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Two groups were formed in a randomized, controlled trial: an Experimental group (n = 346), which benefited from specific interventions by trained teachers for a period of two years, and a Control group (n = 1354) with business as usual. For Experimental group in Kindergarten, the interventions were conducted in small groups and focused on code-related and language skills (mainly in comprehension), whereas in Grade 1, only code-related skills were addressed and the children received an amount of exposure that was a function of their performance level. Globally, Experimental group significantly outperformed Control group in code-related scores (Code) as well as on two reading scores (fluency and comprehension) at the end of Grade 1. Results were subdivided into quintiles for analysis as a function of initial performance. The main results showed that in Code Experimental group in the lowest quintiles obtained better performance at the end of Grade 1.

Two large samples were assessed twice in Grade 1: the control group (Cont; N = 2302), which received no specific interventions, and the experimental group (Exp; N = 484), which received interventions associated with code-related skills (decoding and fluency). We estimated that a mean score of around 50 correctly read words per minute corresponded to a mean reading comprehension (RC) score. We then examined the relationships between decoding, fluency, RC and their associated skills, i.e. phonemic segmentation, vocabulary and listening comprehension. The causal nature of the links between decoding, fluency and RC was examined in two ways: hypothesized and experimental. Structural modeling showed that fluency was a good mediator variable between decoding and RC and explained RC. When we compared the Cont and Exp groups, the intervention had a positive effect on RC, even though linguistic comprehension was not stimulated. We conclude that fluency should be stimulated once decoding is efficient.

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The article examines the many ways that libraries can form partnerships to share human resources, information technology resources, physical resources, technical expertise, and materials. A seminar, which was held May 11, 2006 by an information resources management association, l'Association des professionals de l'information et de la documentation (ADBS), discussed: electronic resource sharing between 18 libraries in Marne-la-Vallée; France's government Web portail; and the evolution of the Internet.

From May 1987 to July 1990, 45 cases of Hodgkin's disease (HD) were recorded by the French Registry of HIV-associated tumors. Thirty-nine patients were male and median age was 30 years. Twenty-two cases had mixed cellularity type (MC), 18 nodular sclerosis, two lymphocyte depletion and three were not classified. Thirty-four patients had advanced HD clinical stages (CS III and IV). Thirty-six patients (80%) presented with B symptoms. Bone marrow involvement was diagnosed in 12 patients. Mediastinal involvement was present in only 4/30 patients (12%). Risk groups for AIDS were homosexuality in 18 cases, intravenous drug abuse in 17, both in one, and other in nine cases. In 40 cases (89%), HD occurred before any AIDS-related episode. Median CD4 cell count at HD diagnosis was 304 cells/microliters. Seventy-nine percent of the patients achieved complete remission with standard therapy, but hematological and infectious complications were very frequent. The rate of progression to AIDS was 71% at three years and opportunistic infections (mainly pneumocystis carinii pneumonia) were the most frequent cause of death. Overall two-year survival was 41% (78% for patients with initial CD4 cell count higher than 300 cell/microliters and 0% for those with CD4 cell count lower than 300/microliters). HD-HIV has a specific clinical profile as compared to primary HD, with a predominance of MC type and advanced clinical stage, without mediastinal involvement (88%). This study provides a basis for future clinical trials on HD-HIV: intensity of chemotherapy should be adapted to CD4 cell count; pneumocystis carinii prophylaxis is mandatory in all cases. Zidovudine should be included during and after HD treatment; the potential role of hematological growth factors has still to be evaluated.

The ethnic and demographic characteristics of the Nice region are predisposing factors in the locally increased frequency of Thalassemia. The use of electronic blood-cell counters has enabled us to pick out easily all those patients presenting with microcytosis. In these patients, foetal hemoglobin, electrophoresis on cellulose acetate and level of hemaglobin A2 by the technique of miniature chromatography on DEAE-cellulose have been analyzed. 270 heterozygotes thalassemics were found in 900 examinations. The statistical study shows an incidence 2% of beta-thalassemia in the Nice region.

We report the outcome of the statistical analysis of 50 myeloma patients, making a comparison of the prognosis value of the staging systems proposed by Durie and Salmon and, more recently by Merlini, Waldenström and Jayakar. Moreover, we studied the relationship between initial percentage of bone marrow plasma cells and prognosis. All patients had a complete follow-up and received the same treatment. We excluded our cases of non excreting and solitary myeloma. The staging system proposed by Durie and Salmon still has the best prognosis significance. The system proposed by Merlini, Waldenström and Jayakar does not allow a staging of the patients in rigourous conditions. The absence of a relationship between initial bone marrow plasmocytosis and prognosis corroborates the poor reliability of this staging system.