Fatigue in patients with chronic disease:results from the population-based Lifelines Cohort Study

(1) To evaluate the prevalence of severe and chronic fatigue in subjects with and without chronic disease; (2) to assess to which extent multi-morbidity contributes to severe and chronic fatigue; and (3) to identify predisposing and associated factors for severe and chronic fatigue and whether these are disease-specific, trans-diagnostic, or generic. The Dutch Lifelines cohort was used, including 78,363 subjects with (n = 31,039, 53 ± 12 years, 33% male) and without (n = 47,324, 48 ± 12 years, 46% male) ≥ 1 of 23 chronic diseases. Fatigue was assessed with the Checklist Individual Strength-Fatigue. Compared to participants without a chronic disease, a higher proportion of participants with ≥ 1 chronic disease were severely (23% versus 15%, p < 0.001) and chronically (17% versus 10%, p < 0.001) fatigued. The odds of having severe fatigue (OR [95% CI]) increased from 1.6 [1.5–1.7] with one chronic disease to 5.5 [4.5–6.7] with four chronic diseases; for chronic fatigue from 1.5 [1.5–1.6] to 4.9 [3.9–6.1]. Multiple trans-diagnostic predisposing and associated factors of fatigue were found, explaining 26% of variance in fatigue in chronic disease. Severe and chronic fatigue are highly prevalent in chronic diseases. Multi-morbidity increases the odds of having severe and chronic fatigue. Several trans-diagnostic factors were associated with fatigue, providing a rationale for a trans-diagnostic approach

Pain in the cancer patient : different pain characteristics CHANGE pharmacological treatment requirements

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The irradiation facility at the AGOR cyclotron

The KVI is conducting radiobiology research using protons up to 190 MeV from the superconducting AGOR cyclotron in collaboration with the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) since 1998. Using the same set-up, we have started irradiations for radiation hardness studies of detectors and components for the European Space Agency (ESA) and industrial parties. For these irradiations, we use either mono-energetic protons or a simulated solar flare energy spectrum with fluxes up to 5 x 108 protons cm(-2) s(-1). Furthermore, tests of radiation effects such as single event upsets, are being performed with intensities down to a few particles/s. Different energies are achieved by degrading the primary beam energy. We are currently developing the capability for heavy ion irradiations in air with beams up to Xe at beam energies between 15 and 45 MeV per nucleon. Performing the irradiations in air simplifies handling and monitoring of the device under test. The high energy allows penetration to the active layer of electronic devices, without modifications to the chip housing. The different ions provide a wide range in LET. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved