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Despite the European Union's concerted efforts to harmonize entrepreneurial growth and innovation across member states, significant disparities remain in the entrepreneurial landscapes of Western and Eastern Europe. France, with its mature entrepreneurial ecosystem, characterized by robust financial infrastructures, supportive regulatory frameworks, and a vibrant culture of innovation, contrasts with Romania's emerging ecosystem. This paper employs a mixed-methods approach, integrating quantitative metrics with qualitative insights. This comprehensive approach aims to identify the key factors contributing to the disparities and synergies between the two ecosystems. The outcomes of this research are anticipated to provide nuanced insights for policy makers, educators, and business leaders. By revealing the strengths and weaknesses inherent in each ecosystem, the study aims to inform targeted interventions and collaborative initiatives, fostering a more equitable, dynamic, and cohesive entrepreneurial landscape across Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One of the most consistent findings reported in the paediatric cochlear implant (CI) literature is the heterogeneity of language performance observed more in grammatical morphology than in lexicon or pragmatics. As most of the corpus studies addressing these issues have been conducted in English, it is unclear whether their results can be generalized to other languages. In particular, little is known about languages known for their grammatical complexity, such as French. Aims: The aim of this corpus study was to compare the productive use of function words (FWs) and some agreement features (AGRs) in children with CIs and children with typical development (TD) matched for mean length of utterance in words (MLUwords), a general index of grammatical complexity, and auditory experience, as measured by hearing age (HA) and chronological age (CA), respectively. Methods & Procedures: Natural speech samples from 116 monolingual French‐speaking children, including 40 children with CIs followed longitudinally and 76 TD children, were collected. FWs and AGRs were analysed using a Part of Speech Tagger (POS‐T) from the Child Language Data Exchange System (CHILDES). Outcomes & Results: The two groups differed by 3 years for HA and CA. No effect of family socio‐economic status (SES) was found in the CI group. Stepwise regression analyses showed that the two groups did not share the same predictors of MLUwords: plurals and determiners predicted MLUwords in children with CIs, at 2 and 3 years of HA, whereas feminine markers and subject‐pronouns were found to best predict MLUwords in TD children at 2 and 3 years of CA. Structural equation models (SEMs), a combination of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and path analysis, yielded a different hierarchical structure of grammatical relations (GRs). Selective difficulties affecting verbal clitics and other pronominal forms were found specifically in the CI group (object‐pronouns, reflexive, relative and past participles). Dependency grammar analysis confirmed these contrasting developmental profiles in multiword utterances, such as preposition/nouns, subject/verbs, and verb/determiner/nouns. Conclusions & Implications: Atypical grammatical patterns in children with CIs reflect a specific architecture of syntactic dependencies of FWs underpinning morphological complexity and syntactic connectivity. Clinical implications are discussed for assessment and intervention planning. What This Paper Adds: What is already known on this subject: The productive use of FWs has been identified as a particular area of weakness in children with CIs compared with TD children. In addition, heterogenous grammatical performance has often been found after 1–3 years of CI use, regardless of demographic factors such as age at implantation, duration of deafness or SES. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: Assessing the early building of FWs and AGRs in children with CIs helps to understand the syntactic complexity and hierarchical structure of their language. Since most corpus studies on grammatical morphology have been conducted in English, it is not clear whether their difficulties can be generalized to other languages. The French language has a system of FWs and inflections that determine the morphophonological properties of nominal and verbal forms. Early grammar learning in children with CIs born with profound deafness were compared with the two groups of TD children matched both for duration of auditory experience (i.e., HA of CI children, CA of TD children) and for MLUwords. We found a similar profile between groups at 2 years but not at 3 years for HA and CA. The two groups do not share the same predictors of MLUwords: namely, plurals and determiners for CI children versus feminine markers and subject pronouns for TD children. They show a different syntactic organization of GRs. Children with CIs struggle with selective difficulties affecting verbal clitics and pronominal forms (object‐pronouns, reflexive, relative and past participles). Consistent with theories of morphophonological richness and syntactic connectivity, our results support the distributional learning hypothesis of language acquisition that infants and toddlers are sensitive to FWs and AGRs at an early age. Specific components of syntactic organization are disrupted in children with CIs. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: This work has potential clinical implications because it unravels the limitations of morphophonological processing in children with CIs. Its results highlight a specific difficulty in learning FWs and AGRs in a verbal inflectional morphology context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fractions are challenging for both typically achieving children and adults. Although some prior research has focused on fraction difficulties of children with mathematics difficulties (MD), persistent difficulties encountered by adults with MD remain unknown. It is possible that these adults may be able to compensate for some deficits. In this study, we administered an un-timed, paper-based fraction achievement test to French adults with and without MD to compare their knowledge of fractions. Compared with controls, adults with MD performed worse in fraction number lines, fraction concepts, fraction arithmetic, and word problems. However, no difference in performance between the two groups was observed on symbolic representations. This suggests that adults with MD might be able to perform rote procedures such as transcoding from a verbal to a symbolic representation but are severely impaired for fraction number line, fraction concept, and fraction arithmetic. Exploratory error pattern analyses for fraction number line and fraction arithmetic further revealed mistakes similar to those observed in prior studies on children with MD, indicating core deficits in fraction understanding in individuals with MD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Waste production and management from residents and collection for sorting are systems heavily dependent on territorial dimensions. Ergonomic research needs to better integrate such territorial determinants to improve work conditions and design sustainable work systems. OBJECTIVE: Through studies in France and Brazil, this paper analyzes the territorial relations that raise work systems' sustainability challenges for materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and waste management in both countries and examines the links between work activity and territory in MRFs. METHODS: Both studies were based on the principles of activity-oriented ergonomics and used analyses of work activity and sociotechnical systems. The French study focused on interventions conducted over a 42-month period in five MRFs. The Brazilian study was based on a 20-month longitudinal qualitative and quantitative study. RESULTS: In this paper, we argue that territory is a key determining factor in waste production and work. Notably, the consumption patterns of residents and the economic flows within a geographic space determine the waste composition; and the territorially specified public policies, which define technical and social dimensions of waste collection and sorting. However, the territorial dimensions of waste are poorly considered in facility design. Workers' health and sorting system performance are thus affected and negatively compromising plant performance. CONCLUSION: The territory appears as a blind spot in the design of work systems. One of the challenges is to create interfaces and devices that could help to integrate better human activity and waste territorialized anchorage, in a multilevel organization, from local communities to the global recycling chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to research different strategies for developing the green economy in shrinking cities. Considering urban shrinkage and the green economy as two extended concepts, a French town in post-Fordist transition and a Mexican post-mining town are selected as the most diverse/similar systems to indicate different strategies for sustainable development in shrinking cities. Embedded into different national backgrounds, including urban dynamics and support schemes for the green economy, the selected cases share the objectives of greening and regrowing strategies relying on other