Le mal de pott sous occipital révélé par un abcès rétro pharyngien a propos d’un cas

Introduction : Pott's disease is the most frequent localisation of osteo-articular tuberculosis. The suboccipital localisation remains rare. Case report : A 12-years old boy, admitted for cervicalgy and dysphagia. His clinical exam revealed a swelling of posterior pharyngeal wall associated with a basicervical tumefaction fistulased to the skin. Cervical spine MRI and cervico-thoracic tomodensitometry show a retro-pharyngeal collection associated with necrosed mediastinal adenopathies and apical pulmonar retractile lesion. The patient underwent, in emergency, an incision of the retro-pharyngeal abscess. The biological assessment revealed an inflommatory syndrom. A tuberculine intra dermo-reaction was negative whereas the BK research were positive. The diagnosis of suboccipital Pott's disease associated with pulmonar tuberculosis was done. The anti-tuberculosis drug was mentained for 11 months with a good recovery. The follow-up was 6 years. Discussion : The sub occipital pain Pott localisation was rare. The cervicalgy was the important clinical sign of consultation. Whearas, the dysphagia and retro-pharyngeal abscess could be revealing. The MRI was necessary for an early diagnosis. The diagnosis confirmation was made by the presence of Mycobacterium Koch in the pottic lesion. The treatment was based on the anti-tuberculosis drugs for a period of 11 months completed with an orthopedic or surgical stabilisation of cervical occipital jonction.Keywords : Pott’s disease, tuberculosis, cervical spine, MRI, Mycobacterium Koch

Complications orbitaires de la polypose nasosinusienne de l’enfant

La polypose nasosinusienne (PNS) est une pathologie rare chez l’enfant. La symptomatologie clinique est habituellement celle de l’adulte. Exceptionnellement, une complication locorégionale lui est révélatrice. A travers deux observations de PNS diagnostiquées suite à une complication orbitaire, on discute les particularités cliniques de cette entité ainsi que ses implications thérapeutiques. Il s’agissait de deux enfants âgés de 13 ans ayant été hospitalisés pour une exophtalmie unilatérale d’apparition aiguë. L’examen clinique a découvert une PNS surinfectée évoquant alors le diagnostic de complication orbitaire d’origine infectieuse, confirmé par l’imagerie. Le traitement a associé un drainage chirurgical d’urgence de l’abcès orbitaire par voie externe paracanthale interne, suivi par une corticothérapie locale. L’ethmoïdectomie a été nécessaire dans un cas. L’évolution était favorable dans les deux cas avec une stabilisation de la PNS et une absence de signes de récidive de l’infection orbitaire

Localisation rare du melanome muqueux

Purpose: Mucosal melanoma of the upper respiratory tract is rare. Nasopharyngeal involvement is extremely rare. The diagnosis and management of this tumour still remain difficult. We present a new case of mucosal nasopharyngeal melanoma, to discuss diagnosis and therapeutic modalities.Observation: A 15-year-old girl was referred to the department of otolaryngology because of bilateral cervical mass with bilateral nasal obstruction, right otalgia and chronic headache. Nasopharyngeal tumour was observed endoscopically. The histologic examination showed mucosal melanoma. No distant metastatic localisations were identified. The patientunderwent cervical lymph node dissection followed by 6 courses of chemotherapy, but she died 9 months later because of loco-regional failures.Conclusion: The primary malignant melanoma of nasopharyngeal is extremely rare disease particularly among child. Its histologic diagnosis is challenging. The treatment still remains controversial. The prognosis is poor because of anatomic localisation and high frequency of distant metastasis.Key words: Melanoma, nasopharynx, immuno-histochemistry

Straight-Line and Change of Direction Intermittent Running in Professional Soccer Players

PURPOSE: The present study aimed to investigate the difference between straight-line (STL) and change of direction (COD) intermittent running exercises in soccer players. METHODS: Seventeen male professional soccer players performed the agility T-test and 6 intermittent running exercises: 10s at 130% of maximal aerobic speed (MAS) alternated with 10s of rest (10-10), 15s at 120% of MAS alternated with 15s of rest (15-15) and 30s at 110% of MAS alternated with 30s of rest (30-30) both in STL and with COD. All exercises were monitored using a global positioning system. Heart rate was measured during exercises and the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was collected post-exercise. Delta (Δ) between covered distance in STL and COD exercises at a similar load was calculated and relationships between T-test and Δ distance were analysed. RESULTS: COD intermittent exercises showed a significantly decreased distance covered and an increased number of accelerations, heart rate peak and RPE value compared to STL intermittent exercises at a similar load. High relationships were observed between T-test performance and Δ distance in 10-10 (r = 0.72, P < 0.01) and 15-15 (r = 0.77, P < 0.01) whereas no significant relationships were observed between T-test performance and Δ distance in 30-30 (r = -0.37, P = 0.2). CONCLUSION: Intermittent COD exercises were associated with higher acceleration, heart rate peak and RPE compared to STL during 10-10 and 15-15 exercises. The ability to rapidly change direction is a crucial quality to perform intense sport-specific running in professional soccer players

