ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The treatment landscape for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) has changed in recent years with the approval of therapies with different efficacy, safety and administration profiles. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess neurologists' preferences for different NMOSD treatment attributes using conjoint analysis (CA). METHODS: We conducted an online, non-interventional, cross-sectional study in collaboration with the Spanish Society of Neurology. Our CA assessed five drugs' attributes: prevention of relapse, prevention of disability accumulation, safety risk, management during pregnancy, and route and frequency of administration. Participants were presented with eight hypothetical treatment scenarios to rank based on their preferences from the most preferred to the least. An ordinary least squares method was selected to estimate weighted preferences. RESULTS: A total of 104 neurologists were included. Mean age (standard deviation-SD) was 37.7 (10.3) years, 52.9 % were male, and median time (interquartile range) of experience managing NMOSD was 5.0 (2.9, 10.8) years. Neurologists placed the greatest importance on efficacy attributes, time to relapse (44.1 %) being the most important, followed by preventing disability accumulation (36.8 %). In contrast, route and frequency of administration (4.6 %) was the least important characteristic. Participants who prioritised efficacy attributes felt more comfortable in decision-making, had fewer past experiences of care-related regret and a lower attitude to risk taking than their counterparts. CONCLUSION: Neurologists' treatment preferences in NMOSD were mainly driven by efficacy attributes. These results may be useful to design policy decisions and treatment guidelines for this condition.
ABSTRACT
Introduction and objective: Limited information is available on how neurologists make therapeutic decisions in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), especially when new treatments with different mechanisms of action, administration, and safety profile are being approved. Decision-making can be complex under this uncertainty and may lead to therapeutic inertia (TI), which refers to lack of treatment initiation or intensification when therapeutic goals are not met. The study aim was to assess neurologists' TI in NMOSD. Methods: An online, cross-sectional study was conducted in collaboration with the Spanish Society of Neurology. Neurologists answered a survey composed of demographic characteristics, professional background, and behavioral traits. TI was defined as the lack of initiation or intensification with high-efficacy treatments when there is evidence of disease activity and was assessed through five NMOSD aquaporin-4 positive (AQP4+) simulated case scenarios. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between neurologists' characteristics and TI. Results: A total of 78 neurologists were included (median interquartile range [IQR] age: 36.0 [29.0-46.0] years, 55.1% male, median [IQR] experience managing demyelinating conditions was 5.2 [3.0-11.1] years). The majority of participants were general neurologists (59.0%) attending a median (IQR) of 5.0 NMOSD patients (3.0-12.0) annually. Thirty participants (38.5%) were classified as having TI. Working in a low complexity hospital and giving high importance to patient's tolerability/safety when choosing a treatment were predictors of TI. Conclusion: TI is a common phenomenon among neurologists managing NMOSD AQP4+. Identifying TI and implementing specific intervention strategies may be critical to improving therapeutic decisions and patient care.
ABSTRACT
Fructose consumption has increased during the last decades, while a simultaneous rise in the incidence of pathologies such as type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome has also taken place. Although there is evidence that fructose can cause alterations in the offspring related to the development of the aforementioned diseases, exposure to fructose during pregnancy is not contraindicated for women. This effect is explained by the concept of foetal programming, which suggests that changes that occur during the embryogenic and foetal stages are permanent in the adult, due to maternal health, diet and other environmental factors.Therefore, the effect of fructose on cholesterol metabolism in the offspring of mothers fed with or without fructose during gestation was studied. In addition, the progeny also received different diets: fructose (with and without supplementation of cholesterol) or tagatose solutions.Tagatose increased non-HDL cholesterol in the offspring of water-fed mothers, whereas fructose consumption during gestation dampened this effect, indicating foetal programming. In addition, fructose and tagatose feeding increased atherogenic indices by decreasing HDL-cholesterol concentration and increasing triglycerides levels.On the other hand, the addition of cholesterol to fructose consumption caused an increase in total cholesterol and a change in its distribution: higher concentration of non-HDL cholesterol and lower concentration of HDL cholesterol, independently of maternal feeding. This also caused an increase in atherogenic indices.Ultimately, the results indicate that cholesterol metabolism is influenced by both maternal fructose consumption, and the subsequent intake of fructose (alone or in combination with cholesterol) and tagatose in the offspring. (AU)
