Validity and Reliability of the French Short Version of the Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders-Negative Statements (sQOD-NS).

peer reviewed[en] OBJECTIVE: To develop a French Short Version of the Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders-Negative Statements (Fr-sQOD) to assess the quality of life impairments of patients with olfactory dysfunction (OD). METHODS: Patients with OD and controls were enrolled from 2 academic centers. Individuals completed the Fr-sQOD, an OD visual analog scale severity, and the French version of the sinonasal outcome tool-22 (SNOT-22). Cronbach α was used to measure the internal consistency of Fr-sQOD. The reliability and the external validity of Fr-sQOD were assessed through a test-retest approach and by correlating Fr-sQOD with SNOT-22 scores, respectively. The external validity was assessed by correlation analysis between Fr-sQOD and the result of an assessment of the severity of OD on a visual analog scale. RESULTS: Eighty patients completed the evaluations. The internal consistency was adequate (Cronbach α .96), and the test-retest reliability was high in the entire cohort (rs = 0.877, P < .001). The correlation between Fr-sQOD total scores and the severity of OD was moderate but significant (rs = -0.431; P = .001) supporting an acceptable external validity. Patients with OD had a significantly higher score of Fr-sQOD than healthy individuals (P < .001), indicating a high internal validity. CONCLUSION: The Fr-sQOD is a reliable and valid self-administered tool in the evaluation of the impact of OD on quality of life of French-speaking patients

Features of Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19 Patients with Dysphonia

Introduction To explore the prevalence of dysphonia in European patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and the clinical features of dysphonic patients. Methods The clinical and epidemiological data of 702 patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 were collected from 19 European Hospitals. The following data were extracted: age, sex, ethnicity, tobacco consumption, comorbidities, general and otolaryngological symptoms. Dysphonia and otolaryngological symptoms were self-assessed through a 4-point scale. The prevalence of dysphonia, as part of the COVID-19 symptoms, was assessed. The outcomes were compared between dysphonic and non-dysphonic patients. The association between dysphonia severity and outcomes was studied through Bayesian analysis. Results A total of 188 patients were dysphonic, accounting for 26.8% of cases. Females developed more frequently dysphonia than males (p=0.022). The proportion of smokers was significantly higher in the dysphonic group (p=0.042). The prevalence of the following symptoms was higher in dysphonic patients compared with non-dysphonic patients: cough, chest pain, sticky sputum, arthralgia, diarrhea, headache, fatigue, nausea and vomiting. The severity of dyspnea, dysphagia, ear pain, face pain, throat pain and nasal obstruction was higher in dysphonic group compared with non-dysphonic group. There were significant associations between the severity of dysphonia, dysphagia and cough. Conclusion Dysphonia may be encountered in a quarter of patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and should be considered as a symptom list of the infection. Dysphonic COVID-19 patients are more symptomatic than non-dysphonic individuals. Future studies are needed to investigate the relevance of dysphonia in the COVID-19 clinical presentation

Foreign ownership, bank information environments, and the international mobility of corporate governance

This paper investigates how foreign ownership shapes bank information environments. Using a sample of listed banks from 60 countries over 1997–2012, we show that foreign ownership is significantly associated with greater (lower) informativeness (synchronicity) in bank stock prices. We also find that stock returns of foreign-owned banks reflect more information about future earnings. In addition, the positive association between price informativeness and foreign ownership is stronger for foreign-owned banks in countries with stronger governance, stronger banking supervision, and lower monitoring costs. Overall, our evidence suggests that foreign ownership reduces bank opacity by exporting governance, yielding important implications for regulators and governments

Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of 1,420 European Patients with mild-to-moderate Coronavirus Disease 2019

