Osteoid osteoma or osteoblastoma of the cervical spine in relation to the vertebral artery

Osteoid osteoma or osteoblastoma of the cervical spine require complex therapeutic solutions in cases in which there is proximity to the vertebral artery. We describe four such cases. Generally, resection was efficacious and without recurrence, but twice the vertebral artery had to be sacrificed. Although we did not find any serious neurological complication, we concluded that a simple sacrifice of one of the vertebral arteries is not acceptable, principally because of the importance and variability of the unknown radiculomedullary branches of the vertebral artery. We discuss the therapeutic strategies for treating these lesions, namely preoperative investigations, surgical approaches, and vascular control

Normal faulting in chalk: Tectonic stresses vs. compaction-related polygonal faulting

This paper documents normal fault sets observed in chalks exposed in widely separated localities in the UK and France. These faults are characterized by having a wide range of strikes at any one locality, are developed entirely within the chalk succession and do not seem to interconnect to deeper or shallower structures. These structures may result from two different mechanisms: (1) complex polyphase deformational histories involving contrasting stress states; or (2) a single deformational phase in which the faults develop to accommodate compactional strains. Evidence is presented from microstructural and petrographic data to support the latter interpretation. In particular, the association of calcite and marcasite mineralizations with fracture surfaces and fault zones and textural observations relating flint occurrence to early fault formation point towards fault propagation at a very early stage of burial and compaction of the chalky sediments. An analogy is drawn between these outcrop-scale structures and polygonal fault systems at a larger scale recognised from seismic observations of chalk sequences deposited at passive continental margins. The origin of these structures may be related to syneresis at an early stage of deformation followed by pressure solution phenomena that may reactivate this early-inherited polygonal fault pattern until the present day

Listeria monocytogenes-associated respiratory infections: a study of 38 consecutive cases

International audienceObjectives: Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a foodborne human pathogen responsible for severe infections, including septicaemia, neurolisteriosis, and maternalefoetal and focal infections. Little is known about Lm-associated respiratory tract or lung infections. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of culture-proven cases of Lm pleural infections and pneumonia Results: Thirty-eight consecutive patients with pleural infection (n ¼ 32), pneumonia (n ¼ 5), or both (n ¼ 1) were studied; 71% of these were men. Median age was 72 (range 29e90). Two patients presented with concomitant neurolisteriosis. All patients but one reported at least one immunosuppressive condition (97%), with a median number of 2 (range 0e5), including 29% (8/28) with current exposure to immunosuppressive therapy and 50% (17/34) with ongoing neoplasia; 75% (21/28) reported previous pleural or pulmonary disease. Antibiotic therapy mostly consisted in amoxicillin (72%) associated with aminoglycoside in 32%. Chest-tube drainage was performed in 7/19 patients with empyema (37%); 25% of the patients (7/30) required intensive care management. In-hospital mortality reached 35% and occurred after a median time interval of 4 days (range 1e33 days). Three patients had recurrence of empyema (time interval of 1 week to 4 months after treatment completion). Altogether, only 13/31 patients (42%) diagnosed with Lm respiratory infection experienced an uneventful outcome at 2-year follow-up. Conclusion: Lm is a rare but severe cause of pneumonia and pleural infection in older immunocom-promised patients, requiring prompt diagnosis and adequate management and follow-up

Listeria monocytogenes isolation from urine: a series of 15 cases and review

International audienceLetter to the Edito

Whole genome-based population biology and epidemiological surveillance of Listeria monocytogenes

International audienceListeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a major human foodborne pathogen. Numerous Lm outbreaks have been reported worldwide and associated with a high case fatality rate, reinforcing the need for strongly coordinated surveillance and outbreak control. We developed a universally applicable genome-wide strain genotyping approach and investigated the population diversity of Lm using 1,696 isolates from diverse sources and geographical locations. We define, with unprecedented precision, the population structure of Lm, demonstrate the occurrence of international circulation of strains and reveal the extent of heterogeneity in virulence and stress resistance genomic features among clinical and food isolates. Using historical isolates, we show that the evolutionary rate of Lm from lineage I and lineage II is low (∼2.5 × 10-7 substitutions per site per year, as inferred from the core genome) and that major sublineages (corresponding to so-called 'epidemic clones') are estimated to be at least 50-150 years old. This work demonstrates the urgent need to monitor Lm strains at the global level and provides the unified approach needed for global harmonization of Lm genome-based typing and population biology