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L’analyse non ciblée connaît une forte période de croissance dans le domaine de l’analyse environnementale, car elle ouvre le champ des investigations de la qualité des milieux à un très grand nombre de composés. Cet article consiste en un retour d’expérience de 12 laboratoires français sur les pratiques et les précautions à considérer lors de la réalisation d’analyses non ciblées, en particulier pour la recherche de composés suspects dans les échantillons issus des milieux aquatiques. En effet, si cette technique apporte des informations nouvelles et très prometteuses, elle n’en reste pas moins une technique complexe qu’il convient d’utiliser avec de nombreuses précautions pour assurer des résultats de qualité. La réflexion commune entreprise dans le groupe de laboratoires, a permis de synthétiser des informations techniques afin de présenter les enjeux de cette méthodologie d’intérêt majeur en analyse environnementale de façon simple et accessible aux laboratoires, demandeurs d’analyse ou toute personne intéressée par ce type d’approche. Les verrous liés à la spécificité des analyses non ciblées, au développement de méthodes et au rendu de résultats ont été développés pour fournir des clés de compréhension pour les laboratoires et les utilisateurs de résultats. Ce travail s’attache ainsi à être un guide de découverte de la technique pour les personnes désireuses de voir ce que peut apporter l’analyse non ciblée, mais également un guide de bonnes pratiques pour celles et ceux qui acquièrent ou qui analysent des données issues de ces techniques.

To analyse the introduction of the Couder manoeuvre in our level 3 maternity unit shortly after its introduction in 2019. Then, to evaluate and compare the rate of perineal injuries between 2017, when the manoeuvre was not performed at all, and 2020.A single-centre retrospective study of patients who delivered a singleton eutociously at term from 1 January to 31 December 2017 and 2020.In total, 2930 records were analysed. The Couder manoeuvre rate was 32.12% in 2020. A change in the distribution of perineal lesions was observed: the rate of intact perineum increased (P0.001), while 2nd degree lesions decreased between 2017 and 2020 (P0.05). The 1st degree perineum and obstetric anal sphincter injuries remained stable. The rate of episiotomy decreased significantly by almost a factor of 7.The practice of the Couder manoeuvre can be implemented fairly quickly after training of the actors with nearly a third of normal deliveries at term concerned one year after its introduction. This manoeuvre seems, in our practice, to have contributed to the reduction, as previously reported, of the rate of second degree perineal injuries.

Non-target analysis (NTA) employing high-resolution mass spectrometry is a commonly applied approach for the detection of novel chemicals of emerging concern in complex environmental samples. NTA typically results in large and information-rich datasets that require computer aided (ideally automated) strategies for their processing and interpretation. Such strategies do however raise the challenge of reproducibility between and within different processing workflows. An effective strategy to mitigate such problems is the implementation of inter-laboratory studies (ILS) with the aim to evaluate different workflows and agree on harmonized/standardized quality control procedures. Here we present the data generated during such an ILS. This study was organized through the Norman Network and included 21 participants from 11 countries. A set of samples based on the passive sampling of drinking water pre and post treatment was shipped to all the participating laboratories for analysis, using one pre-defined method and one locally (i.e. in-house) developed method. The data generated represents a valuable resource (i.e. benchmark) for future developments of algorithms and workflows for NTA experiments., Measurement(s)chemical • drinking waterTechnology Type(s)high resolution mass spectrometry • non-target analysis • InterlaboratoryFactor Type(s)methodSample Characteristic - Environmentlaboratory environment Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.15028665

Non-target analysis (NTA) employing high-resolution mass spectrometry is a commonly applied approach for the detection of novel chemicals of emerging concern in complex environmental samples. NTA typically results in large and information-rich datasets that require computer aided (ideally automated) strategies for their processing and interpretation. Such strategies do however raise the challenge of reproducibility between and within different processing workflows. An effective strategy to mitigate such problems is the implementation of inter-laboratory studies (ILS) with the aim to evaluate different workflows and agree on harmonized/standardized quality control procedures. Here we present the data generated during such an ILS. This study was organized through the Norman Network and included 21 participants from 11 countries. A set of samples based on the passive sampling of drinking water pre and post treatment was shipped to all the participating laboratories for analysis, using one pre-defined method and one locally (i.e. in-house) developed method. The data generated represents a valuable resource (i.e. benchmark) for future developments of algorithms and workflows for NTA experiments. © 2021, The Author(s).

