TMD pain: the effect on health related quality of life and the influence of pain duration.

Objectives: As impact of literature concerning this subject is scarce, the objectives of this study were to assess whether the Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is decreased in patients with painful temporomandibular disorders as compared to the HRQoL in the general population, and to evaluate to what extent pain duration affects HRQoL.

Methods: Data concerning physical and mental health were retrieved from patients with painful temporomandibular disorders. Assessment tools used were: the Mandibular Function Impairment Questionnaire (MFIQ), the Short-Form-36 (SF-36), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Schedule (HADS), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ).

Cost-effectiveness of a psychoeducational relapse prevention program for depression in primary care.

Background: Major depression is a prevalent mental disorder with a high risk of relapses and recurrences, which are associated with considerable burden for patients and high costs for society. Despite these negative consequences, only few studies have focused on interventions aimed at the prevention of recurrences in primary care patients with depression.

Aims Of The Study: To assess the cost-effectiveness of a psychoeducational prevention program (PEP) aimed at improving the long-term outcome of depression in primary care.

Cost of liver transplantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the United States with other OECD countries.

Large cost variations of liver transplantation are reported. The aim of this study was to assess cost differences of liver transplantation and clinical follow-up between the United States and other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Eight electronic databases were searched, and 2,000 citations published after 1990 with more than 10 transplantations, and with original cost data, were identified.

Pre-transplant quality of life does not predict survival after lung transplantation.

Background: Currently, the goal of lung transplantation is not only to improve survival but also includes improvement of health-related quality of life (HRQL). Limited knowledge is available about the value of HRQL before lung transplantation with regard to predicting survival after lung transplantation. To maximize the benefits of transplantation, it is essential to gain knowledge about variables that predict both length and quality of survival.

The outcome of primary liver transplantation from deceased donors in children with body weight < or =10 kg.

Between November 1982 and March 2006, 67 children with body weight < or =10 kg had a primary liver transplantation from deceased donors in our unit. The aim of this study was to analyze the outcome in terms of patient and graft survival and to search for factors affecting this outcome. Overall, one-, three-, five-, and 10-yr primary patient and graft survival rates were 73%, 71%, 66%, 63% and 59%, 56%, 53%, 48%, respectively.

Cost-effectiveness of neonatal screening for medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency: the homogeneous population of The Netherlands.

Objective: To assess the cost-effectiveness of neonatal screening on medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency in a homogeneous population.

Study Design: For the scenario without neonatal screening, medical chart review and interviews were performed with physicians and families of 116 Dutch patients born between 1985 and July 2003 with clinically ascertained MCAD deficiency. For the scenario with neonatal screening, 66,205 unaffected and 11 affected newborns identified by prospective neonatal screening for MCAD deficiency in the northern part of the Netherlands were evaluated.

Cost-effectiveness analysis in severe mental illness: outcome measures selection.

Background: Most economic evaluations conducted in mental healthcare did not include widely recommended preference-based health outcomes like the QALY (Quality-Adjusted Life Years). Instead, studies have mainly been designed as cost-effectiveness analyses that include single outcome measures aimed at a (disease) specific aspect of health.

Aims Of The Study: To raise awareness about the potential problems related to the selection of outcome measures for economic studies in patient populations with severe mental illness.

The effect of intra-articular injection of ultracain in the temporomandibular joint in patients with preauricular pain: a randomized prospective double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study.

Objectives: To evaluate the distinguishing ability of intra-articular anesthesia from placebo in orofacial pain patients with pain located in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) region, aiming at a validation of intra-articular anesthesia injection as a diagnostic test of pain in the TMJ region.

Materials And Methods: A randomized prospective double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study was conducted among 19 patients (18 females, 1 male) with pain in the TMJ region. The short-term effects of intra-articular ultracain and saline injections on pain and maximum mouth opening were measured and analyzed.

Long-term health-related quality of life after lung transplantation: different predictors for different dimensions.

Background: Lung transplantation has proven to be an effective treatment option for patients with end-stage lung disease with profound effects on both survival and health-related quality of life (HRQL). Generally, studies have reported improved HRQL after lung transplantation. When assessing HRQL, physical, psychologic or social dimensions are usually included.

RAte Control Efficacy in permanent atrial fibrillation: a comparison between lenient versus strict rate control in patients with and without heart failure. Background, aims, and design of RACE II.

Background: Recent studies demonstrated that rate control is an acceptable alternative for rhythm control in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). However, optimal heart rate during AF is still unknown.

