Combined therapy in children and adolescents with classical Hodgkin's lymphoma: A report from the SFCE on MDH-03 national guidelines.

Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) in children and adolescents is highly curable, but children are at risk of long-term toxicity. The MDH-03 guidelines were established in order to decrease the burden of treatment in good-responder patients, and this report should be considered a step toward further optimization of treatment within large collaborative trials. We report the therapy and long-term outcomes of 417 children and adolescents treated according to the national guidelines, which were applied between 2003 and 2007 in France. The patients were stratified into three groups according to disease extension. Chemotherapy consisted of four cycles of VBVP (vinblastine, bleomycin, VP16, prednisone) in localized stages (G1/95 pts/23%), four cycles of COPP/ABV (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone, adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine) cycles in intermediate stages (G2/184 pts/44%) and three cycles of OPPA (vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone, adriamycin) plus three cycles of COPP in advanced stages (G3/138 pts/33%). Radiation therapy of the involved field was given to 97% of the patients, with the dose limited to 20 Gy in good responders (88%). With a median follow-up of 6.6 years, the 5-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were 86.7% (83.1-89.7%) and 97% (94.5-98.1%), respectively. EFS and OS for G1, G2, and G3 were 98% and 100%, 81% and 97%, and 87% and 95%, respectively. Low-risk patients treated without alkylating agents and anthracycline had excellent outcomes and a low expected incidence of late effects. Intensification with a third OPPA cycle in high-risk group patients, including stage IV patients, allowed for very good outcomes, without increased toxicity.

Tuberculosis in Laos, who is at risk: the mahouts or their elephants?

SUMMARY Tuberculosis (TB) in elephants has the potential to infect humans and is an increasing public health concern. Lao PDR is one of the last countries where elephants are still used for timber extraction and where they live in close contact with their mahouts. There are 500 animals at work in the country, some interacting with wild herds. Although human TB prevalence is known to be high in Laos, studies on elephant TB had yet to be undertaken. From January to July 2012, screening was performed using the ElephantTB Stat-Pak assay on 80 elephants working around the Nam Pouy National Park in Sayaboury Province. This represents more than 18% of the total registered national working elephant population. Here we report that 36% of the elephants were seroreactive to the test. Of these, 31% had contacts with wild individuals, which suggests potential transmission of mycobacteria to the local wild herds. Clinical examination, chest X-rays, sputum microscopy and culture were performed on their 142 mahouts or owners. Despite high TB seroreactivity in elephants, no participant was smear- or culture-positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis or M. bovis, although atypical mycobacteria were isolated from 4% of participants.

The light shift effect in the coherent population trapping cesium maser.

The light shift, as observed in the coherent population trapping (CPT) maser, was investigated theoretically and experimentally. It was found that the light shift originates from the various sidebands that are present in the spectrum of the frequency-modulated laser used to observe the CPT phenomenon.

Cesium microwave emission without population inversion.

The use of coherent population trapping (CPT) for the realization of a Cs coherent microwave emitter without population inversion is described. Preliminary experimental results are reported regarding the radio frequency spectrum of the emitted microwave radiation, the emission profile width, and the transient behavior of the output power. This new approach, based on the coherence properties of the laser radiation, allows the implementation of a microwave frequency standard where the linear light shift is absent and the thermal noise limit for the frequency instability is below 10(-12) for an integration time of 1 s.

[Intraspinal epidural hematoma in the hemophiliac]. / L'hématome épidural intrarachidien chez l'hémophile.

The authors report a series of 11 epidural haematoma in hemophilia. Of these, one case is observed in the department of Neurosurgery at the CHRU. From this study, main points results: a mechanic etiology was found in four cases; the main clinical and radiological signs are those of epidural haematoma; the indication to operate is required and the hemophiliacs should receive a "substitutive" treatment as soon as possible.