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Dès lors que le collapsus trachéal est diagnostiqué chez le chien, une prise en charge médicale et conservatrice peut être envisagée dans la plupart des cas, fondée sur des traitements symptomatiques (antitussifs, anti-inflammatoires) et des mesures hygiéniques (contrôle du poids entre autres). Une approche interventionnelle doit toutefois être considérée pour les collapsus graves ou les cas réfractaires. Afin de pallier les nombreuses complications initialement associées à la pose chirurgicale d’anneaux extratrachéaux, le développement de stents endotrachéaux, il y a une vingtaine d’années, a constitué une véritable révolution thérapeutique associée à de bons résultats cliniques. Les complications de cette technique restent toutefois nombreuses, bien que de plus en plus limitées par la bonne sélection du patient, le choix du stent idéal et l’expérience croissante des manipulateurs. Toutefois, des données récentes suggèrent que le traitement chirurgical demeure une technique intéressante, moins onéreuse et alternative à la pose des stents, au moins dans les collapsus extrathoraciques. Dans tous les cas, le choix du type de traitement dépend de l’ensemble du tableau clinique du patient, des comorbidités, du type et de l’étendue du collapsus, et de la préférence du clinicien.

Le collapsus trachéal est une affection respiratoire chronique et progressive couramment rencontrée chez le chien de petit format, résultant d’une dégénérescence des anneaux cartilagineux soutenant la trachée associée à une flaccidité de la membrane trachéale dorsale. Cette maladie affecte principalement les chiens de petite taille et de race naine, d’âge moyen à avancé. La gravité des symptômes est variable et dépend essentiellement du stade du collapsus et des éventuelles autres anomalies du tractus respiratoire. Différentes procédures diagnostiques peuvent être utilisées, seules ou en association, pour détecter un collapsus trachéal. Si la réalisation de multiples clichés radiographiques peut être suffisante pour établir le diagnostic, une exploration dynamique des voies respiratoires par fluoroscopie et/ou endoscopie est le plus souvent recommandée pour déterminer avec précision les caractéristiques du collapsus, rechercher d’éventuelles affections intercurrentes telle qu’une bronchomalacie et orienter la décision thérapeutique.

International audience; Assessing the relationship between grassland plant diversity and agronomic value is a major challenge to reconcile nature conservation and agricultural use of extensive grassland habitats. To do this, multiple facets of forage production must be considered such as the quantity produced and its nutritive value, commonly assessed through its digestibility, energy content, and nutrient content. The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of plant diversity and functional traits on forage productivity and nutritive value in a wide set of semi-natural grassland habitats.Forage was sampled in 202 plots located across 68 permanent extensive grasslands in eight regions of France. Species and functional diversity indices, community-weighted means (CWM) of plant functional traits, and the relative cover of main plant functional types (PFT; graminoids, forbs, and legumes) were used to describe plant communities. Forage production was evaluated by recording early standing biomass (SB), and nutritive value parameters, namely digestibility (DMD), crude protein content (CP), and average mineral content (MinAv) at the beginning of the vegetation growing season.Species richness was negatively associated with SB and MinAv. Species evenness was positively correlated with CP, DMD, and MinAv, while PFT evenness was positively correlated with CP and DMD. Forage standing biomass increased with increasing graminoid cover and decreased with increasing forb cover. A higher legume cover and specific leaf area CWM as well as a lower leaf dry matter content CWM was associated with improved forage nutritive value and had no effect on SB. Our results highlight that a better forage nutritive value can be obtained with a higher plant species evenness in permanent grassland habitats. Furthermore, in grasslands with an even distribution of plant functional types, forage nutritive value may be improved with no loss in early standing biomass.

