L’objectiu general d’aquesta tesi és l’estudi de les característiques reproductives del mascle i de la femella del burro Català per aplicar tecnologies reproductives que potenciïn la seva cria i evitin l’extinció d’aquesta raça de burro. El primer treball va estudiar el comportament sexual, les característiques del cicle estral i la predicció de l’ovulació en la burra Catalana. Els signes de zel més característics observats en les burres foren l’obertura i tancament de la boca junt amb l’extensió de les orelles enrere, orinar i vulvejar. Es va determinar que la durada del cicle estral era de 24.9 ± 0.3 dies, on el zel tenia una durada de 5.6 ± 0.2 dies. Les ovulacions es produïen amb un diàmetre mig preovulatori de 44.9 ± 0.5 mm i es va observar un percentatge elevat d’ovulacions múltiples (44.3%). La combinació dels següents paràmetres: diàmetre fol·licular, textura fol·licular i comportament de zel van determinar-se com els millors predictors de l’ovulació. El segon treball va estudiar l’efecte de la dilució i la centrifugació del semen (dos mètodes d’eliminació del plasma seminal) sobre la viabilitat, la motilitat i l’estructura subpoblacional mòtil del semen de burro Català refrigerat a 5ºC durant 24, 48 i 72h. Es va observar que la centrifugació o una ràtio de dilució elevada (1:10) eren els tractaments que mantenien més òptimament la viabilitat espermàtica durant les primeres 48h de refrigeració. L’estructura de 4 subpoblacions espermàtiques mòtils es mantenia amb la dilució o centrifugació, ara bé, només les mostres centrifugades després de 24h de refrigeració (5ºC) mantenien exactament la mateixa proporció d’espermatozoides en cada subpoblació que les mostres de semen fresc. El tercer treball va avaluar els canvis en la viabilitat i la motilitat que pateixen els espermatozoides de ruc Català durant la refrigeració (2h) i posterior centrifugació a tres temperatures diferents (5, 15 i 20ºC). En tots els tractaments es van mantenir les 4 subpoblacions mòtils del semen del ruc, observant que la refrigeració i centrifugació a 20ºC era la que mantenia l’estructura subpoblacional espermàtica més similar al semen fresc de burro Català. El quart estudi va valorar els efectes de la congelació-descongelació del semen de burro Català en comparació amb el semen de porc, sobre l’estructura subpoblacional mòtil i la viabilitat dels espermatozoides. Les característiques de motilitat dels espermatozoides de burro i de porc van respondre de manera molt diferent al procés de congelació-descongelació, mantenint però en els dos casos l’estructura de 4 subpoblacions mòtils. Els canvis en els valors mitjans de motilitat en les dues espècies estudiades es van deure sobretot, a canvis en les proporcions dels espermatozoides inclosos en cada subpoblació específica. En l’últim treball es va desenvolupar un model per avaluar la funcionalitat espermàtica del semen fresc i congelat de burro Català mitjançant l’interacció dels espermatozoides amb oòcits bovins lliures de zona pel·lúcida. Els espermatozoides de burro van ser capaços de fusionar-se amb l’oolemma i descondensar-se i formar el pronucli masculí (85-94%). Es va observar que les mostres de semen fresc i descongelat amb una viabilitat elevada (>60%) tenien índex de penetració superiors a les mostres amb viabilitat baixa (<40%). Així doncs, es van obtenir correlacions positives significatives (P<0.01) entre el percentatge de fecundació i la viabilitat (r=0.84), i també amb alguns paràmetres de motilitat (VAP, r=0.56; VCL, r=0.61; and mean ALH, r=0.68). En conclusió, una predicció adequada de l’ovulació de les burres, juntament amb l’utilització dels mètodes òptims de maneig i congelació del semen de ruc Català contribuiran positivament a l’aplicació de tecnologies reproductives en programes de cria que ajudin a evitar l’extinció d’aquesta raça. / The aim of this work is the knowledge of Catalonian donkey reproductive features of its females and males in order to apply reproductive technologies to maximize the production of live foals and help conserve the breed. In the first work we studied the reproductive behaviour, oestrous cycle characteristics and indicators that predict the moment of ovulation of the Catalonian donkey. The main signs of oestrus detected were mouth clapping, urinating and contraction and relaxation of the labia of the vulva with eversion of the clitoris. The length of the oestrus cycle was 24.9 ± 0.3 days, with oestrus itself lasting 5.6 ± 0.2 days. The mean diameter of the preovulatory follicle at day -1 was 44.9 ± 0.5 mm and we observed high incidence of multiple