Objective: The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) is used to identify patients at high risk for aortic valve replacement (AVR) in whom alternative procedures, such as trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), may be appropriate. The aim of the present study was to calibrate and validate the EuroSCORE for different cardiac surgery procedures to improve patient

Social comparisons, seeing oneself in relation to others, are universal, common, and perhaps even necessary. In a study of parents of deaf children, intense, open, and mutual examinations were voiced in parental groups, meetings between parents and professionals, and interviews. These comparisons were generated in a specific situation created by successful claims for separate milieus advocated by

Studies of the association between circulating IGF-I and cancer risk have shown conflicting results. We have previously observed a U-shaped association between IGF-I and cancer mortality. The present study test the hypotheses of a U-shaped association between IGF-I and incident cancer.

Background and purpose Although the incidence of hip fracture during the past 50 years has increased, a break in this trend has been reported in the last decade. Whether this change is attributable to changes in bone mineral density (BMD) or whether it varies between urban and rural regions is unknown. Methods We evaluated changes in annual hip fracture incidence in women aged >/= 50 years in one

Approximately 50% of children born with cleft palate present speech difficulties around 3 years of age, and several studies report on persisting phonological problems after palatal closure. However, studies on early phonology related to cleft palate are few and have so far mainly been carried out on English-speaking children. Studies on phonology related to cleft palate in languages other than Eng

Background/Aims: Our purpose was to investigate whether the new research criteria for Alzheimer's disease proposed in 2007 by Dubois et al. are valid in a naturalistic memory clinic sample. Method: Retrospective diagnostic analyses were carried out to compare the traditional diagnostic criteria for dementia with the new criteria suggested by Dubois et al. No patient had gone through all procedures

We determined whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously associated with diabetogenic traits improve the discriminative power of a type 2 diabetes genetic risk score. Participants (n = 2,751) were genotyped for 73 SNPs previously associated with type 2 diabetes, fasting glucose/insulin concentrations, obesity or lipid levels, from which five genetic risk scores (one for each of the

Large longitudinal studies on stroke outcome are scarce. The aim of this study was to analyze predictors and changes in functional outcome during the first year poststroke.

The aim was to explore radiotherapy nurses' perceptions of their experiences of caring for children undergoing radiotherapy treatment for cancer.

We applied the new injury severity scoring system and studied mechanisms of injury and risk factors for mortality, in order to find potential preventive measures, in the present Scandinavian trauma cohort triaged through red trauma alarm according to the Medical Emergency Triage and Treatment System.

Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) improves the survival time in hypoxemic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Despite warnings about potential dangers, a considerable number of patients continue to smoke while on LTOT. The incidence of burn injuries related to LTOT is unknown. The aim of this study was to estimate the rate of burn injury requiring health care contact during LTOT.

The aim of the study was to make an international comparison of blood levels of cadmium (B-Cd), lead (B-Pb) and mercury (B-Hg) of women in seven European, and three non-European cities, and to identify determinants. About 50 women (age: 46-62) from each city were recruited (totally 480) in 2006-2009. Interview and questionnaire data were obtained. Blood samples were analysed in one laboratory to a

Background: Several attempts to increase the locoregional control in locally advanced lung cancer including concurrent chemotherapy, accelerated fractionation and dose escalation have been made during the last years. As the EGFR directed antibody cetuximab has shown activity concurrent with radiotherapy in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, as well as in stage IV NSCLC combined with che