[Sexual dysfunction and depression: Validity of a French version of the ASEX scale]. / Validation française de l'échelle psychométrique ASEX d'évaluation des troubles sexuels dans la dépression.

BACKGROUND: Since the Beck study (1967), it is well known that sexual dysfunction is particularly prevalent in depressive patients compared to the general population, at 70% and 30% respectively. Depression, psychotropics and antidepressants are responsible for altering sexuality, and patients are considerably affected by these symptoms that dramatically decrease their quality of life. Screening for sexual dysfunctions seems essential, and a scale such as the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX) may help practitioners. The English version of this scale was validated in 2000 (McGahuey et al. [9]), and is widely used in scientific research. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of the French version of the ASEX scale. METHODS: Following authorization from the University of Arizona, the ASEX scale was translated into French by our team at the University hospital of Besançon (France), by the back translation technique, and then checked by a professional translator. ASEX, Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) were filled out by 37 depressed inpatients, and ASEX and PHQ-9 by 64 controls (hospital employees, residents and students at the University of Besançon), and again one to two weeks later. Bivariate correlations were performed using total ASEX scores to determine the test-retest reliability. Internal consistency of the ASEX scale was assessed using Cronbach's alpha analysis. Analyses of variance (Anova) were performed to determine the validity of the ASEX scale to compare patients to controls for total ASEX score and for individual ASEX item scores. In order to determine whether the ASEX criteria accurately reflect sexual dysfunction (determined by the HDRS rating or self-report), positive and negative predictive value and sensitivity and specificity were measured. To determine how well the total ASEX score differentiates between individuals with sexual dysfunction and those without, a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed. We expected similar results between the French version of the ASEX scale and the original one (McGahuey and al., 2000). RESULTS: Patients and controls were similar in terms of sex and age. The test-retest reliability was good, and the internal consistency was excellent using Cronbach's alpha analysis (alpha=0.9451). Analyses of variance (Anova) showed strong differences between the two groups, confirming the validity of the ASEX scale to compare patients to controls for total ASEX score and individual ASEX item scores. Positive and negative predictive values were respectively 89.66% (PPV) and 85.33% (NPV). Specificity and sensitivity were respectively 95.31% (Sp) and 70.27% (Se). The ROC analysis showed the area under the curve (AUC=0.8457) and the best ASEX criteria to demonstrate that sexual dysfunction had been correctly identified (total ASEX score ≥ 18). CONCLUSION: This study assessed the validity and reliability of the French version of the ASEX scale. These findings demonstrate the highly acceptable psychometric properties of ASEX in patients with depression.

[Diagnostic norms of RAPID neuropsychological battery tests for subjects aged 60 to 89 years with Alzheimer's disease]. / Normes diagnostiques de la batterie de tests neuropsychologiques RAPID pour les sujets âgés de 60 à 89ans présentant une maladie d'Alzheimer.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to propose diagnostic norms for the rapid neuropsychological battery, in the detection of cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease. POPULATION AND METHODS: Three hundred and fifty-two control subjects (mean MMSE : 27.3 ± 2.5) and 676 patients with Alzheimer's disease (mean MMSE : 22.9 ± 2.6) at a mild stage (CDR = 1) were selected according to age (60-69, 70-79 and 80-89 years) and educational level (French primary Education Certificate or lower versus Certificate of Professional Aptitude or the School Leaving Certificate versus the Baccalaureate or higher). Age and education-adjusted cut-off scores were calculated using Receiver Operating Characteristic curves so as to determine the discriminative ability (sensitivity, specificity) of each test from the RAPID neuropsychological battery. Cut-off scores with a specificity set at least at 90% were also proposed. RESULTS: The Free and Cued Recall Test exhibited good sensitivity (from 87% to 100% for free recall and from 85% to 98% for total recall) and specificity (from 85% to 96% for free recall and from 86% to 100% for total recall). For the other tests, sensitivities and specificities were lower. CONCLUSION: The use of these two types of cut-off scores should help the clinician in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease by limiting the risk of false positives and false negatives. The choice of the cut-off scores will depend on the patient's individual clinical context.

[Overweight or obesity: impact on the results of the first IVF/ICSI attempt]. / Surpoids ou obésité : influence sur les résultats de la première tentative de FIV/ICSI.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the influence of overweight and obesity on the results of the first in vitro fertilization attempt, without or with intracytoplasmic microinjection (IVF/ICSI), in terms of live births. METHODS: Retrospective observational study concerning the first IVF/ICSI attempts from 01/01/2006 to 31/12/2017 carried out at the Assisted Reproductive Technology of the CHU of Besançon, studying the delivery rate (excluding frozen embryos transfers), and the data of Assisted Reproductive Technology attempts, in overweight (BMI 25 to 29.9kg/m2) and obese women (BMI≥30kg/m2), compared to women with a standard BMI (18 to 24.9kg/m2). RESULTS: A total of 3192 patients were included. At the end of their first IVF/ICSI attempt, the delivery rate of women with standard BMI was 34.7%. The delivery rate was significantly lower in overweight women (29.5%, p=0.011) and comparable in obese women (32.4%, p=0.476). The birth rate of women with a BMI≥25 kg/m2 was also significantly lower than that of women with a standard BMI (30.4% versus 34.7%, p=0.019). After multivariate analysis, the delivery rate in overweight patients remained significantly lower compared to the population with standard BMI (OR=0.707; 95% CI 0.561-0.890), and comparable in obese patients (OR=0.796; 95% CI 0.585-1.084). CONCLUSION: The delivery rate was lower in overweight women, whereas it was not significantly different in obese women.

