In 2015, the ALICE Collaboration reported the first measurement of an excess in the yield of at very low transverse momentum ( ) in the forward rapidity region (2.5 < y < 4) in peripheral lead-lead ...(Pb-Pb) collisions at at the CERN LHC. The coherent photoproduction was proposed as the potential underlying physics mechanism. This is known to be the main production mechanism for low- production in ultra-peripheral collisions, which are dominated by electromagnetic interactions. However, the observation of a large effect in more central collisions that are dominated by the hadronic interactions was quite surprising. This article represents a proceeding contribution on the preliminary results from Pb-Pb collisions at shown in a poster during the National Congress of the French Physics Society in July 2019.
Objectives
Thanks to the success of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), HIV‐infected patients can have almost a normal life expectancy. This has resulted in an aging HIV‐infected population ...with other chronic comorbidities such as cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, and depression. Our hypothesis is that patients' perceptions of and attitudes towards their cART, which is perceived as crucial to their survival, differ from their beliefs about their co‐treatments, and this may have an impact on their medication adherence.
Methods
We used the French version of the Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire (BMQ‐f) to measure the perceptions of patients about their co‐treatments and the Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire for Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (BMQ‐HAART) to measure their beliefs about their cART in a representative sample (n = 150) of patients enrolled in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS) and followed at the Infectious Disease Service at the University Hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland. The survey was administered to all eligible patients by the order of their scheduled appointments at the end of their medical visit. The BMQ comprises two subscores: Specific‐Necessity (5 identical items in BMQ‐f and BMQ‐HAART) and Specific‐Concerns (also 5 identical items in BMQ‐f and BMQ‐HAART). The subscores were standardized by dividing the score scale by the number of questions in the scale, resulting in a range of responses between 1 (low) and 5 (high). Self‐reported medication adherence was measured using the SHCS Adherence Questionnaire (SHCS‐AQ). Adherence was defined as not missing any dose or missing one dose of the treatment in the past 4 weeks. Sociodemographic variables were retrieved by reviewing the SHCS database.
Results
A response rate of 73% (109 of 150) was achieved. A total of 105 patients were included in the analysis: their median age was 56 interquartile range (IQR) 51, 63 years and 74 were male (70%). Eighty‐seven patients (83%) were adherent to cART and 75 (71%) were adherent to their co‐treatments (P = 0.0001). The standardized mean responses for the BMQ Specific‐Necessity subscores were 4.46 standard deviation (SD): 0.58 and 2.86 (SD: 1.02) for cART and co‐treatments, respectively (P < 0.0001). For Specific‐Concerns, the standardized mean responses were 2.9 (SD: 1.02) for cART and 4.09 (SD: 1.02) (P < 0.0001) for co‐treatments. cART and co‐treatment concerns increased as the number of co‐treatments increased (P = 0.03 and P < 0.0001, respectively).
Conclusions
Patients had higher Necessity and lower Concerns scores for their cART in comparison with their co‐treatments. A higher percentage of patients reported being adherent to cART compared with the co‐treatments that they reported they were most likely to miss. Further research using a bigger sample size and more objective measures of adherence is needed to explore the association between adherence and patients' perceptions.
Objectives
Simplification of antiretroviral therapy enhances a patient's adherence but a new formulation could also lead to new adverse events and changes in daily routine. This study compared ...medication adherence, tolerance and satisfaction among subjects switching from a two‐tablet tenofovir/emtricitabine/efavirenz regimen to a one‐tablet regimen.
Methods
Clinical and sociodemographic data were collected and three surveys were administered at month 0 (=switch), and then 1 and 4–6 months after the switch: the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire, the HIV‐symptom index questionnaire, the Short HIV Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS) two‐item adherence questionnaire, and a questionnaire on daily combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) management. Medication adherence of a subgroup of subjects was routinely monitored using an electronic device (MEMS™).
Results
Eighty‐eight subjects gave informed consent to participate in the study. The subjects’ back‐switch rate was 7% (six of 88). Subjects who did not back‐switch preferred the one‐tablet regimen (median = 2; IQR = 1.3–2.5; on a −3 to 3 scale), but no change in adherence was found (10 of 46 nonadherent subjects; P = 1.00). The perception of treatment necessity score decreased (P = 0.004), the efavirenz blood level increased (14%; P = 0.04), and association/dissociation of cART with food intake evolved (P = 0.01) after the switch. Subjects listed equivalent numbers of symptoms during the three visits.
Conclusions
The one‐tablet regimen was preferred but the number of back‐switches was not negligible. The perception of treatment necessity score decreased with the simplification of the regimen from a two‐tablet to a one‐tablet formulation, which could negatively impact adherence. Switching is a sensitive time in a patient's treatment life and professionals should pay particular attention to patient's perceptions of treatment during such a transition.
OBJECTIVES: Despite significant improvements in the follow up of type 2 diabetes patients, Entred's latest results showed an insufficient level-of-control with 41% of patients with HbAlc over 7%. ...Pharmacists could play a beneficial role in patient adherence given their expertise and accessibility. The IPhODia study aims to assess the impact on adherence when community pharmacists provide specific information to patients. METHODS: The intervention consists in three different 30-minute-long interviews over a period of 6 months. TV/o groups of pharmacists have been randomized; one group providing patient interviews in addition to the usual drug delivery, the other group delivering drugs in the usual setting. Criteria of evaluation are the Medication Possession Ratio (MPR) and HbAlc level. RESULTS: In total, 182 pharmacists (91+91) recruited 553 patients (296+257). Patients' main characteristics are similar in both groups (mean age 66;58%male; 45%obese and about lOyears mean diabetes duration). Primary analysis was performed on 377 patients. MPR at baseline was very high and does not change at 6 or 12 months. Mean HbAlc levels significantly decreased after 6 months in the group of patients interviewed by pharmacists (n=160, Baseline 7.9% - 6 months 7.4%) versus the group that didn't have a pharmacy interview (n=162, Baseline 7.7% - 6 months 7.5%). (-0.5% - -0.2 %,(p=0.0035)). At 12 month, HbAlc levels continue to decrease in the group of patients interviewed by pharmacists (n=123, Baseline 7.9% -12 months 7.3%) versus the group without pharmacy interview (n=151, Baseline 7.8% -12 months 7.5%). (-0.6% - -0.2%,(p=0.0057).These results highlight the permanence of the intervention 6 months after it stops. CONCLUSIONS: 12 months results show the persistence of the intervention as HbAlc levels continue to decrease significantly in the group with pharmacist interviews. In total, after a period of one year, 0.6% of HbA1c reduction from baseline has been achieved in the intervention group.
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