Smokers with higher positive or negative urgency have lower rates of smoking cessation success 12 months after a quit attempt.

Impulsivity dimensions have been shown to be associated with smoking status and tobacco use disorder severity. However, it is important to determine the specific impulsivity traits associated with smoking relapse. This study aimed at investigating the associations between impulsivity traits and smoking cessation success among adult smokers at 12 months after a quit attempt. Participants were 68 adult smokers enrolled in a 3-month course of simvastatine or placebo associated with behavioral cessation support, with a 9-month follow-up (ADDICSTATINE study). They were classified in 3 groups according to smoking status: abstinent, reduction ≥ 50%baseline or reduction < 50%baseline at 3 and 12 months. Impulsivity traits were assessed using the UPPS-P-scale. At 12 months, abstainers and participants who reduced smoking by 50% or more had significantly lower scores in negative and positive urgency compared to participants who reduced smoking by less than 50% (p = 0.011 and 0.0059). These urgency traits scores at 12 months were significantly and negatively correlated with smoking reduction at 12 months (p = 0.017 and 0.0012). These impulsivity traits were also associated with the smoking cessation success at 3 months. Patients who were abstinent at 3 months had also lower negative and positive urgency (p = 0.017 and 0.0039). Smoking cessation success at 3 and 12 months were not associated with the other impulsivity traits, sensation seeking, lack of premeditation or perseverance. Our findings suggest that positive and negative urgency are associated with smoking cessation success. Proposing better tailored-based-treatment targeting these impulsivity traits in combination with conventional treatment may help improving smoking treatment success.

Irreversible electroporation to bring initially unresectable locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma to surgery: the IRECAP phase II study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the IRECAP study was to evaluate the rate of locally advanced pancreas cancer patients (LAPC) who could undergo R0 or R1 surgery after irreversible electroporation (IRE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: IRECAP study is a phase II, single-center, open-label, prospective, non-randomized trial registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03105921). Patients with LAPC were first treated by 3-month neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in order to avoid inclusion of either patients with LAPC having become resectable after chemotherapy or patients with rapid disease progression. In cases of stable disease, IRE was performed percutaneously under CT guidance. Surgery was planned between 28 and 90 days after IRE. Tumor specimens were studied to evaluate the resection margins (R0/R1/R2). RESULTS: Six men and 11 women were included (median age 61 years, range 37-77 years). No IRE-related death was observed. Ten patients (58%, 10/17) experienced 25 serious adverse events related to IRE. Four patients progressed between IRE and surgery and were excluded from surgery. Thirteen patients were finally operated, six withheld for pancreas resection, three for diffuse peritoneal carcinosis, two for massive vascular entrapment, and one for hepato-cellular carcinoma not diagnosed before surgery. Rate of R1-R0 was 35% (n = 6/17). Median overall survival was 31 months (95% CI; 4-undefined) for the six patients with R0/R1 resection and 21 months (95% CI; 4-25) for the 11 patients without resection or R2 resection (logrank p = 0.044). CONCLUSION: After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, IRE could provide R0 or R1 resection in 35% of LAPC, which seems to be associated with higher OS. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: After induction chemotherapy, stable locally advanced pancreatic cancers can be treated by irreversible electroporation, which could lead to a secondary 35% rate of R0 or R1 surgical resection which may be associated with a significantly higher overall survival. KEY POINTS: • In cases of unresectable LAPC (locally advanced pancreatic cancer), percutaneous irreversible electroporation (pIRE) is feasible (100% success rate of the procedure), but is associated with a 58% rate of grade 3-4 adverse events. • In patients with unresectable LAPC, pIRE could lead 35% of patients to R0-R1 surgical resection. • From IRE, median overall survival was 31 months (95% CI; 4-undefined) for the patients with R0/R1 resection and 21 months (95% CI; 4-25) for the patients without resection or R2 resection (logrank p = 0.044).

