The aims of this study were (1) to develop centile reference values for anaerobic performance of Dutch children tested using the Muscle Power Sprint Test (MPST) and (2) to examine the test-retest reliability of the MPST.Children who were developing typically (178 boys and 201 girls) and aged 6 to 12 years (mean = 8.9 years) were recruited. The MPST was administered to 379 children, and test-retest reliability was examined in 47 children. MPST scores were transformed into centile curves, which were created using generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape.Height-related reference curves were created for both genders. Excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.98) test-retest reliability was demonstrated.The reference values for the MPST of children who are developing typically and aged 6 to 12 years can serve as a clinical standard in pediatric physical therapy practice. The MPST is a reliable and practical method for determining anaerobic performance in children.
The aim of this study was to determine, over time, changes in annual trends of nosocomial bacteraemia (NB) and to quantify pathogen-specific changes and emergence of antibiotic resistance. A retrospective cohort study in a 997 bed tertiary care centre in the Netherlands was performed. All adult patients (≥18 years old) admitted for >48 h between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2005 were included. A total of 163 525 patients, comprising 1 826 852 patient-days and 1785 episodes of NB, were analysed. The number of admissions per year and length of hospital stay decreased over time. Crude incidence of NB per year remained unchanged, but cumulative incidence (cases/10 000 admissions) and incidence densities (cases/100 000 patient-days at risk) increased, on average, by 2.0% and 4.0% per year, respectively, primarily because of infections caused by Enterococcus spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The incidence density of NB caused by highly resistant microorganisms increased, on average, by 26.1% [95% confidence interval (CI): 17–37] per year, when compared with an annual increase of 3% (95% CI: 1–5) for NB caused by susceptible pathogens. Ratios of increased incidence densities of resistant and susceptible bacteria were 8.7, 3.5, 2.6 and >37.9 for all pathogens, Enterococcus spp., P. aeruginosa and Enterobacteriaceae, respectively. Due to changes in the patient population, increased incidences of NB over time are only evident when expressed as cumulative incidence or incidence densities. Despite overall low levels of antibiotic resistance, the incidence of NB caused by multiresistant pathogens rapidly increased, adding to the total burden of NB.
(186)Re-1,1-hydroxyethylidene diphosphonate (etidronate) can be used for the palliative treatment of metastatic bone pain. A randomized, placebo-controlled study using (186)Re-etidronate was conducted on end-stage prostate cancer patients with metastatic bone pain.Pain relief was assessed using an electronic diary containing questions reflecting the multidimensional character of chronic pain. The diary was marked twice daily for a maximum of 14 wk (2 wk before and 12 wk after the injection). Pain response was determined using a specific decision rule in which pain intensity, medication index, and daily activities were the core determinants. A positive response day was defined as a day on which pain intensity was reduced > or = 25% compared with baseline values, while medication index and daily activities were at least constant, or on which pain intensity was reduced < 25% and medication index or daily activities improved > or = 25%, without worsening of the remaining factor. The total response (%) was defined as the number of positive response days divided by the number of days of follow-up.Of the 111 included patients, 79 were evaluable (43 (186)Re-etidronate, 36 placebo). Thirty-two patients were excluded from the analysis because of incomplete datasets. The total response of the patients treated with (186)Re-etidronate varied from 0% to 96% (mean, 27%, or 23/84 d). In the placebo group, the total response varied from 0% to 80% (mean, 13%, or 11/84 d; Mann-Whitney U test, P < 0.05). The number of patients who requested radiotherapy was higher in the placebo group (67%) than in the (186)Re-etidronate group (44%) (relative risk, 1.51; Fisher's exact test, P = 0.069).This randomized controlled trial confirmed that, compared with placebo, (186)Re-etidronate resulted in a significantly longer pain response in the treatment of bone pain from metastasized prostate cancer.
