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The Douglas-fir twig weevil (Cylindrocopturus furnissiBuchanan) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has recently emerged as a significant pest of Christmas trees grown in the Pacific Northwest United States. The larvae girdle and disfigure twigs, which adversely affects tree marketability. Trees produced for export are also routinely destroyed for phytosanitary reasons when C. furnissiis discovered at border crossings. Due to historically being a sporadic and benign pest on planted and natural Douglas-fir (Psuedotsuga menziesii), there is a lack of chemical management options. In laboratory experiments, we assessed the knockdown effects (ability to kill or incapacitate) of 4 insecticides commonly used on Christmas trees: one assay tested knockdown after direct contact for 24 h, and the other assay tested knockdown after being allowed to feed on treated twigs with 2 days, 7 days, and 14 days residuals. Concurrently, we monitored temperature and adult C. furnissiemergence at a noble fir bough farm for 2 years to estimate the ideal degree-day window for applying insecticides. Bifenthrin and esfenvalerate knocked down all weevils on contact within just 4 h, whereas chlorpyrifos and acephate failed to achieve 100% knockdown within 24 h. Only acephate failed to knock down more weevils than the control (water) after feeding on treated twigs, regardless of the insecticide residue age. Degree-day modeling revealed a variable emergence window between the 2 years but 50% of adult emergence occurred between approximately 1,000–1,100 degree days (1st January, 50 °F (10 °C), single sine). Future work should assess the resulting management recommendation: apply bifenthrin or esfenvalerate once annually just after 1,000 growing degree days for 2 or more years prior to harvest.

L’incidence de la pemphigoïde des muqueuses (PM) a été estimée à 1,2 cas/M d’habitants/an en 1995 dans 3 régions françaises. Par ailleurs, aucune étude n’a estimé le taux de mortalité standardisé (SMR). Les objectifs de cette étude étaient de calculer l’incidence de la PM en France entre 2012 et 2021, les SMR et d’identifier les facteurs pronostiques de mortalité.

Quelques cas de pemphigoïde des muqueuses (PM) induites par des médicaments en particulier gliptines ont été rapportés mais cette association reste incertaine du fait de l’absence de groupe contrôle. L’objectif de notre étude était d’identifier d’éventuels médicaments potentiellement inducteurs de PM en conduisant une étude cas-témoins comparant une cohorte rétrospective de patients atteints de PM à des témoins issus du Système national des données de santé (SNDS) en s’appuyant sur une liste de médicaments suspects élaborée à l’aide de la littérature et de la pharmacovigilance.

La cellulite à éosinophiles (syndrome de Wells) est une entité clinico-histologique rare et polymorphe. L’objectif de cette étude était, à partir d’une série de cas, de fournir des données actuelles cliniques et paracliniques, d’identifier des facteurs pronostiques, d’évaluer la réponse aux traitements et in finede proposer un algorithme de décision.

IMPORTANCE: The pathogenesis of eosinophilic cellulitis (EC) is poorly understood, limiting available treatment options. The current treatment paradigm focuses on delayed type 2 hypersensitivity reaction to various triggers. OBJECTIVE: To gain further insight into the nature of EC inflammation and into the cellular signal transduction pathways that are activated in the context of EC. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This case series was conducted in Lyon, France, from January 2018 to December 2021. Analysis of archival skin biopsy samples from patients with EC and from healthy control participants was performed using histology, Janus kinase (JAK)–signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) immunohistochemistry, and gene profiling. Data analysis was conducted between January 2020 and January 2022. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Pruritus (visual analog score), percentage of body surface area with lesional skin, and RNA transcripts of inflammatory biomarkers from the skin (threshold cycle) were assessed in 1 index patient with refractory EC who received oral JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor baricitinib (4 mg/d). RESULTS: This study included samples from 14 patients with EC (7 men and 7 women) and 8 healthy control participants (4 men and 4 women). The mean (SD) age of patients was 52 (20) years. Marked type 2 inflammation (chemokines CCL17, CCL18, and CCL26 and interleukin 13) with preferential activation of the JAK1/JAK2–STAT5 pathways in EC lesions was observed. In the 1 index patient with refractory EC, complete clinical remission of skin lesions was observed after 1 month of treatment with baricitinib. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These findings suggest that EC is a type 2 inflammatory disease with preferential activation of the JAK1/JAK2-STAT5 pathways. In addition, these results suggest the potential of treatment approaches targeting JAK1/JAK2 for patients with EC.

