Maastricht University

About: Maastricht University is a education organization based out in Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 19263 authors who have published 53291 publications receiving 2266866 citations. The organization is also known as: Universiteit Maastricht & UM.

Mindfulness Training for Adolescents with Externalizing Disorders and their Parents

Abstract: Mindfulness training was evaluated as a new treatment for attention and impulsivity problems in adolescents with a variety of different externalizing disorders: attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, oppositional-defiant and/or conduct disorder, and autism spectrum disorder if characterized by externalizing problem behaviour. It was argued that the large overlap between these three disorders may be partially explained by common underlying attention and behaviour control deficits. Fourteen clinically referred adolescents suffering from externalizing disorders followed mindfulness training in a group format. Parallel, their parents received mindful parenting training. Adolescents and their parents were measured before and after waitlist, after 8-week training, and at 8-week follow-up. No improvement occurred during waitlist on most variables. After mindfulness training, children self-reported substantial improvement on personal goals, internalizing and externalizing complaints, attention problems, happiness, and mindful awareness, and performed better on a sustained attention test. Likewise, parents reported improvement on children's goals, externalizing and attention problems, self-control, attunement to others and withdrawal. In addition, parents improved on their own goals. Improvement was maintained 8 weeks after the training. Consistent with mindfulness theory, increased child awareness after training predicted longer-term improvement in parent-rated child symptoms. Concomitant parent and child mindfulness training appears to be a promising approach for clinic-referred adolescents with attention and impulsivity problems.

Coping with complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity in risk governance: a synthesis.

Abstract: The term governance describes the multitude of actors and processes that lead to collectively binding decisions. The term risk governance translates the core principles of governance to the context of risk-related policy making. We aim to delineate some basic lessons from the insights of the other articles in this special issue for our understanding of risk governance. Risk governance provides a conceptual as well as normative basis for how to cope with uncertain, complex and/or ambiguous risks. We propose to synthesize the breadth of the articles in this special issue by suggesting some changes to the risk governance framework proposed by the International Risk Governance Council (IRGC) and adding some insights to its analytical and normative implications.

Body surface area in normal-weight, overweight, and obese adults. A comparison study

Abstract: Values for body surface area (BSA) are commonly used in medicine, particularly to calculate doses of chemotherapeutic agents and index cardiac output. Various BSA formulas have been developed over the years. The DuBois and DuBois (Arch Intern Med 1916;17:863-71) BSA equation is the most widely used, although derived from only 9 subjects. More recently, Mosteller (N Engl J Med 1987;317:1098) produced a simple formula, [weight (kg) � height (cm)/3600] 1/2 , which could be easily remembered and evaluated on a pocket calculator, but validation data in adults are rare. The purpose of the present study was to examine the BSA based on Mosteller’s formula in normal-weight (body mass index [BMI], 20-24.9 kg/m 2 ), overweight (BMI, 25-29.9 kg/m 2 ), and obese (BMI, z30 kg/m 2 ) adults (N18 years old) in comparison with other empirically derived formulas (DuBois and DuBois, Boyd [The growth of the surface area of the human body. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press; 1935], Gehan and George [Cancer Chemother Rep 1970;54:225-35], US Environmental Protection Agency [Development of statistical distributions or ranges of standard factors used in exposure assessments Washington, EPA/600/8-85-010. Office of Health and Environmental Assessment; 1985), Haycock et al [J Pediatr 1978;93:62-6], Mattar [Crit Care Med 1989;17:846-7], Livingston and Scott [Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2001;281:E586-91]) and with the new 3-dimensional–derived formula of Yu et al (Appl Ergon. 2003;34:273-8). One thousand eight hundred sixty-eight patients were evaluated (397 normal weight [BMI, 23 F 1 kg/m 2 ; age, 50 F 14 years; M/F, 289/108], 714 overweight [BMI, 27 F 1 kg/m 2 ; age, 52 F 11 years; M/F, 594/120], and 757 obese [BMI, 36 F 6 kg/m 2 ; age, 53 F 11 years; M/F, 543/215]). The overall BSA was 2.04 F 0.24 m 2 : 1.81 F 0.19 m 2 in normal-weight, 1.99 F 0.16 m 2 in overweight, and 2.21 F 0.22 m 2 in obese subjects. These values were significantly higher in overweight and obese patients compared with the values using the DuBois-DuBois formula (overall, 2.00 F 0.22 m 2 , P b .01; normal weight, 1.81 F 0.19 m 2 , P = .93; overweight, 1.97 F 0.16 m 2 , P b .01; obese, 2.14 F 0.21 m 2 , P b .001). We could show an excellent correlation between the results obtained from each formula, with all correlations of 0.97 or higher (between 0.971 and 0.999). Body surface area prediction with the commonly used DuBois formula underestimated BSA in obese patients by as much as 3% (male) to 5% (female). Based on the formula of Yu et al, however, BSA is overestimated when these traditional formulas are used. Although Mosteller’s formula is recommended based on its simplicity and suitability for laboratory and clinical work in adults, accuracy studies in whites with 3-dimensional one-pass whole-body scanning are needed.