Search

Background and purpose: Essential tremor (ET) is one of the most common neurological disorders, but information on treatment pattern is still scant. The aim of this study was to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and determinants of drug use in patients with newly diagnosed ET in France and the United Kingdom. Methods: Incident cases of ET diagnosed between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018 with 2 years of follow‐up were identified by using The Health Improvement Network (THIN®) general practice database. During the follow‐up, we assessed the daily prevalence of use and potential switches from first‐line to second‐line treatment or other lines of treatment. Logistic regression models were conducted to assess the effect of demographic and clinical characteristics on the likelihood of receiving ET treatment. Results: A total of 2957 and 3249 patients were selected in the United Kingdom and France, respectively. Among ET patients, drug use increased from 12 months to 1 month prior the date of index diagnosis (ID). After ID, nearly 40% of patients received at least one ET treatment, but during follow‐up drug use decreased and at the end of the follow‐up approximately 20% of patients were still on treatment. Among treated patients, ≤10% maintained the same treatment throughout the entire follow‐up, nearly 20% switched, and 40%–75% interrupted any treatment. Results from the multivariate analysis revealed that, both in France and the United Kingdom, patients receiving multiple concomitant therapies and affected by psychiatric conditions were more likely to receive an ET medication. Conclusion: This study shows that ET is an undertreated disease with a lower‐than‐expected number of patients receiving and maintaining pharmacological treatment. Misclassification of ET diagnosis should be acknowledged; thus, results require cautious interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To compare antibiotic sales in eight high-income countries using the 2019 World Health Organization (WHO) Access, Watch and Reserve (AWaRe) classification and the target of 60% consumption of Access category antibiotics. Methods We analysed data from a commercial database of sales of systemic antibiotics in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and United States of America over the years 2013--2018. We classified antibiotics according to the 2019 AWaRe categories: Access, Watch, Reserve and Not Recommended. We measured antibiotic sales per capita in standard units (SU) per capita and calculated Access group sales as a percentage of total antibiotic sales. Findings In 2018, per capita antibiotic sales ranged from 7.4 SU (Switzerland) to 20.0 SU (France); median sales of Access group antibiotics were 10.9 SU per capita (range: 3.5--15.0). Per capita sales declined moderately over 2013--2018. The median percentage of Access group antibiotics was 68% (range: 22-77 %); the Access group proportion increased in most countries between 2013 and 2018. Five countries exceeded the 60% target; two countries narrowly missed it (> 55% in Germany and Italy). Sales of Access antibiotics in Japan were low (22%), driven by relatively high sales of oral cephalosporins and macrolides. Conclusion We have identified changes to prescribing that could allow countries to achieve the WHO target. The 60% Access group target provides a framework to inform national antibiotic policies and could be complemented by absolute measures and more ambitious values in specific settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current context of globalization, firms have concentrated their efforts on the development of international brands. As a result, international brand portfolios have been restructured, and many successful local brands have been eliminated. This article's objective is to improve the understanding of local brand differences and competitive advantages relative to international brands. To achieve this, the authors reanalyzed the Young & Rubicam database Brand Asset Valuator and examined more than 744 brands across the four largest countries in Europe: the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy. The authors discuss the managerial implications of the findings for international marketers as they develop their ideal international brand portfolios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS), comprising high waist circumference, blood pressure, glycemia, and triglycerides, and lower HDL cholesterol could in part be prevented by adequate nutrition. Nutrient profiling systems could be useful public health tools to help consumers make healthier food choices. An individual dietary index (DI) based on nutrient profiling of foods consumed could characterize dietary patterns in relation to the onset of MetS.Objective: The objective of this study was to prospectively investigate the association between the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Nutrient Profiling System (NPS) DI and the onset of MetS in a middle-aged French cohort.Methods: Participants from the SUpplémentation en VItamines et Minéraux AntioXydants cohort (SU.VI.MAX, n = 3741) were included in the present study. The FSA NPS DI was computed by using dietary data from 24 h records at inclusion. MetS was identified at baseline and at year 13 of follow-up with the use of self-reported medication, data from clinical investigations, and biological measurements. A prospective association between the FSA NPS DI (in quartiles and continuous) and the onset of MetS was investigated by using logistic regression.Results: Poorer diets identified with the use of the FSA NPS DI were significantly associated with a higher risk of developing MetS (OR for poorer vs. healthier FSA NPS DI: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.89; P-trend across quartiles = 0.02). The FSA NPS DI was significantly associated with the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) components of MetS (difference between healthier vs. poorer FSA NPS DI: 2.16 mm Hg for SBP and 1.5 mm Hg for DBP, P-trend across quartiles = 0.02).Conclusion: The FSA NPS DI was prospectively associated with the onset of MetS in a middle-aged French population. The application of NPSs in public health initiatives may help the population make healthier food choices, which might reduce the risk of developing MetS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Seven Countries Study in the 1960s showed very low mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) in Japan, which was attributed to very low levels of total cholesterol. Studies of migrant Japanese to the USA in the 1970s documented increase in CHD rates, thus CHD mortality in Japan was expected to increase as their lifestyle became Westernized, yet CHD mortality has continued