La voie de signalisation JAK-STAT transduit l’activité biologique de multiples cytokines et constitue donc une cible thérapeutique de choix pour les maladies inflammatoires cutanées. Notre but était de déterminer la spécificité d’activation des différentes voies JAK/STATs et cytokiniques associées dans 3 dermatoses inflammatoires: l’hidradénite suppurée (HS), le psoriasis (PSO) et la dermatite atopique (DA).

L’anifrolumab est un anticorps monoclonal ciblant le récepteur de l’interféron de type 1. Il est indiqué dans le traitement du lupus érythémateux systémique (LES) et est notamment efficace dans le traitement des lésions cutanées sévères et/ou réfractaires. Nous rapportons deux cas de poussées de lupus bulleux survenues après la première dose d’anifrolumab chez deux patients atteints de LES avec des lésions discoïdes réfractaires.

New highly effective drugs for moderate-to-severe cutaneous psoriasis are regularly marketed, and the hierarchy of treatments thus requires frequent review.

Optic pathway tumors (OPT) represent a challenge for pediatric neurosurgeons. Role of surgery is debated due to the high risk of iatrogenic damage, and in lasts decades it lost its importance in favor of chemotherapy. However, in some cases surgery is necessary to make biomolecular and histological diagnosis, to manage intracranial hypertension (IH) and to cooperate with medical therapies in controlling tumor relapse. With the aim to standardize selection of surgical OPT cases, we propose a simple, practical and reproducible classification.

Le développement de nombreux immunomodulateurs (biothérapies, inhibiteurs de JAK-JAKi) et la démocratisation récente des techniques de cartographie ADN/ARN permettent d’envisager le développement de stratégies de médecine personnalisée. Ces stratégies sont particulièrement importantes dans le traitement des pathologies réfractaires ou inclassables. Nous rapportons ici 5 cas de dermatoses inflammatoires chroniques réfractaires qui ont bénéficié d’une approche moléculaire pour définir un traitement personnalisé.

La radiothérapie des adolescents et jeunes adultes (AJA) présente des particularités qui doivent être connues par les pédiatres, oncologues adultes et les onco-radiothérapeutes les prenant en charge. Elles concernent l’ensemble de la prise en charge que ce soit l’indication, les volumes de traitements, la dose, les modalités de traitements et le suivi. En effet, l’âge jeune des patients, mais aussi les particularités spécifiques des cancers des AJA vont fortement influer sur les modalités de la radiothérapie. L’article permet de mettre en lumière les points clés de cette prise en charge.

•SLE occurs in 22% of children with ANA-associated AIC.•Children of age >10 years and ANA titer >1/160 must be monitored long-term, for progression to SLE.

High-risk neuroblastoma is characterized by poor long-term survival, especially for very high-risk (VHR) patients (poor response of metastases after induction therapy). The benefits of a tandem high-dose therapy and hematologic stem cell reinfusion (HSCR) have been shown in these patients. Further dose escalation will be limited by toxicity. It is thus important to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of the addition of new agents such as 131I-MIBG (131Iode metaiodobenzylguanidine) to be combined with high-dose therapy in the consolidation phase. We report the feasibility of busulfan/melphalan (BuMel) after 131I-MIBG therapy with HSCR in patients with refractory or relapsed metastatic neuroblastoma. From November 2008 to March 2015, 9 patients received BuMel after 131I-MIBG therapy and topotecan. The main toxicity was digestive with only 1 patient developing grade 4 sinusoidal obstructive syndrome. Seven patients are alive at a median follow-up of 25 months. Among them, 2 are in ongoing complete remission and 1 in ongoing stable disease. These results suggest that BuMel with HSCR can be administered safely 2 months after 131I-MIBG therapy associated with topotecan for VHR patients. This strategy will be compared with tandem high-dose chemotherapy (thiotepa and busulfan-melphalan), followed by HSCR in the upcoming SIOPEN VHR Neuroblastoma Protocol.