A dog was examined because of acute onset of respiratory distress following a cervical dog bite. Physical examination revealed a deep ventral cervical bite wound associated with localized mild subcutaneous emphysema. Thoracic radiographs showed moderate pneumomediastinum. Medical management consisting of oxygen therapy, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatories was initiated. After 2 days, respiratory distress suddenly worsened. Tracheoscopy showed a discontinuity between the tracheal rings of the cervical trachea; however, the inner tracheal wall appeared intact. Computed tomography scan revealed a ~3-cm complete rupture of all layers of the trachea. Surgical resection and anastomosis of the trachea were performed successfully. Follow-up 15 days after surgery showed complete resolution of respiratory signs, as well as subcutaneous emphysema. A mild ventral angulation of the trachea at the surgical site was noticed on thoracic radiographs. This is the first case report of a pseudotrachea in a dog. Persistence of a pseudotrachea may initially result in only minor clinical signs responsive to medical therapy despite tracheal rupture. In the presence of a pseudotrachea, tracheal rupture may be difficult to identify with tracheoscopy alone. Therefore, CT scan should be proposed in every patient with suspected tracheal trauma. Key clinical message: This case report highlights the importance of including a tracheal rupture in the differential diagnosis of cervical subcutaneous emphysema, even if the amount is small and not associated with significant respiratory signs. The presence of a pseudotrachea may result in less severe clinical signs than expected based on the actual degree of tracheal injury; however, the clinical status may rapidly deteriorate and become life-threatening. This case report also underlines the importance of a CT scan as a complement to tracheoscopy, which may not be sufficient to identify a tracheal rupture in the presence of a pseudotrachea.

International audience

International audience

Wildlife species are harvested for a variety of purposes. This is known to drive phenotypic change, particularly in the context of exploitative harvesting. As the impact of invasive alien species grows, and new conflicts with nuisance species arise, management of these problematic species has emerged as a key topic. Yet there is little to no attention directed to whether and how species are changing as a consequence of lethal control, particularly in terms of their behavior. In this synthesis, we draw attention to the fact that nuisance and invasive species undergoing control are likely to exhibit behavioral change. First, we highlight the potential consequences of behavioral responses to control on species’ management and ecological impact. Second, we provide a framework of mechanisms that can lead to behavioral responses to lethal control. Three categories are described: evolutionary mechanisms, cognitive mechanisms, and stress mechanisms. Understanding which mechanism underlies a behavioral response is paramount as it allows to predict how prevalent the response will be in the population. We argue for increased monitoring of behavior by managers and more research efforts into the mechanisms of behavioral responses to novel threats in order to better predict and mitigate unforeseen and unwanted behavioral change.

5G will provide a flexible and programmable infrastructure, allowing different networks to share the same access network. A way to respond to the diverse service requirements of 5G while reducing both CAPEX and OPEX is to adopt cloud-native architectures. In this context, micro-services software design, the corner stone of cloud-native architecture, seems to be ideal for 5G. However, despite its several advantages, micro-services raise new challenges which slow its adoption down in the NFV ecosystem. Indeed, steering the expected 5G traffic between cloud-native network function is extremely challenging and is still under-investigated. In this paper, we address the service function chaining (SFC) in micro-service based network function virtualization (NFV) ecosystem from the view of the traffic steering. Specifically, we design and implement a cloud-native SFC framework offering efficient traffic steering mechanisms while considering the network state of the underlying NFV infrastructure. In this context, an optimized network-aware load balancing strategy is proposed. Based on extensive experiments, the results obtained show that our strategy achieved good results in terms of i) end-to-end latency and ii) deployment time.

Ahstract-5G stakeholders make every effort to efficiently handle the unprecedented services and traffic demand. Particularly, Telco operators aim to deploy a cost effective network services within their next generation mobile networks. By leveraging cloud-native architectures, the stringent 5G services requirements can be satisfied while reducing both CAPEX and OPEX. Concretely, the adoption of microservice software design enables the disaggregation of Telco applications into small independent cloud-native network functions. Theses microservices, deployed as containers, are lightweight and perform in an independent way. However, in spite of its various benefits, microservice architecture raises new challenges to deal with in the network function virtualization (NFV) ecosystem. Typically, the service function chaining (SFC) of cloud-native network functions becomes extremely complex and error-prone due to the high number of microservices. In this paper, we address the problem of 5G traffic steering for cloud-native SFC in microservice based NFV ecosystem. Specifically, we envision and deploy an SDNless SFC framework ensuring efficient traffic steering between cloud-native network functions. Besides, we propose an optimized network-aware load balancing algorithm capable of carrying efficiently the traffic while considering the underlying infrastructure network state. Based on robust experiments conducted in the deployed Kubernetes-based platform, the results show the efficiency of our strategy in terms of deployment time and network performance.