El consumo de fructosa ha aumentado en las últimas décadas, en paralelo a la incidencia de síndrome metabólico y diabetes tipo 2. Múltiples evidencias sugieren que la ingesta materna de fructosa provoca alteraciones en la descendencia favoreciendo el desarrollo de síndrome metabólico. Sin embargo, la ingesta de fructosa durante el embarazo no está contraindicada. Este efecto se produce a través de la programación fetal, según la cual cambios como la dieta materna y ambientales durante las etapas embrionaria y fetal conducen a alteraciones en la etapa adulta de la descendencia. Con estos antecedentes, estudiamos el efecto de la ingesta materna de fructosa sobre el metabolismo del colesterol en la descendencia. Además, la progenie también se sometió a diferentes tratamientos dietéticos: fructosa, fructosa con colesterol y tagatosa.La tagatosa provocó un aumento del colesterol no HDL en la descendencia de madres control, mientras que el consumo materno de fructosa amortiguó este efecto, sugiriendo una programación fetal. Además, la suplementación con fructosa y con tagatosa provocaron un aumento de los índices aterogénicos disminuyendo la concentración de colesterol HDL y aumentando la de triglicéridos.Además, la suplementación con colesterol y fructosa provocó un aumento en los niveles plasmáticos de colesterol total y colesterol no HDL y una disminución del colesterol HDL, independientemente de la alimentación materna, provocando un aumento de los índices aterogénicos.En definitiva, los resultados indican que el metabolismo del colesterol está influenciado tanto por el consumo materno de fructosa como por los tratamientos dietéticos posteriores de la descendencia: fructosa, fructosa con colesterol y tagatosa. (AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Fructose , Cholesterol , Fetal Development , Metabolic Syndrome , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2ABSTRACT
El consumo de fructosa ha aumentado en las últimas décadas, en paralelo a la incidencia de síndrome metabólico y diabetes tipo 2. Múltiples evidencias sugieren que la ingesta materna de fructosa provoca alteraciones en la descendencia favoreciendo el desarrollo de síndrome metabólico. Sin embargo, la ingesta de fructosa durante el embarazo no está contraindicada. Este efecto se produce a través de la programación fetal, según la cual cambios como la dieta materna y ambientales durante las etapas embrionaria y fetal conducen a alteraciones en la etapa adulta de la descendencia. Con estos antecedentes, estudiamos el efecto de la ingesta materna de fructosa sobre el metabolismo del colesterol en la descendencia. Además, la progenie también se sometió a diferentes tratamientos dietéticos: fructosa, fructosa con colesterol y tagatosa.La tagatosa provocó un aumento del colesterol no HDL en la descendencia de madres control, mientras que el consumo materno de fructosa amortiguó este efecto, sugiriendo una programación fetal. Además, la suplementación con fructosa y con tagatosa provocaron un aumento de los índices aterogénicos disminuyendo la concentración de colesterol HDL y aumentando la de triglicéridos.Además, la suplementación con colesterol y fructosa provocó un aumento en los niveles plasmáticos de colesterol total y colesterol no HDL y una disminución del colesterol HDL, independientemente de la alimentación materna, provocando un aumento de los índices aterogénicos.En definitiva, los resultados indican que el metabolismo del colesterol está influenciado tanto por el consumo materno de fructosa como por los tratamientos dietéticos posteriores de la descendencia: fructosa, fructosa con colesterol y tagatosa. (AU)
Fructose consumption has increased during the last decades, while a simultaneous rise in the incidence of pathologies such as type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome has also taken place. Although there is evidence that fructose can cause alterations in the offspring related to the development of the aforementioned diseases, exposure to fructose during pregnancy is not contraindicated for women. This effect is explained by the concept of foetal programming, which suggests that changes that occur during the embryogenic and foetal stages are permanent in the adult, due to maternal health, diet and other environmental factors.Therefore, the effect of fructose on cholesterol metabolism in the offspring of mothers fed with or without fructose during gestation was studied. In addition, the progeny also received different diets: fructose (with and without supplementation of cholesterol) or tagatose solutions.Tagatose increased non-HDL cholesterol in the offspring of water-fed mothers, whereas fructose consumption during gestation dampened this effect, indicating foetal programming. In addition, fructose and tagatose feeding increased atherogenic indices by decreasing HDL-cholesterol concentration and increasing triglycerides levels.On the other hand, the addition of cholesterol to fructose consumption caused an increase in total cholesterol and a change in its distribution: higher concentration of non-HDL cholesterol and lower concentration of HDL cholesterol, independently of maternal feeding. This also caused an increase in atherogenic indices.Ultimately, the results indicate that cholesterol metabolism is influenced by both maternal fructose consumption, and the subsequent intake of fructose (alone or in combination with cholesterol) and tagatose in the offspring. (AU)
