Teledermatology in Belgium: a pilot study.

: Teledermatology, the application of telemedicine in the field of dermatology, can be a valuable tool to improve the efficiency of care in general practice.: In this pilot study, we implemented a teledermatology programme in Belgian context to assess the effect on referral rate and to evaluate the acceptability of teledermatology by clinicians and patients.: A store-and-forward teledermatology service between 12 general practitioners (GPs) and 3 academic dermatologists was evaluated for a period of 3-6 months.

Impaired cardiovascular structure and function in adult survivors of severe acute malnutrition.

Malnutrition below 5 years remains a global health issue. Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) presents in childhood as oedematous (kwashiorkor) or nonoedematous (marasmic) forms, with unknown long-term cardiovascular consequences. We hypothesized that cardiovascular structure and function would be poorer in SAM survivors than unexposed controls.

A review on leadership of head nurses and patient safety and quality of care.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore in literature what different leadership styles and behaviors of head nurses have a positive influence on the outcomes of patient safety or quality of care.

Design/methodology/approach: We reviewed the literature from January 2000 until September 2011. We searched Pubmed, Embase, Cinahl, Psychlit, and Econlit.

Arterial wave reflections and incident cardiovascular events and heart failure: MESA (Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis).

Objectives: This study sought to assess the relationship between central pressure profiles and cardiovascular events (CVEs) in a large community-based sample.

Background: Experimental and physiologic data mechanistically implicate wave reflections in the pathogenesis of left ventricular failure and cardiovascular disease, but their association with these outcomes in the general population is unclear.

Methods: Aortic pressure waveforms were derived from a generalized transfer function applied to the radial pressure waveform recorded noninvasively from 5,960 participants in the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.