[Mass screening for breast cancer in Herault county. First results in women between 40 and 70 years old]. / Dépistage de masse du cancer du sein dans l'Hérault. Premiers résultats chez la femme entre 40 et 70 ans.

A large scale mammography breast cancer screening has begun in Herault county on the first of july 1990. The aim of the project was to determine the impact of two-view mammography upon the size of the tumor and later upon mortality from breast cancer. The women aged 40-70 at entry were invited by mail to the first round of mobile breast screening. Between the start and the 8th of march 1991, 5098 (64%) attended the first round. The cancer detection rate was 5.9/1000, the positive detection rate was 7.75%, the benign malignant surgical biopsy ratio was 1:0.7 and the percentage of surgical biopsies positives for malignancy was 42.6%. Two months after this study, the screening specificity was 96.7% and the sensibility was 92.7%. The rate of tumor size less or equal to 1 cm was 72% (for 30 malignancies) and the rate of mastectomies was 43.3%. These friendly results were compared to those of others breast cancers screenings.

[Prevention of nicotine addiction in the school environment]. / Prévention du tabagisme en milieu scolaire.

Data analysis concerning tobacco smoking among children and teenagers stresses the need for health education in order to fight against this alarming trend at earliest age. In Montpellier (France) the Cancer Prevention Center of Epidaure develops in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, health education programs on this subject. This paper describes different actions sponsored by the Europe Against Cancer Program. It includes the creation of original and new educational tools. Some of which are aimed at health education training programs for the teachers. It also covers visits to the Epidaure Museum and school projects on smoking prevention. All of these programs are based on the following principles common to all actions carried out at Epidaure: the respect and consideration of children's cultural specificities and knowledge, the adequation of the messages to the social and family environment and that of the school itself, as well as the importance of the body and well being through positive messages.

Flash flood disaster--Nîmes, France, 1988.

On October 3, 1988, at 7:45 a.m. a flash flood occurred in the region of Nîmes, France. Though the homes of 45,000 people were damaged and more than 1,100 vehicles were destroyed, only 3 severe injuries and 9 deaths were reported. A community survey was conducted to study (1) what factors might have contributed to the limited number of deaths, (2) the reactions of the population to the disaster, and (3) the health effects associated with the impact and postimpact phases of the disaster. Overall, 108 questionnaires were completed from a systematic sample of 187 households living in ground-level dwellings in two of the most seriously affected areas of the city. Only 17% of all interviewees knew that they lived in an area subject to flood. When they realized they were in danger, 93% of all persons were in their houses or other buildings, 4% were in the streets, and 3% were in cars. Fifty-six percent of the interviewees tried to get to safety. Thirty percent of the interviewees reported that they were rescued; 20% of these persons reported being saved from a direct life threat. Neighbors (40%), family members (20%), firefighters (12%), the Red Cross (10%), and military personnel (8%) conducted rescue operations. Six percent of all members of interviewed households were reportedly suffering mild injuries that, in 70% of these cases, had been sustained during the impact phase. Health problems and injuries during the postimpact phase may have been limited by the response of trained military personnel and by the distribution of boots and gloves to other responders.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Epidemiological study of children institutionalised for psychiatric disorders.

A cross-sectional and longitudinal epidemiological study of children institutionalised for psychiatric disorders has been carried out. The differences of discharge distribution allows to describe an entanglement of three differents logics: the medical logic: diagnostic (Emotional and conduct disorder, Mental retardation, Psychosis), etiological organic factors, associated somatic disorder. the social logic: father's occupational level and etiological environnemental factors. the institutional logic: child's age when admitted, institutional categories.