ovulations (44.3%). The combination of follicle size, follicle texture and oestrous behaviour were the best predictors of ovulation. In the second study we evaluated the effects of dilution and centrifugation (two methods of reducing the influence of the seminal plasma) on the survival of spermatozoa and the structure of motile sperm cell subpopulations in refrigerated Catalonian donkey semen at 24, 48 and 72h. At 48h, more surviving spermatozoa were seen in the more diluted (1:10) and in the centrifuged semen samples. The four donkey motile sperm subpopulations were maintained by refrigeration and centrifugation, moreover only centrifuged samples and only at 24h (5ºC) showed exactly the same motile sperm subpopulation proportions as recorded for fresh sperm. In the third work we assessed the effect of three storage temperatures (5, 15, 20ºC) on the survival and motility of Catalonian donkey sperm during transport (2h) to the laboratory for centrifugation. All treatments maintained the four motile sperm subpopulation, but 2h of storage at 20ºC followed by centrifugation was the treatment that maintained subpopulation structure more similar than fresh samples. In the fourth study we evaluated the influence of freeze/thawing on motile sperm subpopulations and sperm viability in ejaculates from two phylogenetically different mammalian species, boar and donkey. Boar and donkey sperm respond very differently in their mean motion characteristics to freezing/thawing, this process did not change the existence of a 4-subpopulations structure in the ejaculates. Motility changes induced by freezing/thawing protocol are especially linked to changes in the specific percentage of each of the motile sperm subpopulations. In the last work we studied the interaction between fresh/frozen-thawed donkey spermatozoa and zona pellucida (ZP)-free bovine oocytes in an attempt to develop a model for assessing cryopreserved Catalonian donkey sperm function. The donkey spermatozoa were able to fuse with the oolema and even to decondense and form the male pronucleus (85-94%). Fresh or frozen-thawed high viability (>60%) spermatozoa had higher penetration percentage than fresh or frozen/thawed low viability (<40%) spermatozoa. A significant positive correlation (P<0.01) was detected between percentage fertilization and viability (r=0.84), and between percentage fertilization and certain CASA parameters (VAP, r=0.56; VCL, r=0.61; and mean ALH, r=0.68). In conclusion, the exact moment prediction of ovulation in Catalonian jennies and adequate donkey semen manipulation and cryopreservation should have a positive impact upon the reproductive technologies application. Such knowledge should help maximize the production of live foals and help conserve the breed.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Em colônias de insetos eussociais, é prevista uma demanda conflitante entre a produção de operárias e indivíduos reprodutivos, visto que operárias realizam tarefas essenciais para a sobrevivência da colônia, enquanto machos e rainhas estão relacionados com a reprodução. Nesse trabalho, foram testadas as hipóteses (1) que a produção de sexuados estaria diretamente relacionada com a disponibilidade de recursos alimentares e (2) que haveria uma regulação temporal da produção de sexuados, com épocas mais favoráveis à produção de reprodutivos (verão) e menos favoráveis (inverno). O sistema de estudo foi a abelha sem ferrão Scaptotrigona aff. depilis e foram realizados dois experimentos. No primeiro experimento, na estação de verão, foram montadas quinze colônias padronizadas e sorteadas em cinco grupos experimentais. Os grupos A2 e C2 receberam o dobro de alimentação artificial (xarope de açúcar e pólen apícola) do que os grupos A1 e C1. As colônias dos grupos C2 e C1 foram mantidas confinadas, enquanto as colônias dos grupos A2 e A1 podiam forragear livremente. O grupo A0 (controle) não recebeu alimentação artificial e as colônias permaneceram abertas. No inverno, o mesmo experimento foi realizado, porém apenas com os grupos com colônias abertas. No experimento 2, a quantidade de pólen estocado nas colônias foi manipulada. As colônias do grupo Co não foram manipuladas e apresentaram em média 44 potes de pólen, as colônias do grupo A receberam em média 96 potes e as colônias do grupo B, 12 potes. No experimento 1, para o verão, foi encontrado um efeito significativo do confinamento, porém, nas duas estações, não houve efeito da quantidade de alimento sobre a produção de sexuados. Nas duas estações, verificou-se grande variação dentro dos grupos e a produção de