Development and Validation of the Satisfaction Concerning Stoma Care Questionnaire (SSCQ).

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to develop the Satisfaction Concerning Stoma Care Questionnaire (SSCQ) and evaluate its structural and convergent validity and internal reliability.

Design: Instrument development and evaluation of validity and reliability.

Subjects And Setting: A preliminary 22-item SSCQ was administered in a larger web-based survey to members of 2 ostomy-related patient associations with members throughout the Netherlands.

Occupational differences in a Dutch sample of patients with primary progressive aphasia, behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, and Alzheimer's dementia.

Background: Cognitive reserve is a potential mechanism to cope with brain damage as a result of dementia, which can be defined by indirect proxies, including education level, leisure time activities, and occupational attainment. In this study we explored the association between dementia diagnosis and type of occupation in a retrospective Dutch outpatient memory clinic sample of patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA), behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), and Alzheimer's Dementia (AD).

Methods: We included data from 427 patients (bvFTD  = 87, PPA  = 148, AD  = 192) and compared the frequency of occupations (11 categories) between patients and data from the Dutch census using Pearson tests and we calculated odds ratios (OR) by means of multinomial logistic regression analyses.

Intravenous immunoglobulin for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.

Background: Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) causes progressive or relapsing weakness and numbness of the limbs, which lasts for at least two months. Uncontrolled studies have suggested that intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) could help to reduce symptoms. This is an update of a review first published in 2002 and last updated in 2013.

Phase I feasibility study of Olaparib in combination with loco-regional radiotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Purpose: PARP-inhibitors have potent radiosensitizing properties in pre-clinical models. To identify the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of the PARP-inhibitor Olaparib in combination with radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer, a single institutional phase-I dose escalation trial was initiated.

Patients And Methods: The starting dose of Olaparib was 25 mg BID, combined with radiotherapy (70 Gy in 35 fractions).

Visuospatial perception is not affected by self-related information.

Previous research suggests that attention is drawn by self-related information. Three online experiments were conducted to investigate whether self-related stimuli alter visuospatial perceptual judgments. In a matching task, associations were learned between labels ('Yourself'/friend/stranger's name) paired with cues.

Levodopa Response in Patients With Early Parkinson Disease: Further Observations of the LEAP Study.

Background And Objectives: The Levodopa in EArly Parkinson's Disease (LEAP) study enabled us to conduct post hoc analyses concerning the effects of levodopa in patients with early Parkinson disease.

Methods: The LEAP study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, delayed-start trial in which patients with early Parkinson disease were randomized to receive levodopa/carbidopa 300/75 mg daily for 80 weeks (early-start group) or to placebo for 40 weeks followed by levodopa/carbidopa 300/75 mg daily for 40 weeks (delayed-start group). We analyzed the effect of levodopa with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale on bradykinesia, rigidity, and tremor.

Cost-Effectiveness and Cost-Utility of Early Levodopa in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: In the Levodopa in EArly Parkinson's disease (LEAP) study, 445 patients were randomized to levodopa/carbidopa 100/25 mg three times per day for 80 weeks (early-start) or placebo for 40 weeks followed by levodopa/carbidopa 100/25 mg three times per day for 40 weeks (delayed-start).

Objective: This paper reports the results of the economic evaluation performed alongside the LEAP-study.

Methods: Early-start treatment was evaluated versus delayed-start treatment, in which the cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) and the cost-utility analysis (CUA) were performed from the societal perspective, including health care costs among providers, non-reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses of patients, employer costs of sick leave, and lowered productivity while at work.

Surgical results and quality of life after subtotal petrosectomy.

Purpose: Few data are available regarding subjective complaints and quality of life (QoL) after subtotal petrosectomy (STP). The purpose of our study was to assess long-term surgical results after STP, and to evaluate disease-specific, patient-reported outcomes including QoL and subjective hearing.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study, including a postal survey, was performed in the Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Amsterdam UMC) location Academic Medical Centre (AMC).

Dutch injection versus surgery trial in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (DISTRICTS): protocol of a randomised controlled trial comparing two treatment strategies.

Introduction: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common peripheral neuropathy. The optimal treatment strategy is still unknown. The objective of the Dutch Injection versus Surgery TRIal in patients with CTS (DISTRICTS) is to investigate if initial surgery of CTS results in a better clinical outcome and is more cost-effective when compared with initial treatment with corticosteroid injection.

Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover.

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors.

Withdrawal of intravenous immunoglobulin in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.

Intravenous immunoglobulins are an efficacious treatment for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy. Biomarkers for disease activity are lacking, making the need for ongoing treatment difficult to assess, leading to potential overtreatment and high health-care costs. Our objective was to determine whether intravenous immunoglobulin withdrawal is non-inferior to continuing intravenous immunoglobulin treatment and to determine how often patients are overtreated.