Self-reported dual sensory impairment and related factors: a European population-based cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Data on population-based self-reported dual vision and hearing impairment are sparse in Europe. We aimed to investigate self-reported dual sensory impairment (DSI) in European population. METHODS: A standardised questionnaire was used to collect medical and socio-economic data among individuals aged 15 years or more in 29 European countries. Individuals living in collective households or in institutions were excluded from the survey. RESULTS: Among 296 677 individuals, the survey included 153 866 respondents aged 50 years old or more. The crude prevalence of DSI was of 7.54% (7.36-7.72). Among individuals aged 60 or more, 9.23% of men and 10.94% of women had DSI. Eastern and southern countries had a higher prevalence of DSI. Multivariable analyses showed that social isolation and poor self-rated health status were associated with DSI with ORs of 2.01 (1.77-2.29) and 2.33 (2.15-2.52), while higher income was associated with lower risk of DSI (OR of 0.83 (0.78-0.89). Considering country-level socioeconomic factors, Human Development Index explained almost 38% of the variance of age-adjusted prevalence of DSI. CONCLUSION: There are important differences in terms of prevalence of DSI in Europe, depending on socioeconomic and medical factors. Prevention of DSI does represent an important challenge for maintaining quality of life in elderly population.

ATE Score Diagnostic Accuracy for Predicting the Absence of Intra-Atrial Thrombi Before AF Ablation.

BACKGROUND: In a preliminary study in patients hospitalized for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF), the atrial thrombus exclusion (ATE) score (stroke, hypertension, heart failure, and D-dimers >270 ng/mL) was developed to rule out the diagnosis of intra-atrial thrombus, with a negative predictive value (NPV) of 100%, and to avoid performing transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). OBJECTIVES: The present study was designed to prospectively confirm the NPV of the ATE score in an independent population. METHODS: Consecutive patients hospitalized for catheter ablation of AF or left atrial tachycardia (LAT) were prospectively enrolled in a multicenter study. D-dimer levels were measured within 48 hours before ablation. An ATE score of 0 was considered predictive of no thrombus. TEE was routinely performed at the beginning or just before the ablation procedure. The primary endpoint was the presence of atrial thrombus diagnosed by TEE. RESULTS: The analysis included 3,072 patients (53.3% paroxysmal AF, 36.7% persistent AF, and 10% LAT). A thrombus was detected in 29 patients (0.94%; 95% CI: 0.63%-1.35%), all on appropriate anticoagulant therapy. An ATE score of 0 was observed in 818 patients (26.6%), and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and NPV were 93.1%, 26.8%, 1.2%, and 99.8%, respectively. Follow-up of the 2 false negative patients revealed the persistence of chronic organized thrombi. CONCLUSIONS: In patients hospitalized for catheter ablation of AF or LAT, the ATE score identifies a population at very low risk for atrial thrombus. In consultation with the patient, the cardiologist may consider not performing a preoperative TEE in case of an ATE score of 0.

CBT program to reduce recidivism risk for road crashes among adolescents and young adults: Results of a randomized controlled study and prospects.

Road crashes are the first cause of mortality for young adults aged 18-25 years and the human factor contributes to 90-95% of events. The present study was carried out to determine the efficacity of the ECARR2 recurrence prevention program among adolescents and young adults at high risk of having a new traffic crash in the following months. A total of 288 participants having had a traffic crash that required going to the emergency room, at high risk of accident recurrence (ECARR≥5) were randomly allocated to either the intervention group (n = 144) or the control group (n = 144). Results: revealed that the risk of recurrence was highest during the first 6 months (66% of recurrences). In per-protocol analysis population, at 6 months after inclusion, the accident recurrence rate was 14.2% ± 3.3% in the intervention group, and 23.5% ± 4.0% in the control group. The intervention had an effect per se, independently of the other predictors (p = 0.020). This effect was mediated by the three interaction variables: BDI, Impulsive Behavior Scale lack of perseverance, and Orientation to Happiness engagement. It was therefore through these dimensions that the intervention had an effect. In conclusion, the ECARR score predicts the risk of recurrence, risk which is the highest during the first 6 months. Finally, results confirm the predictive validity of the ECARR scale. The ECARR score had an effect on the risk of recurrence regardless of group (p = 0.045) and was predictive of recurrence (p = 0.045).A brief psychological intervention such as ECARR2 program, offered to young people ar hight risk of having a new crash, just after the crash, seems to halve the risk of recurrence at 6 months. Future research should improve the brief psychological intervention and its access via a mobile application or few hours in high school or in a driving school given.

