Mónico Sánchez Moreno: A pioneer in radiologic technology.

Mónico Sánchez Moreno (1880-1961) was an important figure in the early years of electromedicine, rubbing elbows with world-class physicists like Nikola Tesla. Her main contribution to the field was the invention and commercialization of a portable X-ray generator, replacing the heavy transformer had been necessary to generate power with a lightweight portable device that could work with direct or alternating current at 220 or 125V. This device was easily adaptable to other applications in electromedicine, such as cauterization or disinfection. This indefatigable entrepreneur could have triumphed in America, but preferred to work toward furthering technological development in the land that she loved. Her efforts made it possible to have an affordable device made in Spain that would allow radiological examinations to be done in places where it would have been otherwise unthinkable. In conclusion, Mónico Sánchez Moreno was a self-made woman who deserves to be remembered for her pioneering role in portable radiology.

Mónico Sánchez Moreno: a pioneer in radiologic technology. / Mónico Sánchez Moreno: un pionero de la tecnología radiológica.

Mónico Sánchez Moreno (1880-1961) was an important figure in the early years of electromedicine, rubbing elbows with world-class physicists like Nikola Tesla. Her main contribution to the field was the invention and commercialization of a portable X-ray generator, replacing the heavy transformer had been necessary to generate power with a lightweight portable device that could work with direct or alternating current at 220 or 125V. This device was easily adaptable to other applications in electromedicine, such as cauterization or disinfection. This indefatigable entrepreneur could have triumphed in America, but preferred to work toward furthering technological development in the land that she loved. Her efforts made it possible to have an affordable device made in Spain that would allow radiological examinations to be done in places where it would have been otherwise unthinkable. In conclusion, Mónico Sánchez Moreno was a self-made woman who deserves to be remembered for her pioneering role in portable radiology.

Narrative enhancement and cognitive therapy (NECT) to improve social functioning in people with serious mental illness: study protocol for a stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Self-stigma is highly prevalent in serious mental illness (SMI) and is associated with poorer clinical and functional outcomes. Narrative enhancement and cognitive therapy (NECT) is a group-based intervention combining psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring and story-telling exercises to reduce self-stigma and its impact on recovery-related outcomes. Despite evidence of its effectiveness on self-stigma in schizophrenia-related disorders, it is unclear whether NECT can impact social functioning. METHODS: This is a 12-centre stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial of NECT effectiveness on social functioning in SMI, compared to treatment as usual. One hundred and twenty participants diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder will be recruited across the 12 sites. The 12 centres participating to the study will be randomized into two groups: one group (group 1) receiving the intervention at the beginning of the study (T0) and one group (group 2) being a control group for the first 6 months and receiving the intervention after (T1). Outcomes will be compared in both groups at T0 and T1, and 6-month and 12-month outcomes for groups 1 and 2 will be measured without a control group at T2 (to evaluate the stability of the effects over time). Evaluations will be conducted by assessors blind to treatment allocation. The primary outcome is personal and social performance compared across randomization groups. Secondary outcomes include self-stigma, self-esteem, wellbeing, quality of life, illness severity, depressive symptoms and personal recovery. DISCUSSION: NECT is a promising intervention for reducing self-stigma and improving recovery-related outcomes in SMI. If shown to be effective in this trial, it is likely that NECT will be implemented in psychiatric rehabilitation services with subsequent implications for routine clinical practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03972735 . Trial registration date 31 May 2019.

Towards an improved access to psychiatric rehabilitation: availability and effectiveness at 1-year follow-up of psychoeducation, cognitive remediation therapy, cognitive behaviour therapy and social skills training in the FondaMental Advanced Centers of Expertise-Schizophrenia (FACE-SZ) national cohort.

Psychosocial Interventions (PIs) have shown positive effects on clinical and functional outcomes of schizophrenia (SZ) in randomized controlled trials. However their effectiveness and accessibility remain unclear to date in "real world" schizophrenia. The objectives of the present study were (i) to assess the proportion of SZ outpatients who benefited from PIs between 2010 and 2015 in France after an Expert Center Intervention in a national multicentric non-selected community-dwelling sample; (ii) to assess PIs' effectiveness at 1-year follow-up. 183 SZ outpatients were recruited from FondaMental Advanced Centers of Expertise for Schizophrenia cohort. Baseline and 1-year evaluations included sociodemographic data, current treatments, illness characteristics and standardized scales for clinical severity, adherence to treatment, quality of life, a large cognitive battery, and daily functioning assessment. Only 7 (3.8%) received a PI before the evaluation, and 64 (35%) have received at least one PI during the 1-year follow-up. Having had at least one PI during the follow-up has been associated in multivariate analyses with significantly higher improvement in positive and negative symptoms (respectively p =0.031; p = 0.011), mental flexibility (TMT B, p = 0.029; C-VF, p = 0.02) and global functioning (p =0.042). CBT and SST were associated with higher cognitive improvements, while CRT was associated with clinical improvement. These results have not been demonstrated before and suggest that the effect of each PI is larger than its initial target. The present study has confirmed the PIs' effectiveness in a large sample of community-dwelling SZ outpatients at 1 year follow-up. Efforts to improve access to PI should be reinforced in public health policies.

