“France 2030”: creation of 12 new university hospitals

According to the latest figures available, France has not seen any recent improvement on the hypertension front. More than 17 million French people, or just over one in three adults, suffer from it. Nearly 6 million of them would be affected without knowing it. Once detected, only one out of four treated patients benefits from blood pressure control. Studies point to insufficient and poorly targeted information and screening. (Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin)

Three years after the revelation of the hidden or deleterious effects of Depakine, an antiepileptic, the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines wasted no time in sharing the conclusions of a European evaluation relating, this time, to children whose the fathers took Depakine, and not the mothers. When, in the three months preceding conception, fathers are treated with sodium valproate (active substance of Depakine), the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in their child would be 5.6% to 6.3%, against 2 .5% to 3.6% when the fathers received another antiepileptic, such as lamotrigine or levetiracetam. The risk seems much lower than when exposure to Depakine is of maternal origin (between 30% and 40%), but there is no question of ignoring it. The investigations are continuing. If worried future fathers are tempted to stop Depakine, the national association of Epilepsy France patients recalls that“no treatment for epilepsy should be changed or discontinued without the advice of a competent physician”.

A man destined to develop early Alzheimer’s, in his forties or before, like the rest of his family, since he carries a mutation called “paisa”, escaped it. By studying his case, the researchers discovered the existence of a “reelin” mutation which protected him from the disease until the age of 67, when his brain was riddled with amyloid plaques, typical of severe dementia. An exceptional case opening up new avenues of research. (Nature Medicine)

20 minutes

After 20 minutes off, a heart was transplanted into a man with congenital heart disease. This spectacular intervention, performed at the University Hospital of Padua, Italy, required extensive perfusing of the organ before the transplant. Thanks to this technique, the number of hearts available for transplantation could be increased by 30%, according to Italian doctors.