Auto-adjusted versus fixed positive airway pressure in patients with severe OSA: A large randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in the treatment of severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) can be used in fixed CPAP or auto-adjusted (APAP) mode. The aim of this prospective randomized controlled clinical study was to evaluate the 3 month-efficacy of CPAP used either in fixed CPAP or APAP mode. METHODS: Eight hundred one patients with severe OSA were included in twenty-two French centres. After 7 days during which all patients were treated with APAP to determine the effective pressure level and its variability, 353 and 351 patients were respectively randomized in the fixed CPAP group and APAP group. After 3 months of treatment, 308 patients in each group were analysed. RESULTS: There was no difference between the two groups in terms of efficacy whatever the level of efficient pressure and pressure variability (p = 0.41). Exactly, 219 of 308 patients (71.1%) in the fixed CPAP group and 212 of 308 (68.8%) in the APAP group (p = 0.49) demonstrated residual apnoea hypopnoea index (AHI) <10/h and Epworth Score <11. Tolerance and adherence were also identical with a similar effect on quality of life and blood pressure evaluation. CONCLUSION: The two CPAP modes, fixed CPAP and APAP, were equally effective and tolerated in severe OSA patients.

Circulating tumor DNA in unresectable pancreatic cancer is a strong predictor of first-line treatment efficacy: The KRASCIPANC prospective study.

BACKGROUND: There is no robust predictor of response to chemotherapy (CT) in unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinomas (UPA). The objective of the KRASCIPANC study was to analyze the kinetics of cell-free DNA (cfDNA)/circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a predictor of response to CT in UPA. METHODS: Blood samples were collected just before first CT and at day 28. The primary endpoint was the kinetics of KRAS-mutated ctDNA by digital droplet PCR between D0 and D28 as a predictor of progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: We analyzed 65 patients with a KRAS-mutated tumor. A high level of cfDNA and KRAS-mutated ctDNA at D0, as well as the presence of KRAS-mutated ctDNA at D28, were strongly associated with lower centralized disease control rate (cDCR), shorter cPFS and OS in multivariate analysis. A score combining cfDNA level at diagnosis ≥ or <30 ng/mL and presence or not of KRAS-mutated ctDNA at D28 was an optimal predictor of cDCR (OR=30.7, IC95% 4.31-218 P=.001), PFS (HR=6.79, IC95% 2.76-16.7, P<.001) and OS (HR=9.98, IC95% 4.14-24.1, P<.001). CONCLUSION: A combined score using cfDNA level at diagnosis and KRAS-mutated ctDNA at D28 is strongly associated with patient survival/response to chemotherapy in UPA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04560270.

Evaluation of External Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation to Prevent Cerebral Vasospasm after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Due to Aneurysmal Rupture: A Randomized, Double-Blind Proof-of-Concept Pilot Trial (TRIVASOSTIM Study).

