Influence of dietary carbohydrate on the metabolism of juvenile Litopenaeus stylirostris.

The effect of dietary carbohydrates (CBH) on glucose and glycogen, digestive enzymes, ammonia excretion and osmotic pressure and osmotic capacity of Litopenaeus stylirostris juveniles was studied. The increase of CBH, ranging between 1 and 33%, stimulates activities of alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase in the hepatopancreas. High levels of glucose in hemolymph and of glycogen in the hepatopancreas were reached at the highest level of dietary CBH; however, the kinetics of accumulation is different. Shrimps fed with low level of CBH needed 3 h to reached glucose peak, whereas only 1 h is necessary for high CBH levels. A saturation curve was observed in glycogen level and alpha-amylase activity with maximum values in shrimp-fed diets containing 21% CBH. This level could be used to be included as a maximum shrimp dietary CBH level. Pre-prandial glycogen levels were observed in shrimp fed a diet containing 1% CBH, indicating an important gluconeogenesis, which affected the protein metabolism. The present results show that a diet containing 10% CBH may not be enough to cover the CBH requirement, which could be satisfied by dietary protein content. The low osmotic capacity observed in shrimp fed on a diet containing 10% CBH coincided with a relatively low post-prandial nitrogen excretion which reflects a low concentration of amino acids circulating in hemolymph, which affected the osmotic pressure and the osmotic capacity. These results reflect the high plasticity of shrimp species to use protein to obtain metabolic energy from food and its limited capacity for processing dietary CBH.

[Pentasa (mesalazine) and pregnancy]. / Pentasa (mésalazine) et grossesse.

We analysed the outcome of 11 pregnancies in women treated for inflammatory bowel disease with mesalazine (Pentasa) during part of or throughout pregnancy. There were 9 healthy babies, one spontaneous abortion (the woman had an uterine malformation) and one infant with multiple malformations (but the mother was not treated with mesalazine during organogenesis). Because of the relatively small number of pregnancies exposed to mesalazine (Pentasa) in this study, these data need to be confirmed by other studies.

[Accidental chloral hydrate poisoning]. / Intoxication involontaire à l'hydrate de chloral.

A 42-year-old woman had an accidental overdose of chloral hydrate due to repeated absorption of a therapeutic dose of chloral syrup for insomnia. The total ingestion was estimated at 8 g. Overnight slight loss of consciousness associated with severe cardiac arrhythmia (bigeminia ventricular extra-systole) needed admission to the intensive care unit and intravenous lignocaine for two days. The evolution was satisfactory.

The use of flumazenil in a neonate.

Side effects of benzodiazepines used during pregnancy are described in a neonate. Recurrent apnea was reversed after administration of flumazenil, a specific antagonist of benzodiazepines.

[Primary non-parasitic cyst of the diaphragm. Review of the literature. Apropos of a case]. / Kyste primitif non parasitaire du diaphragme. Revue de la littérature. A propos d'un cas.

The authors report a case of mesothelial cyst of the diaphragm, discovered on ultrasonography performed for pain in the right hypochondrium and treated by simple surgical excision. Based on a review of the literature, they define the topographical, histological and therapeutic aspects of these lesions, which are now recognised more frequently due to the progress in medical imaging.