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Objectives To compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) between patients with localised prostate cancer in an active surveillance (AS) group and a radical prostatectomy (RP) group, as evidence shows that both groups have similar oncological outcomes. Thus, comparative findings on the patients' HRQOL are becoming even more important to allow for informed treatment decision-making. Patients and methods The Hormonal therapy, Active Surveillance, Radiation, Operation, Watchful Waiting (HAROW) study is a prospective, observational study designed to collect data for different treatment options for newly diagnosed patients with localised prostate cancer under real-life conditions. At 6-month intervals, clinical data (D'Amico risk categories, Charlson Comorbidity Index) and HRQOL (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire 30-item core questionnaire) were collected. Data were analysed by longitudinal multilevel analysis for patients with localised prostate cancer under AS and RP. Results Data from 961 patients (556 RP, 405 AS) were considered. The follow-up was 3.5 years (median 2 years). The results reveal significant, but not clinically relevant advantages for patients with low-risk prostate cancer managed with AS in contrast to RP concerning global HRQOL as well as role, emotional and social functioning over time, after controlling for age, comorbidities, and partnership status. In some, but not all HRQOL scales, RP patients start with a slightly lower HRQOL and recover up to the level of AS patients within 1-2 years after diagnosis. Conclusion HRQOL is an important aspect in the decision-making and advising process for patients with prostate cancer. In many aspects of HRQOL, AS is associated with more favourable outcomes than RP within the first 1-2 years after diagnosis in our observational design, although the differences were not clinically significant. The result that HRQOL in AS patients is at least as high as in RP patients should be considered when advising patients about the different treatment options for low-risk localised prostate cancer.

We present a strategy to forecast and assess customer behavior in the field of e-commerce. Starting point is the assignment of all actors in a market to an exhaustive set of potentially accessible users. Usually, only a small part of this set belongs to real customers in the context of commercial transactions. The user information generated by arbitrary online-interaction is much more voluminous than the customer data collected. Typical customer profiles – regular customers as well as change customers and churners – can be generalized to corresponding user profiles. However customer data is much better structured than the naturally granular, heterogeneous and often incomplete data of arbitrary users. These users cannot be connected in a simple way with standardized monetary indicators like the customer lifetime value (CLV). In consequence an effective exploitation of unstructured user data requires explorative and descriptive methods of correction and classification as well as statistical limitations arising from the heterogeneity of the data. As a clear focus the mean- and short-term user identification in the context of an effective classification is discussed. The main goal is to improve the representation and description of customer journeys together with an effect analysis of marketing activities. The traceable “journey” of all users hardly differs. Nevertheless, it might be the main base for decisions about general marketing campaigns and individual offers. Robust inferences on the base of many short-term user steps are an important goal. In this contribution, a case study of an online short break internet platform serves as an example.

How can predictive analysis of customer data be used to identity the decrease or increase of customer activity over time during the product search and the booking process? Another question that arises in this context is how many data is necessary to carry out a reliable analysis? We present a case study from an European travel website based on a session history of 15 months only here only a small part of the customers are known to the website and where a huge number of users regularly delete their browser histories. We focus on the analysis of the users' web traffic while visiting the booking platform. Based on a classification algorithm we identify the non-contractual customers who are mostly anonymous to the website, and investigate the short-term customer activity with respect to customer churn on a more microscopic level.

Objectives To examine whether patient–physician communication is associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a sample of patients with localised prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP). Patients and methods HAROW (Hormonal therapy, Active Surveillance, Radiation, Operation, Watchful Waiting) is a prospective, observational study designed to collect data of the different treatment options for newly diagnosed patients with localised prostate cancer under real-life conditions. At 6-months intervals, clinical data (D'Amico risk categories, Charlson comorbidity index), aspects of patient–provider communication (standardised psychosocial-care instrument for patients’ assessment of communication; Cologne Patient Questionnaire), and HRQoL (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire) were assessed. Data were analysed by longitudinal multilevel analysis. Results Completed questionnaires for 1772 patients undergoing a RP were analysed over a 3-year follow-up period. Patients rated the patient-provider communication generally high with slight variations over the course of treatment (3.2–3.8). The HRQoL of the patients varied substantial over time and between the reported subscales (global HRQoL 71.1–77.2; physical functioning 89.1–92.1; role functioning 81.0–88.1; emotional functioning 74.4–84.0; cognitive functioning 84.3–87.7; social functioning (77.7–84.0). The longitudinal multilevel models showed significant associations between patient–provider communication in terms of devotion, support and shared decision-making, and functional aspects of HRQoL. Conclusion Patient–provider communication is a valuable resource to support patients with prostate cancer coping with the disease and to improve their HRQoL. Future interventions should be designed especially for urologists to enhance their awareness for the importance of communication and the relationship with their patients with prostate cancer for treatment outcomes.

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Background: Previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses explaining the relationship between carbohydrate quality and health have usually examined a single marker and a limited number of clinical outcomes. We aimed to more precisely quantify the predictive potential of several markers, to determine which markers are most useful, and to establish an evidence base for quantitative recommendations for intakes of dietary fibre. Methods: We did a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of prospective studies published from database inception to April 30, 2017, and randomised controlled trials published from database inception to Feb 28, 2018, which reported on indicators of carbohydrate quality and non-communicable disease incidence, mortality, and risk factors. Studies were identified by searches in PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and by hand searching of previous publications. We excluded prospective studies and trials reporting on participants with a chronic disease, and weight loss trials or trials involving supplements. Searches, data extraction, and bias assessment were duplicated independently. Robustness of pooled estimates from random-effects models was considered with sensitivity analyses, meta-regression, dose-response testing, and subgroup analyses. The GRADE approach was used to assess quality of evidence. Findings: Just under 135 million person-years of data from 185 prospective studies and 58 clinical trials with 4635 adult participants were included in the analyses. Observational data suggest a 15–30% decrease in all-cause and cardiovascular related mortality, and incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke incidence and mortality, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer when comparing the highest dietary fibre consumers with the lowest consumers Clinical trials show significantly lower bodyweight, systolic blood pressure, and total cholesterol when comparing higher with lower intakes of dietary fibre. Risk reduction associated with a range of critical outcomes was greatest when daily intake of dietary fibre was between 25 g and 29 g. Dose-response curves suggested that higher intakes of dietary fibre could confer even greater benefit to protect against cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal and breast cancer. Similar findings for whole grain intake were observed. Smaller or no risk reductions were found with the observational data when comparing the effects of diets characterised by low rather than higher glycaemic index or load. The certainty of evidence for relationships between carbohydrate quality and critical outcomes was graded as moderate for dietary fibre, low to moderate for whole grains, and low to very low for dietary glycaemic index and glycaemic load. Data relating to other dietary exposures are scarce. Interpretation: Findings from prospective studies and clinical trials associated with relatively high intakes of dietary fibre and whole grains were complementary, and striking dose-response evidence indicates that the relationships to several non-communicable diseases could be causal. Implementation of recommendations to increase dietary fibre intake and to replace refined grains with whole grains is expected to benefit human health. A major strength of the study was the ability to examine key indicators of carbohydrate quality in relation to a range of non-communicable disease outcomes from cohort studies and randomised trials in a single study. Our findings are limited to risk reduction in the population at large rather than those with chronic disease. Funding: Health Research Council of New Zealand, WHO, Riddet Centre of Research Excellence, Healthier Lives National Science Challenge, University of Otago, and the Otago Southland Diabetes Research Trust.