Gerard J. J. M Borsboom (original) (raw)

Papers by Gerard J. J. M Borsboom

Impact of ivermectin on onchocerciasis transmission: assessing the empirical evidence that repeat... more Impact of ivermectin on onchocerciasis transmission: assessing the empirical evidence that repeated ivermectin mass treatments may lead to elimination/eradication in West-Africa

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To examine time trends in socioeconomic and regional inequalities in under 5 mortality in Indones... more To examine time trends in socioeconomic and regional inequalities in under 5 mortality in Indonesia during almost two decades of economic growth.

Otology & Neurotology, 2016

Objective: To determine whether certain patient and tumor characteristics influence the progressi... more Objective: To determine whether certain patient and tumor characteristics influence the progression of hearing loss in vestibular schwannoma (VS) patients. Study Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Tertiary referral center, Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Patients: One hundred fifty-five patients referred from 2000 through 2010 with intracanalicular, small or medium sized, unilateral VS, managed without active treatment. Intervention: Wait and scan protocol with sequential magnetic resonance imaging and audiometry. Main Outcome Measures: Hearing loss as pure-tone average (PTA) in dB and progression of hearing loss expressed as the annual change in PTA or annual hearing decreasing rate (AHDR) in dB/yr. Results: At presentation the mean hearing loss was 47 dB and the mean asymmetry between the tumor ear and the contralateral ear was 28 dB. The mean AHDR in wait and scan patients was 3.5 dB/yr (sd 4.6). Tumor growth was associated with the AHDR in patients with intracanalicular tumors. In patients with tumors extending into the cerebellopontine angle, we found a negative association between the AHDR and the PTA of the contralateral side. The explained variance, however, was low. No association was found between the AHDR and patient age, PTA in the tumor ear, tumor size, speech discrimination score at diagnosis or hypointensity of the cochlear fluids on magnetic resonance imaging. Conclusion: There is no association between hearing deterioration and clinical characteristics in our 155 VS patients. Hearing loss is associated with tumor growth in intracanalicular tumors only.

The European respiratory journal. Supplement, 1989

Journal of Hospital Infection, 2015

Review Norovirus introduction routes into nursing homes and risk factors for spread: a systematic... more Review Norovirus introduction routes into nursing homes and risk factors for spread: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 2013

Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, 2012

We previously demonstrated that compliance with occlusion therapy for amblyopia was improved by t... more We previously demonstrated that compliance with occlusion therapy for amblyopia was improved by the use of an educational programme, especially in children of parents of foreign origin and who spoke Dutch poorly. The programme consisted of: (i) a cartoon story for amblyopic children that explained without words why they should patch, (ii) a calendar with reward stickers, and (iii) an information leaflet for parents. In the current study, we assessed the individual effect of each component on compliance. We recruited 120 3- to 6-year-old children who lived in a low socio-economic status (SES) area in The Hague and were starting occlusion therapy for the first time. They were randomised to receive one of the components (three intervention groups), or a picture to colour (control group). The randomisation was blinded for treating orthoptist and researcher. Compliance was measured electronically using the Occlusion Dose Monitor (ODM). Primary outcome was percentage of compliance (actual/prescribed occlusion time). Secondary outcome was absolute occlusion hours per day. Parental fluency in Dutch was rated on a five-point scale. Compliance could be measured electronically in 88 of the 120 children; in 32 others, it failed for various reasons. Parental fluency in Dutch was moderate or worse in 36.4 % (p = 0.327). Average compliance was 55 % standard deviation (SD) 40 (n = 18) in the control group, 89 % SD 25 in the group receiving the educational cartoon (n = 25, P = 0.002 compared with control group), 67 % SD 33 (n = 24, P = 0.301) in the reward-calendar group and 73 % SD 40 (n = 21, P = 0.119) in the parent-information-leaflet group. On average, children in the control group occluded 1:46 SD1:19 hours/day, 2:33 SD 1:18 hours/day in the group receiving the educational cartoon, 1:59 SD 1:13 hours/day in the reward-calendar group and 2:18 SD 1:13 hours/day in the parent-information-leaflet group. No child who received the cartoon story occluded less than 1 hour per day, against seven in the reward-calendar group, five in the parent-information-leaflet group and five in the control group. Although all three components of the programme improved compliance with occlusion therapy in children in low-SES areas, the educational cartoon had the strongest effect, as it explained without words to a 4- to 5-year-old child why it should wear the eye patch.