to decline since 1970. This study describes trends in CHD mortality and its risk factors since 1980 in Japan, contrasting those in other selected developed countries.Methods: We selected Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USA. CHD mortality between 1980 and 2007 was obtained from WHO Statistical Information System. National data on traditional risk factors during the same period were obtained from literature and national surveys.Results: Age-adjusted CHD mortality continuously declined between 1980 and 2007 in all these countries. The decline was accompanied by a constant fall in total cholesterol except Japan where total cholesterol continuously rose. In the birth cohort of individuals currently aged 50-69 years, levels of total cholesterol have been higher in Japan than in the USA, yet CHD mortality in Japan remained the lowest: >67% lower in men and > 75% lower in women compared with the USA. The direction and magnitude of changes in other risk factors were generally similar between Japan and the other countries.Conclusions: Decline in CHD mortality despite a continuous rise in total cholesterol is unique. The observation may suggest some protective factors unique to Japanese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several commentators have identified the lack of generalisability and transferability of economic evaluation results. The aims of this study were: (a) to develop a checklist to assess the level of generalisability and transferability of economic evaluations; (b) to assess the generalisability and transferability of economic evaluations between the UK and France using the checklist; (c) to identify reasons for any lack of transferability and generalisability; (d) to assess how the transferability and generalisability of economic evaluations can be improved; and (e) to outline ways in which databases of economic evaluations and journals can assist in this area. The checklist was developed using previous work and the templates of the NHS EED and CODECS databases. A sub-checklist of essential items was then derived. Validation of the two checklists was undertaken with Health Economists participating in the EURONHEED project. Economic evaluations involving the UK and France were then located and assessed using the checklist. A summary score for each study was calculated based on the percentage of correctly reported (applicable) points, and the results in the empirical analysis compared to identify differences. The extended checklist includes 42 items, and the sub-checklist 16 items. Twenty-five economic evaluations met the inclusion criteria for the empirical analysis. In the extended checklist the mean score was 66.9±13.6%. The results for the sub-checklist were very similar. The analysis revealed that costing, assessments of generalisability by the author(s), assessment of data variability, discounting, study population, and the reporting of effectiveness are areas that need more attention. Differences in cost-effectiveness results are often accounted for by price or organisational differences. The developed checklists are useful in assessing the generalisability and transferability of economic evaluations. In order to improve the generalisability and transferability of economic evaluations authors need to be more explicit and detailed in describing and reporting their studies. If they are to provide added value to their users, international databases of economic evaluations should systematically assess the generalisability and transferability of studies. Further research is in progress on producing a weighted version of the checklist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a recommender system that, starting from a set of users' skills, identifies the most suitable jobs as they emerge from a large dataset of Online Job Vacancies (OJVs). To this aim, we process 2.5M+ OJVs posted in three different countries (United Kingdom, France, and Germany), training several embeddings and performing an intrinsic evaluation of their quality. Besides, we compute a measure of skill importance for each occupation in each country, the Revealed Comparative Advantage (rca). The best vector model, one for each country, together with the rca , is used to feed a graph database, which will serve as the keystone for the recommender system. Results are evaluated through a user study of 10 labor market experts, using P@3 and nDCG as scores. Results show a high precision for the recommendations provided by skills2job, and the high values of nDCG (0.985 and 0.984 in a [0,1] range) indicate a strong correlation between the experts' scores and the rankings generated by skills2job. • We explore labor market data using word embeddings and frequency measures accordance. • We organize those resources as a graph to perform graph-traversal queries. • We process 5M+ vacancies for ICT occupations in United Kingdom, Germany, and France. • We present skills2job, a system recommending the suitable occupations to the user. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glioblastomas (GB) are the most common and lethal primary brain tumors. Significant progress has been made toward identifying potential risk factors for GB and diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. However, the current standard of care for newly diagnosed GB, the Stupp protocol, has remained unchanged for over a decade. Large-scale translational programs based on a large clinicobiological database are required to improve our understanding of GB biology, potentially facilitating the development of personalized and specifically targeted therapies. With this goal in mind, a well-annotated clinicobiological database housing data and samples from GB patients has been set up in France: the French GB biobank (FGB).Methods: The biobank contains data and samples from adult GB patients from 24 centers in France providing written informed consent. Clinical and biomaterial data are stored in anonymized certified electronic case report forms. Biological samples (including frozen and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissues, blood samples, and hair) are conserved in certified biological resource centers or tumor tissue banks at each participating center.Results: Clinical data and biological materials have been collected for 1087 GB patients. A complete set of samples (tumor, blood and hair) is available for 66%, and at least one frozen tumor sample is available for 88% of the GB patients.Conclusions: This large biobank is unique in Europe and can support the large-scale translational projects required to improve GB care. Additional biological materials, such as peritumoral brain zone and fecal samples, will be collected in the future, to respond to research needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]