sectors of the green economy. The methodology applied is qualitative, including fieldwork, semi-structured interview techniques, carried out in person or remotely, and questionnaires. Findings show some positive results regarding sustainability and ecological transition in the French case, while regrowth trends were reached in the Mexican case. However, the analysis leads to uncertain scenarios for positive long-term impacts, especially due to uncertainty around future supporting policies for territorial cohesion and sustainability at national and regional levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Gdansk Journal of East Asian Studies / Gdanskie Studia Azji Wschodniej is the property of Jagiellonian University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The rise of exclusionary populism is widely regarded as one of the most significant phenomena in today's political world. Despite this, the relationship between populism and security remains under-explored in the literature, including the affective power of populist security narratives. Against this background, this paper conducts a comparative analysis of radical right populist discourse in response to two recent shocking crimes in France and Ireland. The different expression given to security concerns in the two countries, such as a much less antagonistic 'flaunting of the low' in France, is suggestive of a more contingent and institutionally mediated relationship between security and populism than the existing literature would suggest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on participant observation and interviews in two yoga studios in the highly socially stratified city of Marseille, France, this paper explores the understandings of yoga as a health practice that emerge at the intersections between yoga styles and their social contexts of consumption. Its insights emerge from the comparison of three modern yoga styles that were developed for Western English-speaking cultural contexts – Iyengar, Bikram and Forrest – and which differ in form but also in the chronology of their emergence on the global yoga market and that of their reception in France. These three yoga styles are also branded through contrasting mythologies of transformational healing, and the aim of this paper is to explore how a brand conceptualization of yoga as a health practice relates to or resonates with the embodied experiences of practitioners, and to the socio-cultural contexts in which practitioners and their practices are embedded. The paper contributes a new case study to the global yoga scholarship and to a poorly studied French yoga scene, but more importantly, it cross-examines the discourses through which a yoga style is branded, the way it is transmitted, and the social context and social positioning of the individuals who practice it. Combining perspectives on the body, narrative and rituals, it identifies how yoga healing is construed in relation to gender, ethnicity and class and the points of consensus and dissent that emerge from the encounters between French social bodies and exogenous yoga styles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current–voltage characteristics of the double diode and triple diode models of solar cells are highly nonlinear functions, for which there is no analytical solution. Hence, an iterative approach for calculating the current as a function of voltage is required to estimate the parameters of these models, regardless of the approach (metaheuristic, hybrid, etc.) used. In this regard, this paper investigates the performance of four standard iterative methods (Newton, modified Newton, Secant, and Regula Falsi) and one advanced iterative method based on the Lambert W function. The comparison was performed in terms of the required number of iterations for calculating the current as a function of voltage with reasonable accuracy. Impact of the initial conditions on these methods' performance and the time consumed was also investigated. Tests were performed for different parameters of the well-known RTC France solar cell and Photowatt-PWP module used in many research works for the triple and double diode models. The advanced iterative method based on the Lambert W function is almost independent of the initial conditions and more efficient and precise than the other iterative methods investigated in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, politicians and practitioners have focused strongly on humanization of births, to enable fewer medicalized birth care procedures. In this paper, we explore policy efforts to support better births in order to comprehend developments in maternity care in Denmark and France, two countries previously identified as having different birth cultures. Our analysis has been fueled by the question of how birth policies have developed in both countries in an era in which medicalization of birth has been problematized internationally. Using discourse analysis, we examine the political constructions of specific problems in central policy documents. The analysis shows which problematizations around maternity care are discursively constructed, what solutions are discursively presented and on what assumptions the problematizations are based. The article supports the conclusion of other scholars that a pervading risk discourse on birth and birthing bodies constitutes how maternity care can be experienced and practiced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Investigaciones Geograficas is the property of Universidad de Alicante, Instituto Universitario de Geografia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

At the onset of the Greek sovereign debt crisis in early 2010, the French government asked French banks to retain plummeting Greek bonds on their balance sheets. And the French banks did exactly that. At around the same time, the German government also asked German banks to retain plummeting Greek bonds on their balance sheets. Yet German banks sold the bonds abundantly. Both governments depended on profit-oriented banks to fulfil a mission of public interest, but neither had formal levers to ensure that banks would do as they were told. Why did the French banks comply with their government's request while their German counterparts did not? Taking advantage of an opportunistic design and building on data gathered in newspapers and through 20 in-depth interviews, this paper argues that banks' decisions are the result of long-term institutionalized state-bank modes of coordination in France and Germany. In France, bankers understood the government's request as being embedded within a long-term relationship of reciprocal favours, which led them to comply. In Germany, state officials resorted to straightforward pressures such as naming and shaming banks. But as soon as the pressure died down, the banks sold out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A nudge corresponds to any procedure that influences choice architecture, without using persuasion or financial incentives. Nudges are effective in increasing vaccination with heterogeneous levels of acceptability.Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of a nudge promoting influenza vaccination for general practice trainees, also called residents.Methods: The hypothesis was that a reminder would be efficient and accepted and that prior exposure to a nudge increases its acceptability. Residents were randomly divided into three parallel experimental arms: a nudge group, a no-nudge group and a control group in order to evaluate the Hawthorne effect. The nudge consisted of providing a paper form for the free delivery of the vaccine and contacts for occupational health services.Results: The analysis included 161 residents. There was a strong consensus among the residents that it is very acceptable to nudge their peers and patients. Acceptability was better with residents exposed to the nudge and with residents included in step 1 (Hawthorne effect). The nudge did not increase vaccination coverage.Conclusion: The failure of this nudge highlights the importance of matching an intervention to the population's needs. The experimental approach is innovative in this context and deserves further attention.Clinicaltrials.gov Pre-registration: NCT03768596. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence is accumulating of the negative impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic and related public health measures on mental health. In this emergent field, there has been little research into the role of risk perception on depressive symptoms and the contribution of health‐care resources to model risk perception and mental health. The aim of this paper is to describe the relationship between individual‐level perception of risk and depression, controlling for a set of confounders and for country‐level heterogeneity. A cross‐sectional and observational online survey was conducted using a non‐probability snowball sampling technique. We use data on 11,340 respondents, living in six European countries (Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom, France, Poland, Czech Republic) who completed survey questionnaires during the first months of the pandemic. We used a fixed‐effect approach, which included individual and macro‐level variables. The findings suggest that a high proportion of people suffering from depression and heightened risk perception is positively associated with reporting depressive symptoms, even if this relationship varies significantly between countries. Moreover, the association is moderated by contextual factors including health‐care expenditure as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product, hospital beds for acute care, and number of medical specialists per head of population. Investment in health care offers a concrete means of protecting the mental health of a population living under pandemic restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Among the multiple challenges that people experiencing mental illness in general, and schizophrenia or bipolar disorders in particular, have to face, stigma appears to be one of the most difficult to tackle. In France, the body of research about stigma regarding people experiencing schizophrenia or bipolar disorders is growing, but not as much as in other western countries. Aims: In this context, our study aims to explore and compare stigma in French people experiencing schizophrenia or bipolar disorders, along with their respective mental healthcare system experience, in order to better address them within public health policies. Methods: 20 French mental health service users experiencing schizophrenia and 20 experiencing bipolar disorders answered the Stigma Scale, which assesses three dimensions of stigma (discrimination, difficulties of divulgation and lack of positive aspects). A semi-structured interview was used to collect information about the experience of the mental healthcare system (level of information, access to diagnosis, treatment, access to psychoeducation, etc.). Results: People experiencing schizophrenia and people experiencing bipolar disorders are different populations in terms of social impairment. However, they share a comparable negative experience of the mental healthcare system and a comparable level of information about their illness, to the exception of diagnosis divulgation, as people experiencing bipolar disorders have a better access to their diagnosis. People experiencing schizophrenia perceive a higher actual discrimination than people experiencing bipolar disorders. Conclusions: Public health policies should take into account the strong perception of actual discrimination of people experiencing schizophrenia, with capitalizing on what seems beneficial for people experiencing bipolar disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the reception of the IPCC reports on a national scale, focusing on the case of the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) in France and Switzerland. It sheds light on the orchestration processes of national reception by the actors involved in the two science-policy interfaces, and introduces the theoretical concept of "landing" for the comparative analysis. Using mixed qualitative methods, it reveals that in both case studies, the domestic science-policy interactions stemming from the landing deviated significantly from expectations. Unusual actors different from the IPCC National Focal Points got involved in framing the conditions of the report's domestic reception, and AR6 faced challenges when entering national Parliament. The results are discussed within the broader context of a global reflection on the imperative to enhance the dissemination channels of the IPCC scientific results to political audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to investigate the common facilitators and barriers associated with the implementation of hospital-based health technology assessment (HB-HTA) across diverse hospital settings in seven countries. Through a two-round Delphi study, insights were gathered from a panel of 15 HTA specialists from France, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Poland, Switzerland, and Ukraine. Experts initially conducted a comprehensive review of the HB-HTA implementation in their respective countries, identifying the barriers and facilitators through descriptive analysis. Subsequently, panel experts ranked these identified barriers and facilitators on a seven-point Likert scale. A median agreement score ≥ 6 and interquartile range (IQR) ≤ 1 was accepted as reaching a consensus. Out of the 12 statements categorized as external and internal barriers and facilitators, the expert panel reached consensus on six statements (two barriers and four facilitators). The external barrier, which achieved consensus, was the lack of the formal recognition of the role of HB-HTA in national or regional legislations. The internal barrier reaching consensus was the limited availability of human resources dedicated to HB-HTA. This qualitative study indicates that HB-HTA still has progress to make before being formally accepted and integrated across most countries, although by building on the facilitating factors we identified there may be an opportunity for the implementation of internationally developed strategies to strengthen HB-HTA practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the formation of a belief in journalism as a worthwhile career in France and the United States. Using journalists' memoirs, early textbooks and novels depicting journalism, we show that a life in news became appealing in the late nineteenth century due to the novel mixture of material and symbolic rewards on offer. Promising pay for work that seemed adventurous and exciting, with opportunities for expression, the potential for influence and a connection to broader social values (e.g., fighting injustice, informing citizens), the possibility of these rewards formed the basis of a highly similar illusio – i.e. the belief that journalism constituted a social game worthy of one's energies (Bourdieu, 2000). Highlighting this emergent sense of worth fills a lacuna in historical scholarship, while also inviting questions about how these attractions are given life under contemporary conditions that often frustrate journalists' efforts to secure these rewards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The benefit–risk balance and optimal timing of surgery for severe infective endocarditis (IE) with ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes is unknown. The study aim was to compare the neurological outcome between patients receiving surgery or not. Methods: In a prospective register-based multicenter ICU study, patients were included if they met the following criteria: (i) left-sided IE with an indication for heart surgery; (ii) with cerebral complications documented by cerebral imaging before cardiac surgery; (iii) with Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score ≥ 3. Exclusion criteria were isolated right-sided IE, in-hospital acquired IE and patients with cerebral complications only after cardiac surgery. In the primary analysis, the prognostic value of surgery in term of disability at 6 month was assessed by using a propensity score-adjusted logistic regression. Results: 192 patients were included including ischemic stroke (74.5%) and hemorrhagic lesion (15.6%): 67 (35%) had medical treatment and 125 (65%) cardiac surgery. In the propensity score-adjusted logistic regression, a favorable 6-month neurological outcome was associated with surgery (odds ratio 13.8 (95% CI 6.2–33.7). The 1-year mortality was strongly reduced with surgery in the fixed-effect propensity-adjusted Cox model (hazard ratio 0.18; 95% CI 0.11–0.27; p < 0.001). These effects remained whether the patients received delayed surgery (n = 62/125) or not and whether they were deeply comatose (Glasgow Coma Scale ≤ 10) or not. Conclusions: In critically ill IE patients with an indication for surgery and previous cerebral events, a better propensity-adjusted neurological outcome was associated with surgery compared with medical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), encompasses many different clinical patterns with variable response to treatment. Precise criteria specifying disease severity and control are lacking in the current literature. Our aim was to perform a cross-cultural adaptation of the CRS-PRO, creating a French version for use as a routine questionnaire in the assessment of patients with CRS. Methods: The CRS-PRO questionnaire was translated according to the recommendations of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) through a three-step procedure including a backward translation. Results: Seven of 12 items were initially discordant between the three translators before achieving consensus (Step 1). Two of 12 items were discordant between the backward translation and the initial CRS-PRO version regarding the word "mucus"(Step 2). Step 3 allowed the creation of a French proof-read version of the CRS-PRO questionnaire. Thirty patients were included for initial validation, mean age of 49.2 ± 15 years and 63.3% (19/30) male. It took them 67 ± 23 s to complete the questionnaire without any patients requiring more than 2 min. Conclusion: This study presents the French version of the CRS-PRO questionnaire—an adapted, validated, and well-accepted instrument to evaluate the CRS symptoms in the French speaking population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cases of osteonecrosis of the jaw have been reported by dental surgeons to the pharmacovigilance center in Rennes, France, occurring among patients treated with palbociclib, a cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor. Although this event was not expected with the drug, a safety signal was raised. Describing a local case series, the aim of our study was to identify specific patterns that might suggest a triggering role