Cerebral vasospasm remains the most frequent and devastating complication after subarachnoid aneurysmal hemorrhage because of secondary cerebral ischemia and its sequelae. The underlying pathophysiology involves vasodilator peptide release (such as CGRP) and nitric oxide depletion at the level of the precapillary sphincters of the cerebral (internal carotid artery network) and dural (external carotid artery network) arteries, which are both innervated by craniofacial autonomic afferents and tightly connected to the trigeminal nerve and trigemino-cervical nucleus complex. We hypothesized that trigeminal nerve modulation could influence the cerebral flow of this vascular network through a sympatholytic effect and decrease the occurrence of vasospasm and its consequences. We conducted a prospective double-blind, randomized controlled pilot trial to compare the effect of 10 days of transcutaneous electrical trigeminal nerve stimulation vs. sham stimulation on cerebral infarction occurrence at 3 months. Sixty patients treated for aneurysmal SAH (World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies scale between 1 and 4) were included. We compared the radiological incidence of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 3 months in moderate and severe vasospasm patients receiving trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS group) vs. sham stimulation (sham group). Our primary endpoint (the infarction rate at the 3-month follow-up) did not significantly differ between the two groups (p = 0.99). Vasospasm-related infarctions were present in seven patients (23%) in the TNS group and eight patients (27%) in the sham group. Ultimately, we were not able to show that TNS can decrease the rate of cerebral infarction secondary to vasospasm occurrence. As a result, it would be premature to promote trigeminal system neurostimulation in this context. This concept should be the subject of further research.

Progression of myopia in teenagers and adults: a nationwide longitudinal study of a prevalent cohort.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of myopia is increasing worldwide. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the progression of myopia in teenagers and adults in France. METHODS: This nationwide prospective study followed 630 487 myopic adults and teenagers (mean age 43.4 years±18.2, 59.8% of women) between January 2013 and January 2019. Myopia and high myopia were defined as a spherical equivalent less than or equal to -0.50 and -6.00 diopters (D), respectively. Demographic data were collected at first visit and refractive characteristics were collected at each visit. Analysis of short-term progression (first 12 to 26 months postbaseline) was modelled using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Progression of myopia was stratified according to age, gender and spherical equivalent at first visit. RESULTS: Higher proportions of progressors were observed in the youngest age groups: 14-15 (18.2 %) and 16-17 years old (13.9 %). In multivariate analysis, after adjustment for over age, spherical equivalent and gender, the mean short-term progression decreased from -0.36 D in the 14-15 years age group to -0.13 D in the 28-29 years age group. Young age and higher myopia at baseline together were strongly associated with the risk of developing high myopia, the 5-year cumulative risk being 76% for youngest teenager with higher myopia status at baseline. CONCLUSION: In this large cohort of myopic teenagers and adults, myopia progression was reported in 18.2% and 13.9% of the 14-15 and 16-17 age groups, respectively. The risk to develop high myopia was higher for younger individuals with higher myopia at baseline examination.

Familial colonoscopic screening: how do French general practitioners deal with patients and their high-risk relatives. A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Screening of colorectal cancer (CRC) can reduce incidence and mortality. First-degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with CRC or advanced adenoma before the age of 65 (index patients) are at increased risk of CRC; however, the guidelines for screening of FDRs by colonoscopy are poorly followed. OBJECTIVES: The present study, conducted in the context of the COLOR3 interventional study project, aimed to explore the positioning of general practitioners (GPs) in familial CRC screening in France. METHODS: From February 2020 to April 2021, 35 semi-structured interviews with GPs of index patients and/or their FDRs were conducted by telephone. The full-data transcribed corpus was subjected to horizontal thematic analysis. RESULTS: Knowledge and compliance with the guidelines vary greatly between GPs. Although initiating the diagnostic process, GPs do not consider themselves as actors in the flow of information concerning familial risk. Their accompaniment of index patients in this role varies. GPs should overcome barriers to implementing colonoscopic screening for FDRs. They underline the importance of exploring family history, but they lack the time and doubt the reliability of the information given by FDRs. CONCLUSION: Challenges include circumventing gaps in knowledge, adherence to guidelines and improving family history updates. The GPs interviewed suggested personalised guidelines in specialists' reports to initiate information campaigns raising awareness of familial risk, and to enhance coordination between organised screening and familial screening.

