[Human papillomaviruses vaccination: Parental awareness and acceptance of the vaccine for children in Lower Normandy schools and informative campaign during the 2015-2016 school year]. / Vaccination contre les papillomavirus humains : intentions vaccinales et connaissances de parents d'élèves bas-normands avant intervention au cours de l'année scolaire 2015­2016.

BACKGROUND: The vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) can be administered starting at the age of 9 years. Parents thus play a major role in the choice of vaccination. The objective of this study was to investigate parental awareness about anti-HPV vaccination in Lower Normandy and to measure their vaccinal intentions before an informative campaign. METHODS: The study population included parents of children aged 10-11 years enrolled in school (2015-2016) in Lower Normandy, France. The initial study was observational and descriptive. With the agreement of the academic directors, 16 middle schools were selected. A questionnaire was delivered to the school children and collected in September 2015 by the school nurses. RESULTS: Within the selected middle schools, 1427 questionnaires were delivered. School nurses collected 1168 questionnaires (81.9%) among which 1155 could be analyzed because they contained answers (80.9%). Out of 575 girls aged 10-11 years, 523 (91.0%) were not vaccinated against HPV. Among parents of non-vaccinated schoolgirls who answered, 48.4% did not know if they intended to have their children vaccinated (251 of 519 questionnaires). There was a significant association between the socio-professional status of the parents who answered and their intention to vaccinate their daughters against HPV (P=0.03). Parents were significantly more likely to immunize their children when they previously knew about the vaccine (P<0.001) and when they had good knowledge about the vaccine (P<0.05). Parents who previously had their daughters vaccinated were also significantly more likely to have their sons vaccinated against HPV (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The significant association between knowledge about the vaccine and intentions to have their children vaccinated allows us to predict the effectiveness of information campaigns on vaccination rates.

Sorafenib in metastatic uveal melanoma: efficacy, toxicity and health-related quality of life in a multicentre phase II study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to analyse efficacy, safety, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for sorafenib treatment in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma. METHODS: A multicentre, single-arm phase II trial was conducted. The primary objective was to determine the non-progression rate (RECIST) at 24 weeks for patients receiving sorafenib at a dose of 800 mg per day. Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), toxicity, and HRQoL. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients were included. Ten patients showed non-progression at 24 weeks (31.2%) without objective tumour responses. The estimated 24-week PFS was 31.2% (95% CI: 14.8%-47.6%) and the estimated 24-week OS was 62.5% (95% CI: 45.4%-79.6%). Ten patients (34.3%) had at least one grade 3 or 4 adverse reaction and 12 patients (41.4%) required dose modifications due to toxicity. At 24 weeks, no patient had an improvement in global HRQoL and 87.5% experienced a permanent increase in physical fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: Sorafenib demonstrated non-progression at 24 weeks in 31.2% of patients. However, 41.4% of patients required dose modifications due to toxicity and no improvement in HRQoL was demonstrated.

Ubiquitin-activating/conjugating activity of TAFII250, a mediator of activation of gene expression in Drosophila.

Ubiquitination of histones has been linked to the complex processes that regulate the activation of eukaryotic transcription. However, the cellular factors that interpose this histone modification during the processes of transcriptional activation are not well characterized. A biochemical approach identified the Drosophila coactivator TAFII250, the central subunit within the general transcription factor TFIID, as a histone-specific ubiquitin-activating/conjugating enzyme (ubac). TAFII250 mediates monoubiquitination of histone H1 in vitro. Point mutations within the putative ubac domain of TAFII250 abolished H1-specific ubiquitination in vitro. In the Drosophila embryo, inactivation of the TAFII250 ubac activity reduces the cellular level of monoubiquitinated histone H1 and the expression of genes targeted by the maternal activator Dorsal. Thus, coactivator-mediated ubiquitination of proteins within the transactivation pathway may contribute to the processes directing activation of eukaryotic transcription.

[Fertility and risk of recurrence after surgical treatment of an ectopic pregnancy (EP): Salpingostomy versus salpingectomy]. / Fertilité et risque de récidive après traitement chirurgical d'une grossesse extra-utérine : salpingotomie versus salpingectomie.

UNLABELLED: Two surgical techniques can be performed for the treatment of an ectopic pregnancy (EP): a conservative one called salpingostomy and a radical one called salpingectomy. We compared both techniques to find differences about fertility or risk of recurrence. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all the women who underwent a surgical treatment for an ectopic pregnancy in the university's hospital of Caen between 2008 and 2011. We compared the results of both techniques. The primary end-point was the rate of intra-uterine pregnancy and the second end-point was the rate of recurrence of the EP. We also try to identify other risk factor of infertility. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-two patients have been listed initially. Ninety-eight patients still attempt to become pregnant after the EP. In the conservative group, the rate of intra-uterine pregnancy was 88% (n=22) and the rate of recurrence was 8% (n=2). In the radical group, the rate of intra-uterine pregnancy was 68% (n=50) and the rate of recurrence was 5% (n=3). We could not identify any significant difference in the subsequent fertility or in the recurrence's risk between conservative and radical surgery. The age of the patient has been identified as a significative risk factor of infertility. CONCLUSION: To choose the surgical technique of an EP, the wish of pregnancy, the risk factor of infertility of the patient and the laparoscopic observations have to be taken into account. It seems that there is no difference between the two surgical techniques.

Mesoderm-determining transcription in Drosophila is alleviated by mutations in TAF(II)60 and TAF(II)110.

In Drosophila, a coordinate interplay between the Rel transcription factor Dorsal and the basic Helix-Loop-Helix transcription factor Twist initiates mesoderm formation by activating the zygotic expression of mesoderm-determining genes. Here, we show that TBP-associated-factors (TAF(II)s) within the basal transcription factor TFIID mediate transcriptional activation by Dorsal and Twist. Dorsal interacts with TAF(II)110 and TAF(II)60, while Twist contacts TAF(II)110. The TAF(II):activator interactions mediate simple and synergistic transactivation by Dorsal and Twist in vitro. Mutations in TAF(II)60 or TAF(II)110 alleviate the transcription of Dorsal and Twist target genes. Gene dosage assays imply that an interplay of Dorsal and Twist with TAF(II)110 is critically required for the activation of mesoderm-determining gene expression in the Drosophila embryo. The results provide evidence that TAF(II)-subunits within the TFIID complex play an important role during the molecular events leading to initiation of mesoderm formation in Drosophila.