Objective: To show that in patients with permanent AF, lenient rate control is not inferior to strict rate control in terms of cardiovascular mortality, morbidity, neurohormonal activation, New York Heart Association class for heart failure, left ventricular function, left atrial size, quality of life, and costs.

Noninferiority testing in cost-minimization studies: Practical issues concerning power analysis.

Objectives: In cost-minimization studies, it is important to establish noninferiority in the clinical effect of the treatments under investigation. The relationship between the proportion of patients reaching the end point in a study, equivalence limit (delta), and power is investigated in the context of cost-minimization studies with dichotomous clinical end points. Two formulations of the null-hypothesis, absolute and relative formulations of delta, will be explored.

The effect of HLA mismatches, shared cross-reactive antigen groups, and shared HLA-DR antigens on the outcome after pediatric liver transplantation.

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and HLA-DR mismatching, sharing cross-reactive antigen groups (CREGs), and sharing HLA-DR antigens on the outcome after pediatric liver transplantation. Outcome parameters were graft survival, acute rejection, and portal fibrosis. A distinction was made between full-size (FSLTx) and technical-variant liver transplantation (TVLTx).

Incomplete quality of life data in lung transplant research: comparing cross sectional, repeated measures ANOVA, and multi-level analysis.

Background: In longitudinal studies on Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) it frequently occurs that patients have one or more missing forms, which may cause bias, and reduce the sample size. Aims of the present study were to address the problem of missing data in the field of lung transplantation (LgTX) and HRQL, to compare results obtained with different methods of analysis, and to show the value of each type of statistical method used to summarize data.

Methods: Results from cross-sectional analysis, repeated measures on complete cases (ANOVA), and a multi-level analysis were compared.

Stress, psychological distress, and coping in patients on the waiting list for lung transplantation: an exploratory study.

Little information is available in literature on quality of life, stress and coping during the period patients are waiting for lung transplantation. This study explored potential stressful events that patients experience during the waiting period assessed the level of anxiety and depression and explored the use of coping strategies. Cross sectional analysis were performed.

Rate control is more cost-effective than rhythm control for patients with persistent atrial fibrillation--results from the RAte Control versus Electrical cardioversion (RACE) study.

Aims To evaluate costs between a rate and rhythm control strategy in persistent atrial fibrillation. Methods and results In a prospective substudy of RACE (Rate control versus electrical cardioversion for persistent atrial fibrillation) in 428 of the total 522 patients (206 rate control and 222 rhythm control), a cost-minimisation and cost-effectiveness analysis was performed to assess cost-effectiveness of the treatment strategies. After a mean follow-up of 2.

The effect of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome on health related quality of life.

Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) is the most important factor limiting long-term survival after lung transplantation, and has a substantial impact on patients' daily life in terms of disability and morbidity. Aim of our study was to examine the effects of BOS on health related quality of life (HRQL) in lung transplantation patients. Data on HRQL from 29 patients who developed BOS at least 18 months earlier were studied longitudinally.

Improved quality of life after lung transplantation in individuals with cystic fibrosis.

The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of lung transplantation (LgTX) on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in a group of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), compared to patients with other diagnoses (non-CF). HRQL was assessed before transplantation in a group of 32 CF patients and 183 non-CF patients. After LgTX, we conducted a prospective longitudinal study among 10 CF patients and 35 non-CF patients who survived at least 31 months after LgTX.

High-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic stem-cell rescue for high-risk breast cancer.

Background: The use of high-dose adjuvant chemotherapy for high-risk primary breast cancer is controversial. We studied its efficacy in patients with 4 to 9 or 10 or more tumor-positive axillary lymph nodes.

Methods: Patients younger than 56 years of age who had undergone surgery for breast cancer and who had no distant metastases were eligible if they had at least four tumor-positive axillary lymph nodes.

Long-term quality of life in patients surviving at least 55 months after lung transplantation.

The aim of this study was to examine the long-term effect of lung transplantation on Health Related Quality of Life by studying 28 patients who survived at least 55 months after lung transplantation. Measures included the Nottingham Health Profile, questions concerning lung-specific problems, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Self-rating Depression Scale, the Index of Well-Being, the Karnofsky performance index, and questions concerning activities of daily life. Furthermore, comorbid conditions were measured.

Graft loss after pediatric liver transplantation.

Objective: To describe the epidemiology and causes of graft loss after pediatric liver transplantation and to identify risk factors.

Summary Background Data: Graft failure after transplantation remains an important problem. It results in patient death or retransplantation, resulting in lower survival rates.