[Combined bipolar radiofrequency and cementoplasty of bone metastases]. / Radiofréquence bipolaire et cimentoplastie dans le traitement des métastases osseuses.

Bone metastases are the most common cause of pain in cancer patients. Pain management in cancer patients, often revealing the disease and always present at advanced stages, is an important and difficult task. Pain is not always properly controlled by high doses of specific medication, radiation therapy or chemotherapy. When these therapies do not provide adequate pain relief, percutaneous neurolysis, infiltrations, alcoholizations and cementoplasty may be considered. More recently RF ablation has been proposed. On weight-bearing bones, RF can be combined with acrylic cement injection. The authors present here this very effective new technique which is complementary to classical pain management techniques.

[Humus functioning types in evergreen coniferous forests of the French Inner Alps]. / Modes de fonctionnement d'humus des forêts sempervirentes des Alpes internes françaises.

Three humus forms that are widespread in the Inner Alps, a dysmull below Pinus sylvestris, an oligomull below Abies alba and a mor below Pinus cembra, were studied by following mineral nitrogen production and uptake and by a characterization of the pedofauna. Due to the production and uptake of nitrogen, mainly as nitrates and also due to the dominance of Lumbricids versus Arthropods, the oligomull was the sole humus form that functioned as a mull. Nevertheless relatively weak mineral nitrogen production and the dominance of endogeic soil-dwelling earthworms versus anecic earthworms demonstrated the moderate activity of this mull, which is representative of humus forms of old growth forests and cold climates. There was a discrepancy between the very low biological activity of the dysmull and its status of mull, while an observed bifunctioning between the different layers of this humus also differentiated it from the mor.