Predicting asthma in preschool children at high risk presenting in primary care: development of a clinical asthma prediction score.

Background: A setting-specific asthma prediction score for preschool children with wheezing and/or dyspnoea presenting in primary healthcare is needed since existing indices are mainly based on general populations.

Aims: To find an optimally informative yet practical set of predictors for the prediction of asthma in preschool children at high risk who present in primary healthcare.

Methods: A total of 771 Dutch preschool children at high risk of asthma were followed prospectively until the age of six years.

The effect of two lottery-style incentives on response rates to postal questionnaires in a prospective cohort study in preschool children at high risk of asthma: a randomized trial.

Background: In research with long-term follow-up and repeated measurements, quick and complete response to questionnaires helps ensure a study's validity, precision and efficiency. Evidence on the effect of non-monetary incentives on response rates in observational longitudinal research is scarce.

Objectives: To study the impact of two strategies to enhance completeness and efficiency in observational cohort studies with follow-up durations of around 2 years.

A systematic review with attempted network meta-analysis of asthma therapy recommended for five to eighteen year olds in GINA steps three and four.

Background: The recommendations for the treatment of moderate persistent asthma in the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines for paediatric asthma are mainly based on scientific evidence extrapolated from studies in adults or on consensus. Furthermore, clinical decision-making would benefit from formal ranking of treatments in terms of effectiveness.Our objective is to assess all randomized trial-based evidence specifically pertaining to 5-18 year olds with moderate persistent asthma.

Prediction and treatment of asthma in preschool children at risk: study design and baseline data of a prospective cohort study in general practice (ARCADE).

Background: Asthma is a difficult diagnosis to establish in preschool children. A few years ago, our group presented a prediction rule for young children at risk for asthma in general practice. Before this prediction rule can safely be used in practice, cross-validation is required.

Spinal tuberculosis in a 14-year-old immigrant in the Netherlands.

We present a case of Pott's disease, where the patient presented with neurological impairment due to vertebral granulomatous necrosis, needing immediate decompression and later stabilizing and reconstructive orthopaedic surgery, in order to create awareness for TB in general, especially this forgotten form of spinal tuberculosis.