Background . The Treatment Beliefs Questionnaire has been developed to measure patients’ beliefs of necessity of and concerns about rehabilitation. Preliminary evidence suggests that these beliefs may be associated with attendance of rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to translate and adapt the Treatment Beliefs Questionnaire for interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation and to examine the measurement properties of the Dutch translation including the predictive validity for dropout. Methods . The questionnaire was translated in 4 steps: forward translation from English into Dutch, achieving consensus, back translation into English, and pretesting on providers and patients. In order to establish structural validity, internal consistency, construct validity, and predictive validity of the questionnaire, 188 participants referred to a rehabilitation centre for outpatient interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation completed the questionnaire at the baseline. Dropout was measured as the number of patients starting, but not completing the programme. For reproducibility, 51 participants were recruited at another rehabilitation centre to complete the questionnaire at the baseline and one week later. Results . We confirmed the structural validity of the Treatment beliefs Questionnaire in the Dutch translation with three subscales, necessity, concerns, and perceived barriers. internal consistency was acceptable with ordinal alphas ranging from 0.66–0.87. Reproducibility was acceptable with ICC 2,1 agreement ranging from 0.67–0.81. Hypotheses testing confirmed construct validity, similar to the original questionnaire. Predictive validity showed the questionnaire was unable to predict dropouts. Conclusion . Cross-cultural translation was successfully completed, and the Dutch Treatment Beliefs Questionnaire demonstrates similar psychometric properties as the original English version.
Purpose We aimed to study the association between lung function decline and quantitative computed tomography (CT) air trapping. Materials and Methods Current and former heavy smokers in a lung cancer screening trial underwent volumetric low-dose CT in inspiration and expiration. Spirometry was obtained at baseline and after 3 years. The expiratory to inspiratory ratio of mean lung density (E/I-ratioMLD) was used to quantify air trapping. CT emphysema was defined as voxels in inspiratory CT below −950 Hounsfield Unit. Linear mixed modeling was used to determine the association between CT air trapping and lung function. Results We included 985 subjects with a mean age of 61.3 years. Independent of CT emphysema, CT air trapping was significantly associated with a reduction in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and the ratio of FEV1 over the forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC); FEV1 declines with 33 mL per percent increase in CT air trapping, while FEV1/FVC declines 0.58% per percent increase (both p<0.001). CT air trapping further elicits accelerated loss of FEV1/FVC (additional 0.24% reduction per percent increase; p = 0.014). Conclusion In a lung cancer screening cohort, quantitatively assessed air trapping on low-dose CT is independently associated with reduced lung function and accelerated decline of FEV1/FVC.
Emphysema and small airway disease both contribute to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a disease characterised by accelerated decline in lung function. The association between the extent of emphysema in male current and former smokers and lung function decline was investigated.
Methods
Current and former heavy smokers participating in a lung cancer screening trial were recruited to the study and all underwent CT. Spirometry was performed at baseline and at 3-year follow-up. The 15th percentile (Perc15) was used to assess the severity of emphysema.
Results
2085 men of mean age 59.8 years participated in the study. Mean (SD) baseline Perc15 was −934.9 (19.5) HU. A lower Perc15 value correlated with a lower forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) at baseline (r=0.12, p<0.001). Linear mixed model analysis showed that a lower Perc15 was significantly related to a greater decline in FEV1 after follow-up (p<0.001). Participants without baseline airway obstruction who developed it after follow-up had significantly lower mean (SD) Perc15 values at baseline than those who did not develop obstruction (−934.2 (17.1) HU vs −930.2 (19.7) HU, p<0.001).
Conclusion
Greater baseline severity of CT-detected emphysema is related to lower baseline lung function and greater rates of lung function decline, even in those without airway obstruction. CT-detected emphysema aids in identifying non-obstructed male smokers who will develop airflow obstruction.
Summary A considerable inter-individual variation in half-life of infused factor VIII is observed among patients with hemophilia A. The factors contributing to this wide range in factor VIII half-life are not known in detail. We analysed the pharmacokinetics of infused factor VIII in 32 patients with hemophilia A, comprising 20 brothers from 10 families, 3 and 4 brothers from 2 families, and 5 patients from 5 single families, respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to asses the effect of several variables on factor VIII half-life. We found that the pre-infusion von Willebrand factor antigen levels (vWF:Ag) were positively correlated with factor VIII half-life (r = 0.52, p = 0.002), i. e., each variable was associated with about 27% of the variance of the other. In fraternal pairs, familial clustering was significant for AB0 blood group (p < 0.001), but could not be detected for factor VIII half-lives or pre-infusion vWF:Ag levels. vWF:Ag level (p = 0.001) and AB0 blood group (p = 0.003) significantly determined factor VIII half-life, whereas age, length, bodyweight, the presence or absence of a factor VIII gene inversion, and Rhesus phenotype did not. Patients with blood group 0 exhibited a statistically significant shorter factor VIII half-life than patients with blood group A (15.3 versus 19.7 h, respectively) (p = 0.003). Patients with blood group A and 0 differ in respect to the presence of anti-A antibodies in the latter. It is possible that these anti-A antibodies interact with endogenous vWF, thus affecting the half-life time of the factor VIII/vWF complex.