POCIS (polar organic chemical integrative sampler) is one of the passive sampler the most frequently used for the monitoring of dissolved organic micropollutants in surface waters. The advantage of such a passive sampling is to decrease quantification limits and to obtain a time-averaged water concentration. POCIS is used for hydrophilic molecules (log KOW < 4). The aim of this paper is to review the advantages and drawbacks of this tool for the evaluation of the river water quality downstream wastewater treatment plants outflow (WWTP). As planned in the AMPERES project, POCIS were used during 5 in situ sampling campaigns from November 2007 to September 2008 : on the Saône, the Jalle d'Eysines, the Ardières, the Bourbre and the Seine rivers. They were set up in surface waters, upstream and downstream WWTP outfow, and also within the WWTP effluent. Several chemical classes of organic molecules were studied: industrial substances such as alkylphenols and bisphenol A; also 5 estrogenic hormones; and other pharmaceuticals from various therapeutic classes, such as 9 antidepressants, 6 anti-inflammatories, 10 betablockers, 1 lipopenic, 3 bronchodilators; as well as theophylline and caffeine. POCIS were exposed for up to 28 days to study the accumulation kinetics and the linearity of uptake rates. Sampling repeatability was verified by the exposure of triplicates. To better evaluate the performance of POCIS, grab sampling was also performed at regular intervals during POCIS exposure. For the estrogenic hormones and betablockers, accumulation kinetics and sampling rates were studied in situ. Concerning alkylphenols and other pharmaceuticals, calibration was performed in the laboratory. We also tried to identify a molecule that could be used as internal surrogate or PRC (performance reference compound). Finally, POCIS is well adapted for the sampling of pharmaceuticals and alkylphenols. Its efficiency was not proved in this study for bisphenol A and estrogenic hormones. The optimal exposure duration is about 15 days. Concentration factors and decrease of quantification limits are significant except for hormones, betablockers and bronchodilators. Promising preliminary results obtained on deuterated atenolol used as PRC need to be confirmed in laboratory. This work confirms that POCIS is useful for the monitoring of hydrophilic organic molecules in river and waste waters., Le POCIS (polar organic chemical integrative sampler) est l'un des échantillonneurs intégratifs les plus utilisés pour la surveillance des micropolluants organiques dissous dans l'eau. L'avantage de ce type d'échantillonnage est d'abaisser les seuils de quantification et d'obtenir une concentration moyennée sur la durée d'exposition. Le POCIS est employé pour le suivi des molécules hydrophiles (log KOW < 4). L'objectif de cet article est de faire le point sur les avantages et inconvénients de cet échantillonneur pour l'évaluation de la qualité des eaux de surface impactées par des effluents de station d'épuration (STEP). Des POCIS ont été mis en ½uvre dans le cadre du projet AMPERES, lors de 5 campagnes d'échantillonnage réalisées entre novembre 2007 et septembre 2008 : sur la Saône, la Jalle d'Eysines, l'Ardières, la Bourbre et la Seine. Ces POCIS ont été installés dans les rivières, en amont et en aval de STEP, ainsi que dans l'effluent traité de ces mêmes stations. Plusieurs familles de molécules organiques ont été étudiées : des substances d'origine plutôt industrielle telles que les alkylphénols et le bisphénol A ; et aussi 5 hormones oestrogéniques ; et d'autres molécules pharmaceutiques appartenant à plusieurs familles thérapeutiques, telles que 9 antidépresseurs, 6 anti-inflammatoires, 10 bêtabloquants, 1 hypolipémiant, 3 bronchodilatateurs ; et enfin la théophylline et la caféine. Les POCIS ont été exposés jusqu'à 28 jours afin d'étudier in situ les cinétiques et la linéarité de l'accumulation. La répétabilité de l'échantillonnage a été vérifiée par l'exposition de triplicats de POCIS. Pour évaluer la pertinence de l'outil, des échantillons ponctuels ont été prélevés périodiquement sur chaque site pendant la durée d'exposition des POCIS. Pour ce qui concerne les hormones oestrogéniques et les bêtabloquants, les cinétiques d'accumulation et les taux d'échantillonnage ont été étudiés in situ. Pour ce qui concerne les alkylphénols et certains médicaments, ces études ont été menées en laboratoire. Enfin, des essais ont été entrepris pour trouver une molécule pouvant jouer le rôle d'étalon interne ou de PRC (performance reference compound). Le POCIS se révèle adapté pour l'échantillonnage des micropolluants d'origine pharmaceutique et des alkylphénols. Son intérêt n'a pas été démontré ici pour les hormones et le bisphénol A. La durée optimale d'exposition est d'environ 15 jours. Les facteurs de concentration ou abaissements des seuils de quantification avec le POCIS sont significatifs sauf pour les hormones, bêtabloquants et bronchodilatateurs. Des premiers résultats prometteurs sur l'aténolol deutéré utilisé comme PRC restent à confirmer en laboratoire. Les travaux confirment que l'outil est pertinent pour la surveillance de molécules organiques hydrophiles dans les eaux résiduaires et de surface.

