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In September 2023, France was one of the first countries that started a national immunisation campaign with nirsevimab, a new monoclonal antibody against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Using data from a network of paediatric intensive care units (PICUs), we aimed to estimate nirsevimab effectiveness against severe cases of RSV bronchiolitis in France. We conducted a case–control study based on the test‐negative design and included 288 infants reported by 20 PICUs. We estimated nirsevimab effectiveness at 75.9% (48.5–88.7) in the main analysis and 80.6% (61.6–90.3) and 80.4% (61.7–89.9) in two sensitivity analyses. These real‐world estimates confirmed the efficacy observed in clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Radiocarbon and tritium are the dominant radionuclides released by nuclear industries over the world. Close interactions of these elements with particulate organic matter (POM) in soils and rivers are widely reported in the literature but only few studies focus on their relationships with POM within nuclearized rivers. Here, we focus on the nuclearized Rhone River (France) and its tributaries in order to highlight the behavior of these two radionuclides owing to POM amounts and nature. Materials and methods: Over the 2001–2021 period, suspended sediments (TSS) samples were acquired and analyzed thanks to the MOOSE network (Mediterranean Ocean Observing System for the Environment) and of the Rhone Sediment Observatory. Over this period, TSS, particulate organic carbon (POC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and chlorophyll and phaeopigment contents were determined at the SORA monitoring station located at the downstream part of the Rhone River. These parameters were measured from daily to weekly after continuous filtration of the waters collected from high-frequency water samplings. Larger amounts of TSS were also collected by using time integrating particle traps (PT) at the SORA station and on several Rhone tributaries. These latter samples were analyzed for global biogeochemistry (Rock Eval 6), organically bound tritium (OBT), and radiocarbon. Results and discussion: At the downstream part of the Rhone River, POC represents from 1 to 10 wt.% of the TSS even though this amount rises to 20 wt.% very occasionally. POC/TSS shows a positive relationship with the chlorophyll/phaeopigment amounts reinforcing the non-negligible production of autochthonous POM in this river. The increase of 14C contents and Δ14C signatures with the amount of aquatic POM underlines that a significant part of 14C from industrial releases is transported as fresh and labile particulate organic compounds. In tributaries, Δ14C signatures decrease with the rising amounts of 14C depleted refractory carbon (RC/TOC) coming from soil erosion in a similar way. OBT contents show no relationships with neither the contents nor the nature of naturally occurring POM. Conclusions: Autochthonous POM would constitute a key route to transfer radiocarbon from nuclear releases towards the food chain. Normalizing radiocarbon contents with RC/POC constitutes a new powerful tool to better assess the environmental labelling of radiocarbon discharged by the nuclear industries as the dilution effect generated by dead carbon is discarded. In the Rhone River, OBT is mostly associated with synthesized organic particles inherited from watch industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Launched in 1987, the French National Programme for the Conservation of Native Elm Genetic Resources focused on the ex situ conservation of clones of adult field elms (Ulmus minor Mill.) survivors of the Dutch elm disease (DED) pandemic. It was later expanded to include the in situ dynamic conservation of populations of European white elm (U. laevis Pall.) and wych elm (U. glabra Huds.). The national collection contains 441 clones, partly characterized and evaluated in a European project. The pathological tests and experimental plantations did not reveal clones truly resistant to DED but provided material for the restoration of hedgerows. Two conservation units of white elm and one of wych elm were selected, enriching the pan-European EUFORGEN network for dynamic conservation of forest genetic resources. This programme provides feedback on genetic conservation strategies for forest trees in a health crisis. New partners are invited to make use of the scientific potential of the clone bank and experimental plots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern shore platforms developed on rocky coasts are key areas for understanding coastal erosion processes during the Holocene. This contribution offers a detailed picture of two contrasted shore-platform systems, based on new high-resolution shallow-water bathymetry, further coupled with aerial LiDAR topography. Merged land-sea digital elevation models were achieved on two distinct types of rocky coasts along the eastern English Channel in France (Picardy and Upper-Normandy: PUN) and in a NE Atlantic area (SW Brittany: SWB) in NW France. About the PUN case, submarine steps, identified as paleo-shorelines, parallel the actual coastline. Coastal erosive processes appear to be continuous and regular through time, since mid-Holocene at least. In SWB, there is a discrepancy between contemporary coastline orientation and a continuous step extending from inland to offshore, identified as a paleo-shoreline. This illustrates a polyphased and inherited shore platform edification, mainly controlled by tectonic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbohydrates are important components of the carbon cycle and may be used as indicators of the origin and the diagenetic status of marine and terrestrial organic matter. Nevertheless, comprehensive studies of both particulate (PCHO) and dissolved (DCHO) carbohydrates in rivers are scarce, and the seasonal and interannual variability of these compounds in relationship to the bulk particulate (POM) and dissolved organic matter (DOM) is largely unknown. For the period 2007-2009, we sampled once per month POM and DOM and measured the total suspended matter (TSM), POM, DOM, PCHO, and DCHO for the Rône River, which flows into the Mediterranean Sea. Using these measurements, we estimated for the above parameters annual fluxes for the period 2007-2009. The estimated carbohydrate fluxes averaged 0.064±0.026 x 1010 moles Cyr-1 for PCHO and 0.042±0.008 1010 moles Cyr-1 DCHO, representing 6% and 7% of the annual flux of POC and DOC, respectively. During flood and low-water periods, POM variations were reflected into the PCHO pool, whereas this was not observed for DOC and DCHO, indicating a decoupling between particulate and dissolved organic matter. Our results also showed that flood and low-water periods may be differentiated using the ratios PCHO/DCHO and POC/DOC, which had a significant relationship. Based on the carbohydrate abundances in both the PCHO and DCHO pools, we conclude that this material mainly derives from allochthonous sources (vascular plants, bacteria and soils). Moreover, during flood events, an enrichment in mannose in POM was observed, probably reflecting an angiosperm source (leaves or grasses). By expanding our results to the northwestern Mediterranean Sea (Gulf of Lions), we found that the total organic carbon (TOC) fluxes of the Rhône River accounted for ~1% of the standing stock of seawater TOC. Considering that glucose is the most abundant carbohydrate in both particulate and dissolved organic matter pools (~33 %), its annual flux in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea was estimated to 3.8 x 108 moles glucose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Berre Lagoon receives freshwater from three rivers and a hydroelectric plant. The latter has become the main tributary since the beginning of its functioning in 1966. In a recent juridical context of the plant''s discharge restriction, this study focussed on rivers’ implication in the lagoon''s eutrophication, with a strategy particularly adapted to floods. Rivers carry an annual mean load of 27,100 tons of suspended matter (SM) into the lagoon, 275 tons N–NO3, 36 tons P–PO4, 680 tons total N and 130 tons total P. Depending on the river, floods are responsible for up to 99% of SM annual input, 33% nitrate, 53% phosphate, 44% total nitrogen, and 72% total phosphorus. Respecting the quotas given, the power plant remains the main tributary of the lagoon: at least doubling the annual natural discharge of SM and nutrients. Nevertheless, global discharges are lower than those measured 20 to 30 years ago were due to the restrictions applied to the power plant, to dryer conditions and better treatment of sewage waters along the catchment basin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Salsigne mesothermal An-As-Bi-Cu-Ag deposit is located in the Montagne Noire, a part of the southern external zones of the French Variscan orogen. This part of the orogen consists of a pile of thrust nappes stacked on the autochthonous Axial zone of the Montagne Noire. The Salsigne deposit is located in and close to the lowest unit, the Fournes nappe. The Fournes nappe is less than 500 m thick and intercalated between more competent terranes, with the large Minervois nappe above and the autochthonous Axial zone below. It is intensely deformed, resulting from several stages of folding, shearing, and brittle faulting. The deposit is hosted in siliciclastic and carbonate rock and consists of many orebodies including crosscutting veins, strata-bound stockworks in sandstone, replacement orebodies in carbonate rocks, and orebodies hosted in thrust faults, particularly in the major thrust which separates the nappes from the autochthonous terranes. A succession of nine hydrothermal events, commonly separated by tectonic events, is recognized. The first four stages, controlled by ductile to ductile-brittle structures synchronous with the emplacement of the nappes, were responsible for