Accuracy of a CT density threshold enhancement to identify pancreatic parenchyma necrosis in acute pancreatitis during the first week.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify attenuation threshold value on computed tomography (CT) that allowed discriminating between interstitial edematous pancreatitis (IEP) and necrotizing pancreatitis (NP) in patients with acute pancreatitis during the first week of the disease and evaluate interobserver reproducibility for the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis category. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with acute pancreatitis who underwent CT examination of the abdomen between March 2015 and December 2019 were retrospectively included. Actual diagnosis of IEP or NP was based on final clinical report, follow-up evaluation, and complications. Six regions of interest were manually placed in the pancreatic gland and peripancreatic fat, and differences in CT attenuation values before contrast injection and during the portal venous phase of enhancement were computed. Performance in the diagnosis of AP category was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic analysis. Interobserver agreement was estimated by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland Altman analysis was used to estimate reproducibility between pairs of observers. RESULTS: Sixty-six patients with NP (46 men, 20 women; mean age, 55 ± 17 [SD] years; age range: 20-89 years) and 70 patients with IEP (39 men, 31 women; mean age, 54 ± 18 [SD] years; age range: 21-87 years) were included. An enhancement value less than 30 Hounsfield units (HU) in the pancreatic gland during the portal phase compared to non-contrast phase, yielded 90.9% sensitivity (60/66; 95% CI: 81.3-96.6), 94.3% specificity (66/70; 95% CI: 86.0-98.4) and an area under curve of 0.958 (95% CI: 0.919-0.996) for the diagnosis of NP versus IEP. Interobserver reproducibility for pancreas enhancement was good using Bland Altman plot and ICC was excellent for pancreatic gland analysis (ICC 0.978; 95% CI: 0.961-0.988) but poor or moderate (ICC ≤0.634) regarding peripancreatic fat necrosis. CONCLUSION: By using a pancreas enhancement threshold value of 30 HU, CT is accurate and reproducible for the diagnosis of NP during the first week of the disease.

Progression of myopia in children and teenagers: a nationwide longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Data on myopia prevalence and progression in European children are sparse. The aim of this work was to evaluate the progression of myopia in children and teenagers in a large prospective study. METHODS: A prospective study involving a nationwide cohort. Myopia was defined as a spherical equivalent (SE) of ≤ -0.50 diopters (D). Data on refractive error, gender and age were collected in 696 optical centres in France between 2013 and 2019, including 136 333 children (4-17 years old) in the analysis.Progression of myopia was assessed between the first visit and the last visit over up to 6.5 years. RESULTS: Mean age was 11.3±3.8 years (55.0% of female). The proportion of children progressing more than -0.50 D per year was higher in age groups 7-9 years and 10-12 years and in children with SE ≤ -4.00 D at first visit, representing 33.1%, 29.4% and 30.0% of these groups, respectively. In multivariate analysis, progression during the first 11-24 months was higher in the 7-9 and 10-12 age groups (-0.43 D and -0.42 D, respectively), for higher SE at baseline (at least -0.33 D for SE ≤ -1 D) and for girls (-0.35 D). CONCLUSION: This is the first French epidemiological study to investigate myopia progression in a large-scale cohort of children. Sex, age groups and myopia severity are associated with differing rates of progression.

Does branched-chain amino acid supplementation improve pulmonary rehabilitation effect in COPD?

BACKGROUND: Muscle wasting is frequent in chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) and associated with low branched-chain amino acids (BCAA). We hypothesized that BCAA supplementation could potentiate the effect of a pulmonary rehabilitation program (PRP) by inducing muscular change. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty COPD patients (GOLD 2-3) were involved in an ambulatory 4-week PRP either with BCAA oral daily supplementation or placebo daily supplementation in a randomized double-blind design. Maximal exercise test including quadriceps oxygenation measurements, functional exercise test, muscle strength, lung function tests, body composition, dyspnea and quality of life were assessed before and after PRP. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients (64.9 ± 8.3 years) completed the protocol. In both groups, maximal exercise capacity, functional and muscle performances, quality of life and dyspnea were improved after 4-week PRP (p ≤ 0.01). Changes in muscle oxygenation during the maximal exercise and recovery period were not modified after 4-week PRP in BCAA group. Contrarily, in the placebo group the muscle oxygenation kinetic of recovery was slowed down after PRP. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that a 4-week PRP with BCAA supplementation is not more beneficial than PRP alone for patients. A longer duration of supplementation or a more precise targeting of patients would need to be investigated to validate an effect on muscle recovery and to demonstrate other beneficial effects.

