No abstract

The putative role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the pathophysiology of lympho-proliferative diseases (LPD) is supported by North American and southern European studies reporting high HCV seroprevalence in patients with B-cell-non-Hodgkin lym-phoma (NHL). In order to evaluate the situation in France, we conducted a retrospective national study about the association of chronic HCV infection and LPD. 72 Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases departments were contacted. Response rate was 51.4%. We recorded 43 LPD (19 males, 24 females): 31 B-cell-NHL, 4 Waldenströ m's macroglobulin-emia, 3 chronic lymphocytic leukemia, 2 multiple myeloma, 2 lymphomas of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, and 1 Hodgkin's disease. Mean age at HCV diagnosis was 62 years (range 33-84). In 16 cases, LPD occurred in patients known to be HCV-infected. For 11 patients, LPD diagnosis preceded the diagnosis of HCV infection, whereas diagnosis was done simultaneously in 11 patients. For those with accurate infection date, mean interval between both events was 15.2 years. Fourteen patients had HCV extrahepatic manifestations: 9 mixed cryoglobulinemia, including 7 with NHL, 5 sicca syndrome (5 NHL), and both in one patient. Cohort of HCV-infected patients could be accurately determined for 16 departments, totaling 1,485 patients and 37 cases. Thus, from our data the frequency of LPD among HCV-infected patients approximates 2.49%. Despite possible bias inherent to this retrospective study, our data support the hypothesis of HCV-associated LPD and particularly B-cell-NHL. In France, this association is much lower than in Italy. Further studies are needed to assess the precise role of HCV in the multistep process leading to monoclonal proliferation. Am.

Catabacter hongkongensis is a Gram-positive rod, isolated in 2007 in blood culture. Fewer than 15 infections have been reported. Herein, we present a lethal case of bacteremia due to C. hongkongensis identified through phylogenetic analyses. A woman was found unconscious in a context of chronic diarrhea. An abdominal abscess with a hydroaeric level was discovered, associated with sigmoid adenocarcinoma and peritoneal carcinomatosis. Despite hospitalization in an ICU and the adaptation of antibiotic therapy, the patient died. Blood cultures were positive in the final stage of the disease (>60 h). Identification of C. hongkongensis was performed using 16S rDNA sequencing. Phylogenetic analyses did not enable classification of these strains according to clinical outcome or the antibiotic sensitivity to treatment. In this case, bacteria were difficult to isolate and MALDI-TOF remained non-contributive. As strains are resistant to probabilistic treatments, addition of metronidazole or vancomycin could optimize clinical management, highlighting the benefit of rapid molecular identification by sequencing.

L’objectif de la recherche est d’examiner l’influence de l’activisme actionnarial et de la présence d’investisseurs institutionnels sur la performance RSE (Responsabilité Sociale des Entreprises) d’entreprises cotées françaises, au cours de la période 2010-2020. L’activisme actionnarial est mesuré par le pourcentage de votes en faveur d’une proposition RSE lors des assemblées générales. Nos résultats indiquent que l’activisme ainsi défini et la présence de détenteurs de blocs n’ont finalement pas d’influence sur la performance RSE. Seule la présence d’investisseurs institutionnels au conseil d’administration a un effet positif direct. Certaines variables contrôlées comme le niveau d’internationalisation de l’entreprise et la présence des femmes au sein des conseils d’administration semblent favoriser la performance RSE de l’entreprise.