Increased incidence of cholecystectomy related to gallbladder disease in France: Analysis of 807,307 cholecystectomy procedures over a period of seven years.

PURPOSE: Gallstones are one of the most common abdominal reasons for admission to hospital. The aim of this study was to analyze trends and outcomes in patients undergoing cholecystectomy with gallbladder related disease in France from 2008 to 2014. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We carried out a population-based, retrospective cohort study using data extracted from the French nationwide hospital discharge database (PMSI). We included all patients having a cholecystectomy related to gallbladder disease from January 2008 to December 2014. Patients' demographics, primary diagnosis, procedure type, length of stay (LOS), admission in an intensive care unit, discharge disposition, complications, and in-hospital mortality were analyzed. RESULTS: Overall, 807,307 cholecystectomies were performed in France over the study period, with an increase in the national incidence rate from 167.5 (95%CI [166.5; 168.5]) to 182.6 (95%CI [181.6; 183.6]) per 100,000 inhabitants. Females accounted for 66.5% of procedures (P<0.001). The mean age was lower for females than for males: 52.1 versus 60.2 (P<0.001). The ratio of laparoscopic cholecystectomy significantly increased from 90% in 2008 to 94% in 2014 (P<0.001). Average inpatient LOS decreased significantly from 6.5 days in 2008 to 4.7 days in 2014 (P<0.001). Most common complication type was intra-abdominal (23.1%) for laparoscopic procedure (95%CI [22.7; 23.5]), and in-hospital mortality significantly decreased over time from 0.45% in 2008 to 0.38% in 2014 (P<0.005). CONCLUSION: Our results showed that the national incidence rate of cholecystectomy related to gallbladder disease increased from 2008 to 2014.

ESPRINT-15 questionnaire (Spanish version): reference values according to disease severity using both the original and the modified ARIA classifications.

OBJECTIVE: ESPRINT-15 is a specific and validated instrument to measure health-related quality of life in adults with allergic rhinitis. The aim of this study was to obtain new reference values based on disease severity using both the original and the modified versions of the Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) guidelines. METHODS: ESPRINT-15 was administered to a representative sample of adults with allergic rhinitis in Spain. As in a previous study by our group, means and percentiles were analyzed for 16 quotas based on gender, allergic rhinitis type (intermittent vs persistent), and 4 symptom intensity groups according to the total symptom score (TSS4). The novel aspect of the present study was our application the severity criteria proposed by both the original and the modified ARIA classifications. RESULTS: Of the 2756 patients in our previous dataset, 2580 were included in the present analysis. In terms of symptom severity, women ha relatively more intense symptoms than men with both ARIA classifications. In fact, using only the modified ARIA classification, we were abl to determine that severe rhinitis is moderately more frequent in women (27% vs 23%), although the difference is not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The new set of reference values enables the ESPRINT-15 questionnaire to be adapted to the current severity classification Consequently, this quality of life tool (http://www.seaic.org/inicio/esprint) can be easily used and better interpreted in daily clinical practice.

Discrimination between moderate and severe disease may be used in patients with either treated or untreated allergic rhinitis.

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common disease with major socioeconomic burden and a significant impact on quality of life. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to discriminate between moderate and severe AR patients whether receiving treatment or not, using a modified criterion of allergic rhinitis and its impact on asthma (ARIA) classification. METHODS: The modified ARIA severity classification (J Allergy Clin Immunol, 120, 2007, 359) categorizes AR as mild (no items affected), moderate (1-3 items affected), and severe (all four items affected). We applied these criteria to 1666 treated and 1058 untreated AR patients and compared their symptoms total four-symptom score (T4SS) and quality of life (ESPRINT-15), according to their clinical severity. RESULTS: Allergic rhinitis clinical status was significantly worse (P < 0.001) in treated than in untreated patients. For both treated and untreated patients, T4SS and ESPRINT-15 Quality of life scores were significantly worse (P < 0.001) in severe than in moderate patients. CONCLUSIONS: The modified ARIA severity classification is a useful clinical tool to discriminate moderate from severe AR among both treated and untreated patients.