Perceptions, professional responsibility and management experiences of patients with alcohol, tobacco and opioid use disorder by residents in general practice and teaching general practitioners.

BACKGROUND: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are based on pathophysiological mechanisms common to all psychoactive substances. However, general practitioners (GPs) hold different views depending on the substance in question. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the perceptions that teaching GPs and final-year residents in general practice have of patients with a SUD vary according to the substance involved and explore their professional responsibility and management experiences. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was carried out by asking residents and teaching GPs from eight faculties of medicine about their perceptions, professional responsibility and management experience of patients with tobacco, alcohol and opioid use disorders, using an online questionnaire between June and September 2017. RESULTS: The responses of 238 teaching GPs (mean age 50 years SD 3.5; 58% men) and 327 residents (mean age 28 years SD 9.9; 67% women) were analysed (response rates: 9 and 15% respectively). Tobacco smokers were considered to be more responsible for their acts than the other users. Teaching GPs and residents considered that it was their responsibility to discuss substance use. They did not feel able to manage alcohol and opioid use disorders. Tobacco cessation was mainly managed alone (78%). The results were quite similar among teaching GPs and residents. CONCLUSION: The majority of practitioners had no difficulty managing smoking cessation. During the management of alcohol and particularly opioid use disorders, practitioners did not feel competent. The gap between their perceived responsibility and competencies should be addressed by training and promoting collaborative care.

Effectiveness of CT-guided epidural infiltration of steroids and local anesthetics for acute and chronic herpes zoster neuralgia.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and complication rate of computed tomography (CT)-guided epidural injection of steroids and local anesthetics for pain relief in patients with neuralgia due to acute or chronic herpes zoster (HZ). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective study was conducted from April 2017 to February 2019 including patients with HZ neuralgia (HZN) at any stage (acute or chronic, the latter being defined as pain lasting more than 3 months and also called post herpetic neuralgia [PHN]). The sensory ganglion of the affected dermatome and/or the affected sensory nerve was targeted under CT-guidance and local injection of a mixture of two vials of methylprednisolone 40mg/mL and 2mL of Lidocaine 1% was performed. Using a visual analogue scale (VAS, 0 to 10), pain was assessed prior to the procedure, and at day 7, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months. Adverse effects were graded according to the Society of Interventional Radiology classification. RESULTS: Twenty patients were included. There were 9 men and 11 women with a mean age of 67±13.9 (SD) years (range: 27-83 years). Of these, 14 patients had acute HZN and 6 had PHN. Mean VAS at baseline was 8.1±1.2 (SD) (range: 6-10) with significant decrease (P<0.0001) at day 7 (3.4±3.2 [SD]; range: 0-10), day 30 (3.4±3.2 [SD]; range: 0-9), day 90 (2.9±3.2 [SD]; range: 0-9), and day 180 (2.5±3.1 [SD]; range: 0-9). Infiltrations were significantly more effective on acute HZN than on PHN (P<0.001) and required significantly fewer infiltrations for pain relef (P=0.002). Only one grade A adverse event was reported. CONCLUSION: Epidural injection of a mixture of steroids and local anesthetics under CT-guidance is effective on HZN with a persisting effect over 6 months.

Self-reported visual difficulties in Europe and related factors: a European population-based cross-sectional survey.