Harvesting of wildlife by humans is commonly known to impact target species’ demography, life history and behaviour. Yet in the context of invasive and pest species control, behavioural shifts have received very little attention. The introduced common myna, Acridotheres tristis, is undergoing intensive control efforts in some areas of its Australian distribution. In order to investigate whether myna populations respond to harvesting, we compared the behaviour of free-ranging common mynas in areas of high and low trapping pressure. Behavioural analyses revealed that mynas in high trapping risk areas stayed closer to refuges, tended to form smaller groups, and were overall less detectable. Behavioural differences between high and lowly trapped areas were not attributable to variation in population density. Overall, these results are consistent with the hypothesis that common mynas have the potential to adjust their behaviour in response to heightened anthropic risk in the environment. Behavioural shifts in invasive alien species could modify their ecological impact and may interfere not only with the effectiveness of control measures, but also with how their effectiveness is assessed. Future research should aim to isolate behavioural mechanisms underpinning compensatory responses to control so that any potential effects can be mitigated.

Social learning of novel threats coupled with adaptive generalization from learned to novel cues together provide the cognitive mechanisms by which adaptive avoidance of threats can spread rapidly both within and across generations. Whereas attention to effects of fishing and hunting on prey is increasing, nothing is known about how human predation can alter the behavior of invasive animals. Here, we examined whether common (Indian) mynas, Acridotheres tristis, one of the most widespread invasive birds in Australia and invasive to many other parts of the world, are learning to respond to anthropogenic predation. We analyzed behavior at an experimental food patch provisioned by 2 distinctly clothed persons both before and after mynas had observed one of the 2 persons seemingly capture conspecifics inside a trap placed at the food patch. After the demonstration, mynas landed in smaller numbers at the food patch and took longer to land. Further, mynas alarm called more when provisioned by the person who had been involved in trapping. Future work will determine whether narrow generalization gradients are a consistent feature of synanthropic species or whether they broaden as a function of human predation threat level as is predicted by the Predator Recognition Continuum Hypothesis. Practical implications for control are discussed. Can common mynas, one of the World's most invasive birds and target of much control effort, learn to avoid trapping? After watching mynas being captured by a person who had previously fed them, observer mynas alarm called specifically to that person. They also learned the place where trapping occurred and showed generalized changes in risk-awareness. Mynas show a remarkable capacity to learn socially, which explains why they are becoming more risk-averse in areas where they are trapped.

EA GEAPSI INRA; International audience; Human mineral malnutrition or hidden hunger is considered a global challenge, affecting a large proportion of the world's population. The reduction in the mineral content of edible plant products is frequently found in cultivars bred for higher yields, and is probably increased by intensive agricultural practices. The filling of grain with macro and micronutrients is partly the result of a direct allocation from root uptake and remobilization from vegetative tissues. The aim of this bibliographic review is to focus on recent knowledge obtained from ionomic analysis of plant tissues in order to build a global appraisal of the potential remobilization of all macro and micronutrients, and especially those from leaves. Nitrogen is always remobilized from leaves of all plant species, although with different efficiencies, while nutrients such as K, S, P, Mg, Cu, Mo, Fe and Zn can be mobilized to a certain extent when plants are facing deficiencies. On the opposite, there is few evidence for leaf mobilization of Ca, Mn, Ni and B. Mechanisms related to the remobilization process (remobilization of mineral forms from vacuolar and organic compounds associated with senescence, respectively) are also discussed in the context of drought, an abiotic stress that is thought to increase and known to modulate the ionic composition of grain in crops.

The capacity to behave innovatively facilitates adaptation to changing environmental conditions and accelerates speciation rates. Innovation tendencies show substantial variation both among and within species, but the sources of this variation remain poorly understood. There has been much debate on the role of cognition and significant amounts of empirical research on the influence of motivational and state-dependent processes, but the prediction that innovation might also be facilitated by motor processes has only recently begun to gain traction. Here, we measured innovative foraging in 7 common urban avian species under free-ranging conditions and explored the role of motor flexibility as well as several potential other predictors of innovation such as motivation and morphology. Species differed significantly in their tendency to forage innovatively, with a true corvid, the Australian raven, Corvus coronoides, outperforming all other species. Across species, motor flexibility was the strongest predictor of the capacity to forage innovatively. Our results extend previous work demonstrating the role of motor diversity in individual differences in the tendency to forage innovatively and provide the impetus for future research on links between motor and cognitive flexibility.

