Ascent of the testis revisited: Fact not fiction

Nurses with dermal exposure to antineoplastic drugs: Reproductive outcomes

BACKGROUND: Nurses and other hospital workers are exposed to antineoplastic drugs during daily activities. Previous studies suggest that antineoplastic drugs at occupational exposure levels may be toxic to reproduction, but these studies are not consistent or conclusive. METHODS: Self-administered questionnaires were completed by 4393 exposed...

Neonatal detection of congenital hypothyroidism of central origin

Due to the high frequency of concurrent pituitary hormone deficiencies, congenital hypothyroidism (CH) of central origin (CH-C) is a life-threatening disorder. Yet only a minority of these patients are detected by neonatal CH screening programs worldwide. We conducted a prospective multicenter study involving a 2-yr cohort of neonatally...

Selecting an indicator set for monitoring and evaluating perinatal health in Europe: Criteria, methods and results from the PERISTAT project

The PERISTAT project was charged with developing an indicator set for monitoring and describing perinatal health in Europe as part of the European Commission's Health Monitoring Programme, run by the Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection (DG-SANCO), which is working towards the establishment of a comprehensive health monitoring...

Differences in perinatal mortality and suboptimal care between 10 European regions: Results of an international audit

Objective: A European concerted action (the EuroNatal study) investigated the background of differences in perinatal mortality between countries of Europe. The study aimed to determine the contribution of differences in quality of care, by looking at differences in the presence of suboptimal factors in individual cases of perinatal death. Design...

Congenital malformations in 4224 children conceived after IVF

Background: The percentage of children born after IVF will continue to increase due to demographic changes such as increasing maternal age and new developments in assisted reproduction techniques. IVF conceptions may carry an increased risk of congenital malformations. Methods: We compared overall and specific congenital malformation rates...

The influence of prenatal screening and termination of pregnancy on perinatal mortality rates

Objectives This study concerns the possible effect of practice of prenatal screening of congenital anomalies followed by termination of pregnancy on the perinatal mortality between European countries. Methods Data of nine region-specific EUROCAT registries from five European countries were used to compare the pregnancy termination rate and...

Health technology assessment and screening in Sweden

Objectives: To describe health technology assessment (HTA) and policies concerning three screening procedures in Sweden. Methods: The main source of information was reports from the Swedish Council for Technology Assessment in Health Care (SBU) and other governmental reports, supplemented by the professional literature. Results: Prevention is...

Optimale zorg voor kinderen met het Down-syndroom en voor hun ouders [Optimal medical care for children with Down's syndrome and their parents]

Children with Down's syndrome have an increased risk of congenital anomalies and additional medical problems. These can be treated but are often seen as part of the syndrome and not as the cause of developmental retardation. Based on the current level of knowledge, specific medical tests and evaluations are recommended. The reasons for these...

Differential misclassification of alcohol and cigarette consumption by pregnancy outcome

Background. The validity of the results of studies using retrospectively collected information on exposures is often criticized, because cases may report differently from controls even if their true exposure status is the same. This study was performed to quantify the extent to which this effect (differential misclassification) may occur for...

Congenitale afwijkingen in het eerste levensjaar in Nederland [Congenital anomalies in the first year of life in the Netherlands]

Zitproblemen en de "vacuum-vormfixatie" (Sitting problems and the vacuum form fixation)

The merits of the 'vacuum form fixation' are discussed for the production of reliable body impressions of patients suffering from sitting problems. Impressions are taken with the patients seated in the desired posture. The first results are reported, obtained from 4 patients of different categories, fitted with individually moulded seats...