machos foi dominada por poucas colônias. Não houve diferenças em relação à produção de sexuados entre as estações. No inverno, a produção de machos e células reais foi correlacionada positivamente com a quantidade de potes de alimento nas colônias. No experimento 2, apesar das diferenças iniciais quanto ao alimento armazenado, houve uma rápida recuperação dos estoques de alimento, principalmente pelo grupo B. Não foi verificada diferença na produção de sexuados devido ao tratamento experimental, porém, a produção de machos foi correlacionada com o número de potes de pólen nos ninhos, como no experimento 1. Considerando esses resultados em conjunto, não foi possível refutar as hipóteses de efeito positivo da quantidade de recursos alimentares e de efeito da sazonalidade sobre a produção de sexuados em S. aff. depilis. / In colonies of eusocial insects, it is expected a trade-off in resource allocation between worker and sexual offspring production, as workers perform tasks essential to colony\'s survival, while males and queens are associated with reproduction. In this study, we tested the following hypotheses: (1) that sexual offspring production would be directly related to food resources availability and (2) that there would be a temporal regulation of sexual offspring production, with a favorable season to reproductives production (summer) and a less favorable season (winter). The study system was the stingless bee Scaptotrigona aff. depilis and two experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, in summer, fifteen standardized colonies were set up and randomly assigned into five groups. Groups A2 and C2 received twice the amount of artificial food (sugar syrup and Apis mellifera pollen) than colonies from groups A1 and C1. Colonies from groups C2 and C1 were kept confined, while colonies from groups A2 and A1 could forage freely. The control group A0 did not receive any artificial food and the colonies remained open. In the winter the same experiment was carried out, only with groups with open colonies. In experiment 2, the amount of pollen stored in the colonies was manipulated. The colonies of group Co were not manipulated and presented a mean number of 44 pots of pollen, colonies from group A received 96 pots and colonies from group B 12 pots (mean). In summer (experiment 1), there was a significant effect for confinement, however for both seasons, there was no effect for food amount on sexual offspring production. For both seasons, there was a large intra-group variation and a few colonies were responsible for major male production. There was no difference on sexual offspring production between seasons. In winter, the production of males and royal cells was positively correlated with the amount of food pots in the colonies. In experiment 2, even though there was an initial difference in relation to food stores, a fast recovery on food storage was observed, specially for group B. There was no difference on sexual offspring production due to experimental treatment, however male production was correlated with the number of pollen pots, as in experiment 1. Considering these results together, it was not possible to refute the hypotheses of the positive effect of amount of food resources and the effect of seasonality on the production of sexual offspring in S. aff. depilis.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Em colônias de insetos eussociais, é prevista uma demanda conflitante entre a produção de operárias e indivíduos reprodutivos, visto que operárias realizam tarefas essenciais para a sobrevivência da colônia, enquanto machos e rainhas estão relacionados com a reprodução. Nesse trabalho, foram testadas as hipóteses (1) que a produção de sexuados estaria diretamente relacionada com a disponibilidade de recursos alimentares e (2) que haveria uma regulação temporal da produção de sexuados, com épocas mais favoráveis à produção de reprodutivos (verão) e menos favoráveis (inverno). O sistema de estudo foi a abelha sem ferrão Scaptotrigona aff. depilis e foram realizados dois experimentos. No primeiro experimento, na estação de verão, foram montadas quinze colônias padronizadas e sorteadas em cinco grupos experimentais. Os grupos A2 e C2 receberam o dobro de alimentação artificial (xarope de açúcar e pólen apícola) do que os grupos A1 e C1. As colônias dos grupos C2 e C1 foram mantidas confinadas, enquanto as colônias dos grupos A2 e A1 podiam forragear livremente. O grupo A0 (controle) não recebeu alimentação artificial e as colônias permaneceram abertas. No inverno, o mesmo experimento foi realizado, porém