Les recommandations françaises concernant l’utilisation des traitements systémiques chez les adultes atteints de psoriasis cutané modéré à sévère ont été publiées en 2019 et élaborées à partir des recommandations existantes (méthode ADAPTE), complétées par une revue systématique de la littérature datant de 2017. Depuis, de nouveaux traitements systémiques ont été commercialisés rendant difficile le choix thérapeutique en pratique quotidienne.

Spinal cord tumors in children (SCTC) are rare with a frequent diagnostic delay. Its management is multidisciplinary and challenging due to functional implications. The position of surgery is now better established but the role and timing of chemotherapy (CT) and radiotherapy (RT) still remains under debate. Adverse effects of treatments are important to be taken into account, in the follow-up of these children. The aim of this paper was to present a series of 21 cases of SCTC treated at the same institution, to briefly present clinical features, treatments and outcome, with a special focus on spinal deformities in children with this condition.

ABSTRACTA novel species of Botrytisisolated from peony in Alaska, USA, and grape in Trento District, Italy, was identified based on morphology, pathogenicity, and sequence data. The grape and peony isolates share sequence homology in the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH), heat shock protein 60 (HSP60), DNA-dependent RNA polymerase subunit II (RPB2), and necrosis- and ethylene-inducing protein 1 and 2 (NEP1and NEP2) genes that place them in a distinct group closely related to B. aclada, a globally distributed pathogen of onions. Genetic results were corroborated with morphological and pathogenicity trials that included two isolates of B. cinereaand two isolates of B. paeoniaefrom peony in Alaska and one isolate of B. aclada. The authors observed differences in colony and conidia morphology and ability to cause lesions on different host tissues that suggest that the grape and peony isolates represent a distinct species. Most notably, the grape and peony isolates did not colonize onion bulbs, whereas B. acladareadily produced lesions and prolific sporulation on onion tissue. The new species Botrytis euroamericanais described herein.

Data on post-transplant iron overload (IO) are scarce in pediatrics. We conducted a prospective multicenter cohort study (Leucémie de l’Enfant et de l’Adolescent cohort) to determine the prevalence and risk factors of IO in 384 acute leukemia survivors transplanted during childhood. Prevalence of IO (ferritin level ⩾350 ng/mL) was 42.2% (95%CI 37.2–47.2%). Factors significantly associated with IO were: 1) in univariate analysis: older age at transplant (P<0.001), allogeneic versus autologous transplantation (P<0.001), radiation-based preparative regimen (P=0.035) and recent period of transplantation (P<0.001); 2) in multivariate analysis: older age at transplant in quartiles (Odds Ratio (OR)=7.64, 95% CI: 3.73–15.64 for age >12.7 years and OR=5.36, 95% CI: 2.63–10.95 for age from 8.2 to 12.7 years compared to age < 4.7 years), acute myeloid leukemia (OR=3.23, 95% CI: 1.47–7.13), allogeneic graft (OR=4.34, 95% CI: 2.07–9.12 for alternative donors and OR=2.53, 95% CI: 1.2–5.33 for siblings, compared to autologous graft) and radiation-based conditioning regimen (OR=2.45, 95% CI: 1.09–5.53). Graft-versus-host disease was an additional risk factor for allogeneic graft recipients. In conclusion, IO is a frequent complication in pediatric long-term survivors after transplantation for acute leukemia, more frequently observed in older children, those transplanted from alternative donors or with graft-versus-host disease.