Le present article presente des avancees methodologiques inedites pour evaluer de facon robust les performances de traitement des substances presentes en tres faibles concentrations dans les eaux usees brutes et traitees. Il examine l’influence des principales hypotheses de travail sur les valeurs de rendements calculees. Enfin, il expose les principaux resultats obtenus pour 89 micropolluants et differentes filieres de traitement, en integrant ou non les processus se deroulant dans la filiere « boue ». Les eaux brutes et traitees, ainsi que les boues de 21 stations d’epuration des zones urbaines ou rurales ont ete etudiees par temps sec a l’aide d’echantillons proportionnels au debit. Une amelioration notable du traitement est demontree pour une majorite de substances des lors qu’un traitement biologique avec nitrification ou qu’une elimination des matieres en suspension sont appliques. Pour une vingtaine de substances, le principal processus est le transfert vers les boues, pour d’autres il y a en plus une transformation ulterieure. Pour les boues activees en aeration prolongee, le traitement des micropolluants atteint des valeurs tres superieures a celles d’un etage primaire. A performances de traitement equivalentes, les filieres a cultures fixees (a plus faibles temps de sejour hydrauliques) ont des performances d’elimination des micropolluants equivalentes a celles des boues activees en aeration prolongee. Les filieres tertiaires d’affinage ont une contribution limitee dans le traitement des micropolluants. Les traitements avances permettraient de retenir plus de 70 % des substances etudiees, mais ils engendrent des couts supplementaires importants, et necessiteraient d’etre etudies a large echelle.

