Malignant salivary gland tumours: Can fast neutron therapy results point the way to carbon ion therapy?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To evaluate the outcome of malignant salivary gland tumours treated with neutron therapy to assess the potential for other high linear energy transfer (LET) beams. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Neutrons at iThemba LABS are produced by the reaction of 66 MeV protons on a beryllium target. A median dose 20.4 Gy, in 12 fractions in 4 weeks or 15 fractions in 5 weeks, was given to 335 patients with 176 irresectable, 104 macroscopically residual and 55 unresected tumours. RESULTS: Locoregional control was 60.6% at 5 years and 39.1% at 10 years and DSS was 66.8% and 53.7% at 5 and 10 years respectively. In the univariate analysis T4, >4 cm, high grade, squamous carcinoma, unresected and irresectable tumours, and positive nodes were significantly worse for LRC. In the multivariate analysis tumours >6 cm, squamous carcinoma, irresectable tumours and nodes were significantly worse for LRC. Tumours >6 cm, high grade, squamous carcinoma and nodes were significantly worse for DSS. Neither LRC nor DSS was influenced by age, sex, site, dose, fractionation or for initial or recurrent disease. CONCLUSIONS: Neutron therapy appears to be the treatment of choice for macroscopically incompletely excised and irresectable salivary gland tumours with improved survival rates. Further improvement may be achieved with other high LET modalities with a superior dose profile, such as carbon ions.Web of Scienc

Being together in youth worship : an empirical study in Protestant Dutch contexts

In a qualitative empirical research project on youth worship, we discovered that ‘being together’ is primary quality of youth worship. This primary quality consists of at least four aspects. Firstly, community is celebrated through physical presence. More specifically, the physical presence of siblings plays an important part in the participation of youth in worship. Secondly, an empathetic and emotional aspect is essential for adolescents. ‘Being together’ in youth worship means being together in unity and trust and in equality, as kindred spirits. Thirdly, ‘being together’ in youth worship yields possibilities to cross social and ecclesiological boundaries. Fourthly, there is a theological aspect in ‘being together’ that could be described as ‘sharing faith and being in God’s presence’.This article is based on a part of Ronelle Sonnenberg’s PhD thesis ‘Youth worship in protestant contexts. A practical theological theory of participation of adolescents’ (2015). Her supervisors were Prof. M. Barnard, Prof. M. Nel and Dr A. de Kock.http://www.hts.org.zaam201

"It is never good. Really, it’s just never good": A dominant theme in the life story accounts of strictly Reformed-raised emerging adults about their religious identity development.

This article presents a striking finding of our research into the religious identity commitments and process of religious identity development of emerging adults who grew up in strictly Reformed contexts in the Netherlands. We observed a recurrent theme in the life story accounts we studied. Almost all the participants expressed that they feel or felt not good enough for God or believers within strictly Reformed contexts. In this article, we explore this theme and show how feelings of not being good enough are related to various aspects of participants’ strictly Reformed upbringing, such as specific beliefs and specific ideal images. In addition, we show which experiences go along with feelings of not being good enough. Last, we discuss the findings, provide suggestions for future research and point to directions for further reflections by educators

Immunocap® ISAC and microtest for multiplex allergen testing in people with difficult to manage allergic disease: A systematic review and cost analysis

__Background__ Allergy is a form of immune-mediated exaggerated sensitivity (hypersensitivity) to a substance that is either inhaled, swallowed, injected or comes into contact with the skin. Foreign substances that provoke allergies are called allergens. It has been claimed that multiplex allergen testing may help in diagnosing the cause of symptoms in patients with an unclear cause of allergy or who are allergic to more than one substance. __Objectives__ To evaluate multiplex allergen testing [devices that can measure the presence of multiple immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies in a patient’s blood at the same time], by assessing (1) clinical effectiveness (allergy symptoms, incidence of acute exacerbations, mortality, adverse events of testing and treatment, health-care presentations or admissions, health-related quality of life); (2) effects on treatment (diet, immunotherapy medications, other potential testing); (3) any additional diagnostic information provided by multiplex allergen testing; and (4) cost-effectiveness (cost of different assessment strategies). __Methods__ Fifteen databases were searched from 2005 to April 2015, including MEDLINE (via OvidSp), MEDLINE In-Process Citations, MEDLINE Daily Update, PubMed (National Library of Medicine), EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), Health Technology Assessment (HTA) database, Science Citation Index (SCI), Conference Proceedings Citation Index-Science (CPCI-S), BIOSIS Previews, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) HTA programme, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA); supplementary searches of conference proceedings and trials registries were performed. Review methods followed published guidance from the Cochrane Collaboration and the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, UK. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using appropriate published tools or a review-specific tool designed by the project team. Studies were summarised in a narrative synthesis. Owing to a lack of data on the clinical effectiveness of multiplex allergen testing, no long-term cost-effectiveness model was developed. A conceptual model structure was developed and cost analyses were performed to examine the short-term costs of various possible diagnostic pathways. __Results__ Fifteen studies were included in the review. The very limited available data indicated that the addition of multiplex allergen testing [ImmunoCAP® Immuno Solid-phase Allergen Chip (ISAC), Thermo Fisher Scientific/Phadi