Background: The clinical presentation of European patients with mild-to-moderate Covid-19 infection is still unknown. Objective: To study the clinical presentation of Covid-19 in Europe. Methods: Patients with positive diagnosis of Covid-19 were recruited from 18 European hospitals. Epidemiological and clinical data were obtained through a standardized questionnaire. Bayesian analysis was used for analyzing the relationship between outcomes. Results: 1,420 patients completed the study (962 females, 30.7% of health care workers). The mean age of patients was 39.17\ub112.09 years. The most common symptoms were headache (70.3%), loss of smell (70.2%), nasal obstruction (67.8%), cough (63.2%), asthenia (63.3%), myalgia (62.5%), rhinorrhea (60.1%), gustatory dysfunction (54.2%) and sore throat (52.9%). Fever was reported by on 45.4%. The mean duration of Covid-19 symptoms of mild-to-moderate cured patients was 11.5\ub15.7 days. The prevalence of symptoms significantly varied according to age and sex. Young patients more frequently had ear, nose, and throat complaints, whereas elderly individuals often presented fever, fatigue and loss of appetite. Loss of smell, headache, nasal obstruction and fatigue were more prevalent in female patients. The loss of smell was a key symptom of mild-to-moderate Covid19 patients and was not associated with nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea. Loss of smell persisted at least 7 days after the disease in 37.5% of cured patients. Conclusion: The clinical presentation of mild-to-moderate Covid-19 substantially varies according to the age and the sex characteristics of patients. Olfactory dysfunction seems to be an important underestimated symptom of mild-to-moderate Covid-19 that needs to be recognized as such by the WHO

Impact d'un incendie de forêt sur les débits de référence d'un petit bassin versant méditerranéen

The forest fire that recently hit the Rimbaud watershed - 146 ha -, that belongs to the Real Collobrier Experimental Research Watershed, has noticeably changed the hydrological behavior of the watershed. The current study looks, on the basis of a rain-flow modelling, at the fire impact on the model parameterization. The distribution functions of production and transfer parameters, estimated on samples taken before and after the fire, are significantly different. A random simulation procedure, based on scenarii of hourly rains changed into flow, permits the estimation of the number of flood peaks before and after the fire. The study concludes that, for a same apparition probability, the reference flows are twice as important. / L'incendie de forêt qui a affecté le bassin versant du Rimbaud - 146 ha - BVRE du Réal Collobrier a sensiblement modifié le comportement hydrologique du bassin. La présente étude examine, sur la base d'une modélisation pluie-débit, l'impact de l'incendie sur la paramétrisation du modèle. Les fonctions de distribution des paramètres de production et de transfert, estimées sur les échantillons avant et après incendie, sont significativement différentes. Une procédure aléatoire de simulation, basée sur des scénarios de pluies horaires transformées en débit, permet d'estimer les quantités de débits de pointe de crue avant et après incendie. L'étude conclue qu'à même probabilité d'apparition les débits de référence sont doublés

Retour d’expérience des six évacuations sanitaires aériennes collectives MoRPHEE durant la pandémie de Covid-19

Après son apparition en Chine à la fin de 2019, l’épidémie de coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) a rapidement provoqué le risque d’une saturation des ressources en soins intensifs dans chaque pays touché. La répartition de la maladie entre les différents territoires est hétérogène. Le transport interhospitalier sur longue distance de patients atteints de Covid-19 dans le but de limiter la pression sur les unités de soins intensifs au niveau national ou international n’a pas encore été décrit. L’objectif de cet article était de fournir des données descriptives des six missions d’évacuation aéromédicale collective (Evasan) de patients atteints de Covid-19 réalisées en Europe et sur le territoire national français les 18, 21, 24, 27, 31 mars et 3 avril 2020 grâce au dispositif MoRPHEE. Trente-six patients souffrant de syndrome de détresse respiratoire aiguë (SDRA) ont été évacués durant six missions d’évacuations sanitaires collectives. Le SDRA était modéré (rapport PaO2/FiO2&gt; 100 et ≤ 200) chez 24 patients et léger (rapport PaO2/FiO2&gt; 200 et ≤ 300) chez 12 patients. La durée médiane de la ventilation mécanique en soins intensifs avant le transport était de quatre jours (interquartile [IQ] : 3‒5). Le rapport médian PaO2/FiO2était de 180 mmHg (IQ : 156‒202). Le débit médian de perfusion de noradrénaline était de 0,08 μg/kg par min. Aucune complication mettant en jeu le pronostic vital n’a été signalée. En conclusion, l’évacuation sanitaire aérienne collective de patients gravement malades de Covid-19 est une solution contribuant à contrôler le niveau de saturation du système de soins au niveau national ou international.</jats:p