Macro-ecological comparisons have repeatedly demonstrated that the taxonomic distribution of foraging innovations coincides with the ability to adjust to novel and changing environments. We sought to obtain experimental support for the link between innovative foraging and opportunism by measuring the innovation abilities of two highly successful passerines on the east coast of Australia with very different success strategies. The ecological success of the introduced Indian myna, Acridotheres tristis, has been linked to its ability to occupy opportunistically an ecological niche that most natives cannot, whereas the native noisy miner, Manorina melanocephala, owes its success to its ability to aggressively outcompete other avian species. Indian mynas were significantly more neophobic than noisy miners. Yet, when tested on a range of innovative foraging tasks, Indian mynas consistently outperformed noisy miners. The ability to use the beak in a greater range of ways, and more flexibly, was highly repeatable in Indian mynas, and underpinned their superior problem-solving performance. We discuss the results in the light of potential methodological influences, but also the idea that necessity may facilitate innovation not only in less competitive individuals, as is documented in the literature, but also in species with less competitive lifestyles.

EABIOME INRA; In this study we tested whether legumes can improve the growth and N and S nutrition of rapeseed in an intercropping system and compared the effect of mixtures on legume N-fixation and soil N-resources. Rapeseed was cultivated in low N conditions in monocrops using one (R) or two plants (RR) per pot and in mixtures with lupine, clover or vetch. The R monocrop was the most relevant control, intraspecific competition inducing a significant growth delay resulting in a significantly lower leaf number, in RR monocrop compared to R and the three mixtures considered. Plant biomass, and the N and S contents of rapeseed grown in mixtures were the same than those measured in R monocrop. Compared to the monocrop, the proportion of N derived from the atmosphere was increased by 34, 140 and 290% in lupine, clover and vetch, respectively when intercropped with rapeseed. In mixture with clover and lupine, the soil N pool at harvest was higher than in other treatments, while N export by crop was constant. Legumes suffered from competition for soil S resulting in a decrease of 40% in their S content compared to the monocrop. Compared to rapeseeds grown in R monocrop and in mixture with lupine and vetch, rapeseed mixed with clover showed significantly higher SPAD values in old leaves. In our conditions, mixing legumes with rapeseed is relevant to reduce N fertilization and improve nutrition and growth of rapeseed.

Foraging innovations are increasingly viewed as a key source of phenotypic plasticity and evolutionary change. Often thought to be associated with increased cognitive abilities, innovative foraging behaviour could potentially emerge as a simple consequence of being able to use a greater variety of motor actions in the foraging context. Here, we explored the role of motor diversity in the innovative problem-solving abilities of a highly successful ecological invader, the Indian myna, Sturnus tristis, using an extractive foraging task with multiple compartments. Consistent with findings from several other species, persistence predicted the latency to solve the first compartment. However, motor diversity was the strongest predictor of both solving latency of all further compartments and number of compartments solved. We suggest that motor diversity may facilitate innovation by increasing the ways in which objects can be handled, which in turn would allow for associative learning processes to enhance the expression of successful foraging behaviours.

International audience; dans le cadre du programme INTERREG WOW (Working Value of Wetlands), le Parc naturel régional des marais du Cotentin et du Bessin et l'Université de Caen se sont associés pour étudier les relations entre pratiques agricoles, valeur agronomique et biodiversité des prairies de marais. Les paramètres de biodiversité étudiés sont la végétation, les coléoptères carabiques, les oiseaux nicheurs et le Courlis cendré. Des liens ont été établis entre pratiques agricoles, végétation et zone de nidification du Courlis cendré. 21 communautés végétales ont été identifiées au sein de 5 marais test. L'étude de la valeur fourragère montre que les apports énergétiques des communautés végétales sont élevés et équivalents à ceux d'un foin ou d'un pâturage mésophile considérés comme référence régionale. Au printemps, les pâtures fournissent l'énergie et les protéines suffisantes pour assurer la production de 35 kg de lait sans complémentation. En conclusion, les prairies de marais ont un fort intérêt pour la biodiversité et constituent un atout pour l'agriculture.

Journal de Gynecologie Obstetrique et Biologie de la Reproduction - Vol. 37 - N° 4 - p. 365-378

Primary breast lymphoma is a difficult diagnosis because it is very rare. It can be found during pregnancy. Its diagnosis is often delayed. Treatment combines radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Prognosis is generally bad. Therefore, it is most important to examine breasts during pregnancy.