[Persons suffering from schizophrenia and relapses]. / Les personnes atteintes de schizophrénie et la rechute.

INTRODUCTION: In schizophrenia, relapse is a common event that affects more than half the patients within 2 years after a first episode. It is a real setback for them and their relatives. Surprisingly, we do not have much information on how patients and their relatives experience the relapse. METHOD: A national survey was conducted among 316 schizophrenic outpatients treated with antipsychotics, and 82 of their relatives. The survey assessed the following four aspects: disease history, last relapse history, hospitalization experiences, and relapse prevention. RESULTS: Regarding the disease history, the average psychiatric follow-up was 13 years and patients had been hospitalized five times on average. Relatives reported approximately the same history. Regarding the last relapse, 9/10 of relatives reported that this relapse led to hospitalization and 69% of patients understood that their hospitalizations were due to relapse. 4% of patients and 7% of relatives identified the end of the treatment as a precursor to relapse. While a lack of compliance was found in about four relapses out of 10. It has also been shown that patients confided primarily in the medical team and the relatives thought to be the first confidant of patients. Regarding the experience of hospitalization, 87% of patients and 86% of relatives judged the hospitalization useful. For both, hospitalization represented a solving step to manifestations of relapse. Regarding the relapse prevention, almost three patients out of four thought they knew what to do in order to avoid a new relapse, while only 52% of the relatives thought patients knew what to do for this matter. For more than one third of the patients, the last relapse (3 years ago) was still a painful event. Avoiding a new relapse was considered very important or important by 91% of patients and 100% of relatives. Relatives felt that regular appointments with the medical team helped avoid relapses. Fifty-nine per cent of relatives have said it was difficult to verify whether or not the treatment was taken by a schizophrenic patient. Relatives' opinion on the injectable treatment was favorable and approximately 50% of the patients declared knowing of injectable treatments. Among these 72% felt that such treatment was reassuring, 69% said it was simpler than oral therapy, and 67% thought it was the most suitable to check the compliance. Only 31% considered it restricting for the patient, against 54% who were considering it not restricting. Finally 57% of patients were willing to take an injectable treatment in order to prevent further hospitalization. CONCLUSION: This study brings us a better understanding of patients' and relatives' experience of relapse. These results demonstrate the potential impact of relapse on the patients and their relatives and highlight their motivation to avoid further relapses. Also revealed, the lack of importance given to the link between compliance and relapse by patients and relatives. These results underscore the complexity of this disease management in which each player has a key role.

[Treatment adherence as a social ability: a case of patients with schizophrenia]. / L'adhérence thérapeutique vue sous l'angle d'une "habileté sociale": application à une population de patients atteints de schizophrénie.

Psychosocial rehabilitation programs are available for schizophrenic patients to develop social abilities. Taking into account deficits in drug compliance of such patients, psycho-educational programs have been developed to tackle patients' abilities to take their drugs. One year after discharge from psychiatric facilities however, only 50% of the psychotic patients are still compliant with their drug treatment. The aim of our paper is to describe concepts associated with drug adherence as a social ability, and to illustrate these concepts with a program designed for psychotic patients. First, we define the concept of social rehabilitation, second, we describe strategies available to enhance adherence to drug treatment, third, we present a psycho-educational program developed at St. Egrève Hospital, France. This program is centered on the patient's own capacities to become adherent. Individual in-patient consultations, developed by a team of 3 professionals (psychiatrist, pharmacist, nurse) are linked to indiviual follow-up at home. Their scope is to identify specific targets for the patient's self-efficacy to run his drug treatment in an autonomous way.

Reference values for facilitating the interpretation of the ESPRINT-15 questionnaire (Spanish version).

OBJECTIVE: ESPRINT-15 is a specific, short-form instrument to measure health-related quality of life in adults suffering from allergic rhinitis. The aim of this study was to obtain reference values in order to improve its interpretability. METHODS: ESPRINT-15 was administered to a representative sample of Spanish adults with allergic rhinitis. Means and percentiles were obtained, taking into account the kind of rhinitis (persistent/intermittent) and symptom severity (very mild/mild/moderate/severe). RESULTS: A total of 2756 patients participated in the study. Mean (SD) scores were significantly lower (better) for men than for women (2.2 [1.4] vs 2.4 [1.4], P<.001, effect size [ES] is congruent to 0.15). Patients with intermittent rhinitis showed better scores than patients with persistent rhinitis (2.1 [1.4] vs. 2.5 [1.4], P<.001, ES is congruent to 0.21). Mean (SD) scores were higher (worse) when severity of symptoms increased, ranging from 0.9 (0.9) (very mild) to 3.7 (1.0) (severe) (ES is congruent to 1.0 between each consecutive group of symptom severity). CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of the differences found among groups of patients reinforces the usefulness of providing reference values stratified by gender, type of allergic rhinitis, and symptom severity. The percentiles obtained can be used in clinical practice to evaluate individual scores, and assign the patient to the corresponding reference group.

