Une pandémie grippale identique à celle de 1918-1920 est-elle concevable dans les années 2000?: [Could an influenza pandemic like the one in 1918-1920 happen today?]

International audienceThe scale of the international preparation to cope with a possible influenza pandemic in the years to come is due in part to memories of the great pandemic of 1918. The objective of this study was to model the development of an epidemic with a virus similar to the current highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1) and show possible epidemiologic differences according to the context then and now. Should an epidemic occur, it will probably be recognized before a pandemic is unleashed. Data used for this study indicate that we should expect on the order of 4,000 cases at the beginning of the epidemic, with 1,000 deaths in less than three weeks. The established international surveillance system should be able to detect and react to these numbers. According to current scientific data, therefore, a major influenza pandemic appears rather improbable, unless it begins in a situation where a deterioration in health and health care has already made case reporting more difficult. Our model shows that the age groups most strongly affected may be those aged 10-50 years, mainly people in the labor market and more women than men. If these hypotheses are correct, they indicate flaws in some aspects of current pandemic preparedness planning

De nouvelles obligations règlementaires en France en matière d’évaluation environnementale : une opportunité à saisir pour promouvoir une approche systémique de la santé?

De l’origine des évaluations environnementales en France Les évaluations a priori des effets prévisibles, directs et indirects, positifs ou négatifs, d’un projet sur son lieu de future implantation sont une préoccupation très ancienne en France. Dès 1810, un décret impérial classe les fabriques en trois catégories selon le risque qu’elles font courir au voisinage et ordonne une enquête préalable à toute implantation nouvelle. À l’origine, ce décret, qui fait lui-même suite à des textes antéri..

Perspective pour la gestion des risques liées à la présence des cyanobactéries : vers une meilleure évaluation de l'exposition.

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The oxygen isotope composition of dissolved anthropogenic phosphates:a new tool for eutrophication research?

International audienceHigh-precision oxygen isotope analyses were carried out on dissolved phosphate extracted from discharge waters from three wastewater treatment plants (WTP) located in western France, as well as on the different phosphate-based fertilizers applied by farmers in the same region. Measured δ18O values of phosphate from chemical fertilizers range from 19.6 to 23.1‰, while those of phosphate from WTP discharge waters are more tightly grouped between 17.7 and 18.‰. The variablility in δ18O values of phosphate fertilizers is attributed to oxygen isotope variations of the phosphorite deposits from which France's fertilizers are manufactured. The significance of the δ18O values of phosphate from WTP discharge waters is less straightforward. At present, it is not clear whether these values are primary isotopic compositions corresponding, e.g., to the oxygen isotope composition of phosphate builders included in detergents (δ18OP=17.9‰), or represent secondary values reflecting biological recycling of the phosphate in equilibrium with ambient WTP water The restricted difference in isotopic composition obtained between phosphate from fertilizers and phosphate from WTP discharge waters (<2‰), as well as the fairly large internal isotopic variability observed in both end-members (≥1.5‰), cast doubt about the possibility that the oxygen isotope composition could serve as a tracer for the source of anthropogenic phosphates in waters

A phycocyanin probe as a tool for monitoring cyanobacteria in freshwater bodies.