for these drugs, and to discuss pathophysiological hypotheses. Materials and methods: A retrospective case series of patients exposed to cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors between 2016 and 2020 with a diagnosis of osteonecrosis of the jaw at the Rennes Dental Care Center was analyzed. The descriptive analysis was conducted on patient demographics, breast cancer characteristics, osteonecrosis of the jaw, biological data, and exposure to cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors. Results: We identified eight cases, most of them at stages 0–1 (62.5%). Four patients were still exposed to palbociclib at the time of diagnosis and four had discontinued the treatment before the diagnosis. Chronological imputability could not be excluded given the drug's half-life and the variable intervals of dental monitoring from one patient to another. All patients had at least one dental osteonecrosis risk factor (including dental extraction, dentures, and denosumab exposure at the time of diagnosis). Neutropenia and mucositis were not systematically reported at the time of diagnosis. The anatomopathological characteristics were nonspecific. Conclusion: We did not identify a specific pattern that could suggest a triggering role of palbociclib in the development of ONJ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2021, the federal government of the United States expanded a set of income transfers that led to strong reductions in child poverty. This research note uses microdata from more than 50 countries and U.S. data spanning more than 50 years to place the 2021 child poverty rate in historical and international perspective. We demonstrate that whether using the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), relative poverty measures, or an absolute poverty measure, the U.S. child poverty rate in 2021 was at its lowest level since at least 1967. The U.S. tax and transfer system reduced the 2021 SPM child poverty rate by more than 75% relative to the pre-tax/transfer child poverty rate; this reduction was three times the mean reduction effect between 1967 and 2019. These policy changes improved the country's standing from having a relative poverty rate twice that of Germany's in 2019 to the same as Germany's in 2021. Moreover, the U.S. progressed from reducing child poverty at less than half the rate of Norway in 2019 to a rate comparable to Norway in 2021. However, the U.S. success was temporary: after the expiration of the 2021 income provisions, the child poverty rate doubled and returned to being higher than in most other high-income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political polarization and information disorders are not new phenomena on the media agenda, but they have acquired considerable prominence in the wake of international events such as the election of Donald Trump. The present article seeks to help in understanding the interrelation of these concepts -disinformation and polarization- in the European quality press in recent years. Six newspapers (El Mundo, El País, Le Figaro, Le Monde, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian) from three countries were selected on the basis of their quality, audience and representative character of their editorial lines between 2017 and late 2022, and a qualitative and quantitative frame analysis (n = 286) was carried out. Having observed all the definitions of polarization in the press, it was seen that party political alignment has the greatest presence in the international scenario, coming before the division of public opinion. In the sample, Spain has a prominent position, claiming to be a polarized pluralist country, as opposed to United Kingdom, which closely observes what happens in the United States, or France, where these phenomena have achieved less penetration. The conclusion is that political polarization is presented as a chronic problem caused by political actors who are not going to cease doing so, as opposed to information disorders, which are produced by certain specific international actors, such as Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and Jair Bolsonaro, who take advantage of communication flows on social media and the latter's lack of regulation. This article suggests that the way to resolve or at least alleviate the problem is by defending quality information and public media, emphasizing citizen responsibility in the face of social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Older patients are frequently re-admitted to the hospital after attending the emergency department (ED). We investigated whether direct admission to the hospital was associated with a lower risk of readmission at 30 days compared to admission via the ED, in patients aged ≥ 75 years. Methods: Retrospective multicenter cohort study from 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2019, including patients aged ≥ 75 years from two hospitals. Patients admitted directly were matched 1:1 with patients admitted via the ED for center, age category, sex, major diagnosis category, type of stay (medical/surgical), and severity. We compared readmission at 30 days (primary outcome) and length of stay (secondary outcome) between groups. Results: A total of 1486 matched patients with an available outcome measure were included for analysis. We observed no significant difference in 30-day readmission rate between those admitted directly (102/778, 13.1%) and those admitted via the ED (87/708, 12.3%, p = 0.63). There was a significant difference in length of stay between both groups: median 5 days [Q1–Q3: 2–8] vs 6 days [2–11] for direct and ED admissions, respectively (effect size: 0.11, p < 0.001). By multivariate analysis, only moderate to severe denutrition was associated with the risk of readmission at 30 days (Odds Ratio 2.133, 95% Confidence Interval 1.309–3.475). Conclusion: The mode of entry to the hospital of patients aged 75 years and older was not associated with the risk of readmission at 30 days. However, those admitted directly had a significantly shorter length of stay than those admitted via the ED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemical substances spread throughout the environment worldwide. Exposure during pregnancy represents a specific window of vulnerability for child health. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to assess the impact of prenatal exposure to multiple PFAS on emotional and behavioral functions in 12-y-old children. METHOD: In the PELAGIE mother–child cohort (France), prenatal exposure to nine PFAS was measured from concentrations in cord serum samples. Behavior was assessed at age 12 y using the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the self-reported Dominic Interactive for Adolescents (DIA) for 444 children. Associations were estimated using negative binomial models for each PFAS. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were performed to assess the exposure mixture effect on children’s behavior. RESULTS: In our study population, 73% of mothers had spent more than 12 y in education. Higher scores on SDQ externalizing subscale were observed with increasing cord-serum concentration of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) [adjusted mean ratio (aMR)=1.18, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03, 1.34, and aMR=1.14 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.29) for every doubling of concentration, respectively]. Results for the hyperactivity score were similar [aMR=1.20 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.40) and aMR=1.18 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.36), respectively]. With regard to major depressive disorder and internalizing subscales, perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) was associated with higher self-reported DIA scores [aMR=1.14 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.27) and aMR=1.11 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.21), respectively]. In terms of the anxiety subscale, PFDA and PFNA were associated with higher scores [aMR=1.11 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.21) and aMR=1.10 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.19), respectively]. Concurrent increases in the PFAS concentrations included in the BKMR models showed no change in the SDQ externalizing and DIA internalizing subscales scores. CONCLUSION: Prenatal exposure to PFNA and PFOA were associated with increasing scores for measures of externalizing behaviors, specifically hyperactivity. We also identified associations between PFNA and PFDA prenatal exposure levels and increasing scores related to internalizing behaviors (general anxiety and major depressive disorder), which adds to the as yet sparse literature examining the links between prenatal exposure to PFAS and internalizing disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Many occupations and industries use wood as a raw material and wood dust is a well-known carcinogen. This study presents trends in occupational exposure to wood dust for all workers (employees and self-employed workers) in France between 1982 and 2017 and focuses on the exposed workers in 2017. Methods Exposures to this carcinogen were assessed using the Matgéné job-exposure matrix. Trends in the prevalence and proportion of exposure over the study period were estimated by linking the matrix with population data from the 1982, 1990, 1999, 2007, and 2017 censuses and are described for selected industry