[Alcohol withdrawal delirium: What's new for an old disease?]

The management of alcohol withdrawal syndrome is a frequent work in both community medicine and hospital wards. One of the most severe complications of alcohol withdrawal is Delirium Tremens (DT). The purpose of this development is to update knowledge on this complication in terms of diagnosis, evaluation and therapeutic approaches. It also proposes a reflection on the trajectory of care during and after DT.

Transisthmian differentiation in the tree-climbing mangrove crab Aratus H. Milne Edwards, 1853 (Crustacea, Brachyura, Sesarmidae), with description of a new species from the tropical eastern Pacific

The tree-climbing mangrove crab Aratus pisonii (H. Milne Edwards, 1837) (Brachyura, Sesarmidae) is considered to have a transisthmian distribution, due to its presence in mangroves of the Western Atlantic as well as the Eastern Pacific. We here present evidence, based on the morphologies of male gonopods and on genetic data, that populations from these two coastlines are morphologically and genetically distinct and require the description of a new species, Aratus pacificus n. sp., as the sister-species of Aratus pisonii. The corresponding speciation event can be regarded as the outcome of differentiation following the closure of the Isthmus of Panama. As these coastal brackish species were probably among the last ones to become separated, the speciation can thus be dated to a time frame of no more than 3.1 million years.

[Antenatal screening for HIV: knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices of pregnant women. Analysis of current practices and the impact of setting up an informative brochure]

OBJECTIVES

To assess the impact of an information leaflet on the behavior and knowledge of pregnant women about the risks of HIV infection during pregnancy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Comparative prospective study conducted in two phases from March 1 to September 30, 2007 on patients presenting for the first time in antenatal care at the Maternity Hospital of Tours (n=539). During the first phase, only a self-questionnaire was given during the second an informative brochure has been attached to the questionnaire.

RESULTS

Currently 25.1% of pregnant women have not made a test during their pregnancy. This rate decreases to 12.9% when the test is routinely offered. It falls to 8.2% with the introduction of an informative brochure. The test was imposed in 28.7% of patients. Some risks of transmission of HIV, including those specific to pregnancy, are undervalued. A negative test before the pregnancy is the main reason for refusal of antenatal screening. A high level of education was the only risk factor identified for refusal. They are better informed as shown by the higher rate of correct answers about the risks of HIV transmission and antenatal screening. We hypothesize that the women who pursued graduate studies evaluate the risk of infection before accepting or refusing the test.

CONCLUSION

The study shows that the distribution of an informative brochure on advanced prenatal screening, increased the number of women performing the test and improved their knowledge about risks of transmission, especially from mother to the child.