[Comparative norms of RAPID neuropsychological battery tests for subjects aged between 50 and 89 years]. / Normes comparatives de la batterie de tests neuropsychologiques RAPID pour les sujets âgés de 50 à 89 ans.

INTRODUCTION: RAPID, a battery of rapid neuropsychological tests, includes neuropsychological tests calibrated for different populations according to diverse methodologies. This makes the comparison and interpretation of the results difficult. The aim of this study was to build comparative norms for the RAPID battery using a single methodology in a unique population. POPULATION AND METHODS: The RAPID Battery includes nine different tests: the Memory Impairment Screen, the Isaacs Set Test, the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Free and Cued Recall Test, the Trail Making Test, a test for copying geometric figures as part of the BEC 96, a test for verbally naming images and a test for matching categories. A cohort of 476 subjects aged 50 to 89 were randomly selected from the medical records of 11 practitioners. RESULTS: The norms were stratified according to age (50-59, 60-69, 70-79 and 80-89 years) and education level of the subjects. The first level includes subjects with the French Primary Education Certificate or lower. The second level includes subjects with the Certificate of Professional Aptitude or the Brevet (equivalent to the GCSE). The third level includes subjects with the Baccalaureate or higher. Given that most of the tests did not satisfy the normal distribution, percentiles (tenth, twenty-fifth, seventy-fifth, ninetieth percentile and median) were used to define age and education norms. The results show a high participation rate (75 %) and are similar to those obtained in the literature: The results decreased with age and improved in grade level. Nevertheless, the results exhibited great variability for the tenth percentile in comparison with results reported in the literature. CONCLUSION: The development of comparative norms for the RAPID battery from a same sample facilitates the interpretation of individual results in terms of cognitive profile.

Improved contrast for myeloma focal lesions with T2-weighted Dixon images compared to T1-weighted images.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was twofold. First, to compare the contrast between spinal multiple myeloma (MM) focal lesions and surrounding bone marrow obtained on T2-weighted Dixon fat-only MR images to that obtained on T1-weighted spin-echo images. Second, to search for correlation between bone marrow fat fraction assessed by T2-weighted Dixon sequence and International Myeloma Working Group myeloma defining events. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 39 patients with 112 focal MM lesions were included. There were 25 men and 14 women with a mean age of 68.8±9.8 [SD] years (range: 49-88 years). Contrast between focal MM lesions and surrounding bone marrow was calculated on T1-weighted spin-echo and T2-weighted Dixon (including water-only and fat-only) images. Contrast between focal MM lesions and bone marrow was compared using ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey tests. Correlation between bone marrow fat fraction and myeloma defining events was assessed using Spearman's correlation test. RESULTS: MM lesion contrast was greater on T2-weighted Dixon (F (2;93)=35.10) than on T1-weighted images (P<0.0001). Greatest MM lesion contrast was achieved with T2-weighted Dixon fat-only (0.63±0.21 [SD]; range: 0.06-0.91) compared to T2-weighted Dixon water-only (0.45±0.20 [SD]; range: 0.07-0.8) (P=0.0003) and T1-weighted (0.23±0.19 [SD]; range: 0.04-0.87) (P<0.0001) images. There were no significant correlations between myeloma defining events and fat fraction. CONCLUSION: T2-weighted Dixon fat-only images provide greater contrast between MM lesions and adjacent bone marrow than T1-weighted images. The usefulness of a T1-weighted sequence associated to a T2-weighted Dixon sequence has to be determined.

Pilot study of feasibility of the effect of treatment with tDCS in patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression treated with escitalopram.

OBJECTIVE: This double-blind, sham-controlled trial investigated the effects of two daily tDCS sessions over a 5-day period in treatment-resistant depression. METHOD: Twenty-four treatment-resistant depressed patients received two daily sessions of active or sham anodal tDCS to the left prefrontal cortex (2 mA, 10 sessions over 1 week). Depression severity, psychomotor retardation and cognitive function were assessed. RESULTS: Active tDCS was not significantly superior to sham tDCS on the HDRS at week 4, as well as on the MADRS and SRRS scales, and on neuropsychological tests. Response rates were not significantly higher with active tDCS. tDCS was well tolerated, with mild adverse events limited to transient scalp discomfort. CONCLUSION: tDCS did not induce clinically relevant antidepressant effect in active and sham stimulation groups. There was no impact on psychomotor and neuropsychological functioning. SIGNIFICANCE: tDCS efficacy on specific symptom profiles in pharmacotherapy-resistant depression is limited. The use of optimized stimulation protocol and longer period of follow up may valuably contribute to specify the place of tDCS in treatment-resistant depression.