stockwork, massive, and disseminated mineralization. They include (1) arsenopyrite-pyrrhotite-gold associated with biotite, (2) quartz-muscovite alteration, (3) massive sulfides (arsenopyrite-pyrrhotite-pyrite) and gold associated with chlorite, and (4) feldspathization. The subsequent stages, controlled by brittle tectonics that frequently reactivated earlier structures, include barren silicification and quartz veins followed by four stages of sulfide precipitation separated by fracturing. Two main types of fluids, characterized through the associated mineral associations, were responsible for mineralization in alternating successive pulses. Type I fluids, responsible for most of the gold and for the development of biotite (450°C) in host rocks of very low metamorphic grade, were reduced, CO2-rich, and alkaline, with high H2S contents but low fs2. There is evidence of large-scale, regional circulation of similar fluids, in particular in rocks that lie several kilometers below the deposit. Type II fluids th at produced the massive sultides associated with chlorite (and several later stages) and mainly redistributed gold, were acid with comparatively high fo2 and fs2 (about 2 log units higher than type I fluids), possibly in equilibrium with the country rocks below the deposit. The hydrothermal system was initiated, possibly in relationship to late Variscan magmatism, when the tectonic regime changed from ductile-brittle to brittle conditions and from compressional to extensional regime. Fluids were channeled by a shear mesh created at the base of the nappe pile and in the upper part of the autochthonous terranes by the nappe emplacement. The Salsigne deposit is located along this major (>100 km) shear zone at its intersection with transverse brittle structures and sheared fold structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A qualitative and quantitative budget at the outlet of the storm-water runoff system of a small suburban watershed is presented together with some data regarding waste-water. 445,000 m³ (34% of the rain-water volume) were drained by the storm-water runoff system and 40,879 m³ by the waste-water system from September 2002 to March 2004. Storm-water runoff is generally not heavily polluted with regard to trace metals but concentrations occasionally exceed the standards for surface water of good quality. On the contrary, pesticides (diuron and glyphosate) have very high concentrations especially in spring and autumn when their use is maximum. As the St Joseph storm-water runoff is finally discharged into the Erdre River, measures to reduce the use of these pollutants should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to investigate the appraisal of typical urban soundscapes. The method consists of two simultaneous on-site procedures in various urban situations in two French cities (main thorough fares, pedestrian precincts, playgrounds and market squares). While passers-by were required to express their opinion about soundscapes through questionnaires, we recorded samples of ambient sound environments and calculated acoustic parameters. The cross analysis between survey data and acoustic parameters indicated the sound level is appropriate to the description of main thorough fares, but for similar sound level locations (square, market, or playground) two further perceptive factors were remind. The perceptual spatial dimension was correlated with acoustic indicators as background noise or standard deviation of short LAeq, whereas the temporal dimension revealed differences in the perceptual attitudes of the survey respondents. The results obtained consequently identified the limitation of matching a unique acoustic descriptor with two cognitive representations (a global point of view versus a discrete listening) of the same acoustic phenomenon. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The French national program on the coastal environment Programme National Environnement Coˆtier (PNEC) represented during the last decade a major support for the pluridisciplinary oceanographic research in the Gulf of Lion. During the second phase of the program, that lasted from 1997 to 2001, the main objective for this worksite was to establish an annual budget of carbon and associated biogenic elements to characterise the role of this region as source and the sink of elements. This introductory paper provides an overview of the research framework and recapitulates the major scientific outcomes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Simple Summary: Data regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) description are still limited in pediatric oncology. The French society of pediatric oncology (SFCE) initiated a study to better describe COVID-19 presentation and evolution in patients followed in French pediatric oncology and hematology wards. By describing COVID-19 in this specific population, we aimed to identify the patients who may be the most at risk of severe COVID-19 and establish specific recommendations. Data regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) description are still limited in pediatric oncology. The French society of pediatric oncology (SFCE) initiated a study to better describe COVID-19 in patients followed in French pediatric oncology and hematology wards. All patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and followed in a SFCE center were enrolled. Data from medical records were analyzed for all patients enrolled up to the end of May 2020. Data were available for 37 patients. Thirty-one were children under 18 years of age. Nineteen patients were female. Seventeen patients had a solid tumor, 16 had a hematological malignancy and four recently underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for non-oncological conditions. Twenty-eight patients presented symptoms, most often with fever, cough, rhinorrhea and asthenia. Ground-glass opacities were the most frequent radiological finding with abnormalities mostly bilateral and peripherally distributed. Twenty-four patients received chemotherapy a month prior to COVID-19 diagnosis. Most patients did not require hospitalization. Three patients required oxygen at the time of diagnosis. In total, five patients were admitted in an intensive care unit because of COVID-19 and one died from the disease. Children and young adults treated for a cancer and/or with a HSCT may be at risk for severe COVID-19 and should be closely monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shelf-slope exchanges and budgets of organic and inorganic nutrients are calculated for the Gulf of Lion continental margin in the northwestern Mediterranean. Computations are based on data from three seasonal marine surveys performed in March 1998, June 1998 and January 1999 in the framework of the French Programme National d’Environnement Coˆtier. A Land-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone type box model is used to calculate the advective exchanges between the shelf and the adjacent open sea and to estimate the budgets of non-conservative elements (DIP, DIN, DOP, DON, DOC, POC, PON, POP). These budgets consider river discharges, urban sewage supply, atmospheric deposition, and fluxes at the water-sediment and shelf-slope interfaces. Uncertainties on the fluxes and budgets are estimated to assess the robustness of the results with respect to the spatial variability of the system. Results indicate that shelf-slope exchanges by mixing predominate with respect to the major input terms (river discharge and sediment release). Budgets for inorganic nutrients, that show a strong concentration gradient between the shelf and the slope waters, are significantly different from zero and indicate an excess of these elements in the shelf water. For all surveys, these surpluses suggest (i) that the whole shelf system is autotrophic (1.6–4.3 × 103 mol C s–1) and acts as a sink of CO2, and (ii) that it is a site of net denitrification (119 mol N s–1) and acts as a sink of N2. Average shelf-slope fluxes of dissolved and particulate organic elements generally indicate an export to the open sea. However, the large uncertainty on these fluxes yields budgets for the shelf not significantly different from zero. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Zooplankton biomass was measured at 20 stations located along five coastal–offshore transects in the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean) during spring 1998 and winter 1999, using two nets equipped with 200 and 80 μm mesh. Biomass was twice as abundant in spring. It increased toward the coast and the west of the gulf and was positively correlated to chlorophyll, primary production and organic particulate matter and negatively to temperature and salinity. The enrichment effect of Rhone river input and the oligotrophic influence of the north Mediterranean current (NMC) were the main distribution factors of zooplankton biomass. Higher biomass was obtained in coastal stations with the 80 μm net, which sampled more efficiently young larval stages and nauplii. Zooplankton metabolic activity (respiration, ammonium and phosphorus excretion) was studied at the inner and outer stations of each transect. Oxygen/nitrogen (O/N) ratio was lower in spring than in winter, indicating that more protein material was used for food, to complete the energy needed for the spring enhancement of secondary production. Nitrogen and phosphorus excreted by zooplankton accounted for 31% and 10% of the primary production requirements in spring and for 32% and >100%, in winter. Grazing impact and secondary production were calculated from respiratory requirements using a K2 value of 0.4 and an assimilation rate of 0.8. Grazing impact ranged between 9% and 69% of the primary production in spring and between 6% and 83% in winter, depending on the stations. The average secondary production was 54 mg C m–2 d–1 in spring and 19 mg C m–2 d–1 in winter, which represents 11% and 12% of the primary production, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]