groups. Results The number of exposed workers to wood dust has decreased significantly over the last 40 years, from 466,900 potentially exposed workers in 1982 to 305,000 workers in 2017. The proportion of exposed workers has also decreased over time, although not uniformly across industries. Increases in the proportion of exposed workers are observed in certain industries, such as "Sawmilling and logging" (from 61.2% to 73.6% over the period for men) and "Finishing of sale premises" (from 3.3% to 6.2% for women). Conclusion This article is the first to describe occupational exposure to wood dust in France for all workers and to follow its evolution over the last 40 years. Occupations and industries still at risk in 2017 are also described with the aim of helping to improve prevention policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Many countries have developed hospital-at-home (HAH) models to bring hospital services closer to home. Although some countries already have a long tradition of HAH for adults, paediatric HAH has been developed more recently. Specificities of paediatric care make it difficult to directly extend an adult HAH model to the paediatric population. The objective of this study is to compare the organisation of paediatric HAH in four countries: France, Australia (states of Victoria and New South Wales), the Netherlands and Belgium. Ultimately, lessons can be drawn for further development in the countries analysed and/or for implementation in other countries. Design/methodology/approach: Legal documents and other grey literature were analysed to describe the legal context for the provision of paediatric HAH in the selected countries. In addition, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with key informants from paediatric HAH organisations in these countries, addressing the following topics: historical background, legal framework, functioning of HAH models, workforce, number of services, profile of children, type of care activities, funding, coordination with other providers and quality of care. Results were reviewed by a content expert from the respective country. Findings: Organisational differences were highlighted in terms of coordinating actor (hospital or home nursing care services), decision-making process, range of clinical conditions treated, territorial organisation, qualifications and expertise of the team members, medical expertise, financing, responsibilities, etc. Originality/value: There is no single preferred model for the provision of HAH care for children. There is a large variety in almost all aspects of organisation. There are, however, also some common characteristics across the different models. Notably, paediatric expertise of nurses within the HAH team was considered indispensable in all programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Annales UMCS, Sectio K (Politologia) is the property of Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Many dietary guidelines recommend restricting the consumption of processed red meat (PRM) in favour of healthier foods such as fish, to reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. The objective of this study was to estimate the potential effect of replacing PRM for fatty fish, lean fish, red meat, eggs, pulses, or vegetables, on the risk of incident hypertension and diabetes. This was a prospective study of women in the E3N cohort study. Cases of diabetes and hypertension were based on self-report, specific questionnaires, and drug reimbursements. In the main analysis, information on regular dietary intake was assessed with a single food history questionaire, and food substitutions were modelled using cox proportional hazard models. 95 % confidence intervals were generated via bootstrapping. 71 081 women free of diabetes and 45 771 women free of hypertension were followed for an average of 18·7 and 18·3 years, respectively. 2681 incident cases of diabetes and 12 327 incident cases of hypertension were identified. Relative to PRM, fatty fish was associated with a 15 % lower risk of diabetes (HR = 0·85, 95 CI (0·73, 0·97)) and hypertension (HR = 0 85 (0·79, 0·91)). Between 3 and 10 % lower risk of hypertension or diabetes was also observed when comparing PRM with vegetables, unprocessed red meat or pulses. Relative to PRM, alternative protein sources such as fatty fish, unprocessed red meat, vegetables or pulses was associated with a lower risk of hypertension and diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common and often fatal complication in cancer patients. The initial treatment for VTE in cancer patients is typically low molecular weight heparins (LMWH), a type of anticoagulant that prevents VTE from recurring. However, information on outcomes of LMWH treatment in cancer patients with VTE have not typically been collected from large national databases, such as the one in France. The aim of this study was to assess VTE recurrence, bleeding (a common side effect of anticoagulant treatment), and all-cause mortality in cancer patients in France who were prescribed LMWH for VTE in 2013–2018. Our results indicate that cancer patients who experience VTE have unmet medical needs due to high rates of mortality, VTE recurrence, and bleeding after LMWH treatment initiation. Our study may help further research on outcomes in cancer patients with VTE who receive the next generation of therapy, direct oral anticoagulants. Patients with cancer have an increased risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) and an increased risk of death from VTE. Until recently, the standard of care for treatment of VTE in cancer patients was low molecular weight heparins (LMWH). To determine treatment patterns and outcomes, we performed an observational study using a nationwide health database. Treatment patterns, rates of bleeding, and VTE recurrence at 6 and 12 months were assessed in cancer patients with VTE in France prescribed LMWH in 2013–2018. Of 31,771 patients administered LMWH (mean age 66.3 years), 51.0% were male, 58.7% had pulmonary embolism, and 70.9% had metastatic disease. At 6 months LMWH persistence was 81.6%, VTE recurrence had occurred in 1256 patients (4.0%) at a crude rate per 100 person-months (PM) of 0.90, and bleeding had occurred in 1124 patients (3.5%) at a crude rate per 100 PM of 0.81. At 12 months, VTE recurrence had occurred in 1546 patients (4.9%) at a crude rate per 100 PM of 0.71 and bleeding had occurred in 1438 patients (4.5%) at a crude rate per 100 PM of 0.66. Overall, VTE-related clinical event rates were high among patients administered LMWH, suggesting an unmet medical need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In France, addiction care in prison usually consists of nurses' interventions, medical care and socio-educational programs, but new alternatives have arisen, namely the therapeutic community (TC) model. This pilot study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of this prison-based TC in comparison with classic and socio-educational care offered in French prisons. Methods: To compare these three types of prison-based care, two detention centers' files were screened for use of multiple drugs, willingness to participate and absence of psychiatric comorbidities incompatible with group therapy. A custom questionnaire was built based on the fifth version of the Addiction Severity Index. It investigates medical status, employment and support, primary addiction status, legal status, social/familial status and psychiatric status through various items. Results: Our sample only consisted of male repeat offenders with a mean age of 37.7 ± (9.1) years. Primary addiction status improvement was observed for all care studied but was more important in TC than in classic care. Self-esteem and social/familial status saw significant improvement throughout TC care. Conclusions: The TC model represents an alternative to classic and socio-educational care in French prisons. More studies are needed to assess the extent of the benefits provided on both the medical side and economic side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the wake of terrorist attacks, protecting the health and psychosocial wellbeing of those affected and the general population, are important tasks for the healthcare system. The responses to such emergencies are often complex, including different phases and many actors, and may unveil insufficiencies that incite reforms to existing systems. Recently, initiatives have been promoted to strengthen cooperation and coordination regarding the governance of health threats in Europe. Comparative research is requested on how states prepare for health emergencies such as terrorist attacks. This study investigated how governments in two European countries with universal health coverage prepared to address the civilian population's health needs after terrorist attacks, and the factors that contributed to shaping their chosen approach. Methods: Utilizing document analysis and Walt and Gilson's model for the analysis of health policy, national plans for post-terror health responses in Norway and France were studied with a focus on context, process, content, and actors. Results: Whereas target groups for psychosocial care and certain measures were similar in both cases, the contents of prescribed policies and the actors responsible for enacting them differed. One of the most distinct differences was to what extent specialized mental healthcare was relied upon to provide psychosocial