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Introduction: In the elderly, both the presence of a multiple pathology and multiple medication have been shown to be frequent risk factors for adverse drug events. However, a few studies only have included parameters of standardized geriatric assessment for the purpose of identifying other risk factors. Our study compared the parameters of standard geriatric assessment, in the presence or absence of adverse drug events and evaluated the prevalence of adverse drug events in elderly inpatients, the symptoms, and the drugs involved., Methods: A total of 823 patients were studied during a two-year period. Two groups of patients were identified, according to the presence or absence of an adverse drug event. Eight fields of geriatric assessment were compared: comorbidities, number of drugs, functional status, nutritional status, mobility, mood, neurosensory disorders, and cognition. For patients who experienced an adverse drug event, we also analyzed the drugs involved and the symptoms of the adverse drug events., Results: One hundred and twelve patients (13.6%) aged 82 years+/-7.5 experienced 144 adverse drug events. Significant differences between the two groups were observed in the following: symptoms of depression, problems of mobility, risk of malnutrition (respectively p=0.001, p=0.002, p=0.007), the female sex, number of drugs, number of comorbidities, and the administration of diuretics. Cardiovascular (23.2%), psychotropic (17.9%) and anti-infectious (17%) medicines were the most frequently involved. The symptoms that occurred most frequently were orthostatic hypotension (14.6%), gastrointestinal disorders (12.5%), and neuropsychological (10.4%) disorders., Conclusion: Elderly patients with multiple pathology and multiple medication are at high risk for adverse drug events. Other lesser known factors, such as depression, problems of mobility, and malnutrition must be researched, as they are evidence of the underlying the frailty of the elderly population.

Purpose: High variability has been observed in the estimation of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in older patients, according to the formula used and no single formula has been recommended to date. The aim of this study was to quantify the precision and accuracy of the GFR estimated by means of three formulas and the measurement of cystatin C., Methods: This prospective study was conducted in an acute care geriatric unit. Participants were patients, aged 70 years and over, having a possible 24-hour urine collection. The GFR was estimated using the Cockroft-Gault (CG), the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD), and the Creatinine Clearance (Cl-Cr) formulas. The serum level of cystatin C was also measured., Results: Eighty-one patients were included in the study. CG formula underestimated the GFR by a mean difference of 8.65 ml/min, compared with MDRD formula. Cl-Cr underestimated the GFR by a mean difference of 7.56 ml/min, compared with CG formula, and by a mean difference of 16.79 ml/min, compared with the MDRD formula. The degree of discrepancy between CG and Cl-Cr estimates, and between Cl-Cr and MDRD estimates decreased as the estimated GFR approached normal values. MDRD best matched the measurement of cystatin C, followed by CG and Cl-Cr (Kappa coefficient=0.43, 0.22 and 0.16, respectively)., Conclusion: Our study confirms the high variability of GFR in older patients and particularly in those with abnormal renal function, depending on the formula used. Serum cystatine C level and MDRD formula appear to be the most concordant estimates of GFR in this population.

Acute lithium intoxication may occur in circumstances causing kidney failure, when using lithium chronically. This situation may lead to neurological symptoms with coma, gastrointestinal disorders with diarrhea, cardiovascular symptoms with hypotension and metabolic symptoms with hypercalcemia. Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus may also develop. We report the case of a 69-year-old woman suffering from unipolar manic-depressive psychosis and treated by lithium for 10 years. This case highlights the need to monitor serum lithium levels in patients on long-term lithium regimens, especially in circumstances involving dehydration.

Introduction: The term 'primary' osteoporosis refers to osteoporosis that results from the involutional losses associated with aging and, in women, additional losses related to natural menopause. Osteoporosis that is caused or exacerbated by other disorders or medication exposures is referred to as 'secondary' osteoporosis., Current Knowledge and Key Points: This article describes the major causes and provides a framework for the diagnostic investigation of patients with suspected of having secondary osteoporosis. There are numerous causes of secondary bone loss, including endocrine disorders, disorders of the gastrointestinal or biliary tract, rheumatic diseases, haematological diseases, immobilization, adverse effects of drug therapy, and a wide miscellaneous group., Future Perspectives: Secondary osteoporosis is potentially reversible during the treatment of the underlying disease. It must be identified and induce a symptomatic treatment in all cases plus an etiologic treatment when possible.

Introduction: The objective of this work was to review current data about the physiopathology, clinical features, and treatment of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (Moschowitz's syndrome)., Current Knowledge and Key Points: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura is a rare disorder characterized by widespread thrombotic injuries of platelets in the microcirculation. Its physiopathology has been elucidated recently. Evidence of a deficiency of Von Willebrand's factor-cleaving protease would be due to either IgG antibodies in the acute form of the disease or constitutional deficiency in the chronic form of the disease., Future Prospects and Projects: Plasma exchange is the current reference treatment. However, in the light of recent publications, either infusions of concentrates of purified enzyme or more intensive immunosuppressive therapy would be more specific.

Introduction: Microscopic colitis describes a subset of patients with chronic watery diarrhea of unknown origin, and normal endoscopic findings and microscopic evidence of an inflammatory infiltrate in the colonic mucosa. We report two cases associated with sicca syndrome., Exegesis: A 56-year-old woman and a 76-year-old man presented with a history of lymphocytic colitis associated with sicca syndrome. Drugs or infectious agents were not implicated in the cause of lymphocytic colitis, suggesting that sicca syndrome may be involved in the pathogenesis of microscopic colitis., Conclusion: These cases suggest that sicca syndrome should be detected in patients with lymphocytic colitis.

Introduction: Red cell autoantibodies are very rarely observed in pregnant women. We report one case related to the presence of a lupus anticoagulant., Exegesis: A 32-year-old woman had a history of two intrauterine deaths that had occurred at weeks 32 and 33, respectively. Due to the presence of a lupus anticoagulant, prednisone (20 mg/day) and subcutaneous calcium heparin were administered during her third pregnancy. The direct antiglobulin test remained positive throughout the pregnancy; however, hemolysis could not be detected. Caesarean section was done in emergency at week 29, due to fetal bradycardia related to severe fetal hemolysis., Conclusion: When autoimmune hemolysis occurs during pregnancy, risks for the fetus increase with the severity of hemolysis in the mother. It is thought that child mortality reflects the existence of anemia, rather than the existence of hemolysis. Our observation suggests that severe fetal hemolysis may occur, despite the absence of hemolysis in the mother.

The flavours contained in a mammalian mother's milk can exert a marked influence on her offspring's proximate suckling behaviour and later preferences. The aim of this study was to establish a reliable analytical procedure to characterise the mammary transfer of selected volatile constituents of maternal food from non-pregnant and recently parturient ewes. Six known volatile compounds, most representative of cumin aroma (alpha-pinene, gamma-terpinene, cuminaldehyde, p-cymene, limonene and cineole), were traced in the blood and milk of ewes fed with cumin seeds, using liquid-liquid extraction combined with gas chromatography-specific ion monitoring mass spectrometry. Among the six cumin odour markers, only one, p-cymene, was transferred in quantifiable amounts into the venous plasma. The other cumin markers could only be detected as traces corresponding to amounts lower that the limit of quantification. In milk, four of the cumin markers could be detected, and two of these were quantified.

A gas-chromatographic-mass spectrometric method is described to measure the plasma concentration of sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (ditiocarb sodium, DEDTC-Na), the active ingredient of Imuthiol, a drug found to be active in the opportunistic infections occurring in AIDS, and its S-methyl metabolite. Plasma samples are treated with deuteromethyl iodide and DEDTC-Na is transformed into its deuteromethyl ester, which is then co-extracted with the S-methyl metabolite. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and selected-ion monitoring allow the specific determination of both compounds. Linear calibration curves were obtained up to 4000 ng/ml. This method has been successfully applied for pharmacokinetic studies after Imuthiol and disulfiram, the dimer of DEDTC, were administered to humans.

This study was undertaken to investigate relationships between three widespread viruses in West Africa, i.e. HIV1 and viruses B and D, in Ivory Coast. Serologic tests for viruses B and D were carried out in a random sample of black adults of both sexes with asymptomatic HIV1 seropositivity. Coinfection by virus B or viruses B and D was a common finding. Coinfection with both viruses B and D, but not with virus B alone, was found to be significantly more frequent in these HIV1-infected adults than in a control group with acute viral hepatitis. Potential interactions between the HIV1 and viruses B and D as well as other viruses are discussed. These findings suggest that one or several cofactors acting alone or in combination play a major role in the clinical expression of HIV infection. The results of this study, together with the suggestion put forward by several investigators that B virus infection may increase the severity of AIDS, are evidence in support of the value of immunization against the B virus in the management of AIDS.

An automated gas chromatographic--mass spectrometric assay for theophylline is described. Theophylline is extracted from plasma or urine (50 microliter) and transformed into an N-pentyl derivative. The internal standard used for quantitation is [1,3-15N, 2-13C]theophylline. The detection is performed by monitoring the molecular ions 250 for theophylline and 253 for the internal standard with a quadrupole mass specific detector HP 5790 A. The system has been fully automated: injection, calibration, assay, calculation. The method shows excellent analytical parameters: linearity between 2 and 40 micrograms/ml; day-to-day reproducibility 1.82% for a concentration of 15 micrograms/ml; repeatability 0.75% (15 micrograms/ml) and 0.33% (30 micrograms/ml). Accuracy is also excellent. Due to the use of an internal standard labelled with stable isotopes, the specificity and high analytical quality of the method make it useful as a reference method to compare with routine theophylline assays.