Tilburg University

About: Tilburg University is a education organization based out in Tilburg, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Anxiety. The organization has 5550 authors who have published 22330 publications receiving 791335 citations.

Comparison of morbidity between axillary lymph node dissection and sentinel node biopsy

Abstract: Aims: The use of axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in women with breast cancer is associated with considerable morbidity. Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) removes the lymph node in the axillary basin indicative for receiving first lymphatic drainage from the breast. This study compares the nature and severity of physical morbidity among breast cancer patients who underwent primary surgery for breast cancer combined with either ALND or SNB. Also, it assesses influence of subsequent radiotherapy on morbidity. Method: Two hundred and thirteen ALND patients were compared with 180 SNB patients retrospectively. Morbidity was measured using a disease-specific quality-of-life questionnaire. Results:Patients' demographic characteristics were alike. The axillary procedure is the strongest and most consistent factor in explaining differences in a variety of self-reported complaints. Patients having had SNB have a 3.2-fold lower risk of experiencing pain, a 5-fold lower risk of lymph oedema, a 7.7-fold lower risk of numbness, a 3.7-fold lower risk of tingling sensations, a 7.1-fold lower risk of loss of strength in arm/hand, a 3.6-fold lower risk of loss of active motion range of the arm and a 2.9-fold lower risk of impaired use of the arm. Axillary radiation therapy adds to complaints next to the axillary surgical procedure by increasing the risk of lymph oedema 2.4-fold and enhancing the risk of impaired use of the arm by 2.6-fold. Axillary radiation therapy does not explain lymph oedema by itself. Conclusion: SNB is associated with less morbidity compared to ALND in patients with primary breast cancer.

Vocabulary Growth and Reading Development across the Elementary School Years.

Abstract: The associations between vocabulary growth and reading development were examined longitudinally for a representative sample of Dutch children throughout the elementary school period. Data on basic and advanced vocabulary, word decoding, and reading comprehension were collected across the different grades. The results showed significant progress on all of the measures over time. The stability of the vocabulary measures was high, which shows a great deal of continuity in both the basic and advanced vocabularies of the children. Beginning vocabulary was found to predict early word decoding and reading comprehension as was predicted from the lexical restructuring hypothesis. From second grade on, word decoding predicted later vocabulary development. Moreover, a reciprocal relationship between the children's advanced vocabulary and reading comprehension was detected. The data provide support for the lexical quality hypothesis as knowledge of word forms and word meanings predicts the development of reading comp...

Examination of the dimensionality of fatigue: The construction of the Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS)

Abstract: Summary: This paper reports on two studies. The goal of Study I was to examine the dimensionality of existing fatigue scales. The aims of Study II were to construct a new self-report fatigue instru...

Liquidity Risk Premia in Corporate Bond Markets

Abstract: This paper explores the role of liquidity risk in the pricing of corporate bonds. We show that corporate bond returns have signifcant exposures to fluctuations in treasury bond liquidity and equity market liquidity. Further, this liquidity risk is a priced factor for the expected returns on corporate bonds, and the associated liquidity risk premia help to explain the credit spread puzzle. In terms of expected returns, the total estimated liquidity risk premium is around 0.6% per annum for US long-maturity investment grade bonds. For speculative grade bonds, which have higher exposures to the liquidity factors, the liquidity risk premium is around 1.5% per annum. We find very similar evidence for the liquidity risk exposure of corporate bonds for a sample of European corporate bond prices.