Le projet Amperes a permis une evaluation des concentrations et des flux de 127 substances prioritaires et emergentes dans les eaux usees brutes, les eaux traitees et les boues pour differentes filieres d’epuration representatives du parc francais par une demarche de prelevement et d’analyse rigoureuse et validee. Au total, 21 stations d’epuration (STEP) ont ete selectionnees pour etudier les traitements biologiques secondaires, plusieurs procedes tertiaires et les filieres de traitement des boues. Des prelevements moyen- 24 heures des eaux residuaires ont ete realises par temps sec au cours de 2 a 3 jours consecutifs en entree et en sortie de STEP. Nous avons developpe et applique des protocoles analytiques specifiques pour la mesure des substances en phase dissoute et particulaire, sensibles et adaptes aux matrices des STEP, qui presentent une forte complexite. Les substances presentes aux plus fortes concentrations (> 1 μg/L) dans les eaux usees brutes sont le DEHP, certains composes organiques volatils (COV), des retardateurs de flammes (diphenylethers bromes ou PBDE), les alkylphenols (4-NP et 4-t-OP et leurs produits de degradation, et presque tous les metaux. Les niveaux de concentration dans les eaux usees brutes et les flux specifiques montrent une specificite des rejets des STEP de zone urbaine par rapport aux STEP de zone rurale pour certaines substances d’origine industrielle (alkylphenols, COV, chloroalcanes, dichlorophenol, bisphenol A et quelques metaux). Dans les eaux traitees par traitement biologique, meme si une reduction significative des concentrations par rapport a l’eau usee brute est generalement observee, 12 substances prioritaires, 10 autres substances organiques et la plupart des metaux ont encore ete trouves a des concentrations moyennes superieures a 0,1 μg/L. Des concentrations superieures a 1 μg/L ont ete frequemment mesurees pour plusieurs metaux, le DEHP et certains produits de degradation (4-NP1EC et AMPA). Pratiquement toutes les substances qui ont ete quantifiees dans les eaux usees brutes l’ont aussi ete dans les boues, meme si elles sont parfois mesurees a de tres faibles concentrations, en particulier pour les substances les plus hydrophiles (pesticides). Cet article presente egalement les donnees exploitees sous la forme de flux specifiques (μg/j/habitant) emis vers les milieux recepteurs.

Dans le cadre du projet intitule « Analyse de micropolluants prioritaires et emergents dans les rejets et les eaux superficielles » (Amperes), des etudes ont ete conduites sur 21 stations d’epuration (STEP) afin d’estimer la composition en substances pharmaceutiques des eaux usees et traitees et, ainsi, d’evaluer leur presence et leur degradation en fonction des traitements. Des methodologies performantes et fiables utilisant l’extraction en phase solide (SPE) associee a la chromatographie en phase liquide couplee a la spectrometrie de masse en tandem (LC/MS/MS) ont ete developpees pour l’analyse de 38 substances dans des matrices complexes. Grâce a ces methodologies, les phases dissolute et particulaire, ainsi que les boues ont pu etre analysees. Les substances pharmaceutiques sont detectees en moyenne dans 83 % des cas en entree de STEP, avec des concentrations totales moyennes faibles, en majorite inferieures au μg/L, sauf pour certaines substances largement utilisees dans la vie courante comme le paracetamol (179 μg/L), l’aspirine (129 μg/L), la theophylline (14 μg/L), l’ibuprofene (11 μg/L) et la cafeine (4 μg/L). En sortie de STEP, les substances pharmaceutiques sont detectees en moyenne dans 70 % des cas, avec des concentrations totales moyennes generalement inferieures au dixieme de μg/L. Toutes les substances detectees sont relativement bien eliminees dans les STEP par les traitements secondaires etudies. Des rendements d’elimination superieurs a 70 % ont ete mesures sur les files eau des filieres biologiques pour la cafeine et la theophylline, les anti-inflammatoires (paracetamol, aspirine, ibuprofene) et les hormones. Les rendements d’elimination restent dans la gamme intermediaire (30-70 %) pour les deux antibiotiques recherches (sulfamethoxazole, roxithromycine) et trois betabloquants (oxprenolol, propranolol, sotalol) et restent stables. Cependant, ces substances sont eliminees considerablement lors des traitements tertiaires, tels que la filtration sur charbon actif, l’osmose inverse et l’ozonation. Les valeurs de concentration des substances pharmaceutiques dans les boues sont faibles, elles sont de l’ordre de la centaine de ng/g de masse seche (MS). Les bilans de matieres montrent que le phenomene prepon derant pour les substances pharmaceutiques n’est pas l’accumulation dans les boues, mais la degradation. L’interet de cette etude a ete : de developper des methodologies robustes et fiables, tout en etant performantes en termes de limite de quantification, applicables a un suivi des stations d’epuration et ce quel que soit le type de matrices; de faire l’inventaire de la composition des rejets des substances pharmaceutiques selon le type de procede de traitement utilise.

To improve the rooting percentages of recently identified multi-purpose clones of Prosopis alba (algarrobo blanco), a survey was conducted of various plant growth promoting rhizobacteria and environmental factors. Four strains of Agrobacterium rhizogenes were examined as previous reports indicated this bacterium had stimulated rooting of difficult to root woody species, both by genetically transforming the tissue around the pericycle to induce roots, and without transforming the roots by secretion of growth promoting substances. Azospirillum brasilense was examined as this bacterium has been shown to stimulate growth in legumes by secretion of growth promoting substances, especially auxins. Pseudomonas aurantiaca was examined as a biocontrol agent for Fusarium, which we believe is an important pathogen in rooting Prosopis. The effect of the root temperature was examined by comparing mist benches with and without bottom heat. The influence of age of the stock plant on the rooting was examined by comparing the rooting of 21-1 year old plants vs. 4 clones from 4-year-old stock plants. Great variability was encountered in the experiments, which precluded definitive conclusions. Nevertheless, the most important effect in stimulating rooting was obtained by increasing the root temperature of the cuttings to about 33 °C, even when daily maximum air temperatures were 40 °C. The second most important factor seemed to be the age of the stock plant. Future research should be aimed at methods to rejuvenate the tissue, possibly by grafting onto immature seedlings. Of the rhizobacteria, the Pseudomonas seemed to have the greatest potential. Azospirillum, which often serves as “a helper bacterium”may have stimulated rooting in a synergistic way that is difficult to measure. The Tiger 232 strain of A. rhizogenes was selected from among the 4 A. rhizogenes strains as giving some of the most consistent results. When indolebutyric acid, napthaleneacetic acid, thiamine HCl, 33 °C root temperatures were combined with A. rhizogenes and Azospirillum, the mean rooting percentage and number of roots per cutting for 21-year old P. alba plants were 80% and 30, respectively. In contrast, 50% rooting was observed for four, 4-year-old stock plants. The rooting parameters for the young stock plants are much greater than obtained in earlier work on Prosopis (80% rooting with a maximum of 12 roots/cutting) and suggests that in spite of lack of significant treatment effects, these rhizobacteria may stimulate rooting.

In this paper, we present a carrier exchange gas sensing mechanism on Schottky diode-type gas sensors. This modification of carrier density reflects on the artificially enhanced barrier height of the device due to the post metallization growth of a thin counter-doped semiconductor layer. Realized on p-type InP substrates, pseudo-Schottky diodes provide a n-type InP layer just beneath the Schottky metal contact which enables detection of strongly oxidizing species with no interferences coming from reducing ones. As sensitivity towards NO2 and O3 is very high even for gas concentrations commonly found into the atmosphere, these sensors can operate in real atmosphere conditions to monitor these two criteria pollutants. Limitations to their use come from response kinetics and long-term aging effects.

Here, we report and investigate the genomic alterations of two novel cases of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) in children with Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS), a multisystem disorder caused by 7q11.23 hemizygous deletion. Additionally, we report the case of a child with NHL and a somatic 7q11.23 deletion. Although the WBS critical region has not yet been identified as a susceptibility locus in NHL, it harbors a number of genes involved in DNA repair. The high proportion of pediatric NHL reported in WBS is intriguing. Therefore, the role of haploinsufficiency of genes located at 7q11.23 in lymphomagenesis deserves to be investigated. © 2014 Shi et al.

