vascularite leucocytoclasique hypocomplémentémique (syndrome de Mac Duffie): Un cas avec lymphaénite bactérienne.

Mac Duffie's syndrome includes a hypocomplementaemic allergic vasculitis with essentially cutaneous and articular manifestations. Its pathogenesis, still incompletely elucidated, involves the precipitation of immune complexes in the walls of the all vessels. The problem remains as to whether the alteration in the complement system is merely a reflection of this formation of immune complexes, or if it is primary, favourising the chronic infections which produce such complexes. The significance of the presence of low molecular weight precipitins reacting with C1g in the serum of a number of patients remains uncertain. The case reported, with its new clinical features, does not provide an answer to these questions but emphasises the possible role of chronic infections in the origin of this syndrome.

[Synoviorthesis of the knee using osmic acid: apropos of 61 injections]. / Synoviorthèses du genou par l'acide osmique. A propos de 61 injections.

The authors report their experience of 61 injections of osmic acid into the knee during the course of rheumatoid polyarthritis. The results stated to be very good and good, are classified by the disappearance of pain, swelling and stiffness, or a improvement in any one of these criteria. As observed in 67% of cases at the third month the result following changed with time. While these favourable results persisted into the fifth month, there was a remarkable maintenance of them to the 30th month in those patients who it was able to follow so long. The most distinct and lasting results were seen in those joints which showed the least radiological change. Tolerance of the injection of osmic acid was satisfactory apart from several painful reactions which improved in the 24 hours following injection. Two cases of thrombo-phlebitis were seen and one case of rupture of the synovium. If the results obtained with osmic acid appear less impressive than those obtained with isotopes, the simplicity of the method attracts attention as it needs no complicated equipment and is applicable to young invalids.

[Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with levamisole. Preliminary study of clinical and immunological results]. / Traitement de la polyarthrite rhumatoïde par le lévamisole. Résultats cliniques et immunologiques. Etude préliminaire.

From September 1975 to September 1976, eleven patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis in whom gold salts were either inactive or contraindicated were treated with levamisole. Treatment was interrupted in one case because of an allergic rash and in one as a precaution. There was an improvement in six, taking the form of a decrease in clinical symptoms and signs and a slowing of sedimentation rate. Certain immunitary changes were seen, in the sense of a reinforcement of humoural and cellular immunity. Fear of sudden agranulocytosis should lead to caution in further clinical trials.

[Synovial fluid. Review of international literature from 1972 to 1975 (author's transl)]. / Le liquide synovial. Revue de la littérature de 1972 a 1975

The tremendous increase in the number of articles from the world scientific literature dealing with the synovial fluid in recent years, reflects the growing interest of research on that subject. The current review summarizes the scientific works published during the period of 1972 to 1975. This review deals with fundamental as well as applied research or clinical reports adding some diagnostic hints in the knowledge of diseases involving joints. The content of the review is divided in two major chapters. 1) The Physico-Chemical Properties of the Synovial Fluid (viscosity, pH,...); 2) The Composition of the Synovial Fluid (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, prostaglandins, cells, crystals, micro-organisms).

[Immunoglobulin D. Physiology and pathology excluding myeloma]. / L'immunoglobuline D. Physiologie et pathologie en dehors du myélome

Immunoglobulin D is the fourth class of immunoglobulins secreted by the plasma cells and also, in 5% of lymphocytes, this is a surface immunoglobulin. Its serum levels are about 0.03 mg/ml, due to low secretion, intersititial diffusion and intense catabolism. IgD migrates on electrophoresis in the beta-gamma zone, on immuno-electrophoresis, in the beta2 zone. Only one disulphide bridge links the delta-chains together. The light chains, are, in most cases, lambda chain. Studies of the antigenic characteristics of the delta-chains are in progress. IgD does not take up complement, but has an antibody function. 37% of healthy subjects have anti IgD antibodies. Only 4 cases of monoclonal IgD gammopathy without malignant myeloma, have been reported. Anto-antibodies of IgD nature have been described in various connective tissue diseases or auto-immune processes.