apenas com os grupos com colônias abertas. No experimento 2, a quantidade de pólen estocado nas colônias foi manipulada. As colônias do grupo Co não foram manipuladas e apresentaram em média 44 potes de pólen, as colônias do grupo A receberam em média 96 potes e as colônias do grupo B, 12 potes. No experimento 1, para o verão, foi encontrado um efeito significativo do confinamento, porém, nas duas estações, não houve efeito da quantidade de alimento sobre a produção de sexuados. Nas duas estações, verificou-se grande variação dentro dos grupos e a produção de machos foi dominada por poucas colônias. Não houve diferenças em relação à produção de sexuados entre as estações. No inverno, a produção de machos e células reais foi correlacionada positivamente com a quantidade de potes de alimento nas colônias. No experimento 2, apesar das diferenças iniciais quanto ao alimento armazenado, houve uma rápida recuperação dos estoques de alimento, principalmente pelo grupo B. Não foi verificada diferença na produção de sexuados devido ao tratamento experimental, porém, a produção de machos foi correlacionada com o número de potes de pólen nos ninhos, como no experimento 1. Considerando esses resultados em conjunto, não foi possível refutar as hipóteses de efeito positivo da quantidade de recursos alimentares e de efeito da sazonalidade sobre a produção de sexuados em S. aff. depilis. / In colonies of eusocial insects, it is expected a trade-off in resource allocation between worker and sexual offspring production, as workers perform tasks essential to colony\'s survival, while males and queens are associated with reproduction. In this study, we tested the following hypotheses: (1) that sexual offspring production would be directly related to food resources availability and (2) that there would be a temporal regulation of sexual offspring production, with a favorable season to reproductives production (summer) and a less favorable season (winter). The study system was the stingless bee Scaptotrigona aff. depilis and two experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, in summer, fifteen standardized colonies were set up and randomly assigned into five groups. Groups A2 and C2 received twice the amount of artificial food (sugar syrup and Apis mellifera pollen) than colonies from groups A1 and C1. Colonies from groups C2 and C1 were kept confined, while colonies from groups A2 and A1 could forage freely. The control group A0 did not receive any artificial food and the colonies remained open. In the winter the same experiment was carried out, only with groups with open colonies. In experiment 2, the amount of pollen stored in the colonies was manipulated. The colonies of group Co were not manipulated and presented a mean number of 44 pots of pollen, colonies from group A received 96 pots and colonies from group B 12 pots (mean). In summer (experiment 1), there was a significant effect for confinement, however for both seasons, there was no effect for food amount on sexual offspring production. For both seasons, there was a large intra-group variation and a few colonies were responsible for major male production. There was no difference on sexual offspring production between seasons. In winter, the production of males and royal cells was positively correlated with the amount of food pots in the colonies. In experiment 2, even though there was an initial difference in relation to food stores, a fast recovery on food storage was observed, specially for group B. There was no difference on sexual offspring production due to experimental treatment, however male production was correlated with the number of pollen pots, as in experiment 1. Considering these results together, it was not possible to refute the hypotheses of the positive effect of amount of food resources and the effect of seasonality on the production of sexual offspring in S. aff. depilis.