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Zevalin® (yttrium-90 ibritumomab-tiuxetan) is the first radioimmunotherapy authorized in France for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) treatment. It is indicated for clinical use in adults for recurrent or refractory follicular NHL including those refractory to rituximab. Treatment responses are between 70 and 80%. Since three years, 13 patients were treated in Nice by Zevalin®. From this retrospective study, we discuss the various perspectives of this treatment. The majority of our patients in this study were evaluated by 18-FDG–PET and we also evaluated our results in this regard. Even if our follow-up is short, our experience confirms the efficacy and tolerance of Zevalin® treatment in multirecurrent follicular NHL including those refractory to rituximab. The treatment is of interest in elderly patients and in case of autologous stem cell transplant. The proposed « Autorisation de Mise sur le Marché » (AMM) indication is probably not the best one since efficacy seems better in smaller tumour volumes and when used earlier in the therapeutic course. Zevalin® will probably be more beneficial in first line treatment, for immunochemotherapy consolidation and for autologous stem cell transplant conditioning. We pointed out the prognostic value of FDG–PET for early post-treatment evaluation, one to two months after Zevalin® administration. However, larger scale studies are necessary to confirm these findings.

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of Quadramet® and Metastron® in 76 patients with painful bone metastases. The analgesic response was evaluated at six weeks, three months and six months. Blood counts performed every week allowed an assessment of the toxicity. The internal radiotherapy reduced the pain in 60% of patients with a complete pain disappearance in 26% and a reduction of analgesic consumption in 67% of them. This study did not show any statistically significant difference between the two treatments. However, we demonstrated that patients with a relatively long survival (≥4 months) had a better analgesic response (73 against 29%, p=0.0004). The patients with a less than four months survival and those with CIVD and liver metastasis had a higher risk of thrombopenia. This retrospective study suggests that these treatments should be given preferably to treat patients with a relatively long life expectancy and that the detection of subclinic CIVD and liver metastasis could help to avoid severe thrombopenia.

Given the complexity of intercropping systems, models can be especially helpful to analyse them comprehensively. The present work puts forward a modelling approach based on an extension of sole crop models, considering the system to be composed of two species instead of one. The chosen sole crop model is STICS and its adaptation to intercropping relies first on a simplified definition of the complex agronomic system, which is subdivided into three sub-systems: the dominant canopy, and the shaded and sunlit parts of the understorey canopy. It is assumed that no inversion of dominancy occurs during the cycle of the shorter duration crop. Each of the sub-systems is embedded in a different light microclimate, estimated from a radiative balance module, assuming that a simple geometric shape can represent the dominant canopy. This radiative balance pilots the differential behaviours of the sub-systems in terms of growth, LAI dynamics, water and nitrogen uptakes and stress indices. The estimation of the water requirements for both crops relies on light partitioning coupled to a resistive scheme and applied at a daily time-step. In the soil, the horizontal differentiation is neglected in favour of the vertical one. As far as below-ground competition for water and nitrogen is concerned, it is assumed that the interactions between the two root systems result from the influence of the soil on each crop root profile through its water content dynamics. Data sets from three different intercrops, two annual and one perennial systems grown in French Antilles, were used for parameterisation of the model and verification of its consistency. The intercrop-specific modules of the model are described and discussed in comparison with the other existing models.

This is an online database to facilitate research on viroid, viroid-like RNAs and human hepatitis delta virus (vHDV) by presenting a large number of sequences and related data in a comprehensive and user-friendly format (e.g. position of their self-catalytic domains, open reading frame of the vHDV, prediction of the most stable secondary structures, etc.). Most of these RNA species share a common proposed replication pattern known as a DNA-independent rolling circle mechanism. Together, these species form the 'brotherhood' of the smallest known auto-replicable RNAs. This online database is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.callisto.si.usherb.ca/jpperra