Journal de Gynecologie Obstetrique et Biologie de la Reproduction - Vol. 36 - N° 3 - p. 302-305

1 Data on the relationships between plasma concentration and analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of NSAIDs are limited because most inflammation models do not permit pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modelling to be readily performed. 2 In this study, a kaolin-induced inflammation model in the cat was evaluated for pre-clinical characterization of the pharmacodynamic profiles of NSAIDs (determination of efficacy, potency, sensitivity (that is the slope of the concentration-effect relationship) and duration of drug response), using meloxicam as a probe article. 3 Indirect response PK/PD models described the time course and magnitude of responses produced by 0.3 mg kg(-1) meloxicam administered subcutaneously. For endpoints for which spontaneous recovery from inflammation was superimposed on drug response, a PK/PD model with a time-dependent K(in) was used to allow for the spontaneous changes of the inflammation with time. 4 The selected endpoints were suitable for studying simultaneously the analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects of meloxicam, allowing comparison of relative potencies for these effects. Mean+/-s.d. IC(50) or EC(50) values (ng ml(-1)) were 777+/-124 (body temperature), 841+/-187 (locomotion variable), 883+/-215 (pain score), 911+/-189 (lameness score) and 1298+/-449 (skin temperature difference). Corresponding mean times+/-s.d. of peak responses (h) were 5.6+/-1.3, 8.6+/-3.8, 5.2+/-5.0, 5.6+/-3.7 and 4.3+/-2.4, respectively. 5 As the pharmacokinetic profiles of meloxicam in cats and humans are similar, simulations of several dosage regimens in the cat provided a pre-clinical basis, illustrating the value of the cat model for predicting a clinical dose regimen for evaluation in man. The predicted loading doses (mg kg(-1)) of meloxicam in the cat producing 70% of the maximum attainable responses were 0.29 (body temperature), 0.32 (lameness score), 0.33 (overall locomotion variable), 0.36 (pain score) and 0.50 (skin temperature difference). The values are similar to or somewhat greater than the clinically recommended doses both in cats (0.3 mg kg(-1)) and humans (7.5-15 mg, that is, between 0.1 and 0.3 mg kg(-1)). 6 These findings indicate the potential value of the cat as a laboratory model, and of a PK/PD modelling approach in assisting NSAID development programs in animals and humans.

Adrenal length and width were determined from two-dimensional ultrasound longitudinal images. In study 1, 540 measurements of adrenal glands were attempted from five healthy beagle dogs by three different observers with different levels of expertise in ultrasonography, to determine the variability of adrenal gland measurements. Of these, 484 measurements were included in the statistical analysis, since 16 measurements of the left adrenal gland and 40 for the right could not be visualised by the observer. In study 2, a single measurement of both adrenal glands was taken from each of 146 dogs by the most trained observer from study 1, and the effects of different health status (healthy dogs v dogs with non-adrenal diseases), bodyweight, age and sex were assessed. A total of 267 measurements were included in the statistical analysis. The lowest intra- and inter-day coefficient of variation values were observed for the left adrenal gland and by the most trained observer. The health status had no statistically significant effect on adrenal gland length or width, whereas age had a significant effect only for the left adrenal gland (the greater the age, the greater the width or length) and sex had a significant effect only for the right adrenal gland (the width was larger in males and the length larger in females). The bodyweight had a significant effect for the length of both adrenal glands (the greater the bodyweight, the greater the length), but not the width. The differences between sd and coefficient of variation values for the width of the left adrenal gland were not statistically significant between the three observers, whereas they were statistically significant for the right adrenal gland.

Resume Le cancer du poumon (CP) est une pathologie de plus en plus frequente, notamment chez la femme, du fait de l’augmentation du tabagisme. Le cancer du poumon chez la femme enceinte est rare surtout quand il est revele par syndrome de Pancoast-Tobias (SPT). Le passage chez le fœtus est possible. La prise en charge est multidisciplinaire. Le pronostic est mauvais.