After a brief introduction about: the different gaseous pollutants present in the atmosphere; the cause of their concentration rise; their consequences on human health; and the different devices used to monitor each gas, two types of semiconductor gas sensors are presented. The first of them is a simple InP-based resistive sensor. The sensitive layer is a thin n-type InP epitaxial layer grown on a semi-insulating InP substrate. The electrical resistance, increasing in the presence of oxidising gases, is measured between two ohmic contacts. The second sensor is a thin film of copper phthalocyanine deposited by sublimation on an alumina substrate. The conductivity of the phthalocyanine layer increases in the presence of oxidising gases. Influence of NO 2 and O 3 , especially at low concentration, is investigated. Influence of other parameters like operating temperature or interfering gases is also studied. In conclusion, optimisation of sensor characteristics to improve the evaluation of oxidising air pollutants concentrations is discussed.

Algarrobo (Prosopis alba) is an important nitrogen-fixing tree adapted to the semiarid regions of northwestern Argentina. The tree provides fuelwood and dimensionally stable lumber for flooring and furniture; its pods that have a high sugar content are consumed by livestock and humans. P. alba has been one of the most heavily harvested species. This paper reports on the evaluation of a nine-year-old Prosopis alba progeny trial containing 57 half-sibling families of eight provenances in northwestern Argentina (of the 1,596 trees planted, 1,289 survived in 1999). Considering the multiple uses of P. alba, the selection criteria included: total biomass production (from basal diameter using regression equations), height, rate of pod production, and pod sensory characteristics. The family-narrow-sense-heritability was 0.487 for height. 0.548 for biomass production, and 0.244 for pod production. In 1998, 12 of the 1,289 trees were more than 4 m tall and had more than 1.75 kg pods per tree; and their pods had a sweet or very sweet non-astringent taste. Scions from these 12 trees were successfully grafted onto unselected P. alba rootstock. These are currently being used to produce rooted cuttings. The pod production, biomass, and height of the 12 clones ranged from 6.55 to 14.4, 1.57 to 13.5, and 1.29 to 1.70 times the respective population means. The genetic gains of 13.5%, 77%, and 147% for height, biomass, and pod production respectively are greater than genetic gains for other tree species and are probably due to the great genetic variability in the local population and the lack of any prior genetic improvement program.

In this paper, we discuss the advantages and drawbacks of POCIS (Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler) for the evaluation of river water quality downstream of wastewater treatment plants. POCIS proved well adapted to sampling alkylphenols and several pharmaceuticals. Concentration factors and the decrease in limits of quantification, compared to grab water sample analyses, were significant except for hormones, β-blockers and bronchodilators. Promising preliminary results obtained in situ on deuterated atenolol used as a performance reference compound need to be confirmed in-lab. This work confirms that POCIS is a valuable tool for monitoring hydrophilic organic molecules in river and wastewaters.

International audience; The European legislation, and in particular the Water Framework Directive requires the development of cost efficient monitoring tools that can provide the required information for the assessment of water contamination. Passive sampling methods represent one of the novel tools that have a potential to be used in various regulatory monitoring programmes aimed at assessing the levels of chemical pollutants. These methods are particularly interesting for sampling polar organic pollutants in water because they provide representative information of the water quality over extended time periods (days to weeks) in environments with fluctuating contaminant concentrations. This is achieved by integrative sampling of pollutants over the whole sampler deployment period. These tools can be coupled to toxicity testing using bioassays that give information on toxic and ecotoxic hazards associated to substances that are present, these substances being identified or not. In this study the polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS) was used in surface water to evaluate the water contamination by polar organic compounds and their potential toxicity