The current Phase II study was conducted to evaluate the survival and toxicity observed in children with newly diagnosed brainstem gliomas who were treated with the daily radiotherapy with topotecan used as a radiosensitizer. Eligible patients were those ages 3–18 years with previously untreated tumors arising in the pons diagnosed within the previous 6 months. Histologic confirmation was not mandatory provided that the clinical and magnetic resonance imaging findings were typical for a diffusely infiltrating brainstem lesion. Treatment was comprised of a 6‐week course of topotecan administered intravenously at a dose of 0.4 mg/m2/day over 30 minutes within 1 hour before irradiation. Radiotherapy was comprised of a once‐daily treatment of 1.8 grays (Gy) per fraction to a total dose of 54 Gy. Thirty‐two patients were included in the current study between August 2000 and October 2002. All patients completed the combined treatment in accordance with the treatment design. Only partial responses were observed, occurring in 40% of the patients. The 9‐month and 12‐month survival rates were 34.4% ± 8% and 25.5% ± 8%, respectively. The median duration of survival for these 32 patients was 8.3 months. An intratumoral cystic/necrotic change was observed in five patients, with clinical impairment noted in two patients. One intratumoral hemorrhage occurred during radiotherapy, and was associated with transitory neurologic impairment. The findings of the current study regarding newly diagnosed brainstem glioma patients treated with topotecan given as a radiosensitizing agent did not reproduce the encouraging results obtained in preclinical studies. Therefore, the concomitant combination of topotecan and radiotherapy at this schedule and these doses cannot be recommended for the treatment of patients with brainstem gliomas. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society. Malignant diffuse brainstem gliomas constitute at least 10% of all childhood brain tumors and continue to have a dismal prognosis regardless of the treatment used. Surgery is not feasible without a high risk of life‐threatening neurologic complications and conventional radiotherapy is reported to result in a short median survival. In the current study, the authors evaluated the survival and toxicity observed in children with newly diagnosed brainstem gliomas who were treated with daily radiotherapy with topotecan used as a radiosensitizer.

Purpose Fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSR) is a recognized treatment for vestibular schwannomas (VS). This study's aim is to present clinical outcomes and local control (LC) results for patients with VS treated with FSR using the Cyberknife® (CK) in 2 French cancer centers.Methods Patients treated with FSR for VS between 2007 and 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. Local control was determined using follow-up MRI. The hearing preservation (HP) rate was determined by analyzing pretreatment and posttreatment audiograms.Results Forty patients were treated for VS with the CK in both centers. The mean maximal VS dimension was 18.3 mm (range 3–30). The median follow-up was 36 months and the LC was 97% at 3 years of follow-up and 89% after 5 years. The HP rate was 83% and no facial nerve impairment was reported.Conclusions Our results in terms of LC and HP rate are congruent with similar studies that use the CK to treat VS. It appears that the CK is safe and efficient in VS management even for large lesions. Further studies with larger cohorts are warranted.

Anaplasma phagocytophilumis an emerging zoonotic tick-borne pathogen affecting a wide range of mammals. Rodents are suspected to be natural reservoirs for this bacterium, but their role in the epidemiologic cycles affecting domestic animals and wild ungulates has not been demonstrated. This study aimed to improve our knowledge on A. phagocytophilumprevalence in Apodemus sylvaticus, A. flavicollisand Myodes glareolususing data collected in 2010 in one area in eastern France and in 2012–2013 in two others areas in western France. Rodents were captured in each site and infection was tested using qualitative real-time PCR assays on either blood or spleen samples. Prevalence showed high variability among sites. The highest prevalence was observed in the most eastern site (with an average infection rate of 22.8% across all species), whereas no rodent was found to be PCR positive in the south-west site and only 6.6% were positive in the north-west of France. Finally, a significant increase in prevalence was observed in autumn samples compared to spring samples in the north-west, but no change was found in the other two sites.

L’érythème annulaire à éosinophiles (EAE) est une dermatose éosinophilique qui se manifeste typiquement par des plaques annulaires et érythémateuses et un prurit sévère. Certaines formes ont été décrites comme satellite de cancers solides. Du fait de la rareté de la pathologie, et du peu de données disponibles dans la littérature, le traitement est mal codifié et peut s’avérer très complexe devant certaines formes réfractaires.

Le cancer reste la première cause de décès par maladie chez l’enfant et l’adolescent. Donner un large accès aux innovations thérapeutiques est un objectif stratégique majeur de l’onco-hématologie pédiatrique en Europe.

