Six and eight weeks injection frequencies of bevacizumab are non-inferior to the current four weeks injection frequency for quality of life in neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: Patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nARMD) will not deteriorate on visual acuity and retinal thickness when treated with bevacizumab injection frequencies of 6 or 8 weeks compared to 4 weeks. This study aimed to investigate this non-inferiority in quality of life (QoL). We hypothesized that less frequent bevacizumab injections are not inferior regarding patients reported QoL.

A very short version of the Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ-3oo7) for use as a routinely applied Patient-Reported Outcome Measure.

Background: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are valuable supplements in regular care to facilitate routine monitoring of quality of life from the patient's perspective. The 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) is a widely used PROM in ophthalmology. However, the NEI-VFQ-25 is too time-consuming and cumbersome for routine evaluations in regular care.

Cost-effectiveness of a home-based group educational programme on renal replacement therapies: a study protocol.

Introduction: Living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) is the optimal treatment for most patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, there are numerous patients who cannot find a living kidney donor. Randomised controlled trials have shown that home-based education for patients with ESRD and their family/friends leads to four times more LDKTs.

"The validity of the EQ-5D-5L in measuring quality of life benefits of breast reconstruction".

Background: The EuroQol EQ-5D-5L instrument is the most widely used quality of life (QoL) measure in health economic evaluations. It is unclear whether such a generic instrument is valid enough to estimate the benefits of breast reconstruction (BR), given the specific changes observed in QoL after BR. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the validity of the EQ-5D-5L in patients who had undergone postmastectomy BR.

Evaluation of Split Version and Feedback Module on the Improvement of Time Trade-Off Data.

Background: EQ-5D-5L valuation studies previously reported many inconsistent responses in time trade-off (TTO) data. A number of possible elements, including ordering effects of the valuation tasks, mistakes at the sorting question, and interviewers' (learning) effects, may contribute to their inconsistency.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of two modifications on consistency of TTO data in The Netherlands (NL) and Hong Kong (HK): (1) separating the valuation of the Better than Dead (BTD) and Worse than Dead (WTD) states; and (2) Implementation of feedback (FB) module by offering an opportunity to review TTO responses.

Novel, Moon and Mars, partial gravity simulation paradigms and their effects on the balance between cell growth and cell proliferation during early plant development.

Clinostats and Random Positioning Machine (RPM) are used to simulate microgravity, but, for space exploration, we need to know the response of living systems to fractional levels of gravity (partial gravity) as they exist on Moon and Mars. We have developed and compared two different paradigms to simulate partial gravity using the RPM, one by implementing a centrifuge on the RPM (RPM), the other by applying specific software protocols to driving the RPM motors (RPM). The effects of the simulated partial gravity were tested in plant root meristematic cells, a system with known response to real and simulated microgravity.

SF-6D utility values for the better- and worse-seeing eye for health states based on the Snellen equivalent in patients with age-related macular degeneration.

Objective: Economic evaluations in wet age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is hampered as often utility values for solely one eye are used, mostly the better-seeing eye (BSE). Moreover, frequently chosen methods rely on patient values and/or disease specific measures, while economic evaluations prefer generic quality of life (QoL) measures based on societal preferences. The generic QoL utility instrument EQ-5D has shown to be insensitive for differences in visual acuity.

The Cost-Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Group Training for Patients with Unexplained Physical Symptoms.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral group training compared with a wait-list control for patients with unexplained physical symptoms (UPS).

Methods: A probabilistic decision-analytic Markov model was developed with three health states (poor health, average health, and death) based on a cutoff score of the Physical Component Summary of the short-form 36 health survey. To assess the cost-effectiveness in terms of cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY), a societal perspective was adopted.

Solution focused therapy: a promising new tool in the management of fatigue in Crohn's disease patients psychological interventions for the management of fatigue in Crohn's disease.

Background: Crohn's disease patients have a decreased Quality of Life (QoL) which is in part due to extreme fatigue. In a pilot study we prospectively assessed the feasibility and effect of psychological interventions in the management of fatigue.

Methods: Patients with quiescent Crohn's disease and a high fatigue score according to the Checklist Individual Strength were randomized to Problem Solving Therapy (PST), Solution Focused Therapy (SFT) or to a control group (treatment as usual, TAU).

On the correlation between bibliometric indicators and peer review: reply to Opthof and Leydesdorff.

Opthof and Leydesdorff (Scientometrics, 2011) reanalyze data reported by Van Raan (Scientometrics 67(3):491-502, 2006) and conclude that there is no significant correlation between on the one hand average citation scores measured using the CPP/FCSm indicator and on the other hand the quality judgment of peers. We point out that Opthof and Leydesdorff draw their conclusions based on a very limited amount of data. We also criticize the statistical methodology used by Opthof and Leydesdorff.

Severe language effect in university rankings: particularly Germany and France are wronged in citation-based rankings.

We applied a set of standard bibliometric indicators to monitor the scientific state-of-arte of 500 universities worldwide and constructed a ranking on the basis of these indicators (Leiden Ranking 2010). We find a dramatic and hitherto largely underestimated language effect in the bibliometric, citation-based measurements of research performance when comparing the ranking based on all Web of Science (WoS) covered publications and on only English WoS covered publications, particularly for Germany and France.

Towards a new crown indicator: an empirical analysis.

We present an empirical comparison between two normalization mechanisms for citation-based indicators of research performance. These mechanisms aim to normalize citation counts for the field and the year in which a publication was published. One mechanism is applied in the current so-called crown indicator of our institute.

Bibliometric analysis of psychotherapy research: performance assessment and position in the journal landscape.

The authors provide an overview of advanced bibliometric methods for (a) an objective and transparent assessment of journal performance and (b) positioning of a journal in relation to other journals. These methods are applied to Psychotherapy Research, an international journal within the field of clinical psychology. In the first analysis, the authors focus on journal performance in an international comparative perspective (i.