follow-up in the emergency phase. In the French approach, specialized mental healthcare practitioners, such as psychiatrists, psychologists and psychiatric nurses, provided early psychosocial support. In contrast, the Norwegian approach relied on interdisciplinary primary care crisis teams in the local municipalities to provide early psychosocial support, with further involvement of specialized mental healthcare if this was considered necessary. Historical, political, and systemic differences contributed to the variation in the countries' responses. Conclusions: This comparative study highlights the complexity and diversity of health policy responses to terrorist attacks across countries. Moreover, challenges and opportunities for research and health management in response to such disasters, including possibilities and potential pitfalls for the coordination of this work across Europe. An important first step could be to map out existing services and practices across countries to better understand if and how common core elements for psychosocial follow-up might be implemented internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Increasing longevity and lower birth rates put pressure on the sustainability of pension systems. This compels countries to reform pension schemes. Different countries opt for different types of reforms. This article examines the scope of possibilities for a pension reform in two countries with distinct institutional and ideational setup: Finland and France. Design/methodology/approach: The authors utilise the framework of different modes of justification presented by Boltanski and Thévenot to reveal the reasoning used in pension reform discussions in both countries. The authors study expert reports to analyse how nationally constructed ideas and local institutions frame and shape the different logics and justifications. Findings: In Finland, the approach to pensions is dominated by industrial and market justifications. The pension system is institutionally separated into two different blocks: one addressing poverty and the other income maintenance. The separation enables the prevalence of these logics and makes it easier to promote reforms that emphasize efficiency and individual responsibility instead of income distribution. The French report is concentrated around civic and domestic dominated justifications by stressing solidarity and the role of pension systems connecting individuals and generations together. Any reform needs to consider these issues. Originality/value: The article uses a novel research design to study pension reform processes. The article distinguishes the roles that ideas and institutions have in shaping expert reasoning and reform options. The authors show how ideas and institutions form a mutually reinforcing loop which helps to explain path-dependency in pension systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of orthokeratology treatment with DRL lenses on the control of myopia progression compared with single vision glasses users (monofocal glasses). It was also possible to analyze the clinical efficacy of orthokeratology treatment with DRL lenses for myopia correction in children and adolescents in a 2 year retrospective, multicenter study, performed in eight different ophthalmology centers in France. A total of 360 data records of children and adolescents with myopia between −0.50 D and −7.00 D at baseline visit, who completed treatment and had a centered outcome, were selected for the study from a database of 1271. The final sample included subjects undergoing orthokeratology treatment with DRL lenses (n = 211 eyes) and spectacle wearers (n = 149 eyes). After one year of treatment, the data analysis shows that the DRL lens has a refractive myopia progression control rate of 78.5% compared with the spectacle wearers (DRL M change = −0.10 ± 0.25 D, p < 0.001 Wilcoxon test and Glasses M change = −0.44 ± 0.38 D, p < 0.001 Wilcoxon test). Similar results were found after 2 years of treatment (80% with 310 eyes). This study showed the clinical efficacy of orthokeratology DRL lenses compared to monofocal spectacle wearers in controlling myopia progression in children and adolescents in a 2 year retrospective study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Disciplines Economics & Administrative Scienves Studies is the property of International Journal of Disciplines in Economics & Administrative Sciences Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The study comprises a multidimensional comparative analysis of the number of passengers transported by rail in twelve European countries between 2019-2021; the considered data were grouped and analyzed. The dynamics indices with a constant base were used in the study. The aim of the article was a comparative analysis of the number of passengers transported by rail in the European countries under consideration between 2019-2021. The result of the research is the observation of an increase in the number of passengers transported by rail in twelve European countries in 2021 compared to 2020 by 374 965 people. It was visible in nine out of the twelve countries considered. The largest one was observed in France, with around 170 544 passengers. Considering the percentage increase between 2020 and 2021 in respective countries in rail passenger transport, it was observed that the most significant increase was in Italy, which amounted to 25,61%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore how subsidiaries in a high-trust (Germany) and low-trust (France) country adopt the performance appraisal (PA) system from their US-headquarter. In-depth interviews with 30 informants illustrate trickle-down effects of trust from the national level to the organizational and individual levels shaping processes, outputs, and interactions of PA. While German informants expressed trust in the overall PA practice of the US-headquarter, French informants reacted with mistrust to PA manifested in different processes, rater and ratee attitudes, outcomes of PA, as well as the role of HR. We add to the comparative HRM literature by untangling, within an MNE context, the interaction of societal, organizational, and individual trust with the overall PA to provide a more holistic explanation for cross-national variations in PA beyond the mere assignment to separate cultural categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the socio‐economic outcomes of survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Methods: Childhood ALL adult survivors, enrolled in EORTC trials between 1971 and 1998 in France and Belgium, were invited to fill out a questionnaire with information about their socio‐economic situation (living with a partner, having a university degree, having a job, working part time and history of having a paid job). The outcomes were compared with two matched control populations. Results: Among 1418 eligible patients, 507 (35.8%) participated, including 39 (8%) and 61 (12%) patients who received a haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and a cranial radiotherapy (CRT), respectively. The median time to follow‐up was 20 years, and median age was 25 years. Survivors showed a socio‐economic level at least as good as controls. HCST and CRT were associated with a higher probability of not obtaining a bachelor degree (respectively OR = 3.49, 95% CI: 1.46–8.35 and OR = 2.31, 95% CI: 1.04–5.15), HSCT was associated with unemployment (OR = 2.89, 95% CI: 1.09–7.65) and having a relapse was associated with a higher probability of not having a partner (OR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.01–3.51) adjusting for confounders. Conclusion: Childhood ALL survivors showed a high level of socio‐economic participation. HCST and CRT were associated with poorer functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is labeled as a personality disorder with impulsivity issues regarding relationships, risky behavior, and emotional dysregulation. This personality disorder is still considered to be hard‐to‐treat condition even though responses to treatment have improved significantly. In this field, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is recognized as one of the most efficient therapeutical approaches, and some versions adapted from this gold‐standard treatment proved their effectiveness in clinical settings. We tested the 6‐month cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) protocol ECCCLORE, composed of three modules, respectively, working on emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and relationships—in a French context to compare its effectiveness to Treatment As Usual. We recruited 56 patients with a BPD diagnosis in a day‐care unit, 34 receiving ECCCLORE and 22 receiving TAU. We assessed BPD traits, impulsivity, aggressiveness, suicidal risk, and hopelessness. Our results revealed the effectiveness of the 6‐month ECCCLORE protocol to decrease BPD symptoms and associated clinical dimensions. We also noted the persistence of its effect after a 1‐year follow‐up. Shortened CBT treatment protocols tend to prove their efficiency for symptom reduction in BPD. Further research is needed to replicate these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Social engagement is an important active aging strategy to promote older adults' mental health. The purposes of this study were to compare social engagement in older populations around the world and explore associations with mental health outcomes. Materials