Cost-effectiveness of osteoporosis treatments in postmenopausal women using FRAX™ thresholds for decision.

Purpose: FRAX™ is a fracture prediction algorithm to determine a patient's absolute fracture risk. There is a growing consensus that osteoporosis treatment should be based on individual 10-year fracture probability, as calculated in the FRAX™ algorithm, rather than on T-scores alone.

Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of five years of branded alendronate therapy in postmenopausal French women with a known FRAX™ score.

Cost-effectiveness of mass screening for colorectal cancer: choice of fecal occult blood test and screening strategy.

Background: Colorectal cancer is a major cause of mortality. This gives high public health priority to mass screening using a noninvasive, fecal occult blood test of asymptomatic individuals. A positive test selects those who should undergo colonoscopy to ensure early detection of colorectal cancer.

Increased residual disability among poststroke survivors and the repercussions for the lives of informal caregivers.

Purpose: To analyze the associations between increased residual disability among poststroke survivors and the repercussions for their informal caregivers' lives, taking into account the latter's gender and education level.

Methods: 215 stroke survivors (64.5 years; 55.

Does the availability of positron emission tomography modify diagnostic strategies for solitary pulmonary nodules? An observational study in France.

Background: Previous studies showed that at the individual level, positron emission tomography (PET) has some benefits for patients and physicians in terms of cancer management and staging. We aimed to describe the benefits of (PET) in the management of solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) in a population level, in terms of the number of diagnostic and invasive tests performed, time to diagnosis and factors determining PET utilization.

Methods: In an observational study, we examined reports of computed tomography (CT) performed and mentioning "spherical lesion", "nodule" or synonymous terms.

Benefits of short inspiratory muscle training on exercise capacity, dyspnea, and inspiratory fraction in COPD patients.

Abstract: Static lung hyperinflation has important clinical consequences in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Given that most of these patients have respiratory and peripheral muscle weakness, dyspnea and functional exercise capacity may improve as a result of inspiratory muscle training (IMT). The present study is designed to investigate the benefits of a short outpatient program of IMT on inspiratory muscle performance, exercise capacity, perception of dyspnea, and the inspiratory fraction (IF).

Management of SPN in France. Pathways for definitive diagnosis of solitary pulmonary nodule: a multicentre study in 18 French districts.

Background: The process of diagnosis and management of solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) between 1 and 3 cm is not standardized. This multicentre study investigated how diagnosis of newly discovered SPNs is managed in routine practice.

Methods: We examined 11,515 radiology reports of patients undergoing chest computed tomography (CT) at all 76 radiology centres in 18 French administrative districts covering 8,220,000 people.

Economic impact of migraine and other episodic headaches in France: data from the GRIM2000 study.

Background: Migraine is a prevalent and incapacitating condition that affects individuals in the prime of their productive life, thus generating an economic burden for both society and healthcare systems. The direct annual healthcare costs of migraine in France were assessed over 10 years ago, and the current study updates these figures.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the economic cost (primarily direct costs) of migraine and other episodic headache in France based on a general population survey of headache, the GRIM2000 (Groupe de Researche Interdisciplinaire sur la Migraine).