•The high frequencies of CFTR variants can be explained by a selective advantage for healthy carriers (4–6 % per generation).•Spreading of disease-causing allele carriers was accelerated towards the ...end of the 18th century.•The most widespread variant (F508del) is estimated to have appeared approximately 190 generations ago.
The French region of Brittany presents one of the highest cystic fibrosis (CF)-causing allele frequency in Europe. Here, we tested two hypotheses: i) CF-causing allele carriers arrived by sea in the middle of the 1st millennium AD, and ii) a selective advantage for healthy carriers explains this high rate.
From the census of cystic fibrosis patients, frequency maps of the most widespread alleles were established. A mathematical model was developed, based on birth date and place of the ancestors of these patients over 5 centuries, to determine the distribution of local migrations and their parameters for inter-generational intervals of 32 years. This model was applied to simulate the spread of CF-causing variant carriers, according to different scenarios that corresponded to the immigration of a given number of variant carriers at different times (year) and places, and to compare their results to current frequency maps.
Migrants carrying a CFTR variant settled in several locations, around which they spread, notably in Central Brittany (F508del variant), Léon (G551D variant) and Cornouaille (1078delT variant). Until the end of the 18th century, the spreading of disease-causing allele carriers was relatively slow, and allele frequencies progressively increased. Then, the mean migration distances increased rapidly, leading to a decline in local frequencies.
The main CFTR variants could only have reached their current frequencies through a selective advantage for healthy carriers of the order of 4–6 % at each generation. For the most widespread variant (F508del), the model supports the hypothesis that it appeared around 190 generations ago.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death globally. The current model of care for high-income countries involves preventive medication and highly trained healthcare professionals, ...which is expensive and not transposable to low-income countries. An innovative, effective approach adapted to limited human, technical, and financial resources is required. Measures to reduce CVD risk factors, including diet, are proven to be effective. The survey "Scaling-up Packages of Interventions for Cardiovascular disease prevention in selected sites in Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa" aims to develop non-pharmacological cardiovascular prevention and control programs in primary care and community settings in high, middle, and low-income countries. This review aims to identify the existing, validated dietary interventions for primary CVD prevention from national and international clinical guidelines that can be implemented in primary care and communities.
A systematic review of CVD prevention guidelines was conducted between September 2017 and March 2023 using the Turning Research Into Practice medical database, the Guidelines International Network, and a purposive search. The ADAPTE procedure was followed. Two researchers independently conducted the searches and appraisals. Guidelines published after 01/01/2012 addressing non-pharmacological, dietary interventions for primary CVD prevention or CVD risk factor management, in the adult general population in primary care or in community settings were included and appraised using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation II score. Individual dietary recommendations and the studies supporting them were extracted. Then supporting data about each specific dietary intervention were extracted into a matrix.
In total, 1375 guidelines were identified, of which 39 were included. From these, 383 recommendations, covering 10 CVD prevention themes were identified. From these recommendations, 165 studies for effective dietary interventions for CVD prevention were found. Among these, the DASH diet was the most effective on multiple CVD risk factors. Combining diet with other interventions such as exercise and smoking cessation increased efficacy. No guidelines provided detailed implementation strategies.
The DASH diet combined with other interventions was the most effective on an individual basis. However, expansion in the wider population seems difficult, without government support to implement regulations such as reducing salt content in processed food.
Clinical Trials NCT03886064.
The gambling industry has developed many types of gambling on Internet in recent years. Gambling is a social activity for a majority of the world population, but problem gambling (PG) can emerge. The ...trajectories of gamblers from initiation to PG development are influenced by many variables, including individual and environmental variables and also variables linked to the gambling characteristics. Marketing has been reported to influence gamblers' perceptions and behaviors, but this is not as clear for digital marketing. Digital gambling marketing is broad, ranging from the marketing of gambling websites to communication and advertising on the social media and networks. The objective of this article was to fill this gap by conducting a systematic literature review in order to answer the following questions: (1) What are the strategies of digital gambling marketing? (2) What is the effect of this exposure on gambling representations, intentions and practices?