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-17T18:01:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ROSANGELA DE SOUSA VERAS.pdf: 2731485 bytes, checksum: 6c17fdddcb6d17e0dcc4c8dc540abd9c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-02-28 / FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA E AO DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTIFICO E TECNOLÓGICO DO MARANHÃO / L analyse des pratiques reproductives de femmes et d'hommes usagers du Programme de Planification Familière de l'Hôpital Universitaire Materno Infantil comprend la multiplicité d'expériences et de motivations pour avoir ou non avoir d enfants, prenant en compte l existence d une complexe toile de relations entre désirs individuels, négociation conjugale, adoption de nouvelles valeurs, attentes et idéaux sociaux qui entrainent leurs décisions. Il aborde, dans le contexte des actuelles organisations conjugales et de partenariat, les rôles sociaux de ces mères et pères bien comme la valeur sociale qui centralise l'attention à la égard de leurs enfant. Il focalise leurs représentations au sujet de la conception et la contraception, et la relation qu ils ont avec le Programme de Planification Familière en ce qui concerne l'accès des méthodes contraceptives. / A analise das práticas reprodutivas de mulheres e homens usuárias/os do Programa de Planejamento Familiar do Hospital Universitário Materno Infantil compreende a multiplicidade de experiências e motivações para ter ou não ter filhos/as, tendo em vista que existe uma complexa teia de relações entre desejos individuais, negociação conjugal, adoção de novos valores, expectativas e ideais sociais que envolvem suas decisões. Aborda, no contexto das atuais organizações conjugais e de parceria, os papéis sociais dessas mães e desses pais, como, também, o valor social que centraliza a atenção com as/os filhas/os. Focaliza suas representações acerca da concepção e contracepção, e, a relação que têm com o Programa de Planejamento Familiar no que diz respeito ao acesso dos métodos contraceptivos.

La baisse de la fécondité permet aux couples d'investir davantage dans la scolarité de chacun de leurs enfants (évidence dans les pays occidentaux, d’Asie et d’Amérique latine). Ce postulat est l’un des arguments clés des politiques de planification familiale en Afrique subsaharienne. Pourtant, la plupart des études sur l'Afrique ont trouvé une corrélation nulle ou même une relation positive entre le nombre d'enfants dans un ménage et leur niveau de scolarité. Ces résultats mitigés sont généralement expliqués par des solidarités familiales et des transferts de ressources qui pourraient réduire la pression occasionnée par une descendance nombreuse sur les ressources du ménage, et des problèmes méthodologiques inhérents à plusieurs recherches sur la région. L’objectif principal de cette thèse était d’apporter une contribution à une meilleure compréhension des aspects méthodologiques et substantiels relatifs aux liens entre fécondité et scolarisation. Spécifiquement, la thèse visait à évaluer 1) le rôle des réseaux familiaux dans la scolarisation des enfants, 2) la simultanéité des décisions portant sur le nombre d’enfants et leur scolarisation, 3) l’impact causal du nombre d’enfants sur leur scolarisation, et 4) à comprendre les perceptions des parents sur l’école et les coûts et bénéfices de l’éducation des enfants, et dans quelle mesure ces perceptions sont prises en compte dans leurs stratégies reproductives. Quatre articles ont été rédigés en utilisant quatre sources de données complémentaires : l’Observatoire de population de Ouagadougou (OPO), l’enquête Demtrend, l’enquête santé de base et une enquête qualitative, toutes adossées à l’OPO. Dans le premier article, il est ressorti que les familles de grande taille bénéficient d’un appui plus fréquent des réseaux familiaux pour la scolarisation. De plus, les réseaux familiaux seraient en mesure de compenser l’effet négatif d’un nombre élevé d’enfants sur la scolarisation, mais seulement pour une partie de la population qui exclut les plus pauvres. Ainsi, les solidarités familiales de soutien à la scolarisation des enfants sont loin d’être généralisées. Le deuxième article a montré que les enfants dont les mères ont intentionnellement limité leur fécondité avaient de meilleures chances de scolarisation que ceux dont les mères ont connu des problèmes d’infécondité secondaire et n’ont pas atteint leur nombre d’enfants désiré. Par conséquent, les aspirations scolaires ne sont pas indépendantes des décisions de fécondité et l’hypothèse de fécondité naturelle n’est plus tenable dans ce contexte. Le troisième article a révélé, contrairement à la plupart des études antérieures sur l’Afrique subsaharienne, un effet négatif net de la taille de la fratrie sur le niveau d’éducation atteint des enfants, effet qui se renforce d’ailleurs au fur et à mesure que l’on avance dans le système éducatif. Dans le quatrième article, le discours des participants à l’enquête qualitative a indiqué que l’émergence de cette relation négative entre le nombre d’enfants et leur scolarisation dans les quartiers périphériques de Ouagadougou est intimement liée aux changements dans les coûts et bénéfices de l’éducation des enfants qui font reposer