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Full Paper — This document highlights the specification and performances of a modular generic test bench designed to test the pipe performances of Digital Beamformers Network (DBFN)

International audience; BACKGROUND: Improving the hygienic quality of forages for horse nutrition seems to be a reasonable target for decreasing the prevalence of pulmonary diseases. The aim of the experiment was to study the effects of different agricultural practices on the main aero-allergens contained in forages, including breathable dust, fungi, mycotoxins and pollens. RESULTS: Results showed that the late harvest of hay, a second crop or a haylage production provides a good alternative to increase hygienic quality by reducing fungi contamination and breathable dust content. Barn drying of hay, while having no effect on breathable dust, similarly reduced fungi contamination. In contrast, when hay was harvested at a lower dry mass content (750g DM kg(-1) versus 850 g DM kg(-1)), both breathable dust and fungi contaminations were increased, which could at least be reversed by adding propionic acid just before baling. Zearalenone was detected in different hays, and even in one case, in breathable dust. CONCLUSION: Overall, our data suggest that different approaches can be used to increase forage hygienic quality for horse feeding and thus reduce their exposure to factors involved in equine pulmonary disease. (C) 2011 Society of Chemical Industry

National audience

To limit the electromagnetic interference due to in-house PLC communication, standards on the emission levels of mains cables are now under elaboration. However, another additional aspect, not yet taken into account, deals with the possibility of exploiting the compromising radiated field to extract some information on the transmitted data. This problem of eavesdropping is known in the Electromagnetic Compatibility community, under the code name Tempest. The compromising propagation channel thus corresponds to the transmission by a modem between two wires of the power line and a reception on a loop antenna placed in adjacent rooms, apartments or houses. To evaluate this risk, a number of configurations are studied to determine the statistical properties of this channel. The influence of either the distance between the transmitting modem and the receiving loop, or of the walls between them, is investigated.

Poster

Primary breast lymphoma is a difficult diagnosis because it is very rare. It can be found during pregnancy. Its diagnosis is often delayed. Treatment combines radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Prognosis is generally bad. Therefore, it is most important to examine breasts during pregnancy.

This study is performed on a population of pregnant women during the second trimester of their pregnancy. The aim of this study is to demonstrate that clinical symptoms noticeable by the obstétricians during their consultations. Eight hundred and fifty-three patients have been involved in this study by responding to an anonymous questionnary. Hundred and seventy-five patients(groupI) have been abuse either physically or psychologically or sexually. The study shows that there is a strong difference between the groupI and the group without abuse in their medical past history (678 patients) about the occurracy of several disorders. The most frequently observed troubles are sexuals disorders, school failures, deficients relationship with others persons, anxiety and troubles of humor. We can concluded, about those clinical manifestations, that they do exist during pregnancy and probably thoses symptoms are linked to traumatism occured during their past history. Obstetricians must look after thoses symptoms very seriously to propose a good management of the pregnancy either about their psychological problems or about the social environnement in which they live.

Lung cancer is a frequent pathology among women, as a result of tobacco increase. Lung cancer among pregnant women is especially rare when revealed by Pancoast-Tobias syndrome. Foetal injury is possible. The approach is multidisciplinary. Prognosis is bad.

International audience; A 13-year-old intact male poodle had suffered periodic tetanic crises for two months. It was cachectic and moderately dehydrated, and during the crises blindness, a stiff gait and behavioural changes were observed. Routine haematological and biochemical profiles showed that it was severely hypocalcaemic, with a corrected plasma calcium concentration of 1.13 mmol/litre (reference range 2.25 to 3 mmol/litre). The dog was fed a home-made diet composed of chicken and basmati rice cooked with a soup bouillon cube; an analysis of its daily allowance indicated that the dog was generally malnourished and received only 0.222 g of calcium per day rather than the 0.6 g it required. In addition, the dog had a low blood concentration of parathyroid hormone of 12 ng/litre (reference range 20 to 80 ng/litre). Supplementing the dog with calcitriol for four days and correcting its diet increased its blood calcium to the lower part of the reference range and resolved the clinical signs, although its parathyroid hormone concentration was still low one year later.