PURPOSE: There is a relative paucity of self-reported vision problems data in European countries. METHODS: In this context, we investigated self-reported vision problems through European Health Interview Survey 2, a cross-sectional European population survey based on a standardized questionnaire including 147 medical, demographic and socioeconomic variables applied to non-institutionalized individuals aged 15 years or more in 28 European countries, in addition to Iceland and Norway. RESULTS: The survey included 311 386 individuals (54.18% women), with overall crude prevalence of self-reported vision problems of 2.07% [95% CI; 2.01-2.14]. Among them, 1.70 % [1.61-1.78] of men, 2.41% [2.31-2.51] of women and 4.71% [4.53-4.89] of individuals aged 60 or more reported to have a lot of vision problems or to be not able to see. The frequency of self-reported vision problems was the highest in Eastern European countries with values of 2.43% [2.30-2.56]. In multivariate analyses, limiting long-standing illness, depression, daily smoking, lack of physical activity, lower educational level and social isolation were associated with self-reported vision problems with ORs of 2.66 [2.42-2.92], 2.16 [2.01-2.32], 1.11 [1.01-1.23], 1.31 [1.21-1.42], 1.29 [1.19-1.40] and 1.45 [1.26-1.67], respectively, while higher income was associated with less self-reported vision problems with OR of 0.80 [0.73-0.86]. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated inequalities in terms of prevalence of self-reported vision problems in Europe, with higher prevalence in Eastern European countries and among women and older individuals.

How Should we Use Multicolumn Spinal Cord Stimulation to Optimize Back Pain Spatial Neural Targeting? A Prospective, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial (ESTIMET Study).

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have highlighted multicolumn spinal cord stimulation (SCS) efficacy, hypothesizing that optimized spatial neural targeting provided by new-generation SCS lead design or its multicolumn programming abilities could represent an opportunity to better address chronic back pain (BP). OBJECTIVE: To compare multicolumn vs. monocolumn programming on clinical outcomes of refractory postoperative chronic BP patients implanted with SCS using multicolumn surgical lead. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve centers included 115 patients in a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. After randomization, leads were programmed using only one or several columns. The primary outcome was change in BP visual analogic scale (VAS) at six months. All patients were then programmed using the full potential of the lead up until 12-months follow-up. RESULTS: At six months, there was no significant difference in clinical outcomes whether the SCS was programmed using a mono or a multicolumn program. At 12 months, in all patients having been receiving multicolumn SCS for at least six months (n = 97), VAS decreases were significant for global pain (45.1%), leg pain (55.8%), and BP (41.5%) compared with baseline (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The ESTIMET study confirms the significant benefit experienced on chronic BP by patients implanted with multicolumn SCS, independently from multicolumn lead programming. These good clinical outcomes might result from the specific architecture of the multicolumn lead, giving the opportunity to select initially the best column on a multicolumn grid and to optimize neural targeting with low-energy requirements. However, involving more columns than one does not appear necessary, once initial spatial targeting of the "sweet spot" has been achieved. Our findings suggest that this spatial concept could also be transposed to cylindrical leads, which have drastically improved their capability to shape the electrical field, and might be combined with temporal resolution using SCS new modalities.

Alexithymia in Alzheimer's Disease.

Alexithymia is widely recognized as the inability to identify and express emotions. It is a construct which consists of four cognitive traits such as difficulty in identifying feelings, describing feelings to others, externally oriented thinking, and limited imaginative capacity. Several studies have linked alexithymia to cognitive functioning, observing greater alexithymia scores associated with poorer cognitive abilities. Despite Alzheimer's disease (AD) being a neurodegenerative pathology characterized by cognitive troubles from the early stages, associated to behavioral and emotional disturbances, very few investigations have studied the alexithymia in AD. These studies have shown that alexithymia scores-assessed with Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS)-were greater in AD patients than healthy participants. The objective of the study was to investigate if the alexithymia was present in patients with mild AD. We hypothesized that the AD group would show more alexithymia features than the control group. We evaluated 54 subjects, including 27 patients diagnosed with mild AD and 27 normal healthy controls, using the Shalling Sifneos Psychosomatic Scale (SSPS-R) and a neuropsychological test battery. Using non-parametric statistical analyses-Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney U tests-we observed that the SSPS-R scores were similar in the AD and control groups. All participants showed SSPS-R scores below to 10 points, which means no-alexithymia. We did not find significant correlations between SSPS-R scores and cognitive variables in both groups (p > 0.22), but we observed a negative association between name abilities and alexithymia, but it does not reach to significance (p = 0.07). However, a significant correlation between SSPS-R score and mood state, assessed using Zerssen Rating Scale, was found in both groups (p = 0.01). Because we did not find a significant difference in the alexithymia assessment between both subject groups, pot hoc analyses were computed for each item of the SSPS-R. We made comparisons of alexithymic responses percentages in each SSPS-R item between AD and control groups, using Fisher's test. We observed that AD patients produced more alexithymic responses in some items of SSPS-R test than the control group, particularly about difficulties to find the words to describe feelings, as well as difficulties of imagination capacity and externally oriented thinking. The present results do not confirm our hypothesis and they do not support the results of previous studies revealing great alexithymia in AD.

