Stakeholder consultations and the legitimacy of regulatory decision-making: A survey experiment in Belgium.

Agencies consult extensively with stakeholders such as industry associations, nongovernmental organizations, and trade unions. One rationale for consultations is that these improve procedural legitimacy and lead to greater acceptance of regulatory outcomes by citizens and the regulated industry. While this presumption of a positive relation between stakeholder consultations and the legitimacy of agencies is widespread, research analyzing this relationship remains scarce.

High Definition transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) for chronic tinnitus: Outcomes from a prospective longitudinal large cohort study.

Background: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) aims to induce cortical plasticity by modulating the activity of brain structures. The broad stimulation pattern, which is one of the main limitations of tDCS, can be overcome with the recently developed technique called High-Definition tDCS (HD-tDCS).

Objective: Investigation of the effect of HD-tDCS on tinnitus in a large patient cohort.

Do Professionals Take Over? Professionalisation and Membership Influence in Civil Society Organisations.

While many scholars have postulated the decline of membership influence as an important consequence of the professionalisation of civil society organisations (CSOs), other analysts have argued that traditional membership-driven CSOs are resilient and that hiring professionals does not necessarily diminish membership influence. This study sheds light on this issue by analysing membership influence in a representative sample of approximately 2000 CSOs from  five European countries and the European level. As members generally have a strong influence on CSOs' policy positions, our analysis demonstrates that the pessimistic tone in much contemporary scholarly work is largely unwarranted.

Access to European Union Agencies: Usual Suspects or Balanced Interest Representation in Open and Closed Consultations?

To facilitate stakeholder representation, European Union (EU) agencies use a range of procedures, including closed consultation or advisory committees and open or public consultations. For analysing what kind of stakeholders gain access to advisory committees, we compare these two particular procedures. Two theoretical perspectives guide this analysis.

Should I stay or should I go? Explaining variation in nonstate actor advocacy over time in global governance.

The past decades have been characterized by a growing number of nonstate actors (NSAs) involved in global governance. However, despite this growth, only a small number of NSAs have been able to maintain a prolonged global presence over a substantial period of time. To explain why some NSAs are more active, we rely on resource dependence theory.

Correction to: Remotely controlled mandibular positioning of oral appliance therapy during polysomnography and drug-induced sleep endoscopy compared with conventional subjective titration in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: protocol for a randomized crossover trial.

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported that Fig. 1 had not been corrected based on the reviewer's comments. The correct Fig.

Beyond BMI: a feasibility study implementing NutriSTEP in primary care practices using electronic medical records (EMRs).

Introduction: Primary care providers have a role to play in supporting the development of healthy eating habits, particularly in a child's early years. This study examined the feasibility of implementing the NutriSTEP® screen-a 17-item nutrition risk screening tool validated for use with both toddler and preschooler populations-integrated with an electronic medical record (EMR) in primary care practices in Ontario, Canada, to inform primary care decision-making and public health surveillance.

Methods: Five primary care practices implemented the NutriSTEP screen as a standardized form into their EMRs.

Remotely controlled mandibular positioning of oral appliance therapy during polysomnography and drug-induced sleep endoscopy compared with conventional subjective titration in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: protocol for a randomized crossover trial.

Background: The amount of mandibular protrusion is a key factor in optimizing the efficacy of mandibular advancement device (MAD) therapy in an individual patient diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. This process is called titration and is generally based on resolution of subjective symptoms like snoring and/or daytime sleepiness as a function of protrusion. An objective approach uses a remotely controlled mandibular positioner (RCMP) during a full-night polysomnography (PSG), in analogy with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) titration.

An Exploratory Study on the Use of Event-Related Potentials as an Objective Measure of Auditory Processing and Therapy Effect in Patients With Tinnitus: A Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Study.

Objective: Treatment effect in tinnitus research is commonly evaluated by use of self-report questionnaires. As this is a solely subjective assessment method, the need for an objective measurement is paramount to genuinely evaluate the effects of therapeutic interventions. The current study explores the value of event-related potentials (ERPs) in the evaluation of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) for tinnitus treatment.

Sequential dual-site High-Definition transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) treatment in chronic subjective tinnitus: study protocol of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Chronic tinnitus is a highly prevalent symptom, with many patients reporting considerable effects of tinnitus on quality of life. No clear evidence-based treatment options are currently available. While counseling-based methods are valuable in some cases, they are not sufficiently effective for all tinnitus patients.

Perioperative Care of Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Undergoing Upper Airway Surgery: A Review and Consensus Recommendations.

Importance: To date, no consensus exists regarding optimal perioperative care of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) undergoing upper airway (UA) surgery. These patients are at risk related to anesthesia and postoperative analgesia, among other risks associated with difficult airway control, and may require intensified perioperative management.

Objective: To provide a consensus-based guideline by reviewing available literature and collecting expert opinion during an international consensus meeting with experts from relevant speciliaties.

Treatment of sleep-disordered breathing with positional therapy: long-term results.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of a sleep position trainer (SPT) in patients with an established diagnosis of positional obstructive sleep apnea and to evaluate the adherence after 1-year follow-up.

Methods: Polysomnography (PSG) was performed at baseline and after 1 year of SPT use. Patients received questionnaires to assess treatment satisfaction and subjective adherence.