International audience

In laboratory animals many models of inflammation have been developed for preclinical evaluation of the pharmacological profiles of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). In contrast, in species of veterinary interest, including the cat, NSAIDs have been studied mainly using dose-titration or dose-confirmation studies in clinical subjects. This is due to the scarcity of appropriate animal models and to the associated lack of quantitative validated endpoints describing the magnitude and time course of drug response. Determination of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) relationships provides a powerful approach for the selection of effective and safe dosage regimens. In this study, a paw inflammation model in the cat was developed for the preclinical evaluation of NSAIDs using PK/PD modelling. Subcutaneous injection of 500 mg kaolin in the paw produced a well-defined and reproducible inflammatory response that lasted 4-5 days. Several endpoints were assessed for their clinical relevance and for their metrological performance (accuracy and reproducibility). Body temperature, lameness scoring, locomotion tests and possibly skin temperature were the most appropriate endpoints for testing the antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of NSAIDs in the cat.

The soil dynamics of old-fields, characterized by the early establishment of broom (Cytisus scoparius L.), is analysed in the Breton bocage. The role of former land use practices is estimated by comparing two similar plant successions, post cultivation and post pasture. Different variables (organic matter, mineral N content, microbial biomass, total microbial activity and mineralization) are measured within the soil layer disturbed by farming (between -5 and -25 cm). One year after abandonment, the parameters taken into account show similar values for both series. After 8 years, in broom thickets, the two soil series are characterized by an increase in microbial activity, organic matter and mineral N contents. However, the post cultivation thicket differed by higher N content and mineralization rate than the post pasture thicket, but also by a smaller microbial biomass. It appears that, if the development of similar vegetational communities promotes the same kind of soil dynamics, the former land use practices significantly modify this evolution, for at least the first 8 years following abandonment.

We studied the frequency of maltreatment of the newborn child and offered a preventive action plan.We conducted a retrospective study, on a semi-rural population, during three years period during which 2,198 deliveries took place. A number of severely maltreated new-born children were observed. Then we conducted for a two years period a prospective study of 1,007 pregnancies. A score of maltreatment risk was designed, which permitted to offer appropriate follow up to high risk couples.In the retrospective study 39 cases of maltreatment of newborn infants (1.8%) were observed. The average score was 9.7. In the control group realised during the prospective study, the average score was 0.7. No cases of maltreatment was noted.This study validates our approach which involves several institutions to take care of high risk couples during pregnancy with the aim to prevent maltreatment of the newborn.

The study was carried out in two different hospital centres on a series of 55 women who had ectopic pregnancies compared with 2 control groups. The study concerned taking samples from cells in the pelvis to culture for Chlamydia trachomatis and to estimate the levels of anti-Chlamydia antibodies. The cultures were positive in 30% of the cases and the serology was positive in 52% of the cases. This difference is significant when compared with the control groups (p less than 0.001). There was no significant statistical difference as far as positive cultures were concerned between the groups of women who had or had not had previous tubal infertility or a history of salpingitis. It seems that Chlamydia trachomatis can itself therefore be a direct cause for the development of an ectopic pregnancy.

Cultures of specimens from the abdominal cavity (14) or the lower genital tract (11) were positive for Chlamydia trachomatis in 25 (22.7%) of 110 patients with a laparoscopic diagnosis of acute salpingitis. Microimmunofluorescence serodiagnosis showed positive IgG levels (greater than or equal to 1/64) in 35 patients (32%). Of the 34 patients in whom a second serodiagnosis was performed after 6 weeks, 20 (58%) had positive IgG levels (greater than or equal to 1/64) and 12 (35%) had a fourfold or more change in dilution. Thus, culture and serodiagnosis provided evidence of Chlamydia infection in 46% of the patient population. Forty-six patients were followed up for several months to evaluate the response to antibiotic therapy. Among tetracyclines, lymecycline was effective in 19/25 cases, doxycycline in 15/19 cases and minocycline in 2/4 cases. Switching to another tetracycline after failure of the first one usually gave satisfactory results.

The authors analysed 100 sperm samples from asymptomatic patients and compared them with a control series of sperm donors who had been considered fertile by CECOS of Marseille or from men whose partners had conceived. They found Chlamydia trachomatis in 29% of the cases studied (P less than 0.0001). They found an abnormal movement of the sperm which they called the "Jerk Phenomenon" and which was found in 76% of cases (P less than 0.0001), where the culture for Chlamydia trachomatis was positive. This correlation does not change in association with other germs. Micro-cinematographic studies confirm the asthenospermic character of this movement. Since the sperm movements become normal after treatment with tetracycline one must consider that Chlamydia trachomatis can be an etiological agent for infertility in men.

International audience