A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines on Pubmed database (Medline) from February 2020 to March 2020 and Scopus. Existing papers published between January 2000 and February 2020 were identified by searching with this algorithm: ((("internet"MeSH Major Topic OR (communicationsAll Fields AND mediaAll Fields)) OR ("social media"MeSH Terms OR ("social"All Fields AND "media"All Fields) OR "social media"All Fields)) AND "gambling"MeSH Major Topic) AND ("marketing"MeSH Terms OR "marketing"All Fields), in title, keywords or abstract.
Ninety-one candidate studies were selected, 21 studies were selected for the systematic review. Sport appeared as a specific target of online gambling marketing. A growing range of platforms for online sport betting and the development of strategies on the social media were identified. Regarding content, a systematic association between sport and gambling was highlighted. Vulnerable populations, such as young people, appeared to be at high risk of exposure to gambling marketing.
Little data is available on the strategies of digital gambling marketing or on exposure to it. Sport could be the first target for future research to understand how the industry is targeting specific populations, and what influence these strategies could have on PG development.
ObjectivesTo explore care experiences in multidisciplinary primary healthcare centres from the patients, carers and healthcare professionals perspectives.DesignThis qualitative study used ...face-to-face, in-depth interviews and focus groups. Patients with multimorbidity monitored by a General Practitioner (GP) and another professional from the health centre were recruited through purposive sampling and included with their carer. They were interviewed together while professionals were interviewed separately. Verbatims were coded with subsequent blind analysis, using an inductive approach, to find aspects and features. The constant comparative method highlighted data consistencies and variations.ParticipantsTwenty-six patients, 23 family carers and 57 healthcare professionals.SettingFive multidisciplinary primary healthcare centres, in France, between March 2017 and December 2018.ResultsThis unique study grouped perspectives into nine core quality of primary care aspects: having accessible, available, and varied care; feeling welcome and enjoying comfortable, well-equipped, and clean premises; having quality medicotechnical care (medical knowledge and technical skills); having a reliable GP; receiving appropriate care from healthcare professionals other than the GP; maintaining an efficient relationship with healthcare professionals; benefiting from organised and coordinated care; being an informed, supported and involved patient; having an informed, supported and involved carer. New areas of interest include the multidisciplinary nature of the centres, appreciation of other professionals within the centre, medicotechnical dimensions of care and the carer’s role in maintaining patient autonomy.ConclusionsThis is the first study to interview patients and carers alongside healthcare professionals. This enhanced knowledge improves understanding of these aspects and can guide implementation of evaluation tools that truly reflect patient and carer needs and enable an efficient experience in terms of quality. To address deficiencies in existing questionnaires, the new perspectives found will be added to former aspects to create a comprehensive quality of primary care evaluation tool.Trial registration numberNCT02934711, Results.
Quality of care remains a priority issue and is correlated with patient experience. Measuring multidimensional patient primary care experiences in multiprofessional clinics requires a robust ...instrument. Although many exist, little is known about their quality.
To identify patient perception instruments in multiprofessional primary care and evaluate their quality.
Systematic review using Medline, Pascal, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, Cochrane, Scopus, and CAIRN. Eligible articles developed, evaluated, or validated 1 or more self-assessment instruments. The instruments had to measure primary care delivery, patient primary care experiences and assess at least 3 quality-of-care dimensions. The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist was used to assess methodological quality of included studies. Instrument measurement properties were appraised using 3 possible quality scores. Data were combined to provide best-evidence synthesis based on the number of studies, their methodological quality, measurement property appraisal, and result consistency. Subscales used to capture patient primary care experiences were extracted and grouped into the 9 Institute of Medicine dimensions.
Twenty-nine articles were found. The included instruments captured many subscales illustrating the diverse conceptualization of patient primary care experiences. No included instrument demonstrated adequate validity and the lack of scientific methodology for assessing reliability made interpreting validity questionable. No study evaluated instrument responsiveness.