We evaluated the impact of central nervous system irradiation (CNSI) on long-term health status and quality of life (QoL) of childhood lymphoblastic leukemia survivors included in the French L.E.A. (Childhood and Adolescent Leukemia) multicentric cohort. QoL was self-reported in adults and assessed by parents in children and adolescents, using adapted questionnaires. From 2004 to 2009, 630 nongrafted patients were assessed after 11.8±6.3 years from diagnosis. Patients receiving CNSI (18.6%) or chemotherapy alone (81.4%) were compared. The risk of having long-term physical effects was increased with CNSI (odds ratio=3.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.8-5.9), especially regarding growth failure, second tumor, cataract, and overweight. QoL did not differ significantly according to the treatment received, despite a tendency toward lower scores with CNSI in children and adolescents (summary score 63.6±13.3 vs. 71.7±12.4, P=0.14). Compared with French norms, adult survivors had an impaired QoL, especially in mental domains (mental composite score 45.2±9.8 vs. 47.9±2.1, P<0.001). In pediatric survivors, QoL was not impaired and even tended to be higher than population norms (summary score 71.7±12.4 vs. 70.0±4.2, P=0.054), mainly in social and relational domains. In conclusion, QoL seems to be impaired by the trauma of a life-threatening illness in childhood, as well as by the treatment received.

Les tumeurs du système nerveux central (SNC) représentent la principale cause de morbidité et de mortalité par type de cancer chez les personnes âgées de 0 à 18ans. Dans cette population, environ 500 tumeurs sont diagnostiquées annuellement et la survie à 5ans est de l’ordre de 65–70 %. La chirurgie est le traitement de référence, mais une chimiothérapie et/ou radiothérapie (RT) peuvent néanmoins être indiquée selon le stade, le grade et la malignité tumorale. La RT est très efficace pour contrôler les tumeurs cérébrales de l’enfant avec près de 90 % de survie sans récidive à cinq ans dans la plupart des études, mais elle est grevée d’un grand nombre de complications tardives. Peu de données existent concernant les complications cérébrovasculaires engendrées par l’irradiation des tumeurs cérébrales chez l’enfant. L’objectif principal de l’étude AVARTHEC est d’estimer la proportion d’anomalies cérébrovasculaires chez les survivants d’une tumeur cérébrale prise en charge durant l’enfance et traitée par radiothérapie et de décrire leurs caractéristiques cliniques et radiologiques. Il s’agira à court terme d’obtenir des informations sur les effets secondaires des techniques de radiothérapie en incluant les nouvelles modalités d’irradiations. À plus long terme, il serait ainsi possible d’identifier des patients à haut risque de développer des complications cérébrovasculaires après une irradiation du SNC et de mettre en place une surveillance accentuée. Enfin, cette étude pourrait orienter les sociétés savantes dans l’élaboration de recommandations sur les modalités d’irradiation en fonction des facteurs de risque. Cet article présente le protocole de l’étude AVARTHEC.

Au vu des excellents taux de guérison des cancers de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, minimiser les séquelles et favoriser leur qualité de vie future devient une priorité. La préservation de la fertilité est un élément majeur de cette problématique. L'âge, le sexe et les associations thérapeutiques influent sur le niveau de risque d'hypofertilité future. Certaines chimiothérapies, en particulier les alkylants, et la radiothérapie au niveau des gonades ou de l'axe hypothalamopituitaire risquent d'avoir un impact sur la fertilité future des patients. L'évaluation du potentiel gonadotoxique des thérapeutiques et le recours à une méthode appropriée de préservation de la fertilité sont nécessaires pour limiter cet effet secondaire. Cette revue de la littérature cherche à établir des recommandations pour les pédiatres-oncologues et hématologues concernant les méthodes de préservation de la fertilité, à proposer aux enfants et adolescents recevant un traitement gonadotoxique. Le suivi spécialisé indiqué à l'issue du traitement est également abordé.

