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PURPOSE: A meta-analysis was performed to compare the rates of the major complications associated with two gastrostomy tube placement techniques in a pediatric population: laparoscopy-assisted gastrostomy (LAG) and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG).METHODS: The PubMed electronic database was queried for comparative studies of the two insertion techniques. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) w
In Activity Based Working Environment (ABWE) offices, employees are allowed increased autonomy and are expected to choose where, when, with whom, and to some degree with what, to work; in other words, employees are expected to self-lead to a higher degree and to coordinateand align with colleagues. Effectsof these expectations on employees’cogniti
Objective To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), the Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS), and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) in persons with late effects of polio (LEoP). More specifically, we explored the data completeness, scaling assumptions, targeting, reliability, and convergent validity. Methods A postal survey including FSS, FIS, and MFI-20 was
In this paper we address the problem of registering and merging two maps in two dimensions, given covariance estimates of the two maps. We show that if two maps are given in the same coordinate system, then the problem of merging them in a statistically optimal way can be formulated as a linear least squares problem, but if they are given in different coordinate systems as well the problem becomes
Rangelia vitalii is a protozoon that causes diseases in dogs, and anemia is the most common laboratory finding. However, few studies on the biochemical changes in dogs infected with this protozoon exist. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the biochemical changes in dogs experimentally infected with R. vitalii, during the acute phase of the infection. For this study, 12 female dogs (aged 6-12 mo
OBJECTIVE: Currently available hand prostheses lack sensory feedback. A "phantom hand map", a referred sensation, on the skin of the residual arm is a possible target to provide amputees with non-invasive somatotopically matched sensory feedback. How-ever, not all amputees experience a phantom hand map. The aim of this study was to explore whether touch on predefined areas on the forearm can be as
Flexibility of the energy system plays a vital role when integrating non-dispatchable renewable energy technologies. However, flexibility of the energy system has been often discussed only focusing on the operation of the energy system. This study extends the flexibility concept considering both design and operation of the energy system. In order to achieve this, pseudo chronological scenarios use
Background: Full-term pregnancy (FTP) is associated with a reduced breast cancer (BC) risk over time, but women are at increased BC risk in the immediate years following an FTP. No large prospective studies, however, have examined whether the number and timing of pregnancies are associated with BC risk for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers.Methods: Using weighted and time-varying Cox proportional
Eighty-three patients with high risk ocular hypertension were followed between 9 and 120 months with computerized threshold perimetry every three months in a prospective clinical study. Twenty eyes developed definite glaucomatous visual field defects. Analysis of these cases showed that definite field loss was preceded by increased variability of measured threshold values. Already at this early st
Climate variability is highly impacting on mosquito-borne diseases causing malaria and dengue fever across the globe. Seasonal variability change in temperature and rainfall patterns are impacting on human health. Mosquitoes cause diseases like dengue fever, yellow fever, malaria, Chikungunya, West Nile and Japanese encephalitis. According to estimations by health organizations, annually one milli
Evaluations provide insights into the effectiveness of emergency exercises or the response to a disaster. A well-constructed process is key to capture evidence-based feedback that can support future learning and development. However, little is known about how they are performed in practice and whether they actually meet their intended purpose. Therefore, this paper provides an overview of how ‘ope
The inorganic metal or metal-oxide nanoparticles (NPs) that mimic enzymes are of great interest due to improved physical and chemical properties compared with native enzymes. Here, we report that manganese dioxide (MnO2)-Silk exhibit catalase, oxidase, and peroxidase-like activities. The MnO2-Silk hybrid fibers effectively decomposed hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and oxidized the typical horseradish pe
Most freight wagons in the EU use cast iron brake blocks. Cast iron brake blocks have a stable braking capability in different environmental conditions, but wear down the wheel tread quickly. Therefore, there is a need to understand the tribology of other brake block materials. A pin-on-disc tribometer placed in a temperature-controlled chamber is used to investigate the tribology of cast iron, si
Current methods for antibody structure prediction rely on sequence homology to known structures. Although this strategy often yields accurate predictions, models can be stereo-chemically strained. Here, we present a fully automated algorithm, called AbPredict, that disregards sequence homology, and instead uses a Monte Carlo search for low-energy conformations built from backbone segments and rigi
Regional blood flow in rat liver and in inoculated liver tumors was studied before, during and after local hyperthermia treatment at 42.0°C for one hour. Hyperthermia was induced by microwave irradiation of the central liver lobe. The method used for blood flow studies was the clearance of Xenon-133 following portal and intraparenchymal injection. The wash-out curves were analyzed by using a bi-ex
Objective To estimate, using numerical calculations, the depth of tissue damage in the uterus following balloon thermal endometrial destruction. Design A parameter, therapeutic depth, was defined. This was the maximum depth into the uterine myometrium, from the uterine cavity, at which a predefined temperature was reached after a certain time and with a constant intracavitary temperature. Setting
Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) are a family of autoantibodies that react with proteins predominantly expressed in cytoplasmic granules of polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes (PMNs). ANCA was initially detected using indirect immunofluorescence, allowing for different patterns such as p-ANCA (perinuclear) and c-ANCA (cytoplasmic) to be distinguished. Today it is common to detec