Numerous patient self-assessment instruments were identified capturing a wide range of patient experiences, but their measurement properties were weak. Research is required to develop and validate a generic instrument for assessing quality of multiprofessional primary care.
Not applicable.
ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the positive factors related to working in general practice in France, from a student studying medicine, trainee general practitioner (GP) and GP point of ...view.SettingPrimary care, France.DesignNine different qualitative studies involving medical students, trainees and GPs.ParticipantsSixty-seven medical students, 22 trainees in general practice and 71 GPs.ResultsThe final codebook contained 66 interpretative codes and 8 positive themes. The themes were general practice as a commitment, doctor–patient care and relationships, skills and competencies in general practice, practice organisation and work–life balance, relationship with the professional community, GPs and university, GPs in the social community and private life, relatives and family. Positive feelings about being a GP are similar throughout the different age groups, from young students to older professionals.Discussion and conclusionThis study provided a comprehensive picture of the satisfied GP across different ages. This picture describes GPs as patient-centred professionals who need to have the freedom to choose an efficient working environment, organise their practice, have opportunities for professional development and acquire specific competencies. Both younger and older GPs believe in the future of general practice.
Opiate dependence affects about 15,479,000 people worldwide. The effectiveness of opiate substitution treatments (OST) has been widely demonstrated. Buprenorphine plays a particular role in opiate ...dependence care provision in France. It is widely prescribed by physicians and national opiate substitution treatment guidelines have been available since 2004. In order to study the prescribing of buprenorphine, we used a questionnaire sent by email, to a large sample of physicians. These physicians were either in practice, or belonged to an addiction treatment network or a hospital. The main objective of this work was to measure the extent to which the theoretical, clinical attitude of physicians towards prescribing buprenorphine (BHD) complied with the statutory guidelines. We showed that the physicians we interviewed rarely took into account the guidelines regarding buprenorphine prescription. The actual prescribing of Buprenorphine differed from the guidelines. Only 42% of independent Family Physicians (FPs), working outside the national health care system, had prescribed buprenorphine as a first-time prescription and 40% of FPs do not follow up patients on buprenorphine. In terms of compliance with the guidelines, 55% of FPs gave theoretical answers that only partially complied with the guidelines. The variations in compliance with the guidelines was noted according to different variables and took into particular account whether the physician were affiliated to a network or in training.
Alcohol use is a major public health challenge in France, where at the age of 17 half the young people report an episode of severe alcohol intoxication in the month preceding the survey. Numerous ...prevention programmes have a general objective, but in adolescence individual vulnerabilities towards addictions differ significantly with personality traits. Prevention targeting personality traits enables work on risk factors for addictive behaviours, and has shown genuine efficacy. Among existing programmes, PREVENTURE has shown an effect on the reduction in alcohol consumption by targeting four personality traits: impulsivity, sensation-seeking, negative thoughts and anxiety. This programme has been tested on samples recruited in adolescent populations in school environments, identifying adolescents at risk, but it has not been tested on a more targeted recruitment of adolescents seen in consultation.
The main hypothesis of this study is that the targeted prevention programme PREVENTURE will have an impact on the prevalence of binge-drinking episodes. The secondary hypotheses explore other factors such as associated substance use, anxiety and depression, as well as the acceptability of the programme. This article presents the study protocol of "PREVADO" study. We intend to assess the impact of the targeted intervention programme PREVENTURE on the prevalence of binge-drinking episodes among adolescents aged 14 to 17 years consulting in one of the participating centres or referred by a school doctor. The study will be prospective, randomised, controlled and open-label, and will comprise an intervention group and a control group. The adolescents will then be followed and assessed 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the intervention. The study needs to include 700 subjects in order to reach 340 adolescents randomised, 170 in each group. It will concern 33 centres.
This project could favour the targeting of addictive behaviours among vulnerable adolescents, and its application on a larger scale could be envisaged.
The Trial registration number is NCT04599270 , and it was registered on the ClinicalTrials.gov public website.
