[Pilot study of screening of prostate cancer by the assay of prostate specific antigen in occupational milieu]. / Etude pilote de dépistage du cancer de la prostate par le dosage de l'antigène spécifique de la prostate en milieu professionnel.

The goal of this study was to confirm the capacity of occupational medicine to become involved in cooperative screening programs with a dosage of the PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) determined by immunoradiometric assay. Two thousands and five hundred seventy three salaried workers in the building sector, between 50 and 65 years old, participated in this investigation. Thirty seven individual ie 1.4% had a PSA level above or equal to 10 micrograms/l. Among them, 35 were checked within three months and 17 were found to have a persistently elevated PSA level. In this subgroup 15 pathologies including two cancers were found. We observed a great variability in the results of PSA determination in the groups of individuals whose initial assay level was above or equal to 10 micrograms/l. The linear correlation coefficient between the two assays (on the same individual), carried out at a six week interval on average, was low (r = 0.52 for N = 35). In our series, 3.5% of patients followed up had undergone a rectal examination less than a year previously. Occupational medicine seems to be an efficient setting for screening intervention. However, the people mainly concerned by our study, (salaried workers seen through the physicians interviewed) did not seem very aware of this type of action.

[Study of narcotics and buprenorphine prescriptions in the Provence-Alps-Côte d'Azur region]. / Etude des prescriptions de stupéfiants et spécialités à base de buprénorphine en région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

Following the setting up by the Government of their project for the management of drug addicts, and under the guidance of the CEIP (Centre d'Evaluation et d'Information sur les Pharmacodépendances [Centre for Evaluation and Information on Drug Addiction]) in Marseille, a survey of prescriptions written on controlled-drug prescription pads was performed. The aims were threefold: to study the medicines prescribed, to follow up the legislation and to inform doctors and pharmacists. Copies of the prescriptions, dated between 1 January 1996 and 30 June 1996, which were sent by 81 per cent of the 216 pharmacies contacted in 15 towns in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region were studied. Various criteria, relating to writing of the prescriptions and distribution of the medicines to the patients, were coded and analysed. This survey showed that of 4 prescriptions, 3 were prescribed for maintenance and one for analgesic therapy. The patients receiving maintenance therapy were male in three-quarters of the cases, and were around 30 years old. Analgesics were prescribed in equal proportions for patients of both sexes, who were around 65 years old. Since it was put on the market, Subutex has been quickly prescribed.