Successful upper airway stimulation therapy in an adult Down syndrome patient with severe obstructive sleep apnea.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to report on the successful application of upper airway stimulation (UAS) therapy in an adult Down syndrome (DS) patient with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) intolerance.

Methods: Baseline polysomnography (PSG) in a 23-year-old male OSA patient (body mass index (BMI) 24.4 kg/m) revealed an apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) of 61.

Making Inference across Mobilisation and Influence Research: Comparing Top-Down and Bottom-Up Mapping of Interest Systems.

Scholars of mobilisation and policy influence employ two quite different approaches to mapping interest group systems. Those interested in research questions on mobilisation typically rely on a bottom-up mapping strategy in order to characterise the total size and composition of interest group communities. Researchers with an interest in policy influence usually rely on a top-down strategy in which the mapping of politically active organisations depends on samples of specific policies.

Effects of Electrical Stimulation in Tinnitus Patients: Conventional Versus High-Definition tDCS.

Background: Contradictory results have been reported for transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as treatment for tinnitus. The recently developed high-definition tDCS (HD tDCS) uses smaller electrodes to limit the excitation to the desired brain areas.

Objective: The current study consisted of a retrospective part and a prospective part, aiming to compare 2 tDCS electrode placements and to explore effects of HD tDCS by matched pairs analyses.

Evaluation of a Trial Period With a Sleep Position Trainer in Patients With Positional Sleep Apnea.

Study Objectives: To assess the overall clinical effectiveness of a sleep position trainer (SPT) in patients with positional obstructive sleep apnea (POSA) and to evaluate how many patients were willing to continue treatment after a 1-month trial period.

Methods: Patients in whom POSA was diagnosed underwent a 1-month trial period with the SPT. Home sleep apnea tests were used to measure baseline data and data following the trial period with the SPT.

The use of drug-induced sleep endoscopy in England and Belgium.

Purpose: The purpose of this international survey is to ascertain the current practice of drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) for patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) by Otolaryngologists in the United Kingdom and Belgium. We compare the results with recommendations from the European Position Paper on drug-induced sleep endoscopy.

Methods: An online questionnaire was circulated to Consultant Otolaryngologists, independent practitioners, and trainees across the two countries.

Development of a Clinical Pathway and Technical Aspects of Upper Airway Stimulation Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disease with high morbidity and related mortality. Narrowing and collapse of the pharyngeal airway during sleep characterize the disease, resulting in a decrease (hypopnea) or a complete cessation (apnea) of oronasal airflow. Upper airway stimulation (UAS), using electrical neurostimulation of the hypoglossal nerve (n.

Dialogical space in grief work: Integrating the alterity of loss.

Research on grief is moving away from stage and task-oriented models. Instead, loss is reconceptualized as an event that will change mourners' identity over time. The authors envision dynamic grief work as flowing from a dialogical engagement with loss, death, and illness; a terrain in which to begin a conversation with soul.

In vitro 'time-to-kill' assay to assess the cidal activity dynamics of current reference drugs against Leishmania donovani and Leishmania infantum.

Objectives: Despite a continued search for novel antileishmanial drugs, treatment options remain restricted to a few standard drugs, e.g. antimonials, miltefosine, amphotericin B and paromomycin.

Evidence of a drug-specific impact of experimentally selected paromomycin and miltefosine resistance on parasite fitness in Leishmania infantum.

Objectives: Although miltefosine and paromomycin were only recently introduced to treat visceral leishmaniasis, increasing numbers of miltefosine treatment failures and occasional primary resistance to both drugs have been reported. Understanding alterations in parasite behaviour linked to drug resistance is essential to assess the propensity for emergence and spread of resistant strains, particularly since a positive effect on fitness has been reported for antimony-resistant parasites. This laboratory study compared the fitness of a drug-susceptible parent WT clinical Leishmania infantum isolate (MHOM/FR/96/LEM3323) and derived miltefosine and paromomycin drug-resistant lines that were experimentally selected at the intracellular amastigote level.

Development, reliability, and validity testing of Toddler NutriSTEP: a nutrition risk screening questionnaire for children 18-35 months of age.

Nutrition is vital for optimal growth and development of young children. Nutrition risk screening can facilitate early intervention when followed by nutritional assessment and treatment. NutriSTEP (Nutrition Screening Tool for Every Preschooler) is a valid and reliable nutrition risk screening questionnaire for preschoolers (aged 3-5 years).

NutriSTEP® is Reliable for Internet and Onscreen Use.

Purpose: NutriSTEP(®) screens for nutritional risk in preschoolers (3-5 years of age). Availability has been limited to paper versions. The objective is to test reliability for Internet and Onscreen use.

Integrating weight bias awareness and mental health promotion into obesity prevention delivery: a public health pilot study.

Introduction: Promoting healthy weight is a top priority in Canada. Recent federal guidelines call for sustained, multisectoral partnerships that address childhood obesity on multiple levels. Current healthy weight messaging does not fully acknowledge the influence of social determinants of health on weight.

Planning a graduate programme in public health nutrition for experienced nutrition professionals.

Objective: Public health renewal in Canada has highlighted the need for development and expansion of the public health nutrition workforce, particularly in northern and rural communities. The purpose of the present paper is to describe the planning of a more accessible graduate programme for experienced nutrition professionals. The planning effort was challenged by a short timeframe between programme approval and implementation and required intense collaboration with stakeholders and students.