The Hopkins Symptom Checklist in 25 items (HSCL-25) helps to assess anxiety and depression in Primary Care. Anxiety and depression show considerable overlap in primary care. This self-administrated ...questionnaire is valid, reliable and ergonomic in the original US version. We have translated it into French. The aim of this study was to estimate the test characteristics of the HSCL-25, in its French version (F-HSCL-25), by comparing it to the Present State Examination-9 French version (F-PSE-9) and by determining its internal validity and dimensions.
Outpatients from three French General Practice settings (rural, semi-rural and urban) were recruited: approximately 20,000 outpatients among 17 GPs. Two groups were formed: F-HSCL-25 ≥1.75 and F-HSCL-25 <1.75. A validated cut-off score of > 1.75 was considered to indicate a clinically relevant level of symptoms of depression and anxiety. In order to obtain two balanced groups, a different method of randomization was chosen for each group. The F-PSE-9 was randomly administered to 1 in 2 patients in the F-HSCL-25 ≥1.75 group, and to 1 in 16 in the (much larger) F-HSCL-25 <1.75 group. The diagnostic performance was assessed and the test results obtained from both groups were compared with their F-PSE-9 results.
Of the 1126 patients who completed the F-HCL-25, 886 joined the F-HSCL-25 <1.75 group and 240 the F-HSCL-25 ≥1.75 group. The overall prevalence of depression, using the F-HSCL-25, was 21% in these medical practices. The diagnostic performance of the F-HSCL-25 versus the F-PSE-9, the external criteria were as follows: Positive Predictive Value (PPV) 69.8%, Negative Predictive Value (NPV) 87%; Sensitivity 59.1%, and Specificity 91.4%. The Principal Component Analysis showed that F-HSCL-25 is a one-dimensional tool (anxiety and depression dimensions combined) with a Cronbach Alpha of 0.93.
The F-HSCL-25 is an appropriate diagnostic tool for anxiety and depression in primary care in France due to its high specificity and high NPV. The HSCL-25 scale has a high eigenvalue. This pilot study will be extended throughout Europe; however, preliminary evidence suggests that the HSCL-25 is a reliable and suitable diagnostic tool for primary care.
Abstract
Background
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) caused 17.9 million deaths worldwide in 2016, being the world’s leading cause of death. Prevention of CVD in high-income countries is expensive and ...fails to reach the population at risk. In low-income countries, it is under-developed. The SPICES project implements a community-based program to improve CVD prevention in 3 European countries and 2 Sub-Saharan countries, based on using community champions to effect behavioural changes. In France, the project operates in “Pays Centre Ouest Bretagne” (COB) which is the Central West Brittany area, and a vulnerable, rural setting. The aim of this study is to assess this innovative prevention strategy versus brief advice.
Methods
A two-step RCT hybrid type 1 implementation study will first of all screen a population using the Non-Laboratory INTERHEART Score (NL-IHRS) and will involve health-care students at public events in the COB area until 1000 participants have been recruited. Second, a RCT will be carried out. The research team will contact each participant with an intermediate NL-IHRS in order to include them. Participants will be over 18 years of age and work or live in the COB area. Participants will be equally randomised in two groups. The intervention group will receive brief advice plus behavioural change guidance carried out by community champions. The control group will receive brief advice only. The main objective for the RCT is to assess a difference of at least 15% in the NL-IHRS between the two groups after 24 months. The primary outcome will be analysed with intention to treat. Secondary outcomes for the RCT will be assessed using validated questionnaires: the WHOQOL-BREF, the DASH Q questionnaire, the IPAQ-short; smoking level will be assessed according to the NL-IHRS scoring system; a modified self-declared alcohol consumption questionnaire has been developed and gauges will be used to assess BMI. The implementation strategy will use mixed methods: qualitative research methods and quantitative epidemiological studies.
Discussion
A difference in the mean NL-IHRS of 15% will provide an argument in favour of reorganising prevention policies. A substantial change would favour relocating primary prevention from healthcare professionals to lay people and the community.
Trial registration
Clinical Trials
NCT03886064
- the study was recorded on
ClinicalTrials.gov
, the 22nd of March 2019.