International audience; This work was undertaken to determine the secretory patterns of GH during pregnancy, and to evaluate the effect, if any, of hysterectomy during early pregnancy on subsequent secretion of GH in ewes. The concentrations of GH were determined in the plasma of jugular blood samples collected at 15-min intervals during a 6-h period on days 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 post-mating, and three times per week between days 29 and 120 post-mating from 5 pregnant ewes and from 5 ewes from which the gravid uterus was removed on day 30 post-mating. A pulse analysis program (Pulsar) was used to analyse the secretory patterns of GH in individual profiles of the serial sampling period. In the two groups of ewes, peripheral concentrations of GH fluctuated in an episodic manner during the frequent blood sampling of any stage of the post-mating period examined. The overall GH concentrations, the basal GH concentrations, the frequency and the amplitude of GH pulses remained fairly stable between days 20 and 120 post-mating in the two groups of ewes. The parameters of GH secretion were not different between the two groups of ewes. The secretory patterns of GH, as determined in plasma of blood collected three times per week between days 29 and 120 post-mating were also not different between the two groups of ewes. In conclusion, results of this study show that (i) the pulsatile secretion of GH does not change as pregnancy advances, and (ii) hysterectomy performed during early pregnancy does not subsequently affect the secretory patterns of GH. These findings suggest that the gravid uterus and/or the feto-placental unit secretory products are unlikely to be involved in the control of GH secretion during pregnancy in the ewe.

Collagenous colitis is characterized by chronic watery diarrhea and a greater than 10 micron-thick collagen deposit in the subepithelial layer of the colonic mucosa. Rheumatic and autoimmune diseases have been reported to occur in patients with collagenous colitis. In 1993, we managed four patients with collagenous colitis and joint diseases. One had rheumatoid arthritis, one had a spondylarthropathy and two had seronegative polyarthritis without joint destruction. Three patients had dryness of the eyes and/or mouth and two had Raynaud's phenomenon. These four cases and data from a literature review provide a basis for discussing possible links between collagenous colitis and a number of joint diseases. Although some anecdotal case-reports may reflect a chance association with inflammatory joint diseases, available evidence suggests that collagenous colitis may be a cause of enteropathic arthropathy. Recent data point to an abnormality in the differentiation of fibroblasts in the colonic mucosa, although the mechanism that initiates this abnormality remains unknown.

We conducted a prospective cross-sectional study of seven patients with collagenous colitis to determine the clinical, immunologic and histologic features of sicca syndrome associated with this condition. Four patients reported dryness of the mouth and/or eyes. No laboratory evidence of autoimmune disease was found, except in one patient with ankylosing spondylitis. Collagenous infiltration of the salivary glands was quantified in each patient as the percentage of the total gland surface examined. Histologic studies of salivary glands demonstrated significantly more collagen in the group of patients with collagenous colitis than in the group of age-matched controls (30.52% versus 11.8%, p0.05). No inflammatory infiltrates were seen. Our data suggest that a common mechanism may underlie the various lesions found in patients with collagenous colitis. However, the mechanism that initiates the fibrotic process in the colon and salivary glands remains unknown.

Beta-blockers are frequently used in the treatment of hypertension. However their long term use has been associated with an increase of serum triglycerides and a decrease of HLD-cholesterol concentrations which could diminish the benefit drawn from their hypotensive effect. The effect on lipid metabolism is less unfavourable when beta-blockers exert an intrinsic sympathomimetic activity or are said to be cardioselective. Mechanisms involved are complex and poorly understood.

Labial salivary gland biopsy samples were taken from 27 patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (SS), 10 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and secondary SS, and four normal control subjects on two occasions at intervals of more than one year. In the former group of patients, eight of the nine initially negative analyses were positive on the second sample, whereas two of the seven patients with RA and secondary SS were negative for the first sample and then positive for the second. In primary SS, the mean (SD) variation of the focus score was 1.7 (2.6) and that of salivary duct infiltration 0.2 (0.7). The former correlated well with the latter.

Two cases of osteoid osteoma which became clinically apparent after a prolonged silent period are reported. One was located in the tibia in a 30-year-old female and the other in the femur in a 26-year-old male. Both developed after a surgical procedure, at the site of the operation; one was located on the track of an internal fixation screw. Diagnosis was delayed despite the suggestive timing of the pain; isotopic scanning, CT scan and angiography provided suggestive data and diagnosis was confirmed by histologic studies. A review of the literature found 13 other cases meeting the following criteria: initial trauma, silent period, suggestive pain, discovery of an osteoid osteoma at the site of the trauma, and recovery following surgical treatment. The role of the trauma is discussed.

International audience