Retinal Vein Occlusion-Background Knowledge and Foreground Knowledge Prospects-A Review.

Thrombosis of retinal veins is one of the most common retinal vascular diseases that may lead to vascular blindness. The latest epidemiological data leave no illusions that the burden on the healthcare system, as impacted by patients with this diagnosis, will increase worldwide. This obliges scientists to search for new therapeutic and diagnostic options.

Challenging depressive beliefs: Habitual and recollective components of stability or change.

Background And Objectives: Depressed people tend to hold stable negative beliefs that resist challenges. Two experiments investigated the cognitive bases of belief change or resistance to change following the provision of supportive or challenging pseudo-evidence.

Method: Students scoring high and low on a measure of depressed state read belief statements, each followed by invented experimental evidence to either verify or discount them.

Tryptophan Intake and Tryptophan Losses in Hemodialysis Patients: A Balance Study.

Tryptophan depletion is common in hemodialysis patients. The cause of this depletion remains largely unknown, but reduced nutritional tryptophan intake, losses during dialysis or an increased catabolism due to an inflammatory state are likely contributors. Currently, little is known about tryptophan homeostasis in hemodialysis patients.

Creatinine synthesis rate and muscle strength and self-reported physical health in dialysis patients.

Background & Aims: Urinary creatinine excretion reflecting endogenous creatinine synthesis rate (CSR) is an established measure of muscle mass in the general populations and in patients with chronic kidney disease. There is increasing data to suggest that CSR not only reflects muscle mass, but also muscle function. In dialysis patients, CSR has rarely been studied since it requires dialysate collection.

The STAP-study: The (cost) effectiveness of custom made orthotic insoles in the treatment for plantar fasciopathy in general practice and sports medicine: design of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Plantar fasciopathy is a common cause of foot pain, accounting for 11 to 15% of all foot symptoms requiring professional care in adults. Although many patients have complete resolution of symptoms within 12 months, many patients wish to reduce this period as much as possible. Orthotic devices are a frequently applied option of treatment in daily practice, despite a lack of evidence on the effectiveness.

Development and evaluation of a leaflet containing shoe advice: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Providing advice to wear good quality shoes with appropriate fit is one of the possibilities GPs have when treating patients with foot problems.

Objectives: The aims of this study are to (i) determine which shoe characteristics are important when providing shoe advice; (ii) develop a shoe advice leaflet and (iii) evaluate if women choose better shoes with the aid of the leaflet.

Methods: We performed a literature search on the effect of separate shoe characteristics on foot pathologies and kinematics and developed an information leaflet with the aid of multidisciplinary experts.

[Refractive errors in patients with cerebral palsy].

Unlabelled: Ocular changes are common in patients with cerebral palsy (CP) and they exist in about 50% of cases. The most common are refractive errors and strabismus disease. The aim of the paper was to estimate the relativeness between refractive errors and neurological pathologies in patients with selected types of CP.

[Goldenhar's syndrome--case report].

Goldenhar's syndrome is a very rare, multiple, developmental disease, with characteristic oculo-auriculo-vertebral triad of abnormalities. Ophthalmological changes are mainly: microphthalmia or anophthalmia and rarely, coloboma of upper eyelid or coloboma of optic nerve head. The aim of the article is to present the case of anophthalmia in the new-born child with phenotype of Goldenhar's syndrome.

How a tolerant past affects the present: historical tolerance and the acceptance of Muslim expressive rights.

Three studies, conducted in The Netherlands, examined the relationship between a tolerant representation of national history and the acceptance of Muslim expressive rights. Following self-categorization theory, it was hypothesized that historical tolerance would be associated with greater acceptance of Muslim expressive rights, especially for natives who strongly identify with their national in-group. Furthermore, it was predicted that the positive effect of representations of historical tolerance on higher identifiers' acceptance could be explained by reduced perceptions of identity incompatibility.

Rehabilitation, exercise therapy and music in patients with Parkinson's disease: a meta-analysis of the effects of music-based movement therapy on walking ability, balance and quality of life.

Recent evidence suggests that music-based movement (MbM) therapy may be a promising intervention to improve gait and gait-related activities in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, because it naturally combines cognitive movement strategies, cueing techniques, balance exercises and physical activity while focussing on the enjoyment of moving on music instead of the current mobility limitations of the patient. A meta-analysis of RCTs on the efficacy of MbM-therapy, including individual rhythmic music training and partnered dance classes, was performed. Identified studies (K = 6) were evaluated on methodological quality, and summary effect sizes (SES) were calculated.

Mobilizing opposition towards Muslim immigrants: national identification and the representation of national history.

This research, conducted in the Netherlands, investigates whether people who do not feel strongly committed to their national in-group (i.e., lower identifiers) can be mobilized against expressive rights of Muslim immigrants when specific historical representations of the nation are made salient.

[Congenital pit of the optic nerve head with maculopathy--a case report].

The aim of the article is to present the case of a fifty years old man suffering from congenital pit of the optic head with remission confirmed by OCT examination. The diagnosis was established after indirect ophtalmoscopy and OCT. Congenital pit of the head is a rare anomaly caused by the mutation of a PAX 2 gene.

[Drop-out from clinical psychotherapeutic treatment of personality problems].

Background: Drop-out is a serious problem in psychotherapy. Earlier studies have shown that the main factors associated with drop-out are young age, low socio-economic status and pathological symptoms such as severity of the problems and problematic substance-abuse.

Aim: To investigate patient's and pathological characteristics that predict drop-out among patients with predominantly personality problems.

Prejudice towards Muslims in The Netherlands: testing integrated threat theory.

This study uses integrated threat theory to examine Dutch adolescents' (N=1,187) prejudice towards Muslim minorities. One out of two participants was found to have negative feelings towards Muslims. Perceived symbolic and realistic threat and negative stereotypes were examined as mediators between antecedent factors (in-group identification, intergroup contact, and the endorsement of multiculturalism) and prejudice.

Design considerations when using semicrystalline engineering polymers.

Intelligently exploiting the material properties of polymers can lead to multifunctional components that are commercially and functionally superior to previous designs. This article explains how to achieve this.

Moisture in the granules.

This article offers manufacturers who process a broad range of plastics tips on how to handle polymers that are sensitive to moisture. It covers detection and drying procedures that will help ensure good-quality mouldings are produced.

Applying evidence to support ethical decisions: is the placebo really powerless?

Using placebos in day-to-day practice is an ethical problem. This paper summarises the available epidemiological evidence to support this difficult decision. Based on these data we propose to differentiate between placebo and "knowledge framing".

[Bilateral retinal detachment in toxemia of pregnancy].

In this article, we present two cases of bilateral retinal detachment in toxemia of pregnancy. The first case describes 31-year old patient admitted to hospital due to toxemia of pregnancy in the 38th week of the second pregnancy. Medical examination following admission showed blood pressure 180/130 mm Hg oedema of face and legs.

[Evaluation of the effectiveness of Pentoxifylline in the treatment of retinal vein thrombosis. Preliminary report].

In 18 patients with retinal vein occlusion the authors used Pentoxifylline in droplet infusion for an increased deformation of erythrocytes. In all the patients they observed a substantial improvement of all physiological parameters of the visual system.

[Evaluation of the effectiveness of Quinax in the prevention of the development of senile cataract].

The authors evaluated the efficacy of Quinax in 4 groups of patients with cataract. An observation of--on the average--5 years duration showed that systematic application of the drug prevents the development of the early senile cataract and distinctly slows down the progress of the disease in the group of patients without the risk factors. Non systematic application of the compound also slows down the progress of the condition in the group of early cataract.