and methods: An international cross‐sectional survey was conducted from 2017 to 2019. Data were retrieved from The International Social Survey Programme for a secondary data analysis across 30 countries. This study applied the Taxonomy of Social Activities and its six levels as operational definitions for a consistent concept of social engagement for international comparisons. Results: In total, 9403 older adults with a mean age of 72.85 ± 6.40 years responded. The highest levels of older adults' social engagement were found in Switzerland, Thailand, and New Zealand. Older adults of a higher age, with a lower educational level, who were permanently sick or disabled, who had no partner, who were widowed or whose civil partner had died, who lived alone, and who had lower self‐placement in society had significantly lower social engagement than did their counterparts. In the regression model, older adults' social engagement positively predicted general health, self‐accomplishment, and life satisfaction, but negatively predicted loneliness and depression. Conclusions: In aging societies worldwide, encouraging older adults' social engagement would be beneficial to promote mental health. Implications for nursing practice and health policies: Community professional nurses can develop strategies of social engagement based on the needs and sociodemographic factors of older adults to improve their mental health. Developing efficient strategies and local policies by learning from successful experiences in other countries is important to promote social engagement in aging societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we conduct a multi-criteria correspondence test to assess the extent of discrimination in access to employment against candidates with a hearing disability and compare it to three other potential grounds for discrimination: ethnicity, place of residence and gender. From October 2019 to February 2020, we sent 2315 applications to 463 job vacancies in the Paris region in France for two occupations, administrative managers and caregiver assistants, in both the private and public sectors. We find that discrimination on the grounds of disability is similar in scope to that found on the grounds of ethnicity in the profession of administrative manager, but discrimination against the disabled candidate is half that experienced by the North African candidate in the profession of caregiver assistant. Moreover, discrimination on the grounds of disability is twice as high in the profession of caregiver assistant, a role which requires more interaction with public, as in the profession of administrative manager. We do not find any evidence of a difference in callback rates based on place of residence or gender. Finally, we cannot conclude that hiring discrimination is systematically lower in the public sector than in the private sector, nor that being eligible for a public subsidy reduces hiring discrimination against the disabled candidate. • Multi-criteria correspondence experiment including disability. • Discrimination in hiring on the basis of hearing disability and ethnicity. • No discrimination in hiring on the grounds of gender or location. • Discrimination in hiring not always lower in the public sector. • Public subsidy does not appear to increase candidate with disability's success rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) has worldwide variations in incidence that are related to the age of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. This study examined the age-specific incidence rate (ASIR) of BL and community EBV seropositivity in Iraqi Kurdistan and compared results with data from countries tabulated in the International Incidence of Childhood Cancer volume 3 (IICC-3). Methods: The ASIR (95% confidence intervals) of BL in Sulaimani Governorate of Iraqi Kurdistan were calculated for the years 2010–2020. Specimens from 515 outpatients were tested for IgG and IgM antibodies to EBV viral capsid antigen. Results: In Sulaimani, 84% of BL occurred under 20 years of age, with an ASIR of 6.2 (4.7–7.7) per million children. This ASIR was not significantly different than that of Egypt, Morocco, Israel, Spain, or France. It was slightly higher than the ASIR of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany and markedly higher than for Asia and South Africa. In Africa and much of Asia, early childhood EBV exposure predominates, with nearly all children being infected by 5 years of age. In Sulaimani, just over 50% of children were EBV seropositive at 3 years old and 90% seropositivity was reached at 15 years of age. In Europe and North America, seropositivity is commonly delayed until adolescence or young adulthood and adult predominates over childhood BL. Conclusion: In the Middle East, childhood BL is relatively common and adult BL is rare. In Sulaimani, EBV seropositivity increases progressively throughout childhood and reaches 92% at mid-adolescence. This may reflect the Mid East more widely. We suggest that the high childhood and low adult BL rates may be a regional effect of a pattern of EBV exposure intermediate between early childhood and adolescent and young adult infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decreased speech-in-noise (SpIN) understanding is an early marker not only of presbycusis but also of auditory processing disorder. Previous research has shown a strong relationship between hearing disorders and cognitive limitations. It is therefore crucial to allow SpIN testing in subjects who cannot sustain prolonged diagnostic procedures. The objectives of this study were to develop a rapid and reproducible version of the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT-5 min), and to determine its adult normative values in free-field and monaural or binaural headphone conditions. Following an adaptive signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) protocol, the test used a fixed noise level, while the signal level varied to reach the 50% speech reception threshold (SRT50). The speech material consisted of five lists of 20 sentences each, all recorded in European French. The whole semi-automated procedure lasted 5 min and was administered to 83 subjects aged 19 to 49 years with no reported listening difficulties. Fifty-two subjects were retested between 7 and 8 days later. For the binaural free-field condition, the mean SRT50 was −1.0 dB SNR with a standard deviation of 1.3 dB SNR. There was no significant difference between the results obtained at test and retest, nor was there any effect of listening condition, sex, or age on SRT50. The results indicate that the procedure is robust and not affected by any learning phenomenon. The HINT-5 min was found to be both a fast and reliable marker of the ability to understand speech in background noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contributes to the debate on the enterprise culture, which is characterised by the celebration of risk-taking and self-realisation, which in turn also implies self-responsibilisation and atomisation of the workforce. It does so by investigating organisations created with the aim of finding alternatives for freelancers, who epitomise the processes of individualisation typical of late capitalism. The organisations studied, both companies and cooperatives, aim to enable freelancers to combine autonomy in running their business with access to labour and social rights and inclusion in a collective. Drawing on a multiple case study conducted in France and Italy, the article investigates how organisations can counteract the processes of self-responsibilisation and atomisation of the workforce by enacting principles typical of alternative organisations. This study thus provides a twofold contribution to critical organisational theory and sociological literature on the individualisation of work and feasible alternatives to it. Our findings show, first, that the enterprise culture can be challenged through alternative organising even when freelancers – a category of workers embodying the contemporary processes of individualisation – are at stake. Second, the study of these emerging organisations also contributes to the flourishing debate on alternative organisations by adding an original empirical contribution to ongoing reflections on alternatives to market capitalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Preoperative anxiety before cesarean section is a major issue. Nonpharmacologic anxiety control is believed to be more suitable in pregnant women. Auricular acupuncture (AA) is an inexpensive, easy-to-use, and validated intervention to reduce anxiety in different surgical settings. We evaluated the effect of AA on preoperative cesarean section anxiety. Methods: In a prospective, blind, controlled trial, pregnant women with a scheduled cesarean section under spinal anesthesia were randomized to receive AA with needle, AA without needle (sham), or usual care (no intervention). Anxiety level was assessed by using a visual analogue scale for anxiety (VAS-A; 0-minimal anxiety, 100-maximal anxiety) at three time points: inclusion (pre-induction room--T0), when entering the operating room (T1), and before incision (T2). The primary outcome was the VAS-A variation (percentage changes) between T0 and T1 in the AAe group compared with that in the sham AA group. The secondary outcomes were the VAS-A variation between T0 and T1 in the AA group compared with that in the control group, and the variation between T0 and T2 compared between the three groups, the effect of AA on parasympathetic tone, and the incidence of adverse effects. Results: In women immediately before anesthesia for cesarean section, the AA produced a 19% decrease of anxiety, compared with a 21% anxiety increase in sham AA, which is significantly different. The effect of AA was more present in women with low initial anxiety. The proportion of patients reaching clinically significant anxiety reduction (>33% from the initial level) was 2.5 times higher in the AA group ( p = 0.02) compared with the sham group. No differences in anxiety variations were found compared with the no-intervention group. No effect of AA was noted on parasympathetic tone. Conclusion:Comparedwith sham,AAdecreasedmaternal anxiety levelwhen arriving in the operation roomand just before the beginning of the cesarean section, with a trend toward improvement compared with usual care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of kinematic and postural data of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients seems relevant for a better understanding of biomechanical aspects involved in AIS and its etiopathogenesis. The present project aimed at investigating kinematic differences and asymmetries in early AIS in a static task and in uniplanar trunk movements (rotations, lateral bending, and forward bending). Trunk kinematics and posture were assessed using a 3D motion analysis system and a force plate. A total of fifteen healthy girls, fifteen AIS girls with a left lumbar main curve, and seventeen AIS girls with a right thoracic main curve were compared. Statistical analyses were performed to investigate presumed differences between the three groups. This study showed kinematic and postural differences between mild AIS patients and controls such as static imbalance, a reduced range of motion in the frontal plane, and a different kinematic strategy in lateral bending. These differences mainly occurred in the same direction, whatever the type of scoliosis, and suggested that AIS patients behave similarly from a dynamic point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The thyroid nodules incidence has risen worldwide. Although factors such as increasing the use of imaging techniques and more rapid detection of small thyroid nodules have been implicated in the recent rise in thyroid cancer incidence, some environmental parameters such as infectious agents may be involved. Helicobacter pylori infection is an environmental risk factor, which may mimic the antigenic properties of membranes of thyrocytes. Objectives: This study aimed at evaluating the association of H. pylori infection with benign and malignant thyroid nodules in comparison with the control group. Methods: Patients with benign thyroid nodules, papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), and euthyroid healthy controls without thyroid nodules that had just been diagnosed were included in the study. All participants underwent clinical examination. Various biochemical parameters such as serum H. pylori Ab (IgG) and thyroid function tests were measured. Comparisons were made between groups. Results: Finally, 370 patients with benign thyroid nodules, 364 patients with PTC, and 360 healthy subjects without nodules participated as a control group. In the patients with PTC, the prevalence of H. pylori infection was 89.6%, while in the group of patients with benign thyroid nodules and the control group was 81.1% and 75%, respectively (P < 0.001). Helicobacter pylori antibody (Ab) titer was not significantly associated with any of the anthropometric and biochemical variables. Conclusions: Helicobacter pylori infection was significantly higher in patients with benign thyroid nodules and PTC than in the control group. Also, the rate of infection was significantly higher in the malignant nodule group than in the benign thyroid nodules group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oral health, coupled with rising awareness on the impact that limited dental care coverage has on oral health and general health and well-being, has received increased attention over the past few years. The purpose of the study was to compare the statutory coverage and access to dental care for adult services in 11 European countries using a vignette approach. Methods: We used three patient vignettes to highlight the differences of the dimensions of coverage and access to dental care (coverage, cost-sharing and accessibility). The three vignettes describe typical care pathways for patients with the most common oral health conditions (caries, periodontal disease, edentulism). The vignettes were completed by health services researchers knowledgeable on dental care, dentists, or teams consisting of a health systems expert working together with dental specialists. Results: Completed vignettes were received from 11 countries: Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Germany, Republic of Ireland (Ireland), Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden. While emergency dental care, tooth extraction and restorative care for acute pain due to carious lesions are covered in most responding countries, root canal treatment, periodontal care and prosthetic restoration often require cost-sharing or are entirely excluded from the benefit basket. Regular dental visits are also limited to one visit per year in many countries. Beyond financial barriers due to out-of-pocket payments, patients may experience very different physical barriers to accessing dental care. The limited availability of contracted dentists (especially in rural areas) and the unequal distribution and lack of specialised dentists are major access barriers to public dental care. Conclusions: According to the results, statutory coverage of dental care varies across European countries, while access barriers are largely similar. Many dental services require substantial cost-sharing in most countries, leading to high out-of-pocket spending. Socioeconomic status is thus a main determinant for access to dental care, but other factors such as geography, age and comorbidities can also inhibit access and affect outcomes. Moreover, coverage in most oral health systems is targeted at treatment and less at preventative oral health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To compare the risk of diverticulitis and gastrointestinal perforation (GIP) in RA treated with tocilizumab (TCZ) compared with rituximab (RTX) and abatacept (ABA). Methods We conducted a population-based study using three observational French registries on TCZ, RTX and ABA in RA. Using a propensity score approach, we compared the risk of diverticulitis or GIP in these patients. Results With inverse probability weighting, there was an increased risk of diverticulitis in TCZ-treated patients compared with RTX- or ABA-treated patients [hazard ratio (HR)=3.1 (95% CI: 1.5, 6.3), P =0.002]. Moreover, patients treated with TCZ had also an increased risk of GIP due to diverticulitis compared with those treated with RTX or ABA [HR=3.8 (1.1–13.6), P =0.04], resulting in an overall increased risk of GIP [HR=2.9 (1.1–7.8), P =0.03], while no significant increased risk of GIP due to any other aetiology was found in TCZ treated patients. Diverticulitis and GIP occurred earlier with TCZ than other drugs after the last perfusion (P =0.01), with atypical clinical presentation (slow transit in 30%, P =0.04) and lower acute-phase reactants at the time of the event (P =0.005). Conclusion TCZ for RA was associated with increased odds of diverticulitis as well as GIP due to diverticulitis as compared with RTX and ABA. Our study confirms the increased odds of GIP in patients receiving TCZ, which might be explained by an increased risk of diverticulitis with misleading clinical presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an innovative therapy indicated for the treatment of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infections. Although CDI and its complications are more common in very old patients (≥80 years) due to their comorbidities, frailty and senescence of the immune system, limited data are available for this older patient population. Design: This was a single-center, real-life cohort study with retrospective outcome data registration, conducted at Toulouse, France. Setting and Participants: Older people group was compared to the control group aged 18–79 years. Measurements: The primary outcome was overall survival at 52 weeks for ≥80 years patients compared to the control group after FMT. Recurrence-free survival at 52 weeks and, the occurrence of adverse events in the short and long term were the secondary endpoints. Results: A total of 58 patients were included, 19 were aged ≥80 years and 39 were aged 18–79 years. Overall survival at 52 weeks after FMT of the very old patients was not different from the control group (78.9% versus 89.7%, p= 0.29). Recurrence-free survival of CDI was not different between groups, with 94.3% in the 18–79-group versus 86.9% in the ≥80 group (p=0.44). The occurrence of short- or long-term adverse events was not statistically different between the two groups (36.8% vs 41%, p=0.45). Conclusions: FMT is effective and well-tolerated in very old frail patients. This treatment brings a rapid benefit and limits the loss of functions. It also favors their maintenance at home or in a non-medical institution dedicated to dependent subjects and improves their quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]