Effect and process evaluation of implementing standardized tests to monitor patients in spinal cord injury rehabilitation.

Purpose: To evaluate the implementation of standardized physical and functional tests to monitor patients with a spinal cord injury (SCI) in eight rehabilitation centers and to analyze the enablers and the barriers of the implementation process.

Method: The method involved prospective effect and process evaluation. Team members responded to mailed questionnaires at the start (n = 115) and end (n = 82) of the 1-year implementation period.

Development and validation of prognostic models designed to predict wheelchair skills at discharge from spinal cord injury rehabilitation.

Objective: To develop and validate a statistical model to predict wheelchair skills at discharge (t(2)) from personal and lesion characteristics and wheelchair skills at the start of spinal cord injury inpatient rehabilitation (t(1)).

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Eight Dutch rehabilitation centres.

Influence of preoperative radiotherapy on DNA ploidy in squamous cell carcinomas of the oesophagus.

The influence of preoperative radiotherapy on the prevalence of DNA aneuploidy and the prognostic significance of tumour DNA ploidy was evaluated in 126 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus. Preoperative radiotherapy with 30 Gy was performed in 52 patients. DNA ploidy was analysed by flow cytometry on nuclei isolated from paraffin embedded tumour tissue.

Prognostic significance of DNA ploidy in adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. A flow cytometric study of paraffin-embedded specimens.

Background: The prognostic significance of tumor DNA ploidy in patients with cancer of the pancreas has not been defined because conflicting results have been reported.

Methods: DNA content was measured in 56 ductal adenocarcinomas of the pancreas. DNA ploidy status was evaluated by flow cytometry in nuclei isolated from paraffin-embedded tumor tissues.