Femoral and lumbar bone mineral densities (BMDs) were measured in 159 adults enrolled in the Leucémies de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent program, a French prospective multicentric cohort of childhood leukemia survivors. BMDs were expressed as Z-scores, and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to construct association models with potential risk factors. Mean age at evaluation and follow-up was 23 and 14.7 years, respectively. In the whole cohort, mean femoral Z-score was −0.19 ± 0.08. Two factors were associated with lower femoral BMD transplantation (−0.49 ± 0.15 vs −0.04 ± 0.10 in the chemotherapy group; P= .006) and female sex (−0.34 ± 0.10 vs −0.03 ± 0.13; P= .03). Among patients who received a transplant, the only significant risk factor was hypogonadism (−0.88 ± 0.16 vs −0.10 ± 0.23; P= .04). A slight reduction in lumbar BMD (mean Z-score, −0.37 ± 0.08) was detected in the whole cohort without difference between the transplantation and chemotherapy groups. Among patients who received a transplant, younger age at transplantation was correlated with a low lumbar BMD (P= .03). We conclude that adults who had received only chemotherapy for childhood leukemia have a slight reduction in their lumbar BMD and a normal femoral BMD. Patients who received a transplant with gonadal deficiency have a reduced femoral BMD which might increase the fracture risk later in life.

Femoral and lumbar bone mineral densities (BMDs) were measured in 159 adults enrolled in the Leucémies de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent program, a French prospective multicentric cohort of childhood leukemia survivors. BMDs were expressed as Z-scores, and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to construct association models with potential risk factors. Mean age at evaluation and follow-up was 23 and 14.7 years, respectively. In the whole cohort, mean femoral Z-score was −0.19 ± 0.08. Two factors were associated with lower femoral BMD transplantation (−0.49 ± 0.15 vs −0.04 ± 0.10 in the chemotherapy group; P = .006) and female sex (−0.34 ± 0.10 vs −0.03 ± 0.13; P = .03). Among patients who received a transplant, the only significant risk factor was hypogonadism (−0.88 ± 0.16 vs −0.10 ± 0.23; P = .04). A slight reduction in lumbar BMD (mean Z-score, −0.37 ± 0.08) was detected in the whole cohort without difference between the transplantation and chemotherapy groups. Among patients who received a transplant, younger age at transplantation was correlated with a low lumbar BMD (P = .03). We conclude that adults who had received only chemotherapy for childhood leukemia have a slight reduction in their lumbar BMD and a normal femoral BMD. Patients who received a transplant with gonadal deficiency have a reduced femoral BMD which might increase the fracture risk later in life.

We evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of the metabolic syndrome (MS) in young adults surviving childhood leukemia. During the years 2007 to 2008, assessment of MS was proposed to all adults included in the Leucémie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent program, a French prospective multicentric cohort of leukemia survivors. Among 220 eligible patients, 184 (83.6%) had complete evaluation. Median age at evaluation and follow-up duration were 21.2 and 15.4 years. Overall prevalence of MS was 9.2% (95% confidence interval, 5.5-14.4). There was no association of MS with sex, age at diagnosis, leukemia subtype, steroid therapy, and central nervous system irradiation. Patients were stratified according to 4 therapeutic modalities: chemotherapy alone (n = 97), chemotherapy and central nervous system irradiation (n = 27), hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) without (n = 17) or with (n = 43) total body irradiation (TBI). MS occurred in 5.2%, 11.1%, 5.9%, and 18.6% of them, respectively. The higher risk observed in the HSCT-TBI group was significant in univariate and in multivariate analysis (odds ratio [OR] = 3.9, P = .03). HSCT with TBI was associated with a higher rate of hypertriglyceridemia (OR = 4.5, P = .004), low level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR = 2.5, P = .02), and elevated fasting glucose (OR = 6.1, P = .04) So, TBI is a major risk factor for MS. Further studies are warranted to explain this feature.

We evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of the metabolic syndrome (MS) in young adults surviving childhood leukemia. During the years 2007 to 2008, assessment of MS was proposed to all adults included in the Leucémie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent program, a French prospective multicentric cohort of leukemia survivors. Among 220 eligible patients, 184 (83.6%) had complete evaluation. Median age at evaluation and follow-up duration were 21.2 and 15.4 years. Overall prevalence of MS was 9.2% (95% confidence interval, 5.5-14.4). There was no association of MS with sex, age at diagnosis, leukemia subtype, steroid therapy, and central nervous system irradiation. Patients were stratified according to 4 therapeutic modalities: chemotherapy alone (n = 97), chemotherapy and central nervous system irradiation (n = 27), hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) without (n = 17) or with (n = 43) total body irradiation (TBI). MS occurred in 5.2%, 11.1%, 5.9%, and 18.6% of them, respectively. The higher risk observed in the HSCT-TBI group was significant in univariate and in multivariate analysis (odds ratio [OR] = 3.9, P= .03). HSCT with TBI was associated with a higher rate of hypertriglyceridemia (OR = 4.5, P= .004), low level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR = 2.5, P= .02), and elevated fasting glucose (OR = 6.1, P= .04) So, TBI is a major risk factor for MS. Further studies are warranted to explain this feature.

This article discusses the relationship between the French governments military strategy of nuclear deterrence and the French colonial presence in Algeria from 1954-1966. It specifically looks at the use by French nuclear scientists of the Sahara Desert and the conduction of French nuclear weapons testing that occurred at the military site Reggane in 1957. The creation of the "Centre Saharien des expérimentations militaires" is also discussed, which directly led to the first three successful French nuclear weapons tests. Images showing this history of presented.

The article presents information on collections of photographs related to reconnaissance operations. The author discusses photograph collections taken during World War II such as aerial reconnaissance and patrol unit missions, German aerial and ground reconnaissance transportation such as side-cars or planes, and reconnaissance missions by the French armed forces during the Indochina War. Further discussions include reconnaissance missions during the war in Algeria from 1954 to 1962, the photograph collection of the Établissement de communication et de production audiovisuelle de la Défense (ECPAD) from 1946 to 1991 and the French naval fleet 16F.

Summary: Purpose: Several studies reported that prolongation of overall treatment time of fractionated radiotherapy reduces the chance of tumor control. In the present study, we hypothesize that combining topotecan with irradiation could compensate for this detrimental time effect on the radioresponse. Therefore, we investigated the efficiency of different schedules of topotecan (TPT), radiotherapy (RT) or concomitant combination TPT + RT. Methods and Materials: Experiments were performed in two human high-grade glioma xenograft models (U87 and GBM Nan1). TPT and RT were delivered at a total dose of 3 mg/kg and 40 Gy, respectively. For the TPT + RT groups, TPT was injected 5 min before radiation. Total radiation doses were delivered in 5, 10, 20, or 30 fractions over 1, 2, 4, or 6 weeks, respectively. The efficiency of TPT, RT, and TPT + RT was evaluated by tumor growth delay (TGD). Results: At this low total dose, and independent of the schedule, no efficacy was found in TPT-treated glioma xenografts. Conversely, radiotherapy-induced antitumor effect decreased with prolongation of treatment time. For TPT + RT combination, antitumor activity was not influenced by schedule, and tumor response was always comparable to those measured for the shortest and the most efficient irradiation schedule (i.e. 1 week). When treatment was delivered over 4 or 6 weeks in U87 glioma xenografts, therapeutic enhancement ratios reached 2.6 and 3.7, respectively. This indicated that the interaction between ionizing radiation and topotecan was synergistic. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that concomitant topotecan can compensate for the detrimental effect of treatment time protraction on radiotherapy efficacy in two malignant glioma xenografts.