International audienceIn many countries, the presence of cyanobacteria in freshwater bodies used for both drinking water and recreational purposes is under increasing public health attention. Water managers are considering how to implement monitoring that leads to a minimization of the risks incurred by the users of potentially contaminated sites. To address this question, this study involved assessing the performance of a submersible probe for measuring phycocyanin-specific fluorescence as a function of cyanobacterial biomass, with the aim of applying it as a tool for surveillance management. Its advantages and limits compared to more traditional analyses are discussed. The monitoring of cyanobacteria in the water bodies of western France was carried out using a minifluorimeter specific to the fluorescence of phycocyanin, a pigment specific to cyanobacteria. The results are compared with the analyses recommended by the World Health Organisation (chlorophyll a and cell counting). This study based on nearly 800 samples shows a significant correlation between the phycocyanin content and the cyanobacterial biomass, expressed as the number of cells per mL (R2 = 0.73). This submersible probe is simple and rapid to use, making it possible to take into account horizontal and vertical heterogeneities in the proliferation growth. In this way, we are able to detect at an early stage the conditions that could potentially lead to a risk, in order to start sampling. Due to its sensitivity, this tool proves suitable for monitoring aimed at reducing the risks incurred by the users of contaminated sites and launching preventative actions. The use of the phycocyanin probe provides an effective tool to complement traditional analyses of cyanobacterial presence. It is suggested that a surveillance protocol based on phycocyanin concentration can significantly improved the accuracy of the extent of cyanobacterial bloom development in the light of spatial and temporal variabilities associated with these occurrences

Integrative study of pandemic A/H1N1 influenza infections: design and methods of the CoPanFlu-France cohort

Abstract Background The risk of influenza infection depends on biological characteristics, individual or collective behaviors and the environmental context. The Cohorts for Pandemic Influenza (CoPanFlu) France study was set up in 2009 after the identification of the novel swine-origin A/H1N1 pandemic influenza virus. This cohort of 601 households (1450 subjects) representative for the general population aims at using an integrative approach to study the risk and characteristics of influenza infection as a complex combination of data collected from questionnaires regarding sociodemographic, medical, behavioral characteristics of subjects and indoor environment, using biological samples or environmental databases. Methods/Design Households were included between December 2009 and July 2010. The design of this study relies on systematic follow-up visits between influenza seasons and additional visits during influenza seasons, when an influenza-like illness is detected in a household via an active surveillance system. During systematic visits, a nurse collects individual and environmental data on questionnaires and obtains blood samples from all members of the household. When an influenza-like-illness is detected, a nurse visits the household three times during the 12 following days, and collects data on questionnaires regarding exposure and symptoms, and biological samples (including nasal swabs) from all subjects in the household. The end of the follow-up period is expected in fall 2012. Discussion The large amount of data collected throughout the follow-up will permit a multidisciplinary study of influenza infections. Additional data is being collected and analyzed in this ongoing cohort. The longitudinal analysis of these households will permit integrative analyses of complex phenomena such as individual, collective and environmental risk factors of infection, routes of transmission, or determinants of the immune response to infection or vaccination.</p

Weekly incidence of influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) in France (French General Practitioner Sentinel network [<b>22</b>]) and weekly pandemic vaccinations in CoPanFlu subjects, weeks 2009–26 to 2010–08.

<p>Blue bars (left scale): national weekly incidence of ILIs; red bars (right scale): number of weekly pandemic vaccinations in CoPanFlu subjects.</p

Geometric mean titer (GMT) in relation to age and pandemic vaccination in the general population.

<p>Red curve: pandemic vaccine recipients (N = 157); green curve: subjects with no pandemic vaccine and no history of influenza-like illness (ILI) (N = 1,067); blue curve: subjects with no pandemic vaccine and history of ILI (N = 95); gray curve: all subjects (N = 1,377). Smoothed GMTs are estimated for subjects aged between 5 years below and 5 years above the indicated age. GMTs are estimated for each interval based on all subjects in the interval and post-stratified with respect to the general population structure.</p

Multivariable models for geometric mean titer ratio in CoPanFlu-France subjects at inclusion.

<p>(B): binary covariates; (Q): quantitative covariates; (L): log-transformed quantitative covariates; GMTR: geometric mean titer ratio; CI: confidence interval.</p

Mean duration of daily meetings (in minutes) of CoPanFlu subjects according to location, age of subjects (±6 months) and age of contacts (±6 months), with 3-year smoothing for both axes.

<p>Mean duration of daily meetings (in minutes) of CoPanFlu subjects according to location, age of subjects (±6 months) and age of contacts (±6 months), with 3-year smoothing for both axes.</p