What About Learning in Practical Theological Studies? Toward More Conceptual Clarity

Because learning is an important concept in the reflection on young people in faith practices, practical theological studies on the theme of learning profit from a clarification of the concept of learning. Therefore, current (empirical) research projects conducted by the Dutch Research Centre for Youth, Church, and Culture and educational and religious education literature on learning have been analyzed. The results provide an overview of utilized descriptions of learning, (theological) interpretations of learning, normative positions regarding learning, and strategic considerations toward (the promotion of) learning. Implications for future practical theological research into (faith) learning in the context of faith practices of young people are discussed

The unacknowledged presence of Catholicism in secularized Dutch society: The case of spiritual care

There is a certain self-centeredness in in the diagnosis that the church, here: the Roman Catholic Church, is in crisis. In itself, the diagnosis reflects an experience of ontological insecurity. The existence of the church as we know it is at stake, and the future is uncertain. One narrative is guided by fear: will the church survive? Another by hope: the church to come will be more pure, or more hospitable. An alternative perspective starts with society instead of the church and tries to understand the present in light of the past, instead of looking at the future based on the present. This chapter addresses the impact of Catholicism in secularized Dutch society, focusing on its contribution to the field of mental health care and spiritual care, while acknowledging the decay of the religious field as such, in the past decades. The central thesis is that, even where solid structures have melted, practices such as those originating in pastoral care, have been continued in a secular environment. The empirical findings are followed by suggestions about how to evaluate these findings from a theological perspective

Being together in youth worship: An empirical study in Protestant Dutch contexts

In a qualitative empirical research project on youth worship, we discovered that ‘being together’ is primary quality of youth worship. This primary quality consists of at least four aspects. Firstly, community is celebrated through physical presence. More specifically, the physical presence of siblings plays an important part in the participation of youth in worship. Secondly, an empathetic and emotional aspect is essential for adolescents. ‘Being together’ in youth worship means being together in unity and trust and in equality, as kindred spirits. Thirdly, ‘being together’ in youth worship yields possibilities to cross social and ecclesiological boundaries. Fourthly, there is a theological aspect in ‘being together’ that could be described as ‘sharing faith and being in God’s presence’

"I have Dutch Nationality, But Others Do Not See Me as a Dutchman, of Course" : Perception of and Participation in Society of Orthoprax Young Muslim Adults in the Netherlands

This interview study examines the attitudes of orthoprax young Muslim adults in the Netherlands toward their context, by distinguishing their perceptions of society and their participation in society. In this study, we discover that orthoprax young Muslim adults oppose themselves to Dutch society and do not feel really connected to it. However, most of the time, they participate in society by having jobs, studying and having friends. We also see that respondents are particularly active in and involved with their own Islamic community. Respondents in many cases do not link their religious identity to their participation in society. This study shows three different styles of linking religion to participation: “Participating as far as Islam allows,” “Religion is very personal and individual,” and “Bridging the gap.” We discuss what the reason is for not linking religious identity to participation

Influencing Contextual Factors in the Religious Identity Development of Strict Reformed-Raised Emerging Adults in The Netherlands

Religious identity development is highly influenced by contexts. This influence is even more powerful for young people who grew up in strict religious contexts because of the prominence of orthodox beliefs and practices in everyday life. This article presents which contextual factors were influential on the religious identity development of 18 emerging adults who grew up in strict Reformed contexts in the Netherlands. Moreover, it presents characteristics that led the participants to consider the influence as positive or negative. In the study, the perspective of the emerging adults was central, and through in-depth life story interviews, contextual influence was explored