[Metabolic testing rates after initiation of antipsychotic treatment in persons initially treated by conventional mood-stabilizers].

Objectives: To assess the rate of metabolic testing after initiation of second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) prescription in persons initially treated by conventional mood-stabilizers (lithium or anticonvulsants, as a proxy of bipolar disorder diagnosis) and to compare the rates of metabolic testing in these persons with those in persons with initiation of first-generation antipsychotics (FGA) prescription or with no antipsychotic prescription.

Method: Data were anonymously extracted from the 2004 to 2006 French national health database of the Régime Social des Travailleurs Indépendants (RSI). Patients aged 18 years and over were included in the cohort if they fulfilled the following criteria over a three-month inclusion period: refunding of lithium or anticonvulsant over the 3 months without discontinuation (as a proxy of bipolar disorder diagnosis), no concomitant refunding over the 3months of antipsychotic, and no concomitant refunding over the 3 months of an anti-diabetic drug (as a marker of diabetes) or a lipid-lowering drug (as a marker of hyperlipidemia).

Underrepresentation of elderly people in randomised controlled trials. The example of trials of 4 widely prescribed drugs.

Background: We aimed to determine the representation of elderly people in published reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We focused on trials of 4 medications--pioglitazone, rosuvastatin, risedronate, and valsartan-frequently used by elderly patients with chronic medical conditions.

Methods And Findings: We selected all reports of RCTs indexed in PubMed from 1966 to April 2008 evaluating one of the 4 medications of interest.

Influence of the drug exposure definition on the assessment of the antipsychotic metabolic impact in patients initially treated with mood-stabilizers.

What Is Already Known About This Subject: • Metabolic disturbances represent a well-known side effect of second generation antipsychotics. However, studies comparing second generation antipsychotic drugs (SGAPs) and first generation antipsychotic drugs (FGAPs) through administrative databases have shown contrasting findings, which may be attributable to methodological differences.

What This Paper Adds: • The definition of antipsychotic exposure impacts on the association between antipsychotics and metabolic risk in studies carried out through administrative databases.

Low exposure to sunlight is a risk factor for Crohn's disease.

Background: Low sunshine exposure might contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Aim: To assess the geographic distribution of IBD incidence in relation to sunshine exposure in France to test the hypothesis that higher sun exposure is associated with lower IBD risk.

Methods: Using the national health insurance database, incidence rates of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) were estimated for each of the 94 French administrative areas ('départements'), between 2000 and 2002.