American Journal of Epidemiology, 1994

Toxocara seroprevalence and the relation between Toxocara seroprevalence and allergic asthma were... more Toxocara seroprevalence and the relation between Toxocara seroprevalence and allergic asthma were investigated in Dutch schoolchildren aged 4-6 years. Data on Toxocara antibodies, allergen-specific immunoglobulin E, allergic manifestations, and risk factors (pets and playgrounds) were obtained from 235 children from The Hague and 477 from Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The surveys were carried out from September 1987 to January 1988 in The Hague and in March and April 1989 in Rotterdam. Logistic regression was used to evaluate putative relations. Toxocara seroprevalence was higher in The Hague (11%) than in Rotterdam (6%), but this difference was not quite significant. Seroprevalences varied widely among schools. No differences between socioeconomic categories or between the sexes were found. Occurrences of asthma/recurrent bronchitis and hospitalization due to asthma/recurrent bronchitis were significantly associated with seroprevalence. Furthermore, a marginally significant relation with eczema was found. Immunoglobulin E specific for inhaled allergens occurred significantly more often in the Toxocara-seropositive group. The risk factors investigated were not related to seroprevalence. It is suggested that Toxocara, among other environmental factors, may stimulate polyclonally immunoglobulin E production, including allergen-specific immunoglobulin E, and thus may contribute to the manifestation of allergic asthma and possibly of eczema in children predisposed to allergy.

Premature birth is associated with increased respiratory morbidity. We investigated cross-section... more Premature birth is associated with increased respiratory morbidity. We investigated cross-sectionally, in 69 healthy infants who had never had car- diorespiratory problems, whether premature birth is associated with diminished pulmonary function. The study comprised 26 healthy infants born prematurely (PT), median gesta- tional age 32 (26-36) weeks, and 43 healthy controls born full-term (FT), median gestational age 40 (37-42) weeks. Static respiratory system compliance (Crs) was assessed by weighted spirometry, combined with the measurement of the functional residual capacity by closed circuit helium dilution (FRCHe) and with assessment of ventilation distribution from the mixing index (MI). Repeatability of these indices was also assessed. Premature and full-term infants had the same length-corrected FRCHe; their Crs was different, but the difference disappeared when gestational age was taken into account. Mixing index was unrelated to body size and was not different between full-...

Institutions: 1. Lung Function Lab, National Research Institute of TB & Lung Diseases, Warsaw, Po... more Institutions: 1. Lung Function Lab, National Research Institute of TB & Lung Diseases, Warsaw, Poland 2. College of Public Health, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA 3. Department of Pulmonary Diseases and Sophia Childrens Hospital, Erasmus Medical Centre, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands 4. Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, the Netherlands 5. Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

The role of 'confounding by indication' in assessing the effect of quality of care on disease out... more The role of 'confounding by indication' in assessing the effect of quality of care on disease outcomes

Prenatal diagnosis, Jan 16, 2017

In the Netherlands, all women are claimed to have equal access to prenatal screening (PS). Prior ... more In the Netherlands, all women are claimed to have equal access to prenatal screening (PS). Prior research demonstrated substantial inequalities in PS uptake associated with socioeconomic status (SES) and ethnic background. The suggested pathway was a lack of intention to participate in PS among these subgroups. We studied the background of inequalities in PS participation, challenging intention heterogeneity as the single explanation. Multivariable logistic regression analyses of the national PS registry, focusing on the four largest cities in the Netherlands (n= 4578, years 2011-2013), stratified by SES. 1.Any uptake of PS (yes/no) and 2. Uptake (one/two tests) for women who intended to participate in two tests. Determinants included intention, ethnicity, practice and age. Of non-Western women 85.7% were screened versus 89.7% of Western women. Intention was an important explanatory factor in all models. However, after correction for intention, ethnicity remained a significant deter...

European Respiratory Journal, 2010

The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 2014

PLOS ONE

Background All women in the Netherlands should have equal access to obstetric care. However, util... more Background All women in the Netherlands should have equal access to obstetric care. However, utilization of care is shaped by demand and supply factors. Demand is increased in high risk groups (non-Western women, low socioeconomic status (SES)), and supply is influenced by availability of hospital facilities (hospital density). To explore the dynamics of obstetric care utilization we investigated the joint association of hospital density and individual characteristics with prototype obstetric interventions.