Annales de medecine interne最新文献

Cannabis is by far the illegal substance the most widely used by youth aged 12-25 years. One out of five persons living in France has already tried it once in his lifetime. Although the psychiatric symptoms as well as the cognitive and acute or chronic behavioral effects linked to repeated use of cannabis are well documented in the literature, search for persistent cognitive effects amongst chronic users has not provided convincing evidence because of methodological biases. The issue is nevertheless most crucial, especially amongst teenagers, due to the potential risks of deteriorated academic, social and occupational performance. The longer the exposure to the effects of the substance, the greater the risk of complications. Based on data reported in the literature, we report the cognitive effects associated with chronic use of cannabis as well as its social and educational consequences.

We report the case of a patient with predominantly renal sarcoidosis. Renal failure responded well to systemic corticosteroid therapy. The clinical presentation was particular, notably the absence of lung involvement and the presence of cutaneous lymphedema.

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an excellent model for understanding the pathophysiology of autoimmune diseases and the relationships between autoimmunity and lymphoma. Recently discovered new elements probably play a role in the pathogenesis of this multifactorial disease: genetic predisposition remains largely unknown, but there isa link between certain HLA molecules and the type of autoantibodies secreted; sometimes called autoimmune epithelitis, SS is associated with abnormal apoptosis activity in epithelial cells leading to an abnormal accumulation of degradation products of the cytoskeleton proteins such as alpha- and beta-fordrine and also to the presentation of numerous antinuclear autoantigens to the immune system; significant polyclonal activation of B lymphocytes is probably mediated, at least in part, by a major increase in molecules of the TNF family (e.g. BlyS or BAFF) which play an important role in the production of autoantibodies; cytokine inhibition of healthy glands or anti-muscarin receptor antibodies and abnormal function of certain water pumps such as aquaporine could explain the perturbed function of the remaining healthy glands; permanent stimulation of autoreactive B cells favors oncogenic events and could lead to the development of B lymphoma with autoantibody activity. The links between these different elements are progressively falling into place. A better understanding of the pathophysiology of SS can be expected to lead to the development of much needed new therapeutic tools.

Cephalic tetanus is a rare form of tetanus defined as trismus plus paralysis of one or more cranial nerves. The seventh cranial nerve is most commonly involved. The process can remain localized, or become generalized. We describe the case of an elderly Caucasian man who developed cephalic tetanus after head trauma with a facial wound. Bell's palsy was inaugural.

Purpose: Gastrointestinal bleeding, an uncommon complication of polycythemia can be the inaugural sign in exceptional cases.

Case report: A 35-year-old patient was hospitalized for upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Physical examination and laboratory tests led to the diagnosis of polycythemia (Vaquez disease). Gastroscopy showed an hemorrhagic bulber ulcer. Outcome was favorable after chemotherapy and antinuclear treatment.

Conclusion: Based on this observation and data in the literature we propose that this unusual presentation would suggest a relationship between polycythemia and ulcer disease.

Drug-induced aseptic meningitis has been reported mainly with the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, intravenous immunoglobulins and OKT3 antibodies. We describe today a very unusual reaction on intravenous dexchlorpheniramine with this case of aseptic meningitis.

A 16-year-old girl from Guadeloup developed paresis of the flexors of the right foot, associated with edema and acute pain located in the upper anterior tibialis muscle. Electromyography confirmed mononeuritis of the right peroneal nerve, with severe reduction of potential amplitude. Computed tomography of the right leg showed a heterogeneous mass involving the upper segment of the anterior tibialis muscle, close to the location of peroneal nerve. Muscle biopsy confirmed pyomyositis. Muscle culture was negative. Paresis improved soon after antibiotic therapy was started.

In 1961, Stauffer first described a syndrome characterized by nonmetastatic intrahepatic cholestasis associated with undifferentiated renal adenocarcinoma. Since that time, this syndrome has been associated with other tumor diseases. We describe here a patient with lung adenocarcinoma which led to paraneoplastic cholestasis. We discuss the diagnosis and review the literature, emphasizing the pathophysiology of Stauffer's syndrome.

Spontaneous hematoma in the ilio-psoas muscle is an uncommon condition, usually observed as a complication of anticoagulation or hemophilia. Clinically, the onset is marked by violent pain in the territory of femoral nerve and/or psoitis. The diagnosis is confirmed by echography or CT-scan. The most serious complications are loss of self-sufficiency and neuro-muscular after-effect. Surgery is recommended in patients with neurological suffering, followed by early physiotherapy. We report the case of a 42-year-old man, with an ilio-psoas muscle hematoma, revealing chronic myeloid leukemia, without any hemostasis disorder.