Presse Med
-
DIAGNOSIS OF RENAL INVOLVEMENT: The diagnosis of renal involvement in patients with Wegener's disease and microscopic polyangeitis is facilitated with the search for antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCA) but still requires biopsy for confirmation.
-
Comparative Study
[Procalcitonin in pyelonephritis and acute community-acquired pneumonia in adults].
Procalcitonin (PCT) is an acute-phase protein involved in the specific inflammatory reaction to severe bacterial or fungal infections. This protein does however lack sensitivity in focal infections. ⋯ PCT is a specific but poorly sensitive marker of community-acquired pneumonia and pyelonephritis among adults hospitalized in medical wards.
-
Osteitis of the posterior wall of the spinal canal is an exceptional complication after peridural anesthesia. Prognosis depends on early diagnosis based on clinical signs and imaging data. ⋯ Data in the French and English literature (since 1948) on bone infections following epidural anesthesia have included 5 cases of spondylodiscitis and 1 case of posterior wall osteitis. The diagnosis is suggested by the clinical presentation. Standard x-rays contribute little. Early diagnosis in the infraradiological phase can be obtained with bone scintigraphy. Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging are currently highly contributive to diagnosis and follow-up after treatment. Contamination may be direct or via the blood stream or result from an extension of a neighboring infectious focus. Antibiotic therapy and immobilization are indicated. Rigorous application of strict aseptic procedures during lumbar puncture and use of the epidural catheter are crucial for prevention.
-
The most practical method of assessing medication compliance is to ask the patient for a self-report; but the interview question has to be selected and validated. The aim of this work was to select and validate interview questions to be used in a self-administered questionnaire for measurement of medication compliance in hypertensive patients. ⋯ In clinical practice, interview may be the most useful method of measuring medication compliance. We demonstrated that the compliance evaluation test is validated and may help physicians to face the problem of nonadherence among their hypertensive patients.