Resolution of (+)-cinchonine and (-)-cinchonidine by phase-modulation fluorescence spectroscopy.

The different fluorescence lifetime profiles of the optical isomers (+)-cinchonine (CN) and (-)-cinchonidine (CD) have been used to resolve their mixtures, on the basis of phase and modulation fluorescence lifetime measurements. To resolve mixtures of these compounds two distinct approaches have been used: simultaneous equations from phase-resolved and modulation-based fluorescence lifetime measurements. Results indicate that frequency domain fluorimetry is useful to resolve stereomeric compounds for determination without physical separation. The precision of the measurements gives RSD values of 5.2% and 4.0% for CD and CN, respectively. Detection limits with the modulation fluorescence lifetime method were 11.3 and 17.2 microM for CD and CN, respectively.

Validation of the COPD severity score for use in primary care: the NEREA study.

Spirometry is underused for the assessment of severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in primary care (PC). Therefore, simple assessment tools are required in this setting. The aim of the present study was to validate the COPD severity score (COPDSS) for use in PC. A multicentric study was carried out in stable COPD patients in PC. The concurrent validity of the COPDSS was evaluated by examining the association between COPDSS, COPD clinical indicators and the London Chest Activity of Daily Living (LCADL) scale, European quality of life (EuroQOL) questionnaires and Charlson comorbidity index. A total of 837 patients with COPD were analysed (males 84.3%; mean+/-sd age 68+/-11 yrs; forced expiratory volume in one second 54.6+/-17.7% of the predicted value). A strong correlation was found between COPDSS and dyspnoea level and a moderate correlation between COPDSS and exacerbation number. The COPDSS discriminated between patients with varying degrees of dyspnoea (area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve 0.837), and according to number of exacerbations in the last year (area under ROC curve 0.773). Higher COPDSS scores were significantly associated with lower EuroQOL scores, lower EuroQOL visual analogue scale scores and higher LCADL scores. The present results indicate that the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease severity score is a useful and reliable tool for assessing the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary care.

Health-related quality of life in allergic rhinitis: comparing the short form ESPRINT-15 and MiniRQLQ questionnaires.

BACKGROUND: We compared the psychometric properties of the ESPRINT-15, the short form of a new Spanish instrument to measure health-related quality of life in allergic rhinitis (AR) patients, with those of the Mini-Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (MiniRQLQ). METHODS: The questionnaires were compared in Spanish patients with intermittent allergic rhinitis (IAR) or persistent AR in a prospective, observational study. Floor and ceiling effects, internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient; ICC), convergent and known groups validity, and sensitivity to change (standardized response means; SRMs) were compared. RESULTS: In terms of content, while the MiniRQLQ has a dimension covering practical problems and places more emphasis on symptoms, the ESPRINT-15 has two dimensions (Sleep and Psychological impact) which are not included in the MiniRQLQ. In the validation study, 400 patients were included and 59% of the sample had persistent AR. There were no significant floor or ceiling effects on any dimension on either questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha values for the ESPRINT-15 and MiniRQLQ overall scores were 0.92 and 0.90, respectively. In 48 clinically stable patients, ICCs were 0.80 and 0.77, respectively. Both instruments discriminated between patients with IAR and persistent AR. Correlations with symptom scores and generic measures were moderate to strong. SRMs for overall scores and individual dimensions on the two questionnaires in the 197 patients reporting a change in health status ranged from 0.7 to 1.3. CONCLUSIONS: Both questionnaires performed well in psychometric terms. The ESPRINT-15 is particularly recommended for use in Spanish-speaking populations.

[Why psychotic patients are not drug compliant?]. / Pourquoi les patients souffrant de troubles psychotiques ne sont-ils pas observants à leurs médicaments?

