State of the art of aeolian and dune research on the Dutch and Belgian coast

Five years ago, at the previous anniversary of the NCK days, an overview was presented of the state of the art of “Measuring and modelling coastal dune development in the Netherlands” (De Groot et al., 2012). At that moment, new coastal-dune research had sprung up in the Netherlands after a relatively quiet period of about two decades, and the individual research projects were just starting to interconnect. Since then, research has blossomed. A large number of PhD students, postdocs and staff of many institutes are involved, and coastal aeolian processes have become a permanent topic of recent NCK days. Young researchers are meeting a couple of times per year to discuss their work informally, and several PhD theses were defended

Pilot use of the early motor repertoire in infants with inborn errors of metabolism:Outcomes in early and middle childhood

Background: Predicting later outcome in neonates presenting with severe inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) is difficult. The assessment of the early motor repertoire is a reliable method of evaluating the integrity of the central nervous system in young infants. This method is based on an age-specific qualitative assessment of general movements (GMs, 0-8 weeks of age), fidgety movements (FMs) and the concurrent motor repertoire (9-20 weeks of age).Aim: To determine the quality of the early motor repertoire (at 0-20 weeks post term age) in relation to later neurological outcome in infants with severe IEM.Study design: Prospective cohort study. The quality of the motor repertoire was assessed from serial videotape recordings.Subjects: Five infants with IEM. Four presented with a severe IEM in the neonatal period: an undefined gluconeogenesis defect, propionic acidemia, arginosuccinate synthetase and arginosuccinate lyase deficiency. One neonate was antenatally diagnosed with arginosuccinate synthetase deficiency.Outcome measures: Outcome at the age of at least 18 m was determined by neurological examination and developmental tests.Results: All infants initially had abnormal GMs: hypokinesia, followed by GMs of a poor repertoire. The quality of the early motor repertoire normalised in 3 infants, and remained abnormal in 2. The more severe and persistent abnormalities of the motor repertoire were considered with the more abnormal neurological and developmental scores, later on.Conclusions: The quality of the early motor repertoire might be related to later neurological outcome in infants with inborn errors of metabolism. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.</p

Effects of communication styles on marital satisfaction and distress of parents of pediatric cancer patients:a prospective longitudinal study

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal effects of communication styles on marital satisfaction and distress of parents of children treated for cancer. MethodsMarital dissatisfaction (Maudsley Marital Questionnaire), intimacy, avoidance, destructive and incongruent communication (Communication Skills Inventory) and psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire) were assessed in 115 parents of pediatric cancer patients shortly after diagnosis (T1) and 5years later (T2). ResultsOnly mothers' marital dissatisfaction increased significantly over time. No gender differences in dissatisfaction were found. Mothers had a significantly higher lack of intimacy score than fathers. All T1 communication styles were significantly univariately related to fathers' and mothers' T2 marital dissatisfaction, while not to T2 distress. Mothers' T1 marital dissatisfaction accounted for 67% and fathers' for 12% in the explained variance of T2 dissatisfaction. T1 destructive communication uniquely affected fathers' T2 marital dissatisfaction and T1 avoidant communication that of mothers. ConclusionsFive years after cancer diagnosis in their children, the quality of parents' marital relationships seemed largely unchanged. Parents' use of communication skills at diagnosis appeared to have limited effect on their marital dissatisfaction and no effect on their distress 5years later. While avoidant communication seemed indicative of mothers' marital distress, fathers' seemed affected by destructive communication. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Longtransplantatie bij kinderen

The first lung transplantation in the Netherlands was carried out in 1990. Since, the operation has been performed in over one hundred adults and two children (up to 16 years) with chronic respiratory insufficiency. Most lung transplantations in children are performed because of cystic fibrosis. After referral, the patient is given information about the operation and the pre- and postoperative periods, and the transplantation team advises on the time of screening. Some one-third of the children referred ultimately undergo transplantation; the others refrain from the operation, are rejected or die during the waiting period. Owing to a shortage of donor lungs the waiting period for transplantation may last over one year. A possible but controversial solution is donation of a pulmonary lobe by a close relative. Undergoing lung transplantation places a heavy (psychic) burden on the patient and his parents. Every patient after lung transplantation goes through an average of two or three periods of acute rejection. Chronic rejection occurs in 20-40%. Other complications are connected to medication (infections, renal dysfunction) or to the underlying disease (diabetes mellitus in cystic fibrosis). The percentages of survival for 1, 2 and 4 years are approx. 60-70, 55-60 and 30-50, dependent in part on the type of lung transplantation (unilateral, bilateral or combined heart-lung transplantation). A reasonable condition of the patient owing to timely referral is a positive prognostic facto

Coping and its effect on psychological distress of parents of pediatric cancer patients:a longitudinal prospective study

Objective This prospective 5-year longitudinal study examined the use of coping styles of fathers and mothers of pediatric cancer patients over time and the prospective effects of coping on distress. Methods Psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire) and the use of seven coping styles (Utrecht Coping List: active problem focussing, palliative and passive reaction patterns, avoidance, social support seeking, expression of emotions, and comforting cognition) were assessed in 115 parents shortly after diagnosis, 6 and 12-months, and 5-years later. Results At diagnosis, parents' use of coping styles did not differ from the norm population except more frequent use of support seeking. No significant change over time was found in a palliative reaction pattern. Support seeking declined and emotional expression increased linearly, whereas use of the remaining coping styles decreased, followed by an increase. At 5-years, parents' use differed from the norm population only in less use of expression of emotions and comforting cognitions. Initial coping use significantly predicted fathers' future distress at 6 and 12-months but not at 5-years. This was not found for mothers. Changes in coping were significantly associated with both parents' changes in distress only during the first year. Increased passive reaction pattern and social support seeking were the risk factors for mothers. Increased avoidance, a passive reaction pattern, expression of emotions, and decreased active problem focussing formed the risk factors for fathers. Conclusion Findings illustrate that coping seems to be a situation-specific process and that coping predictors vary as a function of parents' gender. Copyright (c) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Neurodevelopmental outcomes at five years after early-onset fetal growth restriction: Analyses in a Dutch subgroup participating in a European management trial

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore developmental outcomes at five years after early-onset fetal growth restriction (FGR). Study design: Retrospective data analysis of prospective follow-up of patients of three Dutch centres, who participated in a twenty centre European randomized controlled trial on timing of delivery in early-onset FGR. Developmental outcome of very preterm infants born after extreme FGR is assessed at (corrected) age of five. Results: Seventy-four very preterm FGR children underwent follow-up at the age of five. Mean gestational age at birth was 30 weeks and birth weight was 910 g, 7% had a Bayley score <85 at two years. Median five years’ FSIQ was 97, 16% had a FSIQ < 85, and 35% had one or more IQ scores <85. Motor score ≤ 7 on movement ABC-II (M-ABC-II-NL) was seen in 38%. Absent or reversed end-diastolic flow, gestational age at delivery, birthweight and neonatal morbidity were related to an FSIQ < 85. Any abnormal IQ scale score was related to birthweight, male sex and severity of FGR, and abnormal motor score to male sex and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Conclusions: Overall, median cognitive outcome at five years was within normal range, but 35% of the children had any abnormal IQ score at age five, depending on the IQ measure, and motor impairment was seen in 38% of the children. GA at delivery, birthweight, EDF prior to delivery and neonatal morbidity were the most important risk factors for cognitive outcomes