[Absence of a relationship between obesity and asthma in prepubertal Moroccan children]. / Absence de relation entre obésité et asthme dans une population d'enfants prépubères marocains.

Obesity and asthma are both public health problems that have been increasing for several years. This increase suggests that there may be a connection between these two pathologies. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between obesity and asthma by measuring the prevalence of obesity in asthmatic children compared with a control population, by analysing the impact of obesity on the severity of the asthma, and by examining the relationship between obesity and atopy. The study was based on 100 children aged from 4 to 16 years in whom the diagnosis of asthma was confirmed; obesity being defined as a body mass index greater than the 97th percentile. The prevalence of obesity in these patients was 14%. Obesity was not a factor in the severity of the asthma as 14.5% of the severe asthmatics were obese compared with 18.75% of the mild and moderate asthmatics. 13% of the atopic subjects were obese compared with 13% of the non-atopics. Obesity does not constitute, therefore, a risk factor for asthma and does not contribute to the severity of the disease. In addition there is no relationship between obesity and atopy.

[Cow's milk protein allergy after neonatal intestinal surgery]. / Allergie aux protéines du lait de vache après chirurgie digestive néonatale.

UNLABELLED: Cases of cow's milk protein allergy have been occasionally reported after neonatal intestinal surgery. AIM OF THE STUDY: To measure the prevalence of cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) following neonatal intestinal surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The files of all children who underwent intestinal surgery in the neonatal period over a four-year-period were reviewed. The diagnosis of CMPA was made on the association of one or several symptoms suggesting food allergy after the introduction of cow's milk protein in the diet, the disappearance of the symptoms after exclusion of cow's milk protein from the diet and their reappearance after reintroduction of cow's milk protein. RESULTS: During the study period, 251 neonates underwent an intestinal surgery. Among them, 11 babies (4.3%) developed CMPA. None of them had a medical history of family atopy. Moreover, while 5 children were fed with a diet containing cow's milk protein before surgery: none of them presented initially with symptoms suggesting CMPA before intestinal surgery. Small intestine suffering was observed during operation in seven of 11 patients. No specific neonatal digestive disease or malformation was associated with CMPA. The signs revealing CMPA were primarily digestive : diarrhoea (N =3), vomiting (N =4), abdominal distension (N =2), colic or anorexia (N =2). Casein specific immunoglobulin E were present in nine of ten cases, alpha lactalbumin and/or beta lactoglobulin specific immunoglobulin E were present in six of ten cases. Prick test were performed in three children and were positive. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of CMPA among these patients with no risk factors of allergy raises the question of the role of neonatal intestinal surgery in developing food allergy. These data should be confirmed by prospective case-control studies. They underline the interest to evoke the diagnosis of CMPA when digestive symptoms occur after milk protein introduction in children undergoing neonatal intestinal surgery. Breast feeding or milk protein hydrolysate formula should be used for refeeding these patients.

Allele frequency and genotype distribution of polymorphisms within disease-related genes is influenced by ethnic population sub-structuring in Sudan.

Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) polymorphism located within disease associated/causing genes were typed in four populations of different tribal and ethnic affiliation from the Sudan. The genotype and allele frequencies were compared with those of other groups from published and unpublished data of world populations. The combined Sudanese sample conformed with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) expectation. However, population sub-structuring according to ethnic/linguistic group indicated at least two SNPs in departure from HWE. Differences in allele frequencies and genotype distribution between groups was also noted in three of the four SNPs. The other loci were distributed homogeneously within the populations studied with genotype frequencies in agreement with HWE expectation. These results highlight the importance of inter-population stratification for polymorphic markers, as well as the potential influence of evolutionary history and ethnic variation of loci, in the general distribution of SNPs and other polymorphisms.

[Evaluation of the scanner and radiography in rheumatic pelvispondylitis]. / Evaluation du scanner et de la radiographie dans la pelvispondylite rhumatismale.

We studied 20 normal subjects and 20 suffering from sacro-iliitis. The performance of the two techniques were compared in studying reports ROC curve from several readers. We assessed the performance of each technique and each sign: CT scan appears as a better technique than plain films. Some signs present a poor interest: osteophytes seen on CT or plain films, subchondral cysts seen on CT. In other respects, articular cartilage erosions, subchondral sclerosis are main signs as much on CT as on plain films. In conclusion, CT scan allowed an accurate analysis of sacro-iliitis. It has a better diagnostic value than plain films and, in case of doubt, should be performed to increase diagnosis sensibility and specificity.