Improving patient's compliance with antipsychotics is a major issue in psychosis management. As the point is to convince patients to take their drugs, we have to better understand why they should want or not want to do that. Compliance is actually a complex behavior, involving many psychosocial factors. Thus, we conducted a survey to assess compliance rate and to investigate determinant compliance factors of psychotic outpatients (according to CIM-10 diagnosis). Method - Investigated factors were selected according both to biomedical researches and to psychosocial theories (Health Belief Model). Around 20 influential factors, described in publication, were investigated. The questionnaire design conformed to sociological survey's rules. More, in order to promote patients frankness, the investigator was independent of the medical team. We processed the answers of 63 patients (61% men, average age 40 years), having presented with psychotic disorders for an average of 10 years, without addictive comorbidity (CIM-10). Results - The compliance rate was only 47%. Biomedical factors related to patients (sex, age, social way of life, professional state, and study level), as well as those related to treatment (complexity, duration, side effects occurring), don't affect compliance behavior. The psychosocial factors investigation reveals more interesting results. If the patient trusts his medicines, and do not subscribe to drug's negative beliefs , compliance rate is significantly improved (p=0,0062). It appears to be the survey's best factor for a good compliance, but it concerns only 29% of the investigated patients. When patients aknowledge the whole positive effects of their medicines, compliance is also inclined to improved (p=0,075). But compliance significantly decreases when patients felt that adverse effects are difficult to undergo or unbearable (p=0,04). It also inclined to decrease when family or friends have a negative opinion or are hostile to the pharmacological treatment. None of the other factors influence patient's compliance. Conclusion - These results demonstrate that convincing psychotic patients to be compliant is mandatory. As determinant compliance factors appear to be complex psychosocial ones, it also demonstrates that information procedure needs to be extensively structured.

Irritable bowel syndrome prevalence varies enormously depending on the employed diagnostic criteria: comparison of Rome II versus previous criteria in a general population.

BACKGROUND: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) prevalence estimates are essential for measuring the importance of the problem and the burden of the illness. However, IBS diagnosis is based on clinical criteria which have changed over time. The aim of this study was to assess how the use of different diagnostic criteria influences estimated IBS prevalence and, in particular, to compare how this prevalence varies using the new Rome II criteria and previous diagnostic criteria. METHODS: An epidemiological survey was conducted in the general population using personal interviews in a home setting. Two thousand individuals stratified by gender, age, social class and geographic location were randomly selected from the general population of Spain. Participants were classified as 'potential IBS subjects' (n = 281) or 'non-potential IBS subjects' (n = 1719) as a result of their response to a screening question regarding the presence of abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhoea. Thus, we estimated IBS prevalence according to the following diagnostic criteria: Manning, Rome I, Rome II, Drossman, Talley and Kay & Jorgensen. RESULTS: Prevalences of IBS according to the Manning and Rome I criteria were 10.3% and 12.1%, respectively. These were higher than the prevalences obtained with the other criteria used, which varied from 2.1% to 4.9%. IBS was more prevalent in females than males irrespective of the criteria used (the female:male ratio ranged from 2.33 to 4.33). Subjects who fulfilled the Rome II, Drossman, Talley or Kay & Jorgensen criteria also fulfilled the Rome I and Manning criteria. However, between 44% and 80% of subjects who fulfilled the Rome I or Manning criteria did not fulfil the more stringent diagnostic criteria. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of IBS varies enormously depending on the diagnostic criteria employed. Criteria based on the frequency of symptoms, such as the Rome II criteria, produce much lower prevalence values compared to criteria based solely on the presence of symptoms. In fact, more than two-thirds of subjects who fulfilled the Rome I criteria would not have been diagnosed with IBS if Rome II criteria had been employed.

Evaluation of the AxSYM monoclonal cyclosporin assay and comparison with radioimmunoassay.

Recently, a semiautomated fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) for determination of parent cyclosporin (CsA) has been developed for the Abbott AxSYM system. The new CsA assay measures the drug from an extracted whole blood specimen. The authors report here the evaluation of this new assay and the comparison with a previously validated radioimmunoassay (RIA) method (CYCLO-Trac SP). To assess the imprecision, the authors used tri-level controls supplied by both Abbott and Bio-Rad manufacturers. The within-run CV ranged from 4.4% to 7.3% and the between-day CV ranged from 4.4% to 7.6%. Mean recovery of the drug from clinical specimens spiked with kit calibrators was 108.4%. Fluorescence polarization immunoassay AxSYM (y) was correlated to RIA (x) by using 132 trough blood specimens (44 renal, 44 liver, and 44 heart) from transplant recipients and resulted in the following Passing-Bablok linear regression equation: y = 6.7 + 0.97x, r = 0.989, S(x/y) = 12.9. The percentage of overestimation (mean, range) by FPIA AxSYM versus RIA was (3.8%, range -17.7% to 39.1%). The results observed with this new method from follow-up studies in patients during the early course after transplant were not consistently higher than those obtained by RIA. These findings contrast with previously reported results that compared FPIA TDx assay with RIA. The authors conclude that FPIA AxSYM is a precise method for measuring CsA and offers results similar to those obtained by RIA with a marked reduction in assay time.