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Thyroid abscess is a very rare disease due to its anatomical position and the physiology of the gland. It most often occurs in the immunosuppressed population. The diagnosis is easy and is based on ultrasound. However it is often unrecognised. Bacteriological examination allows to identify the germ responsible for this condition. We report the case of a Mauritanian patient living in the said country presenting with painful cervical swelling associated with fever. The diagnosis was based on ultrasound and confirmed by fluid examination. Bacteriological assessment didn't identify the cause of this condition. Patient's outcome was marked by regression of symptoms under antibiotic therapy, with normalization of the gland structure after two months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kwashiorkor continues to be a major cause of infant mortality in the developing world. It has recently been suggesting that this form of malnutrition is due to oxidizing aggression. Vitamin E is a powerful natural anti-oxidant, and we therefore investigated the extent to which its supplementation in the diet contributed to treating child kwashiorkor. Vitamin E was also administered to children suffering from marasmus. The study was conducted from October 1993 to July 1994 and included 79 children (38 cases of kwashiorkor and 41 of marasmus). The treatment resulted in a 76% success rate, with the best results for marasmus (89.5% cure). However, the supplement did not have any effect on the nutritional status for either the kwashiorkor or marasmus patients. In the kwashiorkor group, the weight increase, after disappearance of edema was 15.2 +/- 4.9 g/kg/d in the supplemented group as compared to 16.4 +/- 3.6 g/kg/d in the control group. The duration of edema along treatment was similar for the two groups (supplemented: 8.6 +/- 3.1 days, control group: 7.1 +/- 3.9 days). Possible reasons for vitamin E supplementation having no effect are discussed.

The authors report the results of a seroepidemiological study, conducted in Senegal on dental personnel. This study allows them to confirm that professional dental practice is a factor of risk for the HIV infection. This study recommends work methods to the dental profession.

In this prospective study undertaken between november 1989 and december 1991, the authors report their observations of ocular lesions seen in a cohort of 67 AIDS patients hospitalised in the Infectious Diseases department CHU Fann Dakar. Ocular lesions were discovered in 52.23%. These lesions were observed in both HIV-1 and HIV-2 positive patients, however they were much more common in the former group (77.14%). Rétinal pathology was by far the most frequently observed (63%) and yet classic retinis was not discovered in our series. We feel that the ophtalmologist should play a key role in the routine care of AIDS patients especially in surveillance of retinal changes.