dorénavant de façon presque exclusive les dépenses scolaires sur les parents biologiques. / Lower fertility allows couples to invest more in each of their children’s schooling, a phenomenon that has been observed in Western rich countries, Asia and Latin America. This postulate is a key rationale of family planning policies in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet most studies on Africa have found no correlation or even a positive relationship between the number of children in a family and their educational attainment. These mixed results are usually explained by African family solidarity and resource transfers that might reduce pressures on household resources occasioned by many births, and methodological problems that have afflicted much research on the region. The main objective of this thesis was to contribute to a better understanding of the methodological and substantive aspects relating the links between fertility and schooling. Specifically, the thesis has assessed 1) the role of family networks in the schooling of children, 2) simultaneous decisions on the number of children and their education, 3) the causal impact of the number of children on their schooling and 4) parents' perceptions on the school and the costs and benefits of child schooling and how these perceptions are taken into account in their reproductive strategies. Four articles were written from four complementary sources of data: the Ouagadougou population Observatory (OPO), the Demtrend survey, the Baseline Health Survey and a qualitative survey; all of these surveys are based on the OPO study population. In the first article, the results show that large families receive more support of family networks for schooling than small families. In addition, family networks would be able to offset the negative effect of a high number of children on schooling, but only for a part of the population that excludes the poorest. Thus, the family solidarity for the schooling is far from universal. The results of the second article show that children whose mothers intentionally limited their fertility have better schooling than those with subfecund mothers who could not attain their desired family size. Therefore, fertility is not independent to schooling aspirations; the assumption of natural fertility is not tenable in this context. The third article show, in contrast to most prior studies on sub-Saharan Africa, a net negative effect of sibship size on the level of schooling achieved by children, one that grows stronger as they progress through the educational system. In the fourth article, the discourse of respondents collected by a qualitative survey indicate that the emergence of this negative relationship between the number of children and their schooling in the outskirts of Ouagadougou is closely linked to perceived changes in the costs and benefits of children's schooling. In present day Ouagadougou, school expenses appear to fall almost exclusively to biological parents.

Le cancer du poumon chez la femme était une maladie rare au début du XXème siècle. Son incidence a fortement augmenté durant ces vingt dernières années dans les pays développés et particulièrement en France du fait de l’augmentation de la consommation de cigarettes dans la population féminine. L’étude des risques de cancer du poumon liés à la consommation de cigarettes des femmes a soulevé la question d’une éventuelle plus grande susceptibilité des femmes vis-à-vis du tabac dans la survenue du cancer du poumon par rapport aux hommes. Les résultats des études épidémiologiques sur le sujet sont divergents et l’hypothèse selon laquelle les hormones joueraient un rôle dans cette plus grande susceptibilité des femmes a été proposée pour expliquer ces différences. Objectifs : Les objectifs de cette thèse sont de donner des estimations récentes du risque de cancer du poumon chez la femme associé à la consommation de cigarettes en France, de comparer le risque de cancer du poumon chez les femmes et chez les hommes et d’étudier le rôle des hormones dans le risque de cancer du poumon.Matériel et méthodes : L’étude de la consommation de cigarettes chez les femmes et la comparaison des risques de cancer du poumon associé à cette consommation a été réalisée à partir des données de l’étude ICARE. Les cas de cancer du poumon ont été identifiés dans 10 départements incluant un registre général de cancer. Au total, 2276 cas de cancer du poumon chez les hommes et 2780 témoins ont été inclus ainsi que 650 cas de cancers du poumon féminins et 775 témoins. Les témoins étaient issus de la population