What is the relationship between trait anxiety and depressive symptoms, fatigue, and low sleep quality following breast cancer surgery?

Background: Depressive symptoms, fatigue, and low sleep quality are common symptoms during and after breast cancer (BC) treatment. In the present study, the relationship between trait anxiety and these symptoms in a long follow-up period was examined.

Methods: This was a prospective study.

Prolactin regulates mammary epithelial cell proliferation via autocrine/paracrine mechanism.

Prolactin (PRL) is essential for a number of developmental events in the mammary gland. Work with PRL and PRL receptor knockout mice has shown that PRL indirectly regulates ductal side branching during puberty and directly controls lobuloalveolar development and lactogenesis during pregnancy. Anterior pituitary or placental PRL is thought to be responsible for these functions via an endocrine mechanism; however, PRL is also produced in a number of extrapituitary sites including the mammary gland.

Aldolase C/zebrin gene regulation by prolactin during pregnancy and lactation.

Prolactin (PRL) is necessary for the genesis of mammary alveolar buds and for lactation. A cDNA library enriched for PRL-dependent genes was made by suppression subtractive hybridization. Aldolase C/zebrin (AldC/zebrin), a brain-specific aldolase, was found to be PRL-dependent in the mouse mammary glands.

Cortactin-binding protein 90 (CBP90) expression in the mouse mammary glands during prolactin-induced lobuloalveolar development.

We have previously performed suppression subtractive hybridization to identify genes that were induced during prolactin (PRL)-driven lobuloalveolar development of the mammary gland. This suggested that cortactin-binding protein 90 (CBP90), which is known to be a brain-specific protein that binds to cortactin, was expressed under the regulation of PRL in the mammary glands (preliminary observation). In this study, the expression of CBP90 was examined in the mammary glands of mice under manipulated hormonal circumstances.

Introduction to the pharmacoeconomics of herbal medicines.

This article explores the need to perform pharmacoeconomic evaluations of herbal medicines and assesses the extent to which this approach has been applied so far to these products. There seems to be no compelling need for pharmacoeconomic analyses of herbal over-the-counter medicines, but such analyses are certainly warranted for herbal prescription medicines that have a high level of reimbursement. Such preparations are used in Germany, in particular, where physicians prescribed ginkgo, hawthorn, St John's wort, horse-chestnut and saw palmetto to a value of more than DM50 million each in 1996.

Prolactin gene-disruption arrests mammary gland development and retards T-antigen-induced tumor growth.

Prolactin (PRL), interacting with other hormones from the pituitary, gonad, and placenta, activates specific signals that drive the appropriately timed morphological and functional development of the mammary gland. A mouse model of isolated PRL deficiency (PRL-/-) was created by gene disruption in an effort to further understand the molecular basis of mammary gland development and breast cancer. Whereas primary ductal growth was normal in PRL-/- mice, ductal arborization was minimal (branches/mm2=1.

Reporting format for economic evaluation. Part II: Focus on modelling studies.

This article presents the first version of a reporting format for modelling studies which is based on a general reporting format by our taskforce, which was published in the previous issue of this journal. The use of decision-analytical models for economic evaluations is increasing because, in practice, it is not always possible to derive information from prospective studies. However, the acceptance of modelling studies is generally lower than prospective studies not only because of the use of secondary data, but also because the reports of modelling studies do not always have sufficient transparency.

Reporting format for economic evaluation. Part I: Application to the Dutch healthcare system.

This article presents the first version of the reporting format for economic valuation that was created in 1995 by a multidisciplinary taskforce. The members of this taskforce come from a broad spectrum of backgrounds within the healthcare field and participated in the exercise voluntarily. The format presented should be understood as the preferred Dutch structure for the reporting of any study on economic evaluation.

[The clinical lesson in the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde in the last 40 years].

'Lessons of the Week' have been published in Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde since 1928. They consist of a clinical patient demonstration on paper but with the structure and the wording appropriate for a college theater. These lessons are read by three quarters of the journal's readership.

[What do reviewers look for in 'original articles' submitted for publication in the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde?].

Objective: To determine to what extent reviewers of the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde (Dutch Journal of Medicine, NTvG) use specific criteria when reviewing original articles.

Design: Descriptive.

Setting: Editorial office of the NTvG.

The relationship between serum triiodothyronine and thyroxine concentrations in hyperthyroidism.

In toxic nodular goitre relapses of hyperthyroidism after medical therapy probably are more common than in toxic diffuse goitre. It has also been reported that in patients with toxic diffuse goitre a high ratio of triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), initially or during medical treatment, predicts a relapse of the hyperthyroidism after cessation of therapy. We therefore studied the relationship between T3 and T4 in untreated patients with toxic diffuse goitres (n = 46, mean ratio T3/T4 29.

[Meeting reports in the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde; value for readers and associations].

Objective: To determine the objective of scientific association proceedings in the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde (NTvG) and whether the objective is met by publication.

Design: Interview.

Setting: The editorial office of NTvG MATERIAL AND METHODS: The clinical relevancy of the proceedings published in 1990 and 1991 was determined using selection criteria.

[Revision consensus osteoporosis].

Several years ago a consensus guideline conference was organised both in the United States (1984) and in the Netherlands (1985) on case finding, prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. The most important conclusion of both conferences was that oestrogen substitution can significantly reduce the incidence of fractures in postmenopausal women. This statement has not changed in the revised guidelines on osteoporosis of 1991.

Logistic multiple regression analysis of factors predicting recurrence of hyperthyroidism after medical treatment of toxic diffuse goitre.

In order to determine which factors predict the outcome of short term antithyroid drug treatment we studied 42 patients with diffuse goitre in whom 43 instances of thyrotoxicosis were treated. Treatment duration ranged from 24 to 61 wk (median 30 wk). All patients received high-dose carbimazole and thyroid hormone substitution.

[Reasons for rejection of articles vor publication in the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde in 1990].

To deduce recommendations for authors which decrease the rejection probability we investigated retrospectively which reasons were mentioned in 1990 by the editorial board of the 'Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde' when it rejected original articles, reviews, clinical lessons and case reports, and whether length of the article, professional status of the first author, most relevant specialism and origin of the article influenced the rejection probability. Out of 547 articles 38% (208) were rejected; case reports were rejected most often (49%), reviews least often (33%). Peer review of original articles was the most thorough, of case studies the least.

[Vitamin D poisoning; real and spurious].

Vitamin D in large doses is a proper therapy in hypoparathyroidism, osteomalacia, vitamin D-resistant rickets and also in chronic renal failure although in those cases the active metabolite of vitamin D is preferred because of the much shorter biologic halflife. Apart from these disorders there are no good reasons for using megadoses of vitamin D. Pseudo-vitamin D intoxication is caused by granulomatous diseases as a so-called inappropriate calcitriol secretion.