Immunoglobulin for multifocal motor neuropathy.

Background: Multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) is a rare, probably immune-mediated disorder characterised by slowly progressive, asymmetric, distal weakness of one or more limbs with no objective loss of sensation. It may cause prolonged periods of disability. Treatment options for MMN are few.

Assessment of disability in idiopathic inflammatory myopathy: a call for linearity.

Objectives: To evaluate the clinimetric properties of the Academic Medical Centre Disability Score (ALDS) in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM).

Methods: We used prospectively collected data of IIM patients who completed a phase-2 study with first-line IVIG monotherapy. The ALDS is a patient-reported questionnaire which contains 25 items relevant for disability in myositis.

Obtaining a Proportional Allocation by Deleting Items.

We consider the following control problem on fair allocation of indivisible goods. Given a set of items and a set of agents, each having strict linear preferences over the items, we ask for a minimum subset of the items whose deletion guarantees the existence of a proportional allocation in the remaining instance; we call this problem Proportionality by Item Deletion (PID). Our main result is a polynomial-time algorithm that solves PID for three agents.

Naturalism, tractability and the adaptive toolbox.

Many compelling examples have recently been provided in which people can achieve impressive epistemic success, e.g. draw highly accurate inferences, by using simple heuristics and very little information.

Rivastigmine for minor visual hallucinations in Parkinson's disease: A randomized controlled trial with 24 months follow-up.

Background: Visual hallucinations are common in patients with Parkinson's disease and represent probably the major independent predictor for cognitive deterioration and nursing home placement.

Objective: To investigate if treatment of minor visual hallucinations in Parkinson's disease with rivastigmine delays the progression to psychosis.

Methods: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted which aimed to recruit 168 patients with Parkinson's disease reporting minor visual hallucinations 4 weeks before it.

Health and Well-Being of Athletes During the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Scoping Review.

The ongoing global pandemic has become the world's leading health problem, causing massive public fear and concern. Reports suggest that athletes are seeking mental health support, showing the pressures of boredom, and tension associated with their anticipated social isolation. The current study seeks to evaluate the evidence regarding the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on occupational stress in professional athletes.

The "first-generation effect" on perceptions and academic performance of pharmacy students.

Introduction: The "first-generation effect" refers to familial educational attainment's role in first-generation student academic success. It often implies low academic achievements at associate and bachelor degree levels. Would this be true at the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) level? This study assessed perceptions and first-professional (P1) year student academic performance of first-generation vs.

Intravenous immunoglobulin and intravenous methylprednisolone as optimal induction treatment in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy: protocol of an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (OPTIC).

Background: International guidelines recommend either intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) or corticosteroids as first-line treatment for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP). IVIg treatment usually leads to rapid improvement and is generally safe, but does not seem to lead to long-term remissions. Corticosteroids act more slowly and are associated with more side effects, but may induce long-term remissions.

Phase I and Pharmacologic Study of Olaparib in Combination with High-dose Radiotherapy with and without Concurrent Cisplatin for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Purpose: To identify an MTD of olaparib, a PARP inhibitor, in combination with loco-regional radiotherapy with/without cisplatin for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients And Methods: Olaparib dose was escalated in two groups: radiotherapy (66 Gy/24 fractions in 2.75 Gy/fraction) with and without daily cisplatin (6 mg/m), using time-to-event continual reassessment method with a 1-year dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) period.

Screening and patient-tailored care for emotional and cognitive problems compared to care as usual in patients discharged home after ischemic stroke (ECO-stroke): a protocol for a multicenter, patient-blinded, cluster randomized controlled trial.

Background: Ischemic stroke patients with a good outcome in terms of motor functioning and communication are likely to be discharged home without further rehabilitation. A significant number of these patients experience cognitive and emotional problems resulting in lower quality of life and decreased participation in society. This paper presents the protocol of a study examining the clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and implementation of an intervention focused on screening and patient-tailored care for cognitive and emotional problems as compared to usual care in patients discharged home after ischemic stroke.

The interobserver agreement of the HEART-score, a multicentre prospective study.

Background And Importance: Chest pain is one of the most common presentations to the emergency department (ED). The HEART-score is used to assess the 30-day risk of developing a major adverse cardiac event (MACE). The HEART-score enables clinicians to classify patients in low, intermediate, or high-risk groups though little is known as to whether this can be done reliably and reproducibly in a prehospital setting.

Intravenous immunoglobulins as first-line treatment in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: a pilot study.

Objectives: We explored efficacy and safety of IVIg as first-line treatment in patients with an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy.

Methods: In this investigator-initiated phase 2 open-label study, we included 20 adults with a newly diagnosed, biopsy-proven idiopathic inflammatory myopathy, and a disease duration of less than 9 months. Patients with IBM and prior use of immunosuppressants were excluded.