générale, avec une distribution âge et sexe conforme à celle des cas et une répartition par statut socioéconomique conforme à celle des départements dont sont issus les cas. L’analyse du rôle des hormones et des facteurs reproductifs sur le risque du cancer du poumon a été menée par une analyse poolée, réunissant 9 études internationales. Cette étude a été réalisée dans le cadre du consortium ILCCO. Au total, 4547 cas et 4176 témoins ont été inclus dans l’analyse.Résultats : Notre étude a montré que le risque de cancer du poumon associé à la consommation de cigarettes est 8 fois plus élevé chez les femmes fumeuses par rapport aux non fumeuses en France. La quantité moyenne fumée, la durée totale de consommation et le délai depuis l’arrêt sont les 3 principales caractéristiques de consommation qui modulent le risque de cancer du poumon. La fraction de risque attribuable à la consommation de cigarettes est estimée à 55% [47 %-63 %]. La comparaison du risque de cancer du poumon entre les hommes et les femmes est très influencée par la présence des non fumeurs. . Bien que nous n’ayons pas trouvé de différence de risque de cancer du poumon entre les hommes et les femmes fumeurs lorsque l’on considère tous les types histologiques réunis, nous avons constaté que les femmes relativement aux hommes étaient plus à risque de cancer à petites cellules et de cancer épidermoïde, qui sont les types histologiques les plus liés à la consommation de cigarettes. Concernant l’étude sur le rôle des hormones dans la survenue de cancer du poumon, nos résultats montrent que plus l’âge à la ménopause est tardif et plus la durée des cycles menstruels est longue, moins le risque de cancer du poumon est important. Nous avons également montré que l’ovariectomie était associée positivement avec le risque de cancer du poumon. Conclusion : Nos résultats semblent indiquer que les femmes fumeuses sont peut-être plus à risque de développer un carcinome à petites cellules ou un cancer épidermoïde par rapport aux hommes fumeurs. L’étude sur les facteurs hormonaux a montré une association négative avec l’exposition prolongée aux hormones, qui n’est pas très cohérente avec un risque de cancer du poumon associé au tabac plus important chez les femmes que chez les hommes. / The incidence of female lung cancer in developed countries has been increasing since 1950 and particularly in France where the cigarettes consumption has also increased. Since 1980, a growing number of epidemiological surveys have pinpointed the risk of female lung cancer related to smoking. Consecutively, a debate on gender differences in lung cancer risk has appeared, but still in progress nowadays. The reproductive factors could explain these differences. In order to have recent and reliable data on the association between cigarettes smoking and the risk of lung cancer in women and to compare the lung cancer risk associated with smoking exposure between genders, we analyzed the data of a French population-based case-control study, ICARE. The role of the reproductive factors in lung cancer was analyzed pooling, 9 international epidemiological studies included in ILCCO consortium.The ICARE study included 2276 male and 650 female cases and 2780 male and 775 female controls. Lifetime smoking exposure was represented by the comprehensive smoking index (CSI) which combines total duration of smoking, the mean intensity and the time since cessation. The pooled analysis of the reproductive factors included a total of 4547 cases and 4176 controls were included.Among the ever smokers, the relative risk of lung cancer was similar among men and women after adjustments for age, département, education, BMI, occupational exposure and chronic bronchitis. However, we found that women have a 2-fold greater risk than men of developing either small cell carcinomas or squamous cell carcinomas. Alternatively, the association was similar between men and women for the adenocarcinomas. As regard the reproductive factors, we found that longer is the age at menopause, lower is the lung cancer risk. Moreover, longer is the duration of cycle, lower is the lung cancer risk. The ovariectomy is also associated with an increasing risk of lung cancer.Our findings suggest that women might be more susceptible than men to develop small cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma in response to the carcinogenic effect of cigarettes smoking. The analysis on the reproductive factors showed an inverse association between hormonal exposure and lung cancer indicating a likely complex relationship between the two factors.