Genetic variability of the P120' surface protein gene of Mycoplasma hominis isolates recovered from Tunisian patients with uro-genital and infertility disorders

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Among the surface antigens of <it>Mycoplasma hominis</it>, the P120' protein was previously shown to elicit a subtle antibody response and appears to be relatively conserved. To get better insight into the evolution of this protein, we analysed the genetic variability of its surface exposed region in 27 <it>M. hominis </it>isolates recovered from the genital tract of Tunisian patients with infertility disorders.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>All specimens were processed for culture and PCR amplification of the N-terminal surface exposed region of p120' gene. PCR products were sequenced to evaluate the genetic variability, to test for adaptive selection, and to infer the phylogenetic relationship of the <it>M. hominis </it>isolates.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Sequence analysis showed a total of 25 single nucleotide polymorphisms distributed through 23 polymorphic sites, yielding 13 haplotypes. All but one mutation were confined within three distinct regions. Analysis of the amino acid-based phylogenetic tree showed a predominant group of 17 closely related isolates while the remaining appear to have significantly diverged.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>By analysing a larger sample of <it>M. hominis </it>recovered from patients with urogenital infections, we show here that the P120' protein undergoes substantial level of genetic variability at its surface exposed region.</p

Six-minute walking test in children with ESRD: discrimination validity and construct validity

The six-minute walking test (6MWT) may be a practical test for the evaluation functional exercise capacity in children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The aim of this study was to investigate the 6MWT performance in children with ESRD compared to reference values obtained in healthy children and, secondly, to study the relationship between 6MWT performance with anthropometric variables, clinical parameters, aerobic capacity and muscle strength. Twenty patients (13 boys and seven girls; mean age 14.1 ± 3.4 years) on dialysis participated in this study. Anthropometrics were taken in a standardized manner. The 6MWT was performed in a 20-m-long track in a straight hallway. Aerobic fitness was measured using a cycle ergometer test to determine peak oxygen uptake \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\left( {\mathop {\text{V}}\limits^\cdot {{\text{O}}_{\text{2peak}}}} \right)$$\end{document}, peak rate (Wpeak) and ventilatory threshold (VT). Muscle strength was measured using hand-held myometry. Children with ESRD showed a reduced 6MWT performance (83% of predicted, p < 0.0001), irrespective of the reference values used. The strongest predictors of 6MWT performance were haematocrit and height. Regression models explained 59% (haematocrit and height) to 60% (haematocrit) of the variance in 6MWT performance. 6MWT performance was not associated with \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\mathop {\text{V}}\limits^\cdot {{\text{O}}_{\text{2peak}}}}$$\end{document}, strength, or other anthropometric variables, but it was significantly associated with haematocrit and height. Children with ESRD scored lower on the 6MWT than healthy children. Based on these results, the 6MWT may be a useful instrument for monitoring clinical status in children with ESRD, however it cannot substitute for other fitness tests, such as a progressive exercise test to measure \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\mathop {\text{V}}\limits^\cdot {{\text{O}}_{\text{2peak}}}}$$\end{document} or muscle strength tests

Is diet partly responsible for differences in COVID-19 death rates between and within countries?

Correction: Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Article Number: 44 DOI: 10.1186/s13601-020-00351-w Published: OCT 26 2020Reported COVID-19 deaths in Germany are relatively low as compared to many European countries. Among the several explanations proposed, an early and large testing of the population was put forward. Most current debates on COVID-19 focus on the differences among countries, but little attention has been given to regional differences and diet. The low-death rate European countries (e.g. Austria, Baltic States, Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, Poland, Slovakia) have used different quarantine and/or confinement times and methods and none have performed as many early tests as Germany. Among other factors that may be significant are the dietary habits. It seems that some foods largely used in these countries may reduce angiotensin-converting enzyme activity or are anti-oxidants. Among the many possible areas of research, it might be important to understand diet and angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) levels in populations with different COVID-19 death rates since dietary interventions may be of great benefit.Peer reviewe

Cabbage and fermented vegetables : From death rate heterogeneity in countries to candidates for mitigation strategies of severe COVID-19

Large differences in COVID-19 death rates exist between countries and between regions of the same country. Some very low death rate countries such as Eastern Asia, Central Europe, or the Balkans have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented foods. Although biases exist when examining ecological studies, fermented vegetables or cabbage have been associated with low death rates in European countries. SARS-CoV-2 binds to its receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). As a result of SARS-CoV-2 binding, ACE2 downregulation enhances the angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT(1)R) axis associated with oxidative stress. This leads to insulin resistance as well as lung and endothelial damage, two severe outcomes of COVID-19. The nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) is the most potent antioxidant in humans and can block in particular the AT(1)R axis. Cabbage contains precursors of sulforaphane, the most active natural activator of Nrf2. Fermented vegetables contain many lactobacilli, which are also potent Nrf2 activators. Three examples are: kimchi in Korea, westernized foods, and the slum paradox. It is proposed that fermented cabbage is a proof-of-concept of dietary manipulations that may enhance Nrf2-associated antioxidant effects, helpful in mitigating COVID-19 severity.Peer reviewe