The objective of this report was to estimate long‐term outcome and prognostic factors in children and adolescents who presented with metastatic osteosarcoma at diagnosis. Patients were treated in six French pediatric oncology centers with surgery and multiagent chemotherapy, mainly with high‐dose methotrexate. Their medical records were reviewed retrospectively.The medical records of patients who were treated for metastatic osteosarcoma from 1987 to 2000 were reviewed. Patients were treated with the chemotherapy regimens recommended for nonmetastatic disease in children (the French Society of Pediatric Oncology OS 87 and OS 94 protocols) or, in a few patients, with other chemotherapy regimens. Surgical excision of the primary tumor and, when possible, of all metastatic sites was performed based on a personalized assessment of each patient's situation.Seventy‐eight patients age < 20 years were treated. Forty‐six patients (59%) had only 1 metastatic site (35 to the lungs and 11 to bone). Twenty‐eight patients (36%) achieved a complete remission after combination chemotherapy and surgery. The event‐free survival and overall survival rates at 5 years were 14% and 19%, respectively. To date, 14 patients (18%) have remained alive with a median follow‐up of 112 months. Pretreatment features associated with a shorter event‐free survival in the multivariate analysis were metastasis to at least two organs and high alkaline phosphatase level. Patients with at least 1 of these poor prognostic factors had a 2.6% event‐free survival rate at 5 years despite treatment.The survival of patients with metastatic osteosarcoma were treated with conventional chemotherapy and surgery remained very poor. Patients should be classified into different prognostic groups and treated accordingly. New therapeutic approaches are warranted to improve the prognosis for patients with the most severe disease. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine whether systemic and regional, intensified treatment can improve the outcome of children who present with a localized neuroblastoma (NB) with MYCN amplification (MNA).Between 1990 and 2000, 610 children with localized NB were included in the Localized Neuroblastoma 90 (NBL 90) and NBL 94 study from the French Society of Pediatric Oncology. Among them, 32 children had MNA with Stage II or III NB. During the first period of the study, 20 children (Group A) received postoperative conventional chemotherapy (CT) and/or radiotherapy (RT), depending on each patient's postoperative status. Subsequently, because of a high recurrence rate, the next 12 children (Group B) were given postoperative high‐dose CT (HDC) (busulfan and melphalan) with stem cell rescue (SCR) followed by RT in addition to conventional postoperative CT.The two groups were comparable with regard to prognostic factors (age, location of the primary lesion, International Neuroblastoma Staging System stage, lymph node invasion) and response to preoperative CT. The 6‐year overall survivalrate was significantly different between the two groups 25% ± 10% in Group A vs. 83% ± 11% in Group B; P = 0.004).Postoperative intensification treatment with HDC, SCR, and locoregional RT resulted in higher survival rates when compared with standard treatment alone and should be considered in the treatment plan for children who are diagnosed with Stage II or III NB and MYCN amplification. Cancer 2004. © 2004 American Cancer Society.

Genetic variation was found between isolates of Botrytis elliptica from the USA and Taiwan based on 22 polymorphic markers from five RAPD primers. Among these 69 isolates, there were 43 different genotypes. One clonal genotype was found spanning Oregon and Washington, USA, and in a population from Hsinshe, Taiwan, clonal genotypes were frequent, demonstrating the importance of asexual spread of this pathogen. However, when only unique genotypes were considered, gametic disequilibrium among putative RAPD loci of the genotypes from Taiwan (33) or Hsinshe (23) was not detected, suggesting an underlying sexual recombination system for this population of B. elliptica. A weak level of cultivar specialization was detected among B. elliptica isolates from the Hsinshe population based on analysis of genetic distances between isolates.

In critically ill children, intraosseous (IO) administration of a medicine provides an alternate vascular access route when IV access is not readily available. We investigated the short and long-term efficacy and safety of a totally intraosseously implantable device. This study was undertaken in micropigs (i) to compare serum levels achieved by equal bolus dosages of two antibiotics (amikacin and vancomycin) administered through an intratibial needle, an intraosseous implantable device and central IV routes to determine whether standard parenteral dosing guidelines for antibiotics may be applied without modification for IO injection, and (ii) to show the efficiency of the implantable device over a prolonged period, as a permanent access to intraosseous space. The area under the plasma concentration time curves were similar for IV, intratibial and through the intraosseous implantable device, for intermittent administrations of amikacin and vancomycin, over a period of 6 months. However, vancomycin did not reach therapeutic levels via both IO routes. We did not find any alteration of amikacin and vancomycin pharmacokinetics over a period of 6 months using the implantable device. No complication occurred. Long-term administration of antibiotics through a totally implantable intraosseous device is feasible and safe in micropigs. Although the procedure seems promising, additional studies of the continuous infusion of chemotherapeutic agents, blood products and antimicrobial solutions are needed prior to use in humans. Med. Pediatr. Oncol. 36:635–640, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.