Introduction: Subfertility is a growing problem in The Netherlands. Assisted reproductive techniques (ART) are applied to aid subfertile couples conceiving. The EmbryoScope is a novel incubator, used in ART, to cultivate embryos under optimal conditions. The EmbryoScope provides time lapse images, which …

Paratonia, a distinctive form of hypertonia in patients with dementia, causes loss of functional mobility in early stage dementia to severe contractures and pain in the late stages. The pathogenesis of paratonia is not well understood. Patients in early stage dementia with diabetes mellitus showed a …

This dissertation explores whether the German news media framework that is constructed around the issue of trafficking in human beings (THB) is biased or framed in terms of gender. The past decade has seen major developments in efforts towards the eradication of THB on an international and national …

Rationale: The number of obese older adults with diabetes type 2 is increasing worldwide. Weight loss treatment in this group seems beneficial for cardio-metabolic and other health outcomes, but it might reduce muscle mass and bone mineral density (BMD). The association between obesity and BMD is controversial, …

Introduction: Cutting is an important skill in team-sports, but unfortunately is also related to non-contact ACL injuries. The purpose was to examine knee kinetics and kinematics at different cutting angles. Material and methods: 13 males and 16 females performed cuts at different angles (45 , 90 , 135 …

In patients with COPD, self-management skills are important to reduce the impact of exacerbations. However, both detection and adequate response to exacerbations appear to be difficult for some patients. Little is known about the underlying process of exacerbation-related self-management. Therefore, …

BackgroundIn the coming decades the number of older people increases and correspondingly the number of people with chronic conditions. Chronic conditions can have a significant impact on the quality of life of elderly and their family caregivers. They face a lifelong challenge with the illnesses, treatments, …

BACKGROUND: Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) measurements of oxygenation reflect O2 delivery and utilization in exercising muscle and may improve detection of a critical exercise threshold. PURPOSE: First, to detect an oxygenation breakpoint (Δ[O2HbMb-HHbMb]-BP) and compare this breakpoint to ventilatory …

Background In 2007, routine hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody testing was introduced for men who have sex with men (MSM) with a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive or unknown status attending a Dutch sexually transmitted infection (STI) outpatient clinic. We evaluated whether this screening resulted …

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life in patients with Addison's disease has been assessed in various European countries, indicating a reduced quality of life. However, no studies have addressed the impact of Addison's disease on physical activity. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate …