Outcome of a structured surveillance programme in women with a familial predisposition for breast cancer.

We aimed to prospectively evaluate the efficacy of a multi-modal surveillance programme for the early detection of familial breast cancer. Ultrasound, mammography and breast magnetic resonance imaging were evaluated in 413 women who participated in a prospective study with a median follow-up of 2.2 years (range 1-6.

Outcome of muscle and bone development in congenital heart disease.

Muscles and bones of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) are subject to various potentially deleterious influences during growth. The aim of the present study was to analyse the outcome of bone and muscle parameters in adolescents and young adults with a spectrum of CHD. Bone and muscle parameters of the forearm were examined at two standard sites, 4% and 65%, in 29 adolescents and young adults with CHD, aged 14-24 years, by quantitative computed tomography.

Nonlinear progression of Parkinson disease as determined by serial positron emission tomographic imaging of striatal fluorodopa F 18 activity.

Background: The investigation of disease progression provides important information on the dynamics of cell death in Parkinson disease (PD).

Objective: To determine the progression of dopaminergic impairment in PD with the use of positron emission tomography (PET).

Design: Longitudinal prospective cohort study with a follow-up period of 64.

How thrombus model impacts the in vitro study of interventional thrombectomy procedures.

Rationale And Objectives: Numerous experimental models are used to investigate the effectiveness of thrombectomy devices. We aimed to study the systematic effects of different in vitro thrombus models on the results of experimental thrombectomy and examined how thrombi formed in vitro and ex vivo differ.

Methods: Three variables involved in human in vitro thrombogenesis were investigated: spontaneous or thrombin-induced clotting, age (1 or 5 days old), and storage temperature (4 degrees C or 21 degrees C).

Translocation of iris pigment epithelium in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration: long-term results.

Purpose: To report the practicability and efficacy of autologous iris pigment epithelium (IPE) translocation in exudative age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) over 1 year.

Methods: The consecutive interventional case series included 56 patients with exudative ARMD. During vitrectomy the submacular neovascular membrane (CNV) was removed and IPE cells, harvested from a peripheral iridectomy, were injected into the submacular space.

The influence of tutor qualification on the process and outcome of learning in a problem-based course of basic medical pharmacology.

Limited access to expert tutors is a problem that can be addressed by using tutors from different stages of medical or non-medical (under-, post-) graduate education. To address whether such differences in qualification affect the results of process evaluation by participants or their learning outcome (exam results), we analysed the data of a 4-year prospective study performed with 787 3rd-year medical students (111 groups of 5-10 participants) taking an obligatory problem-based learning (PbL)-course of basic pharmacology. We compared peer tutors (undergraduate medical students, >/=4th year), non-expert (junior) staff tutors (physicians, pharmacists, veterinarians, biologists, or chemists during postgraduate education), and expert (senior) staff tutors (completed postgraduate education).