New Insights into Expression of Hormonal Receptors by Meningiomas.

OBJECTIVE: Meningiomas have a female predilection, which is even stronger for spinal than for intracranial meningiomas. The relationship between meningiomas and endogenous or exogenous sex hormones such as cyproterone acetate (CPA) is well documented, yet their underlying mechanism remains unknown. Clarification of the expression profile of hormonal receptors by meningiomas would help us to better understand their hormonal susceptibility. METHODS: We used tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry to determine the receptor status of the 3 main sex hormones: androgen (AR), estrogen, and progesterone (PR) in 30 intracranial meningiomas, 30 spinal meningiomas, and 30 meningiomas developed on CPA. RESULTS: AR status was positive in 73% of meningiomas in the intracranial group, 87% of meningiomas in the CPA group, and in all meningiomas in the spinal group. Estrogen status was positive in only 7% of meningiomas in the intracranial group and in only 3% of meningiomas in the CPA group but in 30% of meningiomas in the spinal group. PR status was positive in 90% of meningiomas in the intracranial group, in 97% of meningiomas in the CPA group, and in 87% of meningiomas in the spinal group. These specific hormonal receptor statuses based on immunoreactive score were reflected on staining intensities. Furthermore, AR and PR expression was correlated in each group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that intracranial meningiomas, spinal meningiomas, and meningiomas developed on CPA express specific hormonal receptor patterns. This result invites the scientific community to review the potential role of AR in the unbalanced sex ratio of meningiomas.

Prognostic value of Charlson Comorbidity Index in the elderly with a cardioverter defibrillator implantation.

BACKGROUND: Elderly patients are often underrepresented in implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) trials, and ICD implantation in patients ≥75 years consequently remains controversial. We aimed to evaluate mortality, appropriate ICD therapy rates and survival gain in an elderly population after risk stratification according to the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). METHODS: This monocentric retrospective study included elderly ICD patients ≥75 years. They were subdivided according to their CCI score into 3 categories (0-1, 2-3 or ≥4 points). Elderly patients were matched 1:2 with younger control ICD patients on gender, type of prevention (primary or secondary) and type of device (associated cardiac resynchronization therapy or not). RESULTS: Between January 2009 and July 2017, 121 elderly patients (mean age 78 ± 3; 83% male) matched with 242 controls (mean age 66 ± 5) were included. At 5 year follow-up after ICD implantation, overall survival was 78%, 57%, and 29% (P = 0.002) in the elderly with a CCI score of 0-1, 2-3 and ≥4 respectively, and 72% in controls. There was no significant difference regarding ICD appropriate therapy between the 3 subgroups despite a trend towards lower rates of therapy in CCI ≥ 4 points patients (34.2%, 39.7% and 22.8% respectively; P = 0.45). Median potential survival gain after an appropriate therapy was >5, 4.7 and 1.4 years, with a CCI score of 0-1, 2-3 and ≥4 respectively (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Elderly patients with CCI score ≥ 4 had the lowest survival after ICD implantation and little survival gain in case of appropriate defibrillator therapy. More than age alone, the burden of comorbidities assessed by the CCI could be helpful to better select elderly patients for ICD implantation.